13/11/2024: Current Specs for R34 GTR

Overview & Quick Specs @ 13th November, 2024

• Engine: 2.6l I6, single turbo
• Horsepower (bhp) and Torque (Nm): 513whp& 451lb/ft.
• Top Speed: 180mph
• 0-60 mph: 4s.
• Weight: 1666kg
• Transmission: V160 – 6 speed

Detailed Specifications & Modifications

• Engine & Performance:
  • Intake: Rajab Racing RB26 Intake Manifold and Pipercross Intake
  • Exhaust: 3.5 Tomei Titanium.
  • Forced Induction: 6 Boost manifold with Pulsar G30-770 and 60mm wastegate.
  • Fuel System: ASNU 1050cc with Walbro 400lph pump.
  • ECU: Emtron KV8, running Throttle Mass Flow
  • Other: Tomei 260 poncams, with 9.15mm lift
• Drivetrain & Transmission:
  • V160 with Exedy Twin Plate Carbon Clutch.
  • Stock front, with Cusco rear differential.
• Suspension & Brakes:
  • Suspension: Ohlins Road and Track Premium Suspension
  • Brakes: Endless pads, and OEM discs on standard calipers.
• Wheels & Tyres:
  • Rays TE37, 18×9.5+12 all round
  • Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. 265/35/18 all round.
• Aero & Body:
  • Mutlistage machine polish with and ceramic coating by Detail and Protect.
• Interior & Tech:
  • Corbeau RRB seats with Luke harnesses.
  • Momo Steering Wheel
  • Joying Android Headunit.

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It was an early start in the R34 for the jaunt to Hinckley where I was meeting up with the JDM Performance UK group before the short convoy to Mallory. To be neighbourly, I decided to bring the car out of the garage the night before so I could “get in, belt up and get off” quickly. Nobobdy needs the sound of a cammed RB26 at 5:45am on a Sunday morning.

After proceeding swiftly, I’d earned enough time in hand to stop at the M6 Toll Services, Norton Canes, for a coffee and a pain au chocolate. Wish I hadn’t bothered. Coffee wasn’t particularly warm and the pain au choclate was fresh – once.

Onwards.

Off the M6 Toll is a nice few clear roads which I managed to navigate with an assortment of relatively late braking and a heavy right foot – I was warming the clutch up, honest. The noise of that screamer and the T51r mod to the Pulsar 30-770 is just mega, intoxicating and addictive. It just screams out of the roundabouts or the 90 degree turns, both which filled my journey.

After meeting up and convoying with a really cool and eclectic mix of JDM specials, we arrived. A few Civics, some very nice EVOs, particularly the EVO V and most obnoxiously loud GT86 I’ve ever heard in my life. Ana complained about the noise, but she didn’t even go. That’s how loud it was!

The car was on full show for the spectators and those who knew the Skylines and RB26 in particular were very complementary, especially about the Rajab Racing Intake Manifold – and how it doesn’t look anything like anything else on the market. And the best thing, is that drives like no other manifold on the market either. It gives me such an improved low end that it’s honestly a pleasure to drive.

The journey back happened earlier than I thought. After arriving there for 8:15am and being setup by 8:30, most people were mingling by 9:00 and on their second coffee by 10 past! The show was ok. The marshalls were all very friendly, it was mostly well organised but two things stood out. The first was the amount of halfwits just revving off and the second was the stench of marijuana. Both of which I can’t stand. Especially the revving off. You’re going to knacker your engine. Just stop. Some marshalls were ok, some asked to stop, so there was a bit of a disconnect there. It could have done with some more atmosphere, it did feel a little flat, with only a couple of trade stands on 2 coffee/food stalls. Maybe some food for thought there, literally.

Come 12pm, people were starting to leave. Not wanting to be one to stand on ceremony, I decided to go as well. Exit, stage left. Boost to 1.5bar and let it sing for it’s supper on the way out. And it did. 7500rpm and a screamer pipe, it’s just stunning.

20mpg average across a 200 mile trip, with the clutch and the brakes fully warmed up. A job well done. Roll on the next trip.

I tell you, it’s going to be tough next year to choose between the R34 GTR and the Supra. What a choice to have.

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The R34 GTR did get some attention, it got plenty of it. Under the spotlights, the Emtron livery popped, the Rajab Racing Intake and Pulsar G30-770 Turbo were on full show. It looked fantastic. I might be biased but I think it was the best Skyline there. Certainly the best R34 GTR. But, yes, I am biased. Very.

The car was dropped off the day before, and I arrived thanks to Ana around 10am, and had a great time looking at some of the spectacular looking cars there. Some are show queens, some, like mine, are street driven and well loved and others are somewhere in between.

I do love the differnet takes that people take on their cars. Seeing all different influences from Japanese, to euro, to American. The aggressive road car look really does it for me, but that’s not to say I’ll ignore the stanced look – it’s just not for me.

Thanks to everyone at The Ultimate Show for a great event, and maybe see you at the next one.

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On the way up to Wheels Up North, the car again was faultless, but again I stopped to top of the fuel tank! After meeting up near Preston, we convoyed up and had a little play on the M6, all within the speed limits on some empty stretches of motorway. It brought back some smiles about the first part of the trip to Scotland back in May of this year. And just how differnet, better, faster and more responsive the car is now.

The weather up in Windermere wasn’t great, with some hints of sun, but the car received some really positive attention. People love the engine bay, with lots of “oh look at that”, and “that’s how you do it properly”. I love hearing that, it makes the expenditure, the research and the time without the car all worthwhile.

I also managed to catch up, unexpectedly, with some old car friends, which is always a great thing. Just a shame it’s only once or twice a year to get to see friends. Something we all need to remedy in the future, not just at the next Wheels Up North.

Next event is The Ultimate Show in Liverpool, on Sunday 28th July – the day after I get the Supra…

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The car performed a treat on the way, 1.5bar, 7500rpm, screaming through the much needed lovely summer morning. And it also meant a couple of trips to the local petrol station! Shell 99 was inhaled this weekend!

After TunerFest, I’ll definitely attend more events with Asphalt Knights, they were a really nice and friendly bunch. Would be good to get involved and bring some more high quality JDM cars to them. I think the next even with them will be with the Supra!

It will be nice to have the option to chop and change between cars if one is away for some work with SRD, which lets face it, one of my cars always will be away!

The next event will be sometime in August, in a collaboration with Sunday Scene, I think. But I fancy a longer outing next… who fancies a trip out to somewhere like Dumfries and Galloway? Go and explore some wonderful roads in the south west coast of Scotland.

If the Isle of Man ferry was quicker and cheaper, I’d happily head over there for a couple of days. Screaming through the roads there would be insane fun, and you can’t deny it. But three hours for that short distance and £340 return is just a bit too much…

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The guys at ProSpray in Rixton, near Warrington, did a standout job. The front splitter gave as much support as a deadbeat dad, and had next to zero reinforcement. The securing tabs on the bumper were loose and barely secured the bumper to the car. Just a bit of sh1t show. Thankfully, they do more than just paint, they actually love the cars they work on and took the time to make everything better. Sure, the job took longer, but when it comes back so much better than when it went in, who cares. Right? Respray done properly. They also did my Rajab Racing Intake Manifold as well.

And because the vinyl stickers on the car are a satin black, they rang me with the idea to paint the front lip a satin black to match. Sometimes, it’s just the little things that go a long way.

They’ll be getting the Supra soon enough, that’s for sure, to get the power aerial removed and the wiper delete all welded up and smoothed over. Given the quality of the work thus far, I have no issue with them doing it.

Awesome job on the R34 guys! Really, really happy with it.

The post Front End Respray first appeared on BlownByTwins.

How was it? Mega. Honestly. The car is now so eager to go, it’s ridiculous. And smoother. So much smoother. The drive by wire is a revalation when it comes to the responses and driving of the car. On the move, it is just so eager to boost! It feels like it’s chomping at the bit all the time. It’s not scary, but it’s fun – and even though there’s not a huge increase in peak power at the top end, the extra 400-500rpm reducution in spool rpm makes it a much better road car. Read about that here.

What was the show like?

Well first of all, thanks to North West Mustangs, who had a spare space on their stand for me to jump on the end and get me in. But it started off wet, very wet. So, I sat in the car and watched Netflix for 30 mins until the worst of the wind and rain passed us by, then it brightened up and warmed up quite quickly, and we could get on with enjoying the show.

I WON!*

Well, I did, and I didn’t. I was awarded Best High Performance Car, but I had to leave before the awards were handed out, so the runner up was awarded the trophy in my absence. But the first real show of the year and I’ve got a first place, which makes the hours of research, the planning and orcehstrating of moving the car, fitting and mapping, the collecting, etc. It makes it all worth it. I’ll have to go back to Leyland Festival in 2025 to defend my title, which isn’t really mine!

So many people were so complementary about the look of the car, the less is more look. Some people like the gaudy look for attention, but it’s never really been my thing. I prefer the less-is-more look and let the car do the talking. The stickers from Stickers at Car Shows really help the car pop though. Thankfully the judges felt the same.

Engine wise, the car is done. I won’t be doing anything else to it. Externally, it goes for a front end respray in a couple of days. Interior will need a couple of panels replacing as they’re showing signs of wear and I want a steering wheel with some controls on it for the Emtron to take full advantage of it’s functionality. At the moment, we’re just locked into a single map until I decide which keypad and/or steering wheel suits me best…

The post Leyland Show 2024 first appeared on BlownByTwins.

• Rajab Racing Intake Manifold
• Emtron KV8 ECU
• Radium Fuel Hanger Nissan Skyline Late R33 & R34
• Nissan RB Twin Cam – Race Series CAM Trigger Kit
• Outsider Garage R34 DBW Pedal
• Bosch 74mm DBW
• Rework of the catch can
• Replacement breather hoses

I was kept completely in the loop as ever by both Lee (for the mechanical side) and Mike for the mapping side, and it’s turned out beautifully.

Rajab Racing Intake Manifold

Well, being the nerd I am, I like to have the car modernised where possible, and lets face, it safety is flexibility is key. And looking through the ECU logs, the amount of trimming that had to do be done when tuning on the ignition map on the stock intake was crazy. So to kill two birds with one stone, I decided to change the intake and go Drive By Wire.
The Rajab Manifold is doing exactly what it said it would. Better turbo response, more power through the whole rev range and no sacrificing of low end torque like the short runner manifolds. The Drive By Wire gives us more safety controls, better torque management and CRUISE CONTROL.
The downside is the cold side of the intercooler piping needed a reworking and the catch can piping. Not the end of the world, but it’s not plug and play like the Nismo – although it doesn’t profess to be, but it’s cheaper and better But is it worth it? Absolutely. And it looks sexy, doesn’t it!

Emtron KV8

After the removal of the Link G4+ ECU, the Emtron KV8 gave so many more options and flexibility to the car. It’s allowed the intake to be fitted with the DBW throttle, and to move the map away from the ITB/MAP merge to a true VE and Throttle Mass Flow, like how the modern OEM manufactuers calibrate their cars. Efficiency is key! ATESSA control will be dialled in at a later date…
I’ve now got so many strategies to play with, much better safety and CRUISE CONTROL! So when I go on my trips away, I can actually rest my leg for the journeys on the motorways/authobahns/etc. I’ll report more on this after more miles in the car. Read more here.

Radium Fuel Hanger

When the fuel pump was upgraded, we noticed that the fuel pump hangar was looking like a bit of a disaster, so we decided to upgrade it properly. The Radium Engineering fuel pump hanger replaces the entire factory fuel pump assembly inside the Nissan fuel tank. It can be configured with 1 or 2 fuel pumps, I just chose a single Walbro 400 for my needs, I can always upgrade at a later date should I need. The pump is suspended down in the bottom of the tank, similar to the stock fuel hanger. From there, they feed through polyamide nylon tubing to the top hat.

The factory Nissan fuel level sender and low fuel switch are reused so full functionality is retained. A venturi jet pump is integrated into the top plate and provides means to draw fuel from the opposite side of the fuel tank.

Race Series CAM Trigger Kit

Anyone who’s tuned an RB knows one thing: the OEM trigger system (CAS) is CRAP. It has issues at higher RPMs, the timing can drift due to belt stretch. After talking with Mike @ SRD, I went for PRP‘s Race kit, with a 36-2 Crank kit. It uses a MoTeC ‘reluctor’ type sensor and a MoTeC Camshaft ‘hall effect’ type sensor, a completely sealed sensor with external plug system.

This has been proven on many 1000bhp cars, so my 500whp affair won’t be a bother. The nerd in me like that it will provide 3 times more data than the 12-1 tooth system and infinitely more reliable than the OEM. It’s basically a Supra set up! Controversial statement…

Outsider Garage R34 DBW Pedal

The final part of the equation was the DBW pedal. I found lots of options for R32 and R33, but the guys at Outsider Garage came up trumps for me. They quickly checked against a car they had in the premises and reported first hand that it worked. So I ordered the bracket, pedal and loom. Perfect. If only everyone was that easy to deal with. Bolted in, with lots of wire to allow it to be wired in neatly to the Emtron.

The car is now right up there with the modern way I wanted it. Now, I have to think of what’s next for it.
Do I do more, or do I get a Supra and start a fresh journey… Tuning never stops!

The post R34 GTR – June 2024 Tuning Updates first appeared on BlownByTwins.

How was the car?

In short, mega. The Lambda Sensor issue aside, it was totally different to the last trip. The power out of the corner was there, I didn’t have to wait for 5000rpm. If I had to downshift, it was 1 gear, not two. From 3000rpm there was usable power, but by 3500rpm it was singing. I actually kept the car on low boost just to enjoy it, 0.8bar, around 400bhp, it was plenty for the twisties! Don’t get me wrong, I did up the boost to 1.6bar on more than one occassion when the weather and the roads allowed.

The clutch was also a revelation, soft, progressive but gripped like a teenage boy when it needed too. Epic.

I can’t wait for the next road trip now with the new ECU, intake and drive by wire. Let’s have some fun.

How was the trip?

Rik from slap! does a staggeringly good job, he has a dedicated photographer in a chase car, plus his able assisstant, Dom, in the Yaris GR (amazing car!). The group is made up of eclectic mixes of people and cars from any all walks of life. The driving standards are high, too, which leads to a confidence in the group, and the radio chatter always promotes a giggle.

The routes are curated by Rik and the hotels are vetted prior to any trip, making it a great trip. Cars are parked in safe places, whilst we indulge in some lovely food and drinks, talking about the days activities.

Roll on 2025.

The post Scotland – April 2024 first appeared on BlownByTwins.

I was lucky enough to win my R34 GTR from 7 Days Performance, in October, 2022 and it was a dream come true, because in my youth, I went down the Toyota Supra route, not down the Skyline route. Winning the car was incredible, and the team from 7 Days were awesome from start to finish. But, after 18 months of ownership and reflection, would I have taken the money? Yes. And here’s why.

Thankfully, I’m in a very fortunate position. I have a very good job, good salary, and that affords me the ability to modify my cars properly. The R34 was done to a price, not a standard – not how I do things. Let’s take things in turn.

History

The car came with no history, no service record, no mileage validation, just a couple of receipts for some minor work, an ECU installation (which we’ll cover later) and the alarm codes.

Engine / Drivetrain

The engine itself was solid, but the sensors in it were not. Stock oil pressure sender was reading extremely low. Thankfully, a mechanical gauge verified the engine pressure was good. So a new sender was bought from Nissan and that fixed the readings and saved a coronary!

The breather system was just using what looked like transparent garden hose, it wasn’t pretty.

The turbos themselves were the biggest issue, on boost they were weeping oil, quite a lot of it, and after around 1000 miles, they needed a rebuild – but they couldn’t be rebuilt. I’ve referenced it here, but they weren’t GT2530 turbos, they weren’t even HKS, they were Trust T517Z turbos. That would have been £1500 to £2000 to rebuild properly.

When we removed the turbos to go single turbo, we inspected everything – and thankfully we did. The clutch was on it’s last legs. A replacement wouldn’t be possible as it was discontinued. So, we needed to buy another clutch …

The rear differential. A full service and inspection also constitutes a fluid change. The rear differential wasn’t standard. We didn’t know what it was. Suffice to say, the 75W140 fluid we used as a replacement caused the previous fine operation to be somewhat awful. It was dragging, clunking. Thankfully, the ever helpful team at Opie Oils advised on another oil. Straight 90W. That worked well and continues to do so.

ECU

The Link G4+ ECU was fitted without any additional sensors, no wideband, no oil pressure, no fuel pressure. Just thrown in. The map was very rich, the timing was very retarded. On boost, the car chugged black smoke, there’s rich and there’s rich. On looking at the date of the receipt, I saw it was recent and downloaded the Link G4X software and bought the tuning cable. Nothing. On looking closer, it was a Link G4+ not the G4X, so it was new old stock. I contacted the previous tuner to ask if we could unlock the map to add some sensors and tweak the map, they were less than interested. So, I asked SRD Tuning to start it from scratch, and we put a plan together to put everything to a standard. The first issue was the fuelling. The 800cc injectors weren’t flowing what was expected, so they were pulled out and found to be old 660cc units. On boost, the fuel pressure was dropping, the fuel pump was dying. That needed to be replaced.

Fast forward a few weeks, the car was running much better. Wideband was in, the safety trips were in – and we found more power on less boost with less fuel. I think I can safely get another 30 miles per tank on a run now. A car like this should not be skimped on. Ever.

Suspension

The car came equipped with Ohlins, set on the near stiffest setting, the car was very skittish on bumps and was prone to tramlining. I went to my local 3D alignment place, we softened the damping, and aligned it. It was red across the board – camber and toe were all out. We rectified this, put a good alignment on it, added a half degree of negative camber on the front. It is still stiff, but it drives a lot nicer now, less skittish, a little more compliant. Better, but not perfect – yet.

Audio

This is minor, but annoying. The radio was all in Japanese (which is fine) but nothing worked. I changed the radio for a UK supplied one but we had no radio reception. Double checked the wiring for the built in antenna in the rear screen – all good. Still no radio. Verified the radio in another car – fine. Traced the aerial, all good – but the fuse had blown. So, a replacement 10A went in and it was now working. It’s not amazing reception, but that’s an R34 trait – so we’re good.

Interior

Finally, the interior. The supplied seats were not built for a man of my stature! The Bride seats are so lovely, but quite narrow. So I’ve had to buy some regular sized seats. Thankfully, Corbeau came to the rescue and helped me out with some great advice.

The climate control has been a bit of a nightmare. At 18 degrees, the AC was cold, like ice. Great on a summers day. At 18.5 degrees, it was like lava, nothing in between. Some searching narrowed me down to two options, an issue with the PCB inside the temperature controller, or a broken internal temperature sensor. I pulled the underside of the dash out, and there was the temperature sensor, hanging down. I plugged it back in and we had normal temperature control. Finally.

Conclusion

So I have a great car, much better now than when I took ownership. But what has it cost me? Approximately £17,000 for:

• First remap
• Pressure Sensors
• Wideband
• Fuel Pump
• Alignment
• Single turbo conversion
• Injectors
• Clutch
• Radio

Would it have cost less if I’d cut some corners? Yes, we could have possibly got it closer to £12,000 with some lesser brands and a lower standard, but that’s not what a Skyline GTR deserves.

So, should you enter these competitions for older classics? Yes. But be prepared to spend money – or at least have a contingency fund ready for the unforeseen.

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