Great up-front plans & research. The 6MT Sedan can be a fun hobby car, and a rewarding daily driver.

If you're planning on track days for your DD, 4DRZ is definitely the member to follow here.

 

The bluetop ended up being the production and more reliable G23 just kept the damn FRM sleeves. If you ever find yourself building one of these. A F23 block H22 rods and K20 pistons will have you laying some good sauce.

 

I can always appreciate a clean looking car. When are you throwing the wheels on it?

 

Thanks guys. I've been reading up on 4DRZ's thread for a while now, some great information there.

The TL is going back to stock this weekend so the TE's will get a test fit on G then as well. After that I'll start sourcing the proper size tires, the current HTR z3's in 245/40 won't look right at all.

Started putting together my fluids list as well.
Here is what I'm mostly settled on

Trans fluid : OEM Nissan, Redline MT-85 seems to have mixed results, as does Amsoil
Diff fluid : Redline 75w-90 for LSD's
Coolant : OEM Nissan Blue
Brake fluid : Castrol SRF - It is simply the best, I've found I flush way less with it compared to Motul RBF600
Clutch fluid : Motul RBF600
Power steering fluid : Redline Dex VI ATF

 

Interesting twist: I grabbed a rough set of OEM Coupe 19's last night for a steal, couldn't pass it up. Now to decide what I'm going to do with them lol




This does look amazing for a factory set up so I'm struggling a little here.

 

Oh man, those are rough. But as long as they aren't dented or cracked, they can be refinished and look awesome.

Or go old school and have them chromed. I remember some years ago here on the forum there was a Vibrant Red Sedan with chromed 19" sport coupe wheels. Really interesting look.

 

Yeah pretty rough. The tires are trashed so they're getting are dismounted today, at the time the wheels will get spun on the balancer to ensure they rotate true.
After that I'll get quotes on refinishing them. If it is cost effective then we will move on to tires. If not then they'll get listed to recoup my funds.

 

I think you are on the right page here as far as mods for track days. I think the driver mod is always the most important. I have been doing HDPE events for almost 20 years and I still read every driving technique book I can get my hands on and talk to every instructor and racer I can. Good to see that you are focusing on grip and brakes before power. So many people get that mixed up.

If you have not picked up tires yet, take a look at the new Yoko Advan V601's. I have not tracked mine yet, but they certainly look more aggressive and feel a lot grippier than the Super Sports without the cost. Potenza RE-71R's will run circles around both of those tires if you prefer.

You might want to consider XP 12/10 brake pads depending on your braking style. Also stainless lines. The Castrol brake fluid definitely has a higher wet boiling point than the RBF600, but I have run Motul for years and only cooked it once when I was extreme late braking to squeeze every last millisecond out of my lap times. You will probably be fine saving $50/bottle with RBF600.

If the Motul fluid is not enough for your clutch line, Z1 makes a nice stainless braided clutch line that works well.

You will find that your coolant overflow tank leaks on track. DO NOT put a gasket under the cap like I did to fix the leak. This will actually pressurize the overflow tank and cause your coolant to leak out the overflow tube and overheat your engine. Not good.

You will probably also find that you need a finned rear differential cover with more capacity. The plastic ABS sensors are mounted to the rear differential and will melt when you start seeing higher speeds. So no ABS for the rest of the day.

The oil cooler is a must, but you might be ok without a PS cooler unless you are on a really short technical track with tons of turns. I run Redline oil in the rear differential, transmission, and for PS, but they recommend Redline A/T fluid for your power steering.

You might also want to consider a urethane transmission mount. Along with the rear differential brace it will take out most of the driveline slop. Motor mounts help too, but they are a lot more involved.

That should be enough to get you started. Hopefully, my advice can save you some time and money. Good to see another G hitting the track. Be safe, have fun, and keep the shiny side up.

 

Holy cow! That was a brain dump of great advice for someone who wants to track their G37.

 

4DRZ,

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated! I've gone through your thread and laid out my progression plan largely thanks to your feedback.

I'll look into the Yoko's for sure. I've read nothing but amazing things about the RE-71R's but for a daily driver I'd like a higher tread wear rating, MPSS's are at least 300. The other tires I think you cannot beat for the price are the HTRz3's, I've had three sets so far and for the money there is nothing better IMO in their respective class. Unfortunately sizes are getting harder to come by because the Z5's are now out.

Edit: Lol just ran across your review of the Yoko's on tire rack.

For pads you think the XP10/8 combo won't be sufficient for summer tires? I was orginally considering 12/10 combo mainly due to the G's weight, may need to revisit that. I'm not a very fast driver yet but I do try and practice late/hard braking as best I can. I cooked RBF600 fluid at Laguna Seca in my TSX( 3200lbs's, single piston calipers on XP10's) but since then I've ran SRF and have had no issues. I really feel like that crazy high wet boiling point makes all the difference. I'm okay spending the little extra and not having to bleed my brakes at the track.

For the clutch line I think RBF600 should suffice. The SS clutch line is scheduled for later phases if needed.

Any other advice on how to avoid the coolant overflow? I read your experience with the cap gasket, so I'll be sure to avoid that. I was thinking of adding a sock of some sort to soak up the overflow, similar to what I plan to run on the PS reservoir.

Finned diff cover is also planned for the later phases, along with a Helical LSD if I find I'm overheating the VLSD often enough. Thanks for the reminder on the ABS sensors though! I'll try adding some DEI gold reflective tape to them in hopes of avoid any melting.

Good info on the PS cooler. Laguna Seca and Thunderhill and fairly technical tracks. I may try my first day out in the car with just some Redline Dex VI ATF fluid before upping to the PS cooler.

Is the redline trans fluid notchy until it warms up?

NVH is the only concern I have with the trans mount at this point, It is on the list for a later phase currently but I'll see if it doesn't get bumped up. Motor mounts at this time are not a consideration, again due to NVH. I'll see how everything feels after the diff brace goes on.

 

Of all the mods you do to the car, tires are the most important. They are the only part of the car that touches the ground and thus, the only part that can simultaneously improve braking, acceleration, and handling. The Sumitomo's are based on technology and a rubber compound from almost a decade ago and tire technology advances at the speed of light. Tire rack categorizes them in a similar category to the Advans (probably due to treadwear rating), but the grip should be significantly better in the Yokos just looking at how much wider the outside shoulders are and the tread pattern. The Sumitomo's look like more of a street tire. You are also going to be hard pressed to find the Sumitomo's in many sizes too as it looks like they are being phased out.

If you call Carbotech they will recommend a significantly more serious pad than even I use. I talked to the guys at Z1 and they all run XP12/10's on their track cars. I have had no issues. The issues you had on your TSX probably have a lot more to do with the fact that most Honda's use really small brake rotors and calipers so they do not have a lot of room to dissipate the heat and were never designed for track use. It looks like your front rotors are only 11.8." Your Infiniti has a much more serious set of brakes from Akebono (albeit they were designed for the lighter 370Z) with 14" rotors up front and 13.8" in the rear and 4 piston front calipers and 2 piston rear calipers. These along with some front brake ducts are more than capable for all but the latest of brakers. Side note: If you think you are slow, don't focus on braking late. Focus on coming into the corner at the right speed so you can be on the correct line and accelerate out of the corner earlier, especially if that corner comes at the start of a long straight. They don't give awards for highest entry speed.

For the coolant overflow tank, my best solution was to trace the cap on a sponge, cut a hole in it, and set it over the cap with duct tape covering the cap and sponge. Ugly, but effective. Bring extra coolant and rise out the sponge with water under a sink after every session. DO NOT get coolant in your eyes!

That gold foil tape might work if you can sandwich it between the sensors and the differential. Otherwise it won't do much good. I wouldn't worry about a different LSD. The guys at Z1 kept talking about losing grip with the stock LSD and it overheating, but I got that thing so hot I melted those ABS sensors and never had a problem with the LSD. I noticed a substantial increase in the ability to put power down coming out of corners by adding the rear differential brace. You might find you eventually want different gearing for the rear end to make it a bit snappier. There are trade offs though so talk to me before you do that as it is not a cheap upgrade by any means.

The trans fluid is not notchy at all.

You might experience some NVH with a trans mount or any stiffer bushings if you are running the stock exhaust. With my Stillen exhaust I could hardly tell a difference with the trans mount.

 

Thanks again for the sound advice 4DRZ. Sounds like we are both on the same page, and its awesome having an experienced track guy with specific experience on the same exact car. I expect I'll be bouncing a lot more ideas off you throughout this build.

- Sumi's are for sure an older street tire, just great at that price point for the level of grip and comfort they provided.
- XP12/10 is looking like the right combo the more I dig into it, the extra power and weight are bound to produce more heat than I was originally anticipating. The tire compound will play a role as well.
I've got the lines down well, at least in a FWD car, at Laguna Seca and Thunderhill West reason why I've progressed to late braking.
- For the spewing coolant a sock or sponge is exactly what I was thinking as well, could really care less about how janky it looks during track days under the hood.

As for upgrading LSD, it's really funny what information is internet lore and what's actually true. Again, thankful to have your experience to judge off. HPDE's are just fun and self improvement for me, I'm not looking to be 10/10ths all day long. So if the car can be effective, fun, and reliable as close to stock form as possible that is totally fine by me.

 

Finally got a chance to test fit the TE's, please excuse the 245/40/18's. They clear the calipers with a few mm's of clearance as well.
Spec's are:

Volk OG TE37's @ 18lb's
18x8.5 +38
245/40/18
Powder coated Cardinal Grey.

My only issue is the +38 offset, it just isn't doing it for me. So spacers will likely be added to the equation.

Otherwise let me know your guys thoughts.

 

I'm a sucker for TE37s so I think it looks great. A little more tire and little more offset and it will be perfect.

 

TBH, I'm not really digging the wheels. But OMG your garage space is amazing! Lucky guy.

Not looking to dump on your thread, your thread is great so far, but you're asking for honest thoughts and that's where my head is at. Usually dark finished wheels don't look good (to me) on a white car unless you go with a really high gloss, or gloss black. These look kind of dull in the pics. The fat 6-spoke design doesn't appeal to me either, I prefer a wheel with details. And the OEM ride height just doesn't help, but I'm sure you know that.

Now if your intent here is to have a track-focused set of wheels... OK. That makes more sense. But just for the visual appeal, nah, I don't see it.