fake ben taylor Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 apologies if this reads a little wrong to begin as Ive copied it over from SXOC. So in the 18 months leading up to last september I had an amazing time in my Renaultsport Clio 172 which ended being throttle bodied and a bit of a surprise to many an expensive car on track. Sadly a cracked sump pan at last years weekender after an 'off' did some damage to a big end and at the ring in september she finally gave up this is the last picture I have of the mighty clio on track IMG-20140911-WA0006 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr Thankfully, a few months previous to this I had bought a cheap 350z with some tasty parts fitted but needed a fair amount of tidying up body wise, so when the Clio died the Z was promoted to track car. The Z was a UK GT model so came with the LSD and Brembo brakes, but it also had a greddy sump pan fitted (extra capacity and baffled), a lightweight Flywheel and paddle clutch, an aftermarket piggy back ECU as well as facelift (06 on) centre console and headlights, nismo spoiler and LED rear lights. After spending most of my trackdays in the Clio chasing Docwra in his Z I already knew they were capable on track with very few Mods so I booked Oulton Park to have a play. IMG_20141104_104741 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr The day at Oulton revealed a problem with the brakes however in that when warm/hot the vibrated REALLY badly, but the problem went away again when cold. I had already had new pads and discs fitted all round but using an Ebay kit so I suspected this was the problem. Upon Inspection one of the calipers was sticky so I had that rebuilt and also fitted PF01 pads, stoptech discs, HEL lines and super blue fluid. IMG_20150215_160452 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr the 10month old discs that came off looked like they had been at the bottom of the ocean. buy cheap, buy twice! IMG_20150215_160703 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr This meant it was time to test it so Cadwell was booked. Before cadwell I also fitted an oil cooler and a Z Speed alluminium undertray, the stock item was missing and this can create lift at the front end, the tray also nicely shielded my sump and cooler lines to avoid a repeat of the clio. The oil cooler install is a bit heath robinson as I had wanted to mount it to the front crash bar which it turns out is missing. Once Ive got enough little jobs its going to somewhere like HDev to get these sort of things done properly. received_10204264074698377 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG-20150305-WA0004 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG-20150302-WA0006 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Cadwell was amazing to drive and the Z didnt miss a beat all day, the new brakes worked really well with no signs of fade even after 20+min sessions. The only thing lacking was grip on the road tyres, luckily someone had brough me some 255 RSR's so I fitted these to my Desmond Regamasters (really really light and suit the z well imo). going 255 all round also helped alleviate the natural understeer the z has and made the back end a lot more playful. IMG-20150318-WA0009 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG-20150318-WA0005 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG-20150318-WA0000 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr And the regas on the Z IMG-20150313-WA0011 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr Since then Ive been on a quest to make the car a little more lively power wise, the stock setup feels very lazy and held back. The car already had an exhaust and decats so I added to this a plenum spacer and modified the inlet manifold. IMG-20150327-WA0009 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr The bottom half of the inlet had the large casting marks ground off and the height of two of the ports reduced (two are about 5mm higher than the others) and the top half of the plenum had the mounting posts cut off welded up to seal them IMG-20150325-WA0012 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG-20150325-WA0033 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr modified bottom half installed IMG-20150326-WA0011 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr and with the spacer and top half it looks like stock again IMG-20150328-WA0003 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr Once these were done I flashed a base map for the mods to the UTEC piggback ECU and the car is totally transformed. Really feels like its had a massive kick up the arse and is so much quicker! Next will probably need a RR run to get the AFR's checked out and the map tweaked to be perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Surprisingly quick little job on the car today. The biggest bodywork issue with the car was the laquer peel on the A pillars due to a dodgy respray. Thankfully these are plastic panels that screw on so as soon as some appeared on Ebay I snapped them up (been looking for over a year now) before and afters: IMG_20150422_130509 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG_20150422_133505 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG_20150422_133445 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG_20150422_135017 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr Also slowly gave the wheels a lick of paint over the last few days as they paint on them was peeling off, satin black is the colour they should have been originally IMG-20150419-WA0002 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG-20150419-WA0004 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr IMG_20150422_143304 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 And now were up to date Yesterday I g3'd the headlights and gave the whole car a good wash and wax. came up all right. IMG_20150423_171158 by bungle.taylor, on Flickr Currently waiting on the ebay shop getting some stock of drivers side buddy club subframes in stock (unless someone knows where there are any?) so that I can get my new FIA bimarco futura seats fitted. Also waiting on black alcantara gear and handbrake gaiters and a nismo gearknob. The car had the mesh back roadster seats but I found these a bit useless on track so have sold them on along with the matching interior items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Nice to see another track day member doing their own spanner time... welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Good to see youre Fake over here too mate Ben is a good mate of mine and one of our trackday group, his 172 was damn fast but not quite as fast as a certain 350Z The plenum work is very interesting for me, has anyone else on here ever done anything similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Great read so far Keep up the good work and do keep us posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Good to see youre Fake over here too mate Ben is a good mate of mine and one of our trackday group, his 172 was damn fast but not quite as fast as a certain 350Z The plenum work is very interesting for me, has anyone else on here ever done anything similar? How could I be anything different? And it wasn't THAT much slower! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Yeah yeah, IIRC my boggo 306 wasnt much off your Clio either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Very interesting read and I bet that Clio sounded awesome with ITB's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodyboarder81 Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 The whole description of the zed makes me feel it could have been charged at some point ...... Bigger sump , no crash bar ( removed to fit large intercooler ) paddle clutch , and aftermarket ecu ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 The whole description of the zed makes me feel it could have been charged at some point ...... Bigger sump , no crash bar ( removed to fit large intercooler ) paddle clutch , and aftermarket ecu ....... That's a good point, ...very well could have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 The lad who had it before me bought it as an unfinished and non running twin turbo project, then got the car running and back to stock (largely) sold me the car and sold the twin turbo kit on separately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodyboarder81 Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 The lad who had it before me bought it as an unfinished and non running twin turbo project, then got the car running and back to stock (largely) sold me the car and sold the twin turbo kit on separately Ah I see ....... Thought there must have been some sort of FI thing going on with it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 So the new interior bits arrived! Car now has Nismo gearknob, black gaiters and Bimarco Futura seats on buddyclub frames - all with added dog hair thanks to my Akita thinking we were going out in the car :wack: IMG_20150513_170450 by ben taylor, on Flickr IMG_20150513_170532 by ben taylor, on Flickr IMG_20150513_170520 by ben taylor, on Flickr Car is going into the garage tomorrow for a couple of weeks as Im on holiday in Tokyo, theyre going to lower the drivers seat for me, mount the oil cooler properly and fit my gauges into the centre console. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Been a while since my last update and things have been progressing nicely with the car bought a few bits from Bennet (a pleasure to deal with and really helpful) in preperation for the SXO weekender at rockingham. Most importantly was some Tein Monosports, and Bennet had also upgraded the front springs to some stiffer swift ones. Also included was the EDFC for dampening adjustments whilst out on track! 2015-07-09_01-55-21 by ben taylor, on Flickr The set up works amazingly! transformed the car on track, and helped Bennet to an 8:02 I think it was at the ring with an n/a Z! Next was an uprated gearbox mount as my gearchange was very sloppy. Once removed it was clear why as the stock one had torn. old: 20150818_145549 by ben taylor, on Flickr New: IMG-20150821-WA0005 by ben taylor, on Flickr I also got some 1 step colder plugs which were promptly fitted and an oil temp gauge which is still in the 'to do pile' The SXOC weekender was amazing! Rockingham is such a fast flowing track that it really suits the Z. I did have some issues through the day though, The drivers front tyre got STUPIDLY hot as the day went on and just gave up towards the end. Already on 255 595 RS-R's i figure the next step is some pretty serious weight reduction? The clutch fluid kept boiling and the pedal would fall to the floor and not return until it had cooled down. I have already bought a new slave from Torqen (no 'U' ) and got some high temp Dot 4 fluid. Also as the inside of the cabin was getting really hot due to the engine bay temps being so high Ive also got a Nismo/Z-tune bonnet vent to go on to try and cool all that down. some pics from Rockingham (you guys should seriously consider the weekender next year, a really good and cheap track weekend with some really polite track goers and not one incident all day) received_10205454849987015 by ben taylor, on Flickr FB_IMG_1441886306991 by ben taylor, on Flickr FB_IMG_1441886311434 by ben taylor, on Flickr FB_IMG_1441886315018 by ben taylor, on Flickr FB_IMG_1441886329693 by ben taylor, on Flickr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy10v Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Looks purposeful on with the wheels/suspension! How is the utek for tuning? How low did you manage to get the seats? What are the PF01 pads like during normal use? Sound good on track! Trackday looks great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Looks purposeful on with the wheels/suspension! How is the utek for tuning? How low did you manage to get the seats? What are the PF01 pads like during normal use? Sound good on track! Trackday looks great fun! Utek - not sre as not had it tubed yet. the interface seems straight forward and pretty idiot proof though. I managed to flash a map to it for my mods and it made a big difference will be for sale soon as I want to go uprev. seats - not that low at the minute I have to squash myself in round the steering wheel. Im in a catch 22 with it as the Mrs likes driving it and if I make the seats lower they wont slde and she wont be able to drive it. Im actively considering another car as a daily that she can drive and then go full retard with the z. The PF01 pads work really well even for normal use and arent that noisy EXCEPT after a trackday for a while when they squeal horrifically at low speed. I think its a good trade off for reliable brakes on track though Trackday was amazing! Booked Cadwell for 21st September and cant wait to get back out in it!! Changed the slave to the new one from Torqen tonight and bled through some high temp fluid - really straight forward and easy job. Sadly I then decided to remove the non working A/C and broke the plastic radiator On the hunt for an ally replacement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Well, definitely turning more and more into a track car..... Ztune/Nismo bonnet vent fitted. Hopefully cool the engine bay temps down and also means I can now look at proper flat floor/splitter type setups and increase the downforce at the front. IMG-20150911-WA0008 by ben taylor, on Flickr IMG-20150911-WA0010 by ben taylor, on Flickr Next job is to get some paint on it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy10v Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Why are you going uprev rather than using the utec? Do you just cut a hole and bond that vent on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Rivetted it on but yeah cut a hole in the bonnet lol Utec is built for turbo or supercharged builds really and im going na route Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Dont see many sets of 18" regamasters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake ben taylor Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Dont see many sets of 18" regamasters That you dont! I just wish they were wider Limited to 255 tyres atm, I have however managed to get a set of 17's for wet tyres Lightweight wheel hoarder! Not much has happened with the car lately, lots of planning as im saving for a house deposit and 'should' be putting all my money into that. I did however buy these beauties from Ian, Cusco ARB's Cusco arb's by ben taylor, on Flickr Had a nightmare fitting them though. Seems the bolts/nuts/droplinks havent been touched since it left the factory and they were all siezed. Had to cut a nut off on one of the front arb brackets (not too much damage to the stud and got a new nut on it) and also had to cut off a rear droplink Take that! by ben taylor, on Flickr Despite the setbacks I managed to get both bars on, front on stock droplinks though theyre knackered and rear bar on the car with no droplinks. Sadly I didnt think ahead to buy the SPL droplinks off Ian and so have had to order a full set from circuit sports. Once they arrive I will be able to replace the front droplinks and actually connect up the rear bar. What did shock me was just how light the stock bar is! must be hollow. Which is a little annoying as the Cusco rear bar is quite a bit heavier Also on the way I have a Nismo V1 front lip. Once thats fitted I intend to build a proper front splitter and try to further reduce the z's chronic understeer when pushing on. The only other thing ongoing is that I am in the middle of building a kit to fit a larger throttle body to the stock plenum and wiring, to further help the engine breathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT4 Zed Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Nice work Ben! I think I should take it back when I thought you where too lazy to fit the coilovers. Your car is coming on greatðŸ‘! Look into an LSD with a 3.9 or 4.08 final drive since you are staying NA. The LSD is a must. I'll try and get in a trackday or do the Ring with you next summer😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodyboarder81 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Nice work Ben! I think I should take it back when I thought you where too lazy to fit the coilovers. Your car is coming on greatí ½í±! Look into an LSD with a 3.9 or 4.08 final drive since you are staying NA. The LSD is a must. I'll try and get in a trackday or do the Ring with you next summerí ½í¸Ž Sorry hijack Bennet - Would you recommend 3.9 on my supercharged 50 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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