I have a second set of Forgestars and a set of NT05s on order already for track use. :) I just wont ever strip the interior or anything crazy like that.

Ok. Well let us know how the tires treat you :tup:

Nismo 60mm wheel studs ordered...

http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/Me...o_hub_bolt.jpg

GTSPEC 4-Point Ladder Brace prototype installed! It fits and these braces are now going into production! (NOTE: Production pieces will be GTSPEC Blue, not black).

http://www.doubledownmotorsports.com...pecladder3.jpg

This brace ties together points on the front sub-frame stiffening it up and allowing for sharper turn-in and added rigidity. The brace has no effect on ride quality, but where you notice it, is in situations where your chassis would normally be subjected to flex like going over a speed bump at an angle. The full potential of this modification will be realized at the track and I cannot wait to test it out. Hopefully there will be more to come soon from the guys at GTSPEC!

The DDMotorsports Project 370Z is now at Berk Technology for the next week or two! Berk Technology Cat-Back Exhaust system to be released soon! :D

http://www.ddmtimeattack.com/berktech15.jpg

Wow, can't wait for that cat-back!!! And the Ladder Brace looks pretty cool, will be even better in blue! Prices?

No price on the cat-back yet, but I have a for sale thread on the GTSPEC braces here...

http://www.the370z.com/suspension-br...der-brace.html

People just keep coming up with stuff I want. It's like consumerist heaven in here... buy! buy! BUY!

: )

This one is definitely added to my list. Thanks for offering it.

Preparation for Round #2 of the Redline Time Attack has begun! The next race is May 30th & 31st out at Willow Springs. Here is the punch list to do before the event...

- Berk Technology exhaust development (in progress @ Berk Technology)
- Change oil & re-install Mishimoto oil cooler
- Re-install Hawk HP+ brake pads
- Install Nismo 60mm wheel studs
- Get Nitto NT05 tires mounted on 19" Forgestar F14 wheels
- Get cracked windshield fixed :mad:
- Remove trunk area plastics/spare tire/subwoofer
- Re-align and corner balance if necessary.
- Get new vinyl decal layout on the car

Unfortunately the 18" Forgestar F14s wont be ready in time for this upcoming race so I went ahead and ordered a second set of 19" in 19x9 front, 19x10 rear.

The Nitto NT05 tires showed up yesterday! 245 front, 275 rear...
http://www.doubledownmotorsports.com/370znt051.jpg
http://www.doubledownmotorsports.com/370znt052.jpg

The 60mm Nismo wheel studs also showed up...
http://www.doubledownmotorsports.com/370znismostuds.jpg

And here is a crappy rendering of how the car will look with the new wheels and vinyl layout for Round #2...
http://www.doubledownmotorsports.com/370zsideta1.jpg

looks good man

Loving the green accents. The second round will be a lot of fun!

How did you crack your windshield?

Picked up a rock on the way down to to the JTuned Meet a few weekends ago. I called a glass repair place and they told me that they didn't have any windshields for the 370Zs yet and to call back in a month lol.

Damn, that blows! How much is a new windshield?

Don't know yet.

Itching to get the car back now from Berk. I will be at Willow Springs on the 22nd testing for a time attack team in an Evo. There is a N.A.S.A. event and Super Lap Battle Qualifier the 23rd-24th at Willow Springs as well. If my wheels get here on time and everything else is ready on the car I may do that event as well.

Hey DDM,

Yep, read about the Super Lap Battle on Import Tuner, I saw Team Tarzan's dominance of the previous race, pretty incredible machine they have there!

Will be awesome to hear your results, looking forward to it! And give that Evo hell, you lucky guy ;)!

Haha thanks man. That Cusco/Tomei car that won the last super lap battle is an incredible machine if you ever get the chance to look at it in detail.

Back to the 370Z...

I have officially started shopping for an aftermarket LSD. :)

Mike, as you move forward, please share all your research and decision process on the LSD. Thanks. Travis

Hey DDM,

I have been following your track reports, but I was wondering what exactly are you looking for in an after market LSD that the stock does not have? Also, would the LSD cooler we have seen in some Japanese and press versions help any with your problem/shortcoming?

Thanks,

Basically when I tracked the car I found that the stock LSD was crap. I am looking for a 1.5 way LSD. Possibly an LSD cooler too, but we will see.

Yeah the ratio on the stock unit is lousy, not suitable for anything more than spirited street driving. It's far too easy to spin an inside wheel.

So back to the diff...

So after taking into consideration everything from price to personal experience, I have placed an order for a Carbonetic 1.5 way carbon LSD. Here are my reasons behind my decision, most of which probably wont apply to most people...

- Track support. Carbonetic usually has at least one representative at all of the major time attacks I go to.

- Dealer status. I was able to meet the buy-in requirements to become a Carbonetic dealer.

- Personal experience. This was the biggest deciding factor. I have run this same diff in my time attack 350Z for the past few years and have no complaints with it. It has held up to much more abuse in my 350Z than I will throw at it with the 370Z and preformed flawlessly. It is actually pretty streetable too as the engagement of the carbon clutches is smoother than that of a metallic clutch.

The close runner up was the OS Giken unit. I have heard excellent things about this unit, I am already an OS Giken dealer, and my dealer price was the same as the Carbonetic unit. The personal experience is what swayed me over to Carbonetic.

So it is on order, but I am not sure if I can get it installed and broken in before the next time attack in a few weeks.

Very nice! It should last longer than the metal unit as well. I'm a little scared to ask how much this unit is going to cost me. I'm adding this to my list, but first I need the basics like heavy duty oil cooler and working brakes.

Price from me is $1425.

Not bad at all.

Any brake upgrades in the plans? I'm actually surprised that you haven't experienced any of the braking problems that RCZ and myself were getting. The bite from the HP+ was good but the rotors seem to overheat and turn to butter.

You guys brake too much :D.

No, I didn't experience that at Buttonwillow, but every track is different. Buttonwillow isn't too hard on brakes. Neither is Willow Springs, so hopefully I wont have any issues there either. :)

Man you guys are like my favorite Guinea pigs :) thanks DDM :)

Ok, the Carbonetic LSD will be installed and broken in before the time attack at the end of the month so I will be able to give everyone some track feedback very soon!

excellent! what would be awesome is a cam from inside the car - one w/ the LSD and one before :) but it might be too late for that... just watch out for the vivid colors and crazy patterns everywherE!!!

:icon18:

A little update on the car...

This Sunday I will be picking the car up from Berk Technology after the cat-back exhaust development. When I pick it up, the car will have the stock exhaust back on it and Berk will get to work making a production version for me to test. Once I get back to Vegas I will do another baseline with the stock cat-back since I never dynoed with the JWT pop-chargers and the temperature here has gone up 40 degrees since my last dyno. So this way I will have a good baseline before installing the Berk Cat-Back. Once its installed its off to the dyno again to see the gains.

After I pick up the car at Berk on Sunday, I am going to hang around SoCal Monday and hit up a few other manufacturers before heading back to Vegas that night. My first stop on Monday will be BRIDE seats. They have gotten a set of 370Z rails in for Japan to verify fitment on a US 370Z so I will swing by there to test fit them real quick. If they fit, a whole batch of them will be ordered! Unfortunately I will not be buying a set of BRIDE seats for my car right away due to budget restraints. My second stop will be to Forgestar wheels for some measurements to see if a 19x10 and 18x10 rim will fit up front, and also to double check 18" clearance over the sport package brakes.

I will get the car back to Vegas Monday night and starting Tuesday the thrashing will begin to prepare the car for the upcoming time attack! Here's the punch list for the next 2 weeks.

- New baseline dyno
- Install Berk Cat-Back Exhaust
- Dyno test Berk Cat-Back Exhaust
- Finally get around to making a mounting bracket kit for the Mishimoto Oil Cooler
- Re-Install Mishimoto Oil Cooler and change oil.
- Install Carbonetic 1.5 Way Carbon Limited Slip Differential
- Break in Carbonetic 1.5 Way Carbon Limited Slip Differential and change diff oil.
- Install Nismo 60mm Wheel Studs
- Get Nitto NT05 tires mounted on a second set of 19" Forgestar F14 wheels. 19x9/19x10 - Piano black w/neon stripe
- Re-Install Hawk HP+ brake pads
- Get cracked windshield replaced
- Re-check alignment and corner weights
- Wash/Wax
- Get "time attack" vinyl layout installed.

sounds good :tup:

The skidmarks came back the same...

Mishimoto ZX tires...

Were definatly dealing with someone in the street racing world...

Sounds like a sound plan Mike, but you will be busy for sure.

Why did you remove the oil cooler?

I removed it so I can make a mounting bracket kit to sell along with it since its a universal oil cooler kit. It was originally mounted to my car via a really crappy mounting bracket I made from scrap metal. I just wanted to test it to make sure it worked well enough first. Now I will attempt to come up with a mounting soloution that looks a bit more professional and is easy to make into a kit.

Forgot I ordered these, but I will install these SPC Rear Toe Bolts as well. Since the location of the rear camber arm also affects toe, these will allow a more precise alignment in the back. Now I just wish SPL would come out with front camber arms... :( I am trying to wait as long as I can but might have to go with SPC front camber arms if it takes too much longer.

http://www.doubledownmotorsports.com/spc370zrtb.jpg

SPC, SPL ... what's a letter between friends? FYI Travis tried to install the SPC upper control camber arms and hit a fitment snag, probably want to see the result of that first.

Yeah I heard about it. I am not ready to pull the trigger soon on any front control arms. After this next time attack in a few weeks the series moves to the midwest/east coast and doesn't come back out west until the end of September. I will do a few regular track days in between I am sure but I am in no rush for front camber arms. After this race I will shift focus a bit to the aesthetic side of things.