johnc

Its a mythical vehicle. Its been in development for 10 years and is basically just a marketing ploy. I can't believe the car magazines (well, yes, I can believe Motor Trend would) continue to give that thing press.

Horsepower in the US Brake Horsepower (bhp) "Brake Horsepower" was a term commonly used before the 1970s and is sometimes also referred to as "Gross Horsepower." It used an old SAE standard (J245) to perform the measuring. That standard just focused on the measurement side, not the process itself. The term indicates the brake, the device for measuring the true power of the engine. Stating power in 'bhp' gives some indication this is a true reading, rather than a calculated or predicted one. However, several OEMs started to strip their engines of essential ancilliaries for the purposes of getting a high horsepower figure to use in marketing the car. SAE Horsepower (net) As part of the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1972 (and also in preparation for it) SAE developed a new engine horsepower testing standard as part of its efforts to meet the new EPA testing regime. That standard was SAE J1349 "Engine Power Test Code – Spark Ignition and Compression Ignition – Net Power Rating Standard" and is pretty much in current use as SAE J1995 as revised. The standard specifies a basis for net engine power rating, and a method for determining net full load engine power with a dynamometer. A dynamometer places a load on the engine and measures the amount of power that the engine can produce against the load. Wheel Horsepower Since the release of low cost in floor dynamometers a new way of measuring horsepower has gained favor, "Wheel Horsepower." Its based on measuring a vehicle driveline's ability to accelerate a mass with a horsepower number calculated from the mass acceleration measurement. At this point SAE has not released any horsepower rating standards regarding the process, measurement, or calibration of floor dynamometers so the numbers published are not verifiable. What's Coming (from a press release on the SAE web site) "The current test, which originated in the early '70s and was last reviewed in 1995, allows automakers to claim horsepower and torque figures higher than what most owners will actually experience. The SAE Power Test Code Committee – chaired by David Landcaster, General Motors Corp. engineering group manager – is revising its standard for measuring horsepower and may suggest that automakers have an independent observer verify the numbers they claim for horsepower and torque. The standard will also set a procedure for how to test torque, which is also heavily advertised by car manufacturers."

I would be afraid to walk near a car that had a lot of whatever this is. Sounds like a STD.

You're kidding? You were with me on the course walk? Man, I have so much trouble remembering things... I don't recall seeing your car run, but the day becomes a blur for us instructors. The combination of gas fumes from the 240Zs that haven't fixed their fuel tank vent lines and the sheer number of cars we ride in and drive makes us all a little goofy by the end of the day. I spent most of my time riding around in basically stock 280ZXs getting slapped by women drivers.

I ran the exact tires you have when my 240Z was in its previous configuration. Typical tires temps at an autocross were 150 to 160 and the V700s felt good. Typical tire temps at a race track were 180 to 200 and they felt very good at 180 and greasy at 200. As said above, if you're driving the car hard enough you should be seeing temps in those ranges. Check your pyrometer and be sure to use the probe type, not the infrared guns.

A good review for those that may not remember all that's involved with the care and feeding of race tires: https://www.hoosiertire.com/rrtire.htm

Sounds like its really a Firestorm blowing out the inventors butt.

After every race weekend. The engines have to last through 2 to 4 hours of practice, a qualifying session, and a 3 to 4 hour race. They probably put 6 to 8 hours and 750 race miles on the engine which I think is the longest of any top level professional race series.

I was skeptical about that intake when you first started talking about it and posting pictures, but it looks like its a good one. Great job!

Your choice between a fuel cell and a surge tank depends on what you intend to do with the car. If you plan on doing any type of sanctioned competition I strongly recommend a fuel cell for safety reasons. It also helps when trying to get a highly modified car through tech inspection. If its a street car then the surge tank is a cheaper, easier solution. Just make sure the plumbing is well thought out because you're adding some significant points of failure into your fuel system. Regarding keeping the tank 1/4 full: when I autocrossed my 240Z with the stock fuel tank I could run it down to 1.5 gallons and still not have fuel starvation problems.

But it is a very effective technique for making power. Even the NASCAR boys have recognized that and have implemented their own version of rev limits via rules limiting rear end gearing. Anyone remember seeing the data feed from Newman's Dodge at Pocono last year? It just touched 10,000 rpm on the backstraight.

Yup and you should also use a nice machinist vice or a good clamping system. And Scotty's right too, 12mm and 1/2 studs are about equal in strength if they are made the same way.

Made my stomach crawl. It is nauseating and might not be safe for work. http://www.radioblogger.com/#000665

http://www.upc-online.org/alerts/31805respect.htm I missed it! I'll got to KFC tonight and order two buckets to celebrate.

You're right about the VDP acronym. I had it wrong but I was parrotting what Mark at Penske was calling them when we were experimenting with them on the Z back in 2000. They are basically digressive pistons that vary their digression based on piston velocity. Yes but I don't remember the exact numbers. Hiten Patel is now the proud owner of the Penske 8760s that were on my 240Z. Personally I think Ohlins makes the best shocks and their adjustment range is more granular then what Penske offers. But, unless you're a very serious racer or just a plain nut job like me, Penskes, Ohlins, and the top line Konis are overkill.

Used to. I have no toys right now. Shock cooling in a street, autocross, and most track applications is not an issue anymore. It used to be many moons ago but synthetic shock fluids have pretty much eliminated that problem for tarmac applications. Now, for rally and off road racing shock cooling is a big deal.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but only occaisionally taking your car past 100 mph racing means you are most likely driving over your head. A midly evasive maneuver at 60 mph becomes a much bigger deal in a 240Z going over 100 mph. You have to be much more precise in your control inputs because you'll cover a lot more distance in the correction. Spend a bunch of weekends a year at the drag strip, run a few HPDE events with an instructor, go to a Skip Barber or Bondurant school. Get used to the speed in a more controlled environment. Regarding the structural improvements: Sub frame connectors as mentioned above seem to help along with triangulated strut tower braces in front and a straight brace in back. A welded in roll bar also helps with rear strength.

Full cage. If you're racing on the freeway you're going to have a wreck and it won't be a little one.

Go with the 1/2 studs up front. The most difficult part will be making absolutely sure the holes are perpendicular to the wheel mating surface on the hub.

A past favorite betaMotorsports World Headquarters trick is to take a plastic Sparkletts 5 gallon water bottle and put about a pint of alcohol in it. Shake it up real good, lay the bottle on its side (pointing away from anything breakable or subject to injury) and put a match to the opening of the bottle. Ever seen a skyrocket with the stick broken off? Imagine a 5 gallon Sparklettes bottle doing the same thing for 15 seconds while emitting an ear splitting shriek. This little trick was permanently banned when the bottle got airborne and landed on Lambert Rd. in traffic.

There you guys go again, looking at the outside of something and thinking its cool You need to look at the inside to find the really cool stuff: You're looking at one for the first Penske VDPs (Variable Digressive Pistons) ever put in a car. That piston, all by itself, is more then a complete set of Tokicos for a 240Z.

Put a roll cage in the car if you're going to be racing on the freeways.

Never seen one bent like a bow tie... What is your intended use? Chassis requirements for autocross, drag racing, and road racing are different then chassis requirements for a street car.

http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=101061 The search function works wonderfully...

Nope. No combinations of bolt-ons will get you anywhere near your goal. You'll need a bottle like Jon suggested.