Some minor problems on my Fairlady ....

Last night, I felt like taking the car for a spin. As usual, after I started the car, I checked on the DTE (distance to empty) meter and it read 616 km. I also noticed that when I pressed the brake peddle, I heard a low "thud" sound that emanated from underneath the gear lever console. To confirm, I depressed the pedal repeatedly only to hear the same sound again and again. I spent close to 10 minutes to locate the exact source of the sound, but to no avail. So I left it at that.

I then drove out of the condo's park building, out the guard exit and drove to Speedmart, at the Wisma Padi Corporation building in Subang Jaya. [By the way, Speedmart is a minimarket that sells goods at considerably lower prices than even in the hypermarket such as the nearby Carrefoure. As an example, a tin of Pringles sells for RM 3.95 while for the same stuff, it costs you between RM 1.00 - 2.00 more at seven-eleven, or KK or Carrefoure. The same thing goes for all the products on the Speedmart shelves].

While driving away from Speedmart after buying some stuffs and a pack of cigarettes, I noticed the DTE meter seemed to read more than just the distance of about 4 km from my condo to the shop. Nevertheless as I was driving back via Jalan Tujuan, then up the flyover and to the roundabout with 3 flyovers, I noticed that the digital read-out on DTE meter ran faster than usual. By the time I got to park my car again, the meter had read that I had travelled a distance of about 50 km when the actual to-and-fro distance was not more than 10 km ! Something was definitely wrong. Again I depressed the brake pedal to confirm my earlier observation. The same sound was again heard. I then left for home.

Carnage on the road ..

While not about my 350Z, I feel I have to write about the number of deaths recorded during the 2 weeks of Ops Sikap conducted by the Police from 13th to 26th September 2009 during which 261 people died as a result of accidents, most of whom were motorcyclists and their pillion riders. This is not really surprising since this group of road users habitually run against the traffic lights at any junction in the country. Since the OPs Sikap started some years ago, the figure was the second highest.

The authorities are at their wit's ends as to why Malaysians are prone to accidents. The roads are good - maybe too good - that drivers and motorcyclists enjoy driving at high speeds. I can cite so many reasons as to why the figures don't seem to go down. But it's pointless because Malaysian drivers are emotional, and have attitude problems. They should emulate how the British people drive cars.

Back again in Subang Jaya ...

The balik kampung trip up north was not a pleasant one since it rained mostly throughout the three-and-a-half-hour journey. Not only that, the road was so jam packed with cars that I took one and a half hour more than usual to reach my destination, just in time to break fast on the last day of Ramadhan.

Throughout the journey from Subang toll to Ipoh toll; I noticed that Malaysian drivers had no sense of safety. Drivers on the fast lane tend to drive above the speed limit of 110 km/h even though it was pouring and visibility was poor. Impatient drivers tend to drive on the emergency lane when they found that the fast and middle lanes were packed with cars. They did not seem to be bothered by the government innumerable warnings to be extra careful when driving during the festive season. No wonder we read a lot on people being killed or maimed in the many accidents that littered the country. In pouring rain, I once saw a Myvi car tailgating me when I was on the fast lane and being the good driver that I was, I let him pass. Malaysians just never seemed to learn how to drive on highways.

The drive up north gave me the opportunity to check for the third time on the petrol consumption of the Nissan 350Z. The distance covered was 216.9 km, petrol used was 23.185 litres costing RM 41.73. This works out to be 9.3552 km/litre or 26.397 miles per gallon. The consumption meter shows that over the same distance, the meter read exactly 10.00 km per litre. Translating to imperial, I got 28.216 miles per gallon. The meter thus over-read by 6.09 percent. The drive was not purely on the highways since I made a couple of stops and drove at a leisurely pace on trunk roads before reaching home.

The meter reading when I last filled the tank at a Caltex station in Ipoh was 17,086 and today's fill was at Shell in Subang Jaya when the meter read 17,344. I have thus travelled 258 km and consumed 26.46 litres of RON 95 petrol. The comsumption is thus 9.7506 km per litre or 27.512 miles per gallon

The trip back to Subang Jaya was more pleasant because of excellent weather and the road was dry throughout the journey home. I made a couple of stops at Tapah and Ulu Bernam R&R. I noticed that cars that tend to drive fast were the BMWs; not those big 7-series ones though but the smaller sporty ones such as the 325s and the 320s. Because of the heavy traffic, I always let them pass me even though I knew that a slight pressure on my throttle would leave them standing still on normal highway driving.

Just before reaching the Subang toll I thought, all of a sudden, I was tailgated by what looked like the front of a Nissan GTR but I was not sure since I was already turning into the toll lane as the car passed me and proceeded straight on the highway to Klang.

Looking forward to a pleasant trip back ....

Today is Friday the 18th of September 2009 and tomorrow, Zul and me will be on our way back to the Kampung for Hari Raya celebrations the next day. I would have the opportunity to check again on the car's petrol consumption over a longer distance, of more than 200 km, on the highway than in the previous tests. This time I will compare the car meter's consumption rate and the manual method of km travelled divided by how much petrol is used.

I hope the north-bound traffic is not heavy on the PLUS highway and pray that motorists drive with extra care during the festive season. Malaysian drivers, being the emotional drivers that they usually are, tend to be impatient when faced with potential traffic jams or long queues. If the weather is fine, then I may enjoy a pleasant drive on my Nissan Fairlady 350Z.

Car Security ...

Before I modify my car, a most important consideration is car security. What's the use of having a beautifully body-kitted car or a car with high horse power that can outrun all the cars that you pass on the highways when it is not even safe to park ? What's the use of having a car if you don't have a peace of mind whenever you leave it in your house compound or in a shopping complex when all the time you dread that your car might be broken into or worse being stolen ?

It is therefore of paramount importance that the car be fitted with about as fool-proof a security system as you can make it. I don't want my car to disappear in somebody's workshop with only the chassis left or being in a container ship on the way to Indonesia.

There are many car security systems in the Malaysian market. These systems not only come with alarms that alert intruders but they use GSM and GPS technolgies that allow your car to be tracked and located. Two systems introduced to me personally are iSE and Gismo made in Taiwan and Australia respectively. Both have the GSM and the GPS systems, priced between RM 2,500 to RM 2,800 inclusive of installations. The iSE system are of many types depending on the available features. I have heard about the Cobra and the Kinsei systems.

One system that seems to be convincing is the US made Powerlock system that does not have the sophisticated GSM and GSP technologies but makes use of a solenoid module that integrates with the car starter motor. Unauthorised starting of the car is therefore absolutely impossible and if the car cannot start then it cannot be stolen - so says the brochure. On checking further, the Powerlock system might prevent the car itself from being stolen, but it does not prevent the car from being broken into and its contents removed. Worse, it does not prevent or deter potential thieves from removing the wheels unless you also install Powerlock's Wheelsafe system.

Therefore a perfect system would be a combination of the iSE or Gizmo and the Powerlock.

Supercharger ..

I am contemplating to increase the 350Z's horse-power from the present engine hp of 287 by some 60 hp at the wheels by installing a supercharger or even a turbocharger. From what I gather from the internet, a turbocharger might boost the horse power to such an extent that I have to modify other parts of the car such as the engine's internals, the fuel pump, the injector's fuel rates, the exhaust gas discharge volume and so on since the turbocharger might just boost the car's horse power just a bit too much for my liking and probably unsuitable for use on Malaysian highways that restrict speed limit to 110 km per hour. Further, a turbocharger takes effect beyond a certain RPM at which a car speed would have gone beyond the limit. A turbocharger may be suitable for a car with manual transmission than for a car with an automatic one such as on my Fairlady.

A supercharger has no lag time as the turbocharger and as soon as you start the car and drive from standing still, the supercharger starts boosting your car engine and if you keep on pressing the throttle, it keeps on boosting up to even the redline on the tachometer; whereas a turbocharger starts boosting your engine when the RPM reaches past the 2,500-3,000 mark. A supercharger is hence more suitable on a automatic transmission car than on a manual one.

From a host of many popular supercharger systems in the market such as Greddy, Stillen, Vortech and so on, my final choice of a supercharger has narrowed down to the HKS system which fits nicely into underneath the Fairlady's bonnet without any modifications. According to one installer, the HKS system that he promotes would boost the horse power at the wheels by some 60 horses without any modifications except for a small cut at the front to fit the intercooler. The rest are bolt-on fittings. The kit is called the HKS GT Supercharger Kit that comes complete with intercooler, ECU, intake, filter, upgraded fuel pump, pulley and a host of many other necessary components.

Undercarriage ..

Yesterday, I took the Fairlady to a Bridgestone shop in Sunway in order to check the undercarriage and to take photographs with Arif being the photographer. I saw some sign of scrapings on the exhaust pipes whenever the car went over the speed breakers on the roads near where I live. The car park ramps also contributed to the scrapings. Stanley, a mechanic there, reckoned that the front brake pads ought to be changed and suggested some cheaper Japanese pads that cost RM 500/= instead of the more expensive Brembo pads. He observed that the springs had been changed to the sports type and that the brake system was a full Brembo i.e. the rotors were Brembos when I thought the previous owner only changed the brake calipers to Brembos.

I had also the opportunity to check on an HKS supercharger system which was quoted by N-One racing as RM 27,000 excluding installation cost of RM 2,000. The salesman claimed that the power gained at the wheels was 60 bhp.

While the car was on the jack, I re-inflated all the tyres to a pressure of 240 Kpa each in accordance with Nissan's specifications.

I also check the Kinsei system of car security and protection. The GSM+GSP cost RM 2,500 and RM 2,800 including installation for the respective Taiwan or Australian Kinsei system. I have to install such a system as quickly as possible. The shop that instals the system is in Damansara Utama, behind Starbucks cafe.

I took Iman and Dayana separately for a joy ride from the apartment to Subang Airport roundabout and back again via the Subang Jaya link. With Dania, I took her to Padang Jawa and back again. It was the first time for them to be in a sportscar, and a powerful one at that.

Tyres ..

The front axle of my Nissan Fairlady 350 Z came fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE 050A 245/35/R19/93 Y while the rear axle, all else the same, with 275/35/R19/93Y. As I understand it when browsing the Bridgestone website, the RE 050 signifies the type of tyre and the A signifies that its tread pattern is asymmetrical. The 245 or 275 means a tyre width of 245 mm or 275 mm as the case may be. The 35 is the percentage ratio between the height and the width. It is also called the Aspect Ratio. The R means radial tyre and the 19 signifies the rim diameter in inches, which in this case is 19". The 93 means the load rating in kg (?) that the tyre can bear while the Y signifies that the tyre can withstand a speed of 300 km per hour.

As for the grey 10-spoked rim, I have yet to determine whether it's from Rays or from some other makes. I have not obtained any information on what the correct tyre pressures are for the tyres. The manual describes tyre pressure as 240 Kpa for both front and rear but that is for the stock tyres 225/40 and 245/40 on 17 or 18 inch rim.

Second consumption test ...

I conducted my second test on petrol consumption. The route taken was from my house through Jalan Kemajuan to the Subang Airport roundabout and back to just past Carrefoure and up the ramp to enter the Kelana-Subang Jaya link to the same roundabout and back again via the same link and U-turning at the Summit traffic lights before parking my car.

The car is fitted with a couple of meters that, at a press of a button, you can display its consumption rate, distance travelled, time taken, speed at any instance in km/hour, ambient temperature in Celsius and stop-watch meter readings. Another useful feature is that the meter displays the distance in km that the car can traverse before the fuel tank empties. A number of say 420 km dte (distance to empty) means that the petrol is sufficient to cover a distance of 420 km. Another button allows you to set up before you start the car. According to the meter in the test that I conducted, the car travelled a distance of 37.8 km and consumed petrol at the rate of 9.4 km per litre. This worked out to be 26.2675 miles per gallon.

Update 08/09/220: I replaced the 2 front tyres of my Mercedez E-230 when the odometer read 170,288 km. They are identical with the rear tyres, but inflated at 220 Kpa. If fully loaded, the front tyres inflation pressure is 230 Kpa while the rear ones is 280 Kpa. There is still a bit of life left on the tyres yet and they can be used in emergency in the future. After fitting the tyres, driving became smooth and there was no shake of the steering wheel at higher speeds.

At the Sunway area, one shop verbally quoted that, for a front pair of Brembo rotors and pads, the price was RM 3,000 while for the rear pair, the price was RM 2,000. The Brembo calipers are not included in the quote. The Brembo brake pad of ceramic compound costs RM 1,200, though I was not sure whether the price was for a piece, a pair or a set of four pads.

A visit to APD ....

Last Saturday, I visited a modern workshop called Automotive Performance Development (APD) located along Jalan Perintis U1 in Glenmarie Shah Alam. To get there from Subang Jaya, you drive along the Subang Jaya-Glenmarie connecting road and turn right at the traffic light, proceed further until you see the DRB Hicom building on the left. On the right are a number of new buildings and shophouses. ADB is somewhere there. You may have to make U-turn at the traffic light in order to get to there. The workshop is equipped with dynamometer testing facilities, and has even a performance department for enthusiasts who want to soup up their cars.

An executive there (Wan Danial) claimed that quite a number of 350Z have been upgraded since the workshop was set up in May this year. In fact, he's now testing a 350Z fitted with a turbocharger and invited me to come to his workshop on the coming Teusday to see the car. I spent about an hour inspecting the facilities available and had a pleasant conversation with his father in the cafeteria. APD is apparently run as a family business.

At last , I own the Fairlady ...

Today was one of the exciting days of my life. I finally took possession of the Nissan 350Z Fairlady. It was not quite the "few days" that I thought I could get the car after placing the order on August 5 2009. It turned out to be a few weeks. I wasted some 7-8 days looking for the right financial company and a few days to decide to get the right insurance company.

At about 4.00 pm, I took the car for a drive starting from a Shell station to KLIA on the highway and back again to fill up the tank to the same level as at start. The idea is to determine the consumption. The odometer reading at start was 16,444 km and at end it was 16,531 km. For that distance of 87 km, I had consumed 8.49 litres of petrol at a cost of RM 15.28

The consumption rate was 87/8.49 km per litre or 10.2743 km/litre or 29.153 miles per gallon. Petrol cost was 15.28/87 RM per km or RM 0.1756 per km. Simplifying, my petrol cost was RM 17.56 for a 100 km. Should I drive for a 100,000 km in the next 5 years, I would probably be spending some RM 1,756 in petrol cost.

Of course, this is just one instance based on a test drive on a highway and will not be representative over a distance of a 100,000 km. The 29.153 mpg is too good by any standard.

The drive on the highway was not as smooth as when I drive my Mercedez. I believe that the shock absorbers on the Nissan were more stiff than those of my E230 and, come to think of it, the ride was a bit rough. But what was exhilerating was the ease with which I passed the cars on my left as I lightly and gingerly pressed on the throttle. I need some time to get used to driving the Nissan 350Z Fairlady.

There are a few more things I have to check - as for example the proper tyre pressure, how much wear there is on the brake pads, or on the tyres, and perhaps to install a few accessories like a DVD changer, a GPS system, and so on. The most important item to add is a fool-proof device to improve the security and protection. A system similar to the Kinsei Security System was shown to me this afternoon but it cost RM 2,600/= while a similar system using the GPS would set me back RM 3,200/=. I want a system that warns immediately with stealth when my car is tampered with, not simply an alarm that could be deactivated by an expert thief within seconds.