260DET Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 THAT!!!!!!! is what a well-flared 240Z looks like!!!!!!! Agree, thats the best I've ever seen. Note the front air dam (with a splitter) and how it smoothly blends in with the flares, very nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garvice Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I hadn't even noticed it was flared until you brought it up. Very nice execution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I hadn't even noticed it was flared until you brought it up. Very nice execution. Same here, and that's what made me fall in love with it. Say hello to my new wallpaper. If any more pics of this car get posted, they're getting framed and put up in my garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 All the flares that are in style nowadays are the bolt-on, color contrasting ones.. and I have NEVER liked it. IMHO, a Z-car should have 15" rims, a tire with a bit of sidewall, and molded, body color flares. Now we have these black bolt-ons, because everyone and their brother is running 17 or 18" rims, and consequently performance tires are getting hard to find in lower sizes, and now even S30 Z cars are almost all on 17 or 18 inch wheels (eventually; I know alot of us are still locked out of the nice rums by budgetary constraint.) My guess is, theyve got these huge wheels, and tiny tiny low profile tires, so they need extra black in the fenderwell area to make the car look more proportionate. Give me those flares, and a set of 8-9" wide, properly offset Panasports in 15 or 16 inch till the day I DIE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurcher Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Well enjoy your small dia. brake rotors then. Eventually 17" & 18" tires will be cheaper than the equivalent 15/16" tires I'll be going 17" rims so I can fit 330mm rotors in comfortably. They just look better - if everyone else is doing it, there must be merit in using the larger sizes, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 IMHO, a Z-car should have 15" rims, a tire with a bit of sidewall, and molded, body color flares. Now we have these black bolt-ons, because everyone and their brother is running 17 or 18" rims. Give me those flares, and a set of 8-9" wide, properly offset Panasports in 15 or 16 inch till the day I DIE. Edited.... Daeron, I totally agree. Even 17s don't look right on an S30, never mind 18s. Too much rim, and not enough rubber. Also, unless they are forged, big rims mean big weight. Small rims have less unsprung weight (rubber is lighter than cast aluminum, right?). As far as ZG flares, I also agree, contrasting colors between the body and flares just makes them stand out too much. I do like the look of when they are painted to match the car: Well enjoy your small dia. brake rotors then.Eventually 17" & 18" tires will be cheaper than the equivalent 15/16" tires I'll be going 17" rims so I can fit 330mm rotors in comfortably. They just look better - if everyone else is doing it, there must be merit in using the larger sizes, no? Unless you have huge HP, and are road racing, you don't need giant brakes. Now if you are going for the big wheel / big brake "Look", then your on the right track. What is more important is a well balanced brake system, not one that is the biggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_Tim Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Well enjoy your small dia. brake rotors then.Eventually 17" & 18" tires will be cheaper than the equivalent 15/16" tires I'll be going 17" rims so I can fit 330mm rotors in comfortably. They just look better - if everyone else is doing it, there must be merit in using the larger sizes, no? Enjoy your 25% increase in unsprung weight I can fit all the brake a zcar will ever need under a 15 inch wheel and come away lighter on each corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 In my street legal turbo 240Z that get's frequent track use I have a 12" Wilwood setup with 15" wheels. This is way overkill BTW: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i-drift Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 i made my own thread for those wanting to see more pics of mine, I didn't wanna hijack this thread. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=975408#post975408 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 i made my own thread for those wanting to see more pics of mine, I didn't wanna hijack this thread.http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=975408#post975408 So THAT's what an orgasm feels like. It all makes sense now. I um... want that car. Now, as far as brakes/wheels/tires go, I'd go with 15's if I could find 315-series tires. Unfortunately, 255 is the best I can find on any reasonable sort of budget (275 is available, but expensive). I'd really like 275 fronts on 15's and 315 rears on 15's. Obviously, overkill brakes fit inside 15" wheels as long as the wheels are properly manufactured with real brakes in mind, and 17's just look too ... tall, I guess is the word I'm looking for. I don't like them, really. The problem always comes back to available tire sizes. I think for awhile, I'll just be running 8" wides with cheap $75/corner (new) tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Well enjoy your small dia. brake rotors then.Eventually 17" & 18" tires will be cheaper than the equivalent 15/16" tires I'll be going 17" rims so I can fit 330mm rotors in comfortably. They just look better - if everyone else is doing it, there must be merit in using the larger sizes, no? Everyone is not doing it and with good reason. Its a '70's car not a current model which is designed and styled to have bigger wheels. All the race Zeds I know have 15" wheels, except one which has 16" to accomodate big brakes, wide tyres and 500whp. I have yet to see a S30 with 17" wheels that looks good, particularly because most of them don't have wide rims. Oh dear, this is way off topic, stop right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I totally agree. Even 17s don't look right on an S30, never mind 18s. Too much rim, and not enough rubber. Also, unless they are forged, big rims mean big weight. Small rims have less unsprung weight (rubber is lighter than cast aluminum, right?). As far as ZG flares, I also agree, contrasting colors between the body and flares just makes them stand out too much. I do like the look of when they are painted to match the car... Go look at tire weights and wheel weights. It's pretty easy to get a tire that is heavier than the rim, especially if you spend a few bucks on rims. For instance, you can find a 15 x 8 that weighs 10 lbs relatively easily. Hoosier A6 in 225/45/15 is 20 lbs according to Tire Rack: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Hoosier&model=A6&tirePageLocQty= That said, the edge of the rim from the drop center out is really the heavy part, so the further you have it out towards the tread, the higher the PMOI. If you have a choice between a 15" rim and a 17" rim you might be able to get the same weight and diameter for the rim/tire combo, but I think the 17 is going to have a longer lever on the wheel and is going to be harder to accelerate and decelerate. Unless you have huge HP, and are road racing, you don't need giant brakes. Now if you are going for the big wheel / big brake "Look", then your on the right track. What is more important is a well balanced brake system, not one that is the biggest. Coffey put down some scary fast lap times and I think his brakes would have fit inside 14's, given the right 14's. I think he had 11.5" front rotors. What it really boils down to is not now much hp you have but how much weight you have and how much momentum you can carry through the corners. More momentum = more speed at the end of the straight which necessitates larger brakes over a period of time, and more weight exacerbates the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 So Ash, have you had your car on the track yet? Dave PS. Thanks for the fuel filler cap many eons ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Yikes, sorry for the derail!!!! I'm glad to see I am not alone in my feelings, though. My dad, brother (Cobra_Tim up there) and I have had this discussion a few times lately. Eventually 17" & 18" tires will be cheaper than the equivalent 15/16" tires Eventually?? You can hardly FIND 215/60/14s anymore except for top-notch racing tires... because there is still a market for performance tires in that size, just, only at the highest price levels. 15s are getting scarcer every day; my dad just went and put 17s on his '98 323is because he can't find decent tires for the 15s his car came with anymore... and the 17s are only a few bucks more than the 15s he is unhappy with. and then.... ....if everyone else is doing it, there must be merit in using the larger sizes, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurcher Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Hahaha... That stired the pot nicely Dave, not yet. Some time soon though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Coffey put down some scary fast lap times and I think his brakes would have fit inside 14's, given the right 14's. I think he had 11.5" front rotors. What it really boils down to is not now much hp you have but how much weight you have and how much momentum you can carry through the corners. More momentum = more speed at the end of the straight which necessitates larger brakes over a period of time, and more weight exacerbates the problem. Exactly. The 240Z that I time trial race is setup with this goal in mind. 180WHP, a stiff chassis, and a good suspension setup. I turn faster lap times in this car than my 300WHP turbo car with a lesser setup. The better you become as a driver, the less you rely on the brakes, and the more you rely on the chassis setup. To be honest, it takes a lot more skill to make a car go fast in the turns than on the straight (anyone can step on the accelerator ). Ever been on a track with a talented driver in a spec or prepared Miata? Get ready to be humbled. Many racers still use 14" wheels. I use 15" with 225-50ZR15 Hoosiers, Kumho, Toyo. Dan Baldwin usually turns FTF (fastest time with fenders) with 14s and stock brakes. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.