ZR8ED

Whoa!.. reality check here.. your talking 280+ horse.. then your talking all this FI stuff.. then superchargers..then turbos then twin turbo's, and then asking about 11 sec 1/4 Z??? Your all over the map man! You are talking from 5-20K for the range of engines your talking about.. even more if you have to pay someone to do all the work.. What are you trying to accomplish? how do you want to use the car?.. do you have emission requirements in your area?...There is a lot more to this before you decide on HOW to get the 280+ hp you want... 280 + hp from an NA engine.. even a 3.1L will cost big bucks.. heck the parts and machineing to get you to a 3.1 aren't cheap.. and then you haven't even mentioned if you want this thing to last?.. A proper balancing, polishing of the rods/crank, and shotpeening the rods are not afterthoughts, but are critical to making that setup HOLD the power reliably.. $2K min, anything less I believe would be shoddy workmanship, or just plain lack of serious race preping... Actually I think it is pretty easy to generate that kind of hp on a na Z engine.. what is tough is freeing up all the wasted hp... That is the difference between guys running 240hp and guys running 280 hp.. (increasing the VE of the engine).. Think about as freeing up hp that is used just to make the engine turn over... What are your skills?.. whats your budget? A simply port and polish on your cyl heads is not going to give you much hp.. SERIOUS head work.. in the neighbourhood of $1K+++ $400+ just gives you a rebuilt head... And when you do get this motor.. better think of how to stop that rocket! Nuff said.. Now answer some of those q's and come back.. there are a ton of answers to match your particular needs/budget...

Ok here is another update/more questions and theories surrounding the issue of exhaust coming into the cars (excluding bad seals) I was talking shop with my mechanic today, and were looking at a 260Z on the hoist. We noticed how the gas tank was flat (parallel to the ground). The rear of the tank had an angle to it..30 degrees maybe. Anyways, the point being is it seems it would have less effect under the car than my 280 tank, which is more rounded and hangs much lower. If I had that 260 tank, it would be much easier to install a rear bellpan. Any idea of a 260 tank will work with a FI 280????? not sure it is suitable for a fi system. Second topic was discussing the lack of holes in the back of my rear valence. At least on my 280, when the stock bumper was on the car, there were oval slots in that rear valence below the bumper.. Nissan did not put those holes in the valence for cost savings. I am quite sure they were there to help let out trapped air... I wonder if this is compounding the issue...I have my whole rear valence smoothed over.. no slots cut out...hmmmm Maybe having some sort of vent on the rear to let out trapped air may help...hmmm topic 2a: There is a gap between the gas tank and the rear valence.. I wonder if air traveling under the car gets sucked up there, as the air passes under my gas tank, then suddenly curves upward..(rear curve is steeper than 7-9 degrees by a long shot) I wonder if I put a panel to block off that gap.... its only 2-3 inches, and as long as the gas tank is wide... I'm starting to wonder if making a partial rear belly pan, may help... something that directs the air normally going under the gas tank, and instead of angleling up sharply... maybe have it come up in that 7-9 degree range, and then make a 90 degree vertical turn and attach it to the rear valence.. (might look kinda like a fuel cell hanging under the car...) Anyone care to try an experiment?.. try putting in a piece of aluminum between the fuel tank and the rear valence.. use duct tape to hold it in place and go for a drive with your window down... does it help .. yes/no.. We got several good ideas in this thread... I'll try them when the car comes out of hibernation, but would anyone else choking on fumes like to try and see if it works for them?.. In case you have not read all the posts, I have good seals on the car, and only get them with the windows partially down... nor do I have any lift problems. This thread has kinda changed its topic more to rear aerodynamics of the z.. for handling..and for exhuast fumes... oh and to help us guy who have styling mods that may be making the situation worse, yet won't remove them.. there is no way I'm removing my $300 muffler.... I kinda like the idea of pressurizing the cabin slightly, but it would most likely make the car way too cold for night cruising...We are talking about street Z's.. Please keep on with the comments and ideas.. its a while till spring up here for me, so if you are in a warm climate and are tired of the fumes in your Z, then try some of these ideas and let us know if they work...It may add years to all of our lives....hehehehe Thanks, Scott.

Check out this site.. Its my buddies supra. The same supra that is in the "MIB TAG" video on my imagestation album. He has some cool pics up, and a vid of his Lil'devil before and after its transformation into an agent of MIB. Check it out.. more vids to come. http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290646387

Geez what sad music... did the guy survive?.. or was that him walking away?... This is a wake up call for us Z'rs who take them on the track, as well as the high hp street machine dudes.. I see that vid, and wonder what might happen to Darius.. 600+hp.. no cage...= eventual death. 25+ yr old cars..many not in top condition.. Becareful guys!

I always answer that I have what ever it is they are selling.. 1 need your carpets cleaned. Nope.. I have hardwood floors.. click 2 need your ducts cleaned?.. Nope..I have baseboard heating..or.. Nope.. I don't own any ducks..but I do have a dog..do you clean dogs?..click. 3 lawn/yard maintanance?.. Nope..I live in an apartment..(I don't)..click.. 4 Are your parents home..this is "so and so" marketing..Nope..click... 5 Do you want the Toronto star newspaper?..Nope I already get it..click 6 Need new windows for your home?..Nope just bought some.. click 7 Do you need a security system?..Only if you shoot my Doberman..click. 8 need a burial plot?.. Nope..gonna get cremated...click 9 Want to sell your home?..Nope just bought this one..click.. Sorry..thats all I could think of on short notice..I have a blast doing it.. 9

Here's the track I'm talking about. Mosports driver training tracks...The big track is more fun... far more dangerous though...lots of cement walls... Hard to see, but there are lots of elevation changes and blind corners because of it!

I already had the SS lines on my stock brakes. When i upgraded to the 84 rotors, and 4 Runner calipers, I just bolted them on.. I didn't have any problems with my flex lines..just put them on! Hope it helps! BTW its a great setup! It sure made a difference on the track.. very noticeable. went from 14 hot laps at Mosport before brake fade, to..... well lets just say they waved me off the track because my lapping session was up...

http://hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14816 This is an ongoing topic in the high tech forum.

I totally agree with the phrase "you get what you pay for".. and this is especially true with body/paint work. I would not discount acrylic enamels. If you want a solid colour. It is exactly what they say in the above posts. It is a harder finish so its also more brittle. BUT it is also much easier to spray for a beginer. Many of the multi stage paints require lots of knowhow to apply it correctly. APPLICATION TECHNIQUE IS EVERYTHING. I know... Enamels do take longer to cure yes.. but they are much easier for the average joe to spray, then wet sand any imperfections. And unless you are great at doing multiply layers of clear. (most oem cars have 1-2 coats of clear on them approx 2-3mils thick.) enamels will look "wetter" or "deeper" and have more snap to them than an oem finish. I'm in no way saying it is superior, but you can get away with murder with the stuff, and is excellent for novices. When I had my 280 painted back in 1991 and in 2002, I used acrylic enamels both times. My current colour is 99A black.... It looks very wet, and I haven't even started to polish the car. (I too have let it bake in the summer, and have been very careful to let the paint fully cure.) Everyone thinks it has clear on it to make it look soo wet... though it does have 4 thin coats of enamel on it...(no clear) Your budget and the look of the finished product that you can live with are the ultimate deciding factors. Each paint has its place. take your pic.. the 100.00 special, or the 8500.00 ultimate paint job...

http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=136637#136637 This linky should work. It takes you to a thread with some photo shop editing of a R33 rear diffuser.. almost looks like a wing UNDER the car.. Anyways.. it just gave me some more ideas.... Have a look. I posted my ideas on that thread while they were still fresh. What do you think?

Hey is that rear diffuser like a wing?... kinda hard to see...a wing like a deck spoiler i mean. like those universal aluminum wings you see on all kinds of rice. hmmmm you got me thinking again of the rear bellypan exhaust problems......hmmm more ideas... think of a flat wing parallel to the ground supported in 2-4 spots under the car... maybe adjustable...hmmm Kinda also reminds me of the nose wings on the lambo countach... not all had it... it was right down at the front of the hood...on the bumper i think... sorry for wildly writing this all down....just want to keep this idea going.. I'm going to link this thread to the one in the high tech forum... I would think I could fab something like that for a test...run some supports down from where my stock 280 bumper shock absorbers mounted to the car.....

For sure you can use the ecu from an automatic with a stick. I too run an ecu from an automatic, and I have a t5 5spd. As far as which wires?...hmm I would think its only the neutral safety switch... the others are for controling downshifting I believe... a speed sensor... there are about 5 connectors for the auto tranny... been a while since I've done it now... The rest of my connectors have just been removed and/or sealed off.

I understand what your getting at.. "Proper width tire/width of rim ratio" Following the mfg ratings for range of widths of tires for rims is critical. As far as pressures go for street tires, if your running on the track you would like to see the proper width of tire for the rim, so you can run max pressures to prevent tire rollover. I have typically run max or very near max pressures on the track. Heck I used to run 40psi on the street with my Yokohama AVS 225/50/16's... never saw roll over. I still mark the tire with a bit of white shoe polish to measure tire roll over. Though I do it to protect my tires, as they must last several summers, not always for maximizing my contact patch. I have used a set of slicks from a friend with 275/35/15's on an 8" rim no probs.. hang on like a SOB. You can run up to a 245 on a 7" rim..depending on the profile/tire type... though I agree not a good ratio for track use. My 9" rears said no smaller than a 245. Again different tire mfgs have different specs as well.. I checked my tire/wheel combo well before I purchased this set of rims. Its been tough finding a tire to match a particular rim width... I had to find a rim width that would fit the size of tire that would fit in my car.. (width and total diameter)... even the fronts were not easy.. Diameter of the tire has been my biggest stumbling block. anything over 26" WILL NOT FIT. I'm running pretty close, and I can see myself tweeking the suspension or flares a "tich" thats how close its gonna be. My front tires miss my front edge of the wheel well/airdam by approx 1/8" at rest.. obviously under compression there is more room...oh and this is during turning. when going straight, they are inside the wheel well completely.

I agree SleeperZ. The R1's are the way to go, but this thread has gotten a bit mixed up tho.. I do take this car on the track, but it sees most of its use on the street. I even drive it work when the weather is perfect. I do run the Victoracer 700's on the back, but I do this because it is the widest low profile 16" tire I can find. I only bought them to fill my deep flares. It happens that they grab the pavement something fierce, but they are not suited for driving regularly...They are terrible for picking up stones, sand, etc and chipping my new paint job. let alone the short tread life. I need/want street tires to be able to drive the car more regularly. Thats why i'm going for such a wide street radial..also for looks...my flares are mighty big, and are not easy to fill up.. 8) I figure the Yokohama AVS sports will do well in the dry and the rain, and will do well on the track...I don't believe I will maintain that wicked hookup I enjoyed with the track tires out back. But its a compromise..performance always is..

I can't even fathom putting such tiny tires on Z. I had 195's as stock, and upgraded to 205 a year later. The autoX guys were telling me 10years ago that a 225/50/15 was about the perfect tire for our cars considering handling capabilities, hp, and braking abilities. Not too much tire to keep weights minimal, and yet enough rubber to hold the cornering forces and braking duties. I would never put anything under a 225 on Z ever again... Now from the "Image" point of view, I don't like the narrow tires on the Z. A 215 looks mean on our cars...when it is on a 14 or 15 inch rim. On 16's and 17', it gives the illusion of them being tall and thin...(195's on 18" rims on a honda are down right laughable)..look almost like bicycle tires. I notice that most hopped up imports rarely go wider that stock...maybe 1 or 2 sizes tops...thy just increase the diameter. Not sure why, when sometimes they are tripleing their hp. If your going for some serious increase in power, and you intend on using street tires, then width is a must. (ever watch a mildly modded supra tt fry off his tires trying to get traction off the line or worse, with downshifting and fishtailing all over the road...looks cool...goes slow... My new wheels are shooting for a combo effect..fill the wheel wells, and optimize traction and handling, while using a streetable tire.

Well I had 280zx turbo seats in my 280Z for a few years, and a couple of years ago, I installed Fiero seats. You know the ones with the speakers in the head rest. I had to modify the seat slightly to accept my stock rails, but they fit in the car pretty good, and are quite comfortable. One draw back...I don't think they work well for someone very tall. My buddy is 6ft 1" and he doesn't have much head room..less than an inch I think. At 5ft 8 and wearing a helmet, i have lots of room. I think I can free up a 1/2 inch or more when i remove my seat covers, and redo the covers that are on the seats (not stock seat covering..guy had them custom recovered with suede and sheepskin..yeeesshhh) So i have extra layers of seat cover/and animal fuzz..hehehe So

Way cool! Sounds very similar to my TurboXs Type H. Seriously loud..I told you that my friend said mine was so loud, he could hear my BOV when he was 100ft behind me! Enjoy!

In true gearhead fashion.. puts the ole wheels right on the kitchen counter! JK man! at least they were new and clean. On the note of Khumo tires, I've been running Khumo Victoracer 700's on my 280...on the street no less, and have been extremely happy with them.. they must be pretty decent quality, because they needed minimal weights..or possibly none..(can't recall for sure, because I have rarely need balanceing weights with my rims.) The only downfall with the Victoracer 700's are they are basically a DOT legal race tire.. not really for the street...They pick up lots of rocks etc, so i rarely go down dirt roads, or just very dirty paved roads. Wicked hook up for launching!!

They are both the same car..hehe before with webers, and after with the VG30ET swap. http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290955091 This is to the link with VG30ET swap.. and new black body on the same Z.

I'm in for some shirts.. I'll take 2.

http://home.earthlink.net/~hybridz/ This a link to some vids I had posted quite some time ago.. I see they are still there.. vid of my webers on the track..nice sound.. quick vid of my vg30et doing a flyby with some supra tt's

OHHHH yea baby! And some people thought I was dumb getting rid of one of my Z's (88 300zxt) and getting a new Altima 3.5 SE. When I want a sports car, I'll drag out the 280Z... for everyday comfort, the 4 door sedan takes a lot of heat off me (police factor) All the comfort I need, and is quite good in the snow! .. and man o man.. my fav option on the car so far is the heated seats...I just leave it on all the time...(yea its been too darn cold this winter) Anyways, heres the story: On the weekend I was going skiing with my brother inlaw and a friend with all our ski equipment (notch two on the belt for the 4 door sedan) Anyways, we were loaded with our gear, and cruising on the 401 to the west side of Toronto, and a Subaru WRX pulls up along side ( one young guy in the car alone) I look over at him, and realize its "on".. he down shifts and gets the jump on me...too bad he didn't look at my licence plate...it don't read "ZR8ED2" for nothing hehe :malebitchslap: I cleanly walked passed him... no way no how...he got whoooped! Victory for the Altima...one mean a$$ car...I don't miss my 300 very much now....hehe

a 225/60/14 will fit on a stock Z. I ran that size with the 280zx 6 spoke rims for many years, on my seriously lowered 280... no probs..no flares either. MSA sells several different sizes of flares. They have as wide as 3" flares I think, and ought to give you another 2" or so of clearance. Depending on the style of flare, you may not be able to run the tire out to the edge of the flare..It may curve down, and not clear the tire. I would suspect a 265 or so wide tire should fit in their largest flares, though I have not seen them on a car that uses very wide tires.

Well as in much earlier posts, it was noted that my pipes angle up as they exit. But if you look in other pics I have, my muffler tips stick out 3-4" past the body of my car.. I have no bumper, so the muffler clears the entire car. It may be just the angles of my pipes giving me the problems...because they sure clear the car......though....funny thinking about it now... it doesn't stick out as far as it would if it had to clear a bumper as well...hhmmmmm

Thats a pretty loaded question. with a stock suspension, i stuffed some 245/45/16's on my car.. they cleared the suspension by 3/4", but did not clear my stock fenders (car was lowered as well. Offset of the rims will determine if they will fit. Too much backspace, and they will hit the suspension,... too little, and they will stick out... Some have stuffed 255's on 17's in stock fender with coilovers.... without... not much over 235...