DDM Project 370Z

M.Bonanni · 05-29-2009, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caravanshaka

oh, and out of curiousity, what are the offsets on those? I'm assuming you asked them to get you the normal offset for Z's like you did on your "show" wheels, but since your show wheels are an inch wider I'd expect different offsets.

Front is the same width and offset, but with the 10" rear the offset is +20.

M.Bonanni · 05-29-2009, 01:45 PM

UPDATE:

Last minute maintenance & prep is done on the 370Z before I head to Willow Springs tonight!

I changed the diff oil and the stock diff is done. The oil had a strong burnt smell, there was a big chunk of metal that came out with the oil, etc. It still drives, but I am fairly sure I am will be running with a non-functioning LSD this weekend. Now I am even more pissed I couldn't get the Carbonetic LSD installed in time. I changed the diff oil to Royal Purple Max Gear and will cross my fingers that the rear end holds together through the weekend. Luckily out of every track I will go to this year with the time attack racing, this is the one which will put the least stress on the LSD.

I put the car on the scales again and luckily didn't need to do any adjustments! Last time it was scaled it weighed in at 3230 lbs. with 1/2 tank of gas. This time it weighed in at 3187 with a 1/4 tank of gas. Cross weight is a perfect 50/50, front to rear is 56.2/43.8, and left to right is 51.5/48.5.

Here are the changes made since the last time attack:
Forgestar F14 wheels 19x9f 19x10r
Nitto NT05 tires 245/35/19f 275/30/19r
Muteki lug nuts
Nismo 60mm wheel studs
GTSPEC 4 point ladder brace
Royal Purple Max Gear Oil

There are also major differences in the tracks though. The first time attack was at Buttonwillow Raceway which is a lower speed more technical track with a lot of turns. That track favors lighter weight more nimble cars.

This race is at "Big Willow" which has far less turns, a lot of which are big sweepers. The speeds are also MUCH higher favoring the higher horsepower, big aero cars. With 300whp and the stock aerodynamics this track is definitely not ideal for my 370Z. It will however be a good test for the Mishimoto oil cooler. The temperatures will be about 25-30 degrees higher than they were at Buttonwillow and the amount of time spent at full throttle in the upper revs will also GREATLY increase compared to Buttonwillow. This will be the ultimate test for that oil cooler.

Again, I will doing live updates on the progress of the car and other headlines from the races live all weekend long on Twitter so follow me!

Mike Bonanni (DDMotorsports) on Twitter

Musashi · 05-29-2009, 01:49 PM

Sounds like a blast! Have a great weekend. I tested the Nittos Nt-05 last week at thunderbolt. Held up pretty good for a street tire.

Caravanshaka · 05-29-2009, 02:05 PM

Damn, sucks to hear about the stock LSD, hope that isn't going to be a common problem for casual track Z owners!! I figure the hardcore track owners will upgrade anyway!

Good luck and have fun!

imag · 05-29-2009, 04:24 PM

Ouch. Yeah, that is a bummer about the diff.

Can't wait to hear the reports on the weekend though...

M.Bonanni · 05-29-2009, 05:51 PM

Yeah not a good thing to find the day before a race weekend. Guess its my fault for procrastinating on swapping the fluid. Oh well. Car feels fine driving around the street, but I am sure I will feel the effects on the track. I am bringing the Carbonetic LSD with me in case someone at the track has the proper equipment and time to swap it for me

.

ChrisSlicks · 05-29-2009, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DDMotorsports

Yeah not a good thing to find the day before a race weekend. Guess its my fault for procrastinating on swapping the fluid. Oh well. Car feels fine driving around the street, but I am sure I will feel the effects on the track. I am bringing the Carbonetic LSD with me in case someone at the track has the proper equipment and time to swap it for me

.

Isn't there like a 100 mile break-in period?

The stock diff is crap, just overheats so quickly with so little effort, I'm not surprised you killed it after a couple of track events. I get about 2-3 auto-cross runs and it turns into an open diff. I either need a powered diff cooler or just shell out for a real LSD.

M.Bonanni · 05-30-2009, 09:14 PM

Well the practice day is over out here at Willow Springs and my mod priority list has changed again.

The damaged stock LSD has held together fine so far (knock on wood), however its useless performance wise.

The Nitto NT05 tires are awesome, but I am in desperate need of some negative camber up front to get the full benefit of them. Also, the 245/35/19 tire up front is just too skinny for this heavy car.

The Hawk HP+ brake pads worked fine for Buttonwillow and work fine for the most part at Willow Springs but the hard braking zone going into turn one from 140mph has proven too much for them. Initial bite is good and they quickly fall off after that. They definately aren't good for long high speed braking zones.

The BC Racing ER Series coilovers continue to impress me and I absolutely love having the ability to separately adjust compression and rebound.

The Mishimoto oil cooler isn't working quite as well as it did in Buttonwillow, but still working quite well all things considering. Buttonwillow was about 30 degrees cooler ambient temp than today was at Willow Springs. Willow Springs is also a lot faster and you are at full throttle MUCH more than at Buttonwillow generating more heat. I still have not hit the rev limit cut for oil temp, but temps are hovering at a high of around 270 degrees. about 10 degrees hotter than it ever got at Buttonwillow back in March.

I did not have a transponder on my car today so no lap times until tomorrow. I am curious to see how it stacks up against the rest of the competition but it is definately leaving a lot on the table at this track with the lack of horsepower and front grip (because of no adjustable front camber arms).

travisjb · 05-30-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DDMotorsports

...but it is definately leaving a lot on the table at this track with the lack of horsepower and front grip (because of no adjustable front camber arms).

Re power/weight... I agree... long-term, definitely going to need to either drop 400 lbs or add another 80 hp ! losing the weight better in my book

M.Bonanni · 05-30-2009, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travisjb

Re power/weight... I agree... long-term, definitely going to need to either drop 400 lbs or add another 80 hp ! losing the weight better in my book

I am talking more specifically for this track than in general. This track is really fast and really wide open. It caters more to high horsepower than any other track I have been too. Another 80whp would be nice on any track though

.

G37Sam · 05-29-2009, 11:18 PM

Very informative & suspence filled thread haha

Subscribing!

NIZMOZ · 05-30-2009, 09:17 PM

Loving my stock LSD so far. No problems after about 10 road course days, and about 40 autox days. Still works.

I have Amsoil in mine for now.

But I am considering a upgrade eventually. Hope you have better luck!

miguez · 05-31-2009, 08:49 AM

Thanks for the update Mike, I've been following you on Twitter, good updates there too

. I get them on my cell phone, so I can know right away what's going on with the DDM 370Z!

Are you going to look at a bigger core for your oil cooler? I know this track is probably the worse in the schedule regarding oil temps, but it wouldn't hurt anywhere to run cooler oil in this car...

By the way, are you checking tire temps across the treads to determine optimum camber? If so, which pyrometer are you using?

miguez · 05-31-2009, 09:22 PM

Hey Mike,

Followed you on Twitter all day, nice improvement on lap time! Are you going to write a quick report on it? It would be awesome.

Regarding fuel starvation, I was having a mods discussion with someone that asked me if a fuel surge tank would be needed, and I said I wasn't sure, but am now

.

travisjb · 05-31-2009, 09:34 PM

Ditto that ! would love to get a write up on your day !

Miguez, longacre makes great pyrometers... the $100 models are more than adequate
longacre pyrometer - Google Product Search

05-29-2009, 01:45 PM	#2 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1322	UPDATE: Last minute maintenance & prep is done on the 370Z before I head to Willow Springs tonight! I changed the diff oil and the stock diff is done. The oil had a strong burnt smell, there was a big chunk of metal that came out with the oil, etc. It still drives, but I am fairly sure I am will be running with a non-functioning LSD this weekend. Now I am even more pissed I couldn't get the Carbonetic LSD installed in time. I changed the diff oil to Royal Purple Max Gear and will cross my fingers that the rear end holds together through the weekend. Luckily out of every track I will go to this year with the time attack racing, this is the one which will put the least stress on the LSD. I put the car on the scales again and luckily didn't need to do any adjustments! Last time it was scaled it weighed in at 3230 lbs. with 1/2 tank of gas. This time it weighed in at 3187 with a 1/4 tank of gas. Cross weight is a perfect 50/50, front to rear is 56.2/43.8, and left to right is 51.5/48.5. Here are the changes made since the last time attack: Forgestar F14 wheels 19x9f 19x10r Nitto NT05 tires 245/35/19f 275/30/19r Muteki lug nuts Nismo 60mm wheel studs GTSPEC 4 point ladder brace Royal Purple Max Gear Oil There are also major differences in the tracks though. The first time attack was at Buttonwillow Raceway which is a lower speed more technical track with a lot of turns. That track favors lighter weight more nimble cars. This race is at "Big Willow" which has far less turns, a lot of which are big sweepers. The speeds are also MUCH higher favoring the higher horsepower, big aero cars. With 300whp and the stock aerodynamics this track is definitely not ideal for my 370Z. It will however be a good test for the Mishimoto oil cooler. The temperatures will be about 25-30 degrees higher than they were at Buttonwillow and the amount of time spent at full throttle in the upper revs will also GREATLY increase compared to Buttonwillow. This will be the ultimate test for that oil cooler. Again, I will doing live updates on the progress of the car and other headlines from the races live all weekend long on Twitter so follow me! Mike Bonanni (DDMotorsports) on Twitter __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

05-29-2009, 05:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1322	Yeah not a good thing to find the day before a race weekend. Guess its my fault for procrastinating on swapping the fluid. Oh well. Car feels fine driving around the street, but I am sure I will feel the effects on the track. I am bringing the Carbonetic LSD with me in case someone at the track has the proper equipment and time to swap it for me . __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

05-30-2009, 09:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1322	Well the practice day is over out here at Willow Springs and my mod priority list has changed again. The damaged stock LSD has held together fine so far (knock on wood), however its useless performance wise. The Nitto NT05 tires are awesome, but I am in desperate need of some negative camber up front to get the full benefit of them. Also, the 245/35/19 tire up front is just too skinny for this heavy car. The Hawk HP+ brake pads worked fine for Buttonwillow and work fine for the most part at Willow Springs but the hard braking zone going into turn one from 140mph has proven too much for them. Initial bite is good and they quickly fall off after that. They definately aren't good for long high speed braking zones. The BC Racing ER Series coilovers continue to impress me and I absolutely love having the ability to separately adjust compression and rebound. The Mishimoto oil cooler isn't working quite as well as it did in Buttonwillow, but still working quite well all things considering. Buttonwillow was about 30 degrees cooler ambient temp than today was at Willow Springs. Willow Springs is also a lot faster and you are at full throttle MUCH more than at Buttonwillow generating more heat. I still have not hit the rev limit cut for oil temp, but temps are hovering at a high of around 270 degrees. about 10 degrees hotter than it ever got at Buttonwillow back in March. I did not have a transponder on my car today so no lap times until tomorrow. I am curious to see how it stacks up against the rest of the competition but it is definately leaving a lot on the table at this track with the lack of horsepower and front grip (because of no adjustable front camber arms). __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

05-29-2009, 11:18 PM	#11 (permalink)
G37Sam A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Dubai, UAE Posts: 1,507 Drives: RB'd G37 Rep Power: 22	Very informative & suspence filled thread haha Subscribing! __________________ '14 Viper GTS '08 RB'd G37S - Sold

05-30-2009, 09:17 PM	#12 (permalink)
NIZMOZ Track Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 634 Drives: 07 NISMO 350Z SA M6 Rep Power: 492	Loving my stock LSD so far. No problems after about 10 road course days, and about 40 autox days. Still works. I have Amsoil in mine for now. But I am considering a upgrade eventually. Hope you have better luck! __________________ SOLD: 2007 NISMO 350Z #0044 Silver Alloy New DD: 2010 Titan Pro4X CC

05-29-2009, 01:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
Musashi Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Jersey Posts: 357 Drives: 09 370Z 6speed Rep Power: 608	Sounds like a blast! Have a great weekend. I tested the Nittos Nt-05 last week at thunderbolt. Held up pretty good for a street tire.

05-29-2009, 02:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
Caravanshaka I shake Caravans Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: north Dallas Posts: 9,517 Drives: everyone crazy Rep Power: 44	Damn, sucks to hear about the stock LSD, hope that isn't going to be a common problem for casual track Z owners!! I figure the hardcore track owners will upgrade anyway! Good luck and have fun!

05-29-2009, 04:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
imag Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 446 Drives: up the wall Rep Power: 18	Ouch. Yeah, that is a bummer about the diff. Can't wait to hear the reports on the weekend though...

05-31-2009, 08:49 AM	#13 (permalink)
miguez Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 359 Drives: '04 Cavalier Rep Power: 183	Thanks for the update Mike, I've been following you on Twitter, good updates there too . I get them on my cell phone, so I can know right away what's going on with the DDM 370Z! Are you going to look at a bigger core for your oil cooler? I know this track is probably the worse in the schedule regarding oil temps, but it wouldn't hurt anywhere to run cooler oil in this car... By the way, are you checking tire temps across the treads to determine optimum camber? If so, which pyrometer are you using? Last edited by miguez; 05-31-2009 at 08:52 AM. Reason: Added question about pyrometer

05-31-2009, 09:22 PM	#14 (permalink)
miguez Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 359 Drives: '04 Cavalier Rep Power: 183	Hey Mike, Followed you on Twitter all day, nice improvement on lap time! Are you going to write a quick report on it? It would be awesome. Regarding fuel starvation, I was having a mods discussion with someone that asked me if a fuel surge tank would be needed, and I said I wasn't sure, but am now .

05-31-2009, 09:34 PM	#15 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 190	Ditto that ! would love to get a write up on your day ! Miguez, longacre makes great pyrometers... the $100 models are more than adequate longacre pyrometer - Google Product Search __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode