track set up
 

i know there are a lot of track experts . i hope u guys can help me to figure out something. i have a 2015 nismo. i am planing to build it for track usage. All i want is the best performance in the track. Basically this car is stock weight but i might change the stock exhaust to a tomei single ti exhaust to take some weight out of the car. My questions are what kind of coilover( spring rate) , sway-bar and tire set up should i use ? Answers would be really appreciate it.

any inputs? plz

There are a lot of threads on this if you search around, but here is a quick I out from my perspective/experience.

I do a few track days here and there but have been getting heavy into autocross. I run KW V3 coilovers which are great for daily driving and do okay for the track but are so soft with their progressive springs for true hard track driving. A lot of people end up going with coilovers that they can choose custom spring rates (much higher than those offered by off the shelf coils) based on their aero and other factors. I'm also running a hotchkis front sway bar and eibach rear sway bar. I'd stick with hotchkis front which is one of the stiffest and OEM rear. You'll also want adjustable camber arms, the best being from SPL. I use SPC because my class restricts me and I can't have spherical joints. They tend to slip a bit and my camber tends to change a lot throughout the season which isn't great. As for tires, with the stock nismo wheels you can fit something like a 285/35r19 extreme summer tire (RE71R or RS3) and the extra width out front will help you out greatly with understeer. Those tires are pretty good until you move on to the big leagues and start looking at slicks/semi slicks.

Most of autox have classes which are dictated by modifications, apart from car make, model, and year. Which class are you going to be competing? Is this your first autox season?

I live in toronto , Canada. there are only few tracks. Basically they are all small track with a lot sharp turns.

Ok.

Based on my friend's experience with his 2013 NISMO, he slapped some RE-11s on there and beat the hell out of everyone's times....

Theres a lot of info here, and there's a lot to learn. But honestly don't spend money till you know what and why you are buying it. Also, figure out a series and learn their classing rules. Different levels of competitions allow you to do different things to your car. If you decide you want to compete in something, the last thing you want to do is have to un-do that expensive modification you did, just so you can compete in a certain class.

That being said, the Tomei exhaust is for a street/show car not a track car imo. It's lightweight yes, but it will get beat to hell at the track. I guess you could argue it's a racing exhaust, but I would say only if you are building a thoroughbred race car and have some sort of funding/budget.

Highly inaccurate. I ran the Tomei on track (and street) and it's an extremely durable system. Since it is lightweight, I would argue it's more justifiable for track use than most of these other systems on the market. The only way you'd destroy it is by running an un-reasonable ride height.

And the Tomei is not for looks if you actually use the car. The Ti fades and it looses its shine. I personally don't mind it but that's because I don't really care how it looks.

Good to hear actually, I like the exhaust personally, but have my concerns with using TI. The tracks out here are pretty bumpy, that might be part of it. The durability of titanium is my real issue with it, but good to hear that someone has been using it successfully and without issue. I actually was considering buying it this summer, the design is great, and if I was full race car I would probably have gotten it. But I still have some speed bumps that are heartless on my DD lol!

The only damage to the system was done on the street (thanks houston)

But to keep it on topic, I agree with the sentiment of not spending alot of mone on the car when you just bought it. Start with a good set of tires. the RE-11s are good for both street and track and will elevate the performance of the Z34 to where it should have been from the factory.

The JDM 15 NISMOs came with RE-11s from the dealer.

Take a look at my thread for information on what the car needs to be really track-worthy:

http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...k-journal.html

I'm at a point now where I can run as long as I want on the track -- barring fuel -- and I've done sessions over an hour in length. Now I'm starting to seriously look into performance mods, but the very first mods you should do, in my opinion:

0 - Before Going to the Track:
- Clutch and Brake Fluid: Castrol SRF
1 - After the First Track Day:
- Track Brake Pads: Carbotech XP10 (what I use, but there are lots of good options)
- Performance Tires: Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R
- 34-row Oil Cooler (the largest you can get)
2 - After Several Track Days
- Suspension, Intake, Exhaust, etc.

First thing to change before going on the track is fluids -- you need brake and clutch fluid that won't boil under track conditions. I recommend Castrol SRF as it has the highest wet boiling point. Motul RBF 600 is decent, and I used to run it, but I've boiled it too and don't run anything but SRF anymore.

The next biggest upgrade is to replace the tires. I use Bridgestone RE-71Rs, the successor to the RE-11, and a tire with even better performance in my opinion. I've completed 7 track days on a set of these (19" 245/275), and I have a new set going on this Friday in time for a track day at Auto Club Speedway this weekend.

At about the same time, you're going to want an oil cooler. Before I installed one, I was burying the needle at 300F after only one or two laps in a session. Now, it's uncommon for me to hit 260F, even after a solid hour on track at WSIR. Make sure you get the biggest one you can buy, typically 34-row, with a thermostatic plate to ensure the oil can still easily get up to it's normal operating temperature (180F).

At this point, you have a car that runs reliably on the track and it's time to start thinking about performance. This would be a good time to upgrade the exhaust and instake, as well as get a tune (EcuTek). EcuTek RaceRom will help quite a bit on the track by offering a much less intrusive, tunable traction control that is usable on the track, as well as providing the ability to remap the throttle and improve the throttle response at lower gears and lower RPMs.

get a nice lsd, i got quaife and enjoying every minute of it! coming from an open diff it was tough putting down power to the wheels