Adron's Daytona Blue 350Z

Best news I've heard in a while.  I might just have to pair up the Z with a new ?? Silvia?

http://www.7tune.com/2010-nissan-fr-sports-coupe/

1200kg, 200+ HP.  Hehehe, that does NOT sound like a bottom of the totem pole performer, but whatever they want to call it I don't care.  I'll definitely get one.

On another positive note, I probably won't get one, but the next Z is shaping up to be a demon.  The Z34 will probably be offered with with 100kg less than the Z33 with well in the range of 330-340HP.  That'll make a fairly large difference on the track.

...and of course I'm still waiting to see the real demon of the road, the R-35 GT-R out there.  The car is a true monster of performance.

Starting with cheapest to most expensive, this summer, all three days of it that we'll probably get, are going to be weight reduction efforts for the Z this year.  It's coming up to that time and she needs to skinny it up.  So over the next 2-4 months I'll be pushing her hard, as her trainer, so she can lean up for the speed.

...and she's almost out of the ER, poor t-boning. 

So yesterday Jo was coming to pick me up and got T-Boned in the ole' 350Z.  The car is still in one piece but needless to say it wasn't pretty, as seen in these images. (Click on them if you want to see the high rez image on smugmug).

The kicker is after this we go out with the now seriously crunched car and the POS Washington Mutual Bank of 39th and Hawthorne, with a completely empty parking lot, tows my car to top of the day.  Needless to say I'm somewhat enraged at the disrespectful idiocy of being towed from an EMPTY FREAKING PARKING LOT.  At least the people who t-boned Jo stayed, gave the insurance info, and we respectfully parted ways.  But the #*&$%^! at Washington Mutual, which wasn't even open, with a completely empty parking lot, towed my car.  $235 bucks down because of a disrespectful and absurd tow policy.

Blagh...  I'll have to go chit chat with some people about that absurdity.  It "could" be bad for business.

Until then, drive cars for what their built for, don't commute in em' like cattle, and rock n' roll!

A good car friend of mine Shannon Atkinson is working diligently to get moved to the city.  He drives a Subaru STi and is, like many in this country, grown sick and tired of the suburban lifestyle of stop n go blow all your money on the commute (vs. building up the car).  So he's moving downtown to get rid of the bloody commute.  He also, as do I, works in downtown Portland.  We'll both be able to walk our respective distances to work, take the Streetcar or bus, and still jump in our car anytime we please.  The major thing is we won't NEED to nor be forced to for every aspect of our lives.

When one has a sports car, something that I absolutely believe cars should be used for, it is kind of on the absurd side of logic to attempt a daily commute in one.  When a sports car is setup properly they're not exactly good commuters.  What a sports car, especially something like a 350Z, STi, RX-8, Mustang, or anything in the category is good for is recreation.

With that I welcome another person breaking into the logic of using a vehicle for its purpose and not for the engrained, horrifying, waste of life "DAILY COMMUTE".  Good to have ya coming downtown Shannon, we'll have to catch much more regular beers n cheers!  Welcome to the Urban!

So some of my older entries on this site are probably kaplunt now because I moved the actual images to my new image host, smugmug.  Smugmug ROCKS.

So here are a few links to some of those images.

I haven't posted much to this blog lately, but this requires a post.

It is 100% sure in every way now, the GT-R is on its way.  Not only that but in about 2 years there will even be a V-Spec.  Lately though it has posted similar, if not better times than a Porsche 997 Turbo!

The US racing world has been put on notice.

I've been patiently, ok not really patiently waiting for the next time I get out to the track.  I've got new tires, car is set and ready, and I've even been attempting to free up my Thursday afternoons for drift day.

That problem is though, it's been that I'm too bloody busy to get out to the track!!!?!?!?

I can't believe it, and I've been working diligently to do something about this, but I can honestly say that I just have not been able to get out there!  It really sucks, and I promise I'll get back to it, until then I'll just have to whip out the PS2 and do some sideways action w/ a virtual 350Z.  ARGH time constraints.

With my first drift day under my belt, it's time to get new tires.  I checked out some places online and it looks like the best price point along with an actual physical location works out to Discount Tire.  I did a search in the zip code area of my residence and found multiple locations just a few miles away.

Since my focus is the next drift day I believe my best bet will be the Dunlop Direzzas, possibly purchasing an extra rear set, and a whole set so I have the best turn in I can get without changing out the suspension right now.

My other thought is to get a set of rims for "road trips" and a set for "drifting".  It seems from the other drivers that this is the thing to do.

So in the next few days I'll have a stat on what tires I'm getting.  I'll post some pictures. 

I had officially canceled any future entries, well that has now changed because I finally kicked myself in the a#% and headed out to the drift day event at PIR.  I had an absolute blast!

Shannon (Njection), Jo (my navigator - GF - extraordinaire), and I met up at PIR about 3:45pm in preparation.  We met some other people waiting to get in and chilled a little.  PIR was also having a dirt bike racing session and there where dozens of trucks, trailers, and bikes, bikes, bikes, and more bikes waiting to head in.  There where also a few more S13s and 14s I could see in line waiting.  Eventually the gates opened at 4:00pm and we all started cruising into the course area.  After a short time Wes showed up of Unnatural Inc and immediately went to the task of inspecting engines.  After that he walked everyone, about 20 of us, around the course.

If you have any idea how PIR is laid out you know where the chicane is.  It's a sharp turn in the straight away, almost like a bump in the road.  We all walked where to hit angles and initiate our attacks.  With that everyone returned to their cars and lined up.

I was first out, and must say I was rather hilarious.  I hope others maintained a laugh or two from my first kick out that I've made in years.  Regardless I had a freaking blast!

I made five more runs before I had chewed the rear 245x45, 18 inchers up nice and good.  I called it a day after that and watched for a bit longer.  The NOS drink guys where out in force too, hooking everyone up with some pumped refreshments - thanks for the juice.

Next time, if you got the #$% haul your a$@ out to drift day and kick it sideways with me!

If you attended drift day this 9th of August 2007 go hit up my poll at Njection.  Also feel free to check out the photos that Joleen snagged of my uncoordinated self flying sideways laying down some good smoke.  :)

This post is to state that for the foreseeable future I'm ending my 350Z blog.  One of these days when I get around to doing what I want to with the car, SCCA events start being attended, and I really get out and kickin' the ass out I'll be back in force to blog, blog, and blog some more.  Hope all and any that have read enjoyed.  I hope to start up again sooner then later.  Until then I bid this blog adieu.

So, the great day had arrived, I'd purchased a helmet, got the car primed oil change and all.  I was ready.  Got the alarm set and was ready to get there early to try and grab a slot to give this "legal" event a go round.  I'd tried contacting a few people involved in the planning but either all the slots where full or the powers that be where pre-occupied.

 

...I had waited months for this.  Then I forgot to set the volume on my alarm to anything above zero.

 So I got there instead of about 7:xx I got there around 9:50am.  Registration and rolls where filled.  I however got to grab some kewl views of a Skyline GT-R (R32), saw a Silvia Spec-R, the Porsche Road Crew where out and a Lotus and Ferarri where in the lot.  About a zillion S13s & 14s as expected where there in force (Nissan RULEZ!).  By the end of the day (Which for me was about 1:30pm) my buddy Randy was sold on drifting and I of course had an enjoyable day just watching the wondrous chaotic and brutal dance that is drifting.

...Good day, next time I'm gonna be in touch with the powers that be before hand.  I can't keep missing out on these events.

Ok, I'm not going to go into this.  But check out my main page at www.adronbhall.com.  I have a Meebo insert over at the right hand side of the page.  You can chat directly with me this way.  Very, very kewl.

If you don't know about Meebo GO now and check it out.  www.meebo.com.

FT-HS Toyota Prototype.  If you don't know about it, you should definately look it up.  A real revolution in car design and technology.

This Z was just a build of by some Nissan guys to build a slight suped up Z.

 

 

 

"House Resolution 2048, reaffirms an owner's "right to repair" a car and gives owners and auto technicians access to the same information and tools available to franchised dealers to repair and maintain modern computer-controlled vehicles."

I found this interesting.  I don't really like it when the Government has to step in and tell a company to behave.  But this is something interesting, something I'm not 100% in support of because there could be complications and problems that arise.  Such as more limited and removal of certain warranty work and other such items.

On a personal note though, I'd love to get information on cars that I want to work on when they are released instead of the traditional 6-10 years after the car has been released.  This is a very annoying thing for people that want to maintain their own cars.  At the same time for the vast majority of people it is for all practical purpoess a safety mechanism to prevent them from breaking their cars.  People tend to be very good at this anyway.

So I'm left pondering, is this a really good thing, or a really bad thing for the tuner industry?