Drivin Ivan

perfectly normal noise, I have the cover removed due to having harnesses fitted and the abs unit makes noises all the - time especially when you brake hard enough to kick in the abs system. Ivan

1. Murt 2. Steve_1 3. Gruntpa 4. Legrath 5. Zogg 6. Fastorquer 7. Drivin Ivan

yep that's mine, SWB TT Tin Top manual.

You should be able to slacken off all the settings on the coilovers to get them in without compressing the springs with the tensioners, but it wont be easy - getting the bolt through the bottom of the rears in and out needs lots of WD40 and swearing. Ivan

Dont be put off - it is much easier than I expected. Spring tensioners are the tool you will need to compress the springs to get them off, after that it's just undoing some bolts and getting the the units in and out - about 4 hours each end the first time I did it, now I can do it in 3 hours 58 minutes. Only ever put OEM shockers and bespoke springs (twice) on so can't give you any advice on settings for the new coilovers - measure the ride height before you start and go for a higher setting to start with. 4 wheel Laser tracking alignment when you are done as an absolute minimum. Ivan

Yeah I just had a quick look at the dip stick - it was covered in black stuff so I assumed ............. poor design to have a bendy dipstick. Engines are replaceable parts on cars, I got through four in one Honda, two in the scooby (in 6 months) and the Z car is only on its second in five years - very reliable and durable in my opinion. Ivan

You haven't seen the black passenger door - that side is always facing in. My sister passed her panel beating and painting exams late last year so I am going to get her to paint it (when she gets good) all the same colour. Anyway I love sitting in million pound traffic jams at the ring in a piece of sh*t and then overtaking most of them on the track (especially porsche drivers). Ivan

Yes the calipers are in bits (another £50 for SRF), three of the pistons have siezed. The car is pretty much only used for driving to the Nurburgring these days so I was not surprised at the state of the front calipers - they've done 80 laps. Thanks everybody for your advice and views - I think I will stick with the alluminium ones if they are repairable. Ivan

The engine wasn't faulty till I drove it at that speed - I do go to Germany regularly btw. Ivan

I have just had a call from the garage where the Z car is being put through the yearly scrutiny - it seems I have melted the front piston seals. Now I could get a seal kit or I could get a set of replacement calipers. I have the alimunium ones and I was looking for some help on if tthe steel ones are better or worse. I don't want to go for the big brake conversion as braided lines, castrol SRF and quality pads and rotors have always been fine - out-braked a bike with teh porterfield pads. Do the steel calipers make any difference other than being a bit heavier? Any help much appreciated as always. Ivan

My last engine boke the cam on the passenger side - still worked on 5 for a day or two then died noisily - no oil and repeated 170 mph runs is a sure combination for a broke engine. Ivan

I ended up drilling holes in the bottom of the car and using spacers on the inside to get the seat level, huge (5mm thick 5cm square) aluminium washer under the car to stop "pull through", Sparco steel side mounts. Not an easy job but one of the best mods you can do. Ivan

I take mine to the Ring just to annoy the porker drivers so have a more track based set up. Camber is good on the track but can be a bit sketchy over cambers when braking on the road. Ivan

Nice car. Make sure when you get suspension parts that they are not for a LWB - the front is ok but the rear of the car is lighter and has a different spring rating on the SWB. BTW a 30mm drop will give exactly 1 degree more of camber on each corner - perfect in my book. And don't go too much harder than standard springs or you will spend a bit of time facing the wrong way at high speed. Enjoy, I've had mine 5 years and still get excited every time. Ivan

I do 1min 25s lap of castle coombe in the Z car - it doesn't look slow, try find the video from 2005 (when it rained), mines the swb. Ivan

Lumpy steering could be there is an air lock in the system - or the pump is on it's way to pump heaven. Check your tyres are still round on the inside - I found when the carcass of the tyre is exposed (on the insides) the steering is no longer smooth .... Ivan

I'm running with grooved 3G discs on the rear at the moment, a bit noisy when you get them working hard, but worked real well in the rain last time we was at the Ring. Ivan

Best are flat Brembo Discs with porterfield race pads - a bit expensive, but you can outbrake most bikes from 100mph when they are new ;-)

Fitting - you are going to need to get a special tool to push the joints out - I had to get the angle grinder out to adapt a tool to work - not as easy as it first seems. The tracking will need doing after your done too! Ivan

Rear end stability is not great on the Z32 at the best of times. I have replaced the shocks, springs and the outer HICAS ball joints and added a cusco strut brace each of which has made a massive difference - even down to the continental tyres. but the HICAS will allways make the rear less than perfect when trying to take it to the limit - mostly when it turns off at 80mph and the rear wheels move - that has been the reason for most of my trips into the scenery.......... Ivan

oh and no understeer at all, even in the wet apart from when I turned at 160 mph on a french motorway I backed off to 140 for the corners after that particular moment :shock: Ivan

I dropped mine by 30mm with no correction or shims and on the laser alignment machine I had 2.2degrees of front camber (standard is 1degree). However after drivin it I found that the front end grip is greatly improved at high speed and generally makes the car more responsive (it could just be the fact that I had new, rather than old, springs). Two years and 33 laps of the ring later and I have no problems with any of the suspension and geometry parts just bloody speed bumps. Ivan

A 20 mm drop will give you nearly a 1 degree camber change on standard wheels which gives much more front end feel at high speeds. You can use shimms which are just small "washer type" discs that are added to the mounting bolts - very simple solution that needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing. Ivan

I am a Prince 2 practitioner - it is good qualification to have on your CV. The exam is a 3 hour written paper that you have to re sit every five years. ITIL is just a way of working an IT dept. - useful to know if you work in that environment, frustrating if you don't as it actually seems to work quite well. The higher levels are good if you are running a service dept. Ivan

They aren't Eibach's - I got them from Mike at MJP (see traders section). I am sue he will be able to give you accurate advice on the difference - I just use 'em :) . Ivan