2003 350Z NASA SE TT2 / Global Time Attack Build By SOHO Motorsports
02-17-2015, 12:22 PM
#1
2003 350Z NASA SE TT2 / Global Time Attack Build By SOHO Motorsports
During the later part of 2012 Matt brought his lightly modified Nissan 350Z to SOHO Motorsports for upgrades as he had done a few autocross events and wanted to take it to the road course circuit. Upon arriving, he had the following modifications:
- BC BR Coilovers
- FI Test Pipes and Dual Exit Exhaust
- 18" Volk TE37s w/ Toyo R888s
- 4 Point Roll Cage
A few modification were completed that year that included the following:
-Extending the rollcage to a 6 point
-Sparco Steering Wheel, Sparco Evo 2 Passenger Seat & Evo 3 Driver's Seat
-Weight Reduction
-Defi Oil Temperature Gauge, Oil Pressure Gauge and Innovate LC1 Air Fuel Gauge incorporated in OEM stock location.
- 4.08 Rear Gear
In 2013, Matt did not participate in any road course events and decided to pick his car up from SOHO Motorsports. Fast forward to the early part of 2014, when we received a call from Matt in regards to his 350Z and how he wanted to turn it into a full time track vehicle.
With a focus on running in the NASA Southeast TT2 class and Limited Class in Global Time Attack, we discussed the necessary modifications that would be needed to be eligible and competitive in both classes.
The first set of modifications included the following:
- SOHO Motorsports Single Turbo Kit
- SOHO Motorsports Single Exit Catback Exhaust
- Fire Suppression System & Kill Switch
- Nismo V3 Bumper
- Z1 Headers
- SOHO Motorsports Motor Mounts
- Aeromotions R2 Static Spoiler
- Tubed Front End w/ custom ducting
- Pathfinder Coolant Mod
- Custom Coolant Reservoir, Power Steering & Catch Can
- Switching back to the stock final drive gear
- Corner Balance & alignment
With the first set of modifications completed and the vehicle putting down great power with the 7 psi wastegate spring on the SOHO Motorsports Single turbo kit, the first shakedown event was NASA Southeast @ Road Atlanta June 2014.
The additional power was great in the straights, but with the additional power came extra braking that was needed. The Hawk pads that were on the vehicle were not enough to stop the 350Z and with the additional stress on the brake pads, it lead to brake fade and higher temps form the brake system. The oil temperatures started to increase to temperatures that we did not feel comfortable with during an outing as well but the shakedown event provided us with very hot weather which allowed us to find our next weak point in this build.
Second Set of Modificaitons:
- Brake & Oil Cooler Ducts
- Front Splitter
- Fuel Cell & Return Fuel System
- Braille Battery w/ Battery Box
- Cosworth Intake Manifold
- Carbotech Brake Pads w/ Motul RBF 600 Fluid
- Corner Balance & alignment
With the addition of the Cosworth manifold and the fuel return system we returned back to the dyno to get the vehicle re-tuned as we were able to pick up some more horsepower at the same boost level.
The next event was NASA SE @ CMP in July 2014.
The Carbotech brake pads did great along with the additional cooling ducts to the front rotors and oil cooler. According to Matt "there was very little brake fade and when the brakes needed to be applied they were always there." The temperature at the track was very close to what we experienced at road atlanta the month before. Once we were confident that the brakes and oil temperature issues had been resolved we starting to make suspension adjustments to the BC coilovers as we were able to pick up 5 seconds from the start of the weekend to the end of the weekend, leaving us with a time of 1:51.
The next event that Matt was planning on attending was Road Atlanta in August 2014 for NASA SE, with no scheduled modifications between now and the following event. Road Atlanta would be his first time trials event that he would be competing in, the Friday leading to the weekend was a day that Matt could get as many practice laps in as he wanted. On Friday, 50 laps were logged as the times kept getting quicker and quicker, leading into the second to last session, where the vehicle went off track and made contact with one of the inner walls. There was damage made to the drivers side fender, door, front bumper and the alignment.
The crew worked very hard for a few hours and were able to get the vehicle back together and aligned.
With his first time trials event the next day, Matt was able to lay down the fastest lap of the day for TT2, which was 1:42.6 and take home first place, leading to a successful weekend and more modifications to come once the vehicle came back to SOHO Motorsports.
Third Set of Modifications:
- SPL Solid Bushings, Tie Rod Ends and endlinks
- B & M Short Shifter
- Repair damages & incorporate air duct into damaged headlight
- Aerodynamic undertray
- Wrap Vehicle Matte Orange
*SPL Parts jumped on board as one of the sponsors for Matt's build at this time*
The addition of the air duct was significant as we were able to pick up 30 rwhp and 14 ft-lbs of torque at the same boost setting!
The next event on the schedule was NASA SE @ VIR on October 2014, where Matt would be able to test out the newest additions to his vehicle and provide feedback.
VIR was a great track day as we realized that the BC coilovers maximum potential was finally reached and now it was time to upgrade to a more versatile coilover setup. With one more event left in the year, we knew it would be a perfect test to prepare us for the following season, so we chose to contact KW coilovers and have a custom race coilover setup built and shipped to us just in time to test them in december 2014.
Fourth Set of Modifications:
- KW Coilovers (Two Way Adjustable Race)
- Corner Balance & Alignment
*KW Coilovers jumped on board as a sponsor in this build at this time*
Matt's response to the new coilover setup: "The vehicle is much more stable, planted and does not want to pitch forward upon braking, i can not wait to have these coilovers dialed in to their full potential!"
With the first event of the 2015 season coming up for Matt for NASA SE @ Road Atlanta, there will be some large modifications in store!
Fifth set of modifications:
- Transmission & Differential Coolers
- Front Fender Modifications (Aerodynamics)
- Front Canards
- Rear Diffuser
- Rear Lexan window w/ ducts incorprated for coolers & rear brakes
*Stay tuned for updated photos*
Be sure to visit www.sohomotorsports.com or contact us via phone or email (info@sohomotorsports.com)
- BC BR Coilovers
- FI Test Pipes and Dual Exit Exhaust
- 18" Volk TE37s w/ Toyo R888s
- 4 Point Roll Cage
A few modification were completed that year that included the following:
-Extending the rollcage to a 6 point
-Sparco Steering Wheel, Sparco Evo 2 Passenger Seat & Evo 3 Driver's Seat
-Weight Reduction
-Defi Oil Temperature Gauge, Oil Pressure Gauge and Innovate LC1 Air Fuel Gauge incorporated in OEM stock location.
- 4.08 Rear Gear
In 2013, Matt did not participate in any road course events and decided to pick his car up from SOHO Motorsports. Fast forward to the early part of 2014, when we received a call from Matt in regards to his 350Z and how he wanted to turn it into a full time track vehicle.
With a focus on running in the NASA Southeast TT2 class and Limited Class in Global Time Attack, we discussed the necessary modifications that would be needed to be eligible and competitive in both classes.
The first set of modifications included the following:
- SOHO Motorsports Single Turbo Kit
- SOHO Motorsports Single Exit Catback Exhaust
- Fire Suppression System & Kill Switch
- Nismo V3 Bumper
- Z1 Headers
- SOHO Motorsports Motor Mounts
- Aeromotions R2 Static Spoiler
- Tubed Front End w/ custom ducting
- Pathfinder Coolant Mod
- Custom Coolant Reservoir, Power Steering & Catch Can
- Switching back to the stock final drive gear
- Corner Balance & alignment
With the first set of modifications completed and the vehicle putting down great power with the 7 psi wastegate spring on the SOHO Motorsports Single turbo kit, the first shakedown event was NASA Southeast @ Road Atlanta June 2014.
The additional power was great in the straights, but with the additional power came extra braking that was needed. The Hawk pads that were on the vehicle were not enough to stop the 350Z and with the additional stress on the brake pads, it lead to brake fade and higher temps form the brake system. The oil temperatures started to increase to temperatures that we did not feel comfortable with during an outing as well but the shakedown event provided us with very hot weather which allowed us to find our next weak point in this build.
Second Set of Modificaitons:
- Brake & Oil Cooler Ducts
- Front Splitter
- Fuel Cell & Return Fuel System
- Braille Battery w/ Battery Box
- Cosworth Intake Manifold
- Carbotech Brake Pads w/ Motul RBF 600 Fluid
- Corner Balance & alignment
With the addition of the Cosworth manifold and the fuel return system we returned back to the dyno to get the vehicle re-tuned as we were able to pick up some more horsepower at the same boost level.
The next event was NASA SE @ CMP in July 2014.
The Carbotech brake pads did great along with the additional cooling ducts to the front rotors and oil cooler. According to Matt "there was very little brake fade and when the brakes needed to be applied they were always there." The temperature at the track was very close to what we experienced at road atlanta the month before. Once we were confident that the brakes and oil temperature issues had been resolved we starting to make suspension adjustments to the BC coilovers as we were able to pick up 5 seconds from the start of the weekend to the end of the weekend, leaving us with a time of 1:51.
The next event that Matt was planning on attending was Road Atlanta in August 2014 for NASA SE, with no scheduled modifications between now and the following event. Road Atlanta would be his first time trials event that he would be competing in, the Friday leading to the weekend was a day that Matt could get as many practice laps in as he wanted. On Friday, 50 laps were logged as the times kept getting quicker and quicker, leading into the second to last session, where the vehicle went off track and made contact with one of the inner walls. There was damage made to the drivers side fender, door, front bumper and the alignment.
The crew worked very hard for a few hours and were able to get the vehicle back together and aligned.
With his first time trials event the next day, Matt was able to lay down the fastest lap of the day for TT2, which was 1:42.6 and take home first place, leading to a successful weekend and more modifications to come once the vehicle came back to SOHO Motorsports.
Third Set of Modifications:
- SPL Solid Bushings, Tie Rod Ends and endlinks
- B & M Short Shifter
- Repair damages & incorporate air duct into damaged headlight
- Aerodynamic undertray
- Wrap Vehicle Matte Orange
*SPL Parts jumped on board as one of the sponsors for Matt's build at this time*
The addition of the air duct was significant as we were able to pick up 30 rwhp and 14 ft-lbs of torque at the same boost setting!
The next event on the schedule was NASA SE @ VIR on October 2014, where Matt would be able to test out the newest additions to his vehicle and provide feedback.
VIR was a great track day as we realized that the BC coilovers maximum potential was finally reached and now it was time to upgrade to a more versatile coilover setup. With one more event left in the year, we knew it would be a perfect test to prepare us for the following season, so we chose to contact KW coilovers and have a custom race coilover setup built and shipped to us just in time to test them in december 2014.
Fourth Set of Modifications:
- KW Coilovers (Two Way Adjustable Race)
- Corner Balance & Alignment
*KW Coilovers jumped on board as a sponsor in this build at this time*
Matt's response to the new coilover setup: "The vehicle is much more stable, planted and does not want to pitch forward upon braking, i can not wait to have these coilovers dialed in to their full potential!"
With the first event of the 2015 season coming up for Matt for NASA SE @ Road Atlanta, there will be some large modifications in store!
Fifth set of modifications:
- Transmission & Differential Coolers
- Front Fender Modifications (Aerodynamics)
- Front Canards
- Rear Diffuser
- Rear Lexan window w/ ducts incorprated for coolers & rear brakes
*Stay tuned for updated photos*
Be sure to visit www.sohomotorsports.com or contact us via phone or email (info@sohomotorsports.com)
Trending Topics
03-22-2015, 08:29 AM
#8
Last weekend, Matt competed inhis first event of the 2015 season in TT2 for the NASA Southeast event at Road Atlanta, below are the photos of the changes that were made for this season.
Aerodynamic front fenders:
Custom Front Canards:
Full undertray & rear diffuser:
Transmission & Differential Coolers w/ Rear Lexan Window & Ducting & Cockpit Switch Panel:
With all of the changes that occured in the offseason, road atlanta was a shakedown to prepare for global time attack in may. We arrived on friday to road atlanta hoping to get a full test day before the time trials on saturday but mother nature had something else in mind as heavy rain was in the forecast for the entire day.
Saturday the heavy rain stop but there was still drizzle in the air, that did not stop matt from going out for the time trials sessions. With minor changes to the setup of the vehicle for the damp track from the light rain, Matt was able to take home first place in TT2 with a time of 1:42.
Sunday was a gorgeous day and a great test day as the sun was out and the weather was around 80 degrees. There were four more sessions left until we had to pack up and head back, and with the warmer weather the transmission and differential coolers were put to the test keeping the fluids at a very stable temperature.
Suspension changes were made since we had not adjusted the suspension with the new aerodynamics changes and times kept dropping, but an ignition related incident occurred on the final session where power was cutting out at 5500 rpms.
During this last session, times were projected to be in the 1:37s but this issue caused Matt to clock in at 1:40. The next event is at Road Atlanta at Global Time Attack where we will get this ignition related issues resolved and be ready to compete. If you are going to be attending, stop by to see the car and say hello.
Aerodynamic front fenders:
Custom Front Canards:
Full undertray & rear diffuser:
Transmission & Differential Coolers w/ Rear Lexan Window & Ducting & Cockpit Switch Panel:
With all of the changes that occured in the offseason, road atlanta was a shakedown to prepare for global time attack in may. We arrived on friday to road atlanta hoping to get a full test day before the time trials on saturday but mother nature had something else in mind as heavy rain was in the forecast for the entire day.
Saturday the heavy rain stop but there was still drizzle in the air, that did not stop matt from going out for the time trials sessions. With minor changes to the setup of the vehicle for the damp track from the light rain, Matt was able to take home first place in TT2 with a time of 1:42.
Sunday was a gorgeous day and a great test day as the sun was out and the weather was around 80 degrees. There were four more sessions left until we had to pack up and head back, and with the warmer weather the transmission and differential coolers were put to the test keeping the fluids at a very stable temperature.
Suspension changes were made since we had not adjusted the suspension with the new aerodynamics changes and times kept dropping, but an ignition related incident occurred on the final session where power was cutting out at 5500 rpms.
During this last session, times were projected to be in the 1:37s but this issue caused Matt to clock in at 1:40. The next event is at Road Atlanta at Global Time Attack where we will get this ignition related issues resolved and be ready to compete. If you are going to be attending, stop by to see the car and say hello.
Last edited by SOHOMotorsports; 03-22-2015 at 08:32 AM.
03-22-2015, 12:50 PM
#9
Super Moderator
MY350Z.COM
MY350Z.COM
iTrader: (8)
Such an impressive build , I love how it's not a stupid power build too.
03-24-2015, 03:32 AM
#16
I've been neglecting this forum for too long! My name is Matt and I'm the owner/driver of this car - happy to answer any questions I can.
Weight: not sure of the dry weight, but the car tips the scales at just over 3050lbs. We've pulled plenty of things off the car, but added quite a lot back with the turbo kit, fluid coolers, aero and safety equipment. I'm a pretty big guy at 6'6" and 250lbs - so we're over 3300lbs sitting on grid.
Brakes: we're still using the OEM Track model Brembos because they've worked pretty well so far. The car is not putting out an insane amount of power, and they hold up fine in a 15-20 minute session.
Tires: we're on R888s because all of my experience in HPDE4/Time Trials has been on those tires. As I gain more experience and get more comfortable with car, we'll move up to Hoosiers.
Thanks for all the positive comments!
- Matt
Weight: not sure of the dry weight, but the car tips the scales at just over 3050lbs. We've pulled plenty of things off the car, but added quite a lot back with the turbo kit, fluid coolers, aero and safety equipment. I'm a pretty big guy at 6'6" and 250lbs - so we're over 3300lbs sitting on grid.
Brakes: we're still using the OEM Track model Brembos because they've worked pretty well so far. The car is not putting out an insane amount of power, and they hold up fine in a 15-20 minute session.
Tires: we're on R888s because all of my experience in HPDE4/Time Trials has been on those tires. As I gain more experience and get more comfortable with car, we'll move up to Hoosiers.
Thanks for all the positive comments!
- Matt