Hello everyone,

I also posted this on G35driver, and I hope you don't mind me sharing my experiences. I haven’t participated in these forums (G35Driver & My350Z) because I spent most of my time reading all of the posts in the FI and Suspension/Wheels sections. I did a lot of research before sending my car to VRT, and I pm’d some of you for advice. I’d like to thank all of the members for their support, and all of the reputable builders (Mike A, Sharif, etc.) who continue to provide expert advice on these forums. This place is an encyclopedia on “how-to” build reliable/powerful cars. I've learned a lot from all of you, and so I decided to go with FI.

Mike and the others at VRT have provided great customer service, and I love the fact that they are local. I heard from Mike almost everyday, including weekends with updates on the car. I also met Scott, Mark, Sean and other clients who were excited about my project. More importantly, I was able to experience their finished products, and that’s all the proof I needed. Therefore, I trusted them with my newborn.

As for my setup, I originally wanted a reliable turbocharged car to drive on street and race in a few track and autocross events. The plan was to do a standard JWT kit on the stock motor, and coilover suspension. The day I delivered my car to VRT, Mike let me drive one of his cars on the back roads of El Cajon. One word came out of my mouth…WOW! A few days later I attended a racing event with the gang at Buttonwillow. I was blown away after seeing some serious race cars (Vipers, Vettes, and tons of imports), plus I had the chance to ride in 2 VRT cars for a few laps. Their throttle response was amazing, and the high levels of hp/torque allowed them to zip in and out of corners. Best of all, towards the end of the event, Mike handed me the keys to his Z, and said “go take it for a spin on street.” After driving his cars, I came to a conclusion; I wanted a fast/reliable turbocharged car. In order to be competitive on the track I needed all of the components to put power to the ground and to be safe at the same time. The goal is to make 500whp, which is more than enough for my current needs, but also have the option to turn it up to 600-700whp with a few modifications. The Dyno chart will come after the motor break-in is completed.

Here’s the setup and a couple of pics:


JWT kit with Garrett GT28/BB700
JWT Clutch and Fly
Arias Pistons/Pauter Rods
SS Box
255 Fuel Pump
VRT polished plenum
Defi Gauges
VRT Radiator, oil and power steering coolers

Suspension:
Coilover VRT Shocks
Camber Kit
Stillen Sway bars
AP Racing Brakes

Wheels:
Volk GT-7’s Fr: 19x8.5 Re: 19x10.5
Michelin PS2 Fr: 275/30/19 Re: 305/30/19

 

Thanks Denny.

Can't wait to see those new rims.

Going to Laguna Seca this weekend if you want to join.

M


Some More Picts...

 

Laguna Seca is sweet. I'll have pics of the rims soon.

 

I have the same setup as you with the rims. I also have the gt-7's except in diamond black. F: 19x8.5 R: 19x10.5

I didn't know you could fit 305's on the rears? But then again I don't know to much about rims/tires because of various factors that could interfere. I've just always heard 18 are the sizes you need to step up the tire size?

 

congrats, very nice car.

 

You have to be very careful with the search for maxing out tire size because of the different impact that your choice of coilovers, camber links/front upper control arms, and wheel offsets will make...before you rub either the wheel well or part of the suspension on the inside.

On my car we are running a 285mm width Nitto NT-01 on a 9.5 inch wide 18"diameter front wheel from Enkei (NT03+M), and on the rear a 315mm (it actually measures 323mm) on a 10.5 inch wide rim. It works, but it is tight. I think Mike A is running the same wheel on the rear of his Z, but may have done some other work to it as well.

I have not heard of anything larger being run without getting into some fender roll/pull or flared body work.

 

Congrats!! You will be happy in the VRT family! Those guys are great and they will always be there to answer any questions you have. Look forward to meeting you at a track day!

 

VRT is awesome

 

Boost is GOD

 

Looks great...enjoy!

 

Ed's correct about considering all of the components that will affect your tire size & possible rubbing. With the 305's we rolled the fenders to eliminate slight rubbing on the outer edges during hard turns. Up front I'm swapping out to 275/30/19 to reduce the profile. I believe they did a 1.5" drop, and it looks great!

 

Thanks again!

 

Congrats! Can't wait to see it.

 

MB,

Your car is f$$%*@# MEAN AT SEMA.

CALL ME FRIDAY DENNY.

M

 

^^^Thanks man! I will see you Saturday sometime to pick up the trailer.

 

Sweet,

M

 

MB:
Just got back from laguna seca. had an absolutely wonderful time, perfect weather, and the new track surface is fast. Running on .9bar of boost it tripped the sound station and they threw the meatball (94.1 decibel sound compared to limit of 92). But at .8bar I could still be hard on it going up the hill out of turn 5 and was not flagged. it takes some power away from you to be sure, but at least you can run hard. I will be interested to hear how Mike's car will run on the bigger 700 BB units there. It is very clear that at .8 bar we hang right with the Porsche 996 coming out of turn 11 and marching up the front straight (or when you are in front that they hang right on you!), that at .7 bar we lose a bit to them and they walk on us a bit, and at .9 bar we walk them a bit, using the 530 BB JWT units.
I got some great video of a S2000 with a big wing getting light in turn 6, losing the back end and shooting cross track left and into the wall butt backwards and sideways (ka-boom). I don't have impact because the field of vision from the camera is focused forward but I watched it clearly enough, and you can hear that dull "thud" as the tire wall in front of the concrete did its job on his body work. An Acura NSX bit the wall on turn 8 and a Carrera also. A Spec Miata ate it in turn 3 right in front of me too. So quite an action packed day. there were a lot of cars on track, so it slowed us down in the two morning sessions, but things got free in the afternoon (it helps when you reduce the number of cars through exploration of the physical impossibility of two objects attempting to occupy the same space in the universe at precisely the same time)
Car ran COOL....temps on track were between 95 and just under 100 degrees. But you have to let the motor run just a few minutes when you come off track or you will heat soak it, the turbos are true heat monsters and you have to respect the cooling system has it in balance because it is running and circulating. Turn it off and you will get heat spike.

 

Sounds like a good time Ed! Can't wait for Infineon this weekend.

 

what is the front end splitter on your car now? I did not notice that before and it looks GREAT!