Mikelly

Best Motoring is known for their tongue in cheek spin. I don't put anymore stock in their show than I do David Letterman. As to the other comments, the proof will be in the pudding come November. I'll be at SEMA this year, and if there's a huge push for tuning this car, we'll see it then. I believe there will be a styling and bolt on market, especially for wheels, wings, and spoilers... But from what Ive read and been told, the computers in the car are extremely sophisticated and even Nissan doesn't plan a "NISMO" Hp tuning kit at this point. It's all speculation at this point. I will believe it when I see it. Then again, I would have never thought that tuners were getting 700-900 hp out of the 996TT porsche and now I own one, so goes to show what I know. Mike

They don't need to string more ponies out of the LS7. As Jim's car will show when his 2008 Z06 is returned from LG Motorsports in early April, you can get at least 550 WHEEL hp from the LS7 (about 650BHP). They're installing a new cam, headers, new software programming and will dyno the setup to prove it! If you have money and can afford to buy and then modify a 2006-2008 Z06 (approx. $85K total investment in the above mods and price of car) you'll get viper performance. The ZR1 will weigh in at about 3300#. It will make a LOT more power and torque than other cars in its price range, and it will certainly have a power to weight ratio that is much more competitive than any other street car that will cost less than $150K. These are facts. The rest, truly speculation. Mike

As usual, another "great" content laiden post from you...

Brian, You're sooo in the wrong universe. Yes, there are Corvette Snobs who won't talk to me because I no longer own a Vette. There are Porsche snobs who think all vette owners wear gold chains and there are Mustang owners who think they're all pathetic people trying to compensate. And they're all wrong, and so are those who bow to the alter of Nissan. We founded this site on the ideal of not allowing Nissan PURIST SNOBS to have a loud voice here at HybridZ. There's a reason for that. I have friends I've met from Corvetteforum who also own Porsches. I also have friends I've met thru Rennlist and 6speedonline.com who also currently own corvettes and ZCARs. One of the best guys I know and call a Great car guy FRIEND owns a Porsche, a Corvette and a Zcar, Jim McNemar. You make a lot of assumptions that paint the picture of someone who has never owned another brand or been able to get past the idiots and see those who are the most open minded. Sad reality is the person you describe below would probably say the same about you, based on your statements and Nissan Purist attitude... Every single "CAR" or "BRAND" guy who has ever set foot in my shop or seen pics of my Z on other boards has asked for details about my project and has given me nothing but GREAT and POSITIVE comments about the car, the build quality and the project. Maybe your father should pick better friends, but don't lump all vette or porsche or other "car guys" in with a few bad apples your father chose as "friends"... Closed minds close doors, You've certainly closed one here. Mike

Brian, It's like I stated earlier... There are brand fans and then there are Car fans. We pretty much know which one you are and which one I am. You've stated many times that you won't own anything that isn't made by Nissan. Me, I've owned 22 Datsun S30s. I've owned a number of toyota and honda products over the years, a few BMWs, a very competent Mustang, a well sorted Corvette, and a highly tuned and modified Porsche. The car does not make the man... And we can't sustain on just one meal all our lives, or we won't grow personally, now will we? I am not ready to hand Nissan $92,473.19 to be one of the first on the East Coast to have my very own Fat Prom Queen... Thought about it, hard... But I can't get past the weight, or the look of the car. In my opinion, Nissan blew it. Mike

When it get's up into those HP levels it has more to do with driver and less with the cars. I'm under no illusion that I'm an average "beginner" driver and there are drivers out there that would run circles around me... I doubt I'll see very many experienced road course driving a 3850# (I'm being told the GT-R will actually weigh in at over 3900#) GT-R at the track... Nah, the few that will end up at the track will be in the hands of a few enthusiasts... The GT-R is seriously going to be a great car, in the same vane as the Supra and the NSX are. Problem is most of these cars won't end up on the track. The thing that gets me stirred up is when "fans" who will never buy or track these cars pick up the pompoms and want to cheerlead based solely on what they read in the magazines. Not seeing a lot of members here lining up to buy an $80,000 Nissan, and that is the biggest challenge Nissan has in front of them. Mike

Don't bother putting any stock in that run. The cloud of speculation surrounding it makes it a "not valid" run in most circles... Nissan doing their clever marketing again! Mike

Brian, Back away from the Nissan punch bowl pal. I'm sure the car will be a nice ride. I personally have spent some time at the dealership talking about this car on a different level... I am not sure who on this forum has seriously considered buying one, but I HAVE. Also, your comment about the Vette guy and the porsche guy not giving the GT-R any credit or consideration are ignorant. There is a SEA of enthusiasts out there (I consider myself one of them) who are "CAR" guys. Those "CAR" guys own several different Makes/Models of cars and don't bow down to the throne of one maker. It's what differentiates them from the rest... The ability to savor and sample many different platforms. And yea, My car is heavy... Too heavy. At 3564# (corner weights with ahalf tank of gas) it is far heavier than I'd like. It still ISN'T 3800-3900#. That's a BIG DEAL. And I can NOT Wait to get on video the first time I'm on a road course with one of those GT-R supercars. I'll post the video results, but I'm 110% certain I'll show it my tail lights... I don't see anyone modifying a GT-R for at least 12 months After it hits the market and then it'll be significant time and money in R&D. Meanwhile, I'm already at 690 CRANK HP on race gas... And 300# lighter, minimum! Mike

You're all wrong... The Markup on the New ZR1 is STUPID... They're trying to get $25-30K over what list will be just to take Pre-build orders...And it will list at over $100K The GT-R...Now there's a fat girl at the prom for you... And you can't get that one for less than $10K over list around here... So that $80K car (out the door) will now cost you $90K. (I've checked, don't ask) JIm McNemar just bought a new 2008 Z06 and has dumped another $40-50K into it to have it upgraded to be a track record beating car... If money is no object, then this is exactly what I'd do... If money IS an object, then buy a used low mileage Porsche 996 Turbo (2001-2004) for UNDER $60K (I've seen them selling in the $40s) and mod the hell out of it, as mine has been... Then you'll be able to run circles around both... And I don't think the GTR wil be easy to mod, based on what I'm reading... Their computer setup may require removal and a standalone... Mike

It's taken me some time, maturety, and experience to realize that some things should be better left to cars they were designed FOR... Look at the Zcar door "frame". It bolts in. There is no way in hell that cheesy, flimsy frame will hold the weight of a stock door... Yea, don't even think about "swapping" in a fiberglass shell of a door... They simply can't hold the hardware for doors and door hardware, which is HEAVY. Mike

Damn we're getting old... Mike

I helped install one of those cheapie ebay kits on my youngest boy's Honda Civic back in 2005. What a nightmare. They don't stay adjusted, then blow struts, and the material they use for hinges is so thin that eventually the hinge bends out of alignment... My youngest thought it was the coolest thing in the world, for about 3 months. Then he got tired of always having to work on them to keep them aligned... He eventually sold them. Mike

Thanks man! Im truly fortunate to be living my dream, most of which includes the woman of my dreams. A smaller part is my company. An even smaller part encompases the home and that car! Mike

That's your best bet... And he'll have a judgement against him and nothing will come of it. But I'd not spend to much more money chasing that rabbit down that hole. Mike

Just got my Q45 mount from Gabe... Work of art, I tell you! Fast service, great customer support, and he answered the phone on the first ring! Can't wait to see more of his product line hit the market! mike

This is my "other" daily driver: Mike

Gets 26mpg as long as I keep the cruise control on when on the interstate...And makes about 690BHP on 100 Octane race gas. Mike

Although autoX is a good alternative for some, the commitment in time, for actual time spent on course isn't worth it to me. I raced comeptitive autoX in the 90s and won a regional championship in the combined Prepared/Modified divisions in my 260Z. It was fun back then, but none now. I took my oldest to an autoX about 3 years ago and realized I'd moved on... No, I'd rather watch paint dry then shag cones... HPDE is the best bang for the buck in my opinion, and PCA's prices make it worth keeping a porsche in the garage... $325 for 3 days of driving is THE bargain out here on the east coast. Mike

Here's an even bleaker peek into it... My buddy Joe races SCCA T1 in a 2002C5 Corvette. He's a US gov't employee and is on a very restricted budget. His "race weekends" cost him about $3500 per weekend. That to just "be a filler" as John put it. He's pretty decent in the car, but because he is constantly concerned about "the big one", he can't drive the car like he stole it. He was involved in a post race accident last year at Pocano where he was hit from behind and the car was almost totalled. It cost $16K to fix the car, and without the donation drive I chaired to raise over $9K to help him out on http://www.corvetteforum.com, Joe wouldn't be able to race this year. Add to that the "making it to the big dance" pressure... If you want to "make it to the run-offs", you end up spending even more money. And then, at the end of the season, you're lucky to get 13 seconds coverage on Speed to just show that you were there... Amature "racing" has gotten so expensive that it simply isn't grassroots anymore. It's pretty sad that the back yard guy can't even compete without spending every spare dime to get there and grid up... For practice. Until money is nolonger an issue, and I don't have to be "somewhere" most days to answer to "the man", It's HPDEs for me. I'm so slow it doesn't matter, and I have so much more to learn before I could truly be competitive that I'm content doing that. If I get to the point that I'm fortunate enough to "teach" others, then I'll consider racing. Mike

Yea, Harry's right. The stress put on his car during a track weekend at VIR Full course is enough to show any flaws. Far as I'm concerned if the "fall" down thru rollercoaster and into hogpen doesn't snap something, you're good to go! Mike

David, I have WAY TO MUCH invested in my setup. The tranny ran $1800. The bellhousing was another $350. The hydraulics ran about $500 total. The clutch/PP/FW probably added another $700. This project has been a financial nightmare. Mike

No. Only works with the five lug conversion. Mike

Mine came with a standard Steeda shifter that's aluminum. Works well... I'm using the Tilton 7/8th master and the Tilton Hydraulic release bearing. Mike

HB280ZT does high speed driving events on road courses in his car. It's safe. Mike

Sooooo That's pretty well explained on Dave's site. Following/ Reading directions from the manufacturer is always a safe bet! Mike