To be fair, there's a huge difference between most of us here and the 17-year old using a pot of rustoleum to pimp his ride.

OK, OK I can't hold a straight face for that. Sigh.

The best part is the temperature comments. Brakes under hard use, not even track use, regularly can see upwards of 500F, which is the limit of most american-market ovens. Powder ovens usually run about 400-450 to flow and cure the powder. Even EBC says that you don't need to check your seals until consistently over 220C (I think about 430F) which a 15-minute cure bake is not.

I'm trying to think of a similarly bad analogy but it's been a long week at work (7 of 9 attorneys are sick, my semi-retired dotted-line boss and I are holding up the state of SC for now) and I just don't have it in me.

 

Installed the Z1 master cylinder brace over the weekend. It took about an hour from start to finish. The wobble extension for the 5mm allen key and the telescopic magnet really helped out the install. Installed the outer two bolts due to the alignment issue I've seen in previous threads. This forum and videos really helped as the instructions z1 provided were not good at all.

I didn't expect braking to be night and day but it does feel a bit more solid which I am happy about.

 

First handwash of 2025 this weekend




Next up, refinished calipers (Brembo can go take a hike)

 

Awesome G, I really like the GT badge you got on it!

 

(3-14-25) Just an FYO as there is currently a pretty sweet deal ruining on a Stillen catback when you use the 15% Tax Season coupon.

Just in case any of you are on the fence.

 

Are you going to do that, upgrade your axle-back?

If you're going to start replacing aftermarket exhaust parts with new aftermarket exhaust parts, would you consider going a little more top-shelf? Not that there's anything particularly wrong with Stillen's cat-back, but I'm thinking ARK, Mortodyne or FI over Stillen.

 

I've been dailying the sedan thru the winter and it's been a champ. I've also working on an old Nissan. I know it's a bit off topic but hey it has Z wheels now (so kinda related?) but I'm excited to get this old thing back on the road, and wanted to share.

 

I play with the idea every now and then, but people often comment on how good my short resonators and Axleback sound, so its hard to justify the expense other than possession of the knowledge that the bottle neck on the sedan in the size of the exhaust tubing leaving the resonators (which is under 2", coupe is 2.25"). My exhaust guy loves how my car sounds, so he talked me out of running 2.25 inch tubing from the resonators to the mufflers then swapping the mufflers out with the ones I love from Sebring Tuning.

Stillen is local to me and very customer service oriented, so I give them the benefit of the doubt, but would consider others. Motordyne cost $1000 more than Stillen, so that annoys the thriftier side of me that grew up broke as a kid. To your point, I have seen some videos on youtube where the Stillen exhaust is shown a year or two later and it looks worse than my stock setup does after 11 years (stock setup is excellent quality SS, just too small on the sedan).

@FrogmanKouki Loving the S14! Wishing you lived closer so I could talk you into letting me drive that thing.

 

Didn't feel like getting a better pic.. should be good enough lol. I had my exhaust welded Friday. I called earlier in the week, as well as another place highly recommended by some friends. Both had same price quotes and I had some issues with lack of phone service from the place I ended up going to. I tried to go to the other guy but he was too busy, and I wanted to call off early no matter what so I called the other place with the meh phone history. They quoted me $20-30 for tig welding a small exhaust leak.

When I came over Friday they told me they can only MIG weld it, unless I wait until Wednesday night (5 days later). I didn't want to wait. I already went all the way over there and took off early from work. Anyway, here's the job they did...



They thought it was a TWC exhaust and were about to roast him for the weld job... so I asked them if they're saying the weld job is the reason for the leak and they said yeah. The exhaust (the relevant part of it anyway) is by Shawn (Hall Built Performance). I would never buy from "KC James" (TWC) because he's a massive manchild.

Anyway, they also found out there was a missing nut where one of the test pipes connects to the headers and replaced it for me, as well as tightening all the nuts. They were cool to talk to in person, despite on the phone not letting me finish explaining the situation before I ask.. had to cut into what they were interrupting me with. In person they were much cooler people. I guess it's harder for them to be rude when you're face to face.They also showed me some dark markings around the gaskets where thehy are saying that this is indication the gaskets should be replaced. These would be the ones between the test pipes and headers.

They also specified the same type of gasket that Nissan uses. They didn't say that, but from what he was trying to put into words I can tell what he meant. The ones with those rings, like Nissan makes them. I know already these are considered the best, but back when I had the test pipes put on I think I used whatever came with another exhaust part. So it's nice they're recommending the good ones.

Total came out to something like $21+ so that's great considering the missing nut and tightening everything down on top of the weld itself.

 

Out of the blue, all four of my windows stopped rolling up with the one-touch feature.

Fix is simple... roll them all the way down, then all the way up and hold for a 10-count. Worked fine.

That was really strange. I wonder what caused it?

 

It happens when the battery has been disconnected for a while but I've also had it once or twice randomly.

 

I live near an Air Base and when they're running odd electronic warfare stuff I'll have the car forget windows, the clocks reset, and have to reset all our house alarm sensors. :shrug:

No power dips/spikes either (we have UPS's that monitor) and the car is plugged into a tender (which is likely the antenna for those shenanigans).

 

SO I know I tend to buy stuff for the car that then sits for ever (maybe 5 evers) before I get to install it (looking at you, VLine in my office)... but I got a deal on a Stealth Hitch that was bent. Stealth Hitches look like a normal tow hitch but have a steel block in the middle that takes an odd drawbar or tow ball pintle - so nothing projects behind the car when not in use. We have one on the Audi and it's pretty cool - but they're over $500, they don't make them for our cars, and they don't sell that part by itself. Now I have one (in-laws are bringing it down this weekend). So I'd just need to make bracketry to locate it under the rear bumper, and I can have my hitch-mounted bike rack or pull our little 4'x4' trailer. The one on the Audi is a class 3... I just need a class 1 on either tbh.

OEM hitch on an Audi Q5 was over $900 and install was $1200... nope nope nope.

 

Dont mind the messy garage and pollen infused car, needs a wash, but I put on new lenses ($80 ones from ebay/china) bought the klearz side markers and painted my bezels Satin Black, and bought a black grill.

Ordered a switchback bulb for the blinker as well to remove the orange bulb

 

I just picked up a 2013 G37XS with only 60,000 miles on it with a 10/10 interior (I seriously don’t think anyone ever sat in the passenger or rear seats and the drivers seat doesn’t even have any creases in it - kind of like a time capsule!). Saw the Stillen sale and picked one up. I had a Stillen on my G35 coupe from 2005 until today with 150000 miles on it and it looks good as new - not sure about the quality issue comment unless they have gone downhill? Bought it primarily bc I expect Stillen to have a “mature” sound to their exhausts and didn’t want to risk something being too loud. Will provide impressions once installed.