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Track day prep inspired by ApeFactory and with advice from 4DRZ.
Warped my rotors and glazed my pads on a spirited run recently. Looking at replacement rotors that could stand up to my abuse, I settled on something completely outlandish.
I chose standard slots because Joel from Z1 shared that in some applications, sprinkle slots were completely covered by pads and did not allow gases or debris to evacuate properly.
I won't retread old ground but, the brake feel of the DTC-60 pads, Z1 Motorsports 2pc rotors, and Motul RBF600 in combination are fantastic. It was so good that the track instructor I drove with asked me to brake much later.
Everything I've done so far has been in preparation for tracking the G. This Saturday was the day to rubber to the pavement.
There were a couple of things to take away from this event:
1. I want and need more seat time.
2. The LSD probably needs to be upgraded. Couldn't lock up on some corners.
3. Need an oil cooler. I didn't go into limp mode like an E92 M3 out there but was peaking at 285 F. I ran full 20 min. sessions x3.
4. Power steering cooler might need an upgrade. The fluid was uncomfortably hot.
5. Wheels need an upgrade.
6. Racing seat and harness needed. CG-Lock would work in the interim.
7. Did I mention more seat time?
I'm seriously considering rolling my own Setrab oil cooler. I want to retain the OEM filter so I will go with a Mocal thermostatic sandwich plate. Anyone know what oil filter adapter would go with the M1-108 filter?
Other alternatives include the Z1 kit and Fast Intentions kit. If anyone has experience with the FI kit, please let me know what you think of it. I don't see G owners talk about it. Maybe because it's a 370z application and would have to be modified for the G.
Threw on some Nismo brake pads because the EBC Red Stuff paste on "shim" pads bunched up and created uneven pad wear. This caused the car to pull to one side under braking. Plus I glazed the the Red Stuff pads so it was time to go.
Been driving my G37S coupe with upgraded suspension for about 1 year now, and I think the stiffer suspension is taking it's toll on my stock suspension components. My current predicament is a growing dead spot (~ +/- 2 degrees) in the centerline steering and more pronounced rattles at low speed sharp bumps. I'm suspecting that the front lower control arm and front lower impact bushings are shot, thus contributing to the rattle and play in the steering.
Upgrades: Tein Mono Sport, SPL UCA, SPL rear camber arms, SPL lockout kit for camber, SPC toe bolt kit, SPL F&R endlinks, Whiteline diff bushings, and F&R Hotchkis ARB.
Usage: I track the car and take long road trips to the mountains every year.
I just wanted to reach out to the community for some thoughts on the next path to take.
1. Replace the current front lower control arm bushings with SPL spherical bushings.
2. Buy new control arms and install the SPL bushings. The reason being is there 80k miles on the car now and hedging a possible non-serviceable ball joint failure. Don't know if there are alternatives out there. I would like to move away from the OEM arm design to something more serviceable.
3. Replace the rear shock bushing with the SPL bushing first and address the rest in the knuckle at a later time.
Been a little busy lately and haven't posted. Despite that the mods never stop flowing in.
Finally got around to grinding out my rear subframe and installed SPC toe bolts.
Installed Whiteline bushings in the rear spring bucket.
Installed a TWM short shifter. Bought the TWM Big Type R and the Specter "Hybrid" Technical. I'll follow up with details on my thoughts.
I recently sprang a leak in my upper coolant hose. Decided it was a good time to replace them with some silicone. Got some Samco Sport hoses for the 370Z on sale at ZSpeed. They look fantastic with stainless HPS t-bolt clamps.
Installed some Philips Ultinon 194 led bulbs for the parking lights and license plate lights. The no names from china kept flickering. The Philips are superior.
Installed my Z1 Motorsports oil cooler.
Looks like the year things are falling in place for the 2018 track season.
I think I've mentioned before that I have been boiling over my power steering fluid during hard drives. I also found the hoses leaking fluid due to heat degradation. That being said, finally got around to doing something about it.
Installed the Z1 Motorsports PS cooler for the 370Z/G37, flushed the system with Redline D6 ATF synthetic fluid, and replaced the hoses with some silicone hoses from Z1. I could have bought all the components separately, but the Z1 kit was priced competitively and comes in at the same price as sourcing all the parts on my own.
The install was pretty simple.
You have to remove the bumper, right front wheel, and fender liner to get access to the lines.
Disconnect the output hose and start draining the PS fluid. Turn the wheel from lock to lock to drain the remaining fluid in the pump and rack.
Remove all the soft hoses.
Remove the stock cooler.
Remove PS reservoir and clean it out.
Install everything in reverse order.
Fill system with fluid.
Get air out by turning the wheels lock to lock. Fill the reservoir after a couple of turns as needed. DO NOT let the reservoir drain completely as this will introduce air into the PS system.
Drive and look for leaks.
Enjoy
Overall, it was a good good upgrade over stock. I haven't had any issues so far.
Z1 Motorsports put together a fantastic oil cooler kit. They include everything you need and use some of the best parts on the market. The centerpiece of this kit is the Setrab radiator core and adapter fittings. Setrab is the manufacturer that many race teams use for their fluid cooling needs. The other components included are good too. Their in house made braided stainless steel hoses are top notch. The Mocal oil adapter sandwich plate works.
Now I understand that businesses need to make money and the Setrab core really eats up much of the price of the kit so that means they must shave costs from other areas of the kit. One place is using the Mocal thermostatic sandwich plate. My main complaint of the Mocal plate is a bump around the oil filter stud adapter. It makes fitting a socket over it nearly impossible. I ended up barely gripping the stud when wrenching it on. While the torque spec is 26lbft makes it not as important, I like to be sure especially since it's recommended you re-tighten the stud after every filter change.
What did I do to alleviate my concerns? Why throw money at it of course. I pick up a Setrab HyperFlow Sandwich Adapter. I feel like it's better engineered for my needs and comes with a 180 degrees F thermostat. Below are some pictures for you to judge.
07-09-2017, 03:36 PM
