Holy

Recently ive had a few ideas run through my mind so i searched the forum for help but unfortunately was unsuccesful. Just wondering if anyone out there hadnt made a post but might still have some input?

1) Squaring tires but using narrower wheels. I know a common finding in the z was squaring off the tires to around a 285 front and rear width to help eliminate understeer on the car. I was just wondering if using say a 255 on all corners with a low offset would yield the same rewards while eliminating tire cost? Are there any negative effects you noticed outside of tire spin on launch and less overall grip?

2) Cages. Does anybody know of or have a pre-made/custom cage that would allow for SCCA and NASA use without forcing either driver or passenger seat forward? What setup do you have and do you have any pictures or measuremants?

3)Manual windows and door cards. Been having the idea to run door cards with manual windows to save weight (if any) and update materials. Has anybody done this and saved weight?


Im sorry if any have been posted that i hadnt seen, just looking for some help!

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

1. It's been done and 245/40 and 255/40 are both common sizes. The weight of the car causes the tire to overheat and wear faster, sure it's cheaper but you destroy the tire faster.

2. Nope, but the Kirk one didn't move the pass seat that far forward.

3.a few people fun door cards , but no manual conversions have been done yet

fflipski

1. I run 265/40 square on mine. It is probably overkill to go 285 on all 4. 265/40 already provide plenty of traction. wider tires makes the car bumpsteer a lot. which is bad for the street but great for smooth tracks.
2. I run the kirk bolt-on rollbar which pushes the passenger seat forward by 5 inches to clear the diagonal brace. to prevent to push the seats forward, you'll need extensive fabrication and complete removal of the speaker "tunnel".
3. if you are running a cage ( not a roll bar), you could eliminate all the metal inside the door. Since the cage will provide side impact protection. Those doors are heavy even without the glass and all. carbon fiber doors or just skinned out doors will save you the most weight. as far as manual goes, I've never seen a kit. If you are looking for weight savings, just remove the window glass altogether. ( unless it is still a street car and if this is the case, keep the motor in, the weight saving is minimal )

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

To answer your questions, it might be helpful to look at the photos Mic posted in this thread:

https://my350z.com/forum/northern-ca...21-2018-a.html

He has some detailed photos of my custom cage installation, wheels and stripped door. But to answer your questions, let's start with wanting to "eliminate understeer on the car". Going with a square setup will not eliminate understeer by itself. Suspension and swaybar settings are the more critical element in varying the amount of understeer on the Z33. As others have said, going to a smaller wheel/tire combo won't necessarily balance the Z, and the inherent weight will work against you as well. I can go through a set of 245-40-18 BFGoodrich R1-S tires in a single weekend of SCCA T3 racing, as that is the maximum tire size allowed under SCCA rules for that class.

Roll cages: depending on who is designing/fabricating one for you, it's a good idea to have a custom seat installation done at the same time. This ensures the racing harnesses are installed properly for SCCA/NASA use and at the proper angles for safety. My Momo race seat is set back as far back as the OEM seat and mounted lower to provide more helmet-to-roof clearance. If you want to come to Colorado, I can direct you to the same fab shop I use. Otherwise, measurements and other details won't do much good.

Doors: there's really no good compromise with the inner door panels. Either you remove them, pull the glass and power door mechanism or you leave them as is. From the nature of your questions, it seems you might be trying to adapt your Z for both street and track use. That won't be an easy compromise to make, but if I HAD to attempt such a feat, stripping the doors (and extending the mandated side impact roll bars into the doors) would be a better solution. You could then fabricate
clear lexan side windows to fit the openings and keep out the weather when not at the track.

Holy

From the nature of your questions, it seems you might be trying to adapt your Z for both street and track use. That won't be an easy compromise to make[QUOTE]

Unfortunately thats exactly what im trying to do😅 im from Az and ive always wanted to visit pikes peak so the colorado trip isnt conpletely out. On the other hand i live about 5 minutes from Vivid Racing so i might just stop there and ask a few questions.

The cage and window questions are really just being spitballed for now. I have nismo #1502 that i got for an insanely good deal a while back and i know that adding a cage will severely dampen the value of the car even if i could get one custom made to keep it 100% daily-able. Same goes for window motors or really any major changes. I would however like to swap the plastic interior out when it finally starts giving out (it really is still imacculate) and stitching in some leather and alcantara.

For the tires at least, im not stripping the weight out any time soon and really only use it for occasional canyon carving so my hope is tire wear wont be THAT big an issue. On the other hand the division/class tire permission is something i overlooked and i should really should do research on where id want it to "compete" in if i finally do lose my marbles and race the thing.

No sway bars on the car yet either but theyre on the way! Im trying to keep the suspension in as good a shape as possible so im thinking of upgrading/swapping to either ohlins road and track or KW clubsports. Just like ill be keeping every stock part i replace on the chance i get bored of not tearing it everything apart.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Owning a NISMO 350Z means you should try to preserve its value. If you get serious about motorsports, why not search for another Z you can modify to whatever sanctioning body rules you decide to go with. You can still do track days and time trials in the NISMO while you study and plan. It would be a shame to tear up the NISMO since they're surely the most collectible Z33s out there.

Holy

100% agree with you! But if im picking up another car for motorsport i also dont think itll be a Z. No offense, just always kinda wanted something rear-mid engined for motorsport. Also think this may just be the car that i keep for the long haul so why not make it mine? I dunno, still just figuring the car out in my mind. I do know i at least want to swap out wheels/tires, suspension, maybe a catback, and some electronics.

djnekkon

thank you Dave. was looking for this post...finally see it again.