Skyline GTR build/project *lots of pics + document

[frankiman]

wow, you got all that done at autoworx
i didn't know these guys would actually paint calipers and stuff

i got pretty much the same done on my car there a couple months ago (except brakes i did myslef)

and i hope your not going on the track with those brakes!
hawk hps act like cheese on the track
and those discs tends to break under high stress and heat (i had the same and i cracked them on the track)
anyway, with HPS' you'll never get high enough temps for that (HP+ will)

[archaeic_bloke]

well thats exactly the reason for going with HPS, ive never been on the track, and plan to go only maybe once or twice in the future...

if the pads wear super fast.. good, thats what they're supposed to do, they're cost is low enough i don't mind using an entire set for a track day y`know?

i have also heard about drilled rotors cracking before... but these are brembos.. they're not just drilled eh, they're countersunk too. i don't expect them to crack, but if they do ever, ill let everyone know to stay away! ... lol. the rotors have had a lot of good praise though form people i know who currently run them.

[frankiman]

this is how mine endend up after a track day at Sanair

[archaeic_bloke]

HOLY HELL!! omg... i would be absolutley FURIOUS if mine looked like that.. especially since i just paid the bill for those!....

well ill tell you what.. im gonna do to mine as i feel.. and IF they break.. ill never buy them again.. its that simple.

but you say you did this using those brembo disks + hawk HP+ pads?
lemme know thanks,

[frankiman]

HOLY HELL!! omg... i would be absolutley FURIOUS if mine looked like that.. especially since i just paid the bill for those!....

well ill tell you what.. im gonna do to mine as i feel.. and IF they break.. ill never buy them again.. its that simple.

but you say you did this using those brembo disks + hawk HP+ pads?
lemme know thanks,

yup exactly, the nismo/brembo dics i bought from autoworx last year (discs had no more than 2000km at the time of breakage) and Hawk HP+ pads

but that was because i was braking from 230km/h to 60km/h repeatadly on the track

if you don't abuse them like i did, you should be fine
but for me, since i do alot of track, i'm never buying cross-drilled rotors again, regardless of the brand

i'm guessing you bought them for about 200$ each

and you can get Brembo plain discs for 55$ each (from another shop, since autoworx will still sell those for 130$/each), and they are just as good, and they can't break


autoworx is a uber cool place to get work done on your car, very good service, and they do a very good job, and Haig knows GTRs inside and out
BUT!
and there is a but, they charge ALOT for parts

[archaeic_bloke]

you're 100% right on that one... but i really don't mind... they give incredible service, and they still charge only like $65/hr labour rate while canadian tire or merson is charging like $85/hr... so everyone's gotta make their money some where, at least with autoworx i have the choice!, ya don't have to buy all ur parts from them.. in fact my axhuast, and suspension stuff didn't come from them.

i found their pricing on the apexi intake kit to be really good, it was comparable to what i was seeing online.

and the custom things they make like the subframe and difff rear bushing spacers.. are a great price.

the work they did to mod my PS pump and rear HICAS rack was awesome price.

like, they didnt charge extra time to do all that grinding and polishing on the brake calipers... they also fixed a little extra pieces along the way! so like, for me i ALWAYS get an estimate before, and as long as the cost isnt higher than what i agreed to, im happy!

where do you get your stuff done?

i've never been one to be hard on brakes... i bought the car with 20% life left on the pads initially, and made them last 2 years! LOL... so i THINK ill be ok... but if worst comes to worst.. a new set of rotors is hardly a big deal.

where do u track?

[frankiman]

i track at;
st-eustasche
sanair
mecaglisse
icar
riverside speedway

but i have all my maintenance and heavy mecanic stuff done by autoworx, anything i can't do myself

just today, i picked up my GTR from autoworx, since after the removed the HICAS system and modded the p/s pump, the pump was leaking

so Haig agreed to take a look at it for free, to see if they made an error,
but in the end, the pump was just old, so i got a complete rebuilt job done on it

and now my p/s is like new!

and about the pricing, whenever i need parts installed on my car, i buy them elsewhere and bring them with me

anyway, they're an awesome group of guys, i always have fun talking to them whenever i go there, my GF gets pissed cuz just picking up my car takes an hour, cuz me just keep talking

[archaeic_bloke]

OMG! i read through that last post u just made and i was like.. "how is this guy describing me EXACTLY?!!??" lol im sooo the same way

and i remember looking at your car, just from your display picture those rims and blue lug nuts made it click in my brain... dont u have also lots of big white greddy gauges?

i LOVE those tires you're using.. can you please tell me what tires they are? and where i cant get some!?

i like ur car setup.. your exhuast is unbelievably good! is that a titanium down pipe on urs?... NICE

what is required to track on those tracks? what exactly do u mean when u sday you get ur car "safety'd" there?

thanks,

[frankiman]

i think you are mistaken my car for another, i'm in the process of making my own project car thread, got lots to talk about

i don't have any big gauges, just the autometer boost gauge autoworx installed in my driver side air vent


and to go on a track, they all require one thing in particular, a DOT / SNELL approved helmet,
and obviously, no leaks or scraping exhaust, and good functionning brakes
thats it

if you want, next year (since the lapping season is ending about now) i can contact you when i'm going to track days

its pretty cheap, depending on the track

st-eus ; 80$ membership + 20$/20minute session (thats where i go most, about every two weeks)
sanair ; 100$ for a full day, 9am - 5pm, unlimited lapping (get on / get off whenever you want)
mecaglisse ; 130$ for a full day 9am-4pm, limited (sessions), with or w/out instructors
riverside speedway ; 80$ for a full day, similar to sanair
icar ; 56$ membership + 25$/20minute session

and i have yet to visist other tracks; theres actually alot of tracks in quebec, who would have guessed?!
mont tremblant
montmagny
st-félicien
circuit gilles villeneuve

and in ontario;
calabogie
mosport

[archaeic_bloke]

you are right! the car i saw had the exact same rims and lug nut bolts as you but the car itself was dark blue. lol my mistake! although your white one looks awesome... ive always liked white cars!

having read through my build thread can you make any reccomendations as to what i should upgrade next?

[frankiman]

you are right! the car i saw had the exact same rims and lug nut bolts as you but the car itself was dark blue. lol my mistake! although your white one looks awesome... ive always liked white cars!

having read through my build thread can you make any reccomendations as to what i should upgrade next?

1. i just saw that car parked next to mine at autoworx yesterday, same lug nuts, but the rims are actually old Enkei NT-01 white

2.well it really depends on what you want to do with the car

i just re-read your entire thread and with all those mods, you should already have "too much fun" on the streets

but for the track;

suspension whise, i think you are already very well equipped,
i know you got an alignment done, but i'm guessing it was withint stock specs
maybe just get a track frendly alignment, not too agressive on tires, but will make a huge difference around the track

just ask for precise specs like,
rear camber -1,5°
front camber -2,0°
rear toe -1 (in)
front toe +1 (out)
front caster 7°

thats what i did when i went for an alignment at nissan
though i still haven't got ajustable front links (budget)
so my front alignment isn't 100% good
but i'll call up AMS this winter for their ajustable FUCA and TC rods

an alignment like that won't wear out your tires too quick either, i've tracked my azenis rt-615 the whole summer + 5500kms, and they are still good for next summer

also, if your in the market for some new tires
i would suggest, to fully utilise your massive wheel width, to run 275/35/R18 tires
and good choice for street and track use is obviously Falken Azenis RT-615, average to good tires, that last long, and are relativement cheap

but for a bit more$, you can get Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec tires
they are in the same category as the RT-615, and share the same 200 thread wear BUT
the RT-615 is a 2,5 year old design, outdated
the Star Spec have MUCH stiffer sidewalls
a more linear grip curve
and MUCH better braking performance

..also, i know they are brand freaking new, but i'd get rid of those front discs and pads
the rear is good, since the GTRs are soo front heavy, the rear brakes don't work as much as the fronts
i would suggest, for the front, Brembo "plain" discs , which are also zinc coated, and only cost 110$ A PAIR (call carl wener @ perry auto laval)
and also get Hawk HP+, for street pads, they have an incredible amount of stopping power
and i saw you already have SS brake lines and RBF660


so, thats what i would recommend for track use (because thats mostly what i do with my car)
its the best street frendly track setup you can get in my mind,
i still drive my GTR daily don't really have any big issues,
except obviously some problems relating to serious and repeated track abuse (mostly brakes, but now i know, so it won't happen again)

anyway thats my
hope it will help you in future decisions

[archaeic_bloke]

ya thanks for the tire reccomendations that really helps me out im pretty clueless about tires and brands.

also the thoughts on a more aggressive re-alignment sounds awesome too, i will definitley do that come spring.

as far as the brakes situation goes, i feel convinced now that if i ever go on the track.. i will buy a pair of blank brembo's and hawk HP+ pads for the fronts and just swap em out for track use... i have never been to track yet but id love to go someday...

handling and reliability have ALWAYS been huge with me... so i will be buying the following over winter:

-new front tires. (rears are practically brand new)
- whiteline front and rear anti sway bars
- whiteline sway bar endlinks
- whiteline polyeurathane bushings
- aluminum radiator + rd cap
- rear 10mm spacers
- rear 60mm nismo studs
- rays red extended locking lug nuts.
- optima red top battery --> relocated to the trunk
- yellow jacket coil packs
- new oem coil pack harness
- denso fuel pump
- exedy 6 puck clutch with lightened flywheel
- nismo slave cylinder
-stainless steel braided clutch line
- some 600cc iinjectors (mine are looking old)
- a greddy profec B spec II
- and a good re-map.

ill consider this A full stage 1 build
then you may have seen my post on "blow through maf;s".... thats for later when i upgrade my turbos, manifolds, intercooler, etc.


what do you think on that list for the future?... any comments?

[frankiman]

what do you think on that list for the future?... any comments?

front tires - whatever brand, make sure they are exact same size as rears, since your already buying new tires, might as well get the same size, just to make sure to avoid ANY problems that could occur

whiteline stuff - i'd love to do the same.. but $budget$

alumium rad - if you don't overheat right now, it shouldn't be a priority (i got stock rad, sandwhich between the FMIC, AC condensor and oil cooler, and still don't have any heating problems, even on the track after dozons of laps (i did install a Nismo thermostat) the huge stock rad is suprisingly efficient)

spacer - a 15mm bolt on should be stronger, and probly cost less than a 10mm slip on and a set of studs (contact Gaelen from Ztune, he just made a group buy on spacers, maybe you could still get in, 138$ for 15mms shipped to quebec, mine are in the mail)

rays lug nuts -

optima battery - those batteries weigh a ton, for around the same price, you can get a dry cell Braille battery, which for the same power output weighs 1/3, i'm runnig a 11.5 pounds Braille battery, and its plenty power for my power needs,
also, very important, dry cell batteries like Braille's don't emanate hydrogen gaz, so its safe to put it inside the car (trunk)
check http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/...gory=Batteries

coil packs / harness - , i just got my splitfire in the mail, but its been proven that they are pretty much similar in performance to yellow jackets, big upgrade over old stocks

fuel pump -

exedy cluthc - , just make sure it can handle future projected power, you DON'T want to swap clutch again (+$$$)

nismo slave -

SS clutch line - i might have a couple made by TurboQuip is St-Leonard and make a group buy on those, will be much cheaper than NISMOs shipped from japan

600cc injectors - might as well get 700cc SARD, they'll cover a wider range of future projected power

boost controller, ECU re-tune - that, with upgraded fuel pump and injectors will yeild you the biggest power improvements,
might i suggest Robin Almasi @ Almasi tuning in Delson, hes done countless R32s and does a great tune based on your system's capabilities, for a relatively low price, i've went back there a couple times for some electronics troubleshooting, and hes just a very friendly and knowlegable guy


but again, thats just my opinion based on what i would do, with what i know

your car is going to be a beast anyway you go

[archaeic_bloke]

thanks man! yah i know robin, he was actually at autoworx when i went to pick up my car friday/thursday, he was troubleshooting some electrical issue with the S15 that always there.

you're very knowledgeable, thanks for all the info! especially on the battery stuff.

its a long expensive process building up these cars and its somehwta discouraging when i check the forsale sections and see fully built R32's with no issues listed at $12,000 and still not selling...

the pricing is all gonna change when they announce what they're doing with the RHD ban law.... it`ll be interesting to see the outcome. oct 30, i believe thats the date they announce.

as far as the tire sizing goes, it should be noted my rear are one inch wider than my fronts... thats why im currently runing 265/35 R18 and 245/40R18... 35% of 265 is VERY close to 40% of 245, (i think i have 245... maybe 235?)

anyways haig checked it on a calculator at the shop. said there was less than 2% difference in rolling radius and ive never had an issue after a year of use with my attessa... so as long as the calculated rolling radius is super close.. ill be good, i just have to pay very close attention when it comes to buying tires.

also, im running direzza's in the rear right now. i find they're quick to lose grid... but they`re a W rate compound maybe the stiff rubber just needs to get hot before it grips?

[frankiman]

well i depends really on the name of the Direzza

you see, Dunlop as made countless tires with the name Direzza, with many diffrent compound
a bit like Potenza for Bridgestone
some Direzza, like the Star Spec, are really grippy max performance summer street tires with 200 thread wear
unlike the Direzza DZ101, which is a far less grippy and floppier sidewalls but more comfortable high performance summer street tire, with 300 thread wear

so it really depends on the exact model of tires you have

on another note, i'm not sure if your front and rear TE37s share the same offset (with or without spacers)
but i would suggest putting the grippier tires in the front
- the grippier compound
- or the largest tire if compound is similar

because, like i said earlier, GTRs are very front heavy, which makes for an understeering handling caracteristic
by putting the grippier tires in front, it would make for a more "neutral" handling

also, the letter rating "W" or "Z" ... only tells what speed can the structure of the tire handle (inertial stress, and yes i study mechanical engineering at ETS)
to get a better idea of the amount of grip a tire can give, you have to look at two things in particular ;
- the "thread wear", the lower the softer the compound is, which makes for more grip but also quicker tire wear (generally)
- the "thread pattern", a tire with a thread pattern full of grooves that separetes the surface into a multitude of small "blocks" will grip less since each small blocks will have alot of "deflection" under load, thats why racier tires have less but bigger grooves, so that the surfaces is more "slick" which deflects much less under load


about the S15, i heard it had an engine fire, because of a turbo gasket leak and the engine harness was badly damaged

i think i'll talk to Haig about having a huge Skyline meet next year at Autoworx, or in the petro-can parking lot across the street