The Road to Abu Dhabi Part Two- Getting There is Half the Fun

Fantastic story! After all is said and done in the UAE will Dai's car still compete in the class it has been in time attack with the mods you've done, or will they be reversed? Or even better will Dai become the first driver to campaign two cars in professional drifting next year? :)

I told you guys Twin Turbo VQ35 > LS3!

Great looking fab work there. Very kind of the other teams to help out by stalling too. 610/610 are some great numbers, I'm curious to see how the stock engine holds up.

Wow! I'm truly amazed! You got Clark there at 6:30am?... ;-)

Impressive work Mike and Co. In the article it sounds like you're headed over to Abu Dhabi as part of Dai's crew for this one, is that right Mike?

Eric, I think we can agree to disagree on that one! PS I thought Dai was rocking an LS2?

Wait wait, the VQ made 610hp/ 610ft/tq on a stock bottom end?
I really hope you guys have some spare rods/ pistons, bearings....I would be very impressed if the engine stays together with that kinda power.

Bruce: I believe we'll have to agree to disagree because I'm pretty damn firm on my statement.

I love me some V8, but I've never had the opportunity to drive a twin-turbo V6.

is your friend costa putting armor plating on that lexus SUV in the background? you ARE headed to the middle east...

Wow that sounds like one crazy marathon session of car buildup! I sincerely hope you guys take better care of yourselves and that there was at least some exaggeration regarding not sleeping for 72 hours, etc. All that takes a heavy toll on the body

Eric: I just read your response and am "LOL"ing because I knew the one time I posted any sort of decension on one of the only sites I'm on, I'd get a little flack for it! Your automotive knowledge is vastly superior to my own and most of my arguements would be academic, as I've never even driven a twin-turbo v-6 but it'd still be a fun debate, in person and not posting it out! So, if you make it up to the Portland time attack weekend in Sep., I'll buy you a Stanich burger and beverage of your choice and you can blow my mind, as I'm not "dam firm" on my opinion yet. PS Your intellect has been blowing my mind since a little Speed Channel series started in 2005! Whatever did happen to that R32?

And people think my job is fun....

I did mean my post in good fun. Honestly, no sarcasm or teasing, except maybe once. That's why I hate posts sometimes, no voice inflection, they seem more serious than people intend. Somethings are better in person. Stanich burger for you too Mike! Hey, Mike, I need to ask you a question about the Phoenix time attack in April but don't really know the best way to reach you.

PM me here.

Tried PMing, but says i'm not logged in so left my note attached to a post from last march about you not having a voice. My account still isn't right since I've signed up. It was during that Chinese spam attack.

610 whp and 610 lb ft of torque at only 21 psi of boost! that's impressive very nice work so far on the car.

Try your account again Bruce.

Bruce: I know all about the misunderstanding vs. lack of expression on the web. People misunderstand me constantly. FYI, there was no hostility in my previous statement. I was just stating a belief. It's almost like you have to add unnecessary "fluff" to a statement so that it isn't taken the wrong way on the internet, but I've never subscribed to that practice. It is a waste of key strokes and time.

The BNR32 GT-R is currently resting under a car cover in a climate controlled warehouse. The crankshaft gets turned weekly. It will be bought by a baller or brought back to life as a street car. Wow, you remember that show? Do you remember Mike trying to drive the impossibly difficult to drive, ill-setup GTR?

I've never tried a Stanich burger, but will definitely take you up on that offer when (and if) I'm up there!

jahvid: If you think 610/610 @ 21 psi is awesome, then the MWorkz 350z will surprise the shit out of you at 570/510 at only 12psi. While Dai's engine is stock, the MWorkz 350z has a full Cosworth 3.5L with Cossie CNC heads, cams, and inlet manifold. Induction and exhaust flow are often overlooked.

Little known secret: You can get S&B filters (they provide JWT) in many "custom" sizes from their web site for no additional cost. If there is room, you might consider getting an identical filter except longer from their web site. I think yours is 5" long/tall, and for 610 WHP I think you could use all the filter you can get. I'm probably moving up to a 7" long version for my car. If there's no room though, then there's no room. =)

Check it out: http://www.sbfilters.com/Store/Round-w-Flange


You can also specify filter media color (oil) and other minor things.

@ Eric:

I'm curious. By what metric are you saying a VQ35 is better than an LS3?

My own since it is my opinion.

Mike was the driver? Oh, I've got to see if I can locate that on the web!

Cost, power potential, responsiveness, packaging, weight? Just curious.

Daewoo, you have to realize that Eric absolutely refuses to put anything but a rotary in a RX7 ;)

Ah, now I understand ... :)

An LS engine in an FD is really just the easy way out (sorry Jeff). Aside from being morally wrong to destroy the beautiful sound of a turbo rotary, dropping in an LS is for those who do not know how to build and tune a turbo rotary correctly. To a knowledgeable builder and tuner, 450-500whp can be done with their eyes closed. Unfortunately that knowledgeable crowd is small. Those who do not know how to do it and are not in that crowd, install an LS. I love rotaries, but I am far from a rotard. Besides, if I still had one of my FDs, I'd be dropping in a single turbo VQ.

I would choose a turbo VQ over an LS mainly because of my familiarity with VQs, the amount of parts I have on my lower shelf in my garage, and the insanely wide powerband available from a VQ with the correct parts. When I say wide, I mean nearly flat torque from 3500-8500 rpm. A single turbo BW EFR8374 or GT40 with the right heads, cams, induction, and free flowing exhaust would be the ticket to never ending pull in every gear. 800hp/680tq would be a breeze.

The block is extremely rigid, the heads flow ridiculously high at "reasonable" lifts, and the even fire crank design makes the VQ extremely smooth (for a 6 anyway). There's enough bore spacing to allow plenty of material to keep the crank extremely strong also.

Sure an LS with a blower might be able to deliver similar power and torque numbers, but you'd still need heads, cams, pistons, rods, the blower, etc. so you're digging in the pockets pretty deep already. Any blower on top of the engine is great for dyno pull or the street, but on the track, the poor adiabatic efficiency of a blower starts to creep up like crazy after a single lap. The packaging of an LS with a blower on top would be ridiculous too. Your car would end up looking like this:



A turbo or twin turbo LS would be really messy to package also due to the size. A high strung normally aspirated LS6/7 would be another solution to combat the turbo VQ, but then you're talking astronomical amounts of money from professional engine builders. Even then, you wouldn't have the torque down low and the ultra wide power band like a turbo VQ.

Hey eric pm me if you wanna get rid of any vq parts that arent z specific (i have a 3.5 altima as my daily and shes getting tired).

Also just in case anybodys interested, my vq has 219k on it and has never had a valve cover off. I think thats a great testament to the durability of the vq.

The only non Z parts I have are a FWD VQ35 bottom end (no heads) disassembled. Shooting you a pm today.