docwra

I'll be the first then

 

I think it looks awful, I can appreciate the work thats gone into it but it just doesn't suit the Z at all IMO

Oh believe me, you arent the first by any means

Its not going to be to everyones taste, but it really does look better in the metal, promise

I am going to have a good think about making it lower or filling the arches - the rears are really the problem but its a bit of a balance between awesome looks and drivability. I will be coming to most of the big shows this year so Im sure youll have a chance to see it in the metal as well, but thank you for all of the positive commesnt, and cheers for the less positive but still constructive ones. On other forums Ive had "It looks Halfords spec", "worse than a standard car" and "It look @*!#"

Thanks for the positive response - its been rather less ....... positive elsewhere

The arches are metal, fabricated by Will at Streetoptions - he's done an astonishingly good job, so good it looks factory. The kit was Chargespeed and fitted beautifully, but obviously needed some work to go with the arches.

The car does ideally need to be lower but is already pretty close at the front, and its a daily drive too - ideally Id like some decent 20's, but Im thinking about taking it down a bit first and seeing how I get on as its a lot cheaper Handy photoshop though:

Im going to sort a proper build thread out, or I could just be lazy of course ....... http://streetoptions.co.uk/WidebodyNissan350z.aspx

Oh, wheels are Work Equip 18x10J's, ET -36 front and ET -42 rear, running 255/40 and 265/35 rear

Finally managed to get some decent pics of the car at Duxford last weekend - these were taken outside the US Hangar along with the Mint Tyres Skyline R32. Im rather pleased with people standing next to an SR71 Blackbird but checking out my 350Z

Mud is due to stupid Duxford access road :down:

Ive also caught a guy in a Gallardo convertible and another in a GT3RS checking it out in the last week, which makes me rather happy

It was a pretty decent day but the weather was rubbish sadly - I think a fair few stayed away because of the rain

The SXOC stand looked good with my Z33, and my mates Exige and Firebird though

Its this Sunday so you might do well to get something sorted before then

I could have sworn Id added my name to a list for the Duxford Summer Car Show this weekend but I cant find anything now

Im up there anyway with the SXOC but was going to bring the Z33 for its first proper car show outing since having some rather major work done on it - will there be anywhere to park it??

Weight isnt such an issue as you might think - more weight equals greater traction and more mass for feint entries

that was the car that won the European Drift Championship in 2008. And this one:

won the Japanese champs in 2008 as well, albeit with 800hp

From watching the video, the Jag doesnt look to be a great drift car mainly due to its pretty weak steering lock - clutches are pretty vital as well, and I believe they are tip only. Sort that out and Ive no doubt it would be properly capable

Get off the fence Chesterfield - tell us what you really think

As someone who is considering a Jag ATM that makes for interesting reading.

Looks like it could use a bit more steering lock to me

Ive managed 615km (382 miles) on the way to Le Mans before - anyone else noticed that the fuel economy seems to improve once you pass the speed limit??

I know i'm probably being a bit dumb but i just dont get it..........why/what/how etc????

Why: Dynamically, a stretched tyre will suffer less roll under abuse. It also is a lot cheaper on tyres (a 225 for a 10J is a lot cheaper than a 275, for instance), and gives you some movement on wheel fitment

As I have said, Im not sure a 350Z lends itself particularly, but some other cars neeeed stretch.

I dont imagine theres an insurance issue and cant really speak for tyre wear, but then I go through them rather quickly anyway

The stretched look has to be done right, and Id say the Z33 isnt a car that particularly lends itself to it TBH. The low look is spot on for the car, but my car now only has maybe 3 inches of clearance at the front and it wouldnt work it was the only car I owned - most speed bumps are out, multistory car parks are a no, and pretty much on anything with a decent incline the nose scrapes ......... but the car needs to go lower to look right in my eyes.

Id also add that I have other cars to concentrate on the driving dynamics of, so within reason Im prepared to compromise a little on the Zed to get it looking "right"

Ekona - that does surprise me, as I could easily find 200 odd people who have the same opinion as me. However, to be fair, those 200 people are effectively driving track focused cars on the road so ride comfort is less important than ultimate grip. Not sure about the breakaway point though - if anything I find it easier on a stretched tyre due to the lack of flex, I imagine

rtbiscuit - sure, the rear tyres may not be experiencing the same level of lateral grip, but the front ones are, and Id argue considerably exceeding the lateral forces you would find on a grip car - the directional changes are certainly faster and more violent. It suprises a lot of people that drifting is actuallyall about grip, not the lack of it, and even the spinning back tyres are holding onto the road.

Your average drifter is going to be 180/360 spinning the car more than someone driving a car "properly" too which surely puts the most force on a set of tyres.

Dont get me wrong, Im not arguing that drifting is the be all and end all or that stretched tyres are the way forward for everyone, but I am saying that in certain cases, be it drift cars or heavily modified showcars they have their place,and they certainly dont just fall off of rims. I see a lot of people dismissing it instantly without experience of it, which is why Im putting my side here.

Next up, welded diffs

Utter chav look unless on an old classic VW, and it'll make the car handle like @*!#. Really don't see the point at all.

Ahh, I hear this sooo much. Ever tried stretched tyres? No? You surpise me.

I seem to qualify every post on here by saying that Im a drifter, but I think its relevant here. Most of us run stretched tyres, for various reasons - one is of fitment, another is price and another is the actual performance of the tyre. Contrary to Ekona's belief, the lack of sidewall reduces flex, and actually makes the car feel more solid. Ive certainly never noticed any adverse handling effects from running stretch anyway

and as for the "youll rip the tyre off the rim" argument, in 10 years of drifting on the street, on airfields, in carparks, on kart tracks, on concrete runways and on FIA tracks I have never seen one stretched tyre leave the rim of the car running it. I find it hard to believe that any grip racer is going to pusha tyre harder than a drifter either.

So, if you dotn like the look then fair enough, but dynamically in my experience at least there is no issue with them

If you do like it then check here: http://www.rimtuck.com/thumbnails.php?v ... odel=350Z&

I didnt realise you guys would be there or ID have parked on the stand - I was up for the drifting on Sunday. The Blue Z when not being used as some kind of bench by schoolies looked lovely

Out of interest, did anyone from here see it at all (particularly Sunday) - Im interested to know what non-drifters thought

Will keep a closer eye out for the next event Ill be at and hopefully make the stand

This is a individual car specific remap. The data on your car is downloaded then tweeked and altered to achieve the maximum tailored to your car.

OK, its not a standalone ECU/chip change/daughter board change then - thats what I was getting at. Any idea what parameters can be changed on a standard ECU - ignition timing, injector etc?

Mine is the same as above - if you switch it off it stays off until you switch it back on again. I dont tend to drive with it on at all anymore

Annoyingly there doesnt seem to be any way of turning off the braking on the front wheels if it decides you are changing down too hard but it doesnt seem to interfere with anything else. I can live with it

Wow - those are some excellent gains. Definitely adding that to the neverending list

To check, this is just a standard ECU reflash, right?

Cheers - it looks even better in the metal, and even better than that when clean.

YHPM Coops

Sorry if Im a bit late to the party, but Ive got a carbon Chargespeed diffuser, like this:

going spare - we decided the carbon didnt look right with the blue the car was sprayed so sprayed the moulding on the bumper gloss black. Excuse rubbish photo but its the best Ive got - you can see the carbon just fits over the bumper moulding:

Id be happy to offer it up as a basis for a mould or anything else as Im realistically not ever going to have any use for it - let me know if its of interest

I have to agree - Ive seen these posts and had no idea at all what they are referring to.

Ive also got to be honest and say that as an active staff member on two other webboards, I think you are opening a whole can of worms thats just going to be grief in the long run. Weve tried everything from seller ratings to references and it still doesnt work 100% of the time.

Let the buyers and sellers use common sense and sort themselves out I say

Oh aye, my car isnt standard so it may well be the car rather than the tyre. I also went from a 245 to a 265 (both on 10J wheels) so my fore and aft grip wont be as good as it used to be. Ive just not been overly impressed with what was sold to me as "up there with the F1 asymmetric asthe best tyre you can buy" - if others have had better results then its probs just me

Ive been driving RWD Nissans for about 10 years and been drifting for a while so go through tyres quicker than most, and Ive never found a mixed setup to be a problem on anything else TBH. Surely rear end grip/tyre communication/graduation of breakway with one tyre is the same as another, regardless of whats on the front?

Not trying to be confrontational but Ive found they break away very quickly and without any warning in the wet - if you dont fancy driving with the VDC off then see how quickly it comes in on full bore gearchanges - with the Vrede's I felt it was quicker than anything else Ive run on the back.

Spacers for the standard wheels are an extremely good look IMO