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Alright, First off I wanna say I did search but couldnt find everything I wanted to know. So if anyone knows of a thread with the info. I need please post it up.
I plan on tracking the Z next spring and would like to know of what mods would be best for the track. I dont wanna go out and waste my money on parts that arent very usefel. I have an 03 track model with a nismo exhaust, jwt intake, and volk te37s. I plan on getting the motordyne spacer, stillen oil cooler, 350evo a-arms and hotchkis sway bars. Please let me know of any suggestions on what else to get or not to get.
Thanks ahead of time.
edit: also have tein springs, just realized i forgot list it.
If you are planning to do High performance track days and your first few open track sessions I wouldn't recommend anything other than good pads and brake fluids.
If we are talking about competition if you already have the experience I would read the rules VERY carefully before making any changes.
__________________
Marty Howard
Former President - Triangle Z club
Track Events Stewart and Logistics Coordinator TZC/THSCC track program
If you are planning to do High performance track days and your first few open track sessions I wouldn't recommend anything other than good pads and brake fluids.
+1
Brake pads should be your first priority and highest priority. There are plenty of hybrid street/track pads that will work for you.
Another vote here for track pads, good brake fluid AND SS lines.
The rest you can all add gradually, but it's a real bummer if you're at the track and your brakes go. You can work around other things, but brakes fading to the point where the pedal goes to the floor will spoil your session or day.
The other items on your list are good. Leave the motordyne spacer(or any power mods) for last since they will improve the car the least at the track.
If you are planning to do High performance track days and your first few open track sessions I wouldn't recommend anything other than good pads and brake fluids.
If we are talking about competition if you already have the experience I would read the rules VERY carefully before making any changes.
Thanks.. ill read through that.
I'd still like some suggestions on some suspensions parts tho.
the thing is, there are quite a few good suspension and other similar upgrades you can make but until you get the feel of the car and how it relates to your driving style and overall comfort then you could be heading down the wrong path for you personally.
So my suggestion is take the car out as is. Get a feeling on how you like the car to react and rotate. Once you know that then people can offer suggestions that meet your need better.
__________________
Marty Howard
Former President - Triangle Z club
Track Events Stewart and Logistics Coordinator TZC/THSCC track program
What's your objective? Is this a onetime thing, a DD that's also fun on the track, a quest for a race license; or maybe you've been doing this a while and you're looking for what works on the chassis?
In most cases, the biggest performance gain comes from improving the driver. Hold off on all of the fancy parts until you figure out what is needed. If you're just starting out, here's what I recommend...
1. A helmet, preferably something that hasn't been kicking around in the attic the past 10yrs.
2. A track only set of brakes.
___a. Race pads. (Carbotech or similar). I ran xp10's in the front of mine with HP+ rears. This was on 275's x4 and street pads on the rear for my own testing purposes. I recommend a "race" pad front and rear, but to which degree depends on your specific setup. You can call the guys at Carbotech and they'll work with you to get a solid package for your setup.
___b. Blank rotors. Don’t throw your money at slotted/drilled rotors, you don't need them. Check with Rock Autofor a good price on quality blanks.
___c. Premium fluid, almost all of the stuff at AutoZone will not be up to a hard track day/weekend. Invest in something with purpose, I ran ATE super blue on two events, it worked great for the two events but I'm going to move to Motul RBF to expirement.
3. Consider Track wheels/tires
___a. You're right, re-11's are nice tires, and they'll be decent for the weekend, but how long do you think they'll last? Pushing your car on a road course can noticeably reduce the amount of tread on tires, especially if you're at a hot track for the weekend. I know I certainly wouldn't want to replace those twice in one year.
___b. I now run "cheaper" all-season tires from day to day (the Z is my DD as well) and then flip to sticky track rubber for events. May sound expensive, but it's cheaper in the long run, how often you replace either set is dependent of your track/street driving habits.
4. Thoroughly inspect your vehicle.
___a. Many neglect this step, do it a couple weeks prior to the event. The club you're running with should have a set of guidelines and while they'll pre-tech, you don't want to wait until then, or the night before, to find out one of your brake lines is badly frayed. If you're not capable of doing the inspection, locate a specialty shop in the area.
5. Optional parts
___a. Consider some sort of ODBII data logging software as opposed to multiple gauges in the car, after your sessions, review your temps, a/f's, etc to figure out where your car is lacking, if anywhere.
___b. Oil Cooler. This sort of goes with the former, but with all the talk surrounding Nissan bearings and their susceptibility to heat, it could be cheap insurance.
___c. Stainless Braided Brake lines. If your lines are in bad shape, consider replacing them and upgrading in the process. This is really a personal preference, but I usually save the money until they need to be replaced.
Start here and work your way up to fancy coil-over suspensions, power increasing modifications precision alignment pieces and their critical settings. It probably sounds lame that the modifications suggested don't seem to be "high-gain" parts, but more than likely the car is faster than you are at this point and throwing a ton of parts at the car are not going to make you any faster. Right now it's really about creating a safe environment for you to learn in. Track the car and listen to what it has to say, then walk away from your weekend and see what needs attention.
I agree with all this advice thus far.
I just started tracking my car as well. Bone stock EXCEPT brake work and nice tires. Save your money on suspension for now until you learn how to drive your car.
Remember-once you get to the track, no matter how good you think you are...you're not.
What's your objective? Is this a onetime thing, a DD that's also fun on the track, a quest for a race license; or maybe you've been doing this a while and you're looking for what works on the chassis?
In most cases, the biggest performance gain comes from improving the driver. Hold off on all of the fancy parts until you figure out what is needed. If you're just starting out, here's what I recommend...
1. A helmet, preferably something that hasn't been kicking around in the attic the past 10yrs.
2. A track only set of brakes.
___a. Race pads. (Carbotech or similar). I ran xp10's in the front of mine with HP+ rears. This was on 275's x4 and street pads on the rear for my own testing purposes. I recommend a "race" pad front and rear, but to which degree depends on your specific setup. You can call the guys at Carbotech and they'll work with you to get a solid package for your setup.
___b. Blank rotors. Don’t throw your money at slotted/drilled rotors, you don't need them. Check with Rock Autofor a good price on quality blanks.
___c. Premium fluid, almost all of the stuff at AutoZone will not be up to a hard track day/weekend. Invest in something with purpose, I ran ATE super blue on two events, it worked great for the two events but I'm going to move to Motul RBF to expirement.
3. Consider Track wheels/tires
___a. You're right, re-11's are nice tires, and they'll be decent for the weekend, but how long do you think they'll last? Pushing your car on a road course can noticeably reduce the amount of tread on tires, especially if you're at a hot track for the weekend. I know I certainly wouldn't want to replace those twice in one year.
___b. I now run "cheaper" all-season tires from day to day (the Z is my DD as well) and then flip to sticky track rubber for events. May sound expensive, but it's cheaper in the long run, how often you replace either set is dependent of your track/street driving habits.
4. Thoroughly inspect your vehicle.
___a. Many neglect this step, do it a couple weeks prior to the event. The club you're running with should have a set of guidelines and while they'll pre-tech, you don't want to wait until then, or the night before, to find out one of your brake lines is badly frayed. If you're not capable of doing the inspection, locate a specialty shop in the area.
5. Optional parts
___a. Consider some sort of ODBII data logging software as opposed to multiple gauges in the car, after your sessions, review your temps, a/f's, etc to figure out where your car is lacking, if anywhere.
___b. Oil Cooler. This sort of goes with the former, but with all the talk surrounding Nissan bearings and their susceptibility to heat, it could be cheap insurance.
___c. Stainless Braided Brake lines. If your lines are in bad shape, consider replacing them and upgrading in the process. This is really a personal preference, but I usually save the money until they need to be replaced.
Start here and work your way up to fancy coil-over suspensions, power increasing modifications precision alignment pieces and their critical settings. It probably sounds lame that the modifications suggested don't seem to be "high-gain" parts, but more than likely the car is faster than you are at this point and throwing a ton of parts at the car are not going to make you any faster. Right now it's really about creating a safe environment for you to learn in. Track the car and listen to what it has to say, then walk away from your weekend and see what needs attention.
very helpful!.. and yea its my DD that I also want to be fun on the track, .. I do still have my stock track wheels with vredestein tires(%70 tread) I may use when I take it out the first time. If I get time I may get some good brake pads, ss lines and fluid soon and track it this fall... I've been pretty anxious to get out there and see what its like. I just would really like to know more about some suspenions parts and they're settings (what you're running).. I know even after I go to the track Im still going to have the same questions, I just rather be educated before I go out and do it lol.
Need HELP with track modifications.
