johnc

Didn't the STi just win the SCCA National Championship in T2 beating EVOs, SRT4s, Camaros, 350Zs, etc.? In fact STi's finished 1, 2 and the closest EVO was in 5th, also beaten by a Camaro and a Firebird. http://www.scca.com/Event/Result.asp?Ref2=216 And, dang, the STi out qualified the EVO in every qualifying session... http://www.scca.com/Event/Result.asp?Ref2=129 http://www.scca.com/Event/Result.asp?Ref2=158 http://www.scca.com/Event/Result.asp?Ref2=172 Funny how the stuff you read in SCC, Car and Driver, Road and Track, Motor Trend, etc. doesn't match up with real world racing.

Of course, you can always go with "500 lb. in springs, and modified seceret sports, short stroke drop in dampeners..." http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=106170

Of course, you can always go with "500 lb. in springs, and modified seceret sports, short stroke drop in dampeners..." http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=106170

From 1998 through 2004 I was buying so many tires from Tire Rack (basically 4 tires every 3 to 4 weeks) that they offered me a discount off their list prices. I even had a tire store offer to buy tires through me because the prices I was paying were less then what the tire store payed through their distributor. Sadly, my discount was discontinued because I only bought one set of tires in all of 2005.

Wow, works just like the magnetic helmet I wear to keep the government from reading my thoughts!

Heater in a garage? Never heard of such a thing. Now, an AC unit makes sense...

What do engine builders use them for?

Here's a thread from last year discussing ABS and racing: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=93240 There's more to it though. Cars built within the last few years that are equipped from the factory with ABS have the front/rear brake balance control programmed into the ABS software. If that software is disabled (by disconnecting the ABS system) the brakes revert to the mechanical front/rear balance which is typically heavily front biased to keep the driver from spinning. Having been involed in the modificaiton of braking systems on a Honda S2000 and an Acura NSX it was very difficult and expensive to better the balance and performance of the stock ABS. We did learn of a non-obtainable ABS valving and controller assembly for the NSX that was one of the secrets used by the World Challenge GT team.

Regarding spring rates on a track 240Z, there are basically two schools of thought: West Coast and East Coast (doing a search on this site will bring up a bunch of threads that discuss this at length). Both seem to work and which setup is better depends a lot on the track and the driver. West Coast (generally for tighter, bumpier tracks) 225 to 275 lb. in. front springs. 250 to 300 lb. in. rear springs. 25 lb. in. difference between front and rear springs with the fronts being softer. 25 to 23mm front anti-roll bar. 19 to 17mm rear anti-roll bar. East Coast (generally for faster, smoother tracks) 250 to 350 lb. in. front springs. 200 to 300 lb. in. rear springs. 50 lb. in. difference in front and rear springs with the rears being softer. 25 to 27mm front anti-roll bar. 17mm rear anti-roll bar optional. A very, very general observation: The West Coast setup allows faster corner entry and mid-corner speed but exits can be tricky. Its pretty easy to get the back out and end up in the dirt. Lifting is almost a guarantee of an off track excursion. This setup is more of a momentum setup and rewards precise driving. The East Coast setup gives better power down and the car is easier to control under power. Corner entry is slower but line adjustment in the corner is easier because lift throttle is more controllable. This setup seems to work better as the Z gets more powerful. Comments from others regarding this observation is encouraged. EDIT: Another way to look at is: The West Coast setup is more of a qualifying setting and the East Coast setup is more of a race setting.

No. It really didn't drift that much, about the same as a normally setup 240Z. Clean and tidy lines were the fastest way around. If you started drifting it too much the rear tires would go away. With a Quaife the rear needs to be pretty soft in roll to keep from lifting an inside wheel. I ran 300 rear springs and a 18mm rear anti-roll bar. 275 rear tires also helped.

I don't think the Reputaton thing on this site is really used. I wouldn't rely on it for much of anything. I have no idea why I got so many green thingys.

Nothing about the ROD was classified. Myself, Erik Messley, Bryan Lampe (and I'm willing to bet Keith Thomas too) don't have any handling "secrets." Its all about attention to detail and taking the time to get things right. For example: Properly aligning a 240Z for the first time takes about 8 hours and often takes longer because, when you can't get the numbers you want, things have to be fixed. Just making sure the rear track matches the front can take days. I guess the only "secret" on the ROD was the shocks, which was a very well known secret. Multi-adjustable shocks, properly valved and frequently adjusted by a knowledgeable person, can make any driver into Speed Racer - if the car was prepared with a lot of attention to detail. If they car is setup correctly, you should be foot to the floor (or very close to it) at the apex of the corner. That's the most fun part of handling because that's when you start driving by cars that have a lot more horsepower then you - and a 20mph head start on the straight generally means you'll beat the big horsepower guy to the next corner. EDIT: I guess there's one "secret", but it shouldn't be if people pay attention: rear alignment and compliance. Making sure the rear is properly aligned and the friction in the rear suspension is reduced as much as possible does a lot to increase power down. A Quaife diff is wonderful IF the suspension is designed to work with it. Also, moving weight back in the chassis helps.

BTW... http://www.twminduction.com/ThrottleBody/ThrottleBodySU-FR.html

Wouldn't they be remarkably similar to the factory OEM intake manifolds? Considering the factory parts work well until you start pushing past 250hp (67% hp more then stock) I think they are pretty well designed.

The diff you're pulling most likely uses the snap ring stub axles and the 240Z stub axles are most likely the center bolt type. Both will fit the splines. Get the stub axles with the diff. You can use them if you replace the u-joints on the halfshafts or you can machine a couple buttons with threaded center holes and bolt them to the end of the 240Z stub axles. Cut a snap ring groove in the buttons at the proper depth.

I called Quartermaster and asked what the stall speed is on their Pro 5.5" triple disc clutch. They said, "When the rpm is at 0, the car is stalled."

I don't think there are any California specific laws regarding fuel cells. You should comply with all DOT requirements and you definately should separate the fuel cell, filler lines, vent lines, and fuel lines thenselves from the passenger compartment with sheet metal panels.

Here is a good general purpose track alignment setting for a 240Z with tires in the 225 to 245 range: Front Camber: 3.2 negative. Caster: 6 to 7 positive. Ride height (measured at the front/horizontal part of the rocker panel): 5" Toe: 1/8" out. Increase track as much as possible using wheel spacers. Rear Camber 2.5 negative. Ride height (measured at the rear/horizontal part of the rocker panel): 5.5" Toe 1/16 in. Adjust track with wheel spacers so the rear is about 1" narrower then the front. Unitl you can get to those number understeer will be a problem.

Shocks fail for any number of reasons: 1. Manufacturing defect. 2. Topping out hard. 3. Bottoming out hard. 4. Overheating. 5. Springs too stiff - beyond the design limit of the shock.

As asked above: 1. What size and type of tires? 2. What size wheels? 3. What are your alignment settings? 4. How much driving experience do you have?

Just a warning, if this turns into an IE vs. Firefox vs. Netscape vs. something else war this thread will be deleted.

3".

Another old Z racer guy that has been coming around my shop lately is Pat Vasquez. For those that might not know the name, he is the guy who started Kaminari and he stops by in his red 260Z that still has the original wide body kit on it.

John Caldwell and John Knepp built motors for the BRE (Brock) team here on the west coast. They eventually became Electramotive and John Knepp still does engine management stuff (along with selling CAD software): http://www.electramotive.com/. John Caldwell went on to found Caldwell Development, Inc. (CDI) in Vista, CA and built lots of high performance engines including the Viper V10 engines that won Le Mans a few times, many of the Nissan VG and VQ engines that won SCORE, IMSA, and the later Nissan turbo GTP engines. John shut CDI down a few years ago and gave away the last two Electramotive built L6 turbo engines (damn!) that he had lying around his shop for years. I don't know if Caldwell also supplied engines to the Sharp team, but I'm guessing they didn't for competitive reasons.

Engine guy for Sharp. What do I win?