nippon challenge 260z 2+2

[nigel510]

Hi all,im buildinga260 and need help to find all the right bits and advice. not good with computer so please call me on 07590812943 many thanks nigel.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Nigel contacted me today and is in the process of joining the club.
He is entering the Nippon Challenge this year with a 260 2+2, having done it before in an MR2 and was the 'Driver of the Year' for 2007.

Sounds a great guy, green as far as Zs go so will need help to get his running car race prepared in 2 months!

He is a big Nissan fan and has a P510, loves Jap cars.

 

[pmac]

Nigel contacted me today and is in the process of joining the club.
He is entering the Nippon Challenge this year with a 260 2+2, having done it before in an MR2 and was the 'Driver of the Year' for 2007.

Sounds a great guy, green as far as Zs go so will need help to get his running car race prepared in 2 months!

He is a big Nissan fan and has a P510, loves Jap cars.

i hate to jump in with some instant negativity but the first question I have to ask is why start off with a car with a built in weight penalty??(over a 100kg.)
Thats like driving all the races with a passenger and their holiday luggage!!

 

[nigel510]

260z

thanks mate ,not as many 2+2s have raced as the 240 but im sure they are less tail happy witch should help, out of the bendy bits.the great thing about the nippon challenge is the classes.GT150/200/250/300/500 and super gt. each based on bhp at the flywheel and min weight.What do you think.nigel.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

i hate to jump in with some instant negativity but the first question I have to ask is why start off with a car with a built in weight penalty??(over a 100kg.)
Thats like driving all the races with a passenger and their holiday luggage!!

Pete, I asked the same of course. My biggest concern though was the time factor but it seems Nigel just wants to get out there ASAP and will develop the car over the year. He knows what's required to pass scrutineering etc from his previous experiences.

He has more enthusiasm about driving his car than knowledge of it at the moment which isn't always the case on here. Pete you may be able to help out with parts supply - I know he needs a new gbox and I'm sure that 2+2 diff will be the wrong ratio etc.

It'll be interesting to see how things work out.

 

[Albrecht]

....not as many 2+2s have raced as the 240 but im sure they are less tail happy witch should help, out of the bendy bits.

Not sure where you got the idea that the "240" is biased towards oversteer? If anything, the major bias is towards inherent understeer, which gets even worse with a strongly preloaded LSD. You have to do a fair bit of work to bring it back towards neutral balance.

A 2+2 will likely tend to handle as though it is on rails. Only trouble is that the rails are the East Coast Main Line straight on up to Scotland......

Good luck though!

 

[Dale]

If anything, the major bias is towards inherent understeer,

Indeed, and the reason why I have a chunk out of my near-side front wheel!

I've had a quick scan on the Nippon Challenge website and some clips on YouTube and looks like a really interesting series. It'd be great to see an old Datsun spanking some younger metal.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Found this about Nigel:

MR2 Racing - Drivers

 

[datsun dave]

Good luck with the project Nigel.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

thanks mate ,not as many 2+2s have raced as the 240 but im sure they are less tail happy witch should help, out of the bendy bits.the great thing about the nippon challenge is the classes.GT150/200/250/300/500 and super gt. each based on bhp at the flywheel and min weight.What do you think.nigel.

I've had a look at this Nigel and it's a max bhp figure and min weight per class. At first I thought you meant a power to weight (ratio) figure - which would have been better for you.

So a lighter 240 would be a better car than a heavier 260 as it still wouldn't get down to the minimum weight without a lot of work. You will be in a class (200bhp?) with much lighter cars.

Class Structure/figures are bhp at flywheel and min race weight including driver and residual fuel.
Class A GT500/1160KG
Class B GT300/1060KG
Class C GT250/1010KG
Class D GT200/960KG
Class E GT150/910KG
Class F SUPER GT [INVITATION ] Any car deemed to be in the spirit of the series not conforming to the above regulations

As a matter of interest my 240 (200 bhp give or take a few ) would be reasonable weight wise but my 350 (class B) would be far too heavy to be competitive.

 

[SKiddell]

To echo Pete's thoughts, why start with an instant weight penalty of 100 kilos

100 kilos extra that you have to accelerate, 100 kilos extra that you have to decelerate and 100 kilos extra to get around each corner.

Thats before we get onto the extended wheel base (some 10% extra on top of the 240/260)

not as many 2+2s have raced as the 240

somewhat of an understatement....maybe we should have a competition as to how many race placing 2+2's that we can name....could be a short list.

Build a well sorted 240/260 and win the damn thing

 

[Saz]

Good for you Nigel! it is the taking part that counts and enjoying the challenge. I do not know anything about weight and oversteer and understeer but I do think it is great that the marque is being represented in a cup and especially a classic Z!

We are behind you all the way!

 

[zedhead260]

it is the taking part that counts

Nope.

It's the winning that counts.

Buy a 240Z or early 260Z swb.

 

[martin]

I Think everyones being a bit hard on the 2+2s virtues because in the past no body has been successful in campaigning them no reason in this day of Hi performance mods you cant get a 2+2 to hussle !!! and be competative. As with Robs 240 hes modified the gearing and suspension fibreglass tailgate weight saving etc and built a great Track day car !.
I have a set of Fibre glass wings you can have, and if you strip the original brakes down, get a wilwood caliper conversion, best weight saving is change the glass to perspex !! rear seats out, bumpers etc, but talk to Rob about the gearing and diff as the +2 is too long legged for circuit work, Good luck be great to see it run.

 

[SeanDezart]

What hi-performance (and non-Nissan) mods can one use in this series ?

Can non-original non-steel panels be used ?

I can only see two reasons for using a 260Z 2+2 - cheaper than a 240 and more and better ones available ! Oh sorry, that's three and (with great respect) if one is going to a car show or a days outing in ones' Z, it IS the taking part that counts - if one is going racing, it's the winning that does - we don't send an olympic team halfway around the world simply to fill up the starting places.........your favourite football team are not there to score a draw and improve your pools chances........... !

Class A GT500/1160KG
Class B GT300/1060KG
Class C GT250/1010KG
Class D GT200/960KG

A Z could be in any of these classes but with a roll-cage, I would have thought that 960kg is pushing it !

 

[JakTheRuby]

Be nice to see a sorted +2 against competition. With a decent driver I'm sure it'll either silence the constant 260 limo naysayers or epic fail. Whatever. If the guy is gonna enjoy modifying / prepping the car and then racing it, it's all good. Would love it to do well and I reckon he might be the guy to do it. Good times!

 

[240zchevyv8]

good for you nigel just build the damn thing and enjoy yourself, to be honest in the right hands and parts, any car can be set up to to handle like a race car, i can see no reason except obviously power to weight ratio why a properly set up 260 2+2 should not be competative, if the car holds the corners and my last 240z certainly did that, then you can make up time on cars that are more powerfull but not as well balanced, just remember the golden rule (speed costs money how fast do you want to go) good luck heath

 

[SKiddell]

Come on guys, flowery well wishing doesn’t win races, if people took the time to read the rules and regs they would see that the Nippon challenge is a very serious race series, run under blue book standards and costing several £000 a year just to enter so saying "its taking part that counts" is a little naïve.

So I ask again,
Why start with a weight penalty (and longer wheel base) to begin with when you don’t have to?
Its like saying to Colin Chapman "Yep I know you wanted steel tube but here’s a girder and a file"

I Think everyones being a bit hard on the 2+2s virtues because in the past no body has been successful in campaigning them no reason in this day of Hi performance mods you cant get a 2+2 to hussle !!! and be competative.

hustle, compared with what...an Austin allegro, why spend money on mods only to get you to the starting stage of a 240/260, and as for vitues....the 2+2 doesn’t have any appropriate motor-sport virtues aside from being able to take a midget around the track in the rear seats, leisurely drive around Silverstone anyone.

 

[SeanDezart]

There was at some point in the past an attempt to get a 2+2 in the saloon car series (it being a 4 seater) but that didn't work out and is the only one that I know of, at least in Europe !

Or you could do it in a big 2.8 litre beastie or maybe the photo will explain why not........................

 

[Martin W]

having used both a 2seater and a 2+2 z for a form of racing i can say 1st hand that the 2seater was the better of the 2 but that does not mean you cant race a 2+2 and have a little fun, however the nippon series from what i see is a bit more serious than a bit of fun, you will need to put much more cash into a 2+2 than a 2seater to get the same speed/handling and stopping i would think???

don't get me wrong i love the 2+2 but don't think i would race 1 now

just a thought???