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350Z SCCA racecar

45K views 190 replies 15 participants last post by  dkmura 
#1 · (Edited)


This Z was built to compete in the SCCA Touring racing classes, and has the distinction of winning in three different Touring categories: T2 (2008-2012), T3 (2013-2015) and T1 (2015). Most of the mods are concentrated in the suspension, with Koni DA shocks, Eibach springs and fully adjustable swaybars. Enkei wheels and BFGoodrich R1-S tires provide the stick, while Cobalt Friction XR2 pads provide stopping power.



For 2015, we had success in winning the Rocky Mountain Division Championship in both Touring 1 and Touring 3. Traveling to Road Atlanta, the Z has won back-to-back Touring 3 titles the past two years in the American Road Race of Champions (ARRC).



There's still plenty of SERIOUS fun to be had with the Z33!
 
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#4 ·
My Lotus would prolly race in a vintage class I'm guessing.
However,its not stock. Took out the stock R16 motor that maybe was
less than 100 hp. Put in a tuned Coventry Climax twin cam with Webers.
Pushes around 170hp in a car that weighs less than 1,400 lbs.
I have no idea on any how-to's on the pics.
 
#10 ·
^^Unfortunately not. Started this thread to show a 350Z that is still being actively campaigned in races around the country. The C&D Z was only sporadically campaigned almost a decade ago and was ultimately stripped and sold for parts. The second picture shows the NISMO 350Z that won the JGTC title back in '07 and now resides in the Zama collection in Japan. The yellow Axis Z has not been seen for some time and has not appeared in any NASA events for some time. The point is: there are still some cool 350Zs being raced in 2015-16 and beyond, but those three are not among them.:crying:
 
#13 ·
Never did hear back from a moderator on how to post pics, but figured it out from MartinZ's post. MartinZ also posted the picture of a fourth "racing" Z; the copper/black one that he edited into his last post in this thread. Unfortunately, that's also not a current race car, but rather a drifter. While the 350Z remains a popular drift vehicle, it's quite different than a race car.
 
#14 ·
Those photos were only to show cool 350Z's color schemes (sorry it was a bit off topic) - without worrying if they are current race cars - I'm impressed with your knowledge of them all.

Are you going to post some details about the race preparation of your 350Z race car?
That would be very interesting to read...what weight are you running?

No problems with the stock front calipers?
Some people say that 2 or 3 o'clock position can cause pad knock off

(I'm slowly preparing my 350Z for production racing)
 
#15 · (Edited)
The specs and construction of my SCCA 350Z vary a bit. It may be the only touring spec car that has raced (and won) three different classes:

Touring 1: Mustang FR500 Boss 302S, Chevy Corvette C7, Dodge Viper, Ferrari F360/430, Porsche 911. The 350Z is allowed to weigh a minimum of 2,400#, but will never make that weight. Fully stripped, with no ballast, but driver onboard, the car weighs from 3,130 to 3,150#.

Touring 2: Corvette C6 Z06, (standard) Mustang Boss 302, Mitsu Evo VIII, Subaru STi. The 350Z was classed here from 2005-2011 at 3,180#, but was moved to T3 in 2012.

Touring 3: Chevy Cobalt SS, Mustang V6, Camaro V6, BMW M3 (both E36 and E46), Honda S2000, Acura TL-S, Currently, any HR-equipped Z must weigh 3,450# to compete in T3.

As for brakes, the OEM Brembo monoblock brakes are paired with Cobalt Friction's XR2 pads and titanium backing plates. Touring rules allow brake ducts to be routed from the bumper and the use of Nissan Motorsports CF ducts. Also using Motul Super 600 brake fluid and SS lines. No allowance in SCCA rules for changing the positioning of the calipers to prevent pad knock-off.

Which production class are your prepping your Z for? I'm not aware of any production-class racing rules that allow the Z33?
 
#16 ·
I agree it's hard to get the weight down on the 350Z

I'm in Australia and have several options
We have a Modern Sports Car series where the 350Z and 370Z are on the eligibility list in the top class.
Then there is Production Sports Car racing which has a wide variety of cars.
 
#18 ·
There are two bodies, AASA and CAMS, AASA is entry level and CAMS is the much more developed body that run all out national events
Production racing uses a tight definition of "sports car", can only be 2 door, there are Porsche and Lamborghini's in the top performance class
Modern Sports cars has 2 and four door cars, they have a eligibility list and cars not older than ~1990 and cost less than $150k - they run classes based on power to weight
 
#20 ·
Sorry - had to travel for business - back home now

This is Stephen Noble's latest paintwork



You can see older images here: Angryman Photography | Sports GT | Sports GT 59 Stephen Noble Nissan 350Z - Super Series Rnd 3 - Baskerville - 24-05-2015-5

Here are two of his in car videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TabXGw4TtLw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNF12qQosaU

Then there is Rob Whyte, 2012/2013/2014 Australian Drift Champion
He runs a 380RS engine on E85 with a supercharger ~500hp at the wheels
This is an old video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B4y9u9RJSo


Another drift car
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt8b8Qdt9_M

MCA have a 370Z drift car with a VK56DE (massive job to put this one together
HIGHLIGHT ? JOSH COOTE?S 370Z V8 | STREET COVER
 
#21 ·
Sorry - had to travel for business - back home now

This is Stephen Noble's latest paintwork



You can see older images here: Angryman Photography | Sports GT | Sports GT 59 Stephen Noble Nissan 350Z - Super Series Rnd 3 - Baskerville - 24-05-2015-5

Here are two of his in car videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TabXGw4TtLw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNF12qQosaU

Then there is Rob Whyte, 2012/2013/2014 Australian Drift Champion
He runs a 380RS engine on E85 with a supercharger ~500hp at the wheels
This is an old video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B4y9u9RJSo


Another drift car
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt8b8Qdt9_M

MCA have a 370Z drift car with a VK56DE
Massive job to put this one together, build inffo here: V8 370Z DRIFT BUILD | Performance Garage ? V8, HI-TECH, MUSCLE, IMPORT, HOTROD, EXOTIC, RACE, CUSTOM

HIGHLIGHT ? JOSH COOTE?S 370Z V8 | STREET COVER
 
#23 ·
Hey MartinZ- while we're in the deep freeze here in the States, this should be peak racing time in Oz, isn't it? How many National level road racing events are there in the summer? How many cars are usually entered in each one? Finally, how is your own car prep going?
 
#24 ·
Hi, we don't do much racing in Dec and Jan because it's our holiday period (and it's too hot)
We race during the year, winter in Australia would be a "non event" for you, LOL
Categories race from Feb to Nov, some once a month, some once every two or three months (smaller categories)

Last year diverted me from my 350Z preparations
I bought a car, prepared it and raced in the Nissan Pulsar (that's a Sentra to you) Challenge, about 21 cars per race
It's a low cost and restrictive modification category
Some video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1oGG1EBL30

I won't be racing this year, my workload, team and budget have doubled and I will be travelling 1.5 times a month on average, that does not put me in a position to do justice to my racing (I'll be flying radio controlled helicopters instead).

Next year I'll be racing again, look forward to that.

I've done some modifications to my 350Z:
Tomei headers, hard engine mounts, 50mm radiator, oil cooler, air con removed,
SPL suspension parts, Nismo coppermax clutch & flywheel (overkill)
Harder diff and subframe mounts
I have recently started it using the Haltech replacement ECU - that was cool
Need to install a cage, install ITB's, tune the car, put a low ratio diff in the rear (I have a Cusco LSD).
I will also remove the variable exhaust timing (RevUp) as the Haltech does control it well
 
#25 ·
Thanks for the reply! Very interesting to note what your race season is like. I enjoyed watching the Pulsar Challenge video- racetracks throughout the world look much the same. Another few questions: what do entry fees cost and is there any prize money for series like the Pulsar Challenge?


BTW- thought you might be interested in one of my past Nissan racecars: this was my Nissan 200SX (nee Pulsar) GT5 racer



It's almost the exact opposite of your Pulsar Challenge car: tubeframe, race slicks, 1300 cc full race engine with dog ring gearbox and silhouette bodywork. Tons of fun to drive when it ran, but TONS of work to get it dialed in!
 
#27 ·
In the world of motorsports, that is pretty cheap. In Colorado SCCA racing, the entry fee was $299 for four races (2 per day) over a weekend. No prize money there, either. You can win cash and tires for winning a SCCA Majors race, but that was more expensive ($550/weekend).
 
#28 · (Edited)
Fast forward to March 2016 and it's time to create some new goals for the upcoming race season. First off, I'll continue to race in SCCA, but will primarily campaign in my home region. That means giving up the chance to win a SCCA Majors title, but I would like to qualify for the SCCA Runoffs in September. Goals for 2016 are the win the Rocky Mountain Division (RMD)Championship in both Touring 1 and Touring 3. That's a tall order, and depending on whether I can get my tubeframe Z33 up and running, all these plans may go up in smoke. In any case. here's the schedule as I see it in March:

Date/ track/type of race/ Class



April 30-May 1 High Plains Raceway- RMD Championship Touring 3
May 14-15 Circuit of St. Louis- SCCA Majors Touring 3
May 28-29 Pueblo Motorsports Park- SCCA Majors Touring 3
July 2-3 High Plains Raceway- SCCA Majors Touring 3
July 23-24 Pueblo Motorsports Park- RMD Championship Touring 1
August 20-21 High Plains Raceway- RMD Championship Touring 1
September 19-25 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course- SCCA Runoffs Touring 3

Seven weekends doesn't sound like too much, right? But it means the Z will have to have almost faultless reliability throughout ALL the races to finish in the points and depends in great part to how well my competition campaigns and finishes. For 2015, we achieved dual RMD championships, together with back-to-back American Road Race of Champions (ARRC) titles. This year is sure to be tougher, but I think both me and the 350Z are up to it!

 
#29 · (Edited)
Yesterday I spent several hours going through all the fluids (including bleeding brakes), checking tires and brakes, cleaning and sealing the paint for the coming year. I've got a new AIM timer for this year, but am having a tough time figuring out how to mount it to keep GPS monitoring at max effectiveness. First race isn't for several weeks, but the closer I look, the more work I find!

BTW- for MartinZ: SCCA entry fees range from $330 for a quad regional weekend to $550 for a US Majors weekend.
 
#30 ·
This upcoming weekend is the Rocky Mountain Division SCCA opener. High Plains Raceway is a 2.55-mile circuit located about 60 miles east of Denver, CO and will be where we kick off the season in the middle of the country. Weather forecast calls for rain on both Saturday and Sunday, so I may get the opportunity to run some new BFGoodrich KDW-R rain tires I've been saving. With two races each day (four total), I need reliable finishes to start the season with.


Lots of fast cars in my group, Porsche 911 GT3, BMW M3 E46, Audi A4 turbo Quattro, Mustang GT500-R and others. While most of these are in other classes, we are still racing to gain position in the race. With the possibility (probability?) of rain, that promises to jumble the field even more. The 350Z is a good car to drive in the wet and I'm looking forward to a good race weekend.
 
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