Leon

FWIW, while I don't believe we had a version of the Primera in the US, we do get the Nissan Tiida, although here it is called the "Versa". Also, this is the 3rd gen Focus, with the 2nd gen playing the role of "ugly duckling".

Awesome thread!!!

Hey Alec! Unfortunately, I couldn't fit in single track into my schedule at the time (prof is "Fab" BTW ). I LOVED ground vehicle dynamics. I'm glad the Z is staying in the family as well! Wish I could've build a bike, you still have the scooter? Looks like Texas is treating you well, man. I'm sure you're enjoying your house and 370Z!

You just don't get it... Inline6 is not looking only for a good sound! This is a track car. I guess I can stick a couple of bananas in my tailpipes and call it good, as long as it makes nice noises, is quiet, and I don't "feel" a difference? I'll repeat, I saw ZERO dyno results in anything posted. All I saw were a couple of bar charts (1/4 mile mph and sound levels) with no supporting data posted. They also showed open pipes as being the "fastest", completely going against the other article you posted. BTW, no where did I insult YOU. Supertrapp is a different story... There's no reason to get so defensive when somebody challenges your choices. The only conclusive evidence here would be a dyno test comparing the Trapp to other mufflers. If you're willing to do so, I'd love to see the results from a properly done experiment, whether they back up my argument or not.

Thanks for the tip, Alex!

Precisely John, thanks for clarifying that. A proper test for open pipe vs. muffler would be to make the open pipe's geometry as similar as possible. As John points out, very little info is provided and nothing is conclusive from this "test".

Now that I think about it, I can stop by Gotelli's as well, they're much closer to my neighborhood, and get some recommendations. Maybe check in with Ditos Motors to see who they use too. i know they rebuild engines and that's where I go to dyno the Z.

Sweet, thanks for the tip, Nate! Safe to assume it's these guys?

I've seen the link in post #69 referenced before. I quit reading as soon as he says that mufflers out-perform open pipes. Sure... That alone shows that the test is flawed. Clearly, they are missing how the physics work here. I don't even see mentions of "Supertrapp" on that website. The other link does't work for me and I've seen ZERO dyno numbers showing the Trapp (appropriate name...) results thus far. There may not be a big difference between the "Trapp" and others at a certain point, but what do you think happens when you have a smaller amount of plates? They just restrict the exhaust. This is not "tuning", not even close. What they're doing is killing power and then bringing it back to where it might be when compared to a better-flowing muffler. You seem to carry on a disconnect between exhaust tuning and just slapping parts on. Replacing a restrictive exhaust with a cat-back system that flows better will gain power (depending on original restriction). This is not "tuning". Installing a cat-back system and tuning the engine to "match" the exhaust is not "exhaust tuning". Gaining power over a stock exhaust doesn't say much at all, factory exhausts are not typically designed for max performance, there are myriad strict guidlines for them to adhere to. You're really getting off track at this point. We're talking about the "Trapp" muffler to be a viable alternative for a "mainly" track car. Inline6's requirements have been posted and re-posted. I see no dyno results that support your claims and I refuse to buy a Supercrapp just to test. It's like buying one of those intake vortex generators to see if it helps, some things are just a terrible idea/marketing ploy in the first place. We're not talking subjective things here, sound can be achieved in many different ways. Would I recommend inline6 a 1.5" muffler just because it sounds good? No. It doesn't fit his requirements. As an aside: I am actually curious as to how much a Trapp weighs with all plates installed, vs. say a Borla XR-1 or the like... Everything is in the exhaust sticky, I recommend reading and digesting it about 15-20 times.

Great video and nice diagnosis!

Thanks Clive! I'm actually curious about the filters, so I'll be going to the dyno when it's ready. Hope your Z is progressing well!

Jim, I'm really liking the progress of your build as well. It's well thought out. With that said, I don't know if I'd trust my kid (whenever that happens...) with a car like that! Ha! "Peer perssure points", I like that! I asked her, "so can the Z be in the wedding?" She replied with a "yes", of course, she likes the car and has been very supportive of my addiction (she's the reason I got my first 240Z!). I replied with, "well then I'll just work it into the wedding budget..." She wasn't laughing... I'll keep you guys updated!

Jeez man! We're talking tuning here. Just because there was HP gain doesn't mean there was any tuning involved. A better flowing exhaust can definitely make more power (to a point), nobody is debating that. When we talk of tuning, it's all about pressure wave resonance and to a lesser degree, inertial effects at high rpm. It's all described in the exhaust sticky. Clearly, you either didn't read it or didn't understand it. As JohnC points out, marketing is a clever tool. Looks like Supercrapp did a pretty good job of that... It is clear that inline6 is looking for proper performance along with "streetability". This crosses Supercrapp off the list. Enough said.

As promised, here'e the link for the "new" car: Leon's Other 260Z

Thanks, Jim! Undercarriage is very clean, it's just how I like my Zs: rust-less! You're on my wavelength here, nice lead in... It has coilovers with Tokico HPs so I may swap the dampers out if I don't like how they pair with the springs. The PO said it was a really nice autoX setup. It also has poly bushings, 1" Front - 3/4" rear ARBs, and a completely rebuilt stock brake system. It's essentially the perfect setup for me so I'm leaving the suspension as-is for now. For gearing, I got the stock 4-speed and a mystery 5-speed along with it, plus I've got another pair of 5-speeds sitting in the garage so there are plenty of transmissions to go around! My plan is to pair up a late-ZX 5-speed with a 3.9 ratio STi R180 CLSD along with Coffey's axle adapters. The car has an open R180 in it, but I haven't checked whether it's a 3.36 or 3.54. I do have a 4.375 R200 CLSD laying around, but that is slated to go into the orange Z. There is no engine or trans installed currently, as you can see, so I can weigh my engine options here. The plan is an L28 with either the Rebello E31 head that came with the car, build one of the E88s I have sitting around, or find a P90 to shave. Throw in an Isky reground cam, lightweight flywheel, 6-1 header, triples and I'm ready to go! Not sure yet what I plan to do for ignition, I might just stick with a ZX distributor as I'm not eager to run Megajolt on this one. Speaking of triples, I just picked up another set (thanks to Hung for the tip)! At this point, I need to figure out which head and block I want to use and send them to a machine shop (any recommendations besides Rebello, SF Bay Area folks?). Then, besides the cam, I have everything else ready to go. The vision for it is a nice driver that's somewhat quiet and comfortable, yet still be at home carving up backroads and killing cones. The goal is to have it done for my wedding in August, but hopefully a lot sooner. But let's be honest here, we all know how that goes... "Go to bed, we're getting married tomorrow!!!" "Ok-ok-ok, I'm almost done, just gotta tighten a few bolts!"

I finally have a few minutes to sit down and start a log for the "new" 260Z. It all started with JCCS last September... I took a trip from the Bay Area to Long Beach in the orange 260Z in September. My fiancee came along and we made a vacation out of it, staying in San Luis Obispo for the weekend and driving to Long Beach and back on Saturday for JCCS. I tried to contact one of my favorite professors from college in order to meet up with him while we were in town, but unfortunately he got the email too late. He was my Ground Vehicle Dynamics professor as well as the adviser for our FSAE engine development senior project. During the early stages of the project, while discussed ideas with my teammates and browsing an old ICE textbook, a picture of SU carbs popped up and I exclaimed, "hey, those are the same carbs as my Z!" At the time, I still had my (first) blue 240Z and the red shell. My professor overheard this and it all began. As an aside, he's worked for Dan Gurney's All-American Racers and the Benetton-Renault F1 team, pretty damn awesome! Back to the present... In one of his emails, he mentioned that he was thinking of getting rid of his Z in order to make space for a new race car - an F2000 open-wheeler. Of course, my interest was piqued! He was the second owner and had owned the Z for 24 years, and it had gone through many moves, across the country, and even to the UK and back with him when he went to work for Benetton-Renault. It had also gone through a few colors: originally gold, "baby sh*t brown or depending on who you talk to 'caramel'", BMW BRG, and finally Jaguar BRG. He had the paint done at a high-end hot rod shop, a 2 stage base/clear job. While the paint was being done, so was the body repair, welding in new metal in the fender and rocker, and rust-proofing everything. It has an essentially brand-new interior, including a new Nissan dash (!), new weatherstripping, new brake and fuel hard-lines, new wheel bearings, rebuilt braking system, new or re-chromed bumpers, coilovers, fat front and rear ARBs, and on-and-on. Of course, it came with some extras including: ITS L24 with Rebello-prepped E31, Tilton flywheel, coated MSA 6-1 header with mandrel-bent exhaust, 260Z Euro tail lights, a copy of the '73 FSM, binders filled with records, etc. Clearly, it was tough for him to make the decision to sell it, but it's nice to keep it "in the family" so to say. Needless to say, I'm quite happy to have this Z! Before leaving SLO, we had to hit the Pismo Dunes so we rented a pair of ATVs. I haven't had fun like that in a while! I had to make sure to represent (yes, I am wearing a pink helmet ): I rented a U-haul auto transport and borrowed my future in-laws' 4Runner to be the tow vehicle. Our fears were confirmed however, as by loading the Z ass-end first too much weight was placed on the trailer tongue. We unloaded the car and repositioned the trailer. The Z rolled out of the garage and into the street, probably the first time it has seen sun in years, if not close to a decade. The most important job of all went to Melissa. We were all just hoping we wouldn't pull one of these: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH3i1Y0yXIg In the end, we prevailed! Getting some lunch at one of our favorite spots in SLO, Jaffa Cafe, before heading back home... Oooh, nice engine bay! Damnit, who's the a-hole tailgating me! And she followed me all the way home. Can we keep her mom, please can we? And a nice sunset over South San Jose It was a successful trip and now she lies, waiting in the garage. More to come!

Not sure why you're still arguing, the point has been made: sound is subjective. I'd surely care (and I'm sure many others that prefer function over form, or sound in this case) if a system makes 2X the power, no matter what it sounds like. Effective muffling can be achieved without plugging the exhaust up. If you want to cork your exhaust for a "better" and quieter sound, then more power to you. Nobody's stopping you, please feel free. However, keep in mind that your definition of what "works" is likely different from someone else's. Yes, tuning is done mainly at the extractor and collector, as-in 99.9% of it. I don't want to further muddy-up this good thread. Sorry inline6, can't wait to see how the 3"-er turns out!

I was speaking of performance, sound is a subjective matter. Plugging the exhaust pipe off with plates isn't quite ideal. Might as well stick a banana in the tailpipe. Their claim of tunability is BS as well. If you followed the linked thread, exhaust tuning is done mainly at the extractor and collector, not the pipe at the back. Those are my qualms with the "Supercrapp". Let's not even discuss the "Flowdisaster"... "Slowmaster"? I like that.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/engine-drivetrain-s30/46186-installing-timing-chain-when-rebuilding-motor-stand.html

I have brand-new Illimunas for sale here: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/110977-new-240z-tokico-illuminas-adjustable-dampers/

Thanks! I'm planning to build an L28. Not sure if I'm going to use the E31 I got with it or prep another head. I'll try to start a thread on the new car today!

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/81941-exhaust-tube-sizing-i-did-your-arithmetic-for-you/ Draw your own conclusions...

I'd never run a Supercrapp if performance mattered to me, in any sense.

What's your location? Please be more specific that "United States".

Ooh, shiny!!!