MrKaira

iTrader: (87)

that looks soooo sick... i am jealous

where did you get the end links from? i think i'd like to pick up a set of those...

if you decide to get rid of your burnt orange seats let me know

Alang35

iTrader: (1)

WOW that is awesome! that looks like it might be even more fun than FI! very cool!

abui01

iTrader: (68)

end links: www.splparts.com
I'll letcha know, I'm still undecided since the orange matches so well with everything already in here. I'm looking at Brent's Cobra/Corbeau er... whatever brand it is... looks sick because of the orange leather and carbon fiber back. I think I have a pic of it somewhere on my computer so I'll hafta post up for you guys to see, but I hear they're a grand a pop.

My previous car was both a handling monster and force fed... and you're right, LOTS of fun since we use the steering wheel more often than mashing the gas! Plus in this area, you can only travel a short distance before hitting traffic, heh

philude

iTrader: (19)

your car makes all the people at work jealous.

lil ze

iTrader: (1)

Very nice set up! Are you going to do an alignment soon?Can you post more pics , I want to see how low you set it down with that kit.

Winchm60

Nice, i really like the new front bumper!

abui01

iTrader: (68)

I know some nice roads here in Great Falls if you guys wanna run, I go out and hit the limits on these roads on the weekends by myself (yes I'm a loser) But just make sure everyone knows what's up, the last 2-3 friends I took out here all wrecked their cars since there are no guardrails, just ditches and 6ft drops. A meet in rockville this weekend sounds like a plan!

I've already gotten my alignment done and I'm dropped 0.5 inches all around which is the MAX I'd go with this kit. I didn't buy coilovers to simply lower the car, I got them for corner balancing and track purposes. The kit sits VERY low, i have about 2 inches of clearance! The fronts have a 1.5 finger gap from tire to fender and the rears have a 1.75 finger gap. Speed bumps are my friends and we have learned to live in harmony, but the Tanabe Underbrace scrapes over a lot of speed bumps since it sits super low to the ground, I have no idea why they engineered it like this. The GT Spec brace sits more snug to the car. =P

hahaha, thanx! If you ever decide to get rid of ur rx-7 lemmie know! It's my next project car =D

10 TIL 4

iTrader: (38)

Damn bro! You must of served lots of Supersized Fries to shell out that kind of cash!

Definitely some well spent money in my opinion. And I'm liking the new Do Luck kit!

Randy

05-Z

iTrader: (4)

I was out there last weekend, I have the perfect route that goes near the French restaurant. We could do a run to Rockville or have lunch at the Brogue sometime....gotta keep the speed down with a bunch of cars though.

abui01

iTrader: (68)

I know the EXACT road you're talking about, hahahaha, it has some crazy twisties and that restaurant is mad expensive (their parking lot sucks though, all gravel). I think we'd all feel guilty eating there and not spending that 100 bucks on car parts. I think it's called Ambruge de'froncois er something like that, but let's arrange a lunch meeting among the nova/dc/md heads. I know Ziablo and Fucha are down since they're only a walking distance away, probably Phinominon will be too since we work together. Anyone else down for sometime next week... perhaps @ Tysons corner food court? I'm free any time for lunch, just drop by the local mcdonalds on route 7 and i'll hook u up with some free fries.

Randy! Long time no see man, what are you driving these days?

ZIABLO

iTrader: (7)

Tysons 2 food court upstairs is awesome. real silverware. and they clean your tables. And lots of hot, rich girls to look at.

spacemn_spiff

iTrader: (3)

Great Setup. I have a few questions myself, I am cornering junkie as well.

Can you please share your research on aerodynamics, which parts do what? How much downforce at what speeds on front wheels and rear wheels respectively? How does that affect the drag?

Also you might want to look into some flat underbody plastics that will reduce lift, have you looked at track model underbody diffusers as well.

Also the braces on the underbodies, can you share your research on that as well? How much does the stiffness increase compared to stiffness of the stock Z body and in what direction?

I am slowly looking into going to this direction as and when my funds free up. Any research will definitely help me.

Thanks and good work.

xenonk

now it's time for you to hit up a REAL track and a REAL autox to really dial it all in.

plumpzz

iTrader: (10)

Stupid question, but can you get the same handling if the coilovers are dropped 1/2 an inch vs more than that?
In otherwords, what teh point of coilovers?

JLT

iTrader: (2)

i love the kit. and i can appreciate cuscos - you are the man!

Alang35

iTrader: (1)

just curious, is the harsh ride due to the suspension? does a very stiff chasis make for an uncomfortable ride?

abui01

iTrader: (68)

As far as front or rear wheels, I have no accurate instrument to measure the amount of force applied to each end, so I kept in mind a body styling that will hold ALL ends down at any given speed. I have a veilside ver 1 wing and the Do-Luck has a rear carbon fiber diffuser to help keep the rear end down. I'm looking into getting a carbon fiber front diffuser to split the air going toward the front of the car and underneath equally. You might want to look into APR's front CF diffuser they go for $250 on http://www.intensepower.com/aeex.html

The Do-Luck sideskirts have a ridge on the outer ends to help channel the air from the front to the back of the car, it's the only sideskirt design I've seen that I really liked besides Varis's carbon fiber side diffusers. All those bodykits you see with slits and air vents do crap for your car and will most likely slow it down even more since you're increasing the drag resistance. When you're purchasing a bodykit, make sure its design has functionality in mind. Most sideskirts are for visual enhancements, but it is proven that a "lower to the ground" sideskirt is more effective in channeling a current of air underneath the vehicle and not letting it escape through the sides.

One item that is over looked and often considered "rice" are fender vents! Yes, believe it or not, they actually help with the drag resistance that the spin of your wheels create. The drag force from the wheels actually travel in the opposite direction of the drag coming from the front end of the car. Nissan kept this in mind and if you look at your OEM front fender liner, you should see little slits in the liner itself for air to escape downward. Handling freaks actually slit them larger so more air can escape and create a better air flow. If you get a fender with a vent in it, you can slit a hole in your fender liner and have air pass through safely through your fender creating more free flow. However, most fender kits are visual enhancements, but if you modify your liner, it could be a functional asset and does not increase any negative drag resistance on your car.

I've also looked into flat underbody panels but those panels will get in the way of my Tanabe Underbrace so that is out of the question. Plus the cost range is somewhere in the 500's (correct me if I'm wrong) and I dont constantly travel at the speed rates of 100+ for me to shell out an extra 500 for something I barely use even though they do look very cool .

For the under body braces, you honestly won't be able to tell a big difference over stock with the Tanabe Underbrace nor the GT Spec bars unless you were on a real Autox course where your car is at its limits. Regular roads dont provide enough corners to really flex the chasis to have me feel a noticable difference in the bars alone. I can tell you however that the Swaybars and coilovers are a HUGE difference!!! You will get immediate results once you install those items.

Only purchase adjustable End Links or coilovers if you plan on corner balancing your car, otherwise you're wasting your money. I'm doing research on solid vs polyurethane end links at the moment with a few suspension gurus in the "Brake and Suspension thread" and a few prototypes are in production, there's a debate on polyurethane end links vs heim joink ball link types, we're still discussing and I'll post back with results as soon as I find them. (The SPL's are the ball type link)

Your best bet is to hit up the Brake and Suspension forum, lots of answers and questions have been made there. Talk to Z1 Performance, he knows his stuff and seems to be quite the handling junky!

10 TIL 4

iTrader: (38)

You don't want to know man.

After I parted and sold the Z, I bought my first house. I ended up getting a '99 Civic Hatch for a beater and to get me around in the meantime. Hopefully the '07 Z will get the new VQ...I'm waiting to see. If not, I'll buy something next Spring maybe.

Keep up the good work on the Z!

abui01

iTrader: (68)

Dropping the car lowers your center of gravity and increases your handling, theoretically, the more you drop, the better you handle. You also decrease the amount of air that travels underneath your car creating less drag. But I see a lot of morons slamming their cars to the ground without the slightest clue to what they're doing besides, "lowering my car and making it look better" they later experience uneven tire wear, WORSE handling, and post up questions the next day asking, "why is my ride so harsh?" Our cars don't need to be that low, it's not how low you make it, its how effectively you tune your suspension. If you want a drop for daily driving, I suggest a spring/shock combo, there are sets being sold for very affordable prices and will not only improve your handling, but also kill that nasty wheel gap. I bought coilovers for the REAL reason of buying coilovers: Corner Balancing and the TRACK baby!

abui01

iTrader: (68)

The harsh ride is because I set the shocks to a stiff setting (its ALL in the shock settings, sometimes spring rates as well), I could set it back a few notches and have it ride more comfortable than stock. But then it'd be equivelant to a guy that went turbo but never hit boost. I'd sacrifice all the cornering fun! The bars have nothing to do with how harsh the ride is, but it does effect how well your car corners. The stiffer the setting on the swaybar, the more force is applied to the outer wheel while cornering.