With the discovery that Do-Luck was literally 10 minutes away from where I live, it was only a matter of time until I paid a personal visit to Ito-san and Orito-san at Do-Luck.
As I had the morning off a few days ago, I decided to make the long overdue visit.
So I pulled up to Do-Luck at 1030 and found Ito-san and Orito-san busy working on a customer’s car. For those who have never been to a Japanese tuning shop, Do-Luck was pretty much like some of the smaller shops I’ve been to, like Mine’s and Robson.
I took some iPhone photos, but actually, Dino’s post on Speedhunters does a better job so here is the link..
I did manage however to get a close look inside at Ito-san’s Impreza, which was parked outside:
Check out the buckskin interior! Hmm...
As well as their R34 democar that was up on the lift (amazing what ideas you can get from looking up, underneath!) Aluminum driveshaft, anyone? Ito-san claims they are better than the carbon fiber ones as they are more likely to be balanced properly. Hmm…
And here is the dyno room:
After Ito-san gave me the quick tour, I inquired about one additional item that I had begun to become interested in after my experience with the Nagisa Auto brace, Do-Luck’s own Floor Support Bar.
Again with my research showing that the main mechanical difference between the R34 and R33 GT-Rs was body rigidity, this is one area I am definitely interested in improving. At the moment, I’m not convinced of the benefits of spot welding or injecting body stiffening foam, given the cost and possible rust issues. So for now, will keep doing my research, but was nice to see the Floor Support Bar up close!
Anyone out there with any experiences, good or bad, with body stiffening foam?
Talk about a "GT-R Tax" - This compact set yours for only 60,000 yen! (Thank you to GTRBlog.com for the photos)
Actually, there is also an even more exclusive Limited
Edition version (only 1000 sets made), that adds a socket set and ratchet, and a ratcheting screwdriver:
Only 160,650 yen! This one is still available to purchase from Nissan, by the way.
Here is a very well written review, along with close up
pictures of the tools themselves.
This reminded me that in fact, I had been thinking about
putting together a tool kit specifically for the R33 GT-R. And for a price that wasn’t going to be
ridiculously expensive, but at the same time, I wanted the tool kit to have top
quality tools.
The R35 kit is comprised of Snap-On tools. Yes, I have some
and they are gorgeous, well made… but oh so expensive. Is there an alternative?
Some research and I discovered these line of tools – the
NePros series by KTC (Kyoto Tool Company). For some reason they are not listed on the KTC English website but the entire NePros lineup is on the Japanese KTC website. (I think “NePros” stands for New Professional
Satisfaction??) Strange name, but top quality tools from Japan’s most famous
and well regarded tool manufacturer. These are some beautiful tools – for example
their top of the line Nepros ratchet has a leather handle, and chrome mirror
finish:
Perhaps a bit overkill, but nice nonetheless. Such a beautiful and quality
tool BELONGS in my beautiful and quality R33 GT-R, right??
Oh, and here is areviewby some tool nerds on the NePros brand:
Seems pretty well received, even by American tool freaks!
So I began to research exactly what sizes of sockets,
wrenches, etc. I would need for my GT-R. I opened up the engine hood, and started to see what kind of bolts were used in the engine bay. Then took notes on fasteners inside the car as well.
Turns out, that I really only need the
following:
1)Socket wrench with extension
2)8,10,12,14 mm sockets
3)Standard and Phillips screwdrivers (medium size head,
1 each)
4)Standard/needle nose pliers
5)Adjustable wrench
6)8,10,12,14mm spanners
Also, to truly make this R33 SPECIFIC – that means that I
would need to include the one tool that all R33 GT-Rs carry – and that would be
the Allen wrench key to adjust the rear spoiler. I wonder if I can find a chrome finish one,
to match the NePros tools?
In addition, I suppose you could try to match what the R35
kit has – an LED flashlight, white cotton gloves… but those I can get anywhere,
really.
More importantly, I need a nice tool bag, ideally with the R33 GT-R logo,
but as that doesn’t exist (yet) for the legacy Skyline GT-Rs, this soft sided KTC tool bag will have to
do.
There IS a Nismo toolbag, actually, but it is not as compact
as this KTC bag.
Anyway, with this project in mind several months ago, I had ordered the bag, but had not gotten around to begin ordering the actual tools... until the other day.
So here it is, this is what arrived in the mail the other day:
All Mirror Finish!
Simply Gorgeous!
So, in the following Parts I will add the remaining "required" tools and then explore what I can do to make this tool kit truly R33 unique, but also look like it came with the car! (Just thinking out loud - I wonder if there is someone who can make a custom R33 tool case? LOL).
Also, what other cars have a custom tool kit? I don’t mean
those rudimentary tools that every car comes with, I am talking about ones with
nice, expensive tools designed just for that particular (usually very expensive) car. It would be nice
to see what they contain, as well. Does anyone know?
Would appreciate if
someone can share their knowledge, in my question for the ultimate R33 GT-R
Tool Kit!
Even though I was completely blown away by how my car's behavior improved during that demonstration by Do-Luck of the Tarzan G-Box up at Honjo Circuit - I just haven't had the time to swing by Do-Luck and pick up my own Tarzan G-Box (I should also apologize for the lack of updates to this blog... hopefully will get back to doing so on a regular basis soon).
However, this month's issue of GT-R Magazine had nice full article on the device, so I scanned and translated the article here for your reading pleasure.
Enjoy, and please let me know if you have comments or questions (the translation may not be 100%...).
A while back, I had visited Robson Leather and had made some inquiries. As many of you also know, in addition to their wonderful
custom leather work, Robson also is known for theircarbon fiber work–
specifically, their carbon fiber overlay work where they take a stock trim
piece, actually shave down the piece a few millimeters, overlay the carbon
fiber cloth and then coat with varnish.
Actually, over a dozen coats of varnish.
The advantage of shaving down the piece, of course, is so that the
dimensions of the piece do not change – most manufacturers of true carbon fiber
pieces simply overlay without shaving down – resulting in pieces that look “bulky”
due to the added, well, bulk.
There are other “carbon fiber” pieces out there as well –
but these are pieces that are either painted with carbon fiber patterns, or
even printed with carbon fiber patterns.
Here is an example of a piece with a printed carbon fiber
pattern – yes, the OEM cover for the 3 gauge cluster.
And here is an example of a painted carbon fiber trim piece –again
the same OEM cover.
OF course, the advantage of the painting/printing method is,
it allows for pieces with structures and shapes that are not conducive to
carbon fiber overlay to be “carbonized.” For example - these gauge cluster covers
actually have a small lip on the sides of the holes… and the holes themselves
are actually not equal in diameter!
There is of course one more type of “carbon fiber” which is
known as the “carbon fiber wrap” – that is, using 3M’s DIN-OC product imprinted
with a carbon fiber pattern – and I’ve used this too.
But in the end, there is no substitute from real carbon
fiber. Wet or dry, the real stuff is beautiful if done well.
And so – as one of my pet peeves about the R33 GT-R is how
cheap some of the interior materials are, I decided to replace the most glaring
problems, the imprinted carbon fiber trim.
The two pieces that are imprinted are, the plastic trim surrounding the
main gauges (tach, speedo, etc.) in the instrument cluster, and yes the
aforementioned 3 gauge cluster surround.
Here is a closeup of the imprint next to the speedo (taken from a close up of a Nismo gauge cluster).
This bothered me enough that I found, purchased and applied a thin carbon overlay - but not only did it now mismatch the stock 3 gauge cluster, it looked somewhat cheap.
So I was thrilled when the main cluster surround came out beautifully - the top piece is the overlay, and the bottom is the Robson version.
However, the 3 gauge cluster one took some time, because of
the difficult shape of the trim piece, as I noted above. But in the end, it came out very nice, and
any “flaws” I think can be justified by the hand made nature of the work! BTW - this was the first time EVER that Robson had attempted to carbonize this certain piece!
Installation is a straightforward affair – pop out the shift lever surround, unscrew the two screws holding the
dashboard piece cover, pop that off being careful to unhook all the wiring, then unscrew the 3 gauge cluster and the main gauges. For the main gauges, gently pop off the clear plastic cover to open up the cluster, then pop off the plastic gauge surround itself (ie the item that got carbonized). For the 3 gauge cluster, the front cover is plastic, so pop that off and replace with the carbonized piece. When done, reverse the above steps.
As for how the whole dash looks now - I'll have to show you in an upcoming post, as I've been so busy lately that I haven't seen my car in the daylight, and want to get a good shot of both pieces in the sunlight! Stay tuned!
PS I had mentioned in my link about my visit to Robson that I had conferred with them to do something unusual, something that had not been done before. That 3 gauge cluster trim was not it! Stay tuned
Tarzan Yamada drives my car at Honjo Circuit to demonstrate the difference between the standard "normal" Do-Luck digital G-sensor and his Tarzan G-Box. I won't comment on the difference the G-Box makes, except to say that it is hard to understand the difference in the braking, because that really has to be felt. But you CAN see how the car is more stable on this small circuit - although Tarzan does say that he can take the car to its limits better because he knows what the G-Box is capable of.
Anyway - if you've ever wondered what it's like to be sitting next to a pro who shows you what your car is truly capable of, let me tell you it is simply amazing! And, highly recommended... some of us (myself included) should spend more time and money improving our own driving skills, than trying to mod our cars to perfection...
And yes, I know my 3-4th gear is on its way out...
Some final thoughts about these new digital G-sensors, based on questions I have received since my first two posts:
1) The ATTESA computer is fine, and does not need to be upgraded or replaced. Ito-san told me that "even the R32 ATTESA computer was way ahead of its time. It is really a magnificent piece of work." There is a difference in the V-Spec and standard ATTESA computers (because the V-spec has the active rear LSD), but even the standard ATTESA is a superior product. And remember the ATTESA computer not only gets input from the G-sensor, but also is wired into the car's engine ECU and ABS systems.
2) According to Ito-san, the "bottleneck" is the OEM G-sensor - especially if in an older car. The digital ones promise not only digital precision and no parts to wear out, but respond 30 times faster in the R32/R33, and 15 times faster in the R34.
3) Once the OEM G-sensor has been replaced with a digital one, the next area owners should examine is the transfer. Ito-san told me that adding additional plates, torquing up the transfer, would reduce slip and get engine torque to the wheels even better.
4) As of this writing, there are 4 digital G-sensors on the market here in Japan. Both Midori Seibi and Do-Luck have their "standard" replacement digital G-sensors, designed essentially to replace aging OEM units for a fraction of the price, and provide consistent inputs to the ATTESA. This alone should bring back the ATTESA's capacity as if it were brand new. Midori Seibi has their "Midori-Spec" -an all around more aggressive version, and Do-Luck has the Tarzan G-Box. The Tarzan Box is the only one of these 4 that has been specifically "tuned" using input from a racing driver. Tarzan Yamada spent months testing the unit out in varying conditions, roads and weather.
5) Naturally, people want to know if there is no need to even consider the standard digital G-sensors. I would say that if you are almost never on the track, then this version is fine and you don't need the Midori Spec or the Tarzan G-Box. OR, if you are a purist and want to experience the GT-R as Nissan intended, the standard version is the one for you. And, before people ask, I really don't have much if any experience with the Midori-Spec unit. The description states that it gets the torque to the front wheels more aggressively than the standard version, but I would have to drive on the track with one to give any kind of honest feedback.
6) Despite his racer reputation, Tarzan Yamada wants people to know that his "tune" is designed to make the cars easier and safer to drive fast, by anyone - you don't have to be a race driver to enjoy the benefits.
7) As of this writing, the only place to purchase the Tarzan G-Box is via Do-Luck, and in Europe, through my friend Wouter's company (See first post). Ito-san tells me he is working on increasing the number of dealers worldwide who will carry the product - and hints that Sumo Power will do so soon in the UK.
As always, if you have questions I would be happy to answer them. Leave a comment!
So what exactly makes the Tarzan G Box different than the standard Do-Luck unit, as well as the units offered by Midori Seibi? Obviously, it’s the fact that racing driver and World Time Attack champion Tarzan Yamada worked for several months with Do-Luck’s Ito-san to create a device that, while replacing the stock analog G-sensor, works with the ATTESA computer to actually change the characteristic of the car in a way that Tarzan himself thinks is appropriate. So the question is, exactly how is the car different from the standard or stock set-up?
When I posed this question to Ito-san, he told me that there were several things that are different but that the most noticeable differences would be under severe braking as well as accelerating out of a curve.
First, however, I wanted to know why I wasn’t convinced of the utility of the standard Do-Luck G-sensor. I mentioned my experience at Dunlop Corner at Fuji, but also that strangely, the torque meter needle was no longer moving up and down as aggressively. Ito-san explained that the more accurate unit means the application of power to the front wheels is also more accurate and smoother. As for the needle, well it’s not necessarily accurate…hmm. Starting to make sense I guess?
Anyway, back to braking at the limit: Under severe braking, the ATTESA unit sends power to the front wheels in order to help stabilize the car. As the ATTESA ECU is wired into the ABS unit and its sensors, the more accurate and faster G-sensor allows the ABS to work to its maximum potential in conjunction with the ABS sensors. This is true for both the standard Do-Luck G Meter and the Tarzan G Box, but the Tarzan G-box gets the ABS sensors to “work faster” and hence the ABS to be applied more accurately and linear in a severe braking situation (and this is where I should have asked more questions, but basically at this point I didn’t believe him.).
Tarzan then explained it to me this way: the second generation GT-Rs have a tendency, under full braking and ABS applied, to unload the rear a bit, causing some instability. With the Tarzan G box installed, he confidently told me that under full braking, the car would be absolutely stable, with none of that tail shake wiggle that GT-Rs are known for. And not just on the track, but in the rain on the expressway for example, as well.
As for accelerating out of a curve, Ito-san and Tarzan both explained to me that you can get on the gas much quicker simply due to the more “sensitive” programming.
So what to make of this? As I had just learned the track on the standard Do-Luck G Sensor, I decided it was time to head back out and explore what the difference was for myself.
The result? When I took the car out on the track at full speed on the straight, and then braked HARD - I mean really hard, activating the ABS - I could NOT believe it, but what they said was true! So I found myself braking harder and harder, finally mindlessly stomping on the center pedal , and having the car SLOW DOWN but without any drama whatsoever - in fact it made me so confident of the car's braking capacities that I found myself being able to think about the upcoming curve, its apex, while shifting down to take it in second -but it felt like slow motion! In other words, while I might normally get flustered on a new track (even after a few warm up laps) trying to process all various sorts of information, having such incredible braking meant one less thing to worry about. Stomp away at full force, shorten your braking distance, and have enough mental breathing space to actually think about that corner!
And what about powering out of that corner? Yes, on tight corners I could still get the tail to swing out in the classic FR style, but when I wanted to clip the apex and accelerate for maximum speed, I would feel the rear slip a bit but then the ATTESA would activate to pull me out and forward REALLY quickly! So I guess it was somewhat 4WD but without the understeer? But somehow really intuitive and natural. This was the first time I had my car where I could claim this, as before the tail would slide and would require lots of steering lock to recover - here I just kept calm and pointed where I wanted to go, it seemed.
So after a few laps, completely excited and blown away, I went back to the pits to have a chat. Dino was already there (check out the stunned look of disbelief on his face, LOL), so I joined him, Tarzan and Ito-san to discuss what we had experienced. Ito-san is laughing by the way because I had just accused him of having sold me a faulty standard Do-Luck G-sensor! That's how incredibly different the two G-sensors are!
I then spoke to Tarzan himself about some of the things I had experienced driving. His response to me was, "I'll show you, let's go for a spin" - in the stock R32 GT-R that Do-Luck had brought. So off we went...
Here is video of Tarzan with Dino in the passenger seat, driving poorly on purpose to demonstrate how the Tarzan G Box makes it easy to fix a slide (well, easy for him!)
And when we were done with the white R32, I then asked Tarzan if he wouldn't mind driving MY car - first with the standard Do-Luck G sensor, and then swapping over to the Tarzan G Box. I plan to, in the near future process the video in the camcorder and show the full length video, but for now here is what I got on my iPhone, from the passenger seat!
And here are some photos - as we head out:
And then of us at speed. What you can't see are my knuckles turning white as I grab the passenger door grip handle, nor my flailing back and forth (the reason I gave up on the iPhone video).
So in conclusion: this is one mod I will definitely have to get in the future (no, I did not get a free one). It would be silly not to! Not only does it make my car easier to drive, I feel like a better driver because it makes the car so much more controllable and predictable. And while of course I have not had a chance to test it on the street, I see no reason why it would not work well there either.
Tarzan was concerned that because of his image as a racing driver, people would be afraid to buy the unit, thinking it would be more than they need. OR that it would super aggressive, for track/racing drivers only. This is absolutely not the case – while it is true that this device allows track savvy drivers to explore the limits of their car, it makes the car safer on the street, where it is unobtrusive Heck if someone like ME could feel and enjoy the difference, then this device will work for the average driver as well, on the street.
Ito-san also wanted me to let everyone know that the Tarzan G Box is fully compatible with the "ATTESA Controllers" that wire in to send more signal up front. In fact he mentioned how the controller installed in one of the ATTKD BCNR33 track cars had reached its adjustability limit, but when after installing the Tarzan G Box, was able to reduce the setting to half-way!
Please feel free to leave a comment or question, my write up has probably left some stuff out!
And yes, it was everything that Orito-san, chief mechanic at Do-Luck explained to me over the phone. A 21st century digital g-sensor, one less thing that would degrade and possibly break on my car like the stock analog ones were known for. And, during the track day that followed I DID feel a difference. As a reminder, here is an article on the track day by Dino, who was there that day.
Before, with the old stock G-sensor, engaging the front wheels was rare (I think) but when it did, very noticeable as I would see the torque meter needle shoot up, and hear and feel the front transaxle transfer power. But for some reason I felt like it almost never activated, except on wet roads and the track, when there was noticeable slippage on the back wheels. So a quick start off the line at a traffic light would do it, and at Fuji Speedway it was most noticeable beginning at Dunlop Corner (lowest speed corner) all the way up the hill to Panasonic Corner (right before the long straight) – you could hear the “hunting” and surging as the torque transfer to the front wheels would be on/off/on/off, and the torque needle going from zero to max and then back down, repeat – I had no idea why but it was just something I thought was normal for GT-Rs.
Once equipped with the standard Do-Luck Sensor, the first thing I noticed at Fuji was, the car did not hunt or surge as it did before. In fact this characteristic was gone. Also, strangely, the torque meter also seemed to not be as responsive. On the street, I noticed though that off the line acceleration would more consistently engage the front wheels (and torque meter respond slightly). But that was about all – so was I satisfied? In summary yes (the modern technology aspect, digital consistency), although to be honest I was not completely convinced of its utility – it made sense as a replacement for the stock one if it broke, but not necessarily as a performance upgrade [Note: later, when talking to Ito-san at Do-Luck, did I realize what was happening - more on that later]. Perhaps I had been hasty in my decision to go with Do-Luck – and that I should have gone with the more aggressive “Midori-spec” G-sensor put out by Midori Seibi and featured in GT-R Magazine (I did a translation), to rave reviews. At the same time, back on the GTROC forum there was someone peddling a “stand alone” unit that would replace the G-sensor and ATTESA in its entirety. Hmmm…
But it was back on the original GTROC forum thread that “Narface,” a BNR32 owner in Hong Kong, posted that Do-Luck had come out with ANOTHER G-box, this one called the “Tarzan G-Box.” Which I erroneously assumed was the same as the Midori-Spec G-sensor.
It wasn’t long before my friend Wouterin the Netherlands (his company -Co-ordsport B.V. - is a distributor for Do-luck and Rays, etc. in Europe) put me in touch with Ito-san, the president of Do-Luck (who ironically, is literally 10 minutes from where I live) and I had been invited to accompany Dino to a special event on Sunday at Honjo Circuit, where we would be allowed to experiment with the Tarzan G-Box! So thanks very much Wouter for arranging this!
So on Sunday, we (I had Allen Lorenzo from Tomei Powered in my car -thanks Allen for all the pictures!!) accompanied Dino up to Honjo Circuit. On the road, Dino is an amazingly conservative driver, so I enjoyed blasting past him like this.
We arrived, introductions were made, and technical talk ensued as I peppered Ito-san and Tarzan with questions about the Tarzan G Box vs. the standard Do-Luck digital G-sensor.
We then went off to get our cars prepped for the track towards the rear of the paddock area.
As you can see here below, Orito-san simply zip-tied the Tarzan box on top of my Do-Luck standard G-sensor – as the leads in are the same, it would literally take only a few seconds to swap over during my runs.
Somehow Dino was ready first, and beat me out to the track. Here he is about to get passed by Tarzan in the bone stock R32.
Just as Dino described in his write up for Speedhunters, my first time out on the track I went out with what I had, namely the standard Do-Luck G-sensor. This was my first time driving Honjo Circuit, so it took a while to get used to the tight circuit, but it was akin to a half sized Tsukuba. Honjo Circuit Map
Which meant some tight corners that required slow going, slow that is until the tires warmed up, at which point I was almost drifting in two of the tightest corners…but this was an opportunity to test out the G-sensor, in that I had to recover, point the wheels straight ahead, and then shoot out, classic GT-R style.
Here are some awesome photos taken by Allen – as they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking. (there are many others but I will later post them all up on the R33 GT-R Facebook page, in my photo album)
Between runs, we let our cars cool off:
We then had a chance to explore what the Tarzan G Box could do. We also got to ride along with Tarzan himself in the white R32 that Do-Luck brought along.
But this blog post is getting long, so I will post the rest tomorrow! Seriously, there is lots to talk about, including what makes the Tarzan G Box so amazing, so I want to dedicate a proper page for that.
