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Jinxed myself good thinking I’d actually get to work on my car over the weekend, thanks to the national CDK outage our dealership was a part of unfortunately. So should be this weekend but I’m not guaranteeing anything anymore with how it’s been going lately, lol.
I was at least able to install a new shift kn0b from Coolerworx. The original is nice, but my hands are large and it was a little uncomfortable for me personally, so I was happy to see them release a lightbulb style. Had to come up with a small bolt + spacer for it to work/fit correctly since it sat on top of the reverse collar when fully screwed in, and the new kn0b sadly did not come with any hardware. Thankfully it’s not threaded through the top, unlike the original, which uses an M6 bolt threaded through the top (in addition to the kn0b threading onto the lever) and sat about 10-12mm higher above the collar when screwed in. Simple solution, just used a 20mm M6 titanium bolt and a 5mm nylon spacer to push the new one up a few mm to clear the reverse collar (5mm spacer + 6mm bolt head height). The trick was finding a spacer 11mm or less in diameter to still accommodate the threads on the lever used by the new kn0b. I chose a nylon spacer instead of metal to help with NVH (just grabbed a pack from Amazon).
I could have adjusted my reverse lockout and just used a bolt to space it up 6mm, but it was still a hair too low and sketchy getting into and out of reverse for my liking. I shared all of this info with Coolerworx, so hopefully going forward they might include or have an option for something similar with the lightbulb style shift kn0b for the Z/G shifters.
FWIW in the picture is the Course Motorsports phone mount I installed about a year ago. Definitely recommend, never had an issue with it, and love how it’s in my line of sight but not in the way. Oh and it won’t cause any legal issues for states that are extra picky about having the mount be on the dash/in the window, unlike some I’ve seen that are mounted lower on the center console.
Hopefully to make another post soon covering my condenser and hose swap. We shall see if this is the weekend. Rounded up my differential rebuild parts too so that project can finally get going.
Cheers everyone. Safe driving and have fun out there.
Forgot that you had the Coolerworx STS. I've always wanted to get hands on with that shifter and see for myself what it's all about. Conventional wisdom has me thinking a tall shifter can't be better than a shorter shaft, but conventional wisdom is a poor benchmark.
The original **** was knurled and thinner, right? I imagine you used it more like a pistol grip, whereas this new tear-drop **** is something you grab downward with the palm of your hand. Has the way you grab the shifter changed any?
Forgot that you had the Coolerworx STS. I've always wanted to get hands on with that shifter and see for myself what it's all about. Conventional wisdom has me thinking a tall shifter can't be better than a shorter shaft, but conventional wisdom is a poor benchmark.
The original **** was knurled and thinner, right? I imagine you used it more like a pistol grip, whereas this new tear-drop **** is something you grab downward with the palm of your hand. Has the way you grab the shifter changed any?
It’s quite fun, I can tell you that much. For straight line shifting, it might not be the best because of the height- but for corners it’s wonderful being that much closer to the steering wheel. Even with the additional height, the throws are still significantly shorter than any other STS I’ve come across, so it’s negligible either way for me personally.
And you are correct, the original kn0b is knurled which adds to the discomfort unless wearing gloves, and it was skinner. For me it was like shifting using a fat sharpie covered in grip tape. Really nice shift kn0b, just didn’t fit me quite right. Curious to see which I’ll do better with around a track though now, will def have to give that a try. And bingo, grip the lightbulb mainly from the top now, and the original I hold similar to a pistol grip- think dog box shifter.
I’m really itching to swap mine for their newer version with the self-centering spring so I will 100% be swapping mine out in the near future. The blue “gunmetal” lever I have now has also been bugging my OCD, since it was intended to be a gunmetal silver, so I’ll finally grab a black one to ease my eyes. My existing STS will be up for grabs then.
They say on their website for the Pro vs the standard “Self-centering spring 95% compensate gearbox wear and tear+More firm and crisp shifting experience+Reduces chance to miss shift”. We shall find out.
With ITA first gen RX7s, the hot setup was the shifter from an RX-2 - very tall and angled to the left, and with an oval **** put the shifter top right at the bottom of the steering wheel. Longer throws, but on track shifting is all gross motor skill anyway so it being nearer the wheel (less time with hand off the wheel) worked better.
STS kits with low levers seemed to make people shift slower when other things were going on like steering, braking, and cursing.
With ITA first gen RX7s, the hot setup was the shifter from an RX-2 - very tall and angled to the left, and with an oval **** put the shifter top right at the bottom of the steering wheel. Longer throws, but on track shifting is all gross motor skill anyway so it being nearer the wheel (less time with hand off the wheel) worked better.
STS kits with low levers seemed to make people shift slower when other things were going on like steering, braking, and cursing.
Bingo, and well put. It’s quite logical for motorsports, and I’m a fan. I never personally understood why some modern cars have them mounted so low or use shorties. To each their own.
So while I’ve been cleaning out my old/extra parts I started looking at the Stillen Intake manifold I bought, and just what a shame it was, just sitting there all lonely, not being used. I don’t plan to go the supercharger route or V8 swap anytime soon (value my marriage and I’m not rich enough to drop $7k cash on a kit anytime soon, also curious how much difference my diff rebuild makes first). And since I sold and forever parted with my OEM interior seats etc, it’s race car now, lol. So I’m thinking why not make a custom air intake with the intake manifold…might as well make this the final NA intake kit for my car, and if I do end up getting a SC installed one day the manifold would already be there (and the y-pipe for the Stillen throttle body setup). It would be similar to a Stillen Gen 3/Z1/AFE Takeda long-tube setup, only with 1x larger filter in front of the radiator, coming through the passenger radiator support inlet (same as Gen3’s/Z1/Takeda). Sourcing a well designed throttle body y-pipe for the Stillen intake mani is the biggest challenge/expense, for now. I’m set on SOHO’s if they are willing to fab/sell just a Y-pipe for the Stillen mani. I need to call them to see what’s up, and if the Y-pipe inlet is 3” or 2.75” (it says 2.75” on their website, but that might just be on the TB side, not the intercooler outlet/side I’m referring to). Hopefully it’s 3” so I can run a larger air filter. Injen, Z1, and AFE all have great filter options so I’d have no issue finding one that works, and will use a hydro shield to ease my anxiety. Thanks to Seb and ECUTek, tuning isn’t even a worry.
I have absolutely no baselines or dyno testing from any sources to even know if there is a single gain using a Stillen intake manifold in a NA setup (using a block off plate in lieu of the original crap cooled core). However, I’m inclined to say I might at least see a small increase in torque thanks to the longer runner lengths. My bigger worry is turbulence entering the manifold, since it was designed around significantly more air moving through it thanks to the supercharger. I’m a little inclined to think that’s a moot point though, because of the internal brick (water-cooled core) it originally used.
I might just start grabbing parts for an engine rebuild. I heard a few good things about the JUN 272 exhaust cams…I’d like to try those, just because that brand is so well trusted. Their cams would need some additional parts, like valve springs, seats, etc. but maybe when I do my gallery gasket I’ll go ahead and do the thing. Still waiting/hoping for some more feedback and in no rush for that install. I was surprised the JUN cams are reasonably priced though. If anyone has any feedback on the JUN 272 cams please let me know.
Bingo, and well put. It’s quite logical for motorsports, and I’m a fan. I never personally understood why some modern cars have them mounted so low or use shorties. To each their own.
When I first had my STS installed, it sat way too low in the boot for my liking. So I had a custom stand-out adapter cut by the same guy who made my Ti ****, and that raised it back up about an inch. Now it's perfect, IMO.
Point is, I don't like the **** hidden deep into the boot either. It looks weird and feels wrong. And now that I write this, yours looks weird too, but I believe you when you say it feels awesome.
Also, it was 5 months ago when you last wrote about getting short rear gears installed. Why do you keep procrastinating that mod? It's nothing to be worried about. I hate it when strangers say "trust me", but trust me on this, LOL.
When I first had my STS installed, it sat way too low in the boot for my liking. So I had a custom stand-out adapter cut by the same guy who made my Ti ****, and that raised it back up about an inch. Now it's perfect, IMO.
Point is, I don't like the **** hidden deep into the boot either. It looks weird and feels wrong. And now that I write this, yours looks weird too, but I believe you when you say it feels awesome.
Also, it was 5 months ago when you last wrote about getting short rear gears installed. Why do you keep procrastinating that mod? It's nothing to be worried about. I hate it when strangers say "trust me", but trust me on this, LOL.
Yeah it's been bugging me for 5+ months also, lol. Not procrastinating on purpose, I hate seeing parts sit around, what's the point of that. Life just gets busy sometimes, between selling a home, moving, job changes, I've just had my hands full the past few months and the days I have off I have no energy and want to relax. I've also had to do a bunch of general maintenance work on my wife's BMW which took up a lot of my car's shop time. Trying to take more time for myself (and my cars). Excuses, excuses, yadda yadda in the end. My coworker told me to drop the pumpkin and we'll shim it here. He has experience I trust. Once I have more cash flow here in the next few weeks, I'll do the thing. Just need to buy new diff fluid for the Wavetrac since they specify not to use Motul Gear300LS, which is of course what I had on hand. All other parts are ready and boxed up for me to bring to the shop. I still haven't even fixed my condenser either. Been sitting in the shop waiting for 2 months now, along with my radiator hoses and clamps. Shenanigans.
I tried and then reverted to OEM for the shift gear, but I do have a shorter **** (small round Razo) and that leaves part of the lever itself exposed... and it is unsightly for a premium car. Next time I have that area apart I might put a tube of black heat shrink on the lever itself.
Life just gets busy sometimes, between selling a home, moving, job changes, I've just had my hands full the past few months and the days I have off I have no energy and want to relax.
For anyone curious, here’s the adapter I made so the new Coolerworx Bulb shift kn0b so it would work with the reverse collar. Just a 20mm long M6 bolt and a 5mm long nylon spacer. Found some reputable titanium M6 bolts on Amazon ranging from 10-25mm in length - any lengths up to 25mm work, I wanted at least 15mm of thread bite so I grabbed a pack of 20mm bolts. The nylon spacers I also found on Amazon for cheap in a bulk pack, and had to be 11mm or less in diameter. If anyone needs a link send me a message. Blanking on forum rules, but mods if I can link an Amazon page I’m not affiliated with please let me know and I’ll add links for the spacers and bolts on the Coolerworx STS review thread I made and just updated.
I was in the shop today, but was working on a family member’s Chrysler 300 instead of the G unfortunately. Had to mount and balance 2x new tires on the 20s it has, always fun when you get a nail in the sidewall and can’t patch. Was surprised how easy the oil change was on the Pentastar 3.6L V6 though, no gimmicks. Weird reusable oil drain plug design though. Anyways, next weekend is time for the G. I’m back on track, not wasting anymore time. Might leave it over the weekend and get the rear end done Sunday if I can convince my coworker to lend a hand on his day off
Finally replaced my leaking P2M radiator hose clamps and spotting (3rd set) of Z1 hoses. Replaced with Mishimoto silicone hoses and Greddy dual-bead constant tension worm clamps all around. Feels so nice not to worry about the constant leak anymore.
Replacement was straightforward…drain coolant, remove clamps and hoses, pop on the new ones. You can lightly squeeze the lower radiator hose to help expel coolant when draining. Silicone spray helped with the install. Just take a dab on your finger (gloves on) and rub around the outside of the radiator/coolant necks. I didn’t have to remove the overflow tank or passenger airbox. Although, it’s always advised to remove and rinse your overflow tank when doing this - I only didn’t because I did that a few months ago already and it’s only had fresh coolant in it. Filling and burping the system was easy with the Mishi radiator’s drain port, a Z1 heater hose coolant bleeder, and a good old lisle spill free funnel. Took about 2 hours total taking my sweet time with a migraine.
The one complaint I have about the Mishi radiator hoses (and I should have done this) is that the upper rad hose is a hair long, and could be trimmed down about half an inch (on the Mishi upper radiator neck side). This is probably bc the hoses were designed to mainly be used with OEM radiators. As a result my upper hose is barely bent a little more than the curves in the OEM upper hose. I might just need to rotate/twist my upper hose a little. YMMV.
Happened to discover a lovely leak in my power steering rack and pinion while it was in the air, so there’s another item added to my to-do. It’s not a bad leak so I’m not bothering with it anytime soon. Replacement seems really straightforward so I’ll definitely DIY that one too. Shame the part is $1k+, hopefully I can get it at cost through work.
I was going to try and swap my condenser also today, but I’ll save that for next weekend with this migraine. Anyways, enough whining, here’s some pictures.
Time to put in my Wavetrac, 4.08, and all of my rear diff goodies. Traded my coworker a set of tires for his help installing everything. He’s also going to help me toss in my replacement replacement (3rd) Mishimoto condenser. If it fails again, I’m going to have some words with Mishimoto as that’s just unacceptable. If it does happen, I’ll either need to look elsewhere for a custom replacement condenser, or swap over to a CSF setup, unless Mishimoto wants to send me an improved version of the condenser. But haven’t read the best things about CSF quality the past few years on various forums, which is why i took the chance with the Mishimoto radiator. Again, the radiator has been flawless and really helps coolant temps stay under 200F (stays around 190F/195F during normal driving here in 100F degree Florida summer heat). The condenser has been hot garbage though, just not the same quality of welds etc. and broke in the same exact spot on opposite sides both times. I’m not sure if it’s flexing a little and snapping at the welds or just poor welds. Maybe both.
Also going to finally setup an appointment with a reputable local fabricator to get my roll bar setup. It’s time.
If anyone wants my 2x spare sets of Z1 silicone hoses send me a message and they’re yours if you pay shipping. One set is lightly speckled with a few spots but still good to use, the other is more spotted. Should be fine to use, just bugged me w/ the spotting and I was taking one for the team trying different sets of hoses. I’ll try to remember to grab pictures next time I’m in the garage.
Last note for the time being, considering swapping my wheels to a lighter 19x10” or maybe even 18x10” square setup. Still looking around, but the Advan RZII and RZ-DF2 (I’ll keep dreaming if I want to stay married) are looking really nice. Might swap to black wheels also. Thinking on it, in no rush. Without forced induction I can’t justify needing a 10.5 on the back and want something a little more flush for the track. Might keep my set for the street and just get a track set. Enkei RPF1 18x10 +38 and Enkei GTC02 19x10 +40/18x10 +25 both look good and are light options that don’t break the bank. Undecided on 19s vs 18s, looking around. Will 100% stick with a square setup- I like the matching deep concave profiles personally. Still haven’t sold my spare staggered set of Work Emotion ZR10s though!
I was worried about my CSF leaking at some point but so far its been good. I think their quality has improved with all the leaks they were getting called out for years back.
07-08-2024, 12:19 AM
