R33 GT-R Update: R34 GT-R Steering Wheel Swap

Not many people know this but R34 GT-R steering wheels are plug & play when it comes to Series II / late model R33 GT-Rs. Airbang and all mind you, with no error lights showing.

Now theres nothing wrong with the stock R33 GT-R quad steering wheel. Its just that it doesn't have much character going for it. I mean, it only has an embossed 'Nissan' on the horn button, along with the corresponding moon corporate logo and outer red leather stiching. It was also present in the Silvia S14 and other Nissan models like the Skyline GTST (ENR33 / ER33). No offence to the owners of those cars but I wanted a steering wheel that had a tad bit more GT-R exclusivity. Nissan must have really liked the design by the way, because it was still in use in their first generation X-Trail! Ahh, you've served me well old girl...

I've always been a fan of the R34 GT-R steering wheel, mainly because of the tri-star sculpted design and the prominent 'GT-R' horn logo. It's also smaller by an inch or so in terms of diameter. No prizes for guessing where I managed to source a unit (thanks to my good buddy Eu-Jin at JDM Auto Link). Supposedly, these are quite rare and difficult to source.

It was a pretty straight forward affair in removing the stock steering wheel. I knew that the airbags in the two steering wheels were of the same model, but there was no harm in checking. To do this, the side latches were opened up and the airbag housing unscrewed. Fortunately, the sockets all matched up, so we were good to go. Do note that this modification is only possible in Series II / late model R33 GT-R's, that feature driver and passenger side airbags. If you have an older BCNR33, then you're unfortunately out of luck. This is confirmed for Series I R33 GT-Rs. Oh and did you know that airbags have a shelf life? The one in my stock R33 GT-R steering wheel has clearly gone pass it's expiry date (circa 1997!), while I'm hoping the R34 GT-R's airbag is still good for a couple more years. Food for thought, gentle people.

Now all that was left to do was to line up the R34 GT-R steering wheel and bolt it in. I have to say that due to the tri-star design, the steering wheel feels much smaller and more chuckable. I just love it because it's a straight fit (no adaptation needed), looks like it belongs there in the first place, is much smaller than the unit that it replaces and really spruces up my R33's interior. Aki, you should really do this mod, mate ;).

S13 Update: Engine Upgrades

My Silvia S13 Coupe rebuild project is coming along quite nicely. In fact, after the engine respray, the car has slowly been upgraded with better external parts (note the pictures above and below).

The first to arrive was a brand new Garrett GT2871R turbo, good for 460hp. The reason why I picked this particular unit instead of a larger one like the GT30, was because the GT2871R represents Garrett’s largest turbo available in the T28 series frame size. Based on the popular “Disco Potato”, the GT2871R includes a 71mm compressor wheel coupled with the NS111 quick-spool turbine wheel. The magic of the GT series turbochargers resides in the turbine and rotating assembly, which rides on dual ball-bearings. 

The end result is a pretty responsive turbocharger, which can also flow large amounts of airflow resulting in decent midrange and top-end power. Ideal for track and gymkhana work. Do note however that I will eventually get a GT3071R but only after I get a hang of the S13 on the track.

Which leads me to the next upgrade - a set of four Power Enterprise 800cc Top Feed Injectors. In light of my intention to upgrade to a GT3071R in the near future, I have opted for these large cc injectors as a future proof measure. And why Power Enterprise (PE)? Well it's partly because I've used their injectors in past with my R33 GT-R rebuild and from what I've heard, Sard DENSO makes them.

Next up, we have a fresh-out-of-the-oven TurboSmart Comp-Gate40 external wastegate. It's Turbosmart's new 40mm external wastegate (measuring only 99 mm in height) is designed to fit into tight engine bays with it's new smaller actuator housing.

The Comp-Gate40 has all of the good features you would expect from a quality wastegate: cast stainless body, anodized hat and base, stainless heat shield to protect the diaphragm, a ultra high lift diaphragm, cast stainless body clamps, stainless weld flanges etc. TurboSmart is heavily involved with rotary engines in Australia and turbo rotaries can produce exhaust gas temperatures approaching 1900 degrees F. Now how's that for product testing? Anyway, here are some other features that are worth knowing about.

Locking Ring
The Comp-Gate40 does not use allen screws around the perimeter of the spring hat. It uses a trick "locking ring”. The benefits of the locking ring are no more stripped allen screws, no more stripped hat bases, much easier spring changes, spring changes in less than a minute and an overall reduced height wastegate which allows greater flexibility of wastegate placement.

Reduced Package Size with no Sacrifice in Gas Flow
The Comp-Gate40 is only 99mm (3.89”) tall, but still has .582” of valve lift. It also only measures 74mm (2.91") at its largest diameter making the Comp-Gate40 probably the smallest wastegate on the market.

Unique Rotating Cap
The spring hat can be indexed in 12 different positions allowing for greater installation flexibility. The rotation can also be done in less than a minute by only loosening the locking ring. This really does make things go quicker during the setup of a new custom installation.

All in all, the Comp-Gate40 should work perfectly right out of the box. Be sure to apply some light grease on the locking ring threads if you're installing one.

I think I might be using a couple of Comp-Gate40 wastegates on my other ride, the R33 GT-R, maybe with a Full-Race twin scroll exhaust manifold and a BorgWarner EFR turbo but that's all in the future...

Last but not least, the final piece to the rebuild puzzle is a spankin' new Haltech Platinum Sport 1000/2000.

Personally, I think the Haltech Platinum Sport 1000 is packed with more features than any ECU in it's class. It's capable of controlling sequential injection on 2 and 4 cylinder with semi sequential 6 and 8 cylinder applications. With 8 channels capable of controlling injection and ignition duties, the Haltech unit is able to support most modern engines with multi-coil ignition systems, as well as conventional distributor ignition systems.

Here are some of the Platinum Sport 1000's features:

• Soft cut rev limiter
• Closed loop boost control
• Stepper motor and BAC/IAC closed loop idle control
• User-definable mapping points
• Anti-lag launch control with rotational idle
• Wideband closed loop 02 Control
• 8 additional user-definable inputs
• 4 additional user-definable outputs
• Tuning via TPS with Manifold Correction
• Numerous Correction Maps
• Onboard Data logging
• Windows Software

Well, thats all for now. The engine and car are actually ready and have been subjected to mandatory on-the-road tuning, but that will be covered in a future entry. Cheers.

S13 Update: Engine Rebuild

With the R33 GT-R nearing where I want it to be in terms of performance and appearance, I've decided to focus my attention on the S13 Coupe.

As such, the car is currently underdoing an engine rebuild. It will be sporting a new turbo, forged pistons, intercooler and a whole lot of other performance parts. I am targeting for the rebuilt engine to make 380whp to 400whp. I'm looking for useable power and not large hp numbers, seeing as this car is meant for the track. I might upgrade to a Garrett GT30 in the future (for top-end power) but I first need to familiarise myself with the car and its handling characteristics.

To this end, the following parts have been requisitioned:

• Garrett GT2871R Ball Bearing Turbo
• Tomei Cam 270 Procam
• Tomei Valve Spring
• Tomei Cam Gear
• Tomei Rocker Arm Stopper
• Trust Type R Intercooler (GT-R spec)
• Titan Retainer
• Supertech 86.5 Forged Piston Set
• Cometic Metal Head Gasket
• OEM Rebuild Gasket Kit for SR20DET
• Turbosmart Ultra-Gate38
• Jun Intake Manifold
• Custom Banana Exhaust Manifold
• Custom Exhaust System

Some of the parts have arrived while others will be brought in according to when they are needed (like the turbo for example). From time to time, I will be posting up reviews on some of the rebuild parts.

At this moment in time, my S13 has had it's engine bay resprayed and the car is currently being fully rewired. The reason for this is that the rebuilt engine will be controlled by a Haltech Platinum Sport 1000 Engine Management System (EMS). The rewiring is also for peace of mind.

Stay tuned for future S13 Updates!

The Tomei parts have already arrived

The SR20 taken out and the engine bay being prepped for painting

My S13's engine bay has been repainted white! :)

Triple Threat: Awesome Threesome Part 3 (Video)

Its finally here!

The video footage from our S13 photoshoot and Bukit Tinggi drift run.

You'll be in for a surprise at the very end hahahaha! Be sure to watch it in full HD!

Kudos to FotografiaDeLyzard and his team of visual engineers!

Lastly, a big shout out to awesomepowered.com for organising and getting everyone involved in this great endeavour! 


The Awesome Threesome! from FotografiaDeLyzard on Vimeo.

Triple Threat: Awesome Threesome Part 2

Great news guys. The second instalment of the three part Silvia series is out! My S13 looks so good in these pictures.

So head on over to http://awesomepowered.com/2011/09/silvia-feature-awesome-threesome-part-2/ and enjoy the pics.

Heres a few that you might like :).

Triple Threat: Awesome Threesome Part 1

Good news folks. 

Awesomepowered.com have finally released their pictures of the photoshoot that my S13 Coupe was involved in. This is the first part of the S13 special - the second part will contain the video footage that we caught last weekend. 

So click on the link below and checkout the awesome pics!

http://awesomepowered.com/2011/09/silvia-feature-awesome-threesome-part-1/

In the meantime, here are some of the pictures they took of my coupe:

Triple Threat: S13 Coupe Video & Photoshoot

Last week, I decided to do something different to the usual Sunday drive up Ulu Yam.

Very last minute but it has been on the cards for awhile now - to organise a proper video and photoshoot of S13 Coupes, in and around Bukit Tinggi and Ulu Yam. The reason behind this endeavour was to help promote and provide maerial for two motoring websites which are owned by some friends of mine. They are http://awesomepowered.com and http://www.drift.com.my/v2.

The plan was simple, get three S13 Coupes owned by myself and two other friends to come along, accompanied by support / chaser cars. The convoy assembled early Sunday morning and the Coupes were joined by a Nissan Grand Livina and a Perodua Myvi. They made for ideal support cars seeing as both had wide rear opening doors, so as to allow photographers to film and take shots of the convoy.

Our first stop was Bukit Tinggi and the convoy made its way there via Karak Highway. This afforded us the opportunity to take some highway / wangan shots. For those not familiar with Bukit Tinggi, its a small town in the Bentong district of Pahang, Malaysia.

Upon reaching the foot of Bukit Tinggi, we had to stop and get the filming gear ready. Our arsenal consisted of a couple of DSLRs and ContourHD portable cameras.

We then proceeded up the hill, along it's many winding and twisty roads. This was my first time at Bukit Tinggi and now I realise why its such a popular destination for motoring enthusiasts. This is also where the Berjaya Hill Climb is held annually.

Since I was too busy driving at the time, I'll let the professionals wow you with their work, which will be released soon. They really did a good job in capturing our cars in motion. No mean feat as the red S13 was nearly always in sideways motion!

After burning rubber and leaving skidmarks all over Bukit Tinggi, we made our way back onto Karak Highway and headed up Genting Highlands. While on the highway, we took the opportunity to once again capture wangan style and line abreast shots of the S13s. We even managed to capture fly-by and tunnel run videos! Heres a sneak preview of the what to expect:

Upon reaching Gohtong Jaya, which is the midway point to the top of Genting Highlands, the team took a break and grabbed some much needed sustenance. One of the photographers had brought his Macbook along and this allowed us to view the footage that was captured earlier. Needless to say, we were quite pleased with the end result. With a bulk of the work already done, the last part of the shoot was to take place at the Gohtong Jaya helicopter pad. It looks down onto the valleys below and would make for a very touge-like setting - definitely a good place to end the day. It was blistering hot by then, as it was nearing 2 pm in the afternoon. This is how myself and most of the others got sunburned - something we only realised much later, well after the photoshoot.

I'll leave you with these shots but stayed tuned for future updates as the official photos are currently being processed by our team of photographers. I'm especially looking forward to the videos that were captured! Truly an awesome powered day.

S13 Update: Late Model S13 Front Bumper & Side Skirt

I'll say it again - stock is best. 

I wasn't too pleased with the bodykit that came with the S13. The Origin Widebody 20mm kit is great but the URAS body parts on the car are just a tad bit too loud, and the overhangs are excessive. For example, its really difficult to jack the car up bacause of the flaring URAS sideskirts. Now, if you were going to be actively driving at Sepang's International Circuit, your going to have a hard time changing tyres or making small corrections to the car's suspension. I don't know how drifters do it but the URAS bodykit had to go!

Another thing that needed to be removed was the rear bootlip spoiler, which doesn't really compliment the car. It also doesn't have that much aerodynamic properties. I've always been a fan of the S13 hellaflush look anyway.

Although I have to admit, I did have some moments where I thought to myself "Hmmm, it doesn't look actually that bad..."

I even had some Fatlace / Stance:Nation moments, which was 50/50 at best, in terms of how I felt about the car's looks.

But unfortunately, the URAS kit still had to go and I proceeded to google up some alternatives. Now since I've always been a fan of the stock look, I decided to search for a late model S13 front halfcut. Thanks to Ben Jamin, a good friend of mine, I managed to find one:

A front halfcut like this is quite rare in Malaysia and normally we don't get a lot of S13 bodyparts. There seems to be a general preference for the 180SX and thus, hatchbacks greatly outnumber S13 Coupes. Thats good for me because that makes my car that much rarer and unique.

With the front bumper procured, the next step was to find matching sideskirts. Thanks to Joe-Han from Drifthouse, I managed to get a pair of Trust Gracer (GReddy) S13 sideskirts :). I decided to leave the URAS rear bumper skirting as it matches well with the new bodyparts.

With the necessary ingredients in hand, the S13 was sent to the paint shop and this was the end result! Thanks to Chris from Exquisite Auto Haus for the great job on colour coding the bodyparts and putting them on the car :).

Shes looking mighty fine now, eh? If that was not enough, I removed the bootlip spoiler too and now its sporting the hellaflush look! You can't beat a S13 when it comes to carrying off the clean look! Just superb and I'm very happy with how things turned out!

Project Time Attack: Nissan S13 Coupe

 

In my previous blog post, I spoke of finding the right car to be turned into a time attack machine. After much deliberation and looking at several makes and models, I've narrowed the field down to one car and thats a 1990 Nissan S13 Silvia Coupe. 

My decision to go with a S-Chassis is primarily down to six factors, some of which were mentioned in the previous posting but will be further extrapolated here: 

• Good, affordable rear-wheel drive base to build up from

Front-engine, rear-wheel drive (FR) cars have a natural tendency to oversteer. Controlled oversteers can technically help you set faster track times but can be very difficult to control.This naturally happens as the rear wheels are used for acceleration, while the front wheels steer the car. Rear wheel drive (RWD) cars tend to balance towards 'oversteer' which sees the front of the car pulling to the inside of the corner (whilst the rear comes out). As some of you might well know from seeing drifters work their magic, some opposite lock, combined with acceleration, can help nip this problem in the butt. Therefore, if given sufficient grip, RWD is near perfect for track  - proof of this being that every major motorsport event in the world uses the FR layout. Even current most popular all-wheel drive (AWD) car in the world today, the Nissan R35 GT-R, has dropped its AWD system in favour of a FR setup, as Nissan seeks to dominate proceedings in the Super GT series. 

• Easy to get power out of the Nissan SR20DET engine

The SR20DET is a highly tuneable engine and its popularity is based on the motor's ability to produce power on the cheap. Also, the SR20's all alloy block, alloy heads, twincams, 16 valves and an intercooled T28 turbo, indicates that the engine possessed technology that was ahead of its time. This makes it a good engine to use in amateur motorsports.

• Option to retro-fit parts from other Nissan models

Something I've learned and come to appreciate after months of GT-R ownership is that, Nissan parts are highly interchangeable. Not only does this feature exist between cars that belong to the same family tree but also with other Nissan cars that were made on a different production line. This is also inter-generational feature - S13 can for example, make use of newer parts that were a standard feature on later model Silvias like the S14 and S15. 

• Massive amount of aftermarket parts

Testament to the popularity and longevity of the SR20DET, the engine enjoys tremendous aftermarket support and is fully backed by all major Japanese tuning houses. Even till present day, its easy to procure new aftermarket parts for an S13, as these items are still in production.

• Huge supply of halfcuts and spare parts that are already in Malaysia

This has to do with the fact that the SR20 was used to power many of Nissan's cars since the early 1990s. Hence, a large supply of halfcuts and parts have made their way onto Malaysian shores. Production numbers of the S13 alone, is staggering - some 251,410 units were built from 1989 to 1998.

• Proven track platform

Furthermore, the track capabilities of the S13 Coupe have been amply showcased at Sepang by Yoong (Ee Yoong Chern) and his HKS Garage R Hiper S13. The car lapped a best time of 2.26:5 at last year's Time to Attack Sepang and was ranked 4th overall. I got to know of Yoong through the Malaysian Skyline fraternity as he owns a R33 GT-R as well. You should see him drive it up Ulu Yam.

These following pics were taken prior to delivery of the car. I purchased the vehicle for a song and it came equipped with some goodies (widebody kit / S15 five lug conversion / R32 GT-R brakes / half cage though). The body is also very straight.

The S13 is currently undergoing a major make over - all of its consumables have been a changed, a JIC adjustable suspension installed, a new S14 gearbox bolted in, a Nismo GT LSD for the rear and lastly, 17" Work +5 offset rims with new tyres to help it steer better. I'm hoping it'll be ready for this weekend, so I could join a jaunt up Gohtong Jaya with the Italia Auto boys.

Ignore the drift, ricey bits. Those will be rectified in due time and a 2.2 stroker kit + Haltech ECU + cams + disco potato will be going into that SR20DET:

New Project: Time Attack Car

With the R33 GT-R rebuild nearing completion, its time to to start a new project. It has always been my intention to purchase, rebuild and track a car. Basically, I'm looking for a road legal track car to carry out time attack runs in Sepang International Circuit (SIC). Now the next question is, what car to get?

Unlike in Australia, the UK or the States, we Malaysians are shafted when it comes to used cars. In Australia for example, you could purchase a decent road legal Nissan S13 or S14 for as little as RM10,000 - RM15,000 ringgit. Due to the high Malaysian import tax on cars (300% import duties on all foreign cars), used car prices are similarly affected. What this means is that a used S13 or S14 will probably cost three times as much in Malaysia a compared to a similar car in Australia. This makes it a challenge for the average person to pursue his or her motoring dream, to build a drift machine or to own a dedicated track car.

We now move on to the question of what make and model would be suitable for a time attack car. I've narrowed it down to a few budget (and not so budget) vehicles, seeing as this should be cost saving exercise. After all, a time attack car would require a further outlay of money in order to make it track ready.

And here are the contenders with their pros and cons:

 

  Nissan S13 Silvia Coupe

Pros

• Good RWD base to build up from
• Easy to get power out of the Nissan SR20 engine
• Option to retro-fit parts from other Nissan models
• Massive amount of aftermarket parts
• Huge supply of halfcuts and spare parts that are already in Malaysia

Cons

• Can be expensive to purchase
• Difficult to find one in good condition and tastefully modified
 

Honda Integra DC2

Pros

• Light weight
• Rigid chassis
• Loads of aftermarket parts available
• Plenty of halfcuts and spare parts that already in Malaysia

Cons

• Its a FWD, meaning the front wheels have to not only steer the car but also slow it down
• A bit expensive to produce big power being an N/A car
• Parts can be expensive

 Mazda MX-5 (First Gen / NA)

Pros

• Extremely capable chassis
• Engine responds well to mods, especially when turbocharged

Cons

• Manual units are rare in Malaysia
• Turbo kit has to be sourced from abroad (costly)
• Not as many halfcuts and spare parts compared to the other cars on this list
• Cars in good condition still command high prices
• Standard 1.6 N/A engine is gutless and seriously lacking in torque

Subaru WRX GC8

Pros

• Great AWD race car platform
• Capable car even in stock form
• Option to retro-fit parts from STI models

Cons

• Expensive to purchase
• Finding one in good condition is difficult
• Parts aren't cheap
• Stock GC8 WRX gearbox is crap
• Full STI conversion costs a lot of money
• Can be expensive to get big power out of the Subaru EJ engine

 Mitsubishi Evo II to VIII

Pros

• Amazing AWD race car platform
• Very capable even in stock form
• Some models are 'race ready' (i.e. Evo VI Tommi Makinen Edition)

Cons

• Very expensive to purchase
• Difficult to find genuine Evos in good condition
• Will be expensive to produce big power after a certain point

So which car to get? Find out in the next blog posting!