kj280z

Look at this... http://www.5speeds.com/t5/gforce.html Looks like we've lost that option! Ken

Doug/Joel, Any progress on this? I'm trying to figure out the next steps for the Supercharged Z driveline and in the process of weighing several options

Any updates on this? HAs there been any discussion about the amount of torque the 240sx tranny will support?

hey guys... I don't mean to high jack this post but I think the topic applies. First, I've never seen any definitive proof that the Nissan T5 is any stronger than the stock 280zx 5 speed. They both have their inherent weaknesses. Plus, the T5 has a reputation for notchy shifting and it is heavier than a stock trans. Having said all that, what can be done to strengthen the stock trans? I've engaged a few people in discussions about what would need to be done to strengthen the weak points in the Nissan 280zx NA trans. I'd like to ask the group... What ideas do you have on improving the stock trans to handle additional power? Which is the best year tranny to start with as a basis (5 speed is required in my case). I have had several suggestions from cryo treating the gear sets and synchros to double pinning the needle bearings to replacing the aluminum shift forks with the steel type from earlier Nissan transmissions. I'm NOT a transmission guy... most of the stuff in a tranny is black magic to me (although I assume an education is coming my way shortly ). I'd love to hear what people have come up with... Let's face it, racers have been using the stock tranny for years so I'm sure they learned a thing or two over the years...

Hey Pete, It was great spending some time with you. I'm glad you came by and enjoyed the car. Bob Nelson (from 777 Autobody in NJ) also stopped by today and we took it for a "spirited" spin. I think he really liked it to! It's fun for me to see the results of a lot of hard work being enjoyed by other Z nuts. The project has surpassed my expectations and I couldn't be happier with the results. It's also very encouraging that other well known and respected Z people have been able to experience the car and enjoy it. My initial calculations on the boost put the current belt ratio combination at around 13.5 PSI, but initially when I changed to the smaller pulley I was only seeing 12.3 psi of boost. It seems to have settled in at 13.7 PSI with the current pulley combination and you can really feel the difference. I think at this level I have no desire or need to go any further with the boost. I had initially planned on 12 PSI for this project so the extra "bonus" was a nice surprise. Let's start working on supercharging that race car of yours!

John, Thanks for your efforts to fix the video... Not to beat a dead horse, but your video looks identical to mine when I play them both on my PC, so there's something else going on... Both seem to be the correct speed on mine, but thanks again for your efforts.

Dan, Hey... I've been meaning to ask you... I looked at your chart way back when you first did it and meant to ask you about the hp/torque lines... Aren't they supposed to converge at 5250 RPMs? Any idea why your chart doesn't do that?

Brian, Any chance we could see a dyno chart that shows the lower rpm band? Your current chart starts out around 4000... I'd like to see the low end power/torque numbers Ken

Dave... Hey! I enjoyed the video... I guess those tires were toast after ya finished! Looks like I've reached the limit on the MP62 at 12.3 PSI of boost. It's got good power now that it's tuned and the boost is increased. Will be doing some more dyno sessions next month. Ken

Dan, Hey... YES it will be at the convention and YES you can take it for some laps... I'd like to get your opinion of it. I think you're gonna dig it I can't tell ya how many people have emailed me specifically liking the exhaust note which surprised them. One difference between this setup and a turbo is that the turbo helps to quiet the exhaust. Since the supercharger doesn't have the benefit of having the turbo to quiet it and the blownZ is still moving an equivalent amount of air it's basically real loud... The 3 inch exhaust and nismo headers sure don't help to quiet it down either. Come on down to Florida before August and check it out! See ya soon Ken

Yes we ran the hood open a crack because I have a slight hood clearance problem (it is a custom hood). I'll be fixing that shortly. You can see pics of the hood at http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/mm_memrides_view.php?car_id=11 It is truly a one of a kind that we fabbed up to clear the SC pulley although I have a mold and could make more... The SC pulley does not clear the stock hood with my current manifold design... although it could be changed and made to clear.

Thanks... The CR is 8.5:1 and I'm not running an intercooler at this time, although I have a few things up my sleeve to cool the charge and refine the setup. The motor is a 3.0 stroker with custom forged Ross pistons (.040 over) The article in the magazine was written 3 months ago. So we've obviously improved things since that time My copy of the magazine just arrived... although I think I received an early copy but look for it soon on page 50! Ken

Oliver, Yes it runs on pump gas and is surprisingly streetable. I have a nasty cam in it and a very light flywheel so those things make it a little harder but it is certainly streetable and could be much more streetable if that were your intentions. I have some future plans to install it on a totally stock 280z motor and a totally stock 280zxt motor (will take some time). I'll share the results as I make progress. I believe you're thinking that this setup looks like the old Jim Cook Racing setup... This supercharger is the latest technology in that industry as compared to the older style that they once provided. I have one of those old setups and the manifold has been modified for port fuel injection and I might just test it someday. The biggest problem with their system is weight (it's heavy!) and the fuel management system... it was a big short coming. Adding EFI to my design and also using a more modern supercharger are certainly logical progressions of the setup. The first time we dynoed it, the motor had not been broken in so we took it easy and also had a very conservative tune (fuel and timing) and it had 8 pounds of boost at the time... It made 221 RWHP and had a GREAT flat torque curve. That was 3 months ago... Since then we've got it dialed in and have gotten a little more aggressive (although still a little rich) with our tuning. Additionally, we increased the boost to ~12.3 psi... Obviously, this made a huge improvment in the performance. The video was taken a few days ago and it had 12.3 psi... Hope that answers your questions Regards Ken

Jon, I wish I owned the magazine! I'm just a contributor, and I am very protective of my reputation. I appreciate that you're not trying to say that I was being dishonest, the video "is what it is". I can't change it so please view it for what it is, a different approach to performance on a Z that looks to be a pretty successful implementation that you can actually view in person, which is better than pure pictures. If it looks fast on your computer, so-be-it, but it looks fine on mine... Is this a computer technology discussion or a post about a pretty nice setup on a Z car that's never really been done like this before? Can we get back to talking about supercharged Z cars now or has this post been destroyed by this?! GEEEEEZ!

Jon, We've already had SEVERAL people say that they time it at 21 seconds on their computer, so PLEASE let's not go down that road again. There is obviously differences in the video from computer to computer and I don't really care "why"... All I said when I posted it was I hope you enjoy it, not "here's what we did". For the record we were NOT trying to break any records and NONE of us had any experience on an oval track. This was just our first time out with this motor and it was the only place we could go to drive the car in a controlled environment on short notice. We were simply trying to evaluate the motor and this was the only place that we could find to let us on a track before everyone flew home (they let us on with 1 hours notice! Real nice people!). I'm not making any claims to the video other than, "Hope you enjoy it". There's nothing "official" about it and it was done with the limitations of the camera equipment we had... The "sound" is a pretty good representation of the motor as I hear it on MY computer, but there's no telling what it sounds like on anyone elses I guess. I doubt anyone wants to download a file that's huge (64 mg) and I don't even have a server that I could put it on for people to see because it's so large. I took a snip out of it and tried to reduce the resolution so people with slow connections could enjoy it, simple as that... I'm getting frustrated so I'll have to stop posting now... If anyone wants more information email me at ken280z@hotmail.com Ken

Pat, Thanks for the edit... I was starting to get disappointed that the thread was degrading into an "authenticity" discussion which was bumming me out. I believe that certain players will render the video differently, so who knows what's going on. Anyway, it's just something I thought everyone would enjoy.... That was it's sole intention... It's not edited, but some people may see it as "sped up" because of some wierdness that I don't understand... Hope you liked it for what it is... "information" ken

Jon that was pretty funny... anyway... that was what we got off the camera... only compressed so it would download quicker so who knows what that does... We actually timed the laps after you said that and they are 21 seconds per lap which we figure to be an "average" of around 86 mph. The straights were much faster and the turns were "interesting" since we had never run on an oval before... Anyway, here's some pics for ya... http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/mm_memrides_view.php?car_id=11 Ken

Hey... To answer your question it is a Magnuson MP62 supercharger. We were running 12 pounds of boost during this session. You may see a supercharger kit soon! We're in the process of figuring out how to package it for all you Z nuts if there is enough interest. The upcoming edition of Sport Z Magazine due to hit your mailboxes in the next few days has some more details. Obviously, that article was written 3 months ago so we've had a lot more time optimizing the setup since our initial dyno testing. The thing just ROARS! Regards Ken

Hey all... Project 280Z hit the track yesterday! The best we could do was get some time on a 1/2 mile oval (due to prior weather). Our intention was to do some shake down and evaluation of the supercharged L Motor... I think you'll enjoy this short video... I love the sound!!! John Coffey did an awesome job setting up the suspension... take a look! We installed some custom rear control arms from Ross Corrigan the day before... I really liked the design and implementation as well! http://flzclub.com/videos/blownZ.WMV Regards Ken Sport Z Magazine

Hey all, I've had a clutch type LSD in my car for many years and have always had good results putting the stock cover on the LSD and putting in a GOOD LSD gear oil in the diff... I currently switched to the Royal Purple LSD synthetic... It gets beat on and has been great.... I think making the bracket to support the finned cover is overkill unless the car is gonna be put on the track... And even then I've had my car on the track (road coarse) 6 times and it has performed flawlessly with the Royal Purple Gear lube in it... Just my .02 Ken

Doug, Just curious... How far along are you on doing this swap? Do you have any pictures? What's you're guestimate on the approximate cost for the whole job? Ken

Doug, GREAT info! I agree that the front bell housing modification shouldn't be too bad... I'd be curious to hear how well the shifter lines up... Are all gears for the 90-96 Z32 FS5R30A the same as the Z31? (1988-89 3.324 2.077 1.360 1.00 0.711 Rev 3.382)... If so, it sounds like that's the tranny of choice to give this a try... Ken

I have this same transmission sitting around (the T-5 that came in the Z31 turbo)... it is the FS5R90A http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7944924901&category=33733 If you read what the guys at z31.com say, they refer to it as the weakest of the Z31 turbo transmissions (http://z31.com/transmission.shtml) I pasted this info from there ... I assume it's reliable... "The Z31 came with three different manual 5 speed transmissions. All manual non-turbos used a 5 speed Nissan transmission (FS5W71C). The 84-86 manual turbos used a Borg-Warner T-5 5 speed (FS5R90A). The 87-89 manual turbos use the same nissan truck transmission found in z32 turbos, trucks, pathfinders, etc (FS5R30A). All manual transissions have synchros on all forward gears. "It has been generally regarded that the FS5R90A transmission is not very strong. People seem to blow these up with as little as 300 horsepower." "The second strongest Z31 manual transmission is the FS5W71C. This transmission is used in the 240SX, 180SX, Silvia, etc." "The best of the Z31 manual transmissions is the FS5R30A. This transmission is the same design as the transmission used in the Z32 300ZX models. Only the gear ratios are different. There are Z32s running these transmissions with well over 600 horsepower and are not blowing them up." My question is... Does the 300zxtt also use the FS5R30A? I have found 3 of the FS5R30A transmissions for sale for between $350 and $450, so if this transmission is a viable option and will hold up in higher HP applications, it certainly sounds like something I would like to research further. Gears in all the trannies mentioned are: FS5W71C 3.321 1.902 1.308 1.000 0.759 Rev 3.636 FS5R90A 3.350 2.056 1.376 1.000 0.752 Rev 3.153 FS5R30A 1987 3.324 2.077 1.360 1.000 0.751 Rev 3.382 FS5R30A 1988-89 3.324 2.077 1.360 1.00 0.711 Rev 3.382

I've searched through the archives but didn't see that anyone had tried using a 300zxtt 90-96 manual trans with an L-Series Motor. Obviously, a custom mounting plate would be required etc... With all the talk of the G-Force WC T-5 and the associated cost, I believe the Z32TT guys have proven that the 300zxtt trans is good to 600hp. Might be a cheaper solution? Any thoughts? Ken