260DET

Doing some fancy conversions, the auto Mitsubishi TDI does around 19 miles per US gallon towing, mainly highway 65 mph, some urban. It's a bit underpowered, the Q5 TDI by all reports will do it easily with at least as good economy. You see, the rest of the world tries to minimumise the use of finite resources ha ha, just what you Murricans wanted to hear

Buying custom body parts from Japan is a difficult and expensive process. Shipping alone is a $ killer, oversize parcels are in another world cost wise. It's all very well to want something, the question is will you pay what it costs?

Presently a Mitsubishi Challenger TDI SUV, soon to be replaced by a Audi Q5 TDI SUV. I don't like driving anything bigger than what is strictly necessary and don't want two cars. Am a turbo diesel fan for towing, have done some long towing trips with the Missybitchy.

Thanks blokes, some good stuff which will be passed on. Wrote a treatise on racing a S30 with standard brakes on another forum and what may be done to improve their performance.

Because they have to. So lots of overheating, most of the usual cooling measures like ducting, slotted rotors and so on are not allowed by the rules. I've made a couple of suggestions like using extended pad shims and a brake fluid recirculator. But pads, Hawk DTC-70's crumble, anything else around that works well at higher temps?

You live at a harbour? OK, ship it to me, I need another two seater and they were never sold in 'stralia.

A bit of spare time to go back over this thread to try to do some sort of comprehensive summary. The reasons why originally I wanted to try a VG33ET was, one, because I just liked the engine and, two, because I took notice of the numerous power claims concerning these engines. As far as I can remember at the time I wondered how, with the mods that were listed, such an engine could make the power outputs claimed. Short answer to the latter is that they can't and any claims to the contary and involving the usual bolt on mods is irresponsible rubbish or delusional. What I noticed throughout this thread was that my documented experience and results with a VG30DET using hardly any mods were ignored. Same boost, same turbo, same engine management, same dyno, same tuner, same car, both used factory exhaust manifolds and basically the same exhaust system. The 33 had in addition cams and oversize valves. An ideal comparison one would think but apparently not. As were factory power figures for various sports cars, most highly developed. Ignored again, apparently a few bolt ons make a 35 year old taxi engine more powerful than anything today. If I sound pissed off I am, or was, led astray by what seemed like almost an orchestrated effort to justify a choice of engine by in effect or in reality making false claims. Yeh I've moved on with my LS3 engined 280ZX and the past is what's behind me but the facts are still the facts. For anyone who objects to this summary, tough titties.

Never heard it put so concisely before John, like.

Any engine builder who is claiming power outputs that should be known to him to be false is getting close to fraud IMHO. After all, it's an important measurement that potential customers take into account when making their buying decisions, if the measurement is incorrect then there is misrepresentation, something that all consumer law has penalties for. Anyone who thinks that's OK needs a moral overhaul.

What bjh ^said ^ although I don't know what a 3d wing is. Done properly there would be a lot in working out when more downforce is needed and which wing profile would deliver that downforce at the lowest drag. Hmmmm, there might be a bit to this drag racing thing other than an engine As well the location of the wing is important, the further back the more downforce on the rear wheels but if the wing is mounted behind the rear wheels then leverage starts applying a tendency to lift the front.

Yep, various F1 engine makers are using a lot of energy recovery technology, including using braking generated electricity to drive the turbo via a electric motor when it's losing speed prior to accelerating. A turbo lag eliminator.

US businesses on the whole are pretty good about selling overseas but for a private seller anywhere exporting a car is just not worth the trouble and expense, unless it's a POS that otherwise can't be sold locally. Like the natives have said, go to the US yourself or else try to get a US based agent.

Thanks Dave, good info but I'm going with a 4L80E version which from the factory holds 640 hp and is more of a known quantity. The ratios are not too bad either, what I've noticed generally with five or six speeders is that first gear is so low and the last so high that for a circuit car they are superfluous.

Apparently to work at all the electronics need inputs from sources other than the engine, like the ABS system. So that's it for the idea for me

So, how did you go?

Thinking of getting a complete LSx with loom and 6L80-E from a wrecker and transplanting the lot into a project race car. So I have two Z's to choose from Question is, how good is the auto setup for that purpose? Can it be tuned and if so how, I'm a newb as far as auto tuning goes and know nothing about OE GM stuff. So edumacate me.

280ZX mirrors, they manually adjust as is.

Serves you right for abandoning the project, shame

Can I butt in to this single poster thread and say....................not sure what to say but maybe keep at it and avoid egay?

In my opinion drag cars are LOL when it comes to aero, just looking at them in motion and it's obvious that air is getting under them and lifting the whole car which by any measure is costing them speed, let alone stability. I'm of course talking about production type drag cars whereas us circuit blokes learnt a long ago we needed good aero to go faster, in a straight line or whatever. Sorry if I've offended anyone but most drag racers strike me as being engine obsessed to the exclusion of all else.

Revisiting this ancient thread just to try to make some sense here. Car makers when publishing engine power figures have to comply with strict standards so that various makers figures can be compared fairly. This is not the case in the aftermarket game. Need I say more? Without NISMO heads to work with it would still be possible to make great power starting with a stock VG30ET engine while incidentially keeping the stock exhaust manifolds. Rubbish? Check out the Mercedes F1 turbo engine, it uses similar type log type manifolds. In my country that head work would involve many hours of virtual head reconstruction, costing say $15K. Normal porting, a hot cam, bigger valves? Pffft, never, I'm talking a complete redesign of the ports and combustion chambers with matching pistons and that costs the big dollar. Then you will start to make power that relates to engines like that of the GTR, Porsche and so on. But only then. If you want to believe otherwise then who cares, I don't, I've moved on.

In my experience these engines with a GTX3582R turbo will do an easy 420whp at 16psi boost. More there if you want to crank the boost up. To drive you will do lines any time you want, a very solid engine.

Obvious point but why not look to buy the steering off a RHD Z? Surely someone in the US is importing right drivers. Steering is something where stock is usually best.

Work will start soon on my 280ZX with a LS3 and 4L80E auto that will be controlled by a paddle or bump shifter using a Powertrain Control Solutions valve body which facilitates engine braking. For my race purposes a 4L60E behind a 520hp engine was not going to do it, particularly on the downshifts. Don't know how the 80E is going to fit in the ZX's tunnel, there is a Tremec five speed in there presently. Have done a hell of a lot of research on which auto to use and am confident that the 80E is the best choice, on my budget anyway.

What happened to that pioneering American spirit. Plenty of furriners go to the US to do what they can (afford) this S30 absence at The Ring is a bit sad. The furriners I know of mostly rent a car there although apparently a few well off euro car enthusiasts from AU do ship their cars to euro land and have a go at The Ring.