Now why would you take one of the best handling production cars ever made and make it slide? I have found myself asking that question lately. Maybe it is because I like a challenge, maybe it is because I will try to drift anything or maybe it is because this is my brother’s car and like me, he loves all motorsports but drifting seems to hold that special place above all of the rest...
Ok, maybe I will but in any serious car buildup the obligatory drivetrain tech installment invariably comes up. And that my friends is what we are about to embark on. The drivetrain includes any system that takes rotation from the motor and translates that movement to the wheels. In this case, I will talk about the flywheel and the driveshaft. Any amount of weight that is removed from the...
July 27, 2007 To answer the question of the hour, I added a general guide to liquid intercooling to the tech section. July 25 2007 Let’s see … it’s been a while because … I was on a business trip … oh yeah and it was in Hawaii. But I can’t say it was all work and now that I am back in town I will be reorganizing the site slightly and reopening the forums. I...
Of all of the mods I have done to the 240sx, liquid intercooling is the one that raises the most eyebrows, receives the most praise and insults and generally leaves people scratching their heads. This tech article is going to walk through the thought process and design considerations involved in liquid intercooling your Nissan 240sx. This is not a step by step walk but more along the lines of a...
New simplified coolant mod number 2 available here. CA18DET Coolant Mod Number 2 (From 10 Lines to 1) One thing I value on a car that will see serious track time is weight reduction and simplification. This mod focuses on simplifying the water circulation system to improve it’s reliability and greatly reduce it’s complexity. Considerations This mod is perfect for the racer looking for...
I’ve come to the conclusion that the Nismo mounts that everyone swaps into their 240’s are not only over-rated but a waste of money. One of the main reasons people swapping in the CA18DET have a hard time locating a front strut tower bar that clears the intake manifold is due to the fact that the Nismo mounts raise the height of the motor. In my case, this problem was compounded when...
The turbo found on the SR20DET motor is an upgrade that virtually every CA18DET owner has run at one point or another. Where the CA18DET T25 turbo is good to about 12psi and looses boost towards redline, the SR20DET T25 can run around 14psi and will hold steady till redline with the .80 exhaust housing. Additionally, there are tons of SR guys swapping out their factory turbo so finding SR...
Like most Nissan motors, the CA18DET has a maze of vacuum lines that quickly become confusing to those unfamiliar with the motor. The following is a quick guide of what needs to be hooked up and where in order to get your CA18DET up running. Upper Intake Manifold (rear) Read below for the explanations and click here for a larger view. Connects to the passenger side valve cover at the front of the...
Installing a lightweight single piece driveshaft on the 240sx offers a few benefits over the factory 2 piece unit. First, your driveshaft is considered a rotating mass and as such, any weight saved on your driveshaft translates into a quicker, freer revving motor. This effect is similar to installing a lightweight flywheel on your car. Second, the single piece design of an aftermarket driveshaft...
Background Even with the abundance of OEM parts available for the CA18DET, there seems to be a very striking lack of affordable lightweight flywheels. Clutchmasters and Spec make several clutch kits for this motor but for the time being there really isn’t a true, US market, bolt in replacement flywheel. Of course, there is always the occasional JUN lightweight flywheels that pops up on ebay...
I messed up. I got so comfortable with open source software that I neglected the internet explorer crowd. To all of you using internet explorer for your browser needs I offer my most sincere and humble apology. I will go ahead and tell you what happened so the people who already live in browser bliss will know what the hell I am talking about. Basically, each web page you view is just a set of...
According to the all knowing wikipedia: “Drifting refers to the difference in slip angle between the front and rear tires of a car. When the rear wheels are slipping at a greater angle than the front wheels, the car is drifting, or over-steering. The rear end of the car appears to chase the front end around a turn, while the front tires control the actual direction of the car.- wikipedia...
Chris Simmons is a race car driver, instructor, business owner and all around gearhead. His passion for motorsport started in the drifting community and progressed into wheel to wheel racing of all kinds. When off track Chris can be found training and working on a myriad of projects. After a hiatus from writing, he is back to share his passion, knowledge and experience in regard to motorsports on and off the track.