ThomasSoerensen Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hi all I am trying to draft a plan for my car for what modifications I would like to do but I am a bit stumped for ideas. Ideally the end result of all my mods would be a car that looks (almost) standard on the outside to the general public, but is a true racecar on the inside. I like to be stealth and not cause too much attention but I also like to feel like I am a race car driver. On the exterior I am going to black out everything apart from lights. Black badges will be ordered soon from Chili Red. But it is on the interior/feel side of things that I look for some ideas. I already have sufficient power for now with the super charger. And I upgraded the brakes to Dixcel discs and Ferodo pads in the summer so I feel the brakes are fine. I have the D-spec throttle controller (in setting SP7) and I love that a lot. The problem is that I live in Germany and most mods have to be approved by the TUV (a standards organisation that approves and tests a lot of things) So to feel like a race car I thought I should get a roll cage and a nice race bucket seat that sits me lower in order to make room for me wearing a helmet. (I'm 194cm tall) i then read in the German 350z forum that because of some rules for the seat mountings only some of the Recaro seats are approved for German street use. And I read that in those seats with the approved seat mountings you actually sit higher than in the standard electric seats. And there is no way I can sit in the std seats (or even higher) with a helmet on. As it is now I fill the car pretty well with my height. So the aftermarket seats seems to be not such a hot idea. And I read on the wise interweb forums that if I fit a roll cage I should definately have a 4 point harness and a helmet so as to not smash my skull on the roll cage if I have an accident. So a roll cage with the standard seats is not a good idea. Anyway I find the standard seats very comfortable for long drives and most of my driving is "normal" driving anyway. This race car feel is mainly for my little boy inside and for the occational laps on Hockenheimring or Nurburgring. But what else could I do that will improve the race car feel? I once took you the mats in the trunk and that made me hear more of the car from inside and I liked that. Should I go down the route of getting rid of the interior/sound deadening material? I would like that, but if you strip out the interior don't you get in trouble with the curtain airbags and stuff? So guys, do you have any ideas of modifications that could improve the race car feel and might be legal in Germany? - I can always check your suggestions for legality myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
introspect Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 If you want the race car feel then I'd strip the interior, fit an aftermarket steering wheel such as this and fit a cage. You can put foam padding around the cage to stop you hitting your head on it. Maybe get the dash flocked too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrLizard Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 guidelines sound harsh! roll cage is great but the few times i had to use mine on the road it is impossible (almost) to get out of the car if you park next to another car, and you definitely would want a helmet on and padding on the cage... Strip the interior and sort out the seat/steering wheel. Sounds like you should just turn it into a race car and buy a daily hack, then you dont have to conform to the guidelines and you can do what the fia body over there lets you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasSoerensen Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 I want to keep it street legal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattMe Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I thought this thread was going to be about which mods you wanted to 'do'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I thought this thread was going to be about which mods you wanted to 'do'. i would agree with the strip out as being the simplist and most legal (i assume) thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasSoerensen Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 I agree on the stripping of the interior as it should be cheap and DIY and even reversible if needed. I might even get a bit of extra headroom from removing the roof lining Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasSoerensen Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 got the first @*!# out. a Dayton navigation computer with screen that sat in my front cubby hole. I had the centre dash off and all and I did not break anything. Lost 1 screw though. I will find it when I take the whole thing apart :-) I'm a modder!!!!!!!! And I guess it counts as weight reduction. Probably a whole 1 kg or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350ash Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 ... You can put foam padding around the cage to stop you hitting your head on it... The foam padding around roll cages isn't your usual soft pipe-lagging style foam, it's a much harder, denser foam. It's not there to stop it hurting if you catch your head on the cage, it's designed to lessen the impact if you have a big collision. So for day-to-day driving it's still going to hurt if you headbut a 'padded' roll cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasSoerensen Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 I can imagine. Not much in motorsport is made for driver comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickzzz Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/jdm-clear-gear-sh ... 3cb4186ad1 Best upgrade ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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