TravisJB Journal

ChrisSlicks · 05-23-2011, 07:26 AM

Hi Tage, I hope you are recovering well. Travis told us the story about what happened and it was extremely scary, and you were very brave to jump out of a still quickly moving vehicle. I've been following your recovery thread on the NASA forum.

I would say it is worth hanging out here even if you have a 350, some of the parts are interchangeable, and the general engine/chassis/suspension design is quite similar. There are several folks with 350's and G35/37's on this site just because the site is more active with information and far more friendly. It would be worth registering for one of the 350 sites as well to read through existing information. Some might consider it bad form to post the names of the "competing" sites so I'll just PM you that info.

And yes, Travis was the first person I know to jump head first into building the 370. He started off mild like the rest of us but quickly realized the potential and invested in the car doing a lot of his own R&D along the way.

RE: #10 - Yes the 370 has auto-locks engaged by default but this was one of the first features I turned off. They tell you how to change the setting in the owners manual, very simple. Getting out the window of the 370 might be a little more challenging than a Civic given that the opening is not as tall, it is a tight fit for my helmet and if you have HANS attached to your helmet it is going to be a very tight fit (helmet only fits sideways). Fortunately the doors are easy to open quickly. More difficult is shutting down the engine while moving, it requires a 3-second hold on the start/stop button, although someone said that if you press it 3 times quickly it will also shut down so I have to try that out.

travisjb · 05-23-2011, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

Hey all, this is Tage Evanson.

Terrific to have you on this board, Tage!

All, I think you know from my prior posts who Tage is... back in the day a top autocross driver, and more recently a winning time attack driver and racer... you've probably seen him and his Civic featured in import tuner, modified, etc. It's great to see him make the jump to a nissan platform, and maybe we can keep him around! He'll be a great resource for all of us on driver coaching and understanding which mods really matter at the track. And I'm sure he'll be looking for specific input on his new 350 from all of you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

So here's a few of my comments:

Just a few, huh?! lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

1. Travis, you put WAY too much emphasis on the car and seemingly nothing on the driver....The moral of the story is DO NOT UNDER ESTIMATE THE DRIVER!

I'm sure it would seem that way having just read through this journal, but I do invest what time I can into my driving skills... never enough, but I put more time there than I do into mods/tuning... I've done the 4-day Bondurant course, for example... and plenty of Karting and more recently have gotten into Sim racing to hold me over between RL sessions... Also, my improvements at Chuckwalla were more about learning that track than they were outright driver improvements... Also tires and setup definitely bought ~3 of the 4 seconds... As a benchmark, my PIR times improved by 5.8 seconds over two years including all of the mods that were done on the car... final time of 1:07 and change, and I don't think anyone could do much more than mid 5s in the car, no matter how good they are... so, my guess would be that at PIR I was leaving 1.0-1.5 seconds on the track due to the guy in the seat

But I'm with you... it's time to check my ego and maybe do another 2-3 day advanced course with one of the schools

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

2. Along the same lines of focus on the car, you have too much emphasis on the power to weight ratio...but the point is, power isn't everything.

Fair... it matters though... there is time to be gained coming out of corners - you can only make up so much everywhere else

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

3. Oh, BTW, I LOVE the background of your car number. I had no idea I was a "target". Nice!

Everyone needs a huckleberry! If only you weren't a moving target! ha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

Good move on sticking with the F250 as a tow vehicle

It's a solid, dependable vehicle... it's been choking a bit lately on clogged fuel injectors, but otherwise solid

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

5. This is my first 350/370Z related thread I have read so far but I'd agree that this is likely the best one EVAR!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

I say you supercharge your engine and then tune it for TTS. The last thing you want is a car that makes 325WHP but only 320+ for the last 200 RPM before hitting the rev limiter

I think you may be right! Going to ease my way back in this fall and then maybe take the plunge to keep things interesting

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

...Another eye opening experience could be to hire a personal coach or pro driver. That might be cheaper than a private school. Have them drive your car and then analyze the data on your Traqmate. I think you'll be surprised at the differences in the graph plots and then you'll know exactly where to shave those seconds off your lap times... he consistently pulled away from me lap after lap. Yes, I was even humbled... :-)

Good idea! But of course if they wreck it... that'd be an ugly scene

Tage humbled? say it isn't so!! LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

9. In terms of getting out of a burning car quickly, regardless if your car is stock or modified, you should still practice the procedure...curious how long it takes someone in a stock 370Z to do the same?

We're all glad you are okay!!

I have a new job looking after products that protect people from fires, so your incident hits close to home for me

I'd be curious as well how long it takes people... you might even start a thread on that!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

10. BTW, I'm looking to compete in my 350Z in TTA (on Hoosier DOT rubber) to see if I can get all the track records in that class here locally and then I'll switch to Hoosier slicks and go for TTS/ST2 (TT and Race Group). My Civic when rebuilt will be lighter and more powerful and be maxed out in TTU/ST1 (the next class up in TT and race group).

Rock on, Tage!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tage

One last question so I'm not hijacking Travis' thread here (more than I already have). Is the 350Z similar enough to the 350Z to warrant asking questions here on this site or should I just find a 350Z specific site to do that?

Yes, what Chris said

I think you'll find plenty of people around here that talk about the differences but at the end of the day they are darn close

By the way, did you know this car is for sales? (at least I think it is still available)
Twin Turbo Time Attack 370z for sale built like a factory race car!

Tage · 05-24-2011, 11:53 AM

Thx! Yeah, I'm pretty excited to give the 350Z a try to see how it performs and see if I can make it competitive on not just a local scale but on the National level as well. That wasn't the plan originally but my Civic is going to take so long to rebuild that I might as well stick with the Nissan for a while to see what I can do with it.

RE: Your improvements at Chuckwalla. Yeah, learning the track and/or gaining driving skills is all the same thing to me IMO. Improvement via the driver is the bottom line. Take PIR for example, you might know it like the back of your hand but unless you're flat out from T9 all the way through the oval, you're leaving a TON of time out there. No reason your PTW couldn't do it. I was flat out in my Civic!

Speaking of which, for those interested in the Civic that Travis was chasing after. Here is the most recent video of it at PIR. It's a race vs a TT but you'll get the point (low weight = lots of grip and great brakes / it also has ridiculously short and close gearing).
NASA Arizona - PIR - Feb 6 2011 - Big Bore Race on Vimeo

Oh and before I forget, I noticed along your struggles with fuel starvation that you mentioned of plans of going a fuel cell to not just resolve those issues but also that you alluded to the fact that you thought it was required for race group. That is not true, you do NOT need a fuel cell for race group. In fact, IMO a stock tank is preferred since it doesn't "expire". With a fuel cell, the bladder must be 5 years or less in age and you need proof of the age in order to pass tech. IMO, just get a good surge tank and keep the stock tank. Your dual fuel pumps is a good start but you should have those pumps, pump into a small 1/2 gallon aluminum box (outside of the tank). The stock tank/pump(s) job is to keep that thing full at all times (to simulate a "full tank") and then you have a 3rd fuel pump that draws fuel from the bottom of that to feed the fuel rail. If the stock tank ever sucks air the aux/surge tank will keep the engine running uninterupted for quite some time. I'm not sure why folks aren't doing this now as it's a much easier and simplier solution than all this maddness with baffles/tubes with holes in it or trying to find the perfect location for the dual pumps, etc.

I am anxious to hear how your experiences with NASA Florida compares to NASA Arizona as well as how you stack up against their local competition. I believe the tracks there are a bit faster so the aero should certainly help out more so than AZ tracks (w/ the exception of Chuckwalla).

That 370Z race car is pretty awesome but it costs about the same as I have into my 06 F350 dually, 24' Hallmark trailer, my Civic and my 350Z.

WShade · 05-24-2011, 02:09 PM

Cool footage. Thanks for sharing.

oleg · 06-10-2011, 09:37 PM

kind of have to ask after I saw some of your vids, whats parts did you use to get your engine to rev to 10.5k and what power are you putting out right now?

travisjb · 06-10-2011, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oleg

kind of have to ask after I saw some of your vids, whats parts did you use to get your engine to rev to 10.5k and what power are you putting out right now?

Oleg, this engine will not rev that high for sustainable operation... what you are seeing is my traqmate display that has not been calibrated properly... My car is set to redline at 7200

297whp, that is all

oleg · 06-10-2011, 11:53 PM

haha ok that makes more sense because i couldn't figure out how you can make it rev 3k above the stock redline. One more question, with all the weight reduction you did, did you ever figure out what weight your car is currently at?

travisjb · 06-11-2011, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oleg

haha ok that makes more sense because i couldn't figure out how you can make it rev 3k above the stock redline. One more question, with all the weight reduction you did, did you ever figure out what weight your car is currently at?

3175 lbs with me in it + safety gear + 3/4 fuel... 200 less without driver / gear

travisjb · 07-08-2011, 07:23 PM

starting to think about the Z again... still not sure when I'll get back out to the track but have a fresh battery and a few things on order

took some vid from my XOOM - thought I'd share for those of you that want to see specific aspects of the build

ChrisSlicks · 07-08-2011, 08:03 PM

Come on man, your 90 miles away from Sebring, time to hit that ****. Work killing you?

travisjb · 07-08-2011, 08:58 PM

well, it's not for lack of interest!

NASA FL 2011 Event Schedule | N.A.S.A. Florida

looks like my next opp'n with nasa fl is sep-3... if I'm not in china or wherever, I'll be going to this

ChrisSlicks · 07-09-2011, 07:14 AM

Actually looks like a fun track.

travisjb · 07-09-2011, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks

Actually looks like a fun track.

Hope so! reminds me a bit of the 'main course' at my old home track, firebird, in phoenix, az. big ars-straight, then some twisties to get back to s/f.

Unrelated... Working on a wicked home theater setup... may post some pics of that here at some point if ppl are interested. 110" curved screen, 3D, 11.2 surround!, setup for sim racing

ChrisSlicks · 07-10-2011, 07:33 AM

Very cool! I'm a bit of a home theater junkie as well but nothing that fancy!

The Canuck · 07-13-2011, 07:37 AM

Been following along, if its anything like what you did to the Z, it will definitely kick ***. Your theater sounds like it is going to be somewhat similar to one that I designed for a client. We did a 9.4 set up. All walls and ceiling were on either rubber bushings, or springs to help prevent sound transfer out of the room, and sound transfer into the room. Looking forward to seeing some photos of it.

05-23-2011, 07:26 AM	#1336 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 653	Hi Tage, I hope you are recovering well. Travis told us the story about what happened and it was extremely scary, and you were very brave to jump out of a still quickly moving vehicle. I've been following your recovery thread on the NASA forum. I would say it is worth hanging out here even if you have a 350, some of the parts are interchangeable, and the general engine/chassis/suspension design is quite similar. There are several folks with 350's and G35/37's on this site just because the site is more active with information and far more friendly. It would be worth registering for one of the 350 sites as well to read through existing information. Some might consider it bad form to post the names of the "competing" sites so I'll just PM you that info. And yes, Travis was the first person I know to jump head first into building the 370. He started off mild like the rest of us but quickly realized the potential and invested in the car doing a lot of his own R&D along the way. RE: #10 - Yes the 370 has auto-locks engaged by default but this was one of the first features I turned off. They tell you how to change the setting in the owners manual, very simple. Getting out the window of the 370 might be a little more challenging than a Civic given that the opening is not as tall, it is a tight fit for my helmet and if you have HANS attached to your helmet it is going to be a very tight fit (helmet only fits sideways). Fortunately the doors are easy to open quickly. More difficult is shutting down the engine while moving, it requires a 3-second hold on the start/stop button, although someone said that if you press it 3 times quickly it will also shut down so I have to try that out. __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms Last edited by ChrisSlicks; 05-23-2011 at 07:33 AM.

05-24-2011, 02:09 PM	#1339 (permalink)
WShade Track Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 765 Drives: 09 370Z T/S/N Rep Power: 187	Cool footage. Thanks for sharing. __________________ Q50S Q60 RS400

07-08-2011, 07:23 PM	#1344 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	starting to think about the Z again... still not sure when I'll get back out to the track but have a fresh battery and a few things on order took some vid from my XOOM - thought I'd share for those of you that want to see specific aspects of the build __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

07-08-2011, 08:03 PM	#1345 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 653	Come on man, your 90 miles away from Sebring, time to hit that ****. Work killing you? __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms

07-08-2011, 08:58 PM	#1346 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	well, it's not for lack of interest! NASA FL 2011 Event Schedule \| N.A.S.A. Florida looks like my next opp'n with nasa fl is sep-3... if I'm not in china or wherever, I'll be going to this __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

05-24-2011, 11:53 AM	#1338 (permalink)
Tage Base Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 2 Drives: 03 Nissan 350Z Rep Power: 13	Thx! Yeah, I'm pretty excited to give the 350Z a try to see how it performs and see if I can make it competitive on not just a local scale but on the National level as well. That wasn't the plan originally but my Civic is going to take so long to rebuild that I might as well stick with the Nissan for a while to see what I can do with it. RE: Your improvements at Chuckwalla. Yeah, learning the track and/or gaining driving skills is all the same thing to me IMO. Improvement via the driver is the bottom line. Take PIR for example, you might know it like the back of your hand but unless you're flat out from T9 all the way through the oval, you're leaving a TON of time out there. No reason your PTW couldn't do it. I was flat out in my Civic! Speaking of which, for those interested in the Civic that Travis was chasing after. Here is the most recent video of it at PIR. It's a race vs a TT but you'll get the point (low weight = lots of grip and great brakes / it also has ridiculously short and close gearing). NASA Arizona - PIR - Feb 6 2011 - Big Bore Race on Vimeo Oh and before I forget, I noticed along your struggles with fuel starvation that you mentioned of plans of going a fuel cell to not just resolve those issues but also that you alluded to the fact that you thought it was required for race group. That is not true, you do NOT need a fuel cell for race group. In fact, IMO a stock tank is preferred since it doesn't "expire". With a fuel cell, the bladder must be 5 years or less in age and you need proof of the age in order to pass tech. IMO, just get a good surge tank and keep the stock tank. Your dual fuel pumps is a good start but you should have those pumps, pump into a small 1/2 gallon aluminum box (outside of the tank). The stock tank/pump(s) job is to keep that thing full at all times (to simulate a "full tank") and then you have a 3rd fuel pump that draws fuel from the bottom of that to feed the fuel rail. If the stock tank ever sucks air the aux/surge tank will keep the engine running uninterupted for quite some time. I'm not sure why folks aren't doing this now as it's a much easier and simplier solution than all this maddness with baffles/tubes with holes in it or trying to find the perfect location for the dual pumps, etc. I am anxious to hear how your experiences with NASA Florida compares to NASA Arizona as well as how you stack up against their local competition. I believe the tracks there are a bit faster so the aero should certainly help out more so than AZ tracks (w/ the exception of Chuckwalla). That 370Z race car is pretty awesome but it costs about the same as I have into my 06 F350 dually, 24' Hallmark trailer, my Civic and my 350Z.

06-10-2011, 09:37 PM	#1340 (permalink)
oleg Enthusiast Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Illinois Posts: 321 Drives: 2011 370z 6mt sp Rep Power: 14	kind of have to ask after I saw some of your vids, whats parts did you use to get your engine to rev to 10.5k and what power are you putting out right now?

06-10-2011, 11:53 PM	#1342 (permalink)
oleg Enthusiast Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Illinois Posts: 321 Drives: 2011 370z 6mt sp Rep Power: 14	haha ok that makes more sense because i couldn't figure out how you can make it rev 3k above the stock redline. One more question, with all the weight reduction you did, did you ever figure out what weight your car is currently at?

07-09-2011, 07:14 AM	#1347 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 653	Actually looks like a fun track. __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms

07-10-2011, 07:33 AM	#1349 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 653	Very cool! I'm a bit of a home theater junkie as well but nothing that fancy! __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms

07-13-2011, 07:37 AM	#1350 (permalink)
The Canuck Base Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Louisville Posts: 4 Drives: Saturn Ion Rep Power: 14	Been following along, if its anything like what you did to the Z, it will definitely kick ***. Your theater sounds like it is going to be somewhat similar to one that I designed for a client. We did a 9.4 set up. All walls and ceiling were on either rubber bushings, or springs to help prevent sound transfer out of the room, and sound transfer into the room. Looking forward to seeing some photos of it.

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