March 30, 2008

Redline Transmission And Differential Fluids


Redline Transmission MT-90 fluid. All I can really say is... THIS is THE stuff. My car was reaching 30k (in 2000 miles...but still) and I was getting too itchy to change the transmission fluids, especially after reading reviews of this stuff on the RX-8 club message board. Apparently compaired to Royal Purple transmission fluid, this really takes care of any clunky feeling when shifting between gears.

The install? A pain. I highly recommend paying the extra money to either have a dealership do this, or have a lot of patience and time. This process was terribly messy, but then again, the fluid pump we were using for this was $14 from autozone (kept falling apart with fluid going everywhere). Emptying out the fluid wasn't so bad, just like doing an oil change only in a different spot. The same goes for the Shockproof Differential fluid I had put in as well, just in the rear (again, could be messy if not prepared).

After 3 hours of messy fluids and half assing it all, we filled the transmission and differential up with a bit to spare. The difference was amazing. The transmission felt as smooth as butter, and as I drove it more, it got even smoother, but more of a solid feeling.

There isn't much else to say, other then this feels really good. I can see why serious RX-8 drivers, especially those who participate in motorsports, use these fluids for their car.

March 27, 2008

PIAA Fogs

(More recent picture)

Got together with Astral (what else is new?) for some goodies. Took us a bit to put these in, but the end result was worth it as you can see from the picture here.

Install was a pain the rear. Just heads up for everyone. You have to either remove the whole front bumper (easiest way believe it or not), or open up the front wheel wells, and reach in and scrape up your arms and hands.

March 10, 2008

Big Day


Big day indeed. Greenblurr (James), my buddy Shane and I went to Astral's (Oleg) for a night of installation. I had picked up a ton of LEDs from super bright LEDs, bought the above Racing Beat AC and Oil Cooler protective screens, and lastly the Racing Beat Ram Air Duct.

The installation of the interior LEDs weren't so painful, just involved pulling a lot of various parts on the interior. All interior lights were replaced for nice hyper white LEDs, as well as the license plate light in the rear, and the parking lights in the front (inner small lights next to the actual driving lights).

The screens were challenging as it required taking off the front bumper, the foam, the VFAD (had to anyways for the duct), and a lot of time. With James, I took care of the LEDs, while Shane and Oleg took care of the screens and air duct.

From what I've read, the VFAD only allows air into the intake fully after 3,000 RPMs. The VFAD went from the airbox down to the side of the bumper, but really got no direct air flow in. The air duct really fixes this problem and is always flowing air straight into the intake. Again, if you want to get a cheap upgrade that helps a decent amount, the air duct, a good filter, and the air box modification really hits the spot.

3/15 UPDATE - The screens REALLY protect from bugs and rocks big time, so I'm really pleased about that. Reguarding the air-duct, the increase was actually great. You can hear the booming when accelerating, especially hard, and the gain with the airbox modification and the K&N filter was a great match up. My friend had taken it out for a spin, and noticed the increase as well (Sadly, butt dyno but whatever.). A lot of people online on the RX-8 club have sworn up and down that this is one of the best/cheapest modifications.

March 1, 2008

Best Motoring International - The 350Z Shock

Starting this review, I'm going to do my movie reviews a bit different. I realized that as opposed to just reviewing the video... I was basically what the whole movie is, which kills the point of buying the movie to see it. So I'm going to review only my favorite parts and parts I see useful for the viewer.

In the case of this video, this is an oldie. It focuses on when the 350Z had just been released in Japan. It's pretty good for someone who's interested in getting a used Z, or overall interested in the Z at all. You get to see it in battle against rivals such as the S2000, M3 and more, while seeing how it handles the back roads and various different types of roads.

After, they had a good mix up, adding some track time of NA cars versus some Turbo cars, comparing the benefits and downfalls of both. I'd say my favorite part is the Touge Showdown they have at the end, as it was a really old version, before the reign of the Amuse S2000. The real benefit of Touge Showdown, for me at least, was always the great ideas of how to approach a good "street tune" while having a good car for the track.

Hats off to Best Motoring, once again another enjoyable DVD. If you're planning to get this, I recommend it for a potential Z owner (as I mentioned earlier) or the NA battle and Touge Showdown at the end. For me, it's the track and Touge Showdown.