scott_91tt

For what it is worth - the "performance" features I am looking for my Z32 to have are as follows: Killer brakes, unmatched suspension & handling, modest performance upgrades over OEM. The car performs very well from an acceleration and throttle response standpoint - the only areas I am marginally unhappy with are the steering vibration I have from 60-70 MPH (tire balance I bet) and the mediocre handling that is typical of a 130K mile car. I am going to eliminate the tire shake with a good, 120mph tire balance feat. new Yokohama AVS rubber - performed by http://www.butlertire.com/services.asp . I am hopeful that the Stillen Sway Bars & Energy Suspension bushings will improve the handling to a level that I'm satisfied with... when I make the decision for struts I believe that the end result will be an exceptionally handling car!

For me, the biggest priorities are handling and braking. The car makes plenty of power to satisfy as it sits. I believe the mods I discussed above will address the handling, and I've just got to decide how I want to approach braking from here.

snwbrderphat540

you all suck well, i actually new that sorta, peopel swap in the NA rear subframe, i just forgot so my bad, i still however dont like 4ws its just my opinion i guess. and true the Na rear is weaker than the TT but also smaller correct? so it would help in acceleration.... but thats besides the point. well, i guess im just biased against it because it really doesnt do much, the rear wheels move like 4 degrees or something which youll notice, but just barely, i drove my friends galant VR4 and it has it i do believe.... unless im crazy, thought it did though, and it didnt do anything for me, so there actually is experience though not in a Z32. to me its just a way for companies to jack up the price of the car and is just another thing to fail on you i think.

Goofyz

For me, the biggest priorities are handling and braking. The car makes plenty of power to satisfy as it sits. I believe the mods I discussed above will address the handling, and I've just got to decide how I want to approach braking from here.

Might you be open to suggestions? If you are going after-market for brakes, you might want to try http://www.arizonazcar.com/300zxbrakes.html They have a relatively inexpensive (compared to just about everyone else's) big brake kit. You can see from the pics and read from the write up what it all entails. That is the set I am getting for my car.

People will tell you that bigger brakes alone will not help the Z brake better, but as long as you are doing the suspension upgrades, and better tires (you might want to get a brake booster brace too), I think you will enjoy this kind of upgrade.

ZLover4Life

Opposite, bro. If it were smaller, it'd help top end speed and hurt acceleration. The NA is 4.083, TT is 3.692. But the larger NA rear end will help acceleration... until it breaks. Leader gears FTW.


VR4 does have it, but it's an inferior system. And comparing the handling of a 4000lb tranny bomb to a Z32 is ridiculous.

Riz Z Speed

yes, well, we all kinda got stumped on that one.
I started a thread on that one and we just kinda decided to not really finish that.
Seriously, i think we decided to make changes in groups so that you make the least amount of trips to the alignment rack as possible. I made it a sticky, feel free to read it.

also, this thread was moved to 300ZX (Z32) Brakes, Wheels, Suspension and Chassis

snwbrderphat540

not a tranny bomb, i said galant VR4. not 3000GT. galant uses the DSM tranny setup, fairly strong. and i thought that sounded wrong when i said smaller, just that teh NA is a R200 and the TT is a R230 right? i think thats where i was getting my confusion....

scott_91tt

Wow! Thanks for this link. I've been debating different BB upgrades and this is gonna be the one. I really couldn't see spending $2200 for the AP Racing 6-piston setup for a street car and I haven't been crazy about the OEM caliper relocation kit because of this:



And while it may not seem a big deal to some people; my thinking is that if you're upgrading to larger diameter rotors, you shouldn't have to sacrifice pad surface area. Even though the "edge" of the pads that does not meet the rotor face is slight, it is still probably 5% of the total surface area.

My question about the Wilwood upgrade is whether those calipers utilize a "standard" FMSI brake pad that would be readily available in different friction flavors (Hawk, EBC, Metal Master, etc) ?

Goofyz

but yeah I think you can get racing metal/ ceramic street versions of the pad best guy to ask is"'ARIZONA Z CAR'" dave@arizonazcar.com Dave.

ZLover4Life

The fact that it was a Galant makes it even worse... it's a sedan, not a sports car, so handling should be compared even less. And once again, it's an inferior system. Super HICAS is the only 4 wheel steering system that considers three factors instead of two. Mitsubishi's, Honda's, and Chevy's systems only consider speed and direction as inputs, whereas Super HICAS also considers how fast you're turning the wheel. This allows the system to predict what type of driving/maneuvering you are doing so it knows how to best react (i.e. slowly turning the wheels for a sweeping turn requires a different system reaction than a sharp, fast turn that you'd do avoiding an accident or racing).

CanyonCarver

I'm looking at buying that BBK too. I looked into piecing my own Wilwood kit together and making my own adapters and I can't do it for less than that price.

I emailed Dave about possible price breaks for buying more than one kit. (my kids also wants a set). Is there any interest in a group buy?

scott_91tt

Definitely... see if you can get him to throw in some wheels to replace my stockers and we're set

Goofyz

on the Wilwoods BBK (front only) i still like my mechanical E-brake, thank you.

Maybe if we can get 6-10 people to go in for it he will discount a bit, ill talk to my neighbor too, he is looking to replace his fronts. (on his Z32)

MikeZ

How good of a driver are the people who need coilover set up?
Are you guys serious drivers/talented? I don't claim to be any pro, but why bother with such a kit if you do not have the skill push the normal suspension to its limit with real prowess? (If you do, then please let me know)
I have auto-crossed plenty of times and not thought: "Damn, this suspension is holding me back".
I agree with good ol' spring/dampner combo, it works. Coilovers are either for show, bragging or someone who actually brings out the potential in such a major suspension change. Like a intermediate driver with years under their belt.
Unlike myself.

91zxtt

The majority of the people probably fall into those first two categories.

CanyonCarver

More like 99.999%.

MikeZ

Yeah thought so.

Changing gears: Has anyone ever used their stock front calipers/rotors for the rear when changing to a larger diameter rotor and six piston caliper?
Or is that taboo, cause' i've NEVER seen someone do it. Probably jacks up the braking bias or something right?

snwbrderphat540

the rear brake has an internal drum for the hand brake, thats the first reason you couldnt use the fronts.

Goofyz

most of the braking done in a sports car is done in the front wheels, there is twice as much surface area for the brake fluid to push on in the front calipers, compared to the back, there is a proportioning valve in the master cylinder that cuts the pressure to the back to 1/2 too. So, in essence you have a 4 to 1 ratio to start with for braking. Thats a big reason why most people who upgrade brakes on this car upgrade only the fronts ( a cheaper way to upgrade the backs would be an adjustable proportioning valve).

As far as suspension goes, ride quality and handling are both impacted by coil overs, very true, but I would see no reason to remove the adjustable tokicos from your Z and move to the KYB/Eibach combo if you are just using your car for transportation. Remember, stiffer springs and adjustable dampeners may make the rear end stop hopping around on launches and may help you take corners a bit faster but how much over the speed limit do you want to go on public roads? You can't say you are saving much money by moving to KYB/Eiback cause that combo is around 500-600$ Stock Tokicos are just about the same. Coilovers are 300-1000$ more unless you actually get a custom race set at about 2500$ and up per corner. When is the last time any of us drove a Z with brand new Stock suspension? The car was last sold new in the US in 1996, so if your ride quality is suffering its probably not JUST your shocks, its old bushings, and other worn out parts.

Anyone remember what car tested best in 1990 in the Road and track slalom section?

MikeZ

You can't adjust the stock tokicos on an NA. On the TT yes, but then again, you are just selecting two modes...

Goofyz

touring and sport....what more would you need? (for transportation)?

Touring allows you to go over speed bumps with ease and Sport is hard enough to make that speed bump feel like a curb...what more would you need?

MikeZ

A button that says Pro on it. So you can be an awesome driver, that's what I want