RotaryMike,

Just read through your whole thread, really great build. How’s your custom front mount R2C intake working for you/happy with it? I’ve got the R2C SRI with the heat shields right now and love it but really want to have the intake mounted back up front again until it’s time for boost. I had the Z1 front mount kit on previously until a filter ripped at the base (boxed up now) and I really liked it except for the water intake when I was having to DD my car here on the coast. I’m considering doing what you did with yours and making 2 brackets to hold up the heavier R2C filters and just using the Z1 intake piping that came with it.

 

I think as long as the surface pattern matches between the front and rear rotors (blanks, slots, and/or holes), I could see the rationale of getting 2-pc in the front, and OEM in the rear. That makes sense. If I had done that, I probably would have gone with blanks. Thing is, I'm really into the Z1 sprinkle slot pattern. It's very cool IMO.

 

Thanks for the compliments! So far it is working great. A few hitches in accel that I had with just the exhaust are gone, and there might be some more noise but the FI cats and exhaust mean I don't hear much over that. No dyno results though, so that might just be selection bias on my part.

Had a few solid rainy days here and the filters didn't seem like they were getting more than damp. I'll try to get a pic from the front - they're really well shielded by the grille. I do think I'm going to get rain socks for them, not because I'm ingesting water driving in the rain but because in Charleston with even a light rain you can find yourself in a foot-deep puddle without notice.

 

I like the kangaroo-paw pattern DBA uses. But those are heavy 1 piece ($700/pair) or ridiculously expensive 2 piece rotors ($1200 for the pair) vs. Z1 ($1k normal price for all 4).

I've had drilled, slotted, and drilled and slotted on my wife's Mini and my RX8 and on an RX7 track car and IMHO drilled seems to hold up the longest - if you don't crack them on the track. We ended up using plain on the front and drilled on the rear. The slots on the Mini brakes were worn off after about a year of normal driving and the slots on my RX8 drilled/slotted were gone in 6 months of... assertive driving. At this point, other than the minor weight savings from drilled v. plain, I think the best brake performance is cryo'd plain rotors made by someone with decent quality control. IE, not just cast iron that they grind till its more or less round and even.

But... fancy rotors do look cool, especially combined with the large calipers.

 

That's good to hear first hand- I'm right up the coast from you in Wilmington so I feel your rain pain/worries 100%, and our streets flood easily here too. Curious to know what rain socks you end up going with, I was probably going to pick up some K&N covers if I go that route but have also been considering using a friend's 3d printer to make a custom splash guard.

Thanks for the feedback, definitely just helped me decide to put my Z1 piping kit back in- I knew I kept it boxed up and didn't sell it for a good reason haha.

Edit - meant to ask, what did you use to cut/drill out the OEM intake holes next to the radiator?

 

There's a company called FilterWears that has good reviews from the motorcycle crowd. About $20 each and multiple sizes.

 

So - pulled the trigger on Hotchkiss 22441 bars. $352 with free shipping from Tire Rack; about $22 in tax for my state (SC). Z1 had them for $409 + shipping, amazon was out of stock, and ebay was typically $460 with "free" shipping.

 

Nice snag, been eyeing those and def curious to see how they work out for you. I love Z1 and always try to support them but their prices are much higher most of the time- I asked them about it one time on the phone when I was asking some technical questions, and to my surprise they said if you call them they will be happy to price-match you. Might be old-knowledge, but was new to me.

Also, sorry if I'm repeating myself, I had to edit my original response to you since I forgot to ask- what tool did you use to cut out the oem intake holes in the radiator support? I was just going to take a hand saw to it and/or use a Dremel.

 

I always have a conflict as a consumer and racer. On one hand, cheaper is better for the same product. On the other hand, if companies like Z1, FI, etc. that make stuff specifically for the Z/G chassis close up shop, then there's no parts to buy. Saw that happen in the rotary world so many times I can't even. That leaves you at the marketing mercy of the giant manufacturers. Want a lightweight flywheel? Not enough market share, not yours. Etc.

OTOH, I did get my FI exhaust through Z1.

RE: rad support holes. Be SUPER careful on the driver's side because the AC lines run there. Otherwise, I just used a cordless reciprocating saw with a shorter blade and went slowly. If you feel around in there, the parts of the lip that can be removed are pretty obvious. Could have done it with a finer-toothed drywall saw too - you just need something skinny and pointy for access, otherwise jigsaw etc would work fine. I'm sure you could do it with a dremel, but the cutting surface vs. tool orientation and the sheer time needed would be detractors for me.

 

Agreed, and Z1 makes some amazing quality products in house. Really appreciate the feedback, going to get my Z1 pipes mounted back up next weekend now.

 

If you need extra pipe to turn a short tube into a long tube, I've got the extras from my build listed on the for-sale page.

Edited to add: this is the only good shot of the rad support hole I have:




Notice I used the extra silicone straight couplers to pad the pipe where it went through the hole. Also ended up using large aerospace silicone tubing to cover the AC lines.

 

Soho Motorsports up in NC may be a tad closer for you. Love how the builds coming along! If you don't mind me asking, how much were the tail lights at the yard? Trying to get an idea for modding my lights.

 

I think $25 each... LKQ is very reasonably priced if you can find a car that hasn't been pillaged already.

Anyone have a picture of the factory tail light circuit board from the back side?

 

BTW - FilterWears K287K (or your color preference), $25 each from Amazon.

 

Noticed a weird thing the other day looking at the trunk lid - the chrome inside the backup light housing is flaking off, both sides.




I do have very bright LEDs in there, but they don't get very warm - you can hold them in your hand easily even after they've been on for a while. The 921 incandescents are much hotter. Anyone else seen this problem?

At one time I was considering taking them apart and adding IR LED rings around the lights (the backup cam is IR sensitive and not filtered) but that never got past the thought exercise and an Amazon search for IR LEDs.

I do have to park the car outside and it's been stupidly hot this year...