Found my unicorn!
06-08-2021, 10:35 PM
#226
Administrator
iTrader: (9)
There's more? I thought you were done after installing that Nismo oil cap. 
No, I have a Z1 air freshener to install too.
06-15-2021, 04:52 PM
#228
Konis showed up today. Not very impressed by RCA's packaging - the brake line brackets on both front shocks were bent from going through the side of the Koni box and then the shipping box. The box for the rears was open completely - the fiber tape had failed. Not sure if I'm missing parts or not. Are the rears not adjustable?
Last edited by rotarymike; 06-15-2021 at 05:50 PM.
06-15-2021, 05:08 PM
#229
Koni's showed up today. Not very impressed by RCA's packaging - the brake line brackets on both front shocks were bent from going through the side of the Koni box and then the shipping box. The box for the rears was open completely - the fiber tape had failed. Not sure if I'm missing parts or not. Are the rears not adjustable?
I believe the rears are adjusted with a small(2.5mm?) Allen key or similar tool in a front to back sweep. The adjustment "window" at the top of the of the rod where the stud mount would attached IIRC.
Post #24 : https://www.myg37.com/forums/brakes-...th-pics-2.html
06-23-2021, 10:30 AM
#231
Thanks ILM- that must be a PITA to adjust when on the car, LOL.
RCA made it good - they're sending a replacement for the one that was bent and scratched. The other was just bent a little, so I didn't worry about it (other than letting them know so they can fix their supplier shipping issue).
RCA made it good - they're sending a replacement for the one that was bent and scratched. The other was just bent a little, so I didn't worry about it (other than letting them know so they can fix their supplier shipping issue).
06-23-2021, 12:10 PM
#233
As the Buddha said*, "I think those were the droids I was looking for".
/ * Not really
// Or maybe the Empire is a symbol of impermanence and the futility of grasping for immortality...
/// Or, OR - nevermind, I've got work to do.
/ * Not really
// Or maybe the Empire is a symbol of impermanence and the futility of grasping for immortality...
/// Or, OR - nevermind, I've got work to do.
06-23-2021, 12:21 PM
#234
Administrator
iTrader: (9)
But yes, once you find your spot, it will probably never change.
07-14-2021, 05:36 AM
#235
Well, I've been asked for my thoughts on the ZSpeed lightweight steel flywheel and their stage 2 quiet clutch etc. and I can't sleep so... here goes.
To recap, my concentric slave cylinder, which for new readers is *inside* the bellhousing of the transmission, died. The master cylinder wasn't in great shape either. (aside - so, what are the 'woke' terms for hydraulics now?) Since the majority of the labor cost is R&Ring the transmission, and since I wasn't able to do this myself in my yard with the tools and physique on hand, I decided to replace all the clutch components at one go. Nearing 70,000 miles I thought - it's time.
New parts in:
ZSpeed HD Concentric slave cylinder
OEM master cylinder
ZSpeed braided, insulated flex line
ZSpeed lightweight steel flywheel - single mass, 20 pounds
ZSpeed Stage 2 Quiet disk clutch
ZSpeed install kit (Zspeed hardened flywheel bolts, new OEM pressure plate bolts, Redline MT85, Motul 5.1 for the clutch, gaskets, loctite)
New and old parts pictures are upthread.
I've now got ~1000 miles on this setup, with 500 being the break-in threshold. Let me tell you, not exceeding 5K is actually hard.
Issue with install that I need to correct: the reverse lockout gate is not quite right, so I have to hunt for 5th. Can adjust, just haven't had time.
Initial clutch pedal feel was pretty soft, and engagement was low. Joe the owner of ZSpeed cautioned me to not adjust anything right away, and that it would firm/come up on its own with some miles - and it did. Pedal feel is now maybe 10% more than OEM... it's stiffer, but only just. I've driven cars with stiffer stock clutches, so a person (who can drive stick) who hopped into my car likely wouldn't notice. Engagement is now on the low side of normal but not far off where it was before. If you look at my Old Parts Pics (TM) you'll see the old clutch/PP wasn't very worn, so that makes sense.
While there is some chatter at low speed engagement, I don't notice it at all with windows up/stereo on, and even though it's audible with them down, you cannot feel it. Not worried about it. New disk is a sprung hub, so any noise/chatter is just gear lash that the dual mass FW spread out over time. The new clutch grabs well but not suddenly. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the car MOSTLY feels like stock, and that's a good thing - drivability was not affected at all.
The light steel flywheel loses about 12 pounds of weight, mostly at the center of mass. So about 1/3... it does NOT feel like my prior LWFW cars, two RX-7 FC turbos, one stock one not. With the ACT prolight on those it was immediately obvious - you might need to feather the throttle as it approached idle, and the rev speed was nuts. This is more subtle. What I DO notice is that the car is smoothly in gear and not bogging at lower speeds. Since I've never done timed accel runs I can't give hard numbers, but it does rev quicker - just not 100% quicker. I have more usable power in 6th on bridges. In the wet, it is giving traction control some work to do if I put my foot in it more than sedately. With trac control off... it is giggle-worthy, but easily modulated with your right foot. No issues with sudden decel return to idle, or idle speed in general. No issues noted with bogging down - if anything, I have more usable non-bogging space around 1K RPMs in 1st and 2nd than I did before.
The real big noticeable difference is in heel and toe shifting. Mostly I drive in the city/dense suburbia so there's not much chance for that, but interstate offramps do provide some joy there, and it is a faster blip and more solid grab. Much more snappy than before, way more on par with a sports car. Sure, you can heel and toe a cable-shift Honda, but it isn't *snappy*. This thing should feel snappy, and now it is - H&T was always a bit awkward with this car and I just blamed myself. Not any more.
Would I buy again? For a stock replacement, heck yes. Mild up-repair. Hindsight? I'd rather have the AL flywheel. The clutch kit is fine - I'm not likely to exceed 400HP no matter what I do, and this is VERY drivable as opposed to a puck or unsprung disk. The HD CDC feels like stock in use, but the actual unit is much beefier and supposedly corrects some of the weaknesses of the OEM unit. It's not much cheaper that the external slave mod kits though, and if I had a mechanic willing to try to install a CMAK I would have gone that route. Same as if I had access to a lift and trans jack to do it myself. No real regrets for the HD unit - just a regret that no shop, dealer or not, down here would attempt it.
Some last thoughts: Some folks say our transmissions sound like a truck transmission, and maybe they are, or derived from one. The RX7 turbo transmissions for example are mostly the same as Ford used in their manual F150s in the 1980s, and the non-turbo RX7s shared transmissions with the B series Mazda trucks, so this isn't unprecedented. I think the ZSpeed quiet disk clutch and pressure plate might be that - looks and feels OEM (manufactured by Exedy) but with 10-20 % increased clamping... I don't have an issue with this; for a long time our secret weapon clutch-wise on ITA and ITS racecars was the B2500 pressure plate
And a final note: this review is with the oem shift pedal assembly. I have an RJM that is not installed yet. Joe at ZSpeed cautioned me against installing, at least until the whole thing was broken in well, as it can mask other problems. That install is for a future weekend.
Thanks/props to Joe at ZSpeed. Answered my questions himself, reasonably, recommended something appropriate and did not try to upsell me, and upgraded my shipping to overnight without telling me
To recap, my concentric slave cylinder, which for new readers is *inside* the bellhousing of the transmission, died. The master cylinder wasn't in great shape either. (aside - so, what are the 'woke' terms for hydraulics now?) Since the majority of the labor cost is R&Ring the transmission, and since I wasn't able to do this myself in my yard with the tools and physique on hand, I decided to replace all the clutch components at one go. Nearing 70,000 miles I thought - it's time.
New parts in:
ZSpeed HD Concentric slave cylinder
OEM master cylinder
ZSpeed braided, insulated flex line
ZSpeed lightweight steel flywheel - single mass, 20 pounds
ZSpeed Stage 2 Quiet disk clutch
ZSpeed install kit (Zspeed hardened flywheel bolts, new OEM pressure plate bolts, Redline MT85, Motul 5.1 for the clutch, gaskets, loctite)
New and old parts pictures are upthread.
I've now got ~1000 miles on this setup, with 500 being the break-in threshold. Let me tell you, not exceeding 5K is actually hard.
Issue with install that I need to correct: the reverse lockout gate is not quite right, so I have to hunt for 5th. Can adjust, just haven't had time.Initial clutch pedal feel was pretty soft, and engagement was low. Joe the owner of ZSpeed cautioned me to not adjust anything right away, and that it would firm/come up on its own with some miles - and it did. Pedal feel is now maybe 10% more than OEM... it's stiffer, but only just. I've driven cars with stiffer stock clutches, so a person (who can drive stick) who hopped into my car likely wouldn't notice. Engagement is now on the low side of normal but not far off where it was before. If you look at my Old Parts Pics (TM) you'll see the old clutch/PP wasn't very worn, so that makes sense.
While there is some chatter at low speed engagement, I don't notice it at all with windows up/stereo on, and even though it's audible with them down, you cannot feel it. Not worried about it. New disk is a sprung hub, so any noise/chatter is just gear lash that the dual mass FW spread out over time. The new clutch grabs well but not suddenly. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the car MOSTLY feels like stock, and that's a good thing - drivability was not affected at all.
The light steel flywheel loses about 12 pounds of weight, mostly at the center of mass. So about 1/3... it does NOT feel like my prior LWFW cars, two RX-7 FC turbos, one stock one not. With the ACT prolight on those it was immediately obvious - you might need to feather the throttle as it approached idle, and the rev speed was nuts. This is more subtle. What I DO notice is that the car is smoothly in gear and not bogging at lower speeds. Since I've never done timed accel runs I can't give hard numbers, but it does rev quicker - just not 100% quicker. I have more usable power in 6th on bridges. In the wet, it is giving traction control some work to do if I put my foot in it more than sedately. With trac control off... it is giggle-worthy, but easily modulated with your right foot. No issues with sudden decel return to idle, or idle speed in general. No issues noted with bogging down - if anything, I have more usable non-bogging space around 1K RPMs in 1st and 2nd than I did before.
The real big noticeable difference is in heel and toe shifting. Mostly I drive in the city/dense suburbia so there's not much chance for that, but interstate offramps do provide some joy there, and it is a faster blip and more solid grab. Much more snappy than before, way more on par with a sports car. Sure, you can heel and toe a cable-shift Honda, but it isn't *snappy*. This thing should feel snappy, and now it is - H&T was always a bit awkward with this car and I just blamed myself. Not any more.
Would I buy again? For a stock replacement, heck yes. Mild up-repair. Hindsight? I'd rather have the AL flywheel. The clutch kit is fine - I'm not likely to exceed 400HP no matter what I do, and this is VERY drivable as opposed to a puck or unsprung disk. The HD CDC feels like stock in use, but the actual unit is much beefier and supposedly corrects some of the weaknesses of the OEM unit. It's not much cheaper that the external slave mod kits though, and if I had a mechanic willing to try to install a CMAK I would have gone that route. Same as if I had access to a lift and trans jack to do it myself. No real regrets for the HD unit - just a regret that no shop, dealer or not, down here would attempt it.
Some last thoughts: Some folks say our transmissions sound like a truck transmission, and maybe they are, or derived from one. The RX7 turbo transmissions for example are mostly the same as Ford used in their manual F150s in the 1980s, and the non-turbo RX7s shared transmissions with the B series Mazda trucks, so this isn't unprecedented. I think the ZSpeed quiet disk clutch and pressure plate might be that - looks and feels OEM (manufactured by Exedy) but with 10-20 % increased clamping... I don't have an issue with this; for a long time our secret weapon clutch-wise on ITA and ITS racecars was the B2500 pressure plate
And a final note: this review is with the oem shift pedal assembly. I have an RJM that is not installed yet. Joe at ZSpeed cautioned me against installing, at least until the whole thing was broken in well, as it can mask other problems. That install is for a future weekend.
Thanks/props to Joe at ZSpeed. Answered my questions himself, reasonably, recommended something appropriate and did not try to upsell me, and upgraded my shipping to overnight without telling me
Last edited by rotarymike; 07-14-2021 at 08:48 AM.
The following 3 users liked this post by rotarymike:
07-14-2021, 08:37 AM
#236
Administrator
iTrader: (9)
That was a long time coming. I hadn't realized there was a "break-in" period.
Good, honest comments, Mike. My personal take-away from what you've written is that the clutch & flywheel package you went with are an incremental upgrade over stock. And with respect to big money spent, this is perhaps something more defensible in the context of a repair, rather than an upgrade. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have done the exact same thing when faced with another CSC failure situation. In fact, I'm fairly certain I would. But as an entirely optional "upgrade" decision... probably not. In my experience with a similar car, the only thing I can compare this to was my rear gear swap, and that was decidedly not incremental. It was a big deal, and the total project cost was maybe 2/3 what you experienced.
Thanks, Mike.
Good, honest comments, Mike. My personal take-away from what you've written is that the clutch & flywheel package you went with are an incremental upgrade over stock. And with respect to big money spent, this is perhaps something more defensible in the context of a repair, rather than an upgrade. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have done the exact same thing when faced with another CSC failure situation. In fact, I'm fairly certain I would. But as an entirely optional "upgrade" decision... probably not. In my experience with a similar car, the only thing I can compare this to was my rear gear swap, and that was decidedly not incremental. It was a big deal, and the total project cost was maybe 2/3 what you experienced.
Thanks, Mike.
07-14-2021, 09:07 AM
#237
Registered Member
As far as when y’all were talking about the tech not being allowed to speak to the customer, I had that happen to me at one dealership. Super frustrating. This dealership is in coral gables and the work is done somewhere else. I camped out and waited for a car to leave the service area and followed it to the garage about a mile away. Then I saw my car and just went tho to talk to the guy, lmao.
07-14-2021, 09:32 AM
#238
Remaining piece of the puzzle.
Buying everything from ZSpeed gets you some package pricing. I got the HDCSC from Concept Z because they had stock, and Joe did not. I used Z1 OEM parts pricing which might not be on par with an online Infiniti dealer - or it might.
It was actually $800 cheaper than OEM parts... even if you had been able to resurface the OEM dual mass flywheel it would have been about the same.
So there you have it - if you've got to replace the clutch & flywheel system, upgrade.
Also - my wife agreed that only the amount over the OEM cost would go against my mod budget... looks like she owes me some $.
