Who currently owns a GTR?

I would like to know who on our forum or likewise actually have a Skyline..GTR or other?..Anyone care to share with us their actual driving impressions and such?..Thanks in advance..

Hi, I own a R33 GTR. The car is modded with a JUN ECU;Trust Profec B Boost Controller;OS Giken twin plate clutch;HKS air filter,Super Drager,hiper damper (with Eibach springs)and iridium plugs and a Trust oil cooler. NISMO 3 piece magnesium 18" rims are used with Bridgestone S-02 265/35/18 tyres.
Recent dyno posted approximately 311.7bhp and 34 kg torque on stock boost (0.75 kg); 352.3 bhp and 40 kg torque at 0.95 kg boost and 380.3 bhp and 44.1 kg torque at 1.12 kg boost. All readings are from the tyres. ( I wonder what the readings will be at the engine).
I am told by my mechanic that it is rather risky to run the car at 1.12 boost without modding the engine. Is this true? If so, can anybody tell me what it takes to run the car continuoslyt at 1.12 or even 1.2. I am thinking of changinh the cam,valve springs,piston and pulleys. Would that help? Future mods plan include installing HKS intercooler (can anybody suggest better intercooler or water spray for the intercooler).
The car is fast, even at stock boost. Handling is simply superb. Hard cornering feels very safe after the hiper damper was installed. The Eibach springs are however quite hard for normal roads resulting in bumpy rides on terrible roads. (my wife just hates this!). But on track ( I go to the Malaysian Sepang F1 track), the car is simply breathtaking!Floor the hammer on the unique twin straights and the car just flies to about 260kmh on 0.95 boost. Full braking, clutch the monster, down shift to 2nd at the S corner after the Start line - and you would know why the GTR is such a great car.
I sometime drive it to work. No problem at all. Will do 40-60 kmh on 4th or 5th. Parking - side or reverse - is easy. The clutch could be a bit tiring in long traffic jams though. Release it early and the car would stall!!
I thoroughly love the car. I could send a picture to this forum but I don't know how! (being computerphobic does not help!).
Enough bragging. Ciao!!

Hi R33,
I can't wait to see pics of your GT-R! :D
It's my favorite car!
To post the image you use special tags:
[img}http://www.your.image/url/here.jpg/[img}
BUT replace the } you see with ], I did so that it won't execute the code, otherwise it will try to show the image...
If this didn't make sense, then just go to this page:
http://af.datablocks.net/vbulletin/index.php3?action=bbcode

I can't help you with the boost question, but there are lots of people that can on this forum! just wait and they'll come ;)

Welcome!!!


[Edited by igor@af on 01-25-2001 at 11:44 PM]

R33..Your GT-R seems like it could rip most cars out there a new asshole man..That sounds like a seriously tuned RB26 powering that beast..Love to see some pics of it..

Hi everyone. I am trying to post my R33 pics. Sorry if it does not work out! So here it is.

[img]http:www.C\My Documents\untitled d.bmp.jpg/[img]

Ooops, no image!:confused: Let's try again. Bear with me please.

C:\My Documents\untitled d.bmp/images/vblogo/gif

I looked at the source of the page, you are trying to attach the pics that are on your hard drive.. you can't do that. Email Igor with the pics and he will put them on the server- he's nice :D

Thanks Autofan. That just shows how helpless I am when it comes to computers and the likes.:o
I have actually sent Igor the pic earlier. Hope he would post it here for me.
Well Kris, I am not actually a road racer but so far I have eaten up a F355 (overtook him in 3rd at 180kph and left him for dead in 4th!) and of course several WRX. On the track,the Lotus Elyse (I go to the track with the Lotus club) are no match with the GTR despite their superior handling. The Lancer Evo 6 has however left me for dead once on the highway :mad: So now I am going around town looking for him :)
Dyno test has however shown that the fuel is a bit lean on high rpm. Tried to correct it but the JUN ECU has been locked by the previous owner. Next thing to do is to ditch the JUN ECU, install the stock ECU and remap the whole thing with HKS F-Con V Pro. An HKS intercooler,oil pump and GT turbo are also in the plan within the next few months.
Will keep everyone posted.

here ya go R33:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/img/members/r33.jpg
sweet car man:D
i wish i owned an R33...

Sweet car! I would have chosen different rims, personally, but I really like the ones you have. NICE.

Well, that's exactly what one of my friends sais about the rims. I actually like the original R34 rims very much. Hmm....:cool:
BTW, thanks a bundle to Igor for posting the pic. Owe you one man ;).

you mean you owe me one GT-R?? :p
great!!! When will it be shipped to my door???
:D

Your car is badass! How much money have you put into mods for the car?

Igor, if ever you are in Ma laysia and it coincides with my track day, I promise you 10 laps in the GTR with all expenses on me!:D.

NissanZ, I'd lost count the cost! But I know I need another US15k or so to achieve what I want - 450whp continuos run with reliability. When I achieve that I would stop modding. Until of course a Diablo or F45/50 overtake me :D.

Hey, I manage to post some more pics of the car at http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/mlevinsen. Go there for more pics.

hey, if you want to run more boost, stuff like cams and pulleys wont do you any good..

what you need to do next is get the biggest intercooler you can find for your r33, that will lower the intake charge, and give you at least 30 more hp without even increasign the boost.. it will also allow you to run boost a little higher.. perhaps even at your 1.2 bar goal ( thats about 17.75 psi for you guys that dont know how to measure bar ).. if you get pistons, you should get ones with a lower compression ratio ( 8.0:1, or 8.5:1 would be ideal ), you could run much higher boost with that.. also, at this level, you should start to consider using a fuel controller ( along the lines of a apexi super afc ).. also, some cam gears, should be in order as one of your next mods, so you can advance or retard the timing to suit your higher boost needs.. you should also look into a high performance ignition system for a hotter spark.. this will make betetr use of the air/fuel you already use and also slightly improve your fuel economy ( look into a system from jacobs electronics, they make thebest import ignition systems IMO ).. also, when you upgrade the pistons, get some toal seal rings.. they will make sure all the boost stays in the combustion chamber where it belongs and make sure it the boost doesnt leak down into the oil pan or bottom end..

just stuff to consider.. if you want more info about the correct way to mod turbo cars, drop me an email.. there is way to much to write here.. lol..

[email protected]

Thanks mate for the advice. I surely will take up your offer of writing to you personally.

I also have an R33. BTW, wasn't your car black or something R33?? I'm sure it was a darker color in the magazine it was in. I can't remember. BTW, your car is the one in the mag right?

Hi Racer, my car had never appeared in any mag. except when te previous owner was advertising it for sale last year. It was originally maroon in colour (apparently limited edition in Japan) but later repainted to the current Diamond Red.

Glad to know that you too drive a R33. Where are you? In Malaysia? If so, perhaps we can meet up or even go to the track together :D :) ;)

Originally posted by R33

Glad to know that you too drive a R33. Where are you? In Malaysia? If so, perhaps we can meet up or even go to the track together :D :) ;)

Nope. I live in America. There is this company called MotoRex which imports used R32s and R33s. They are used but they haven't been raced. Oh yeah, they also sell R34s but because they are newer they are a little on the expensive side. BTW, have you every lived in the U.K. or Canada or America? Anyway, it's a V-Spec right?

Ooops, thought you were close by!! I have not found the time (nor the money :mad: ) to go to the US. I have however lived in the UK for a year during my post grad days.

I have read about MotorRex on the net. Apparently the GTR imported by them are quite expensive 'coz they need to spend a lot of money to get the GTR legal in the US. I wonder why the Japanese decide not to sell GTRs in the US. Probably to maintain this mysterious aura of the GTR to thereby induce popularity. If so, then you Americans are at the losing end. On the other hand, perhaps the Japanese are losing as well. Imagine the potential market for the GTR in the US. Must be astronomical!!

BTW, don't you find it cumbersome to drive a right hander in the US? What more with a car as big and heavy as the R33?
I can imagine the attention that you (and the car) get. Here in Malaysia, people are reduced to dickheads when they see a GTR :mad: It's rather annoying when the Beamers,Mercs sports,civics and the like come licking the rear asking for a race!

You must go to the track a lot. Otherwise the GTR would be underutilised in the US. Tell us more about your car and the mods. Would like to exchange notes on the mods. A pic would be nice too.

Forgot to answer Racer's question. Yes, my car is V-Spec. Despite that, the car is a bit heavy. Both me and my mechanic are now sourcing for suppliers of carbon fiber body parts for the GTR. If possible, I want to replace the bonnet (already made of aluminium), boot lid and the doors with carbon fiber parts. Any idea where to get them?

No offense to Kepone, but there is quite a bit more to modding your car than what you (Kepone) mentioned.

For instance, ignition: Factory nissan bits on your car are great. Wires/plugs only thing I'd think about replacing here. I know a few 850+hp cars doing fine with stock coils.

Big intercooler: Definetely.

20psi on stock internals really isn't a problem as long as the fuel/ignition is tuned properly and you have low enough intake temps. Lower intake temps at 20psi could also come about with larger turbos (or single turbo) with mild to large changes in the way the car responds, depending on the final combination.

450RWHP is about where I'd contemplate a turbo upgrade anyways. Many stock rb26dett's have hit that number with stock turbochargers, but a more efficient (Larger single/upgraded twins) will still make more top end power, all other things equal.

Let me know if you'd care to email me privately, R33 or Kepone or anyone, really.


Side note:
Many different AWD cars have appeal to me, but I personally prefer light/rwd cars. 20b 3 rotor Rx-7's for instance. I'd like the rb25 or rb26 in something RWD and a bit lighter, maybe the earlier 82+ (DR30?) skyline, a lightened GTS R32, or a Silvia. Yeah, that's it.... ;-)

Does the 99+ Rx-7 still hold some track records for bone-stock-factory cars against even the mighty GT-R in Japan?

Thanks Faster for the input. Appreciate it very much.

450rwhp on stock turbo? Wow? Are these cars reliable? That would be running it close to 1.4 bar (20psi). I don't think it would be reliable,especially over here where ambient heat is much higher. Personally, I doubt whether the stock ceramic turbo could withstand that kind of boost continuously for a long time. I could be wrong though :).

On the ignition, I agree that changing the coils and cables would not help much. But what about the firing and voltage?

Okay. I want to contact you (Faster7) personally. Let me know how.

[email protected] is one email address you can contact me at.

Firing and voltage? Not sure what you're asking. Well, tuned timing, proper tuning of fuel, and keeping the charge temperature down are the keys here.

Originally posted by R33
Thanks Faster for the input. Appreciate it very much.

450rwhp on stock turbo? Wow? Are these cars reliable? That would be running it close to 1.4 bar (20psi). I don't think it would be reliable,especially over here where ambient heat is much higher. Personally, I doubt whether the stock ceramic turbo could withstand that kind of boost continuously for a long time. I could be wrong though :).

On the ignition, I agree that changing the coils and cables would not help much. But what about the firing and voltage?

Okay. I want to contact you (Faster7) personally. Let me know how.

Here are my mods, 17x9 and 17x8 SPARCO wheels, HKS super dragger exhaust, OS Giken 5 speed gearbox, 1st,2nd and 3rd shorter than kit, OS Giken Triple plate clutch, Blitz Air intake conversion to use K&N pod filters, Blitz MSTT Turbo timer, GTR Link computer, Veilside FRP bonnet amd brand new black paint. I also added a few more things but I can't remember them all. It dynos @ app. 430bhp. It fast my friend. :) And ya. It is kinda' wierd diving it right sided. But it isn't a daily driver or anything like that, I have other cars for what I call "sllllllllllowwwww" transportation. Sorry I have no pics of it though. Anyway, what do you guys get for quarter mile?

Thanks.

BTW, what do you mean by firing and voltage?

Racer20.....430whp??? Yeeehaw....that's what I call kickass man....:cool: BTW, what's GTR computer link? I notice the engine innards are stock. So is the turbo. What bar boost are you running the car at? Do you have any reliability problem with that kind of power when the stock engine is untouched? You have not changed the suspension as well. How does the stock suspension behave on track with that kind of power?

Firing and voltage. I don't really know why I used those words! What I mean is wouldn't there be a need to ensure stable voltage supply to the spark plugs to induce sufficient firing (by replacing the stock ignition system with a better one)?

My car will be in the workshop early March for remapping/oil cooler/intercooler jobs. Will report the result.

That's my problem. My suspension is stock. But I hardly ever drive it hard around the corners. BTW, what is your displacment for your GTR, R33?

i know that a dude named kingtut at the carforums and supercars board has a r32 gt st im not sure if he has made his way over here yet. his car is pretty sweet also.

I got to ride in a R32. It had something like 380lb.-ft.. Awesome car, but mine gives more of a wiplash.

The r32 handles really well. Lighter and smaller body. Less understeer. The r33 feels gigantic in comparison. I have now dumped the JUN ecu. In come the original ecu remapped by teh HKS F Con V. Also installed were HKS GT intercooler and oil cooler. The car feels a lot smoother now and throtle response a lot better. But still hasn't achieved 450 hp like yours Racer:mad:
Now, stages 3 and 4 will be done in the next year or so. Hope to achieve 550-six hundred whp:D :D By the way, Racer, do you use octane booster?

Sorry I'm such an ass/arse. But, what do you mean octane fuel ?

What is the octane level in the US fuel? It's 97 in over here in Malaysia. The problem with Japanese imports is that the engine is tuned to tha Japanese 100 octane fuel:mad: When the engine is run on lower octane fuel, detonation could take place, especially when the boost is high. The problem is really bad in Australia where the octane level is 95! The normal solution is to restrict the boost level. Another solution is the addition of octane booster in the fuel. I don't do that everyday as 97 octane is acceptable for everyday use at the boost level I am now running. But on track days, I have to add the juice.

Then, no. I don't but I'm guessing I should used it since I mostly use my GTR for the track. :rolleyes: :sun: :D

Racer:smoka:

Tell me when you use the octane booster. How your car reacts to it. I use Wynn's Race Formula Boost and sometime HKS. HKS is damn expensive though. Do fill me up on the brand you use so that comparison could be made.:licker: BTW, did you know that Apexi has a kit for the GTR R33 for up to six hundred hp? Cost the equivalent of USD8 grand over here. I am seriously thinking about it now:D :devil: Can't wait to smoke them tarmac:D

Apxi. Cool. :wave: I was considering a Vailside or WestWings. Is the Apxi one on there web site? Let me check... :smoker2:

Edit: "Apxi" = Apexi :sun:

Hi Racy, interested in the kit? Sure you are:sun: It's not in the Apexi website. You could find it at www.speedworks.com my in the "performance kit for popular cars" section. I think you should do it first so that you could tell me the performance of the kit :D ;) But I reckon your suspension has to be upgraded to hold that kind of power.

Currently, I can't get to the site. :( It doesn't work for me. But I guess I should upgrade my suspension first. :bandit: umm, do you know a good tuner? :D
BTW, I'm alos planning on purchusing a new tv in a few months so my GTR will probably be :alien: ated by me.

Sorry Racer, I missed a dot in the URL. It's www.speedworks.com.my. I went there yesterday. The kit includes: twin turbos/downpipe/induction kit (together with the air filters)/all pipings/wastegate/550cc injectors/high pressure fuel pump/GT cam shafts/adjustable cam pulleys. The Apexi power fc ecu is recomended, so you have to buy this too. In fact in Mlalaysia, you need this ecu because the tuner refuses to tune it using my F Con!! But the tuner did not seem to know his stuff. He did not say that the gasket and pistons need changing. I don't think the standard gasket and pistons could take six hundred horses without breaking! I just don't trust him:o :o I suppose you can get a better tuner over there who could install this kit properly. Enjoy:frog:
As you know, I use HKS Hiper Damper with Eibach springs on my GTR. They are tuned really well to provide a good street ride and track drive. They are height adjustable too. Next week I am going to improve the handling further by installing HKS torque controller. This stuff would enable me to move the torque to the front tyre as and when needed (unlike the stock unit which pushes the torque to the front toooooo late while cornering). I even could program it according to the track I am on! Or for the rain! Fun fun fun.....










:licker: :licker: :licker: :flash: :sun: :frog: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger:

Thanks dude. :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: Man I LOVE that one. Anyway, how much was that suspension upgrade? BTW, for excellent stoping power what do you recomend?

Thank you for your time. :flipa: :flipa: :flipa: (like that one too :D )

The Hiper Damper and Eibach springs cost me circa USD 3600. Damn expensive but worth it. I have yet to change the brake but my friend installed a set of AP Racing 6 pistons calipers and 14 inch pads on his GTR and they are just the best! Cost about USD 4500 though!

I am goint to install the HKS Electronic Torque Controller which is going to improve the handling further. It just cost USD 700. A guy in Australia improved his GTR's handling just by dabbling the GTR's lateral sensor. Go to www.autospeed.com/A_0060/article.html to read about his DIY which really improved the handling. You could try it yourself if you are ok with those kind of stuff. As for me, I am useless at those thing, so I will install the HKS thingy soon! :licker: :smoker2: :sun:

Thats cool. Does the torque converter give you more low end torque or is it just for handling characteristics.

Just for the handling. You can program when and how much torque should come to the front. You can also turn your GTR into an AWD car all the time if you want:sun: Or turn your GTR into an AWD only in the rain:smoker2: Or leave it on AUTO mod where the unit will decide by itself based on yoyur driving characteristic. All in all, it's better than the stock 4WD. For another USD180, you can install another thingy to work with the ETC. This thingy can be programed to distribute torque during drag race. Eg: you can decide to distribute 30% of the torque to the front when you release the clutch at the start of a drag and let all the torque go to the rear at say 80kph after "take off":frog: On that program, my friend's GTR recorded 4.2 sec from 0-100kph! And his GTR is supposed to be slightly less powerful to mind! Imagine the time on your 420hp GTR!:finger: :devil: :cool: :D

Wow. Who sells this again??? :confused: :smoker: :smoker: :sun: :wave:

HKS my friend. And if I am not mistaken, Blitz also has an aftermarket torque controller. But I have not seen them. I am installing the HKS unit sometime this or next week. Perhaps you want to wait for my report on its performance before deciding:smoker2:

Sweetness my friend. Just post a thread when your ready to review. Maybe other GTR owners would like to here your review. ;)

At the time of writing this post, my GTR is being fitted with the ETC and also a new ignition management system! Will report the performance gradually, especially after next Sunday (my track day):D Pray that it work:cool:

I hope so. I'm sure it'll work well. HKS always has nice stuff. BTW, How many inches is your fart pipe?? And, if you don't mind me asking, do you even like fart pipes? I mean, they are more efficent but aren't they a little stupid looking? I'd much rather have 4 normal pipes. But then again, turbos work of the exaust... does that even make a difference?? :D

Hi Racy, I'd got the Electronic Torque Split Controller installed on trial. I am now running the car on AWD all the time. Still experimenting with the percentage of torque at the front. Currently trying 20% of tirque in front. Cornering feels much better with a lot of grip when coming out of the corner. But have not tried it on track yet. Will report after track day this month.

The ETC comes in 2 small boxes - one is mounted somewhere in the car (connected to the drivetrain I suppose) and the other one (the controller) is mounted at a place accessible to the driver. The controller has 3 knobs (silver colored - plastic!!!). The left knob is for on/off/auto mode. The middle one is to control the percentage of the torque to be split to the front (to the nearest 10). Up to 50% can be split. The right knob is for fine tuning. If you choose 20% through the middle knob, you can increase it to say 23% by turning the right knob to 3.

The Auto mode - well I don't know how it work yet! The mid knob also has an "option" output. If you are using the Drag Controller (another box!) than the mid knob has to be turned to "option". The Drag Contoller is about USD 180. What it does is to enable you to decide when to release the whole torque to the rear in a drag. I don't do that much drag so I don't install this one. My friend uses this and he clockes 4.2 sec!:eek:

Usage is easy. The only problem is the ETC cannot be "on" when you are u-turning! The car will stop in the middle of u-turning:mad: or when you are side or reverse parking:o :o So, you always have to remember to switch it off before doing those stuff. That's a bit of a drag!

Will report the performance once I get used to it and also after my track day this month. Track day scheduled this Sunday is cancelled:mad: :mad:

Ciao.:cool:

Thanks. I guess I can deal with the plastic but... it the time when you switch it off and on in nano seconds or is there a lag of a few seconds? :)
Thanks.

Racy, there's absolutely no lag between switching on and off. The torque transfer is immediate and smooth except when the car already stops midway through a u-turn - if you switch it of at this time, the car jerks a tiny wee bit when the torque is transferred to the rear. Nothing dramatic though. But the stopping in the middle of the u-turn is dramatic :D
I have no problem with the plastic knobs as well. But let say your fingers are wet,or oily or sweaty, (for whatever reason), it's quite an effort to turn the knob:(

Cool. My hands used to get sweaty while on the track sometimes but I just got some gloves that don't let my hands slip. :D

I own a vl commodore with a gtr engine if that helps

whats a commodore? Is it a Holden?

holden (gm in Australia), released the VL in 1986, it had a nissan RB30E and RB30ET. This engine was chosen as a replacement as the holden 3.3L six ran on leaded and it cost way to much to convert to unlead. Holden designed the turbo engine though, as the skyline that had the same engine never had a turbo variant (in Australia atleast, don't know about the rest of the world though), and since all the RB series engine have the same shape bottom engine and most of the parts are interchangable, engine conversions are piss easy. The gear boxes, heads etc, is interchangable. The RB26DETT bolted in took about a 2 months to do (didn't work all the time), only problem, the gearbox and diff shit them selves. Along cam the Getrag speeder, had to modify the tunnel (used a big hammer HEHE :P), diff is now another vl turbo, as I think the prob was the the 5 grand clutch drop. :bandit:

Cool. My freind who lives in Austrialia has a new HSV GTS or something. Badass car with a Corvette LS1. Very fast. :) But not faster than my car. lol :D

I ordered my R34 V-spec II 2 weeks ago and I will have it in August.:licker:

Welcome to AF Initial_E!
Where are you at?
US? Australia?

I live in Canada, but I travel back and forth to Hong Kong a lot since my family is there. My car is ordered in Hong Kong.

ah,
are you going to bring it to Canada afterwards?

I don't think I could. :(