Dave240Z

Repost, but still pretty funny. BTW, if you haven't watched the movie "Downfall" with Bruno Ganz as Adolf, I would highly recommend it.

Exactly. Also, considering they had a list it is not totally outrageous to assume that this would be linked to organized crime. I'm not sure I'd want those guys trying to hunt me down. Also, they have now committed assault & battery as well as theft, whereas the other guys simply broke into a car. Maybe it's because I'm getting older but, I think what they did was pretty stupid. It might have made them feel better, but it was not the best way to handle this IMO and it really didn't solve anything. Does anyone think that guys car is any less of a target? Or how about his buddies vehicles? I understand the cop frustration when it comes to stuff like this, but he had a prime opportunity to bust these guys and then some without them even knowing who he was. Personally, I would have handled it this way: 1) Since he knew they were likely to come back given the evidence, it would have been a prime opportunity to setup a camera or even hide out with a camera to catch them red-handed. Just wait for them to commit the crime, then call in the cavalry and drop off the pics/tape. Case closed and they're none the wiser that it was you were involved. 2) He could have tried calling the police and negotiated some type of surveillance with them. Perhaps they are aware of this car theft ring and would have jumped at the opportunity to actually bust not just them, but make a quick move (via the nice list they had) on the chop shop itself. Cops are usually disinterested in car theft since most of it is after the fact. There is very little they can do and very little hope of any type of recovery. An opportunity to catch thieves in the act is far more valuable.

What kind of wheels are you running? I'm extremely curious as to whether 15x7 Panasports fit over those Wilwoods. From the measurements I have been able to gather from Wilwood, etc....it looks like they will just clear, but I have yet to hear/see anyone actually fit the wheel on the rim to check. Dave from AZcar states that you need 16" minimum and doesn't offer any answers with regard to this, even though he is selling the kit. The Panasports offer a great deal of clearance for their size so I'm pretty sure they will fit, I just need confirmation.

I totally agree. I've run the Azenis RT-215 on my //M Coupe and I run the Kumho MX on it now. The Azenis would overheat easily and get greasy. Wet traction was non-existant. The Kumho's are much better suited to the car and my style of driving. I find them fairly predictable at the limit as well. They also don't get too greasy. however, I have gone through two sets and once they wear past say 60% or so, they deteriorate rapidly. I wouldn't consider a 240Z a heavy car by any means. The Kumho's are definitely better suited to a 2800-3200lb car as John suggested. The Azenis would likely provide better grip since they heat up quickly, but due to the lower weight of the 240Z, they shouldn't overheat and get greasy as they do on heavier cars.

Michael isn’t completely wrong. The ability to itemize your deductions is somewhat illusionary unless you are able to itemize huge amounts. Home ownership usually allows people to start itemizing their deductions due to the interest/property tax deductions since they would not exceed the standard deduction otherwise. According to the IRS, nearly 2/3 of the U.S. use the standard deduction. Note that the standard deduction for the 2005 tax year was $5K/individual or $10K/married. This number jumps to $10,300 for 2006 and to $10,700 in 2007. Also worth noting is that both the standard and itemized deductions simply reduce your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income), which is really reducing your effective income which in turn can reduce your effective tax rate depending on where you fall within the various brackets. Depending on which bracket you fall into, this may or may not provide any significant change. A tax credit is far more effective, but that’s for another topic. In order for you to realize any sort of tax shelter benefits from your new home, you would need to be able to rack up at least $10,300/yr in itemized deductions. With record high home prices this isn’t terribly difficult. The first year simple interest on a $250K/home (this would be a 5’x5’ shack around here) assuming 10% down payment would equal roughly $13K with an additional $2K/yr in property taxes for a total of $15K without itemizing anything else. So while you are getting a larger tax deduction, it’s only an additional $4,700 when compared to the standard deduction. In 2007, this will drop to $4,300. If you can add anything else to your itemized deductions then so much the better, but don’t be completely fooled into thinking that just because you can deduct the interest/prop taxes that there’s going to be some kind of windfall tax advantage. If you put down 20%, you can reduce your tax “benefit” by another $1K to $3700 and $3300 respectively. This isn’t to say home ownership isn’t great. These tax breaks do make it more attractive to buy a home, which after all is what the government wants. However, as I tried to explain here the real tax benefits may not be as big as they may seem especially with the standard deduction rising rather briskly. Besides, there are other ways to save on taxes. Ideally, you would want to adjust everything so that you owe Uncle Sam a big fat $0 every year. Getting money back is akin to giving the gov’t a nice interest free loan each year when that money could have been put to better use. I always error on the side of slightly owing since I’d rather owe than get anything back which simply means I overpaid. The past few years, I have been rather successful at this and have owed less than $500 each year. As far as where to move, my entire Dad's side of my family lives in ABQ. I visit once or twice a year and have found the city to be rather relaxed and enjoyable. The weather is not too extreme and for the southwest is actually quite agreeable. My family lives in the more upscale NE corner near the Sandia mountains so I must admit that I have not ventured into any of the more seedy portions. My biggest gripe about the place would be the grid type layout. All the streets run N-S or E-W. They need a couple of diagonal freeways to make getting from point A-B a little faster. Other than that and the general lack of work I don't think it's a bad place at all. In fact, it's underrated IMO.

Since we're talking about my second passion (1st is my 240Z), the BMW M Coupe I may as well chime in here. As the owner of a Cosmos Black on Black 2000 //M Coupe, I am a bit biased. I freakin' love driving this car. Like most BMWs, it does everything well. It may not be the absolute fastest, nor the ultimate in handling, but it does everything at a B+ average whereas most other cars sacrifice something in order to score high on one aspect only to suffer on another. Such is the beauty of the ultimate driving machine. Having driven several 3.0 Z4 roadsters on both the street and auto-x, while at the same time having also sat in a Z4 M Coupe and actually followed it a twisty road (it was during an event here in the SF Bay Area called http://www.dorkfest.com) Here are a couple of observations: Handling: Z4 – The Z4 rear suspension is superior the Z3 in many ways. It’s lighter, and multi-link unlike the Z3 semi-trailing arm. I found it much more predictable. Engine: Tie - The 2001-2002 Z3 came with the same S54 (although in 315hp guise as opposed to 330hp in the Z4). The actual performance between the two from what I’ve heard is nearly identical. The S52 powered versions, although packing just 250hp (they rate higher on the dyno than the M3) are quite quick as well. They also respond very well to aftermarket mods such as chips, filters and even superchargers so the power equation can be rectified rather easily between the two if needed. Looks: Z3 – Due to the more organic and traditional lines, I believe the Z3 will have timeless appeal while the Z4 will look tired in a decade while the more organic shape of the Z3 will live on. I especially like how the rear of the Z3 has a squatted look to it, akin to Porsche 911 widebodies. This is missing on the Z4. I am also fond of the hatchback look of the Z3 M Coupe. There really isn’t anything else like it on the road. Just for grins, here’s a gratuitous pic of my car. Its the best I have available to me at the moment.

This is very true. The car is very forgiving and rewarding up 9/10ths, but push it to 10/10ths and you need to really watch yourself. Whatever you do, refrain from lifting your foot because once it starts, it’s near impossible to catch it. Also, mod wise, the S54 is rather limited. Considering how high strung it is from the factory, there just isn't much left to eek out. Overall, they are a fantastic motor with plenty of midrange but they do have a raspy exhaust note which I personally find annoying and not befitting of the performance nature of the car. People have tried various exhaust setups with mixed success, but it still doesn’t have the sweet note that the previous S52 powered cars have. Hey, we S52 guys need something to brag about. If this is going to be your primary car, and you’re not mod averse there are a few choice mods that really offer some great bang-for-the-buck. 1) Step up to a 3.73 or 3.46 differential. Stock is 3.15 for the S54 FYI, S52 came with 3.23. Some argue that this was intentional on BMWs part to keep the performance of the S54 powered M Coupe/Roadsters below that of their beloved M3 which weighed more. Job wise, it’s not terribly difficult to replace and the 3.73 is widely available since it was used in earlier E36 series cars. Just swap the finned differential cover over and you’re all set. 2) For the S54 cars, the DBW throttle can be a bit slow for some. There is a method to enable the “sport mode†which although available on the ECU is missing a button unlike the E46 M3. 3) These cars really shine with a proper suspension. I run a TC Kline coilover setup on my car and it has been completely transformed. However, lowering the car will exacerbate the rear camber to an unacceptable level so some adjustable trailing arm bushings may be needed to remedy the situation. I use KMACs. Another benefit is that you can adjust camber & toe (although not independently) which is not adjustable in stock form. Another worthwhile upgrade is the Ireland subframe bushing which replaces the mushy stock rubber units. This makes the handling much more precise. 4) LTFW – I use a 8.5lb unit w/ M5 clutch from UUC Motorwerks. I can rev match like mad with the setup, but it does make gear rattle within the tranny more noticeable especially with a load like A/C or lights. 5) Brake wise, there are few upgrades needed. Just good pads and frequent bleeds do the trick. The stock brakes are amazingly adept at stopping the car, even under track conditions. One last thing in case you are not already aware of the potential subframe issues. This is not common, but not unheard of either. I had a small tear on my diff mount ear that was reinforced and repaired in “good faith†by BMW. Since then, I have had no problems and I just turned 56K on the ODO. There are a few kits out there for fixing this, one even goes so far as to add a dual ear diff mount which, IMO is the best solution. In the meantime, enjoy the car. Being a BMW, it does carry some snob appeal but as you have quickly found out, the car is very rewarding to drive. In my experience, BMW (or german cars in general) are not always the fastest or best handling, but they always seem to do everything well. Most other manufacturers make cars that can go like stink in a straight line but don’t handle too well. Or cars that handle well, but are underpowered or underbraked. The BMW philosophy is to not be an expert at one thing, but rather be very good at everything. Here's my little M Coupe for grins....

I have to agree with some of the other guys here. From your post it seems like you work on the car a lot, but what kind of noise are you generating? If you're wrenching on stuff I can hardly see why anyone would complain, but if you're grinding, sanding or using air tools then i can kinda see why people might get upset. Once in a while may not be a problem, but if you're making those noises from 4~8 or 9pm almost every day I think my patience would wear a little thin as well. As a general rule, I try to extend as much courtesy to my neighbors as possible and so far I have received in kind. I've been basically rebuilding my entire house (we tore it down to the studs inside) for the past year and as a consequence I have a large amount of noisy power tools. As a general rule, I don't make any noisy sounds after 7pm, usually earlier. One of my neighbors has two small kids so I try to respect that. So far we've had no problems. Living in a townhouse/complex is a little different as well. I'd double check the rules regarding noise and working on cars, all the apartments I ever lived in had some pretty restrictive rules in that regard. Not that I didn't break them from time to time.

Wow that is some interesting and mildly disappointing info. It seems as if most manufacturers are having a real hard time keeping the weight down on these things. While the power outputs continue to climb to ever more impressive numbers, the actual effect on the driving experience is muted due to all the extra heft they have to push around. What a sad day it has become now that modern "sports cars" or "Pony Cars" weigh as much as my Audi A6 4.2 Quattro "luxury sedan" and has about as much performance capability to boot. At least I still have the Z and my M Coupe, both of which are sub 3000lb, where a real sports car should be. Gone are the simple words of the venerable Colin Chapman "Simplify and add lightness."

You can run the 45s on an L24, but you will need smaller chokes. 32mm are probably your best bet. I don't have a set of 32s but I do have a set of 30mm chokes for 45DCOEs that you can have. I too was running the 45s on my original L24 until I got my Rebello 3.0L built at which time I obviously swapped them for something a bit bigger (38mm to be exact ). PM/e-mail me for a price if you're interested.

The Touareg V10 TDI is certainly sweet, but the A8 4.2 V8 TDI suits my taste a bit more. Of course I could be easily persuaded to ditch the A8 4.2 if it was available with V10 TDI as an option. The only engines used in LeMans by VAG are derivitives of their 4.2L V8 gasser. They are incredibly fast though, and have dominated their class for several years now. This was their last year of racing that configuration I believe. Audi does have a gasser V10 engine available, although it doesn't share much, if anything with the V10 TDI just as the 4.2L V8 gasser doesn't really have much in common with the 4.2L V8 TDI. This engine currently provides the motivabion for the Lamborghini Gallardo and is rumored to be used in an upcoming Audi supercar deemed the "LeMans Quattro" This is true, diesel tech has always required very high fuel pressures to overcome the high cylinder pressure. The difference today, is that modern diesel tech use electronically controlled injectors fed by a common rail which allows extremely precise fuel delivery while significantly reducing the typical diesel clatter that most people are familiar with. The end result being a more efficient, powerful and quieter diesel. It's worth noting that the modern TDI engines experience very high dynamic compression ratios when you combine the static ratio of 16:1 with turbos pushing in excess of 37Psi which will result in cylinder pressures way in excess of 20:1. No matter how you slice it, diesel tech has come a long way recently. Just 10 years ago I wouldn't have even remotely considered driving a diesel car on a daily basis. They were always slow, noisy and rather dirty albeit slightly more efficient at the pump. Today however, you are able to get as good if not better power while achieving incredible efficiencies with hardly any of the negative side effects previously associated with diesels.

Read this http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/audi_news/article_1357.shtml. If I had the $$$ and if it was available in the US, I would pick this up in a hearbeat. 4.2L V8, twin turbos @ 37Psi MAX, 326bhp/480lb-ft, AWD, 0-60 in 5.9sec all while getting an average of 25mpg!!! Here's the relevant part for this discussion if you're lazy.

I totally agree. This ruling is simply appalling. At least it was a narrow decision (5-4). The comment by Justice O'Conner sums it up best. "Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random," she wrote. "The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms." I have quite an affinity towards history, specifically the Revolutionary Era. The more I read about that period and the people who influenced it, the more amazed I am at how brilliant these people were and yet at the same time, the more concerned I become about where we, as a nation, are heading today. I find it simply amazing how much foresight our “founding fathers†had in creating the basis for a free country. Yet at the same time, especially with rulings such as today’s I am growing ever concerned about the direction this country is taking. Lately, we seem to have no qualms about forsaking our inalienable right of individual rights and freedoms under the thin veil of “security†and the “betterment of allâ€. First, we have the Patriot Act which took things to an entirely new level, all in the name of security. And with today’s ruling, the Gov’t has ruled that it is OK for local gov’ts to take away YOUR property at their discretion for “economic developmentâ€. I’ll leave you with a few quotes from Thomas Jefferson, which I find appropriate here. “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.†“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.†“I own that I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive.â€

Those are some impressive numbers. If you don't mind, could you post up the jetting for your carbs? It would be useful as a reference to the rest of us who are using triples. I've been running a 3.0L Rebello for 5 years, although my car is not driven much these days, less than 1000mi./year at the moment. On my last dyno run, the car put up 210whp with peak power at 6400rpm. I'm running 45DCOEs with 38mm chokes. While not bad, it certainly is not where it should be. Thankfully, this run provided some useful info. As suspected, my A/F ratio was pig rich ~10.5:1 to 11.5:1 from 3000rpm to redline. This was intentional as I did not want to run the engine in a lean condition before I started tuning. My timing was also conservative. I did not have an opportunity to play with any of the jetting at the time, but I am confident that a good 10-15whp is probably available with the proper timing and jetting.

This is a good question. I don't have a definitive answer but I would guess that because your car is registered in another state, many of the laws would not apply. i.e. it would be ridiculous for them to require your car to meet our smog standards once you cross the border. If you were moving here and had to register the car with the state, well that's an entirely different story. However, this isn't to say that you can't get any tickets. There is nothing stopping law enforcement from issuing tickets for moving violations or the like. Just don't act like a maniac and you'll be fine. BTW, there is a law regarding the minimum height from the ground to the center of the headlight; a cop tried to ticket me for it once. There is also a law that prohibits any "portion" of the car sitting lower than the lower rim lip, but I didn't get a ticket for that either. However, I did find out that both of them were on the books. Granted this was back in 1991, but I doubt they've changed.

Some very good beer's mentioned here. I'm not a big fan of hops though, I tend to prefer the ale's or dark stouts. My all time personal favorites are the Belgians ales though. They add some additional yeast during bottling which enhances the flavor (and alcohol) content even further. If you don't mind an unfiltered beer, you can't beat a good Belgian. Duvel and Chimay are some of the best belgians IMO. They're a bit pricey though and they have a much higher alcohol content than regular beers (8-10%) so I don't drink them all the time but man they are good drinking. For everyday beers I really enjoy Newcastle Brown. Gordon Biersch Marzen is also a staple. I always have a few Guinness as well for those occasions when I'm in the mood. During our honeymoon, me and the wife went on a tour of a brewery in Bury St. Edmund's in the UK. That was some seriously good stuff. Near impossible to find in the states though. If you ever find any beer made by the "Greene King" brewery, definitely give it a try. The best ones are their Abbot Ale and Olde Suffolk. They have a good IPA as well, but like I said I'm not a fan.

I don't blame ya for venting a bit, it's rough to attend school and work at the same time. My only consolation to you is that you're not alone. I know all too well how much your social life can suck, the constant sleep deprivation and huge amounts of stress both from work and school. I did the same thing as you, but I worked full time (mostly 45+hours) and went to school at night. This went on for almost 7 years but I eventually came out on the other side with two engineering degrees. It's definitely worth it, both on a personal and professional level. I earn far more $$$ today than I ever would have if I did not attend school and I have the personal satisfaction of knowing that I did it. I don't think I would have ever forgiven myself had I not finished and as such it became a mission in my life. I wish you the best man and the best advice I can give is to just stick with it. By far the hardest thing is to keep going and once you stop it's so very hard to start again.

Totally agreed. He's done some work on several of my friends BMWs as well as my own. He's easy to talk to, knows his stuff and his prices aren't too bad either.

I apologize for the late (and lengthy) reply, but my free time is consumed by my home projects. Nonetheless, here are my ramblings. This fine tuning is what makes Webers great, but at the same time gives them such a bad rep for being too complicated as I'm sure you are now finding out. Keep in mind that any advice offered in this forum should be taken with a few grains of salt and some pepper as well. The fact that we're giving this advice over the internet without actually seeing your car makes that even more important. The absolute best way to tune your car would be to go back to the dyno and have someone with knowledge of Webers and a full range of jets so you could make changes on the dyno and note the effects on both power and the A/F ratio. Of course, finding someone like this is next to impossible these days since most "tuners" use a laptop as their tool of choice rather than a screwdriver and wouldn't know a carb from an apple. Your best chance finding someone like this is probably through some old MG or Alfa user group. Old school VWs and Porsche guys may know someone as well, but they're usually tuned into IDA type carbs, not DCOEs. In the likely event that the above scenario proves impossible, then you're going to be on your own. You will have to make a decision as to how you are going to move forward; stay with the carbs or switch to EFI. If you choose the Weber route, you are going to have to invest in some jets and more than likely will end up wasting some money on jets you ultimately won't need. You will also be on your own for the most part since people who know and tune carbs are becoming harder and harder to find. Investing in a good wide-band oxygen sensor and A/F ratio meter would be good. Remember, you're basically tuning the A/F ratio across the entire rev range at different throttle positions. Having actual A/F ratio readings will go a long way towards telling you where you're at. Your other alternative is to swap the carbs for some type of EFI system. Either the TWM ITB setup or a more stock type could be used with the good news being that you will have more luck finding someone to help tune things. The downside of course is a much higher initial investment and probably some more work on the car to make it EFI ready (i.e. fuel tank, pump, fuel lines, etc...) All that said, here are my weber recommendations: 1) Your timing appears to be a bit high as others have mentioned. Something like 16 initial and 34-36 all-in by 2000rpm is a good baseline number. Anything higher and you may be limiting the ultimate hp and make the engine prone to pinging. Couple related questions: Is your dizzy recurved and did you disconnect the vacuum advance? 2) For webers, if you want a richer jet, you get a larger number. i.e. a 150 main is richer than a 130 main. The number refers to the diameter of the fuel orifice in the jet. 3) I think your setup is a bit going to be a bit more difficult to fine tune because it jumps around too much. For example, your 40 accel. jets are a bit small (I would expect 45-50 with this cam) but your 65.F8 idle jet is huge (most people go with a 55.F9). It's hard to give actual numbers, but if I did have to recommend something, I'd go with the following: 36mm venturis (chokes) 4.5 Aux venturis 150 Main Jets 190 Air Corrector F11 Emulsion Tube 50 Accel Jet 60F9 Idle Jet In closing, here are some basic things to keep in mind. Main chokes affect the amount of air that can be ingested by the engine. Smaller sizes tend to help the low-end since air velocity is naturally increased but they will restrict (hence the term choke) the ultimate amount of airflow that can be provided to the engine at high rpm. On the contrary, using a large choke will allow plenty of airflow at high rpm but will sacrifice the low speed air velocity which will make the car difficult to drive at low rpms. Ever notice how vintage race cars tend to sputter and buck at low rpms but sing at high rpms? It's because of the large chokes to achieve maximum hp at the expense of low speed operation. The trick is finding a good balance between the two extremes. Easily said, but not easily done. Idle jets have a great effect on overall drivability. These are the jets that are used to transition from idle to ~2-3K rpm which is the most common rev range during normal driving so these jets have a great deal to do with the subjective "drivability" factor. Accel jets affect the transition from some throttle position to WOT. That's it. Main Jets affect upper rpm and cruise. Richening these ends up richening the rpm range from 2Krpm up to redline. Air Jets affect high rpm (5K+rpm). These merely control the air that mixes with the fuel in the emulsion tube. Since they flow air, you want to size these opposite of the fuel jets. For example, a smaller air jet will RICHEN the mixture at the top end and vice versa. Emulsion tubes affect the transition between all of the various jet stages. These are tricky to fine tune, but most Datsun guys are using the F11. These are a rather expensive to replace so I wouldn't bother with them unless you were way off base. Here is some good general info regarding webers. Might be worth the read. http://www.inglese.com/tech.htm

Your A/F ratios are a bit wacky, hence the power drop if you call it that. I'd guess that you can eek out a few more hp once you correct the A/F ratios a bit. Your peak power was ~6Krpm and you're running at a not so power friendly 13.6-13.8 A/F ratio at the same rpm. Maximum power is achieved at a ratio between 12.5-13.0 so you'll need to richen things up a bit. Based on your graph, it looks like you go super rich once you hit the throttle and then lean out as the engine builds rpm. Since you're running triples, this indicates two major things. 1) Your accelerator jet is huge. Although, I have found with cams of this duration that a super rich condition is required to reduce the stumble. There just isn't enough air velocity at these lower rpms with high duration and large valves. Adjusting the timing in conjunction with trying a slightly leaner jet should clean this area up a bit. 2) Your car gets progressively lean and then richens back up at high rpms. This indicates to me that your main jet and/or emulsion tube could use some richening. I would recommend bumping the main jet up a size or two and then give it another run. If the A/F ratio isn't down to a healthy 12.5-13.0 from 4K rpm up to redline then you may have to richen it further via emulsion tubes and/or richer main jets.

That was my friend Steve's car. I can assure you, the setup was not cheap by any stretch (I think at least $3K) but the car can probably outbrake almost anything on the road now. He's running 16x7 Panasports and they barely clear. Plus, they just look beyond sick sitting behind the Panasports. I haven't been around the boards lately, the house remodeling project is totally consuming me but I've uploaded the pics to the general picture album. They're called "Steves Big Red Brakes 1," Steves Big Red Brakes 2, etc....

Nice. Thanks Aux.

Jon, Out of curiosity, what wheels will you be using with this setup?