Hi,

 

so whats the reason people get rid of the Hicas for?

 

Mark

to have more fun i heard, but from what i heard nissan spend millions researching the system, so i would have kinda kept it :P

Hi,

 

I still have it, just bought the car and just wondered, why people get rid lol.

 

Mark

Good, its supposed help a lot with handling when the back steers out! but hey you might wanna get ideas from the more experienced peeps!

Nissan put all these systems on because it is systems they already had like the numerous other systems that can be deleted as are not needed it just bumped the price up in the end. Like everyones favorite the viscous fan in the 80s when the zed was designed that is all they had so that is what they used. All this talk about electric fans are no good is nonsense imo and people forget how old the cars are and what technology was around then.

 

As for Hicas bin it it makes the rear end float about imo and i just dont like that.

 

I have the proper kit for sale also that deletes the Hicas arms as well which cause the rear end wobble when they becomes worn. Alot of the cheap kits do not delete these arms

Like Gonzo said, when you get wear and tear on the ball joints, the back end does float about a bit. That was the main reasoning for me getting rid.

I had wear on them and by the time i replaced both the outer ball joints, i was well on my way to spending the same price as a Driftworks Eliminator kit.

Nissan put all these systems on because it is systems they already had like the numerous other systems that can be deleted as are not needed it just bumped the price up in the end. Like everyones favorite the viscous fan in the 80s when the zed was designed that is all they had so that is what they used. All this talk about electric fans are no good is nonsense imo and people forget how old the cars are and what technology was around then.

 

As for Hicas bin it it makes the rear end float about imo and i just dont like that.

 

I have the proper kit for sale also that deletes the Hicas arms as well which cause the rear end wobble when they becomes worn. Alot of the cheap kits do not delete these arms

 

Electric fans were around and used extensively in older cars of the Z32 generation, typically in cheaper low-end cars. The Viscous fan was used becuase its a better system, more expensive and complex but more efficient.

 

In general , Top end modern cars use Viscous fan setups now (Bmw, merc...etc), and cheaper makes use Electric fan setups (ford, vauxhall..etc).

 

The Stock Viscous setup can flow 6000cfm at full chat, 3x the amount of the typical electic can setup. If you spend the money on the right components, with a big enough fan motor and decent electric temp control of the fan it will do an adequate job, but It costs more to swap to a aftermarket electric setup; and It wont offer improved cooling, reliablity or vehicle performance.

 

Thats if you spend the money on a decent setup and spend the time setting it up - I've had to rip out several inferior electric fan kits from owners cars, causing overheating problems and the owners could not of been happier once reverted back to the excellent viscous setup.

 

Plus the viscous sounds better :)

Edited March 1, 201114 yr by Yowser

The Hicas was designed as a mid-high speed handling aid, but in reality its more of a sales gimmick.

 

With everything in top condition most owners wont even notice the difference, but as parts wear it becomes very apparant and has an adverse affect on handling - making the rear-end feel skittish and unpredictable. Lane changing on motorways is probably one of the more noticable affects of hicas.

 

Some replace to simplify, reduce weight and save money on replacing parts. Typically its the inner and out arm joints that wear.

 

Some replace becuase they want to use the car on the track or for drifting, where they want full control and predicitable handling, rather than a system trying to aid you. It makes drifitng and holding slides more difficult, as it feels like its trying to correct the slide for you to certain degree.

Edited March 1, 201114 yr by Yowser

what you need mark is an NA power steering pump & pot, hang on, I have them for sale ;)

Funny you should say this, as I was coming down the motor way, thought I would put my foot down abit got to 80-90mph and the back end did feel wobbley, looks like something needs changing lol.

 

Cheers Mark

Electric fans were around and used extensively in older cars of the Z32 generation, typically in cheaper low-end cars. The Viscous fan was used becuase its a better system, more expensive and complex but more efficient.

 

In general , Top end modern cars use Viscous fan setups now (Bmw, merc...etc), and cheaper makes use Electric fan setups (ford, vauxhall..etc).

 

The Stock Viscous setup can flow 6000cfm at full chat, 3x the amount of the typical electic can setup. If you spend the money on the right components, with a big enough fan motor and decent electric temp control of the fan it will do an adequate job, but It costs more to swap to a aftermarket electric setup; and It wont offer improved cooling, reliablity or vehicle performance.

 

Thats if you spend the money on a decent setup and spend the time setting it up - I've had to rip out several inferior electric fan kits from owners cars, causing overheating problems and the owners could not of been happier once reverted back to the excellent viscous setup.

 

Plus the viscous sounds better :)

 

 

 

I am fitting a Ashspec fan with a revotec fan controller. Not a cheap kit but i think the viscous is a dated system and takes up far too much room. Having seen Lukes car recently i think its looks a hell of alot better without if you are going for a tidy engine bay. I know there was alot of cheap kits made after Ashspec made theirs and i know they can not handle the job but with a bigger Koyo radiator and proper air flow to it i will not get any issues with cooling. I know alot of people rave about the viscous and love it im just not one of them.

i went down the road of thinking about changing to an electric fan but once i added up the extra cost and how much air the viscous fan pushes compared to an electric i decided to do some work to the standard fan shroud instead to make it more appealing and now you cant see the fan just hear it! :thumbup:

 

dan.:biggrin:

The Hicas was designed as a mid-high speed handling aid, but in reality its more of a sales gimmick.

 

With everything in top condition most owners wont even notice the difference, but as parts wear it becomes very apparant and has an adverse affect on handling - making the rear-end feel skittish and unpredictable. Lane changing on motorways is probably one of the more noticable affects of hicas.

 

Some replace to simplify, reduce weight and save money on replacing parts. Typically its the inner and out arm joints that wear.

 

Some replace becuase they want to use the car on the track or for drifting, where they want full control and predicitable handling, rather than a system trying to aid you. It makes drifitng and holding slides more difficult, as it feels like its trying to correct the slide for you to certain degree.

 

Have to disagree with you here.

 

When I first bought my car I was thinking of eliminating the Hicas too, I hadn't really considered why, I'd just heard some negative mutterings and thought it best to get rid of it. That was until I spoke to someone who knows these cars inside out. He pursuaded me to keep the system and give it a chance to impress - and it definitely has. I had to spend a few hundred quid replacing some of the parts with wear in them, but I'm glad I did.

 

I've not driven a Zed without Hicas, but the way the car turns in at anything above 50mph is phenomenal. I havn't once pushed the front tyres into understeer, even in the wet. I'm a pretty committed driver, but in the dry the car has more ability than I have nerve - thats for sure. I don't think its a gimmick at all, I think that sells the sytem short. For a wide, heavy car it handles like a rugby player in ballet shoes. I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

 

As for feeling funny when oversteering, I've not experienced that. 10 quid says I can keep drifting round a roundabout until I make you sick :whistling:

 

Its only my opinion, but ask yourself why the system was developed in the first place :detective:

Have to disagree with you here.

 

When I first bought my car I was thinking of eliminating the Hicas too, I hadn't really considered why, I'd just heard some negative mutterings and thought it best to get rid of it. That was until I spoke to someone who knows these cars inside out. He pursuaded me to keep the system and give it a chance to impress - and it definitely has. I had to spend a few hundred quid replacing some of the parts with wear in them, but I'm glad I did.

 

I've not driven a Zed without Hicas, but the way the car turns in at anything above 50mph is phenomenal. I havn't once pushed the front tyres into understeer, even in the wet. I'm a pretty committed driver, but in the dry the car has more ability than I have nerve - thats for sure. I don't think its a gimmick at all, I think that sells the sytem short. For a wide, heavy car it handles like a rugby player in ballet shoes. I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

 

As for feeling funny when oversteering, I've not experienced that. 10 quid says I can keep drifting round a roundabout until I make you sick :whistling:

 

Its only my opinion, but ask yourself why the system was developed in the first place :detective:

I've said why I believe the system was developed in the first place, during that era, in a competing market where manufactuers were constantly trying to bring new marketable features. Lots of cars at the time were being released with things like rear steering, electric aero spoilers..etc

 

Im not saying its a bad system, what I've done is listed the differnet reasons owners often disable it.

 

Its great that your happy with how the car handles now, but you'd probably want to drive a non-hicas equipped Z before coming to such definate conclusions on its handing benefits.

 

You can very easily tempoarily diable the hicas yourself by shorting the terminals to the connector that goes to the PAS resevoir. You can even wire in a switch which I've done for quite a few owners so they can switch between hicas enabled/disabled at will, tricking the system into thinking there is a problem. ahe hicas light will come on to indicate the system is disabled

 

Providing your hicas arms/joints are in good condition, this will give an insight into the difference as the hicas is hydrualic locked in place without the electrical signal input.

 

tbh, most owners usually report that they dont really notice much difference....but not all owners are enthusiastic drivers.

 

As for me, personally, and at the risk of coming across very arrogant :blush:- I've driven far more z's of all types than most owners have ever even seen in their lifetime and when rebuilding my latest Z, I opted to go for a complete NA rear subframe setup for many reasons, including becuase I prefer how the car feels on the limit without hicas.

Edited March 2, 201114 yr by Yowser

I've said why I believe the system was developed in the first place, during that era, in a competing market where manufactuers were constantly trying to bring new marketable features. Lots of cars at the time were being released with things like rear steering, electric aero spoilers..etc

 

Its great that your happy with how the car handles now, but you'd probably want to drive a non-hicas equipped Z before coming to such definate conclusions on its handing benefits.

 

 

Really I was just trying to provide a bit of balance to the argument. Everyone is so quick to suggest ditching the Hicas system is a good idea - but I cannot see why.

 

Also, the thing I took issue with was the reference to Hicas being a gimmick. A gimmick is putting Ltd Edition stripes on an end of line model, in the hope it will boost sales of vast quantities of unsold stock. Developing a mechanical device which affects which direction the wheels are pointing is not a gimmick - its something that requires a huge amount of investment and time.

 

As I confessed, I've not had the benefit of driving a plethora of Zeds. Im not a physicist either: but the way MY car changes direction at speed stupifies me and I'm a pretty keen driver who regularly drives on track (not in my car, admittedly). I can only assume that this is the benefit of the Hicas system, but based on my experiences of other cars this is the conclusion I came to. If you think otherwise, then I would have to accept your opinion on that. Having been on this forum a while now, I know you're not a muppet.

 

However, like I said - my main adgenda was to provide a bit of balance to the arguement, as I percieved I benefited from someone offering me similar advice.

 

For reference I don't think anyone listens to what I say anyway.. :yawn:

(see m reed's thread titled 'Hicas removal' or similar)