And here is the News...

December 2003
August 2004
November 2004 - 23, 30
December 2004 - 8, 10, 13, 16, 17, 26, 27
January 2005 - 10, 23, 28
February 2005 - 19, 26
March 2005 - 10, 11, 16
April 2005 - 5, 8, 12, 16, 24

May 2005 - 8
July 2005 - 19
August 2005 - 28
September 2005 - 17

UPDATE - August 2004

Hmmm... 8 months since the last update. So what has happened from my list of wants?
Well, I can almost check three of the items from my list.

I now have a Hybrid style, 600x300x76mm, front mount intercooler and custom made piping fitted to the front of the Sil, as well as a K&N Pod Filter in the engine bay. Check out the install story HERE.
This combination has added some excellent whooshes and whistles to the aural bliss of the SR20DET...
Okay, that might be going a bit far, but it does sound pretty cool and has added extra performance that I wasn't really expecting without raising the boost. As you'll read in the install story, the boost has raised from a maximum of 10psi to 12psi, not that I'm sure about those figures... My car should be running the stock 7psi of boost as there are no boost altering devices fitted... yet... I guess the combination of the cat back exhaust, cooler and pod filter may have freed some of the restriction, but I'll find out for sure when she goes back on the dyno at Ultra Tune.

Before all of the above was fitted I had my car dynoed at the Kalgoorlie Show on Ultra Tune Kalgoorlie's Dyno Dynamics dyno, to get a bass line figure. 162rwhp was recorded in shootout mode, which was a bit more than I expected, thankfully.

The third item I can almost check off is the Blitz DSBC Electronic Boost Controller, which I am hoping is going to allow more boost to be wound in and a sweeter ramp onto boost. I got this second hand from the Jap Parts Specialist in Japan, so fingers crossed it all turns out well. That will be fitted in the next week or so, and then back to the dyno to set it up and make sure everything is hunky dory.

Kalgoorlie being the transitional town that it is, we have gained some and lost some of the local cars... Most of the cars that are here have been going through a modification process of some sort recently. Some through necessity, ie. blown motors, but others because of the desire for their cars to blow the doors off all the V8s in town... Okay, maybe not ALL the V8s, but I know of a certain rotor that would be right up there!!

So what's left on the list...

  • Dump pipe from the turbo. I've had mixed reports about these. Some say it's a must have and I see where they are coming from, as any restriction will effect the ultimate power. However, as I am only after 200rwhp, I'll keep this in the bag of tricks for if I don't get the magic number.
  • New Paintwork. Other than a few car park dents, the poor state of the bumpers and the holes in the boot, the paintwork is in pretty good shape for the moment. I may look into getting a Nismo style front bumper to show off the bling bling intercooler.
  • Race Seats. We'll see... At the moment I'm considering R32 Skyline or S15 Silvia seats. These are a preferred option over race seats, as the S15 seat bolts straight in and the Skyline seats only need slight modification. These seats should also offer a more road oriented comfort over the race seats.

< Top >

UPDATE - December 2003

I have now had my Sil for 1 year, and in that time I have had a great time with it!
Since the original purchase I have had a thicker S14 radiator fitted for a bit of reassurance in the hot Australian summers. The original intercooler is still in place, but I have plans to change that within the next year.

I like the clean look of cars without wings, so I removed the stock SR20 wing from my boot and plugged the holes with grommets... Heavy sucker it is too, as now the boot virtually flings off its hinges...

I have recently fitted 2 new Bridgestone Potenza G3 225/50/16s to the back of my car after the Goodyear Eagle Ventura 205/60/16s turned into slicks...
"I don't know how that could've happened, officer..." ;-)
Very happy with the new tyres so far, as they seem to stick very well, which is reassuring in the wet.

Wanting that all important wank factor, last weekend I installed a Go Fast Bits Hybrid Blow Off Valve(BOV).
I originally disconnected the stock BOV return line and enjoyed the PSSSHHHT sound of the boosted air being released, but unfortunately the stock BOV leaks air at idle, and caused the car to stall when it neared idle, ie. pulling up to an intersection, thus the reason for purchasing the GFB BOV.

This GFB BOV has a trumpet to make the noise as well as a fitting to send some of the air back to the intake, which hopefully prevents backfiring...
I have installed mine where the original valve was mounted by using a 12cm piece of hose to join the return line to the BOV. Being hidden away under the plastic wheelarch inner keeps it out of site of nosey people and I think muffles the sound slightly... It makes a nice noise for the most part, so I'm happy...

The current wishlist :-
  • Front mount intercooler
  • K&N Pod Filter
  • Dump pipe from the turbo
  • New Paintwork
  • Race Seats
  • Boost Controller

< Top >