longsh07 Posted April 8, 2016 Author Share Posted April 8, 2016 Right well having seen the numbers looks like back to stock cats it is... Neither the Berks or the second hand Cobra HFCs are anything like close to passing :\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Well the car has its MOT but has gone back to stock cats. Also had a P2 while it was with Japex. Thinking of selling my LMGT4's after Japshow to fund a nice set of Work T7R's in Matt gunmetal. What do you reckon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veilside z Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Real beautys. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 Ah been a long time since my poor 350Z has seen much love. Nearly a year from making my last post on this topic and all that has really changed is I've gone back to the stock GT4 wheels and sold the LMGT4's. The poor car event spent months at a time sat on my parents drive way with a totally flat battery. Times have changed now though! The neglect has paid off in the long run and me and the missus now own our own house, most importantly it has a 350Z sized garage Now the important things are all sorted its time to give the 350 a bit of TLC. First and foremost it needs a wash! Once that's done I've got a nice new set of DBA T3 brake disc and Brembo HP Sport pads all round ready to go thanks to Ewen at CM ZMANALEX is also providing me with a good condition PCV which I'm replacing as a precaution. Oil consumption seems to be creeping up and I'm doing more miles now so for the sake of a few quid it makes sense to do. Once those jobs are done the next thing is tyres. I'm still loving the Work T7R's in white or gunmetal so I might have to save the pennies and get some new alloys at the same time. No point in getting tyres for the stock wheels then changing alloys as the size will be different. Current tyres (Falken 452's) are still good enough with enough tread so I can afford to wait. Tyre choice is easy for me Yokohama AD08R's. I've run them on my FN2 Civic Type R and LOVED them. They are are certainly not a comfort tyre but to hell with it, the grip is incredible so totally worth it. With that done too I'll be looking at getting in some track time before the next steps, unless I can justify a bucket seat for me at least. Been there done that in leather seats, ended up with a very bruised knee and almost in my passengers lap a couple of times! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted March 24, 2017 Author Share Posted March 24, 2017 (edited) Started work on the 350 this week. Having previously worked on my cars on a gravel driveway outside, I'm so grateful I have a garage with a nice flat concrete floor Got the car in the air and started removing the old discs and pads. One of the R clips was missing from the drivers side and the pin had started to slip out. Thought the pin would be long gone so ordered some new ones online. Once I unbolted the caliper it fell out of somewhere! Was a bit bend out of shape which explains why it fell out but I'm amazed its stayed with the car! The old pads are actually in pretty good condition! I'm debating selling them on as they Hawk Ceramic pads and look like they have almost the same life on them as my new Brembo HP Sports. Old brake discs were well overdue a change. I have a feeling they are the original disks making them 12 years and 58K miles old. Looks like they are held together by purely by hopes, dreams, and rust. Lots of rust! ... Moving on. New discs and pads have been fitted at the front. Started work on the rear brakes last night. Broke the passenger side caliper bolts loose and removed the pads then realised it was nearly 10pm so thought I better leave the rest for another day. I've been using this Mintex ceramic grease when assembling brakes. Used it on my Civic and been pretty impressed with it. Its really sticky stuff which makes applying it a bit messy but once its on it never moves. With copper grease I've found it likes to wonder off once it gets a bit warm. Found small bits of it on the inside of my alloys before. I know the brembo's are prone to squeak so I applied a thin layer of the Mintex grease on the sides and bottom where the pad meets the caliper, the back where it meets the pistons, and the top edge where the spring clip sits on the pad. Also greased up the pins and the part of the spring clip the pin sits on. The only chance of it squeaking now is if a mouse takes up residence in the car. I'm aware the R clips are missing from the pins in this photo, waiting for the new ones to arrive. If not Ill fix up the old ones and shove them back in. New DBA T3 4000 discs and Brembo HP Sport pads fitted Happy with the progress so far. Still need to do the PCV and I've also ordered some Whiteline drop links from Ewen@ClarkMotorsport. Car should be ready for its MOT on the 1st April then Edited September 19, 2019 by longsh07 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Congrats on the house purchase too pal!! Keep the updates coming 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 (edited) Morning all, Davey - Cheers chap its nice to have somewhere to work on the car at my own pace. Spent some more time this weekend working on the car. Rear brakes are now on too. Also got time to do the front and rear drop links. For anyone thinking of DIYing this job, yes its perfectly doable but its a pain. If you don't have a lot of space or a large selection of tools I'd consider paying someone to do it. The bolts are in pretty fiddly positions and will likely have seized. Even with copious amounts of penetrating oil they still put up a fight. The rear isn't too bad, finding a position for the breaker bar is the trickiest thing. The fronts are much easier to get at but the little steel retaining thing that is supposed to wedge against the ARB to stop the drop link spinning is a lot of s**t. On both sides as it came into contact with the ARB is just bent! If this happens, get the hammer out and bash it back into shape as best you can. Find a dremel or angel grinder and cut a slot in the nut and thread. Dont need to go all the way through, this allowed the nut to come off with much less force and without bending the metal clip again. End result was worth it though. There is something to be said about the pride you feel when you finally finish a job like this Front: Rear: Interestingly, on the rear passenger side there is a little bracket attached to the ARB. This in tern has a little arm connecting it to a sensor of some description. Anyone know what this is? The service manual doesn't mention it in the rear suspension diagram. I assume its something to do with stability/traction control or maybe the yaw control? Edited September 19, 2019 by longsh07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 Afternoon. Going to take the plunge and order some new wheels. Hoping they will arrive before Japfest I may regret the colour choice but I've decided to go with some white (apparently I am glutton for punishment) Work Emotion T7R's. Size wise I'm going for 18x8.5 and 18x9.5 ET30 all round on Yokohama AD08R 245/40/18 front and 265/40/18 rear tyres. This setup has been meticulously considered. I've even got a spreadsheet that works out everything from poke/inset/ride height change to % difference (front vs rear - to keep TC happy), and speedo error. There are a number of reasons for this specific size: 18" tyres are cheaper than 19". If I'm going to do track days I don't want to fork out crazy money on tyres regularly. 8.5" and 9.5" are the same widths that I had when I ran LMGT4's. I thought the car felt so much better on these than on stock 18x8/18x8.5. Offset of 30 was chosen for a couple of reasons. First no clearance issues to worry about so in future I can lower the car without and worry of wheels scrubbing and could also fit spacers if I decide I need a wider track. Second, the fronts work out as being 6mm further out than stock and 5mm further in than the LMGT4's. This gives a slightly wider track but should keep similar to stock handling characteristics. As for the rear, they are exactly the same offset and width as the LMGT4's so should make the car feel nice and planted where I find stock doesn't so much. Last but not least, traction control. The car will be driven on the road where I will leave TC on so it needs to behave itself. These tyre sizes (245/40 and 265/40) work out at a 2.45% difference front vs rear. Stock is 2.73% and my LMGT4's (255/35 and 275/35) are 2.12%. These sit nicely in between. I had no issues with 255/35 - 275/35 and obviously no issue with stock 225/45 - 245/45 so I foresee no issue here. So all that mad ammount of research, consideration, time and effort, and then I go and decide on white wheels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 I know you lot love pictures so here's the wheels and them on a 370Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) Just a quick post about the new DBA T3 4000 and Brmebo HP Sport brake setup. So far, very impressed! Initial drive was a disappointing I'll be honest. The brakes felt totally squishy and like they weren't doing a whole lot. Having just put some new YellowStuff pads on my Civic I think I was expecting a little too much as EBC's beding in coating does make brakes very sharp initially. The instructions with the pad didn't seem to mention anything about beding in so a quick google turned up 20x 60-20mph stops, 30 seconds in between, then 5 minutes easy driving to cool off. This is then followed by 8-10 80-10mph stops. Again 30 seconds to cool between and then 10 minutes cool off. 60-20 stops are easy enough, been able to do this on my commute to work as there are a fair few roundabouts on 70mph roads. Also took a late night trip out on some much quieter roads to finish the last of the 20 60-20mph stops. Doing just this has made a world of difference! They bit really well and stop very quick now. 80-10mph stops are a lot more difficult to do safely so I'll reserve these for private roads. Thankfully there is one genuine private road I can use that is just long enough to do the 80-10mph stops though its pretty narrow so turning around between runs is going to be fun So initial disappointment turned out to just be that fact there was no transfer of compound to the disc. As this is slowly building up the brakes are getting better and better. Chuffed with my purchase so far Edited March 29, 2017 by longsh07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share Posted September 18, 2017 (edited) Just realised I never did update after I got my T7R's! (18x8.5 / 18x9.5 ET30 - 245/40/18 / 265/40/18 AD08R tyres) Oh and I also binned off my sensible, practical car for this little monster Edited September 19, 2019 by longsh07 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 That thing connected to the rear ARB is for the auto leveling dip beam. Nice Subs, both cars looking fresh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted May 3, 2018 Author Share Posted May 3, 2018 (edited) Long time no posts! Not much occurring to be honest except I had a local graphics company knock up this fantastic quality Gran Turismo sun strip for my GT4 Edited September 19, 2019 by longsh07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted June 21, 2018 Author Share Posted June 21, 2018 (edited) Well that sun strip didn't last long Unfortunately picked up nasty chip in the screen about two weeks ago. Gone through normal process with insurance who sent out someone to repair it. Bad news was the chip became a crack when they tried to fix it. New screen it is then . Insurance company use National Windscreens. I was pretty skeptical to start with given their mediocre at best reviews but to be fair to the two techs who worked on my car were very professional (one repaired / one replaced) and did a good job. Their admin is crap though I booked my appoint online, absolute zero confirmation or communication during the week before my original appointment. I thought it hadn't been booked so called them the day before and they were like 'Yeah its booked, we'll ring in the morning when they are on their way.' Oh good, thanks! Would it have been so much trouble to send out an email to that effect after I booked the appointment? One thing I've learned from this experience though is that I clearly have trust issues with anyone working on my car. Had to strip it down myself before they turned up Edited September 19, 2019 by longsh07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHEZZA Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Don’t worry your not the only one ! I’ve recently had some work done I stripped my car down too. Stripped the boot out, removed rear lights and a rear wheel and drove the car to the body shop on the space saver with no rear lights Luckily the body shop is on my estate so no main roads involved. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350Butcher Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Just caught up a bit with this........nice, clean Z! You're not alone with hating others touching your care, no one seems to take the same care as you do with it! Especially windscreens when they bring out the chisel to get off all the sealant and the paint along with it!! Re AD08R tyres, I run 255/40 front and 265/40 on 18's with no issue with tc etc at all.......in case you fancied a bit more tyre up front 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) Finally managed to get a few laps in on the National circuit at Silverstone this Sunday (28th). Was booked to do two sessions but only ended up doing four laps on the first due to some very significant brake judder. Rather than be sorry later I pulled off track and noticed passenger front was significantly hotter than the drivers (binding perhaps?) but otherwise nothing wrong. Out for a couple more laps, same issue so came in and pulled the wheel off. Couldn't see anything wrong with the disc, caliper, or pads so put it down to 'warped' discs (http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths) caused by either the way I've driven it on the road or perhaps going too hard too quick in this session. Performed the bedding in process in a quiet bit of car park then parked up to wait for my next session. Session two was much more successful. There was a grand total of four cars on track and one decided to call it a day early so for the most part, myself, a Lotus Exige S, and a VXR220 had the run of it. I still had a bit of an issue with the brakes to begin with but after some hard braking this passed, further backing suggesting the cause was an uneven buildup of material on the disc surface. Other than the brake issue, the car behaved beautifully. I love the AD08R tyres and the Brembo HP Sport pads/DBA T3 discs worked a treat. Two things I have noticed: The stock seats don't hold me very well. Noticed I was using my leg to hold me in the seat. More noticeable on right hand turns as the electric seat controls dig into your leg... Understeer. Found that the car seems to understeer when pushed hard. I was expecting this but maybe not quite as much as I experienced. This could just be me getting used to driving the 350 on track but I suspect if you can dial out a bit of understeer you can balance the car better using the throttle without it wanting to understeer so much. Mark@Abbey has suggested upgrading just the rear ARB which should help but also running a square wheel/tyre should also make it more neutral. Rather than change alloys I may give your suggestion @350Butcher of using a 255 profile front when mine need replacing Anyway, here are a few pictures. Edited September 19, 2019 by longsh07 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350Butcher Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Sounds like you did have some material transfer on to the disks but glad you managed to deal with it and get a bit more time on track. I've found my passenger caliper does run hotter than the drivers side on track.......did it with factory caliper and still does it with my AP's so must be something to do with the distribution from the system! On your points 1) Yes the factory seats are terrible on track, slide all over the place dont you! I used to hurt my legs digging them into the car just to stay in front of the controls 2) There's obviously loads of variables that may be causing your understeer. I'm gonna contradict myself now but it may have been too cold to really get any heat into the tyres or if you were really pressing on then the front tyres especially cook under the loads of steering and stopping 1500kgs while soaking up all the heat from the brakes too. Watch the pressures and keep the AD08's at 34psi hot. As Mark has said stiffening the rear will help the front end as will throwing extra rubber at the issue with the 255's 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 Morning all, So after 7 years of owning this incredible car I've come to the decision that now is the right time for us to part company. I'm not certain what the coming years will bring however I'm lucky enough to say that it will involve a lot of sleepless nights, screaming, and dirty nappies, among all the other wonderful experiences I'm sure we'll have. The poor 350 doesn't see as much use as I'd like now and with a bubba on the way it's likely to be resigned to the garage. While my GC8 Impreza is suitable for dad duty, I'm not entirely happy about how safe we'd be should be be involved in an accident so I'm looking to get something a little more modern. Having been well and truly bitten by the Subaru bug, I'm thinking of adding a 3rd to our collection in the form of an imported Impreza WRX STI hatch. I'll do a proper for sale thread in due course however if anyone is interested, please do let me know, I'd be looking for about £9K. Its just about to tick over to 66K miles, had its P3 service at Japex this April, and is generally a pretty tidy car save some stone chips a bit of wear on the leather seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350Butcher Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, longsh07 said: The poor 350 doesn't see as much use as I'd like now and with a bubba on the way it's likely to be resigned to the garage. While my GC8 Impreza is suitable for dad duty, I'm not entirely happy about how safe we'd be should be be involved in an accident so I'm looking to get something a little more modern. Having been well and truly bitten by the Subaru bug, I'm thinking of adding a 3rd to our collection in the form of an imported Impreza WRX STI hatch. I know all too well with our 7 month old what you're saying! Makes it very hard to make a case for having it when it's not getting used........even harder still when its nearly £50/month in tax to sit in the garage not turning a wheel! Also understand putting safety higher up the list of priority's with the new car. Would you consider the weird saloon version they did of the primarily hatch version? Weird but so rare kind of cool.......quite like it!..............and Tommi Makinen did a good job with it on his 'Ring lap too!! (worth a watch on YouTube) Edited June 4, 2019 by 350Butcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 I do like the saloon body version, probably prefer it honestly over the hatch but the main reason for having the hatch is the practicality. My GC8 is good but not being able to fold the back seats down was something I didn't think I'd miss until I lost it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Schwier Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 Great thread, sad that it’s going up for sale but I’m sure whoever buys it will be a happy chap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 The zed may be going but hope you stick around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted August 26, 2019 Author Share Posted August 26, 2019 (edited) Up for sale now if anyone is interested I've removed the Work T7R wheels which are also for sale. Will post a link to those when I've given them a clean and taken some photos. Edited August 27, 2019 by longsh07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted September 3, 2019 Author Share Posted September 3, 2019 Totally forgot to share this photo. Was taken at Japfest 2018 by one of their photographers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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