DTA (UK)

Correction - they are based in Belgium (http://www.avb-sports.be) ;) Please make sure they are supplying you with a polyurethane version of the bumper and not a fibre glass one (like ZCentre). Dan

I have to agree with the photographic evidence you have provided above. The resemblance is "uncanny" indeed! I have bought a pair of the "Auto-Toys" bars about a year ago and can in fact confirm that the ones I sell are about twice the weight. They are also made from a different material than the ones I got off e-bay. Like I said before, the bars are solid and I cannot (using brute force) bend the bars myself. Granted, cornering forces by far exceed force induced by me. The e-bay bar I can bend. I have spoken to the manufacturer of the bars (the ones I sell) and the person I spoke with confirmed that they produce several "lines" of these strut braces. He wouldn't go into the differences but said there were budget versions and premium versions, as supplied to Cusco. For the price I pay them per set I must assume they are selling me the "premium" version. Incidentally, I sell the bars for £75 each or £140 per pair. I wasn't complaining about any damage your comments may have caused. I think it is good that somebody offers a critical appraisal of products. All customers who have contacted me over this issue have now been satisfied with the answers I have provided - so there is no problem there. I apologise if you thought I was making an unfair accusation. Funny thing about this kind of publicity (which can be seen as "negative" as opposed to a glowing product review being "positive" publicity) is that I've sold 5 pair of these strut braces since earlier this week! I should send you a commission! LOL ;) Yes, I agree with this statement. I do always point out the cheap e-bay alternatives available to my customers. I also explain that such items are primarily for show purposes and may not be as functional as my own products. Yes I would and have done so with various other products I sell. I completely agree with the fact that Carbing bars are the best engineered bars you can (or cannot as the case may be) buy today. If I had the money I would put these on my car as well. If I could get Carbing/Okuyama to produce more then I would gladly buy and sell them. As for the bolts - yes, they are a design weakness. However, not as much as you would think. The way the latteral forces act on the bar (and therefore the bolts) is such that if the bar is properly fixed to the support tower there will be no movement (the bolts on the bars I sell are very tight fitting). In my opinion the main design flaw are the support towers. These are simply not solid enough for track day driving (they are ok for normal driving conditions). I would like to see the manufacturer design stronger supports (something I have asked them to do). On a related note - we [DTA (UK)] are currently in the process of designing a far superior strutbrace. One which will rival the strength and engineering of the Carbing bars. The desing has been completed and I am now looking for a company who is able to make a mould for the carbon fibre bits. The supports will be manufactured from ally and "joined" to the c/f bar without the use of bolts. The finished product is still quite some time off from being commercially available but progress is being made. I'm glad you do! - it is refreshing to be dealing with someone who in confident in what he/she is saying. There are far too many people who's opinions are swayed by what others say ... By the way, I didn't mean "ozzy friend" to be sarcastic - I don't know your name so that seemed most reasonable. I apologise if I offended you. All the best, Dan

Not quite correct Chris - the coolant in the expansion tank also gets sucked back into the radiator as and when needed. As the coolant heats up it expands. The excess is dumped into the expansion bottle. When the coolant cools off it is sucked back into the radiator as and when required. For that reason, Nissan suggests that the expansion tank contains a minimum of 600ml coolant when the engine is cool. HTH Dan

;) LOL! Our Ozzy friend does indeed bring up some valid points regarding structural rigidity of the e-bay style strut braces. However, I assure you that the braces, as sold by DTA-Motorsport, are NOT off e-bay nor are they identical. The braces I sell are made in Taiwan by the same factory that makes the Cusco braces (Smithy is right - Cusco do not do a front brace for the Z32). If it was just for "bling" I would state so in my promotional material. Truth of the matter is that the bars I sell are of a solid construction and, as opposed to the earlier (rectangular) models, are much more rigid. Unless you're taking corners on a track at 135mph these strut braces will not bend. If you're doing such track driven then I would always advice premium strut braces in conjunction with uprated anti-sway bars and suspension setup. The way cornering forces act upon the suspension towers will cause the towers to move independently of each other. The purpose of the strut brace is to prevent this from happening and keep the strut towers at equal distances from each other. The struts I sell do this job as witnessed by myself and many of my clients who clearly notice a handling difference after installation. Yes, these braces are perhaps classed as "budget" but the alternative (which isn't all that much better) is at least twice the price per bar if not more. Yes, Carbing struts are the creme de la creme but they are also impossible to obtain. Carbing is made by a tiny company in Japan with about 8 staff. They make roughly 25 braces for the Z32 per year, all of which are already sold by dealers around the world. I hope that the points made above go some way towards explaining the functionality of the product that l sell and also to repairing some of the damage Yellazed's comments have made to my reputation (have had several clients phone up asking if I sold them rubbish ... Thanks!) All the best! Dan

No - not directly. 1) like Yaseen said, check the throttle cable for slackness 2) ensure that (a) your TPS is set correctly and (b) the base idle is also set correctly - easy with a ConZult otherwise use a voltmeter 3) if your car is a Jap-spec then check to ensure the converter is working properly 4) is the speed sensor working correctly (related symptoms are intermittent powersteering, false speedo readings, etc) 5) there is a "throttle sensor" behind the throttle pedal - make sure that is in good working order 6) I remember Jeff from ZedWorld saying there is a gearbox specific solenoid/swithc somewhere behind the passenger side front wing which can go kaput. Give him a call and he may be able to help you locate it Alternatively, your autobox could be slipping between 1st and 2nd gear. HTH Danny

Yes I do put up with it (and have done for over a year and a half now) ... it is only annoying when you come to a halt infront of a group of people who then start pointing saying the car reeks and is on fire ... :confused: I keep a close eye on the oil level but it doesn't seem to be loosing too much. In my case it is unfortunate that the rocker cover is leaking at the rear of the engine which means I really do need to take the lot off before I can get to it. Dan

Have the same problem as you ... big job - need to remove everything off the top of the engine. It's not a bad leak but the car does smell of burning oil after a run and I get the occassional puff of smoke from under the engine when coming to a halt. One of these days I'll get around to it and change everything that I can change whilst I'm in there - just need to rob a bank first! Dan PS - sorry for this post not being any help to you whatsoever ...

Probably because the NA has a different radiator and therefore different mounting brackets which also secure the bonnet stay. Just a guess ... ;)

Of course you may! Plenty of stock at the moment. £85 + £5 postage please. You can find payment details here (please remember that the total for paying via Paypal is £95 to account for their fees). Let me know the delivery details and how you're making payment and I'll sort the rest. Dan

Stopped to help a lady in a brand spanking new Merc CLS on my way to work today. Fantastic looking car (lady resembled Mr Ed the talking horse). Took one look at the engine and closed the bonnet because there is absolutely nothing you can do in there. Everything is covered over, hidden away, etc. Turns out the lady picked the car up from the dealer only yesterday afternoon ... Somehow don't think german reliability is what it used to be. Dan

The clear reflectors come with a red bulb which can be inserted (but you don't have to have illumination if you don't want to). You'll need to wire it up yourself. I wired it up to the rear number plate lights so that when I turn on the lights the rear reflectors come on as well. It's a bit of work but worth it IMHO. One side note though - I have had feedback from MOT stations that the rear reflector should only really light up orange - not red. But most - if not all - garages will turn a blind eye to this. I've had mine on for over 3 years now and never had a problem. HTH Danny

No pics yet mate - the first stock isn't arriving until later this week (hopefully tomorrow or friday) and I'll then put up a pic. I'm also hoping to make some time and fix the dead links on the website. At the moment the only page that contains all the pricing info (of current available stock) is the homepage. I do apologise for the poorly website but it is a complete lack of time which is preventing me from fixing it promptly. I've just taken up a new full time consulancy role (marketing and sales manager) and have about three other (part-time) positions on the go - not including DTA. The only time I seem to have is between 3 and 4 am which is when I'd ideally like to be in my bed ;) Anyway - pics and prices will be up as soon as the stock has arrived. Thanks for your patience. Danny

Yes, I'm aware of the dead links to the Stillen stuff. Sorry about that ... haven't had time to update that. I'll need to get them off my home PC - so will post the pics tonight if that's ok. I'm attaching a pic of the strut braces here but they're not mounted to the car - gives you an idea though ... Cheers! Danny

Hmmmmm .... must be coincidence then because I (DTA) am just about to put these crystal clear ones (and opague ones) on the market as well. Have been working with a supplier in Japan (and one over here) to get these for over half a year now. I had a pair on display at JapFest - some of you may have seen them on the table. And just out of interest, I've got 10 sets of clear front indicators coming in this week. These would be perfect replacements for those of us who have J-spec Zeds with the orange dome in the front indicators. Or if you want to replace the stock (non-working) UK corner indicators. Tones nicely with the clear side repeaters I do. Price should be about £35/pair plus some postage. We'll soon be able to offer a complete "clear lighting" package consisting of clear front indicators, clear side repeaters and clear side reflectors. We'll also be doing 99-spec rear lights and tail panel as well as uprated foglights and we already do HID kits! Sorry Rich, didn't mean to hijack your thread. It's just peculiar that everytime I've got something to put onto the market place so does .... Cheers! Dan

I am an official Stillen reseller. After adding in transportation, import duty and VAT you're looking at roughly £240 for the Stillen adjustable anti-sway bars (incl all the fitting kit) and the DTA front and rear strut braces go for £140/pair. Shipping within the UK for the anti-sway bars is about £25 and £8 for the strut braces. I can do a deal if ordered at the same time. The anti-sway bars are an awkward shape and weigh about 15kg together so that is why transport costs are so high. As for fitting them, the sway bars can only really be done on a ramp and with two pairs of hands. The strut braces are simple (in comparison) to fit by yourself. Stillen also do a very nice rear strut brace which I can get for around £150 delivered to your door. Note: this will only fit on aftermarket suspension - not standard. Dan

I've got the Stillen ones (solid, adjustables) on mine - as I sell them - and they made a big difference. Especially since I've also got front and rear strut braces. I have no experience/knowledge of the Whiteline kits other than they're a pain to get hold of (can take months to arrive aparently ...) Dan

'Fraid not - JAE is the next one for me. I somehow doubt I will be able to persuade my Mrs to come along after last weekend's episode ... Cheers mate! Dan

This idea has been around for quite some time. I used to be quite involved in Voice over IP (VoIP) networks and telephony. In principle it is a good idea but you need to understand a few constraints: (1) IP technology is a "packet" technology which breaks down data streams at the source in to packets which are then sent across the internet to the destination where they are re-assembled (so to speak). (2) Because there are many different routes from the source to the destination (think: many different nodes, pipes, etc) some packets may become delayed due to a lot of activity at one or more nodes (ie - the internet seems "slow"). This results in poor voice quality on the receiving end. (3) The best way to guarantee a reasonable quality of the transmission is to run the data stream over either a managed network or a Virtual Private Networkd (VPN). This is only really viable financially for large multinationals and of course the telcos (like BT). In fact, there are a lot of smaller telco's who market their cheap international phone calls who actually use this VoIP technology without you knowing it (ie, OneTel). I have not personally used this USB Phone or the Skype client but a few friends of mine have. Generally speaking they are happy with the quality of the call but it isn't the same as a normal BT phone call. Then again, when you're paying next to nothing or nothing at all for a call you can't have high expectations. There is always a trade off. If the price is right I might actually buy one of these USB Phones and try Skype out for a while. I hope the above has given some interesting (or perhaps not) background info on internet telephony. All the best! Dan

Chris, Any definative word on whether the RA91 is discontinued or not? I've got one in my car and have numerous enquiries about it. Cheers mate! Dan PS - didn't see you at JapFest but saw a pic of your car there ... v. nice mate!

Hey Leigh, I'll chase up the magazine for you later this week. I'll try and give you a call tonight (Fiona is out on a girlie night so have the place to myself). Speak later bud! Dan

Yes mate ... but will need to do some searching as it was a long time ago that I had that info to hand. Patience my son ... By the way, has "the magazine" contacted you yet? We need to speak soon to get together. All the best! Dan

I've been looking at doing this for a while now. How much actual driving time did you get in each of those cars? A mate of mine did something similar (I think it was a Ferrari experience) and he only got about 10 minutes per car ... doesn't quite seem enough for the money you have to plonk down for the privilege. Dan

Correct - that was the only way I could get enough clearance for the speakers. I've not experienced any adverse effects of mounting the speaker to the door card (like excess vibration, etc). If you mount it properly you shouldn't have any problems. All the best, Dan

A fuel computer shouldn't be necessary unless (a) you're chasing mega bhp (ie 650+), (b) replaced the fuel pump/regulator with hi-end adjustable ones and © you're made of money ... ;) We [DTA] can supply you a very good chip set up for 555 injectors with either a single pop or dual pop setup. Price starts at £65 for a 555 chip/single pop. Let me know if this sounds like something you're after. Infact, I think I even have one or two in stock at the moment ... Dan

Hi Rosco, I put some lovely Alpine components in my front door which required the complete removal of the metal brackets. The new MDF brackets I made up were literally big enough to mount the speaker on and then mount the lot onto the door card. I'm sorry but I haven't got any pics of the install to show exactly what I mean. The process is fairly simple though, just make sure you've got enough clearance between the magnet and the window (in the down position). HTH Dan