Harryr34

iTrader: (9)

Has anyone driven one? what did you think?

I had to drop some parts off at a garage and they had a few r34's in the workshop... They looked awesome. Got me thinking

phil_wrx

iTrader: (2)

ur name says r34 ? take it u down own one then ?

NotoriousREV

Haven't driven a 34 but I have a 33 as my daily driver. Power-wise, they're quite peaky. You need at least 4000rpm for it to feel fast and it doesn't really start to get into it's stride until over 100mph. This can be frustrating on the roads. The 33 only has a 5 speed box and thanks to long gearing and an 8000rpm redline means by the time you're flat out in 3rd you're doing about 115mph.

The handling is simply astounding for such a large, heavy car. When you're really on it, it shrinks around you, helped by the 4 wheel steering. It takes a while to learn to get the best out of it, it's not flattering like a Scooby and it likes to move the tail around a lot. The 4wd and 4ws are designed to work together to get into a corner tail out so when you're lined up with the exit you floor it and you have the grip to accelerate down the straight. Most mph converters completely screw this and the steering weighting up.

They're not cheap to run, I average 18mpg, and parts are expensive. Specialists charge through the nose and very few people do their own work so there's limited info and help if you plan on maintaining it yourself.

Interior quality is good, not quite Germanic but very good for a Japanese car. They're also suprisingly practical. The boot's a good size and I have a child seat in the back of mine for my 4 year old and he has a decent amount of leg room (more than my old VW Bora).

chris singleton

Best car I've ever owned.

You need very very deep pockets to run one though, I had reasonably deep pockets but unfortunately my arms were quite short

Mike123

Have you finished doing your bits on it yet D?

NotoriousREV

Not yet, Mike. Work's on hold till the Alfa gets here (couple of weeks to go) then I can strip the bugger down and not have to worry about how the hell I'm going to get to work on Monday when all I've got is a pile of greasy bits

Mechanically, I've got to fit the HICAS Eliminator kit, turbos and cams, cam belt and tensioners plus full fluid service, wideband lambda, 4 wheel alignment and a pair of rear tyres all followed by a remap.

Worryingly, it's starting to rust quite badly so a trip to the bodyshop might be on the cards this year. The rear arches are just starting but more of an annoyance is the rust on the a-pillars and round one of the back windows so the glass will have to come out.

Also, I'm not sure the front diff is all that good, the gearbox is a bit crunchy and the engine is quite leggy so that might expire once I'm running 1.5bar If they blow it's a good excuse for an R34 6 speeder and an RB30 conversion

Mike123

Aha - a few bits need doing then. Never mind, thought you might be starting your mods soon anyway......let me know when it's all done. Will be interested to see what it goes like!

Jamz3k

Why are you removing the Hicas system? My friend who did a compete rebuild of a 300z did exactly the same (replaced it with a metal bar or something) but i never found out why.

NotoriousREV

In my case the track rod ends and ball joints are worn on the rear rack and it's about £400 plus labour to fix. The HICAS Eliminator is £200 and replaces these weak parts with solid bars and PU bushes.

Additionally, the rear steer can be a bit twitchy and unpredictable, especially with a UK speed converter fitted (so now the steering ECU thinks your doing 62mph when you turn when you're really doing 100mph and would probably appreciate a little less tail out action ). Everyone I asked who'd removed the HICAS said the handling was better without it.

NotoriousREV

Actually, mine's so worn I had to apply about 1/4 turn of opposite lock at one point under power to keep it straight and I never lost traction, it was just the joints shifting about. There's more slack in my back end than the steering is actually designed to move at full lock. It's like drifting without the tyre smoke.

Mike123

Sounds normal to me Dave

NotoriousREV

Only 'cos your blown Cortina has skinny tyres

Mike123

Bah, you and your Datsun with its fancy computers and technology and flash trousers and stuff....

graeme jones

so the twin turbo r34 must be in supercar territory? watched fast and furious the other day and the blue one in it is spot on still hasnt dated to me in looks department but i like majority of jap cars

beef-on-the-bone

iTrader: (5)

2001 Nissan Skyline R34 GTR 2.8 HKS high deck on eBay, also, Nissan, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 24-Apr-09 13:05:56 BST)

would be quite lively!!!!