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Messages - Ares Helix
26
« on: June 20, 2016, 04:40:12 pm »
Horsepower or kilowatts? Pounds per foot or Newton meters? Millimeters or fractions of an inch? In the end, how you measure things is as much a personal preference as to how much power and torque you're making. It's a simple way for our heads to make sense of a vehicle's performance but comes from a purely mathematical place and, aside from bragging rights and wow factor, bigger isn't always better. As I've mentioned before, when it comes to modifying cars, my standards and reasons for doing things are quite removed from the standard 1200hp drag strip monsters that it seems most Skyline owners are after. After seeing the Guru's 1600hp+ monster R32 GT-R run a few events I can certainly see the appeal but how often do I run the drag strip? Never. I've never been the type for it. So what about the car? A few months back I saw a post on social media requesting "a 1000hp GT-R for an article and photo shoot" On any other day I may not have given two hoots but for whatever reason I piped up and asked why? Wouldn't people be more interested in cars that were built for more than simple straight line speed? I mean, there's always going to be something faster out there (AMS Alpha anyone?) No, for me, I'm not going to chase down that sort of a build. First off it's expensive but more importantly i want to be able to drive around town and on open roads without any real difficulty. I feel too much power would hinder that. With the engine running well (ish) I began to look at ways to improve the already formidable handling. First on my list were new, stiffer Nismo engine and gearbox mounts, to reduce engine flex and replace the 15 year old, factory mounts. The Tein comfort sport suspension was to be replaced and i managed to get a great deal on a set of Ohlins coilovers and some Cusco front and rear camber arms to allow for a more full adjustment. The other area in need of attention were the brakes, which were in need of both new pads and discs. Having had great success with blue's breaks, i went for a similar setup with DBA rotors and Endless pads. I also placed an order for a new front limited slip differential (LSD) but the supplier really let me down here and after waiting eleven months i cancelled the order as he wasn't able to get the product to me. This was to be my full upgrade handling wise but i also managed to pick up some Goodrich braided brake lines, a Cusco master cylinder stopper to reduce wasted hydraulic movement of the brake cylinder in the engine bay and brand new Motul fluid. Further unforeseen circumstances were also afoot, but hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves now... 
27
« on: June 13, 2016, 01:18:19 pm »
Let off some steam.
At some point we've all heard someone say some variation of this.
They should go...
We need to...
This boiler should... ...or it might explode.
You get the drift, to effectively manage our lives, we need to relieve stress.
For some, this could be as simple as going for a run, having a coffee or a smoke,
playing some TDM or CTF or watching a movie.
For a fair few people across the globe, it involves getting into a car and getting their
drive on.
Whether you're popping tyres drifting, shaving .02 off a lap time, getting the volume
up into the red without noticeable distortion or simply going for a drive, the calming
clarity that comes after such is usually a massive relief.
With time running out on my residence in Manurewa, issues with flatmates, my employer
at the time and of course an ex-wife and her family making things difficult for me at every
turn, having a car that was finally fit to drive was critical to my survival and sanity.
Aside from the odd run to Tauranga or Whangarei to visit friends there were (and generally
are still) three main runs i'd find myself gravitating to.
1: Whitford / Ardmore / Maraetai
2: Kaukapakapa / Welsford / SH16
3: Waitakere Ranges / Muriwai / Piha
4: Bombay / Miranda / Kawakawa Bay
Each route holds different challenges to tackle, from the long straights out on the West
Coast to the technical, clench inducing roads around Miranda.
Regardless of the terrain, the car performed well but to be fair, i had a lot of doubts about
its abilities.
Whilst it was still a vast improvement from where i had started, something still wasn't right.
The car struggled to get to 200kph, which even in factory form shouldn't have been too
difficult to achieve. Thinking back, you could have described its performance as asthmatic.
Along with this was a cramp-inducing vibration through the gear shift, a tendency to bottom
out on dips in the road and very poor fuel economy overall.
Time to call the parts guys...
28
« on: June 07, 2016, 09:59:26 am »
So coming up on a year's worth of ownership and I was slowly making my way through some carefully selected modifications and a lot of basic tidy ups that were desperately needed. With a few Km's under the belt and a bit more of a feel for the car I took some time to get used to what had been done and began planning for a few more choice selections and improvements. So let's look at things, leaving out oil and filters: Certified, SIV permit, VIN Tagged, Registered, INSURED!!!! Reverted from HKS F-Con IS to factory ECU Removed Japanese toll Credit Card reader Removed Turbo Timer Removed Japanese GPS Removed single DIN A/C and Stereo Installed S2 large A/C panel (from GT-t) Installed double DIN DVD unit Removed previously mounted Pioneer stereo speakers Removed factory 6 disc cd changer (boot mounted) Installed speakers, sub, capacitor and amp Replace lap start/stop button Replace g-sensor (Midori Seibi spec Digital) Replace worn clutch & release bearing Remove catylitic convertor Replace fuel pump (copy/fake AEM, lesson learned) Break HICAS  Fix HICAS  Spoon rigid collars, Front castor bushes, Tyres (Falken FK453) NISMO Fuel pump HKS EVC boost controller removed, Link MAP sensor installed, Re-wire and replace lap start/stop button (second one died), Siemens "body control module" removed, High/Low boost switch installed (9psi / 15Psi), Link G4+ ECU fitted and dynotuned (239kw / 305kw) With a significant amount of progress made I can say that the difference to the car was night and day but i still had a long way to go to get the damn thing working as it should. One thing I'll stop and fill you in on are the Spoon collars, an amazing upgrade for such a small and simple thing. During the production process of all mass produced cars, tolerances must be allowed for the robots involved with vehicle assembly to be considered accurate. Where a hand built car allows time for every bolt and screw to be precision fitted and torqued, on an assembly line we need to allow for errors. This means that a bolt hole will generally be much much larger than the bolt that holds things in place, not an issue in some areas but some of these bolts include the sub frame and chassis, potentially leading to issues with wheel alignment. The rigid collars from Spoon fulfill two important roles then. First they properly align the bolt in the hole, allowing for a more correctly centered fit and second they create a smoother surface for contact, forming a crush flat surface between the two areas being bolted together. Phew! With this amount of work completed it was time to do some testing - rude not to really...
29
« on: May 31, 2016, 12:38:31 pm »
There are times where things go right, in life, that by in large we all take for granted.
Though i try to remember to be thankful when things go well, i'm very much guilty of just
taking it as read that things are going well.
It's usually when we're in our moment of calm that life throws a spanner in the works to
keep us on our toes - to serve as a reminder not to get too comfortable.
When s**t goes sideways, we need to take a moment to process things, get to grips with
whatever has us stymied and do our best to find a solution.
This is where I get a bit stuck.
Too often i come down on myself too hard, beating myself up over my own glaring (to me)
ineptitude and incompetence, leaving me grumpy and depressed. The worst thing is when my
friends think i'm angry at them which simply isn't the case.
I try to reign some of this in but it seems ingrained in me from a young age...
So, i arrived the next day in my work car (Toyota FunCargo) once again with a very heavy heart
expecting to be in for a day of much cursing and little progress however i was to be in for a bit of
a pleasant surprise.
The Guru had narrowed down the problem to the newly fitted injectors simply not doing what
they should after the Link had been fitted but he'd never had this issue previously. The issue was
quickly identified after a few calls to Link NZ.
They suggested that the biggest difference between the 32, 33 and 34 (for tuning at least) is the
fact that the 34 uses a series of micro-controllers to individually control various components,
commonly called a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus, wheras the 32 and 33 are more traditional
in their component setups.
What this meant was that the injectors were isolated on a specific controller sub-section which
was tied into the factory installed Siemens security module. As it would turn out, the previous
intermittent starting issues, experienced with the car since its arrival in NZ were caused because
of this security unit totally disabling the injectors.
No fuel, no go. Pretty straight forward really!
With a whole bunch of stuff making much more sense, the Guru isolated the issue with the Link
and all of a sudden the car started.
After a bit more tweaking we corrected the incredibly advanced timing (geared more towards top
end RPM) removed the somewhat over-protective security module (the new alarm was taking care
of things anyhow) and re-routed the injector control.
Things proceeded quickly and after a few Dyno runs we had a fully tuned and operational BNR34.
We settled on a high/low boost option, similar to that in Blue, a simple toggle switch to change
between 9PSI low boost and 15PSI high with the redline pulled down from the factory 8,000rpm
to 7,000rpm on account of the old valve springs. The difference was night and day and we ended
up with 305kw at the engine. A few other little bits were taken care of at the same time, like
tidying up the NISMO installed lap timer button next to the gear shift but the fact the injectors
were now getting to around 50% duty on high boost was a massive improvement for reliability.
Half a day later and i finally had a GT-R that wasn't totally sluggish and problematic!
YAY!
30
« on: May 27, 2016, 10:48:19 am »
It's easy to get caught up with what other people are doing, how they're doing it and why,
peer pressure and all that.
The problem being is that you loose focus. You get pulled into what the neighbors are doing
with their lawns, what your family are doing with their relationships, what the cat is doing
with the ball of yarn...
It seems that as a species, we work in a pack (or herd if you're a fan of the Ice-Age movies)
for the betterment of our'society' and for the sake of human advancement.
Of course this isn't without its pitfalls.
Whilst it's beneficial to work together for a common goal, working in close proximity with
others will generally lead to issues, tall poppy syndrome is a very real and very detrimental
thing not only in social circles but in work and home life too as is falling into the same
'groove' as people content to coast along putting in the bare minimum of efforts.
Also and more importantly, this leads us to loose sight of our own goals and ambitions,
over time substituting them for the the goals of others around us, which can lead to the
abandonment of our own dreams.
Woah, heavy stuff for a Friday morning indeed!
In car circles, keeping up with the Jones's is a terrible idea.
For a start, what works well on one vehicle is potentially terrible for another - even if
they're the same make and model, no two vehicles are the same. Even from factory,
whilst very similar, there will be subtle differences, not to mention its service history or
wear and tear. Further to this, and to the point - what one person wants out of car can
sometimes be very different to what someone else wants.
Recently I've had a few off hand comments about HP figures heading my way.
I won't go into the specifics about where the car's at (SPOILERS MUCH!) but what i can
share is that i have no interest in building my car to a billiontymillion horse power.
To me balance has always and will always be my main priority and i don't believe that's
achievable with that sort of power under the hood.
Thinking about where I drive MOST of the time, a solid responsive tune and decent money
spent on handling will win out over big numbers any day of the week - absolute power
and all that.
With a couple of basics handled, the collars fitted and new Tyres on, it was time to get to
the Guru and sure up the tune.
The weekend prior to heading up we ripped into the fuel tank and got a genuine Nismo
fuel pump in, after the success of the unit i installed in Blue, this was always going to be
my first pick (let's not mention the dodgy AEM unit, ahem) and the difference between
the two was night and day. Much, much louder than the stock, but flowing much, much
more - the injectors were now no longer starved of their go-go-juice. HUZZAH!
Whilst at the Temple, new siemens injectors were fitted, wiring was done and MAP sensor
mounted. Things were progressing well over the course of the day at the temple, even the
Guru was in a great mood!
"Wait," I hear you cry, "You said it's a cursed car!"
We got the Link G4+ into the car aaaaaaaaaaaaaand it decided to bust out it's not starting
routine.
Cue Shatner:
"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN"
I arranged a lift home with Dave, who'd very kindly picked me up from the Temple and
arranged to head back up to collect it the next day - fingers crossed and all that.
31
« on: May 24, 2016, 01:15:51 pm »
Issues issues issues. Unless you're a magazine company, people in general have issues with having issues. Could be something easy: My toe nails are too long, i should clip them. Could be something hard: Hmmmm, seems i should have stuck to meters for programming, maybe the next Mars lander will do better. Either way, we all deal with them in our own way. Though i'm not a superstitious person, when it comes to my stupid purple car i'm slowly being convinced that it's cursed. Fixing one issue has generally led to something else, which has led to something else, leading eventually back to the first issue. Circle chases, gotta love 'em! After a largely fruitless search for assistance and a couple of Diagnostic readouts that confirmed that there was an issue with HICAS but annoyingly didn't give any description of where the issue was. In desperation, I called Bob and he agreed to get the car in. A nervous day was spent waiting and hoping but I got the call at around 4:30pm advising that they'd fixed the issue and that i could collect the beastie. After a quick chat to Bob and his team, they showed me the rear wheels doing their thing whilst the car was up on a hoist and I drove away with a now working 4 wheel steering system. One thing down, many many more to go! The next week I had the car in to the team at Pit Stop botany to get my collars fitted and a couple of bushes replaced. A day's worth of in and out and they were sorted as well. Sadly though with funds being very tight and the car in desperate need of new Tyres and an alignment the difference wasn't totally apparent afterwards but thankfully I wouldn't have to wait long! That Friday I had the car in to Discount Tyres, once again at Botany Downs, for the new Falkens and an alignment. The whole process went quickly and smoothly and upon picking the car up I was once again amazed at the difference. I'd gone from a very benign, almost sterile driving experience - a friend of mine described it as "dead" feeling - to a more responsive steering feel with far more feedback through the seat and steering wheel, thanks largely to the new bushes and Spoon collars. The tyres were (and still are) a great blend of performance and economy but they do tend to get pretty loud on coarse chip seal. It still wasn't perfect, but it was a massive improvement! If only there was a way to change other areas too...
32
« on: May 23, 2016, 06:49:12 pm »
33
« on: February 23, 2015, 02:17:39 pm »
Whether you're getting accounts in order, organizing a get together with friends or
planning ahead for a holiday - there's a certain something about getting small tasks
out of the way. Sitting down on a Saturday for lunch is infinitely more rewarding
knowing that you don't have to get up in 20 minutes to do the vacuuming, as
another example. I suppose it's to do with being raised to value work vs reward, as
most of us are, from a young age...
With the Cannonball behind me, it was time to focus on some tidy up issues.
With a warrant looming, the terrible Indoradial tyres were of concern, as was the still
unresolved HICAS steering issue.
It took some time to get money in place to get this sorted but upon receipt of the
money from the sale of Blue, I placed orders for a few parts.
First on the list were Spoon rigid collars. For those unfamiliar with Spoon, it's a tuning
company that's known for tuning and upgrading Honda. Unlike Mugen, Honda's own
in-house tuning company, Spoon are a separate entity and as such, are at liberty to
develop parts for other manufacturers as well. I managed to find a set of the collars on
a forum, as the purchaser had found his vehicle already equipped with them!
Next up was ordering the new ECU through the Guru. He placed the order and had it
shipped to his place for safe keeping. As with the GT-t, i decided to go with a Link G4+.
To go with the ECU, i ordered up-rated Siemens fuel injectors, a Nismo fuel pump to
replace the dodgy AEM that wasn't performing and a Tomei fuel pressure regulator to
ensure fuel flow was consistent.
Tyres were next up and through a friend I was able to get a damn good deal on a full
set of newly released Falken FK453's. Whilst not top of the line they were a damn site
better than the terrible tyres I had on it from purchase!
With parts lined up I began to book the car in to various shops to get things rolling.
First on the list was to sort the HICAS issues. After a few calls around getting quotes
for labour and fault finding that would make lesser men weep and further diagnosis by
a friend at Nissan North Shore, I found help in the most unlikely of places.
34
« on: February 09, 2015, 08:07:46 am »
As you could guess by the name - thought i'd starts a (hopefully sticky) thread of pics of machines that get us going - for use as wallpapers or not? 
35
« on: February 04, 2015, 03:23:30 pm »
I may or may not have just bought some footwork upgrades...
36
« on: February 02, 2015, 01:20:35 pm »
I've mentioned before that i find it weird that i'm a car guy.
Can't make sense of it in the slightest and again, as mentioned earlier, i've come
to terms with that.
Thing is - i'm not your typical car guy.
I don't enjoy shows like the 4 & Rotor Nats, i'm not big into drifting or drag racing,
don't set my cars up with flashy exterior mods or guages everywhere inside and i'm
REALLY not into the V8 super tourers.
This said, i do keep up with mates in the scene and will go to a meet from time to
time, but i'm usually pretty disappointed by the "do a skid/spark it up" fraternity.
Around 2012 somewhere, the Pukekohe track was redesigned for, as i've been told,
the V8's. If you hadn't been before, at the end of the back straight there was a gentle
right hand turn, which fed you straight into a hairpin corner. Due to extreme speeds
without adequate braking, the big V8's had a tendancy to understeer off into the
armco at the end of said back straight. So to correct this, the track was significantly
redesigned with a dogleg style corner built just prior to the hairpin.
The last time i'd been on the Pukekohe circuit was for BMW Driver training, using
2010 530D's in M sport mode to belt around the old track. It was great fun but today
was my own car which made me excited and nervous in equal measure!
At Pukekohe the rules are similar to most other tracks - Overalls and Helmet are required
to allow you to romp around the track - however a good chunk of the Cannonball's
contestants are families or groups of friends out for a mad day in the Sun and as such
generally don't have the above. So Big V had got me and the Ferarri in to act as pace cars,
with people to stay at a steady pace behind us.
It didn't last long - but it was the thought that counted.
The first couple of laps i did were taken quite steadily, to get my eye in so to speak.
After a brief pit in though things started to get more serious.
I took a few people around who made a few positive comments about my driving ability -
a little embarrassing but kind none the less! - but it wasn't until my second to last run of
the day that i felt truly proud of my driving.
After about half an hours rest, spent talking to friends and checking out some of the
great cars around, i jumped in and was herded down to the front of the traffic waiting to
get onto the track. Sitting at the front of the queue was a very worked RX7 FD3s - to
this day still one of the prettiest cars ever built in my ever so humble opinion!
We waited for about ten minutes or so before we were given the go ahead to head down
the pits onto the track, however, just before we did, the 458 came into view right behind
me.
No words were exchanged, none were needed, we were waved onto the track and, at the
end of the pit lane it was on.
I managed to hold him off from the pits down to the first corners, the GT-R's legendary
acceleration holding true. I pushed through the tight and familiar lines of the first s corners
and down into the long extended right hand turn on to the back straight.
As I was on power all through the turn a opened up a considerable lead here, but with the
458's power it was almost eaten away by the right hander into the new corners.
As the Ferarri's driver wasn't as experienced he was on the brakes sooner. After the new
turns and hairpin i'd once again opened a bit of a bigger gap which continued through
the last few corners and on to the home straight. At the start/finish line he screamed past
me but i honestly didn't care. In my broken car that was untuned, running very rich on factory
boost of 10PSI i'd been able to hold off one of Italy's greatest driving machine's for a whole
lap of Pukekohe.
Yep, that was a hell of a good day! I honestly think you could have seen my smile from space!
37
« on: January 27, 2015, 01:17:19 pm »
If someone were to ask if i were a gentleman, i'd be in a quandary. It's a loaded question you see, as one of the qualities of a gentleman is humility, so what do you say? The best answer i've heard would be to say: "I'm unsure myself, but i'd hope that if you asked someone else if i were, they'd say yes?" I can't claim that answer as my own, i think it comes from the great Stephen Fry and similarly, joking with friends aside, when asked about my driving prowess i hope to aspire to the same lofty ideals that my ability speaks for itself - in whatever capacity that may be. When i was younger this wasn't the case. My late teens and early twenties were filled with horrific examples of self aggrandizement - some of which i remember in shame, some which old friends remind me of from time to time. I learned that it not only wasn't endearing to others but that i really don't like blowing my own trumpet, as the saying goes. So when Big V called and asked me to be his driver for the day of the 2014 Cannonball Run, and to act as a pace car for Pukekohe i was quite humbled! The day started well - a quick stop to a friend and photographer's at Herald Island and then to the meeting and staging point for the day's drive. The usual walk around the car park was great. Seeing familiar and new vehicles, catching up with friends, the usual story. After the safety brief we headed out - our route heading a short way north from Hooton reserve, Albany - up to Kaukapakapa where we met up with the other pace car - a brand new Ferrari 458 Italia in white. It's a comforting thought that whilst looking at the two parked next to each other, money no object, i'd still prefer to take home my Datsun  From there, we headed south through some of my favorite roads. We stopped in at a few of the "missions" on the way but it wasn't long before we settled into the run south to Pukekohe Raceway Park - via a gas station of course!
38
« on: January 22, 2015, 12:20:44 pm »
The Christmas holidays of 2013 were rough - not being a fan of the holiday season in
general combined with the drama of the previous months and all that...
With the car running and clutch replaced I spent a lot of time with friends, getting
together going for drives and just generally hanging out.
There were many late night runs out to Piha and Muriwai as well as the obligatory
day time meet such as cars and coffee and hard park.
In the first few weeks of 2014 i ordered a new, AEM fuel pump off a listed seller on
Trademe and arranged to install it at a friend's place.
The pump was situated inside the fuel tank (as most are) which ordinarily wouldn't
be an issue...
However above the fuel tank in my car sat the four wheel drive and steering computers
and battery. Once moved and tank opened we were able to rig up the new (and a lot
smaller) pump and re-assemble everything.
Once back together the car refused to start at all - with the added bonus of an error
showing in the four wheel steering system, leaving it inoperable.
As it was getting on for three AM at that point i opted to leave the car with my mate
who continued to work on the issue eventually calling me to let me know the thing
was running again.
I collected it after work that day and was bitterly disappointed by the results. Not only
had HICAS (four wheel steering) stopped working but the issue of the injectors being
starved of fuel still remained.
As I began investigating options around getting HICAS working again, i got a call from
a friend of mine who happens to be an organizer for the Cannonball Run NZ, asking
if i would like to help him out on the day of the event.
Not one to say no to a mate asking for help i replied - sure, what ya need?
"We'll be needing you to drive as a Pace Car at Pukekohe track..."
"Done!"
39
« on: January 15, 2015, 02:55:11 pm »
Choosing the right parts for your ride is always a challenge.
The old adage of:
"GOOD - CHEAP - FAST : pick two" comes into it a lot, not helped by way too many people who'll
talk your ear off about why XYZ is better than ABC because their brother's friend's aunty's baby's
mate's half cousin's one is MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAN.
After a few calls I was able to source a new heavy duty Exedy for a good price. I briefly weighed up
other options but with memories of the GT-t's twin plate still fresh in my mind i decided to err on
the side of caution.
Once i'd called in another favor or two, i headed up to the Guru's with a bright pink box in the
passenger foot-well.
All up it only took an hour or two to get the new clutch in, during which i decided to take a moment
to remove a "blockage" from the exhaust *COUGHCATALYTICCONVERTERCOUGH* to allow things
to flow a fair way more freely.
After a few adjustments were made for the pedal, the car was dropped back down and i headed for
home once more.
A few weeks went by before i'd been able to clock up around 600km as a bed in time. Having had
clutches replaced in several vehicles i'd previously owned, i never thought much of it after the initial
getting used to the new bite point. However staying true to form, with the GT-R the difference it
made was huge. With power now being sent back to the differential more reliably, transfer of torque
to the front began happening more frequently as well. This had a compound effect, as after the run
in time i began to be a bit more liberal with the throttle. Still something was off.
During a rather spirited drive the in car display i noticed that the fuel injectors were getting to 100%
duty cycle. For those not in the know - this is bad.
This was initially only happening when the boost controller was on but soon became an issue when
running on the factory tune of 10PSI.
Not good.
With the end of the year fast approaching, i decided to leave things until after the Christmas holidays.
40
« on: December 18, 2014, 08:05:04 am »
Hey all
Sorry for the inactivity but have been very busy with moving and selling houses and dealing with the ex's lawyers.
Will update you all as soon as possible, but if not before, have a wicked Christmas and New Year.
41
« on: September 12, 2014, 04:13:13 pm »
So the somewhat fighter jet lingo-ish named "G-Sensor".
What is it?
Truth be told i had very little idea and didn't know about it until reading about an
R34 GT-R on the Speedhunter's website. This particular car has served as my
inspiration for a few of the modifications i've now done and i've been following
its development very closely but i digress.
After reading an article about the new digital replacement sensors and how they
worked i began to understand where i wanted my own GT-R to go.
Like the owner of that car, i also feel that modernization should be the focus of my
build, focusing on areas that could be improved with modern technology.
So the sensor itself is described as:
"A spring mounted pendulum, suspended in oil."
To me this sounded like an antique clock...
However as previously stated it is one of the most vital components of the four
wheel drive system. Whilst the analogue pendulum thingy worked well, replacing it
with a digital version meant that the car could react faster to changes in motion,
road surface, etc. meaning that torque could be more actively sent to the front
wheels when needed.
I was able to track one down online and arranged a deal with a friend whereby he
effectively bought the part for me and i gave him the rights to my Eve-Online account,
which truth be told, he got for an absolute steal.
Shortly after the stereo was swapped over to the car I received the new sensor.
Just like the part it was replacing, it looked fairly unremarkable. It took a little bit
to install, thanks to Nissan going out of their way (and rightly so) to protect the
factory unit.
Once in i have to say that the results were not earth shattering, however in wet
weather it's definitely noticeable, with more power being delivered to the front
under load.
The true test came when heading into town one night for a meet up with some
friends. An STI blasted past me and not one to be cowed, i threw the stick down
a few gear and eased on the power.
As the car gained RPM i noticed that this wasn't translating into actual speed
however and realized that the clutch was slipping.
I eased off the power and let the Subaru go on his merry way.
YEEEEEEEEEEEP...
42
« on: August 26, 2014, 01:39:34 pm »
If you had the chance to go back in time ten years - what would you do?
Would you make big bold changes? Maybe try to stop the death of a friend or family member?
Would you kill someone?
I would ask if you'd play the lottery, but we all know that's a given! :p
With the last BNR34 rolling off the assembly lines in late 2002, aside from a few special variants, it's
safe to say these cars were the total pinnacle of Japanese performance, for that time.
It's also safe to say that as good as they were, they were hampered technologically speaking, in two
important ways.
Firstly, as is the case with all mass produced cars, they suffered from accountant syndrome. This is
something that us military hardware geeks are all too familiar with and we may also see from the likes
of Dell and HP. This is the simple fact that as good as part A is, part B is ALMOST as good, and half the
price, so we'll use that.
The reasoning is quite sound - if amazing components were used everywhere, the cost of the vehicle
would skyrocket, meaning less sales. Remembering that at the time Japan's auto industries were in
agreement about power and performance figures for top of the line sports cars and it's not too difficult
to see why.
To raise the second point, I'll ask you this:
What are you reading this topic on?
Perhaps a PC?
Perhaps a phone?
Perhaps a pair of glasses?
Perhaps a small dog (WiFi compatible at least!)
Whilst I've yet to see any really cool new inventions in recent years, we've come a hell of a long way
in improving stuff we already had! Laptops took over from PC's, then Tablets, then Phones. This rate
of technological progress can be seen in every facet of society, right across the globe, so doesn't it
make sense that some of that progress could be applied to the automobile?
Of course, we know this is true, with cars capable of driving and parking themselves, hybrid technology
reversing cameras, in car displays rapidly becoming standard...
The list goes on, but what about older cars?
At the heart of the RB Powered Skyline GTR's is the ATESSA four wheel drive system, as previously
mentioned. This system requires feedback however, which means a suite of sensors and inputs
feeding information about all facets of the car, through to a computer (in the boot) to determine
how much power goes where. Aside from tying into the ABS and Throttle control systems, in the
dead centre of the car, buried under the cup-holders and hand brake, is the G-Sensor, which feeds
information about acceleration, braking and cornering, directly to the four wheel drive system.
At the time of production, this sensor was state of the art.
At the time of production of the 1989 R32 of course...
43
« on: August 23, 2014, 10:26:10 pm »
Also:
SHAKE WHAT YA MAMMA GAVE YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
44
« on: August 23, 2014, 10:25:41 pm »
*Waits for the "I blew my amp on the way home" post*
:p
Make sure you take some time to wear the speakers in. Don't crank it straight away!
45
« on: August 03, 2014, 09:46:52 pm »
Sorry all, was a bit rushed to pop up last update, have popped in a few edits to clear up a few points i thought were kinda garbled. Hope this makes more sense
46
« on: August 03, 2014, 05:09:42 pm »
Brand new versus second hand.
I've been asked this question quite often and while, yes, in certain things brand new can be better
(new cel phone, i'm looking at you) it can also be mixed in with a hefty downside (24 month contract,
i'm also looking at you).
When it comes to cars, a long time ago i decided that i'd only look at second hand. The price of a
new car in New Zealand is, like the cost of Petrol, vastly inflated for, as far as i can tell, no apparent
reason. Yep, we're further away than other countries but our taxes are considerably less and even
with exchange rates taken into account, to me, the massive initial cost simply doesn't add up. This
is most evident with European brands especially, with purchase prices quite often commanding four
times the price our friends in Europe or England would expect to pay.
On its own, that would be enough to put me off, add to that massive depreciation and I'm done!
Nope, to me a good second hand car will always be more appealing but they aren't without their
pitfalls either.
Aside from the engine (including intake, exhaust, ignition and fuel systems) it's worth remembering
that any second hand car WILL need some time and money spent to sure up its footing. The big
things are easy to remember on a whole. brakes, tyres and even replacement suspension need to
be considered but just as important are squaring away any worn components like bushes, links and
sway bars.
This is even more true when the car you're looking at would have been driven hard, as the extra
stresses will take their toll. As such it's my advice to anyone that before you look at more go, get
your second hand beastie to a stable and reliable place prior to performance work.
Firstly, maintenance of this type will almost always improve the steering responsiveness and handling
of your car.
Second, for reliability, replacing this shit early can save massive headaches later!
But most importantly, it'll give you a better understanding of how the car feels to drive, which in turn
will start you thinking about what you're trying to achieve, performance wise. Laying this groundwork
now will allow you to hone in and focus on things that can be done to improve performance in the future,
that will also work with how you like to drive.
In my case I began to weigh up my options from day one. Suring up the footwork would be my number
one priority, with an aim for a good reliable Street and Track build, with the very occasional run at
Meremere.
As such, taking inspiration from Speedhunter's own project GTR, I began to look at ways to improve
things, settling on parts from Midori Seibi and Spoon...
47
« on: July 29, 2014, 11:58:40 pm »
The next few months went slowly.
I found myself facing very difficult decisions and ultimately the end of my marriage, saying goodbye to someone
who was by my side night and day for almost ten years.
As stated, I'm not going to go off topic, suffice it to say that even with the car road worthy and operational, i
found scarce little enjoyment in its ownership.
Even so, i began making my list of service items, evaluating the car's performance and getting used to the
differences between it and blue.
I decided from the get go that a new ECU was a must - fuel injection has come a very VERY long way in the
last fifteen years as has Engine management. After how well the Link G4 performed in my last car, i wasn't
going to muck around with anything else - save the money and go for the good shit.
As far as the rest of the car was, well for that i headed out driving when i could sometimes to meet ups,
sometimes to visit friends or my big brother, sometimes just to clear my head. Yet all the while i kept thinking
about how the car felt through corners, responsiveness to throttle inputs and front torque split, made easier
by the in car display.
As my knowledge of the car grew, so did my understanding that there were other tweaks that needed to be
made.
(there were also parts to be ordered, but that's more speedhunter's fault than mine...)
48
« on: July 22, 2014, 04:11:18 pm »
Never take anything for granted.
Like the Weather, everything can change unexpectedly and without warning.
The one thing you can count on is that life enjoys throwing us curve-balls when we are our most
complacent.
For me, my world blew up when i asked my wife if she still loved me and she quietly said:
"I don't think so."
I won't dwell on it here, it's not the point of the story, suffice it to say that it marked the end of my
marriage and threw my life into turmoil.
Having taken the day off for her birthday and with the car still at the security installers, i made
arrangements with a friend to get a lift down to it and collect it.
After catching up with my mechanic buddy (the one with the Subaru Legacy) I picked up the car and
drove it home, in a rather less enthusiastic manner.
Sitting in my garage I flicked a mate of mine, Chang, a message seeing if he was free.
Sure enough he arrived shortly and we began compiling a list.
Given the similarities between the two cars, i'd decided to swap some components from Blue to
the GT-R. This included the entire Stereo, air con filters, several bulbs, pedals, headlight lenses and
front door windows.
The other section was comprised of little things to be adjusted or removed from the car that weren't
necessary or in "my vision" of the car i wanted. This included the terribly tacky cigarette lighter
adapter, the Japanese toll road credit card system and factory fitted, Japan only, GPS.
With our work cut out for us we started stripping things out of the both cars respectively, fully aware
that we weren't going to get anything completed, but that the busy work and companionship would
be very therapeutic.
We knocked things off at around eleven pm and headed out for a wee drive into town. Too late and
not in the mood for the usual Friday night meet up, we ended up heading along Tamaki drive and then
through to the Museum, then back home.
He headed home shortly after, but given the events of the (now previous) day I stayed up and swapped
over the new pollen filters, finishing up around 3:30 in the morning before heading to bed.
49
« on: July 02, 2014, 12:32:02 pm »
Pulling out onto the road from the Guru's place heading back to Auckland in my
now fully insured and road registered GTR was such a great feeling.
With my cousin in law in tow in his little Vitz, i was careful not to leave him behind,
but even so, once we'd made our way to the motorway on-ramp, i felt duty bound
to open the taps a bit.
Whilst lacking the same boost pressure as Blue, the GTR hit 100km VERY quickly.
The initial torque and the way it gripped the road were unreal, especially given i
was used to feathering the throttle to keep Blue's rear wheels in line until i could
find some traction! No such dramas with this beastie however, with the digital
guages set to monitor boost pressure and torque split, i could see how the car
diverted power up to the front as i charged down the on-ramp, the ferocity of the
car's acceleration matched only by the size of my grin.
We settled into a casual pace for the cruise across Auckland and back out South.
I didn't notice it at the time but Cameron told me that people were staring at the
car we passed them, with the odd one or two taking pictures with phones. We
stopped in briefly to my wife's work as she was eager to see it as well, then we
dropped it off to get the alarm installed.
It was a short run home from there to prepare for my wife's birthday a few days
later, still buzzing about owning my own zilla. It was a great day, but the last one
i'd have for quite a while.
50
« on: June 26, 2014, 11:31:12 am »
I get a lot of questions asked about my car.
Chief among which is "How much did the paint cost" and "Why did you choose that
colour?" - sigh.
The next most popular one is "Why didn't you get a (R-35) GT-R?"
As stated earlier, to me the R-34 is the pinnacle of the RB powered GT-R family, for a
number of reasons. The looks? Sure its a handsome brute, but more than that is how
it performs.
When I announced my plans to purchase one to the Guru he asked me why i didn't go
for the new one. I replied that whilst i could respect it and its capabilities and performance,
sadly looks wise i found it ugly as sin.
This follows through to my thoughts about the R-32 and R-33 variants. Given what i now
know about them, shape wise i prefer the 32, HOWEVER the 33 is an all around better
car performance and handling wise.
During their development, Nissan did extensive testing around structural rigidity and
aerodynamics. Whilst the 32 was a good looking car, it was prone to understeer due
to a less rigid construction and had some major aerodynamic flaws. The 33 took steps
to correct this and as such, though it was bigger and heavier it still managed to be faster
around a track, due in no small part to advances in the all wheel drive and all wheel
steering systems, to be sure, but also increased turn in response from having a stiffer
chassis.
The 34 built upon this further and made vast improvements in both areas. The results
were massive, cutting lap times even further - an impressive feat given the test track
in question was the Nordschleife circuit in Germany.
So, what does it mean for our story?
Simply put, Nissan moved the battery into the boot area from the 33 shape to improve
weight distribution. Nestled alongside it are the all wheel drive and all wheel steering
computers, which take up the entire space between the rear seats and boot lining.
However to get to the electronics, you first have to remove not only a strut brace,
running between the rear wheel arches, but also a massive metal reinforcing plate.
Once it was out of the way, we checked out the battery - disconnected it, reconnected
it and after a brief charge, were able to turn the engine over.
HUZZAH!
We then put everything back in place, with the engine still running and headed out for
the run south.
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