Pictures!

Because I have a bad habit of losing cameras, i've been a bit lazy with taking photos of the new(est) Silvia. After a quick wash, I took the car to a quiet street in Canterbury and took a couple of pics of how the car looks at present. Needs wider wheels at the rear :)

Back on the road

I've had the car back a couple of weeks now, and all is well. I can't wait to hit the track again, but the wallet says otherwise. For now, it's just great to have a car back.

Greg has done an amazing job re-assembling the car. Very few dramas to report. About three weeks after I picked it up, I took it back to Autosport and he ironed out the last of the bugs. Couldn't be happier.

The new turbo installation also meant that the car needed to be retuned. Yavuz at Unigroup Engineering looked after the car, and I think the results speak for themselves:

Based on airflow meter readings, Yavuz says the turbo can flow up to 250rwkw of air, but at the moment, the exhaust is restricting flow and so he's had to keep the boost conservative to prevent knock. It's most likely the cat restricting flow, so i'll look into extracting that extra potential power down the track.

Anxious wait

Have had some great news from Greg recently; the car is complete and ready to be tuned.

I've chosen Unigroup Engineering to tune the new turbo combination - Greg's own car is tuned there, and the old owner of my car was very happy with the service they provide.

Once it's tuned, it's just a matter of registering the car, and getting back to what I enjoy. That first drive is going to be great.

Turbo and diff

After not having much luck finding a used turbo of a suitable size, I have bitten the bullet and paid for a new Garrett unit. I decided on the GT2871R - it's a few sizes larger than the S15 turbo it replaces, but by no means a massive turbo.

It is available in 6 size combinations, and I have chosen the smallest of the six to maintain some of the throttle response and midrange power of a smaller turbo.

For a little extra dough, I also optioned a ceramic coating for the exhaust housing. The theory is that it keeps the exhaust heat in the housing rather than dissipating. Hotter gas travels faster, and so the coating has a two fold effect - the turbo spools up faster, and also reduces heat soak through the rest of the engine bay.

With the budget in mind, I've decided to stick with a factory Nissan diff for now. They're still a good piece of kit, and the price is right. I will keep an eye out for mechanical diffs down the track but for now, getting the car roadworthy is the main priority.

Aside from the turbo and diff, the car is coming along nicely. The engine and gearbox are in, so I should have my freedom again when I get back from my holiday in mid-August. Can't wait!

An extra two cylinders

I've been without a car for about a month and a half now, and it's pretty frustrating at times. On the plus side, you occasionally get to drive something else nice, like your brother's R33 Skyline. Sean was kind enough to lend me his car (see pic) on the weekend, and it was a great experience.


In comparison with the 4 cylinder Silvia, the 6 cylinder engine just revs so cleanly, with a minimum of fuss. The extra 0.5L of displacement means more torque everywhere in the rev range too.

On the inside, it also feels positively cavernous compared to the Silvia. For a tall guy like me, the leg and head room is awesome! It's a pretty compelling case to swap models.

There's a common analogy that the Skyline is the Silvia's bigger brother. Apart from literally being longer, wider, and heavier, I can really see why. The Skyline actually feels like a more "grown up" car.

I might have to think up a few more errands that "can't wait" so I can get back behind the wheel!