John Coffey
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Everything posted by John Coffey
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Read up here: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/88025-installing-tokico-280z-hp-springs-in-a-240z/
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By its very nature (increased pad and piston area), the S8W (non-vented 4x4) caliper and rotor swap increases front brake bias. In my testing it actually increases braking distances over a well setup stock S30 brake system. This is also true of a the S12W (vented 4x4) caliper and rotor swap. What most people confuse as the "improved" braking of the 4x4 caliper swap is a change in pedal feel. Also, its often a false comparison given the the new 4x4 swap is compared with a worn out, ill adjusted, partially functioning stock brake system. If additional work is done as part of the swap to move the brake bias back to stock then you can get back the braking distance lost with the 4x4 swap.
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Your ride issue probably has more to do with the shocks and suspension travel then the springs. Turn the Illuminas down to 1 and see how that goes. Also, check how much bump travel you have before the car is on the bump stops. You should see at least 2" of shock shaft before the bump stops hit the top of the strut tube.
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I bet a few of those guys are my customers. :-)
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A 225/50-14 on a 7" wide wheel will probably not rub if the wheel is zero offset (3.5" backspace). You might have to roll the rear fender lip. Also, most DOT-R tires (RA1, V710, A6, etc.) are wider then the numbers on the tire indicate. A Hoosier 225/50-14 is actually 230mm across the tread. Companies that make the DOT-R tires tend to cheat a bit to give their tires a competitive advantage. And the RA1s last reasonably well on the street. I ran a set of 225/50-16s on my Contour SVT and got 14,000 miles on them, including a couple dozen track days, On light car like a S30 the should last a while.
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NPTI was part of Nissan USA Marketing and they pulled a lot of their technology from Nissan Japan/Europe and their various motorsports programs. The first few chassis were Lolas that Electramotive got up and running very quickly in 1985 as the GTP-ZX. Once Electramotive was folded into NPTI in 1990 Nissan produced their own chassis, the NPT-90. The P35 (NPT-93) was finally killed when IMSA cancelled the GTP class for the 1994 season. Its a pretty interesting story and Bill Savage (of NPTI and T-Mag) and I worked together on my 240Z back in 2001 doing some finite element analysis work on the front of the car to figure out how to stiffen things up. A lot of the fabrication work on the GTP cars occurred at night because the fabricators hated Kas and Trevor. :-)
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Yes, the were known as Datsun Comp back then. When I started working with them (in the early 1990s) they had already changed their name to Nissan Motorsports USA (as part of the creation of Nissan Performance Technology, Inc. from Electramotive). As an aside, say hi to kas Kastner and NPTI: http://dev.grandtouringprototype.com/tag/nissan-performance-technology-inc/
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Alan, Those are parts that Nissan Motorsports USA sold to racers back in the 1970s. Yes, they are not made by Nissan. They were locally sourced (the camber plate, threaded tube, and adjustable lower spring perch) from fabrication shops most likely here in Southern California. The same basic camber plate design is still being made by Don Oldernberg at DP Racing and he might have made the originals.
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Or you can move it back about 4" like I did. Had to cut out the hood latch mount and to get the head off over the head studs you have to loose the engine and trans mounts and jack the tailshaft up a couple inches - but it did help get me a 48F/52R weight distribution. And since you're already building custom engine mounts, the engine can lean to right a bit more which gives you perfect diagonals (50% on both).
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I walked across the alley and asked John Benton of this place: http://bentonperformance.com/ His reply was what I posted above.
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Alignment is pretty important for these cars (and any strut equipped car). I would ask the tech to get it right regardless of the number of hours needed - assuming there is enough adjsutability in the suspension. Pay the tech by the hour.
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It takes me 4 to 6 hours to properly align a S30, if there's adjustabilty built in. I know of no alignment shop that will allow a car on the alignment rack for more then an hour.
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Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha... That's pretty funny.
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Which strut to use with King springs?
John Coffey replied to Hardway's topic in Suspension & Steering
With any shock its really important to use good bump stops (except Bilstien which have internal bump stops). For both the Tokico and KYBs, if the shock bottoms the piston valve hits the foot valve and damages the shock. My guess is that's the cause of the KYB shock failures with lowering springs. -
That's been done any number of times. You would remove the venturis completely because they are not needed. I've seen one set where the owner ground off the float bowls and all ancillary casting and ended with with a nice looking set of ITBs.
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If you want objectivity, go to a race track. If you want subjectivity, go to a car show (or a drifting event).
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The tubular header is not stock. There have never been any smog legal headers made for the Datsun S30. The market is too small to go through the expense of getting a EO sticker. You will ahve to remove the header and replace it with the stock exhaust manifold to pass smog.
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No. Not needed for my application. The cowl box is a triangle with the base of the triangle at the firewall. The center mount plate spans the base of that triangle. It very strong right there.
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Strange sound but no obvious cause in one rear brake?
John Coffey replied to Kerrigan's topic in Wheels & Brakes
No side-to-side and only .0057" end play. -
This one was built after some finite element analysis of the S30 chassis. Allowed an increase in front spring rate of up to 100 lb. in.
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I defer to what Dave Rebello and other professional engine builders recommend.
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Most folks didn't notice... GroupZ's last meeting was last night. They voted to dissolve and disperse the funds in the treasury. They died due to indifference mostly, but like any club, internal politics also contributed to its demise.
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Given that the OEM 280Z LCAs are strong enough for any use (including the East African Safari Rally), what you're buying with the aftermarket LCAs is adjustability.
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If its as slammed as you say you probably can't fit a taller tire.
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Make a stainless steel heat shield and rivet it to the body in the tunnell/footwell area. If done right it will look nice. You can also put a layer of DEI insulation on the inside of the car under that carpet: http://www.designengineering.com/category/catalog/boom-mat-acoustical-products/floor-tunnel-shield-ii-heat-sound-insulation FYI... do not start bending on your header.
