There is a book that i'm reading at the moment that states that when you group together a large number of people: the collective wisdom of the whole is less than that of a single individual...... I'm about to throw the book out. ...getting to the point, i'm planning on doing some upgrades, and hoping that some of you fine destinguished gentlmen / and women! can share your infinate wisdom with me: Brake Upgrade - i need to re-machine my rotors so: option 1 - Replace w/ Caz's Slotted Rotorsoption 2 - Re-machine old ones*bear in mind it is an NA... and probably don't need massive breaks... also need to see if the slotted rotors will fit or not... Fly Wheel - which i think is on its way out soo Upgrade - Lightened Fly Wheel* is this an item where any lightened flywheel is just a lightened flywheel or something that should be considered very closely. If so what has or hasn't worked for you? ** Problem, when the car is stationary and i put my foot on the clutch there is a... frictional noise coming from clutch/gearbox/flywheel area, clutch out no noise, gear in no noise, just when foot is on the clutch... I put a heavy duty clutch in around 10,000 kms ago so thinking its not the clutch and the flywheel?? Sports Exhaust - Stock ehaust ATM (2.25inch ?) Here i have no clue, any suggestions?* somewhere in the back of my head i think i should get a 2.75inch X pipe exhaust for an NA, not looking for sound, jsut performance... and a bit of bling on the end of course Upgrade ECU Option 1: PowerFCOption 2: ??? Should i consider something else? Adjustable Cam Gears Has anyone done this? Big improvements / nightmares? New Tyres TOYO!*just about every tyre place i've spoken to have been recommending Toyo's at the moment, so thinking of giving it a go, i'll put up my analysis of these tyres a few months after i get them. Will be comparing them to the following tyres i've personally used - Eagle F1's, Contientals, Dunlop Doreza's. (in order of grip) I'm hoping to get all of this done in about a fortnights time, i've basically got the handling done pat now working on power, I've thought long and hard about selling the NA and going the TT, but have decided against it. So yeah some help would be greatly appreciated :zlove:
Have you fitted as set of N/A headers yet this would be a worthy upgrade too I think to add to your list above budget permitting of course
Thanks for the advise Jase, interesting about the Toyo's on the track... considering i'm planning on hitting the track june/july and will probably run out of $$$ for a set of semi slicks, i'll definately reconsider the Toyo option... Yokohamas were next on my list. As for headers, yeah good idea, was thinking on it, definately something i should budget in there. As for brake pads, the guys at Pacific Motors are recommending: Race Brakes RB74 which a few of them are using at the moment.
Have a lookee in my garage <<<< Clutch noise sounds like a through out bearing more than anything. I have slotted DBA rotors on mine, didn't make much difference As for the cam gears, I'm getting some, but I am also getting rather large angry cams
upgrades Hey Drongo Ive had my aussie Na for over 2 years... heres wat ive learned... First of all some essential basic upgrades that last the life of the car usually.. 1. K&N air filters last 100,000km and give good flow results 2. NGK iridium plugs are a top line street plug that last 100,000kms. Get these if u dont have them already. Brakes... simple.. bigger is better... 2 options... 1) if u have money... Find TT Calipers (there a few spares as ppl are goin to Brembo and Stoptech and so on).. then buy caz'z TT slotted rotors and as for pads use something hard like a Bendix Ultimate or a Forodo SSS. If u wanna go all out get some "Endless" pads (very nice). Option 2 (cheap option) replace std rotors with NA slotted and get some medium duty pads that will last long and not wear the rotor out like a Bendix Heavy Duty or Lucas Heavy duty. Leave the flywheel untill you pull the gearbox to replace the clutch. a Nice 200kw organic NA clutch should only be like $220 plus fitting remember to replace the thrust bearing, rear seal and the FORK PIVOT Baering! (all very cheap while the box off the car) and you'll regret it if u don't change them. (usually + $500 labour for a $20 part you could have changed earlier) then get your flywheel lightened. Exhaust can go real bad real quick on an NA... NA's traditionally BARK really bad. So ive learned cheap autobarn cannons suck! - And youll get defected. Start off by replacing the Pipes after the cats with 2.25 or 2.5" then weld in an X pipe (add $120) the x pipe blends in the exhaust pulses from each side of the V6 and stops the BARK! finnish off with 2 good quailty stainless mufflers like X force, Magnaflow, Lukey, Redback, and so on. Should cost you around 500-600 depending on Mufflers. Once thats done your choices go up in price high flow cats are a good option but expensive and id only advise this if your original cats are stuffed. Last but lot least if u got a spare grand get the Extractors (usually $600 + fitting). Youll only feel the benefit of these if u go to NOS. But there nice nevertheless. ECU - well theres a lot of debate on the Ecu's for NA's and wat they actually achieve and how SAFE they actually are..Be weary. some Re-Mapped chips start at $250 and go upto $600..and sometimes promise the world and deliver nothing but dramas. Be warned they all need to be checked on a dyno so your car wont blow up (in simple terms) . A popular upgrade is an APexi Fuel Computer can give you upto 145-155 kw over a 130 kw (std computer).. my choice is to never use a "re-mapp" and go for a stand alone computer like a Haltech E6 or a entry level Microtech. This is the most "tunable" and safest option for your engine. If you on a budget however... a lil hint is to use 98 Fuel ONLY and get your mechanic to add an extra 5-7 deg of base timing... you'll feel it... and its a free upgrade in a sense. Its just an option and is not as good as buying a separate computer. As far as tyres go its much of a muchness... i like to use a Fully Directional on the REAR and a semi Directional on the FRONT... that just suites my driving style each to their own.. I run a Firestone Wide oval on the rear and a Firestone TZ100 on the front and it suites me fine. Good value too.. As far as cams go its going into the racing department and so i dont know much except a package from TTZ.com or UAS is like at least another grand + fitting... One thing u can do is hone the throttle bodies.. this helps an NA a lot and its'nt as costly as other upgrades. just remember a grand for extractors, a grand for camms and you may as well go the TT path... it all adds up for very little benefit. Hope this helps Frank
Here is a couple of pics. The tyres just got too hot apparently and started to break down. Not what you would expect from a first class tyre that costs a small fortune especially in 20 inch size
Through out bearing? Didn't think you would 'notice' the difference between slotted rotors or not... unless your doing some heavy fast braking (track stuff). I think i might keep the cam gears till later, and look at what your doing in a year or so... Head rebuild with big nasty cams, oversized valves, h/d valve springs, adjustable cam gears etc Keep me posted! A'PEXi cat-back exhaust (nice and quite and has a roar when you step on it) was on the car from Japan -- You happy with this exhaust?
BRAKES My disks neede machining but it turned out that mine were at minimum thickness so they couldn't be machined anymore and had to be chucked. If this is your case, definately go slotted rotors. Major difference in braking. I did the TwinTurbo caliper swap and then Brembo sloted rotors. (i paid around 200 each i think). I don't really know if they are any better than some of the other slotted rotors going around as I haven't compared but thats what my mechanic recomended so I went with that. They have a different slot patern to other slotted rotors. EXHAUST AS azzuro has said, NA's do have a loud exhaust (coz we don't have turbo's to quieten it down ). My NA is pretty loud, pretty sure its not road legal and I know it'll get worse when rob's metalcats andmy custom engine pipes go on. All I have is a 2.5inch cat back (H pipe and big mufflers with 3inch tips). It came with the car. The brand is Fujitsubo Giken. My mechanic said its an alright brand and its japanese. Its not pretty, its quite an old system and the chrome has stripped off but they are high quality mufflers. They're not those hot-dog ones they're the big fat ones. It all depends on your budget I guess. Probably the way to go about is to replace the stock parts from the back (mufflers) to the front (headers). Mine alread has a catback. Then I'm getting high-flow cats to replace my wrecked OEM ones. At the same time I'm having engine pipes made up (pipe that connects the headers to the cats) in 2.5 inch. After that I'll replace the headers. No point in doing cat-back, high flow cats and headers as the engine pipe will restrict the whole system. For the cats I'm paying 680-odd The custom engine pipes will be 250 Then headers are around the 600 mark. Hope this helps in some way.
I am in a similar boat with my NA, all it came with was an aftermarket cat back exhaust. So far ive added an apexi air filter, apexi fuel computer (doing nothing yet - waiting to be dyno tuned), extractors (not on yet - waiting to be installed), an underdrive pully (again.. waiting).. For the meantime i am gettin the 100k done as well as a bunch of other little things that need attention (diff and cradle bushes, power steering pump). After that i plan for a whole new suspension/brake change. Keep us posted, good luck. Steve
Hey Jase Think we had this disscusion while throwing the baseball around that day. JIMO, I found when I had my NA 1. Exhaust 2. headers 3. slots, but like the idea of TT calipers You already got air filter, but what kind? we talked about cold air box Reckon with exhaust 2-2.5" at the most as 3" to much free flow for the NA, anyone agree? Cat back budget option and at least a start as can finish the rest later N E ways mate Catch ya Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa chish
I upgraded my NA with slotted rotors (std diameter) and better pads, it made a big diference to performance and looks for not a lot of money. I found that the cold air intake made very little difference overall, except for bling, but the pod did the trick. I added 2.5" cat back mandrel bent exhaust, with twin cannons that certainly helped with power and tone. I found instant response with a light weight one piece tail shaft, so reducing your rotating mass in the form of a light flywheel will help (underdrive pulley?). Maybe an idea to get a SAFC to control your fuel mix as most NA's run rich. Check your thrust bearing for wear. If adding tuned headers in the future, it's best to flow the heads with a port/polish and P/P the plenum also, even having the valve angles ground or enlarged. There are plenty of things you can do, but bang for buck is not in your favour, figure that for every 10rwkw gained will cost you 1-2k and then it will peak at about 160rwkw, unless you start adding Nos and stuff.
Good pads make a big difference. Just get your rotors machined and fit some good pads. RB74 are good but don't work well when cold, Bendix Ultimates are better for a daily driver. Sounds like a throw out bearing is getting noisy, just live with until you need a new clutch. They normally get extremely noisy before they fail. 2.25 is plenty big enough for an NA but there are restrictors just after the cats. Just get an X-pipe made up that removes the restrictors. No idea about cam gears but headers would be a better option. Tyres - do yourself a favour and search for Nexen N3000 or Maxxis.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa chish eh matey.... Isn't it more like Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ChaChing... where'd half my bank balance go? Ya looking like TTZ Headers through to 2.5inch + X-Pipe + high flow cats + dual exhausts... yum yum
here are my thoughts on the subject upgraded rotors, definately go the 324mm option. i have upgraded rotors all round and braided lines with ultimate pads and a chili master cylinder brace, really nice feel and a huge improvement over stock. cam gears on a NA zed with stock cams are an absolute waste of money, you will get ZERO gain exhaust: extractors to 2.5 inch front, metal cat high flow cats, 2.5 inch cat back, x-pipe resonator and some really nice rear mufflers. ecu: piggy back or unichip in my opinion, much cheaper, big gains to be had, make sure it is tuned on a dyno tyres: bridgestone re070, $320 a corner in 17inch, put them on the front, and nexen n3000 on the rear, should make for some good fun! get a lightweight crank pulley, good improvement lightweight flywheel, you will love it, i love mine, engine feels free, loves to rev more, easier in my opinion to heel and toe good luck
