Dorky... but Effective?

 So as I was cleaning out my garage the other day, I found this - something I purchased, I think, over 10 years ago!

Yep, clear door edge guards, complete with double stick tape.

Of course, me being, me, I have already lined my garage strategically with soft foam where it counts, so I never have to worry about my car's doors getting scratched up if I happen to open a door carelessly while the car is parked.

But what about out in the wild? Maybe I should take pains to do something to add some protection? Either that or maybe I will always park away from others...

Since installation is literally by way of a pair of scissors and the included double stick tape, I will only show you the end result on the passenger side.

First, I wonder if the tape will continue to be effective, or will the clear molding end up as trash somewhere on the road, ripped away by the wind?

More importantly, is this easy mod just too dorky for my car? Let me know what you think! (I actually think this might be a period correct mod...)

And not to worry - I should have a much more interesting and lengthy garage related post up in a few days. Check back soon!

Tempting New Modernizing Product at R's Meeting 2022

So at the OS Giken booth during my walk around R's Meeting 2022, I found this:

No, not the R34 - but the advert next to it!

Describing something called OS-EPC - Their easier to read Facebook page has the same the text below the OS-EPC prototype unit photo - "In replacing the pressure sensor of the ATTESA-ETS of the Second Generation GT-R with a highly accurate electronic sensor, precise drivetrain control from increased durability." 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=422269300081943&set=a.394934702815403

So when I asked the guys at the booth, they told me that the ATTESA-ETS pressure sensor is something that is no longer available new but is required to function in order for these cars to pass shaken. And, they have been getting increasing numbers of cars with problematic (aging) pressure sensors. So, OS Giken decided to work together with GT-R specialist shop Racing Factory Autobahn (their demo car is the blue R33 GT-R shown, and they also have a yellow R33 that has lapped Tsukuba in about 56 seconds!) to develop a modernized electronic version of the OEM mechanical pressure sensor. 

As the Facebook advert shows, this new part will be available starting in OS Giken's online store, OS Factory Line, beginning in December of this year.  I recall them telling me to expect the price to be about 150,000 yen.   Interestingly, they also told me they are experimenting with a version that can be user modulated/controlled so potentially one could control how quickly ATTESA-ETS reacts in a given situation - for example, with some lag for track days but super quick/OEM on the road for example. However they could not give me pricing nor timing on this, but if they go through with it I expect the price will be twice as much and timing would likely be mid-next year.  I guess we can wait and see.

I did a quick Google search fro OS-EPC and found this Web Option article - which shows these two photos of the basic prototype unit.

https://motor-fan.jp/weboption/article/36927/sgatbhn005/

https://motor-fan.jp/weboption/article/36927/sgatbhn006/

So has anyone had any problems with this ATTESA-ETS pressure sensor? To be honest, when I had Nismo Omori Factory redo my car's chassis, there was no mention of this.  Rather, they did get me a new nitrogen accumulator.

In any case, you can bet I am very interested in this new tech.  The other tech I am interested in is some kind of digital version of the yaw rate sensor which I have been thinking about since this post back in 2014!

Ok next post I'll be talking about some more mundane stuff. Check back soon!

Nerding Out at R's Meeting 2022 - NAPREC

 So I've been skimming some of the social media coverage of the R's meet lately, and one tuner/booth that seems to not get much attention is the one for NAPREC, short for Nagoya Precision.  Established in 1997 by Minoru Nagoya (yep, so the company is not named after the city), everyone in the aftermarket engine tuning world here in Japan knows about NAPREC.

It's no secret that, if you want your rebuilt engine to perform at its best for its specified usage, you get in line and send the cylinder head in to NAPREC to be machined properly, so as to allow for the use of bigger valves, ensuring the smoothest flow of fresh air into and exhaust out of each cylinder, and changing the shape of the combustion chamber, to give a few examples.  Check out their high-response menu. A not so well kept secret is that all the big name famous tuning houses send their engine heads into NAPREC - I recall Nakayama-san at Mine's telling me that he used to spend hours himself manually porting out the intake/exhaust ports for each engine he worked... but given the stuff that was included in the menu for my engine, I am pretty sure for the rest of the nifty bits added to my car's engine - strengthened valve guides,  intake valves, etc. - the head was sent into NAPREC.  In any case, for sure now, given how busy Mine's is, I am sure they outsource most of their cylinder head work to NAPREC (confirmed by Nagoya-san at his booth...)

Anyway, I wanted to share a few photos I took at his booth.

Just sitting pretty. Not even an RB26 head!

Anyone know what that gold ring is around each valve cutout?

Ok so this is an RB26 head, but check out how each cylinder combustion chamber is shaped differently in order to demonstrate what NAPREC can do.

Here are some close-ups, starting at the top.

OEM normal combustion chamber, with normal intake side valves of 34.5mm and exhaust side valves of 30.0mm, and normal seat rings.

This one (on bottom) shows "High Response Kit Machining" - normal combustion chamber, intake showing NAPREC forged big valves at 34.8mm (0.30mm more than oem); normal valves used on the exhaust side, except they have been refaced; and normal seat rings.

This one (on bottom) shows the "High Response Big Valve Spec" with the combustion chamber machined to "full squish", intake valves the NAPREC forged big valves at 34.8mm, exhaust valves the NAPREC forged big valves 1.00mm wider than OEM at 31.00mm, and normal seat rings. 

Bottom one here shows the "High Response Intake Drag Valve Spec" which differs from the "High Response Big Valve Spec" by having the combustion chamber machined to "Hemi Circle shape" and the intake valve is a NAPREC Drag spec forged big valve at a massive diameter of 36.00mm, 1.50mm wider than OEM!

Finally, this one on the bottom - sorry for the poor quality photo - shows the Drag Kit Machining, which adds to the High Response Intake Drag Valve Spec by incorporating a full circle machined combustion chamber, exhaust side NAPREC Drag Spec Forged Big Valve with a diameter of 1.50mm wider than OEM at 31.5mm, large diameter seat rings - beryllium ones shown here.

I guess the bigger valves make sense, but I was most curious about the different shaped combustion chambers.  Check out this NAPREC webpage for details.  Interesting that the OEM combustion chamber has a volume of 65cc, Full Squish is 69.5cc, Hemi circle is 70.3cc, and Full Circle is 71cc.  

From top to bottom - Full Circle, Hemi Circle, and Full Squish.

So even though the Full Squish looks pretty OEM, it actually provides the biggest step up in volume, with Hemi and Full Circles only being with 1.5cc of the Full Squish.  And yes I asked and my Mine's engine should have the Full Squish (and yes it seems that way in checking this old blog post).

Anyway, it was nice to learn something somewhat mechanical - and yes basic - but hey some of these things you have to get up close and personal to really appreciate the precision that is required to produce super smooth and responsive engines.  

In my next post, I am going to try to explain something very interesting I found... a possible future product which I am definitely interested in...

R's Meeting 2022 - Part 2 - Chronologically Taken Photos

So after running into Dino again where he was taking photos of the long line of cars trying get to customer parking, we walked back to my car so he could change out his camera lens.

On the way back, we ran into this car, on the end of the row of guest parking spots:

So what, just another Autech R33 GT-R, right? Well, this one is well known for being owned and cherished by legendary Nissan test driver Hiroyoshi Kato! Yep, a fellow R33 GT-R owner, and if you look closely he's outfitted his car with the carbon ceramic rotors from the Spec V R35 GT-R.  So if Nissan's best test driver prefers the R33... I mean if he's driven them all, his choice for his personal car I think really means something.

I guess he really likes the Bitburger beer?

Once back at my car Dino quickly changed lenses (and yes he was grateful for not having to haul his bag around with him, as he might have done if he had parked further away - you're welcome DCD!):

And quickly went back to work.

Meanwhile I turned back to make sure no one was messing with my car:

And then headed over the Nissan Prince Tokyo Motorsports booth to catch up with some old friends. 

Today only - a new N1 Engine!

The most popular booth seemed to be Robson Leather's - not surprising as they were discounting their line up of shift and parking brake boots for each GT-R generation.

Back in the parking lot for cars awaiting the GT-R Magazine photo shoot, I spotted this beauty:

simple and clean!

Pulling back a bit, you can see how many other cars were in the lot.

Meanwhile I heard some talking over the PA system - the "Talk Show" with the guys responsible for each generation of GT-R was there to talk nerd and answer nerd questions!

I quickly lost interest and got a text from Dino to meet him at the OS Giken booth.  When I got there he wasn't there but I did find something interesting I will discuss in a future post.

Heading back towards my car, I stopped off at the Kyosho booth to see what they had...

No 33s so I quickly left.

I then got a text from a good friend, and current GT-R /Z Chief Product Specialist Narita-san, to join him watch the end of the talk show.  There, a German photographer named Alex who is responsible for a certain GT-R book was being introduced on the stage. 

Spotted this guy as we waited for Alex to come off the stage

Alex had somehow heard of me and my car, and wanted to meet. Narita-san made the introductions, and then we headed towards my car so he could do a quick impromptu photo shoot.

Opening the hood seemed to attract a lot of people who wanted to check out the car

Alex got intercepted by Tamura-san so they went off right before he started shooting, so I was left talking to the Nismo guys and several other people - and some new friends - who stopped by.  Finally, Alex returned and did his thing, but I was getting hungry so I threw the keys to Dino who promised to watch the fun.  Narita-san and I went upstairs by elevator to a suite reserved for Nissan...

Where over this bento lunch, we discussed a few interesting projects. 

Of course I can't publish what we talked about, but I will tell you the bento was tastier than it looked.  Once finished, we grabbed a few extra bottles of free drinks for the guys who were waiting by my car.  Dino reported that Masa and Daiki from Robson had stopped by to check out my car... too bad I missed them, but an excuse for me to call them!

Anyway, any one who has been to Fuji Speedway on a Sunday knows that the earlier you drive back, the better, given the crazy PM traffic into Tokyo. So even though the festivities continued, we left, driving very slowly through the crowd, at about 2pm. A great day, I had a lot of fun and I think Narita-san and the guys at Nismo for the invite and the hospitality!

Check back soon for a couple of posts that go into detail on a couple of interesting finds!

R's Meeting 2022 - Part 1 - Chronologically Taken Photos

Trying something new with my photos for this post!

So of course, the reason why I needed my car road-legal again quickly, was to be able to drive it to this year's R's Meeting put on by GT-R Magazine (and sponsored in part by Nissan as well).  Hence the Tomica-like transport I wrote about last time.

Anyway, once I got the car safely back home I was still split about going.   I usually don't like going to these meetings because there are so many cars and so you have to park far away, and I always worry about my car being out of sight.  I mean think about it - the world's biggest GT-R meet is a great place for criminal types to come check out which cars they can steal next, right?

So I called in a few favors to make sure that I received the proper VIP entry and parking pass (Sponsor) and thus was convinced to take the GT-R down to Fuji.  As a result, I found myself driving down with Dino at 0600 this morning to Fuji Speedway.  I am sure he takes better pictures - check out his IG for more photos - but once we arrived, I took some photos as well.

This time however instead of focusing on one car or product, I want to just simply upload the photos I took and perhaps share what I was thinking as I took them. So here goes...

Here is where I parked. Bad photo, but immediately to the right is the Nismo booth. And yes that Ochiai-san watching me as I turn around to take this photo. 

Meanwhile, someone else is taking a close look at my car already...

Right across was the Top Secret booth, where I spotted my first tuner R33:

Since the hood wasn't opened up yet - we got there before the area was open to the public, I walked back to the Nismo booth, to check out their usual cars:

But then I remembered that social media had blown up on the Built By Legends R33 at Mine's so I took a quick stroll down to their booth, ignoring the other booths. And came across some fans who had managed to gain early entry and were looking closely at the BBL car.

I also noticed it had this shorty type antenna. Mmm, not my cup of tea, I prefer the OEM in my car with its lower profile when not in use.

Here is another shot of the trunk underside:

All dry carbon!

And of course have to check out the engine!

Interestingly, not the usual purple blue Mine's covers but a bespoke green

Dry carbon hood and lip spoiler too!

Here is Mr. Dalle Carbonare in action:

I thought this was cute. A good idea, especially since fuse box covers with the "GT-R" on it are really hard to find.

Obviously good for a car going overseas. Want to make sure you can quickly change the oil each time without having to contact Mine's

Interesting. OEM Plenum in that same green color.

Seats are Alcantara Recaros in a similar shade of green...

One last shot of the entire car...

And then I heard DCD ask me what I thought of this BBL key

My answer - Ok, I guess?

I was more interested in this interior cleaning cloth Mine's was offering. Some kind of super plush Alcantara, I guess?

Now we're talking - check out the Mine's tower bar. Which, I learned later my new friend David later purchased one!

Speaking of friends, always nice to run into Adam, who runs an almost identical KR4 series 3 R33 GT-R! If you have seen me on Facebook you may remember a post where both our cars were featured.

And yes, we belong to the same exclusive ClubR33 owners club!

And after the obligatory selfie, it was back to checking out more cars:

The guys at Tomei seemed a bit busy so we left them alone. But then I ran into the Global Auto booth:

How about a close up of the badge?

Some rear shots

Another angle, trying to avoid the shadows to no avail.

Now here is an interesting machine. Yes, a huge single turbo...

But then looking inside - that is an R35 GT-R wheel with shift paddles  - but check out that gear box linkage??!!!

And in the trunk, this:

Fast and Furious, I guess?

We then headed over (no pun intended) to NaPrec, or Nagoya Precision, who specialize in engine head work. Probably the best in the business here in Japan, as all the famous tuners outsource the headwork of their blueprint engines to them.

Here is a close-up

And Dino checking out the 3 kinds of headwork they do: "full squish", "half circle" and "full circle" - in a future post I will go into more detail, they had a board up with some interesting graphics.

It was about this time that Dino started complaining that I was ruining his rhythm due to our conversing and so rather than risk more complaining, I struck out on my own to check out the cars assembled in the adjacent parking lot.  These cars are NOT parked in general parking, but are the cars selected by GT-R Magazine to be photographed professionally by the magazine in order to end up in their periodic "Owner's File" dedicated issue.

Here is the first one that caught my eye. I guess 33s being less expensive than 34s means younger people are buying them? And they are more expressive?

I sure hope those are stickers than can be peeled off to reveal that nice Midnight Purple paint?

This super clean silver one had some NICE wheels...

Nice! An Autech! and a Hakosuka right behind it.

Interesting Top Secret car, if it really is one. Color and wheels...

There seemed to be a lot more 33s that before, too.

You can see that white 32 getting ready to be photographed on the right, while the traffic of people arriving but being forced to drive around the backside of the track to remote parking, pass by in the background.

Speaking of which, here is Dino again showing us how long that line of recent arrivals stretches towards a backside parking lot.

Anyway, enough photos for today. It is now 2300 and I am dead tired. More photos tomorrow, in the same stream of consciousness/wandering order!