rory

I know that the computer is more than able to componsate, but it can only do this if it is getting an accurate reading from the MAS. The suggested problem is that due to the low turbulence generated by the dual funnel design of this filter the MAS consistantly unreads the correct value, at least at certain engine speeds resulting in the fuel mixture being just slightly too lean. Apparently, this is undetectable without the use of accurate air / fuel meters but is also significant enough to potentially cause engine damage longer term. I'm not really looking for people to tell me that they've fitted this filter to their car and it works fine - I know if I fit this filter to my car it will appear fine. What I'm looking for is people who have done before and after fuel mixture comparisons to see how significant the running lean actually is. I don't believe it's a marketing scam because it' not a general recommendation by Apex'i, it only applies to certain model Nissans where the MAS is locating very close to the filter. It applies to Skylines, Zeds, and 180SXs and a few others. I genuinely beleive that there may be an issue here. Apex'i should know - they designed the filter, and if they are "strongly recommending this use of ..." then I expect it is more to protect themselves from litigation from customers than to make a quick buck selling more parts. At the moment I'm running on 100 octane Japanese petrol. When I come back I'll have ot use 98 at best. The last thing I need is the engine also running slightly too lean due to an air filter.

Also, sorry, a bit more. It's not the shop trying to persuade me to buy this AFC, it's Apex'i themselves. I was going to fit it myself, the shop knew this too. To be honest, I don't think the shop could care less about my engine, they only really sell parts, they don't have a rolling road, so there's nothing really in it for them. If anyone wants to see the Apex'i recommendation for themself I've found it here: http://www.apexi.co.jp/products/suction/katarogu_data01/01_p_intake_na_tur1030.html Look under Nissan and look for the correct engine code. To the far right is the recommendation for using the AFC. It's in Japanese but I think you'll get the idea.

Well yes, that goes without saying really. Just buying and installing the AFC wouldn't be enough - it would need rolling road time for proper set-up. But, given that this is done properly it would compensate for any mis-reading by the air-flow meter, which I believe is the fundamental problem here.

Actually, marketing scam was my first thought too, but considering that there's plenty of competition for filters in Japan I would imagine that one would be more damaging than helpful to sales. I trust Apex'i too in anycase. Their stuff is quality.

Not sure that this is particularly limited to the Apex'i but anyway.... I'll look into the floor mats - is it OEM ones you're after or just good quality, designed for Zed ones?

The twin cone design of the Apexi is to minimise turbulence not induce it, that's according to Apexi'i anyway. I guess this is the reason why the other filters manage OK without the mixture adjustment. Have a look here: http://www.apexi-usa.com/intake_powerintake.asp

or at least until it's dry :confused:

Hi guys, I just down to my local Autobacs (in Japan) to buy an Apex'i Power Intake Filter. The guy I spoke to looked it up in the catalogue and said that it was strongly recommended that it be installed with the Apex'i Air/Fuel computer S-AFC-II. I had a look at the catalogue myself and he was indeed right. I asked him about it but he didn't know much so I got him to call Apex'i and ask. They said that without the fuel computer you risk having rough idle and running slightly too lean risking engine damage. Something to do with the "dual funnel" design of this filter resulting in too smooth airflow for the air meter to measure accurately. Not sure though, my Japanese was failing me at this point. But I did understand that it would only be very slightly lean, not enough to cause noticable detonation, but enough to potentially cause engine damage over a longer period of time. He then tried to sell me a HKS filter which apparently comes with no such recommendation / warning. I really want the Apex'i though since it's best for both flow rate and quality of filtration. I know that many people have this Apex'i filter installed and I believe they do so without having the fuel computer in. Also, I kind of find it hard to believe that if this is really a problem then it will only affect the Apex'i filters. I really don't want to cause any engine damage just for the sake of a few extra horsepower and I don't really want to have to pay for an Fuel / Air computer just yet since my car isn't yet modified anywhere near enough to really justify it (all I have is a cat-back exhaust). Does anyone have any knowledge of this? What do the people say who are using this filter? Anyone caused any damage this way? I'm really looking for people who have fitted A/F meters and can comment on the effect this mod really has becauseI don't think it would necessarily be noticable without accurate guages. I'll be back in the UK in about a month now but would like to have this fitted here before leaving because it only costs 30 quid here. Of course, that's not including the S-AFC-II !!! As always, thanks for your help. :bow:

After a lot of research i choose Firestone tyres because: They use a relatively hard compound rubber so they have a long life. They use a more traditional (conservative) tread pattern which resists un-even wear. They work well in the rain - useful for when i get back to the UK. They were not the cheapest by any means, somewhere in the middle, but the right compromise for me. Have a good look at http://www.tirerack.com it has loads of information about tyres. Good place to start.

I believe the J-spec cars have restrictors in place of the pre-cats, even on the early models. Worth removing these since they serve absolutely no purpose whatsever other than to restrict power output to meet the 280 bhp limit in Japan. Reliability wise I think the biggest threat is to your turbo seals due to the reduced back-pressure afterf removing the cats. I'm not an expert so do a search on it.

Get a pressure guage onto the fuel line before the filter - that's all that really matters. And, yes, if the pressure is wrong then you're going to have problems. The specifications and procedure are in the online-manual. I would want to listen to a few more Zeds for comparison before assuming mine was failing, i believe they all buzz but only to such an extent that it's audable before you start the engine. If you can still hear it once the engine is running, they you may have something to worry about. If you're running your car on a limited budget, like i am, then i would look into changing it as insurance, but not before other more important things, like timimg belt! Try to step back and see what really matters most. Consult your brain and not your heart! - Anyway, that's my approach! Best of luck, life, and Zeds.

Sounds similar to mine - the best quote I got was about 2200 mods declared. I'm a little older (26) but have zero no -claims - but with nine years accident / claim free driving. Having less than two years seems to prevent many companies quoting, as does being under 25. Many companies won't quote if modified, or it's an import (as mine is). I guess a combination of these may be your problem seriously restricting the competing quotes. Tesco (same as Egg) may be worth a try, i've heard a few good things about them. Confused were very helpful to me and had a very good stab at getting a good quote. Give them a call if you can't get their web site to work. Sometimes putting gf / wife / pet dog on as a named driver can actually reduce the cost not increase it. This might help a bit. Also, check the discounts you can get for alarms / tracking systems. Some people seem to make great savings on insurance throught delcaring it as a second car and restricting the mileage. It might be worth seeing how much this would save you - maybe you could buy a very cheap runabout with the savings and everyone's a winner! As for the people who don't declare the mods - look at it this way, i'd rather spend 2200 on insurance than 2000 on nothing (which is how the insurance company will regard it if they find out!). Your choice. Anyway, good luck - let us know if you find any amazing offers out there in the mysterious land of car insurance. Rory

... and faxes and emails - in many languages.

Regular petrol in Japan in 95 octane and Super is 100. They use the same rating system as the UK (RON). My understanding is that 100 is the highest available using this system of measurement. It works like a ratio. 98 octane petrol is 98 percent one thing (good thing) and 2 percent other thing (not so good thing). Sorry for the crappy explanation, never was very good at chemistry. But anyway, therefore 103 is not possible according to my understanding of the situation. Not sure, it may be possible using the american system of measurement. What I've never had suitable explained to me is why we can't buy 100 octane fuel in the UK. Any answers? I expect it's to do with Europe, or pollution, or both. Rory

I found the link to the post: http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?postid=255903#poststop

Hi. Sorry for the delay replying. I don't yet know what it'll be like seeing my Zed in the UK. I've only ever seen it in Japan. I'm certainly looking forward to the higher roads speeds and more open space there is in the UK. Speed limit through most of Japan is either 24 or 36 mph (40 / 50 km/h). It kind of spoils the fun! Lack of roadabouts is also a personal grievance I have with this country. However, I'm also a bit worried about the car since I not sure well it will handle the higher workload. I'm particularly worried about the automatic gearbox. I'm not looking forward to the insurance or petrol bills either. About the shakken / old cars in Japan question. Have a search on all my old posts and you'll find a long message I wrote on almost exactly the same topic, I don't have time now to go through it again so read that post, and if you have any more questions i'll happily answer them. Cheers! -- Thanks for your interest.

i've tried the suggested sites and the best price I've had is about 1800 quid. Does this sound comparible to others' quotes. One company was prepared to give me two-years no-claims for my driving time in Japan. That helped a lot. Interestingly, putting my girlfriend on the policy also reduced the price. Fitting a Tracker will save another 100 quid a year - i'm currently thinking about this one since I will also have to add a Cat 1. once back since all the car currently has is door locks. Japan is a nice county! Anyway, thanks a lot to everyone who replied!

Sorry to everyone for the delay getting back - been away for the weekend. About the insurance - I'd much rather be able to declare to mods - just the way I am I guess. Thanks for the advice though.

It didn't cost me anything, a friend gave it to me before he left the country. It needed about 1000 quid spent on it for some body work repairs. Other than that it's in good condition for it's age.

Hi all, Now thanks to Chris I've worked out how to ship my car back to the UK, my next headache is arranging insurance. :bow: I've so far spoken to Egg Insurance (same as Tesco), Direct Line, Screentrade, and I've used the autotrader.co.uk insurance search engine. The problem - no-one is even prepared to quote me a price. :cry: The reasons I've been given is 1/ My zero no-claims (I've lived in Japan for the last three years) 2/ The cars modifications (wheels, stereo, exhaust) 3/ Import car combined with modifications My details: Male, 26 years old, full UK license for 9 years, no previous claims or accidents, but zero no-claims. The car is garaged and driven about 10,000 per year. It's a 1989 Fairlady Z twin turbo automatic. I've owned it for a year and a half. Can anyone in a similar situation let me know of a company that's prepared to quote me an insurance price. I'm looking for fully comprehensive insurance. There must be people out there with similar conditions as mine. Please help me! I can't decide whether to bring the car home without at least an idea of how much insurance is going to be. :confused: Many thanks!! :)

Thanks - I spoke to him. He's very useful, thanks for the advice. :bow:

Hi. Does anyone have any reccommendations for a good company to organise shipping my car from Japan to the UK? I'm currently in Japan with the car so maybe a Japanese (English speaking!) company would be more useful than a British one. Cheap is good. I just need a basic service, I can de-register myself and deliver and collect the car from ports. ;) Anyone done this before? Cheers. I'm looking forward to getting back to the UK on August 3rd. I'm planning to ship the car from Japan mid July so that I don't have to wait to long for it in the UK. :cool: Thanks a lot - Rory :smw:

I have a 1990 Japanese Z here in Japan. It's engine bay fuse box cover is in English. Hope this helps.

Well, simply put, there aren't any Zeds from Japan that come with service history in English. I think this is what you're asking. If you're concerned about the quality of servicing in Japan, then don't be. Typicaly cars are serviced much more frequently here than in the UK. Typically every 6000 kilometres. Also, the importance of servicing a car is more better understood than in the UK. Especially for cars such as these. A reputatable import dealer should be able to show you the service records, (albeit in Japanese), and should be able to translate it for you, too. I know that it's impossible to confirm anything, but I would be inclided to trust it. Hope this helps. Good luck!

OK, one final question then: According to the MOT checklist, one of the things checked is the number plate. However, to get a number plate I need an MOT certificate. Catch 22? What gives first? :rofl: