Hi all Nissan made such a big fuss about HICAS and how good it was at the time. I understand why people would want to remove it if they have a drift car setup, but is there any other reason why it would be removed/ locked? Just seems like lots of people are doing this - have I missed something? Are there any issues with HICAS that Im not aware of? thanks Linda
mainly because with age it might fail. so if you remove it and lock it out, it will not lock up going sideways or something. even going around a track, the hicas will help you go around it faster, but it is prone to failure.
All you need to do Jamie is a quick search. There have been a few incidents as of recent that i can think of due to HICAS. Its just another thing to go wrong and deleting it gives peace of mind.
hi its actually linda - jamie is my husband aaron and jordan are my sons you'll meet me (and probably us all) at a zx weekend sooner or later so do most 300zx forumites delete the hicas? I didnt realise they were that prone to failing! In fact I thought they were supposed to lock in place if it failed, obviously not though or there not foolproof in failing. Is the electrical version more stable and less prone to failing- (i think) the later version is electrical as opposed to hydraulic Thanks for the input Linda
It's like any other pieces machinery, at some stage it will reach the end of it serviceable life, other than that happening, and failures are relatively rare, its quite a good thing.
Two I know of straight away... http://www.aus300zx.com/forum/showthread.php?t=306437 http://www.aus300zx.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1092213#poststop Piccy from #2 thread above:
Am yet to read of a diagnosed hicas failure. BennyC's tie rod thread snapping would have happened even if the lockout bar was installed, as the tie rods are retained. Enigma's Hicas is yet to be reported on after a pull down. Sure, they are essentially a hydraulic ram, that in 99% of cases, doesnt receive the maintenance it is supposed to, and the Z32 is breaking the 20 year old mark. Time will tell if it poses an actual documented and proven threat. Wouldnt suggest deleting it unless you simply want to tidy up the engine bay with removal of the hicas solenoid.
I love my Hi-cas, and would prefer to keep it. That time when my rear tie rod snapped had nothing to do with a failing Hi-cas (as you mentioned), and if i had a lock out bar it would have happened exactly the same. In actual fact, my snapped tie rod was the thing that caused my hi-cas to get (assumedly) stretched centering springs and gave a "floaty" effect after i replaced the tie rod, so i replaced my whole hi-cas hydraulic bar with another one, and is perfect once again. I love my Hi-cas and want to keep it. *puts flame suit on*
Nothing wrong with hi-cas as far as i'm concerned. Seems to get blamed for all sorts of things ( Elvis's death , john Howard being priminister ) . Like alien's really but yet to be proven. Just my opinion -and opinions are like arse holes - everyone has one
I hooked up datascan to the car and did a bit of testing. I found that it worked mostly, but that it's response varied a bit in timing and amplitude. This confirmed what I had fbeen feeling, it did not behave consistently. My control unit was also quite noisy so I believe it was on the way out. It's gone now.
Totally agree! I have never seen conclusive proof of a HICAS failure in a 300ZX, that resulted in a serious loss of control. Obviously, failure of any major suspension/steering component has the potential to result in a serious accident, but claims of being "steered into oncoming traffic" or worse, are unfounded in my estimation. I have only recently removed my HICAS and fitted a Lock-out Bar, but that was due to the need to replace both rear steering arms(and Ball Joints)and the availability of a Lock-out Bar and brand new arms, at a very cheap price.(Thanks Wizard).:zlove: I have not had ANY HICAS related problems in 10 years of daily use(nor have I ever experienced a lack of confidence in the "feel" or handling at ANY speed. I have not used my car on a Race Track, but I have driven it at very high speeds on varying road conditions and surfaces(although I can't for the life of me, remember when or where).:br:
You make a good point(but not having a foreskin has never improved my overall performance, on or off the road).:rofl::br:
[stands beside Benny with flame suit on] installed a lockout bar ...... went for a drive ..... came home and took the lockout bar off ... re-fitted the hicas ... grabbed the other zed ... installed the lockout bar ...... went for a drive ..... came home and took the lockout bar off ... re-fitted the hicas again ..... on-sold the bar So of the 2 ZX's Ive driven with a lockout bar, neither of them retained the bar now before the war starts, I did mine just as an experiment to see whether the handling improved or not, all reports at the time suggested that there was an improvement in the handling ........ As far as I'm concerned, handling was noticably worse on BOTH cars Both my zeds are complete opposites, one is built for speed and handling whilst the other I could happily sit in and drive to Perth. Removing the Hicas is one thing I would call a de-modification Kingy
lol thats not a good test ..driving with hicas for years and then taking it for a brief drive without it to judge which is better ? you would be so used to the driving style with the hicas thought you were smarter than that but each to their own I've had bad experiences with it .dont like the floating feeling it gives
Well, now we all know a little too much about chilli..... =/ I removed my hicas, i have felt what it does when it is working and i don't like it, and it really messes with control when drifting its like russian roulette what it is going to do next.
You don't know very much about CHILI at all(especially about how to spell his nickname). As for substandard "drifting control", I try to avoid drifting on public roads/freeways, etc(massive loss of traction is NOT a sought-after attribute on my list of "Things I need in a Z32"). I can get my "jollies" from more precise Handling/Motoring experiences.:br:
