johnc

Racing puts large lateral and longitudinal loads into wheels but no impact loads. Racing wheels are designed accordingly. One seemingly minor impact can bend them. Believe me, $450 later I know.

Well, it depends... http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=100849 Also, comparing a SR20DET installation (Amir's 260Z) with a NA L6 installation (mine) that has the engine set back shows identical weight distributions and a better polar moment for the L6 because of the IC and associated plumbing on the SR install. Funny how the real world is different from what's though of as the truth on the Internet...

I'm astonished! I've had tons of e-mail questions and two phone calls about these wheels. Seems that early Ford Falcon and early 6 Cylinder Mustang guys are gaga over these things. Keep that in mind next time you're thinking about throwing them away. I learned my lesson, but then again, they haven't sold yet.

Buy your nuts and bolts from an Industrial Hardware store. Avoid Home Depot, Lowes, True Value, etc.

AIR HOSE Theoretically designed to transfer comrpessed air to your air powered tool; in actual practice air hoses never have the right fitting to connect to your air tools. Most of the time air hoses are coiled around the shop ready to reach out and trip people as they walk by or jamb themselves under creeper wheels trapping a person under the car. VICE A mechanical device that is very effective at using Archimedes Screw Principal to crush anything placed between its jaws. BAND SAW A large cutting machine that very quickly takes $50 high tempered serrated steel bands and turns them into $0 low tempered smooth steel bands. Also good for putting jagged cuts into fingers and turning round tubes into ovals. MIG WELDER A fiendishly complex contraption that is supposed to be useful for attaching metal parts together. In reality its most effective at releasing expensive exotic gas mixtures into the atmosphere, spreading small bits and coils of wire around the shop, creating molten metal structures with porcupine appendages, burning holes in clothing and skin, and making large spots appear in front of your eyes that last for hours. TIG WELDER A mystical device that is used by a few wizards to attach metal parts together with erotic looking molten metal beads. For a normal person the incantations and precise movements needed to make this magic device perform are beyond comprehension and efforts to use this device usually result in emotional trauma.

[approaching the Death Star] Luke: "I have a very bad feeling about this."

Yup. Despite what most people think, aluminum does corrode. It naturally develops a layer of protection (aluminum oxide) as part of pure aluminum's natural reaction with oxygen. But, that reaction continues and over time aluminum will degrade into a pile of aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide itself is a very hard material and is used as grit for sandpaper. It also has a melting point 3,700F which is 2,500 degrees above pure aluminum's melting point of 1,200F.

I have some anecdotal evidence from the West Coast Z Nationals autocross and the Z Car Nationals at WSIR last year. At both events I acted as an instructor and rode/drove a number of 240Zs with roll bars, roll cages, and neither. The only cars that I banged my helmet against something while driving and/or riding were the cars with a roll cage. There was one car that I was riding in that didn't have a cage or bar and I did bang my head against the upper roof sheet metal. The driver did something "unusual" and I wasn't prepared for it. One item to consider is seating position. If the stock seats are used or race seats are installed with sliders then the seating position is fairly high. If race seats are insalled without slider it lowers the seating position by at least an inch so there will be more clearance for the noggin.

Basically its an "L" shaped copper and stainless steel shim that fits between the pad and the caliper piston. The base of the "L" sits above the caliper between the caliper and the wheel. The base of the "L" has cooling fins. The thing works via the heat transfer capabilities of copper. According to the article Joe's testing showed about a 15 to 30% reduction in temperatures measured at the caliper piston. In an application where pads and rotors are expected to handle very high heat (like the stock front disk brakes on a 240Z) I think these things are of some benefit in preventing fluid fade. In applications where there's enough airflow to the rotors and the rotors are vented, I don't think these cooling devices would be of much benefit. But, that's just my opinion. I would definately try them on a 240Z with stock brakes if I had enough clearance between the calipers and the wheels.

This from my insurance agent... Each insurance company handles vehicle modifications differently but its not for reasons that most people think. Underwriters look at risk and try to determine a rate that will cover the risk and allow the insurance company to make a profit. The claims side of the company generally tries to reduce the cost of claims. Depending on the financial situation of the insurance company, there are often added pressures on the claims side to reduce claim costs. Claims management sometimes tries to spread the cost of a claim outside of the insurance company. When claim adjusters find vehicle modifications that can be argued as contributing to the injury or damage, insurance companies often hold the installer and the manufacturer of the modification responsible for some part of the claim cost. Its a way of reducing the cost of the claim to the insurance company while not upsetting the customer by reducing the total claim amount.

I can't believe it, someone actually wants these things. Bid away Mike! The reserve price is $40.

Huh? In which country? Well, a 304 stainless 2.75" U-bend is about $65.00, a 321 stainless 2.5" U-bend is about $93.00, so I'm not sure where you think $83.00 retail for a 2.75" aluminum U-bend is "a rip off." Sometimes reality bites.

Had fun writing the add. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8004858028

I feel bad constantly correcting you... Well... you actually want a 50/50 weight distribution under braking that way all 4 tires can contribute their maximum to slowing the car. But, its very hard to achieve that without affecting cornering balance. The Porsche 911s are outstanding braking cars precisely because they start out at 45F/55R (or somewhere around there.) True. Doesn't hurt, but a rear bias is better for the reason you state above. 45/55 would be nice for accelerating out of the corner. And. big misunderstanding here, suspension stiffness has no affect on load transfer or weight distribution - except when suspension stiffness affects the height of the center of gravity. The longitudinal load transfer equation is: acceleration * ((weight * cg height) / wheelbase)) Again, sorry. Get this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0879380713/102-0293921-4805746?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance

A work table is different from a welding table. A work table needs to take a beating, a welding table needs to take heat.

Funny! A number of guys I know race (or used to) the FF Cobras in NASA's spec series and all say that handling is not the car's strong suit. Very similar to the original Cobras and Fox body Mustangs. Live axle rear suspensions can be made to handle well on smooth surface tracks. But ask anyone who races a T2 Camaro, AS Mustang, etc. and they will describe all kinds of rear suspension horrors under braking and control arm bind under acceleration. It takes a lot of work (modified torque arm, 3 link, and/or 5 link conversions) to get a live axle to behave, let alone work well.

2160 lbs with 5 gallons of fuel. BTW... he bought the car back from the lawyer he sold it to. You'll see the car on the track here in SoCal in the near future. I'm also building Amir another street/track car that will be pretty impressive.

Lucky me! One of my customers will be receiving his 2006 Z06 at the end of October. We're looking at a track day to shake it out sometime between x-mas and new years.

Here's a link to pictures of the front splitter/diffuser used on the 2000 Audi A8s. http://www.mulsannescorner.com/audir8nose.htm Notice how shallow the diffuser section is and how a lot of the diffuser is directed to the front wheel wells. The air exiting the diffuser is directed to the belly pan and accelertated again before reaching the rear diffuser. If you look at these sketches of the Dallara LMP car you can see how the diffuser air has nothing to do with radiator cooling. http://www.mulsannescorner.com/dallaralmp10.html

Mild Santa Ana winds are blowing right now and the outside temps are over 100 degrees. Feels kinda humid though which is unusual this time of year.

That's why I do a lot of work on BMWs, Porsches, RX8s, etc.

OK, I do cages and bars too.... http://www.betamotorsports.com/services/cageandbars.html

That will create front end lift and is similar to what I ddi with my splitter. Its got to be flat or, at most, have the first few inches angled up slightly. Back to the basic question: Why are you doing this? 1. Drag reduction? 2. Downforce generation? 3. Looks cool? 4. Where will you drive this car the most?

1. "Loads of overtaking is boring. You go fishing and you catch a fish every ten minutes and it's boring. But if you site there all day, and you catch one mega fish, you come back with stories that you caught a fish this big (indicates a big fish), intead of this size (indicating a small fish)" - Eddie Irvine on the lack of overtaking in F1. 2. "You know you're in trouble when the first person to get to you after a wreck is carrying a beer" - NASCAR driver, Jimmy Horton, speaking of his accident at Talladega in 1993. 3. "The car is such a dog we should have tied it to the fence" - Dick Johnson, former Australian touring car driver discusses an obviously less than brilliant vehicle.... 4. "F1 won't change me" - Jenson Button, just weeks before dumping his girlfriend of five years and buying a Ferrari. 5. "Give me a few bits of wool to stick on the car, a good gust of mistral wind, and I could come up with a better aerodynamic package on the bridge at Avigon" - Jean Alesi on the dreadfully inefficient Prost AP02. 6. "He's just a total bloody idiot. Always was, always will be" - Derek Warwick on Rene Arnoux. 7. "Oh, we're just looing for the ear" - Niki Lauda replying to somebody asking what the former world champion was doing back at the site of the 1976 accident that nearly killed him at the Norschleife circuit. 8. "I am a non discriminating driver. I want to kick everybody's ***" - Greg Ray, IRL. 9. "The track is my canvas. My car is my pencil" - Graham Hill. 10. "Ukyo Katayama is undoubtedly the best formula 1 driver that grand prix racing has ever produced" - A questionable quote from commentating legend, Murray Walker. 11. "Anyone who doesn't speak English isn't worth speaking to" - Bernie Ecclestone. 12. "Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident" - An onlooker describing Jim Clark's incredible first lap speed at the 1967 Belgian GP at Spa. 13. "My game is going wrong - the star is setting" - Ascari speaking to Fangio in 1955 - just four days before his death at the wheel of a sportscar. 14. "Jimmy ranked with, perhaps even out-ranked, Nuvolari, Fangio and Moss and I think we all thought that he was in a way invincible. To be killed in an accident with a Formula 2 car is almost unacceptable" - Bruce McLaren speaking of the great late-Jim Clark. 15. "Drivers are just interchangeable light bulbs - you plug them in and they do the job" - Teddy Mayer, McLaren. 16. "And that is Ralf Schumacher - son of Michael" -Who else but Murray Walker, ITV commentator? 17. "I think I've proved that, in equal cars, if I want someone to stay behind me... well, I think he stays behind..." - Gilles Villeneuve. 18. "Break a leg" - Grid Girl at 1999 British GP offering some 'advice' to Michael Schumacer pre-race. A few hours later Michael was in a hospital and his leg was in plaster, following an early race shunt. 19. "Christ - I used to complain that this thing was underpowered, I must have been mad" - Chris Amon after driving a 1970's F1 car up the hill at Goodwood. 20. "Aerodynamics is for those who cannot manufacture good engines" - Enzo Ferrari. 21. "I'm fine, but I'm going to need to change my shorts when this race is over" - Greg Moore over the car to pit radio after a spin in the Michigan 500. 22. "It's been 2000 years since a Good Friday was this bad" - Benetton tech boss, Pat Symonds speaking at the 2000 British GP, the site of another dismal performance. 23. "No, it will never have enough power until I can spin the wheels at the end of the straightaway in high gear" - Too much power is never enough....Mark Donohue on the Can Am Porsche 917. 24. "Are you here to race or to crash?" - Chico Landi addressing drivers safety concerns in Brazil in the 1980's. 25. "You might think that's not cricket, and it's not, it's motor racing" - Yep. Murray again. 26. "It's almost worth retiring just so I can speak to you..." - Alex Zanardi speaking to Louise Goodman on TV during the formers awful 1999 Grand Prix season. 27. "F--- off" - Yvan Muller to Peter Cox, during the postrace press conference at the 1999 Snetterton British Touring Car Championship night race. 28. "Only a few more laps to go and then the action will begin, unless this is the action, which it is" - Murray Walker. 29. "The man's an animal" - John Cleland speaking about Steve Soper, at Silverstone BTCC race, 1992. 30. "...if they have any more drive-throughs, they're going to have to start selling burgers and fries in the pit lane" - Charlie Cox commentating on a drive through penatly for Laurent Aiello at Silverstone BTCC round, 1999. 31. "Racing drivers have balls, unfortunantly, none of them are crystal" - David Coulthard. 32. "You're a pack of Arseholes" - Jim Richards responds to a booing crowd on the podium of the controversial 1992 Bathurst 1000. 33. "You're a pack of lovely lovely people" - Jim Richards makes up for his 1992 speech after winning the 2002 event. 34. "The litte Mexican bastard tries to kill me!" - Jo Siffert on Pedro Rodriguez. 35. "Unless I am very much mistaken...I AM very much mistaken!" - Murray Walker. 36. "The passport changes but the blood doesn't" - Italian-American, Mario Andretti on the lure to drive at Ferrari. 37. "I knew I'd been beaten by the best driver in the world" - Rene Arnoux on his epic last lap battle with Gilles Villeneuve at Dijon 1979. 38. "When the flag drops, the bullshit stops" - Anonymous 39. "Finishing second means you are the first person to lose" - Gilles Villeneuve. 40. "In my day the drivers were fat and the tires were skinny" - Unknown. 41. "I want to stay in F1 but things have to get better for me to have a chance. No disrespect, but I won't go to Minardi" - Johnny Herbert, 2000. 42. "We'll be looking to give McLaren and Ferrari a run for their money" - Craig Pollock, BAR Team Principle, speaking prior to the team's 1999 race debut. As it turned out, BAR was even able to give Minardi a walk for their money, failing to score a single point. 43. "There's a bit of debris there, Rouse hits it, Oh, nice header from Menu!" - Murray Walker, Brands Hatch BTCC, 1994. 44. "Why did I take up racing? I was too lazy to work and too chicken to steal" - Kyle Petty, Stock Car driver. 45. "It was a Ford, so it didn't really matter" - Mark Skaife answering a question about a car fire in a touring car race at Barbagallo. 46. "I already tried that. Something heavy metal like. And sunglasses. But it didn't work I went to the gas station and when I left the guy at the counter said 'Bye Mr Schumacher' - Michael Schumacher on trying not be recognised... 47. "He's broken our camera lens that'll be six grand please Derek!" - Murray Walker after Derek Warwick crashed into a camera during a BTCC race. 48. "Presumably it's vitamin C they put in that Orange Arrows, Murray..." - Commentator Martin Brundle shows why he isn't a comedian. 49. "I want to win a couple of Indy car championships and I want people to say that Greg Moore was one of the best CART drivers that was ever around." - Greg Moore, speaking in 1997. In October 1999, Moore was killed in a horrible accident at Fontana. 50. "Rene Arnoux is coming into the pits ... lets stop the startwatch" - Murray Walker, BBC commentator.

There's a big difference between reducing underbody drag and generating downforce. Reducing underbody drag helps by requiring less horsepower to move the car through the air. That's most effectively done by reducing the amount of air flowing under the car with a big air dam which will also increase top speed and reduce fuel consumption. Splitters, belly pans, and diffusers are deisgned to work buy actually puting MORE air under car and make the air accelerate. Properly designed splitters, diffusers, and belly pans actually increase the drag on the car, slow the car's top speed, and increase its fuel consumption. That's not a big issue because what we are concerned about is faster corner speeds which lead to faster laps. Darius' diffuser will work better if he puts flat plates on the bottom of the rear LCAs and puts a plate under the diff extending forward.