Mikelly

Even further explanation... The stock bodied Zcar has worse aerodynamics than a 1988 Honda Accord... Mike

Ask the manufacturers of your current tires and wheels and see what they tell you... Mike

Nope, just means you were having a good time with the situation your friend asked you to be in! Mike

But Clifton, think about it for a second... Doing an autoX, where the loads on the tire/bead are much lower than you'll experience at 110MPH on an offramp, or and 100MPH hammering 3rd/4th shifts, you won't have nearly the "risk" of a tire breaking a bead and coming off the wheel. Add to that the less than optomised feel from sidewall deflection and you have other issues... Can you run that tire? Sure. Should he? I wouldn't let anyone I car about do it. Over on another BB right now there are guys having serious problems with a specific brand of tire rotating on the rim under braking and acceleration during track days. There is some discussion as to if it is a tire to rim fitment issue or something more. And these guys are experiencing this at above 150MPH... When it comes to tires, I tend not to want to experiment to much beyond manufacturers guidelines. Mike

"Club Sport" is an added "option" package that consists of many of the pieces I have in my 996TT currently. It was simply an added "check" on the order sheet and includes a roll bar and Recarro racing buckets known as "euro-spec" GT3 componsite seats (Retailed at $2200 each for the seats alone) and other items like the LWFW kit, the carbon hood and rear hatch, full 6 point cage, and six point harnesses. Mike

David, Now that you've had a chance to drive that car around, imagine it with an additional 200+HP and a little better suspension under it... Now you know what I drive everyday... Mike

You're wrong. Explanation: Aerodynamic resistance.

Comparing the setup on an RX8 in an autoX (I get GRM and read the article) vs. Brian's setup is comparing apples to orangutans. Mike

There is no difference, and as a matter of fact, I've got 18X9.5s mounted on my car and fitment isn't an issue with ZG flares. All of you guys who are trying to understand tires (Especially you, Brian) should take a little trip over to http://www.tirerack.com and read their multiple DIYs and FAQs on tires and WHY the tire Brian is trying to make work on his car "because he got a deal on them" isn't the right approach at all... Tire and wheel fitment is the one area where you can gain the most performance in handling and stability or the biggest mistake... Mike

It's not... There are a bunch of them... They sell all the time for between $90-120K... The difference in the GT2 and other Porsches (like my TT) is that along with NO front wheel drive, the car comes with wider wheels with different offsets, adjustable coil overs and larger brakes, better suspension geometry, adjustable control arms (via shims), thinner glass in the rear and side windows, less sound deadening, upgraded intercoolers, upgraded turbo chargers, free flowing exhaust, and better programming in the software department. An even more important improvement is in the gearbox... It has a built in heat exchanger and revised tranny internals that are a little stronger. The 2001-2004 Twin Turbo and 2002 - 2005 GT2 are built using the same exact body/uni-body, which is over 3 inches wider than a standard 911. The GT2 uses the adjustable wing in the rear and the revised nose up front. The two combined produce amazing downforce that helps the cars high speed stability. That front nose/bumper cover is one of the mods I'll make to my car... It already has the GT2 rear deck. That said, they still require improvements (all seriously track prepped 996s do) to the handling/suspension to get them to be more predictable... Adjustable toe links and locking plates, along with solid motor mounts are a good start... Better shocks are generally advised as well. Mike

It's not a 2000... Check the door tag.. It has to be a 2002 or newer... And I can tell you first hand that you're officially in trouble if you spend ANY time driving that car... As I told those who were at my last shindig, I'd sell my soul to the devil to keep my Porsche in my garage and it'll walk all over a stock GT2... That said, That is ONE BAD MOTHER you have sitting there... Watch it, as they have no PSM (traction control) and are known to get very tail happy! It truly is one of the most impressive "supercars" on the planet... I wish mine was silver... I hate black cars. Mike

You might get $15K if the right buyer tripped over you... If you think otherwise, you're dreaming. These cars are hard to sell. Those who want them can't afford them. Those who can afford them can also afford a lot of other cars... And someone mentioned "parts" replacement... Yea, thats the beautiful thing about newer technology, and especially european technology... It doesn't break nearly as often or require replacements. Sell your Z and buy another car and you'll just realize what many of us know... There are a LOT of other "nice" options out there... And a lot of them have just as much soul. Mike

It's true, I raced him in my twin supercharged Ford Fiesta and he beat me... Mike

I blamed the dog, thinking he had an accident... I even looked on my shoes to see if I'd stepped in something... Nope... Turns out it's in this thread... Smelling LOTs of BullShyte... JohnC. let's let him keep digging... Mike

I'm starting to smell some BS in this thread... Better put my boots on... Mike

I agree with Jon M. I have chosen not to purchase items on ebay when I've seen the seller doesn't take paypal. I, as the buyer, would just as soon PAY the 3% so I don't have to deal with the hassle of mailing a check or going and purchasing a money order... I want to BUY it NOW, Pay for it NOW and be done with it NOW. If I can't do that, I won't play at all... If you can't afford to help the seller eat the fee, then don't play. Mike

Exactly. I buy a LOT of parts on bulletin boards and always ask to use paypal. Even though I use my debit car, the seller always gets zapped a 3% fee. So depending on the item and how big a deal it is, I send the extra without even mentioning it. I've done it for members here... Mike

Using Paypal is much more convenient for all parties involved and allows a buyer to use a CC when they otherwise wouldn't be able to, would have to deal with possible money orders or other forms of payment... It boils down to IF the seller states in his/her auction that the 3% fee will be tacked ontop of the winning bid... I see nothing wrong with it if it's spelled out upfront. Mike

Joe, I deleted them for you... Give me a ring tomorrow and we'll go over what I think you can do to eliminate the issue all together. This is a real easy fix... You'll be driving the car in two hours, max. Mike

Correct, Terry and Nigel. Joe and I've been communicating via email and things are sometimes tough to understand on both ends... The thing is, Joe didn't want to replace all the lines and tie the front circuit together and the back circuit together, voiding both the factory bias valve and the safety switch. My recommendation is to get rid of all of the parts associated with "safety" and "bias" from nissan and close off the front and rear circuits from each other... Run the Bias valve off the rear line from the master, and you'll be good to go. As I said in my email, Joe, I've got some unions in metric sizes you can have to make those connections to isolate the rear from the front, and just do away with them... Also, What Terry said is right... One not per topic in the right category... Mike

Cameron, Congrats on the first road course event... I'd recommend getting a brake upgrade. What suspension are you running? Mike

Excellent explanation DF! I now have GPS based data aquisition, so I'll not be basing any further statements (*from a track perspective of course) off of "speedometer readings. Mike

ask Pete Paraska about his Autometer temp. gauge and how it was reading 30+ degrees hotter than the water actually was... Mike

This guy is 265 pounds, and well over 6ft. tall... Any bike will only go as fast as your right hand allows... It's called restraint and respect. And that statement "I've gotten used to the power" is one I often laugh at. The fastest guys at every track day I've been to on motorcycles has always been some little hotshot on an SV650 or similar "small" bike that gets drag raced by the idiots on liter bikes, only to eat their lunch when they park it in every corner... In my opinion, America needs to follow Japan's model for a graduated "tiered" licensing program. You get to graduate to the next size bike once you've proved yourself to be proficient on the bike you're currently licensed for... I'd say that most of the bikes on American roads today have substandard riders piloting them. Go do a couple of track days on your SV650 and you'll have so much more respect for it... It's simply one of the BEST kept secrets in motorcycling. Mike

Chris, It sounds like you carried to much speed, hit the brakes and the bike did what it does when you grab a bunch of brake... It stood upright... You should seriously consider a MSF course. I recently took a 1.5 year experienced rider on a 3 day trip with my business partner and I (some of you met Barry at my shindig) and this new guy (good friend of mine, but new rider) was dumbfounded and concerned for MY safety. We took back roads for most of the 1050 miles and I always had to stop and wait for them. In his mind I carried to much speed everywhere, and he did the exact right thing. He rode his pace and let me go off into the wild blue yonder... I blew it off and constantly reminded him that I have 25 years experience and dragging knee on a 550# 1999 ZRX1100 is "normal" for me, and should seem foreign to him. I brake independantly front to rear brake in to, mid, and sometimes, depending on the corner, out of a corner with sometimes rear, front, or both brakes... Again, I've been riding on and off road for over 2 decades... Sliding one end of the bike or the other on pavement feels natural to me. Mike