gotcha, yes it does. Thats the route I went with a 180 temp switch. I'll forget to turn it on so the auto will be nice.

 

Finally making it out to the track this weekend, at Summit main with porsche 1% club. Gonna be the only Nissan in the paddock. Again. Gonna be one of the lowest hp cars out there. Again. And it's gonna be 100 deg in the shade. Ugh. I guess good test for the lithium battery and the car cooling systems if nothing else. I'll report afterwards, but I don't expect any lap records

 

When we get to the dog days of summer, when the track is so hot the tires get strange breakaway characteristics, it's time to dial it back a bit. Even in wheel-to-wheel races, I put a premium on finishing races and keeping both the car and driver in good condition. In SCCA T3 racing, I really have to keep the Z from hitting limp mode in the heat. Stay cool and forget about setting any lap records this weekend, doc!

 

One of the western clubs out here made an offer that was impossible to pass up, running Thunderhill 5 mi combined tracks open for only $180. I moved the Z to the driveway with a new cover so I wouldn't be tempted with these summer sales. I did it once and swore never again. but maybe you'll get lucky with a cooler day? we've had a few below 100 here.

 

I doubt it

 

yup, im parked until October. Without a cool suit its too damn hot for the car and driver. Good luck!

 

Yeah, it was a scorcher for sure. Friday the track ended up shutting down after 2 morning sessions due to lightning and storms rolling by. Saturday was close to 100 and humid but at least dry. Sunday was a bit cooler, in the mid 80s.

The Antigravity battery performed flawlessly, after sitting in storage for over 2 months it cranked right up every time. I brought the old battery with me just in case but there was no need for that, this unit is solid.
Overall the car did well, I was keeping an eye on temps and while the coolant temp hit 210-215 a few times the oil temp was hovering around 225 all day, no overheating issues.
Since I replaced just the front tires the rears were getting cycled out. I could tell there was reduced grip in the rear especially in low speed corners where the aero wasn't quite kicking in. As a result the lap times were fairly slow, in the 1:26s at best. Seemed like the heat affected everyone though, because the traffic around me seemed to be moving a bit slower as well.
A couple small issues, I noticed a small coolant leak from the pass side of the engine, I believe the heater core delete rubber plug on the coolant hard line is busted, I need to replace it with a silicone plug but I can't recall if I need 3/4" or 5/8" diameter?
Also a small oil leak on the pass side of the engine, I'm guessing from around the oil filter, maybe I didn't snug it down enough or maybe it's one of the oil cooler fittings on the adapter plate. I'll have to get under it to troubleshoot.

Picture with my buddy's Spitfire for size :P


Sat first session, chasing a couple of 911s

Sat third session, working thru traffic

Sunday 2nd session, chasing my buddy in a Cayman S

 

I did have an incident in the last session on Sunday where I almost money shifted from third to second instead of fourth. I got away with it, the engine is fine, but I need to fix the problem asap. I just ordered a set of solid engine mounts and poly trans mounts to minimize drivetrain movement in corners and I also have a set of solid shifter bushings that's been sitting on my bench waiting to be installed that I need to put in asap, before I run out of luck.

 

The difference with the solid engine and trans mounts is shocking. I thought there was something wrong with the car, a failing drive shaft or diff failure. The connection to the road is extraordinary but the NVH is a deal breaker for a street/track car. I recommend going solid all the way back. Don't even bother with the poly in a dedicated track car. and here I am giving you advice! I haven't put in the seat time yet, but I did the mounts and bushings early on. I also went with GK Tech's solid steering rack bushings. I had no idea how much slop there was in the steering until this mod.

 

You don't want both solid engine and trans mounts. This will result in stress on trans housing and possible failure of the housing. If you are doing solid engine mounts the trans mount has to have a bit of a give to prevent it from cracking apart.

Z1 trans mount says as much in the description "Z1 Motorsports Urethane Transmission mount is stiffer than the stock transmission mount, but provides the necessary drivetrain movement to prevent damage to the transmission casing"

 

I thought it was the other way but maybe my information was wrong. If you have solid engine mounts, then you do not want poly transmission mounts. they are supposed to be the same, either both poly or both solid. or I might have misunderstood that to mean if you have solid transmission mounts, then you MUST have solid engine mounts?

but I also have solid rear subframe bushings, rather than just inserts. front to back. I recommend trying it! If you don't like it, the trans mount is easy to change. it's the engine mounts that are tough. I think my biggest problem is the rear diff. when I get that thing rebuilt then the drivetrain will feel correct. The NVH just enhances the rear diff slop because my VLSD is worn out.
​​​​​

 

Negative. there is flex in the chassis but there is no flex in the drivetrain (engine/trans combo). The trans casing is made of aluminum. When the chassis flexes if both engine and trans are attached with no give the transmission housing will be the weakest link and will crack to compensate. You can run poly mounts engine and trans, you can run poly mounts engine and solid mount for the trans or you can run solid engine mounts and poly trans mount, but both being solid is a bad idea just waiting for damage to happen.

 

G2K. I'll have to change my trans mounts. I'm going to replace the clutch anyway.... some day. idk when I'll take the Z out again. need a break from it....

 

this is the mount I used. it's such a well engineered piece. I'll probably get their poly mount. link

 

good info here, I'll eventually do solid bushings once mine wear out. dreading it honestly. Nice driving hoon, dont know how you do it in 100 temps. I almost died at vir in may already

 

That does looks like a decent mount, maybe worth keeping that and putting in some poly engine mounts, although solid engine mounts actually improve front chassis rigidity, the engine acts as an additional cross bar basically, so it's more beneficial to have solid engine mounts than solid trans mounts.

Yeah, I could do 20 minutes at a time max, then had to come in to rehydrate with water and liquid iv.

 

nice stuff Hoon, oil temps were hovering around 225 on a pretty hot day is making me think about my oil temps. My temp monitor sits in the pan (greddy) and IIRC i've seen 225+ on a rather cool day here in new england. where are you measuring oil temps?

 

The sensor is on the plate right at the filter

 

I took the y-pipe and steering rack off when doing the engine mounts because I was replacing those things anyway at the time. I wouldn't even try the engine mounts without taking that stuff off and out of the way. you CAN but it's a pita. I also pulled the subframe out with a jack under the engine because by then there were only a couple bolts left and I might as well get it out of the way too.

 

Yeah, the Y pipe is coming out anyways to do the solid shifter bushings. I'm hoping to get around the steering rack without completely removing it or the subframe. It's not gonna be easy but after working on the Audi, I'm used to things not being easy