I need opinions!!!!!

[Darius]

Ok here's my problem, I would like to get my car to hook up, not like a drag car but not laying rubber at 80mph either. I would like to retain the stock look of the Z if I could.I like the flair kits but I spent a long time fitting new rear 1/4 panels and chopping them up again would kill me!! I think the best setup would be a independent rear like a jag so I could go in with the rims and not out, kinda like Brian Feldmans yellow rotary 510, I like that look!! Then again I have a r230 rear with tubular control arms cut struts camber plates coil overs willwood disk's sway bar etc..lot of $$$ already invested. The cheapest thing for me to do is run the car exactly how I had it, go fast from 80 up, but until 80 I dont hook up, and it is kinda dangerous trying to countersteer at that speed, what should I do??

 

#1 remove the blower and just run the motor, probably have 450hp, should hook up a lot better.

 

#2 Keep the blower and tub the car for a 4 link or a jag or rearend or that type and put some big meats under the fender's

 

#3 Keep the blower and the rear suspension and fit a big flair kit like the yz flair to get some wider tires

 

#4 **** it lay rubber everywhere I go!

[Tim240z]

#4 **** it lay rubber everywhere I go!

 

Like you said, you have a bunch of $$$ invested in the rear already, so the decision is going to be a financial one more than anything. With the amount of power you are putting down, do you think that wider tires (within reason) would make a lot of difference, unless of course you plan on going 14inch wide, which may ruin the look that you are trying to stay with.

How about running some stickier tires?

Or just go with option #1 and donate the blower setup to a good cause ( )

 

Tim

[z ya]

Man, I would not flair your car . It just looks so sweet! First, I would switch to 555r yoko Drag radials in the 245/45/17 size. This will still fit,give you a little more height/and be a bit stickier. Then I would turn the boost down to a more streetable 10 psi. Should hook better and motor will live longer. Also lower the spring rate on the rear so that the car squats a little more for better weight transfer. I think theses small changes will make a big difference.

 

z ya

[Mikelly]

Darius, How wide is your current wheel on the rear??? Like others said, If fender flares aren't your liking, You may want to look at some other options... I might be able to make you some Shorter custom rear control arms that would move things inboard, but would require you to shorten your axles possibly. You could also MOVE the collar on your coil over setup Higher and run an 8 inch spring if your tires are hitting the spring perch... That would get you half in extra... My 383 stroker wasn't making its full 500+ HP potential and I didn't have too bad a traction problem. However, I'd try keeping your R1 beeting combo and putting wider rubber under the fender with your current setup... There has to be a way... Contact me off line..

Mike

[jeromio]

I think moving to a short spring ala PeteParaska is a good start. Also, if you are willing to repaint those fenders, a good body man could massage that rear sheet metal to give you an extra 1/2 to 1 inch. Just by rolling the lip you should gain 1/4 to 3/8 inch. An experienced guy can heat and hammer that metal just so, get it to move out but retain the lines and match up on both sides. Find a hot rod shop - lots of those in Cali.

 

My long term goal is to do some subtle mods to the rear fenders. Cut sections, bend out slightly, fill in with little triangles of 18ga sheet and stitch weld, then fill with lead (or bondo). All I want is like another inch of room for 9 inch, 20mm offset rims with 255 tires. Mostly I think this'll be easier (for me) than bonding fiberglass to metal.

 

(It's all just burrito in the sky talk right now since I ain't gots no time or money for the next 2-3 years.... )

 

[edit, spelling - ahot dor shop???]

[Darius]

rims are 17x8 and I was running 235-40-17 yokahama avs which I know are junk, I dont think I could fit a 245 wihtout raising the rear, man when I had a stock lt1 with 300hp the car was perfect. even if I shorten the control arms the inside fender is only so big, and yes I have flatened the inner lip of the fender. I just thought it would be cool to have some big ass tires in the fenders but I dont want to spend the $$ and have to hack up the rear to fit a new IRS. I think even if I lowered the boost the car will still get crazy, many times I have been in 4th gear and almost lost it, when it's cold out at night the thing would get crazy. I have had people ride in the car that have never been in fast car and watch thier face turn white in fear, I think I even still have some fingernail marks in my dashboard

[Tim240z]

I have had people ride in the car that have never been in fast car and watch thier face turn white in fear, I think I even still have some fingernail marks in my dashboard [smile]

ROTFLMAO

 

Tim

[Mikelly]

Well I'm pretty sure you could squeeze a 275 under there, and yea those AVS Intermediates, although a good choice for lower HP cars, are no match for your HP... You'll have to spend the money on good tires... Just like Bikes man, good bikes/ Cars are onl,y as good as the rubber they roll on! Might try playing with different wheel offsets... A stock 2000 Mustang 8 inch wheel fits within the wheel well on the 76Z in my garage with a 245-40-17 on it and I have about an inch between the sidewall and the strut tube... Pretty sure the 9 inch wheels would fit well unde there with at least a 255-40-17 and maybe wider... I'll have to pull one of the 275-40s off the wife's Mustang (Formerly on the white Z with flares) and see what the fender clearance is with a minimal spacer...

 

Mike

[pparaska]

I agree - the fender well becomes the limit soon after you move the strut inboard or use coilovers. I have less than an inch clearance between my inside sidwall and the inner fender. I'm running 8" 2.5" ID coilovers with the perch and spring up high, but that's the limiting part. This just barely allows a 255/45-17 tire on a 17x9 rim (see my page for details) under a stock, rolled fender lip.

 

Although I have way less HP, I still have traction problems. Much due to 1 degree negative camber (need to fix that) and old, hard tires.

 

Have you tried optimizing the camber? 0 degree? Maybe a bit positive static, so it goes to 0 degrees under squat?

 

Also spring rate as someone mentioned is important. It seems that the guys turning low 60' times run like 170 lb/in springs in the rear. But that'll bring on a good bit of squat, and negative camber under squat.

 

Tires are a big factor. I'm thinking of running Potenza S03s ore Kuhmo Victoracers, etc. Buying tires every 3-5000 miles may be expensive, but so is a C4 vette or solid axle conversion.

[SBC_400]

I think you could still do alot for traction with a better tire set up, and some suspension adjustments. weight tranfer is a big part of traction, as well as tire give. a softer compund and perhaps even a softer side wall, or maby a taller side wall. it looks good with the rubberbands on the 17's, but those are better for lateral traction, as found in a turn, but not so good for acceleration. If you went to a 16" wheel you might be able to squeeze a bit wider and taller side wall tire in the stock fender. just keep tweeking, I like the stock sleeper look

[Phantom]

I know this may sound a bit nuts but why not change your differential gearing? You've got more torque & HP than the car can handle at lower speeds so lower the numbers in the differential and reduce the number of shifts you'll be making. It'll also reduce wear & tear on the engine & tranny at cruise speeds. I know Lone Star 1 is running a 3.36:1 LSD R200 in his 300 RWHP 240Z and he could probably go even a bit lower numerically. I'm half figuring now that I'll be starting in second on my T-56 with the 3.70:1 LSD.

[Guest Z-rific]

With that kind of power, I'm not sure how much an extra inch of tire is going to help. But I guess every little bit helps.

 

I hate to say it, but if I were you, I'd hack up those fenders and put some flares on. I kinda prefer Z's flared out. Maybe with some high dollar 265's, you will hook up better.

 

Also, try removing about 5 ounces of lead from your right foot.

 

By the way, really dig your car.

[pparaska]

Agreed on th 17s. I'd go to 16s if I were to do it again, to get more sidewall for "drag" type use, or just to have for stomping on the pedal.

 

I'm thinking of 555 Nitto Extreme Drag Radials too. I've heard they can actually be used to good effect for curves as well.

[Guest JAMIE T]

Why not keep what you've got and get some rubber back there that will handle the HP? How about some Yokahama A032R's? Some guys even like the Nitto drag radials for the rear of there road race cars. Better yet some BFG Drag Radials for straight line traction. I've seen stock suspension Zcars run well into the 10's on DR's. Those cars can hook up on a wet bathroom floor.

[zero]

well definately go with some stickier tires. beyond that, if your willing to give up some of the cornering ability in favor of more squat and a better launch, along with a softer ride, go with a slightly taller sidewall, softer springs, and zero or positive camber. Also higher gearing wouldnt hurt either, and it would get some of the mileage you lost to the supercharger back.

 

What springs are you running, because in your videos you seem to have absolutely no squat, and considering youve got 500+ hp thats scary.

 

How fast have you gotten your Z up to, you say its fast above 80 but im curious how fast youve been, cause the Z isnt known for its high speed stability.

 

Your Z is beautiful, and was the deciding factor between me looking for a 240z or a newer car. I was on the wire for a couple years and as soon as a saw your videos on taner.net i was sold. I also know of many people who have converted to Zism because of you. so basically im saying good job.

[Z-Dreamer]

I just scoped out the Nitto web site and you can get NT-555R Extreme Drag Radials in a 275/60R15 and 275/50R15's! They are reported to work well on both wet and dry surfaces. Hm, 15X8 wheels with the right off-set and 8" coil-overs might do the trick? I know that Centerline will make a 15X8 4 lug wheel with custom off-sets. I will have the same problem as Darius with my Z.

 

Mark

[DavyZ]

As I stated in my email, I have to agree with Jeromio about getting a custom shop to 'massage' the fender metal outward---I almost think this would be your best bet since it won't kill the lines of the car, and still give you at leat one extra inch of genuine clearance. Combine that with a few of the other tricks mentioned and I think you'll be in business.

 

Must suck having 500 hp on tap...I can only imagine

 

Davy

[cyrus]

Hold on...The reason the car will not hook your power is because IRS does not provide anti-squat, which is shoving the wheels into the ground when you accelerate.

 

In order to hook properly a 9" Ford with a four link would work wonderfully.

 

If you are not will to do that you should optimize what you have with

 

1 soft tires

2 wide tire

3 small rim dia. with tall side walls to reduce shock loads

4 more rear weight

5 soft springs

 

As far as hooking up, we have a 10.84@126 with a 415 that use the above, but it is still scary to drive. As far as wide tires, my 93 vette with 285's with 9.5" rims does not hook up with only 300 hp.

 

decisions, decisions....

[Mike C]

Wow. Lots of ideas. I concur with everyone saying don't do flares! Ruins the look of a Z IMO. I would look into the 275 50 15 BFG Drag Radial. The 255 should fit easily, but with proper wheel offset I think you can do the 275. I know it is a 15" rim, but will keep a reasonable height and amount of sidewall. I can't remember if your car has coilovers or not, but the 2+2 spring ala JTR or the short coilover like Pete has is a good place to start. I would not decrease gearing, if anything increase it. This may multiply torque more, but you get significantly better throttle modulation with the higher numeric gear. With 4.10 and tire spin, backing off the throttle will slow the tires and let you keep it right at the point of spin. Once they break loose with 3.36, you're done. I do not like the 'vette or jag solution as they both use the half shaft as a locator link and if it breaks you may lose control of the car. Those two cars are why IRS is not NHRA legal in fast cars. Bottom line is with any type of tire on the street, with over 500 lb ft you WILL have traction problems, but you should be able to at least be able to control it better. You will be able to hook HARD at the strip with the Drag Radial, but they are short lived and not so hot in the rain. That may wind up being a strip only combo and you running a 16" or 17" wheel on the street, but larger, softer (read more expensive) tires will help significantly. At least two cars on the board were running in the 9's with mostly stock Nissan IRS.

[Mikelly]

True, My wifes 95 Mustang GT making about 275HP is killing the Bridgestone 275-40-17 RE730s on the rear of it in first and second and hitting hard in 3rd And it weighs A LOT more than my Zs Do... Not sure there is much of a solution for this issue, but better & wider tire and wheel combos won't hurt to start with...

 

Mike