My 240sx

[RacingHart71]

Since I'm a noob and I'm not sure which class i would be slotted into I'm following the suggestion of the board and posting up my modification to my car so that itcan be determined. I have read over the guide lines. So, I'm quite certain it will be an "M" class and the 240sx appears (to me anyway) to be a M3 car. That being said, my inexperienced in such determinations leads me to defer to you all. Enjoy.

Chassis is a '93 Nissan 240sx:
Wheels and Tires:
17x7 wheels
Front: 225/45/17
Rear: 225/50/17 : I'm not a fan of this "stagger" but i got such a deal on these Yokahamas I couldnt say no

Brakes:
R32 Skyline brake calipers (read as "BIG" - just under 12" - which is much larger than stock) up front
Braided SS brakes lines on front
Drilled Rotors
Upgraded Brake booster (300zx/z32)

Front Suspension:
Polyurthene Bushings installed in Front lower control arms
KYB AGX adjustable sturt/dampers
Megan Lowering Springs
Battle Version Tension Rods
180sx Steering rack (quicker ratio - similar to 300zx/z32) - Manual

Rear Suspension:
300zx/z32 Aluminum upright/knuckle
Bilstein HD dampers - Evo IX spec - lower "Fork" mount to accomidate Z suspension
180sx LSD rear diff

Megan Sturt bars front and rear

Engine:
swapped '95 s14 ka24de
"Flat Top" pistons - 10.5:1 static compression ration
GReddy header
2.5" exhaust - "flowmaster" style muffler
Short ram air intake
Relocated Battery - In a secured box: rear passenger side

There is my list. Its still a work in progress. I actually have a supercharger waiting to install, but thats for a later date.

Cant wait for the feed back.

[Jeremy]

Do you still have the stock ashtray in place? If so M3, if not, you don't want to know.

[Native]

"Bump to donor class OR up one class (whichever is higher) for a significant (+25% HP increase) engine swap that is not a common bolt-in swap that results in a factory-available (US market) configuration."

Unless your swap adds 25% HP, M3 is fine. There are other modification limits that would bump you to M0, but from you list, as I read it, you didn't surpass those limits.

[RacingHart71]

Yes, I still have the ashtray in place...lol.

The donor would be a '95 240sx, a parallel swap powerwise and though I would have loved it if the pistons upgrade delivered a 25% increase, I don't think that is the case

[Loren]

The supercharger would bump you up to M2.

[Jeremy]

Might as well just start out in M2 then. You are going to get your ass handed to you in either class. I'd rather lose to a miata than a neon.

[Greg]

Welcome to Thunderdome..err..."Fast".

Nice mod list, cant wait to see you out there.

[RacingHart71]

Neon or Miata, it looks like the drivers know how to handle their cars. I checked out Greg's fastest run vid in his Neon. All I can say is, "Wow". I can only hope that I can get to that level some day. I figure that just making it to an event will be a win for me, for starters. What I really want to do is learn. I dont want to be the guy that has all the go fast goodies on his car and can only stand by it to look fast. No, I'd rather be the guy that others look at and say, "how does he do that, in that car?".

"Thunderdome" is a good analogy of the Mad Max cars we put together. I know I feel like that sometimes.

I'm a realist though. My car is slow. It started out from the factory slow. But I know it needs to be quick, not necessarily fast. Its heavy, compared to a Miata and a Neon. Autocross is a sport where a good power to weight ratio is a must. The 240sx had a 0-60 time of 8.0+ seconds when it was new. Plus it was designed to keep the soft and chubby American public comfortable. WTH?? The 180sx of japan received all the go fast goodies...the better suspension, gearing and the turbo charged engine too. Making it a 6.0 second car. Add on to these facts that most of the cars are prepped to slide side ways and I begin to question why I even own one...lol.

I appreciate the car control needed to drift, but its never been my cup of tea. You'd be more likely to see me doing a road trip to the NC/TN state line to run the Tail of the Dragon. This years trip will make my 4th in as many years.

Do any of you get together outside of the events to just talk cars and set-ups? I promise I dont blab as much in person. A decent group of 'mature' car enthusiasts is hard to find...no homo!

-Royce

[Jeremy]

Your car will be plenty fast. If you ever need confirmation, I can take it out for a couple laps and show you.
It's probably a set of tires away from being able to win m3.

[RacingHart71]

I would not mind "confirmation" as long as I could co-pilot and velcro my helmet to the headrest so i could watch and learn.

[Loren]

My car is slow. It started out from the factory slow. But I know it needs to be quick, not necessarily fast. Its heavy, compared to a Miata and a Neon. Autocross is a sport where a good power to weight ratio is a must. The 240sx had a 0-60 time of 8.0+ seconds when it was new.

This is why we have different classes.

The 240SX in stock form fits in our lowest stock class, and it's plenty capable of being competitive there with nothing more than good tires and a decent set of shocks. I'm sure it's capable of being competitive in M3, as well. The car only needs to be as fast as the competition in-class. The rest is up to the driver.

Do any of you get together outside of the events to just talk cars and set-ups? I promise I dont blab as much in person. A decent group of 'mature' car enthusiasts is hard to find...no homo!

We crash a "Miata club" meeting on Monday nights at Rumba Island in Clearwater. Sometimes notice gets posted here on the forum, sometimes not. But, there are usually a few of us there.

[RacingHart71]

I think that has to be part of the allure of autocross. It literally puts the capability of a certain car in the hands of the driver. The class set up does its best to even the playing field.

It would be nice to meet anyone in person. Ive done a few meets with fellow gear heads at Quaker Steak and Lube off 49th street in St Pete/Clearwater on Thursdays when they do their weekly car show. I'm also in process of setting up a Tail of the Dragon run with a group from Tampa Racing

[Greg]

Like Loren said,

Meets at Rumbas on Mondays might not be as spectacular as what you might be used to... However, if you wanna learn the ropes and ask questions, this is where you wanna be.

[RacingHart71]

Greg A,
I would enjoy hanging and learning from a select group of true dirving enthusiasts like yourself. In fact, much more so than chilling with a large group, made up of mostly posers that think driving consists of putting your foot to the floor in a straight line with your elbows locked is the only way to get down.

Dont get me wrong I like the stories of ownership, the purchase, and the upgrades. But, when there is more wax and rim polish on your hands than oil and grease, I'm looking for the door.

-Royce

[Loren]

You'll like the Monday crew. And FAST in general.

[RacingHart71]

My 240 currently does not have power steering. I depowered my rack purposely to have better road feel. I was inspired by trying my friend RX7 and with its manual steering it just felt wonderful. My car, though not the true sports car that the RX is feels more enjoyable on the road. But I wonder, would it reqiure too much effort on the course? Do any of you currently run autocross without power assist?

[Loren]

A lot of people do. My Miata is a factory manual steering car.

If it doesn't bother you to drive it around town, it should be okay for autocross. It will make you think about steering input "efficiency", that's for sure.

[RacingHart71]

I actually modeled the rack in my car after the manual rack found in the Miata...or at least followed a build threat for one. Its not a simple "cut the lines and loop back with fluid" Its been built, greased, sealed and adjusted accordingly. If only the 240 chassis didnt have those terrible mounting bushings that hold the rack in position...goodness I hate those.

I like the way you think Loren, efficent input is always good!!

-Royce

[Loren]

That's not a manual rack, that's a de-powered power rack. Miatas do have a manual steering option. The big difference is that the power rack has a quicker ratio... which means it requires more effort to turn. The Manual rack is designed to be manual and though it doesn't turn as quickly, it does turn a little easier.

Still, if you're going to depower a rack, the way people like Flyin' Miata publish to do it is probably the way to go. Get rid of as much internal restriction in the rack as you can.

[RacingHart71]

The Flying Miata thread to depower a rack is the exact one I followed. The 240sx never had a manual option. I may pick up a standard rack because the rack I depowered has a 2.6 lock to lock ratio vs a 3.2...making for a touch more effort. But first I must make the sceen and determine if it even matters. First I'll "push hard and suck less", then see what sort of corrections are needed.

My initial thoughs are that the car will be fine, I as the driver will be the
problem" to start...lol.