johnc

David, I don't know the rear suspension of the ZX very well (swing axle right?) Is the installed height of the spring constrained by the maximum extended length of the shocks? If so, is it by the 1/2" difference you mention in your previous posts? [Edit: Ooops. I meant semi-trailing arm. Swing axles were on old Triumphs and Bugs)

Nissan Comp used to sell magnafluxed, shot peened, and polished 280Z stub axles. Been NLA for a long time. Don Potter used to do the same + cryo treat to a matched set of stub axles and companion flanges. $1,000 a set. He was pretty sick a couple years ago and I haven't heard anything from him. New 280Z stub axles were available until early last year. NLA now. Luckily I bought the last 4 Courtesy Nissan had! BTW... I think I know where there's two cases of the Nissan Comp stub axles, but I haven't actually seen them. When I do, they will be my little secret! Regarding the Virginia City Hill Climb - been there with Hayashi and Mello a few times. Personally I think there's a 1,000% greater chance of going over the edge from a driving mistake then from a mechanical. These Nissan parts are plenty strong enough, but as with ANY car used in racing you HAVE to check and inspect regularly.

Horsepower is not the issue, lateral loads are. The 240Z (and 280Z) stub axles do fail after a number of years road racing. The failure rate varies but most ITS racers I know remove and magnaflux or replace the stub axles yearly. That's with about 25 hours of track time per year. Front spindles are also checked at the same interval. BTW... the parts you mention will also fail under hard track use and should be inspected at least annually. There's no such thing as a "Build and forget" race car.

Take them to a shop with a 20 ton press, pay them $20 and your problem is solved.

You'll need a hood scoop.

Go with the Koni doubles on this car.

Regarding the 275/40-17 tires from a handling perspective... When you get below a 50 series tire on a 240Z (or any car really) you are transferring some of the compliance requirements that the tire took care of (from the sidewalls) to the shock absorbers. Some of this is from the stiffer sidewalls and some from the increased air pressures. A common autocross tire size (265/45-16 or 275/45-16) for the Z really needs a set of double adjustable shocks to make them work better then a set of 225/50-15s. I've seen back to back tests that prove this. Without a more compliant shock package a 45, 40, 35, or 30 series tire will tend to skate across small bumps. In addition, you need to reduce stiction and weight throughout the suspension to allow the shocks to work. Think supple, not stiff.

> Real east coast SAE calibrated 203. Tell Jim congratulations. Looks like the Z will be competitive for another 5 years.

The propensity to consume oil in this situation would have more to do with the condition of the valve seals and guides then compression ratio.

You'll need to do a bunch of suspension work to get the most out of those tires. Until then, size doesn't matter...

Well... now I'm confused. Maybe your assumption is correct. I'll have to look at some pictures and think about this.

The spacer goes with the hub. If you get a strut/hub assembly without a spacer then you have to get examples of each (they are stamped "A", "B", or "C") and try each one. The most common spacer is the "B" one, in fact, I've never seen an "A" or "C" after disassembling a number of stub axles. You can also shave down the spacer if its too tight at 200 ft. lbs. Shave a couple thousandths off and retorque. Keep doing this until the stub axle turn easily (but doesn't spin.) Not sure if everything is OK at 175 ft. lbs. but if the dealer puts all that in writing, its their ass if it fails prematurely.

> Those are the new Panasports Penusports. And I wouldn't want to be seen polishing them.

No, the two I have are built up in rebuilt R180s with 3.70 and 4.11 gears. I'm still looking for a 115mm 3.90 ring and pinion to finish out my gearing choices.

Chet Typical ITS 240Z pullling +1G and close to 200hp.

CVs on an R180 will probably only add weight - 50% of it is unsprung too.

Most of the DOT-R tires are designed to heat up quickly and to take heat well. Temps need to be 180 to 200 for them to work their best (especially the Hoosiers.) Street tires are designed to shed heat and to stay cooler. A street tire with temps over 160 is not very sticky. Although I have no objective measurements I did run my Contour SVT on BFG KDWS and Proxes RA1s and the Toyos were significantly stickier regardless of tire, road, or air temperatures.

Spend the money.

If you're willing to give up the passenger seat and build a dog house over that area its very easy to build an 8 into 1 header/exhaust system. TransAm cars have ben running this system for at least 10 years. The real trick on a Z will be routing the 5" diameter exhaust pipe out the back...

Pete, Toyo Proxes RA1s at full tread depth should get you 5K on the street. Ran a set on my Contour SVT and got 8K out of them. The only tires better are the Hoosier S03s and the Kumho V700s (and the Ecsta 700).

SCCA's Improved Touring class requires stock engine, stock engine internals, stock carburator and intake, etc. The 2.4L L6 engines built by Jim Thompson at Sunbelt are very, very close to 200 real crank horsepower. Or, Keith, has he hit the 200 mark?

Aux, Do one or the other modification, not both. Relocating the control arm pivot is the better choice.

> Lack of standards = more accurate? Or was that a typo. Lack of standards not = more accurate. I guess that paragraph was a bit obtuse.

OK, the casting didn't fail, the strut tube partially collapsed. If you peer down inside the strut tube with a bright flashlight you should see a bend in the tube wall down by the casting. I've seen that failure mode fairly often. Throw the part away or save it for later use when you go to install Penske racing shocks...

If the lug nuts were the older mag wheel style with the shank that fits into the hole on the wheel, you should be fine. You have to run those with a steel washer. BTW... you might have to do some grinding on the c-clamp's forged end to get it to fit on the back side of the hubs. I seem to recall doing that, but my modified c-clamp "walked away" from the race trailer a couple years ago so I can't go and check.