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- May 21, 2004
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Dear all,
I've always been curious about how much thought Skyline owners put into the handling aspect of their rides. It seems that most of the threads on this forum seem to lean more towards modifications that increase power and perhaps occasionally supporting modifications like cooling, etc. However, there seems to be a lack of discussion and information regarding the various upgrades available for the Skyline and I feel its important that we all share our thoughts and if possible, our own experiences and what has led to the set-up we have chosen.
Before we begin, let me first make it clear that handling upgrades, for the purpose of this discussion, covers tires, suspension and all things related (adjustable camber kits, adjustable arms, tension rods, HICAS removal kits, etc) and lastly braking. Reinforced bars, strut bars, handlebars and crowbars can all be discussed in the chassis strengthening thread (OK well not handlebars and crowbars, that was just to see if you were paying attention!).
Let me start first. My approach to modification has always been basic upgrades (exhaust, intake, etc) first followed by handling modifications before any serious power is even added. In fact, before the power comes the supporting modifications such as cooling, oiling and fueling for example but those are topics to be discussed next time.
My GTR came from Japan with Apexi coilovers as well as an Endless 6pot/4pot brake kit. The car had Bridgestone RE55S tires and that was it. Since I don't make it a habit to buy cars that are already modified, I replaced the Apexi coilovers (they were getting noisy anyway) with TEIN Monoflex coupled with an EDFC which I was already running on my Z33 and V9 Spec C. Of course, the tires had to go so I went for Falken RT-615s which needed replacing at every other service interval but were tires that I was also using on my STI. Being unsure of the history behind the Endless brakes, I had the rotors and pads replaced and also bought another 6pot/4pot set for my STI, although they were only 340mm compared to the GTRs 355mm front rotors.
That was the extent of the handling modifications on my GTR from Day 1 and remained on the car for over two years until I decided to sell the car and when the stock engine went back in, I sold off the brakes, etc but kept the suspension and instead of semi-slicks (at RM1.5k per tire for both cars every other service interval was a bit much plus the W speed rating) I now run Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric. I didn't end up selling the car and if I were to start another project, I'd get bigger brakes but that's probably it.
My opinion is that the GTR handles perfectly out of the box. Well not perfectly, but pretty close with the advantage of traction when needed to the rear wheel drive while cornering. Watching videos of the stock GTR being put through its paces by professional Japanese drivers, it was apparent to me that given a set of excellent tires and strong brakes, the average driver would be hard pressed to really reach the handling limits of the car before needing other upgrades or messing around with handling. The only reason why I had the Monoflex installed was because I didn't trust the Apexis to last much longer and I needed the flexibility offered by the EDFC.
Having said that, please share your experiences in modifying or tweaking the handling of your Skyline. Was it all you expected the first time round? Have you gone all out like MrNismo and his full rose joint suspension setup (it smells like a florist farted under his car) or have you not touched anything at all? Has HICAS saved you from crashing or do you find it intrusive and in fact slows you down?
Where possible, please explain why you decided on a particular modification as I'm not that well-versed and I'm sure many others here wouldn't mind knowing as well. If you removed HICAS for example because you felt it was hindering your fast times at the circuit then perhaps share how removing it improved your lap time and by how much of a margin. But whatever the modification, do share the good and the bad so that we can all learn something new.
If we can add one new piece of knowledge or information to these forums everyday then before long this will be a resource for all things related to Skylines and everyone can look back and say they had a part in making that happen. I've said my bit now let's hear yours.
I've always been curious about how much thought Skyline owners put into the handling aspect of their rides. It seems that most of the threads on this forum seem to lean more towards modifications that increase power and perhaps occasionally supporting modifications like cooling, etc. However, there seems to be a lack of discussion and information regarding the various upgrades available for the Skyline and I feel its important that we all share our thoughts and if possible, our own experiences and what has led to the set-up we have chosen.
Before we begin, let me first make it clear that handling upgrades, for the purpose of this discussion, covers tires, suspension and all things related (adjustable camber kits, adjustable arms, tension rods, HICAS removal kits, etc) and lastly braking. Reinforced bars, strut bars, handlebars and crowbars can all be discussed in the chassis strengthening thread (OK well not handlebars and crowbars, that was just to see if you were paying attention!).
Let me start first. My approach to modification has always been basic upgrades (exhaust, intake, etc) first followed by handling modifications before any serious power is even added. In fact, before the power comes the supporting modifications such as cooling, oiling and fueling for example but those are topics to be discussed next time.
My GTR came from Japan with Apexi coilovers as well as an Endless 6pot/4pot brake kit. The car had Bridgestone RE55S tires and that was it. Since I don't make it a habit to buy cars that are already modified, I replaced the Apexi coilovers (they were getting noisy anyway) with TEIN Monoflex coupled with an EDFC which I was already running on my Z33 and V9 Spec C. Of course, the tires had to go so I went for Falken RT-615s which needed replacing at every other service interval but were tires that I was also using on my STI. Being unsure of the history behind the Endless brakes, I had the rotors and pads replaced and also bought another 6pot/4pot set for my STI, although they were only 340mm compared to the GTRs 355mm front rotors.
That was the extent of the handling modifications on my GTR from Day 1 and remained on the car for over two years until I decided to sell the car and when the stock engine went back in, I sold off the brakes, etc but kept the suspension and instead of semi-slicks (at RM1.5k per tire for both cars every other service interval was a bit much plus the W speed rating) I now run Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric. I didn't end up selling the car and if I were to start another project, I'd get bigger brakes but that's probably it.
My opinion is that the GTR handles perfectly out of the box. Well not perfectly, but pretty close with the advantage of traction when needed to the rear wheel drive while cornering. Watching videos of the stock GTR being put through its paces by professional Japanese drivers, it was apparent to me that given a set of excellent tires and strong brakes, the average driver would be hard pressed to really reach the handling limits of the car before needing other upgrades or messing around with handling. The only reason why I had the Monoflex installed was because I didn't trust the Apexis to last much longer and I needed the flexibility offered by the EDFC.
Having said that, please share your experiences in modifying or tweaking the handling of your Skyline. Was it all you expected the first time round? Have you gone all out like MrNismo and his full rose joint suspension setup (it smells like a florist farted under his car) or have you not touched anything at all? Has HICAS saved you from crashing or do you find it intrusive and in fact slows you down?
Where possible, please explain why you decided on a particular modification as I'm not that well-versed and I'm sure many others here wouldn't mind knowing as well. If you removed HICAS for example because you felt it was hindering your fast times at the circuit then perhaps share how removing it improved your lap time and by how much of a margin. But whatever the modification, do share the good and the bad so that we can all learn something new.
If we can add one new piece of knowledge or information to these forums everyday then before long this will be a resource for all things related to Skylines and everyone can look back and say they had a part in making that happen. I've said my bit now let's hear yours.
