M.Bonanni Project 370Z V3.0 | Clean Slate

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 01:38 PM

Yes, you got it, Version 3.0 of my 370Z build. Version 1 was from when I bought it until December 2009 when I built it as a time attack car and promotional vehicle for my old company (Double Down Motorsports). Version 2 was after I closed up shop at Double Down until I put it back to stock after deciding to sell it. I didn't end up selling it obviously so now here I am back with Version 3.0, starting over again from scratch.

Click Here to see the Version 1.0 thread.
Click Here to see the Version 2.0 thread.

After keeping the Z stock for a long time, and after months of debating with myself on what to do with this car, I have decided yet again to go towards a track build, however this time it will be much more thought out. For these early stages I will be aiming to keep the car within the N.A.S.A. TT-A class rules, although due to scheduling conflicts I can't hit any of the remaining 2011 N.A.S.A. So-Cal races with the car. Because of this, 2011 will be a development year for the car aimed at testing and tuning.

This version of the build is going to be very different for a few reasons, one being the strict limitations of the N.A.S.A. TT-A class, the other being the strict limitations of my severely reduced budget. The result will be a slow but methodical progression of the car, taking into account every detail of what I have learned in my years of racing and what I am continuing to learn. I aim to do a lot with a little and hopefully will see good results from the fruits of my labor. I have no mechanical training, no fabrication skills, and no shop but what I do have is knowledge, determination, and a 2-car garage. I am hoping that this will be the most interesting version for the track junky to read as it will focus less on just throwing a bunch of bolt-ons at the car and more on creativity and fine tuning to get every hundredth of a second out of the car.

I have been slowly working on the 370Z over the last few months so below I will highlight everything I have done up to this point to get this thread up to speed.

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 01:39 PM

First things first, the starting point, a 99% bone stock 2009 Nissan 370Z Touring+Sport model.

I say 99% stock because there were a few minor modifications left on the car from Versions 1&2 of the build, none of which are performance enhancing, both of which were not worth the effort to remove and re-sell when I was parting the car out, but two things that I am happy that stayed on the car as it is two less things that I have to re-purchase!
The first of those two things is a set of Challenge USA stainless steel braided brake lines. These were the first Challenge USA brake lines installed on a 370Z in the states and are still in tip top shape, as one would expect. I will post a link in the next post to a blog entry I did that will go into more detail as to what the benefits of stainless steel braided brake lines are and why every track car should have them.

The second modification that was left on the car is a Jim Wolf Technology 1” oil pan spacer. This is an inexpensive mod that can offer a little more oil capacity (1 quart) for added insurance and heat resistance (6.75 quarts takes longer to heat up than 5.75 quarts). It’s not a life changing mod, and it certainly doesn’t negate the need for a massive oil cooler on this car, but for the price, it’s a good supporting mod to a reliable oil system. It can also be modified for an oil temperature gauge sensor should you decide to go with an aftermarket oil temp gauge.

And finally, the last thing that stayed on the car was my SPC Performance rear toe bolts which give you more range of adjustment of your rear toe, something necessary if you are lowered any more than 1.5” or so.

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 01:39 PM

After getting excited again about starting with a clean slate on Version 3 of this project I couldn’t help but order a few small “mods” while I saved up for the first set of real modifications. A GT-R engine start button and Password:JDM balanced shift knob were the first to get installed.

The first real order of business was to re-build the factory Akebono brake kit. I did this brake rebuild right after I decided to keep the 370Z, but at the time I was still not planning on taking my 370Z back to the track. Here’s a link to a full rebuild article I did on my blog…

Slow Your Role | Project 370Z Brake Re-Build

Long story short I swapped the stock rotors for some Stillen J-Hook rotors, swapped the fluid for AMSOIL Series 600, rebuilt the calipers with all new seals, and replaced the stock pads with Hawk Performance HPS for the street. I also had the calipers powdercoated “Fire Red” form Mike the Powdercoater here on the forums. Since I have now shifted gears back toward a track oriented build I have gotten my hands on a set of Hawk Performance DTC pads for the track. I went with a split compound of DTC-70 front, DTC-60 rear for use at the track.

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 01:39 PM

Next on the list was coilovers and I decided to go back with the same setup I left off with before I put it back to stock. I went with another set of BC Racing Suspension ER Series coilovers as I just don’t think there’s a better bang for your buck system out there for the budget minded enthusiast. I just went with the off-the-shelf spring rates of 12k front and 10k rear again as a starting point. Plans are to setup the car and focus on this area when testing at the track to see if I will need to change spring rates or not. Once I have dialed in the exact spring rates I want I will get some Swift Springs which are lighter and more consistent than the stock BC Racing springs. Here’s a link to another blog entry I did that gets more in detail with the coilovers…

All My Friends Have A Lowrider | Project 370Z Suspension Upgrade Pt.1

Around the same time, I also purchased some wheel spacers for my stock wheels.

I also purchased back my old set of SPL Parts Pro Rear Camber Arms from the guy I sold them to and installed those back on the car as well. I will get more into detail about these in Pt.2 of my suspension upgrade blog coverage which I will finish and publish after getting some front control arms and sway bars.

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 01:40 PM

Next up, another random aesthetic modification, this time from FX Carbon Fiber film…

This is very cool stuff, has the same texture as dry carbon. I don’t care if its fake, it looks damn cool haha. Have plans to wrap the roof, mirrors, and front fangs eventually as well.

Now, back to the functional stuff…decided to get a Z1 Motorsports 25 row oil cooler kit. Again, at this time in the build I was not planning on getting this car back on the track, but wanted an oil cooler just in case I ever wanted to have some fun on a canyon road on a summer Sunday here in Vegas so I opted for the 25 row instead of the 34 row kit. Getting a little creative (detailed a few posts down) I hope to increase the efficiency of the 25 row cooler to the point where I don’t need to upgrade to something larger.

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 01:40 PM

This is right around the point where I stopped arguing with myself and decided to shift my attention back toward getting this car on the track. Once the decision was made I started re-planning the build. Unfortunately for me, just participating in regular track days doesn’t cut it for me anymore. I am at a point where if I am at a track I have to be testing or competing, I have to have something to strive for. My first order of business then was to figure out where I wanted to compete with the car. Because this is still my daily driver and I am on a shoestring budget, wheel to wheel racing is out of the question simply because it would require a full roll cage so time attack or time trials is the best option. To make a long story short, I decided to build the car to N.A.S.A. Time Trials TT-A class rules. With my current obligations as a driver for Berk Technology in their BMW 135i, I felt the N.A.S.A. Time Trials series is the best bet for being competitive and keeping the build budget low. It is also the most legitimate time trials series out there aside from Redline Pro Time Attack and Global Time Attack.

So now with a new direction to move in, next on my list was a set of wheels & tires. Fortunately for me, my friend Zee Reid, whom I originally traded my 18” Forgestar F14s to in return for his stock wheels & tires when I parted the car out, was willing to make this trade again. He got his stock wheels back and I got my 18” Forgestar F14s back with a used set of Hankook RS-3 street tires, the same street tires (size and all) we use on the Berk Technology BMW 135i that have earned us street tire track records at 3 different tracks. The only bummer is now I don’t have the luxury of having a separate set of track wheels and tires so I have to daily drive on these. They are street tires so that’s not the issue, but like any tire, the more you heat cycle them the less grip they give you so they will never be as fast as slapping on a brand new set at the track, not that I could fit 4 wheels and tires, tools, etc. in the 370Z anyway if I did have a separate set of track only wheels & tires. That’s a luxury reserved for those with a truck and trailer or a friend with one that is also going to the track on the same day.

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 01:40 PM

Now that I had track worthy tires, track worth brakes, and an oil cooler that will, at the very least, allow me to run a handful of laps I finally had a track capable 370Z again! There was still more that I wanted to do however before heading out to a track. First, for whatever reason, I don’t trust stock wheel studs on any car so I ordered a set of Nismo 60mm wheel studs for all four corners from Scott@FontanaNissan and installed those.

My next pair of modifications was my first attempt at creating my own parts or modifications. Before going to the track again I wanted two things; front brake ducts and ducting for my oil cooler. Again, once I finalize an efficient and proven package I will post up a detailed blog entry featuring these things but for now I will give you the short version.

Air goes in through the openings in your front bumper and is met with your radiator, oil cooler, etc. this creates a high pressure area, think of it like an aerodynamic traffic jam. Air then finds the path of least resistance so it will find any gap of unrestricted space to rush through. Like every production car I have seen, there are these gaps around the radiator and all over the front end so the goal is to block these off and provide all of the air that enters the front bumper only one option, to go through the radiator and coolers. A few hours and a roll of aluminum foil tape and I had the front end sealed up covering all of the gaps between the radiator and the radiator support. I also fabricated up some sheet metal panels to block other areas so air has no choice but to go through the radiator. The only other place that the air can go is into the stock intake ducts and that’s fine by me! To take it a step further I fabricated up some ducting for the oil cooler that leads from the grille all the way back to the radiator trapping any air that enters that portion of the bumper and forcing it through the oil cooler. The result should be a much higher volume of air going through both the oil cooler and radiator. Here’s a photo I took during mock up with the bumper on. I did paint the ducting black once it was finalized and tried to take some photos but they didn’t come out. You can see much more on this crappy cell phone pic.

Next on the list was the brake ducts and the main reason for this was because of the ABS “Ice Mode.” There is some speculation as to whether this is triggered by excessive heat and if that’s the case then I don’t want to take any chances. I got through an entire year of tracking the car without ever hitting ice mode until I got to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway outside road course. This track is harder on brakes than any other track I have taken the Z too and coincidentally the only track where I have experienced Ice Mode so although I am not 100% sure it is heat related, my personal experience supports the theory. Either way, I figure brake ducts are a good idea. Ideally you would have 3” + hosing feeding air into the center of the rotor and out through the veins in the middle, but my fabrication skills are limited and to fit 3” hose would likely require some cutting of things that I don’t want to cut unless one day my 370Z becomes a dedicated track car. What I did then is use 2.5” hose that gets air from the front fang area in the bumper and blows it at the rotor surface. Is it the most efficient way? No, but it will help, hopefully enough to keep me out of the Ice Mode zone if it is heat related.

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 01:40 PM

So this brings me to present day. My car is ready for its first track day since I started this Version 3.0 rebuild! That first track day will be at Buttonwillow Raceway on July 10th with Extreme Speed Track Events. Although I am building this car for the N.A.S.A. Time Trials series, unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts I cannot make it to any of the remaining events in 2011. Truth be told its probably better since really my only objective this time out is to test and tune my setup. I do hear though that Extreme Speed does host a small amateur Z/G Challenge Cup competition for Nissan/Infiniti Z/G platforms.

So goal #1 is to test the effectiveness of the cooling things I have done to the car, and what better way to do it than in the middle of summer with what is supposed to be 95 degree ambient temps. Goal #2 is to start playing with tuning the handling balance of the car. Unfortunately at the moment the only adjustments I can make at the track are to the compression/rebound on the coilovers, and of course tire pressure so I don’t think I will end up with a perfect setup at the end of the day but what I can probably do is figure out if I need to make a spring change or not. This time out I am not going to focus on running a fast lap time since my goal is to test, not to mention mid-summer heat is not the best producer of fast lap times.

For those interested I will also be out at Buttonwillow on July 9th with Speed District Track Events, but I will be working as lead driving instructor instead of driving. I know one 370Z owner on here that’s already going, but would love to see more of you out there!

shadoquad · 07-05-2011, 01:45 PM

I'm excited to see what comes next!

Red__Zed · 07-05-2011, 01:54 PM

ChrisSlicks · 07-05-2011, 02:17 PM

Mike, I'm pretty sure those fire-red calipers are going to turn to crispy black pretty quickly

Even my anodized AP's are more of a bronzed silver than racing gray now that they have hit 500 degrees.

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks

Mike, I'm pretty sure those fire-red calipers are going to turn to crispy black pretty quickly

Even my anodized AP's are more of a bronzed silver than racing gray now that they have hit 500 degrees.

I hope they stay looking good, but I will be ok with it if they turn brown...it adds character.

Mike · 07-05-2011, 03:04 PM

Oh, they will definitely darken up!!!

Want to buy a pair of front DTC 60s with two track days on them cheap?

M.Bonanni · 07-05-2011, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike

Want to buy a pair of front DTC 60s with two track days on them cheap?

Probably not, but thanks for asking!

SPOHN · 07-05-2011, 07:30 PM

M.Bonanni reloaded. Nice job. I plan to seriously track next year. I do have one day booked this year. Can't beat on her just yet (4K miles) Just holding out. I'll eventually need some great coilovers.

07-05-2011, 01:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	M.Bonanni Project 370Z V3.0 \| Clean Slate Yes, you got it, Version 3.0 of my 370Z build. Version 1 was from when I bought it until December 2009 when I built it as a time attack car and promotional vehicle for my old company (Double Down Motorsports). Version 2 was after I closed up shop at Double Down until I put it back to stock after deciding to sell it. I didn't end up selling it obviously so now here I am back with Version 3.0, starting over again from scratch. Click Here to see the Version 1.0 thread. Click Here to see the Version 2.0 thread. After keeping the Z stock for a long time, and after months of debating with myself on what to do with this car, I have decided yet again to go towards a track build, however this time it will be much more thought out. For these early stages I will be aiming to keep the car within the N.A.S.A. TT-A class rules, although due to scheduling conflicts I can't hit any of the remaining 2011 N.A.S.A. So-Cal races with the car. Because of this, 2011 will be a development year for the car aimed at testing and tuning. This version of the build is going to be very different for a few reasons, one being the strict limitations of the N.A.S.A. TT-A class, the other being the strict limitations of my severely reduced budget. The result will be a slow but methodical progression of the car, taking into account every detail of what I have learned in my years of racing and what I am continuing to learn. I aim to do a lot with a little and hopefully will see good results from the fruits of my labor. I have no mechanical training, no fabrication skills, and no shop but what I do have is knowledge, determination, and a 2-car garage. I am hoping that this will be the most interesting version for the track junky to read as it will focus less on just throwing a bunch of bolt-ons at the car and more on creativity and fine tuning to get every hundredth of a second out of the car. I have been slowly working on the 370Z over the last few months so below I will highlight everything I have done up to this point to get this thread up to speed. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

07-05-2011, 01:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	First things first, the starting point, a 99% bone stock 2009 Nissan 370Z Touring+Sport model. I say 99% stock because there were a few minor modifications left on the car from Versions 1&2 of the build, none of which are performance enhancing, both of which were not worth the effort to remove and re-sell when I was parting the car out, but two things that I am happy that stayed on the car as it is two less things that I have to re-purchase! The first of those two things is a set of Challenge USA stainless steel braided brake lines. These were the first Challenge USA brake lines installed on a 370Z in the states and are still in tip top shape, as one would expect. I will post a link in the next post to a blog entry I did that will go into more detail as to what the benefits of stainless steel braided brake lines are and why every track car should have them. The second modification that was left on the car is a Jim Wolf Technology 1” oil pan spacer. This is an inexpensive mod that can offer a little more oil capacity (1 quart) for added insurance and heat resistance (6.75 quarts takes longer to heat up than 5.75 quarts). It’s not a life changing mod, and it certainly doesn’t negate the need for a massive oil cooler on this car, but for the price, it’s a good supporting mod to a reliable oil system. It can also be modified for an oil temperature gauge sensor should you decide to go with an aftermarket oil temp gauge. And finally, the last thing that stayed on the car was my SPC Performance rear toe bolts which give you more range of adjustment of your rear toe, something necessary if you are lowered any more than 1.5” or so. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form Last edited by M.Bonanni; 07-05-2011 at 01:55 PM.

07-05-2011, 01:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	After getting excited again about starting with a clean slate on Version 3 of this project I couldn’t help but order a few small “mods” while I saved up for the first set of real modifications. A GT-R engine start button and Password:JDM balanced shift knob were the first to get installed. The first real order of business was to re-build the factory Akebono brake kit. I did this brake rebuild right after I decided to keep the 370Z, but at the time I was still not planning on taking my 370Z back to the track. Here’s a link to a full rebuild article I did on my blog… Slow Your Role \| Project 370Z Brake Re-Build Long story short I swapped the stock rotors for some Stillen J-Hook rotors, swapped the fluid for AMSOIL Series 600, rebuilt the calipers with all new seals, and replaced the stock pads with Hawk Performance HPS for the street. I also had the calipers powdercoated “Fire Red” form Mike the Powdercoater here on the forums. Since I have now shifted gears back toward a track oriented build I have gotten my hands on a set of Hawk Performance DTC pads for the track. I went with a split compound of DTC-70 front, DTC-60 rear for use at the track. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form Last edited by M.Bonanni; 07-05-2011 at 02:03 PM.

07-05-2011, 01:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	Next on the list was coilovers and I decided to go back with the same setup I left off with before I put it back to stock. I went with another set of BC Racing Suspension ER Series coilovers as I just don’t think there’s a better bang for your buck system out there for the budget minded enthusiast. I just went with the off-the-shelf spring rates of 12k front and 10k rear again as a starting point. Plans are to setup the car and focus on this area when testing at the track to see if I will need to change spring rates or not. Once I have dialed in the exact spring rates I want I will get some Swift Springs which are lighter and more consistent than the stock BC Racing springs. Here’s a link to another blog entry I did that gets more in detail with the coilovers… All My Friends Have A Lowrider \| Project 370Z Suspension Upgrade Pt.1 Around the same time, I also purchased some wheel spacers for my stock wheels. I also purchased back my old set of SPL Parts Pro Rear Camber Arms from the guy I sold them to and installed those back on the car as well. I will get more into detail about these in Pt.2 of my suspension upgrade blog coverage which I will finish and publish after getting some front control arms and sway bars. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form Last edited by M.Bonanni; 07-05-2011 at 02:15 PM.

07-05-2011, 01:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	Next up, another random aesthetic modification, this time from FX Carbon Fiber film… This is very cool stuff, has the same texture as dry carbon. I don’t care if its fake, it looks damn cool haha. Have plans to wrap the roof, mirrors, and front fangs eventually as well. Now, back to the functional stuff…decided to get a Z1 Motorsports 25 row oil cooler kit. Again, at this time in the build I was not planning on getting this car back on the track, but wanted an oil cooler just in case I ever wanted to have some fun on a canyon road on a summer Sunday here in Vegas so I opted for the 25 row instead of the 34 row kit. Getting a little creative (detailed a few posts down) I hope to increase the efficiency of the 25 row cooler to the point where I don’t need to upgrade to something larger. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form Last edited by M.Bonanni; 07-07-2011 at 02:41 PM.

07-05-2011, 01:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	This is right around the point where I stopped arguing with myself and decided to shift my attention back toward getting this car on the track. Once the decision was made I started re-planning the build. Unfortunately for me, just participating in regular track days doesn’t cut it for me anymore. I am at a point where if I am at a track I have to be testing or competing, I have to have something to strive for. My first order of business then was to figure out where I wanted to compete with the car. Because this is still my daily driver and I am on a shoestring budget, wheel to wheel racing is out of the question simply because it would require a full roll cage so time attack or time trials is the best option. To make a long story short, I decided to build the car to N.A.S.A. Time Trials TT-A class rules. With my current obligations as a driver for Berk Technology in their BMW 135i, I felt the N.A.S.A. Time Trials series is the best bet for being competitive and keeping the build budget low. It is also the most legitimate time trials series out there aside from Redline Pro Time Attack and Global Time Attack. So now with a new direction to move in, next on my list was a set of wheels & tires. Fortunately for me, my friend Zee Reid, whom I originally traded my 18” Forgestar F14s to in return for his stock wheels & tires when I parted the car out, was willing to make this trade again. He got his stock wheels back and I got my 18” Forgestar F14s back with a used set of Hankook RS-3 street tires, the same street tires (size and all) we use on the Berk Technology BMW 135i that have earned us street tire track records at 3 different tracks. The only bummer is now I don’t have the luxury of having a separate set of track wheels and tires so I have to daily drive on these. They are street tires so that’s not the issue, but like any tire, the more you heat cycle them the less grip they give you so they will never be as fast as slapping on a brand new set at the track, not that I could fit 4 wheels and tires, tools, etc. in the 370Z anyway if I did have a separate set of track only wheels & tires. That’s a luxury reserved for those with a truck and trailer or a friend with one that is also going to the track on the same day. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form Last edited by M.Bonanni; 07-05-2011 at 02:23 PM.

07-05-2011, 01:40 PM	#7 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	Now that I had track worthy tires, track worth brakes, and an oil cooler that will, at the very least, allow me to run a handful of laps I finally had a track capable 370Z again! There was still more that I wanted to do however before heading out to a track. First, for whatever reason, I don’t trust stock wheel studs on any car so I ordered a set of Nismo 60mm wheel studs for all four corners from Scott@FontanaNissan and installed those. My next pair of modifications was my first attempt at creating my own parts or modifications. Before going to the track again I wanted two things; front brake ducts and ducting for my oil cooler. Again, once I finalize an efficient and proven package I will post up a detailed blog entry featuring these things but for now I will give you the short version. Air goes in through the openings in your front bumper and is met with your radiator, oil cooler, etc. this creates a high pressure area, think of it like an aerodynamic traffic jam. Air then finds the path of least resistance so it will find any gap of unrestricted space to rush through. Like every production car I have seen, there are these gaps around the radiator and all over the front end so the goal is to block these off and provide all of the air that enters the front bumper only one option, to go through the radiator and coolers. A few hours and a roll of aluminum foil tape and I had the front end sealed up covering all of the gaps between the radiator and the radiator support. I also fabricated up some sheet metal panels to block other areas so air has no choice but to go through the radiator. The only other place that the air can go is into the stock intake ducts and that’s fine by me! To take it a step further I fabricated up some ducting for the oil cooler that leads from the grille all the way back to the radiator trapping any air that enters that portion of the bumper and forcing it through the oil cooler. The result should be a much higher volume of air going through both the oil cooler and radiator. Here’s a photo I took during mock up with the bumper on. I did paint the ducting black once it was finalized and tried to take some photos but they didn’t come out. You can see much more on this crappy cell phone pic. Next on the list was the brake ducts and the main reason for this was because of the ABS “Ice Mode.” There is some speculation as to whether this is triggered by excessive heat and if that’s the case then I don’t want to take any chances. I got through an entire year of tracking the car without ever hitting ice mode until I got to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway outside road course. This track is harder on brakes than any other track I have taken the Z too and coincidentally the only track where I have experienced Ice Mode so although I am not 100% sure it is heat related, my personal experience supports the theory. Either way, I figure brake ducts are a good idea. Ideally you would have 3” + hosing feeding air into the center of the rotor and out through the veins in the middle, but my fabrication skills are limited and to fit 3” hose would likely require some cutting of things that I don’t want to cut unless one day my 370Z becomes a dedicated track car. What I did then is use 2.5” hose that gets air from the front fang area in the bumper and blows it at the rotor surface. Is it the most efficient way? No, but it will help, hopefully enough to keep me out of the Ice Mode zone if it is heat related. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form Last edited by M.Bonanni; 07-05-2011 at 02:30 PM.

07-05-2011, 01:40 PM	#8 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	So this brings me to present day. My car is ready for its first track day since I started this Version 3.0 rebuild! That first track day will be at Buttonwillow Raceway on July 10th with Extreme Speed Track Events. Although I am building this car for the N.A.S.A. Time Trials series, unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts I cannot make it to any of the remaining events in 2011. Truth be told its probably better since really my only objective this time out is to test and tune my setup. I do hear though that Extreme Speed does host a small amateur Z/G Challenge Cup competition for Nissan/Infiniti Z/G platforms. So goal #1 is to test the effectiveness of the cooling things I have done to the car, and what better way to do it than in the middle of summer with what is supposed to be 95 degree ambient temps. Goal #2 is to start playing with tuning the handling balance of the car. Unfortunately at the moment the only adjustments I can make at the track are to the compression/rebound on the coilovers, and of course tire pressure so I don’t think I will end up with a perfect setup at the end of the day but what I can probably do is figure out if I need to make a spring change or not. This time out I am not going to focus on running a fast lap time since my goal is to test, not to mention mid-summer heat is not the best producer of fast lap times. For those interested I will also be out at Buttonwillow on July 9th with Speed District Track Events, but I will be working as lead driving instructor instead of driving. I know one 370Z owner on here that’s already going, but would love to see more of you out there! __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form Last edited by M.Bonanni; 07-05-2011 at 02:31 PM.

07-05-2011, 01:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
shadoquad A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: . Posts: 42,608 Drives: . Rep Power: 3886	I'm excited to see what comes next!

07-05-2011, 01:54 PM	#10 (permalink)
Red__Zed A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: window seat Posts: 28,940 Drives: Mostly on two wheels Rep Power: 119

07-05-2011, 02:17 PM	#11 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 653	Mike, I'm pretty sure those fire-red calipers are going to turn to crispy black pretty quickly Even my anodized AP's are more of a bronzed silver than racing gray now that they have hit 500 degrees. __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms

07-05-2011, 03:04 PM	#13 (permalink)
Mike The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Loganville, GA Posts: 5,944 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 2185	Oh, they will definitely darken up!!! Want to buy a pair of front DTC 60s with two track days on them cheap? __________________ NISSAN: 75 280Z / 86 300ZX GLL /87 Sentra SE / 03 350Z / 23 Z Porsche: 93 968 / 23 Macan GTS / 93 968

07-05-2011, 07:30 PM	#15 (permalink)
SPOHN A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Covington, GA Age: 45 Posts: 14,844 Drives: Waiting on next Z Rep Power: 221	M.Bonanni reloaded. Nice job. I plan to seriously track next year. I do have one day booked this year. Can't beat on her just yet (4K miles) Just holding out. I'll eventually need some great coilovers. __________________

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