TravisJB Track Video

Phimosis

Good videos.

I have a few suggestion on making your videos more fun to watch:

Mount your camera higher, then point it down a little so we can see the track in front of the car.

Zoom in a little so more of the video is showing track rather than your seatback and side pillars and center console. Seeing the shifter and steering wheel is cool, but there's lots more of the screen that's just dark shadow not showing anything.

Can you shrink the data logger banner a little? It would still be easy to read if it were a little smaller and then show more track.

At speed, the microphone is distorting from too much input from moving air. Maybe a piece of cloth over or directly in front of the mic would help?

Stretch to 16:9 format if it will let you, so you use the sides of the screen. If you do this, you can mount the camera where the passenger's head would be, then the panoramic effect shows you steering, shifting, and track, but not dash and headliner.

Please, please, plase hook up your tach lead. Seems like you could make the system still temporary mount in the cabin, but with permanent mount tach lead coming from back of gauge cluster or even under hood. It helps us figure out how hard you are pushing through certain sections.

Again, very cool videos!

Thanks,

-Phim

travisjb

I know it was frustrating to watch the crappy camera position! Was for me too... I should have tested it more first... All good points and nearly all being addressed

DONE... I have a new camera position now that is MUCH better

Maybe... The new position is forward somewhat, but you can still see legs, arms and shifter... I like it that way, tells me how car is respondign to my inputs... Eventually I'll install a second camera and will have pic in pic covering part of the black, and as you note the 'electronic dashboard' covers another part

I don't think the software allows this... I can adjust the opacity though

Chasecam is working on this... Can't be done with current cam

Absolutely... will be adding that soon by dropping a line through the dash... doing it concurrently with new gauge install

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

BGTV8

Travis .. the first area I attacked on my Z34 were the brakes. I have the Akebono brakes - these are standard on Aus-spec - and have been fitted with Endless pads (partno EP461TR for front and EP462TR for the rear), but more importantly I threw the standard rotors away and fitted DBA 5000-series rotors. I have access to a lathe so I was able to machine up hats for the rotors, and I also had to mill a section out of the outer caliper half to gain clearance for the bolt heads that mount the rotors onto the hats. The DBA rotors are DBA 52102SL and SR (slotted left and right). I also use Motul race brake fluid. I also removed the backing shield (it doesn;t do much anyway) and fitted a home-made brake cooling "plate" from 1.6mm ali to direct air into the centre of the brake rotor, which is secured to the lower suspension arm by a couple of water hose clamps.

At Sandown International Raceway here in Melbourne (3.2kms/lap) in a 1m30s lap there are three high speeds stops from 125mph+ down to 60-65mph and a couple of slower corners, and I have not had a moments trouble with the braking with this setup.

I run with Stability Control off, but I have left the ABS on, but have to admit, that if the ABS is triggered, it is a pain in the arse as braking efficiency is reduced by at least 30%. There comes a point when you cannot drive deeper into a corner and expect the OEM electronics to help ... one the ABS is triggered, your only option is to get right off the brakes and allow it to reset, and that is usually not an option unless you have "lots" of runoff room.

If you don;t have the Sport brake package - it might well be cheaper to go BBK as the machining costs won;t be cheap if you don;t have access to the machining capability.

RB

RCZ

Does anyone have pads/rotors/race fluid yet? I want to know if that fixes all our issues...

travisjb

Not it... here's the list I'm working through:

1. ATE fluid... check
2. pads... partial check... HP+
3. air/ducting... not yet, but soon
4a. rotors... not yet -OR-
4b. BBK... not yet

Did DannyGT or Semtex get rotors? there was some discussion covered on another thread somewhere

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

travisjb

Journal updated just now with new mod decision!

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

RCZ

wonder what they did for brakes on that Le Mans car...

travisjb

[RANT] If it is a heat transfer issue, I suspect it will be a murky diagnosis and hard to hold Nissan accountable... they are going to be within reasonable operating parameters for street use... gents, this issue is THE difference between Porsche and Nissan... Porsche builds cars you can drive hard every day... Nissan builds cars that sell at a price point... I'm still pleased with the car overall, but these kinds of issues add up [/RANT]

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

370sed

...no sour grapes, I joined last winter thinking this was my next car....now all I can say is I honestly do feel for you guys, sucks that you continue to experience systemic problems just having a bit of fun on track. Moreover even well thought out mods don't solve issues you'd hoped they would. I think the 370Z is a beautiful car w/amazing potential as a reasonably priced track car, but I'd have to say I'm am so glad I didn't give in to temptation and get one myself early on.

I was feeling I needed more power (like the 370z) than my RX-8 had to offer. How ungrateful I was! I'm realizing now ...what is DOES offer is an off-the-showroom-floor track worthy car both ready to run hard AND sell at a reasonable ~$30K pricepoint.

Consider ...at a recent 2 day adv DE Porsche event - two alternating 1/2 hr sessions solo & instructors - 8 session/day for 4 hrs track time for 2 days running = 8 hrs under full throttle. Result: no engine temp problems whatsoever, no brake fade or overheating, drive it home, just maximum fun.

I truly wish you guys all the luck in getting your cars sorted out. Damn Nissan for dropping the ball as it has. If you can (or Nissan steps up) actually sort out the 370Z's problems, it'll still stay on my replacement shortlist. Until then I'm lovin the one I'm with. No drama has its advantages, even w/a bit of HP shortage...and saving up for the next what-ever-it-is!

RCZ

The greatest part of that video is the downshifting speed with the new clutch.

travisjb

It is unquestionably faster now and when I up-shift I can do so quickly and not worry about the engine catching up to slower RPM

Once I get the RPM wire connected will be really apparent how quickly the rpms change

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

travisjb

mazda rotories have a special place in my heart... first car was a 79! i had a second gen as well... GREAT cars... both the z and the rx8 deserve to be on anyone's list if they're looking for a recent model car as a track toy... but yes, the z has some 'issues to sort' to say it nicely

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

travisjb

Location/Event: 11-July @ Miller Motorsports - West Track... PCA IR event... ~90F... Advanced group
Mods: Stillen (G3 Intake/Headers/HFCs/Cat-back/UD Pulley/Sway Bars), BC Racing ER Series Coilovers, JWT Flywheel and Clutch... dual core Redline oil cooler... AP Racing Big Brake kit
Wheels & Tires: Stock/Street
Sponsors: Redline Motorsports, Forged Performance, Doubledown Motorsports

Video from my 7/11 track day at Miller Motorsports West Track with the IR Porsche Club. Camera placement updated, but I am still working on setting up the RPM wire, so unfortunately no RPM still!

This was my third session. My fastest time of the day was 1:48.5 second lap of this session. I think I could have managed better but unfortunately day was cut short due to mechanical issue. O2 sensor cam loose at headers and caused the engine to sputter and eventually cut out. In fact on my 1:48.5 lap, you will notice that just before the hairpin I am pumping the gas... oh well ! Fastest time of the day I believe was 1:43 set during time trial by one of the PCA racers



And here is a moment slightly later in the 3rd session when the engine just cuts off completely... I managed to coast to parking lot... thought I had lost an(other) engine, but turned out to be a simple matter of reconnecting the sensor

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

AK370Z

Great video! Camera mount is def better. I did see you pump the gas in the video and I was like . Is the car fixed now?

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travisjb

By the way, the lotus you see at the end was on my tail for almost all of session 3 then eventually got by me... stock exige on slicks driven by dude named Eli, great guy and great driver

Some quick impressions on recent upgrades...

AP Racing brakes... I had zero fade!!! I'm still getting used to these brakes and I for sure didn't use their full potential... hard braking into the hairpin, and it felt entirely effortless, much more so than stock sport brakes... again, zero fade, but I think a true test will be this fall at my home track of PIR (hot day, more intense braking zones)... my sense is that my stopping distance has improved slightly as well... I will be posting a more complete review of these with pics in the coming weeks

dual oil cooler setup... my shop has asked me to not go into too much detail on this yet until they are ready to announce and offer to the public, but I at least have to let you all know that this is going to be the be all, end all of oil coolers.... nothing is going to eliminate heat, but this setup brings the heat down to a level where you don't have to think about it anymore... running extremely hard at near 100F ambient, I never saw 250F oil temp... most of the time I was 170-220F !

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*