R33 GTR Upgrades: Nissan Factory R33 GTR Series III Xenon Headlights

The Nissan Skyline GT-R R33, codenamed BCNR33, was first launched in 1995. The car went through three stages or three series of variations before production ended in 1998. My BCNR33 is a Series II according to it's build plate and tell tale exterior features.

In February 1997, the Series III adopted xenon headlights. Now as you might already well know, most car nowadays feature this lighting technology as it makes things easier to see in the dark. It also makes the car appear "cooler" what with the clean and crisp white lights. Hence, I wanted to get a set of Series III headlights for my Series II.

Unfortunately, they aren't easy to source but fortunately, thanks to Eu Jin from JDM Auto Link, I was able to get my hands on a set. Wasn't cheap though but these are rare as hens teeth. Had to wait for a month plus but here they are (thanks Eu Jin!):

 Here they are being installed and its almost plug & play

So from that ...

 ... to this!

Definitely money well spent and it totally changes the way the car looks. Somewhat more refreshed and updated. Not to mention the brightness and clarity of the xenons are really night and day from the old halogens (something I've experienced with my other cars), hence this improves safety and motoring vision. 

Very happy with how this upgrade turned out.

R33 GT-R Upgrades: Recent mods in pictures

A lot of changes have taken place in recent weeks and the car is better for it.

So without futher ado, lets list down what has been done so far with pictures (was unable to take a picture of the Goodridge Braided Brake Hose):

Installed: The Tomei Fuel Regulator Type L and the Cusco Oil Catch Tank

A closer look at the Tomei Fuel Regulator - both the regulator, along with the Tomei Fuel Pump, have made a major positive contribution to how the car accelerates

The Cusco Oil Catch Tank - only time will tell if it really helps the engine

The Nismo Aluminium Shift Knob - feels so much better now when shifting

The Whiteline swaybars and bushings installed - the car feels really planted and the suspension well dampened - almost feels like a brand new car!

New Apexi Power Intake Pod Filters - engine runs smoother

BCNR33 4 Pot Front Brembos (with new brake pads and rotors skimmed) - amazing stopping power

BCNR33 Rear 2 Pot Brembos (with new brake pads and rotors skimmed)

New parts for the R33 GTR: Okuyama Carbing, Nismo, Apexi, Volk Racing

I was overseas these past few days and I've just returned from the airport.

Was fortunate enough to find time in between meetings to go out and grab the following parts:

- Okuyama Carbing Pedal Set (silver).
- Okuyama Carbing Air Diversion Plate Aluminium
- Apexi Power Intake Replacement Pod Filters
- Nismo Aluminium Shift Knob (10mm 5 speed)
- Volk Racing GT Center Caps for the RE30s (4 pieces - low)

I'll put these on as soon as possible.

Now, let's recap what my mechanic has installed over the weekend (pictures to follow once I get the car back tomorrow):

- BCNR33 4 and 2 Pot Brembo Calipers
- Tomei Fuel Pump (output 590PS 276 L/h)
- Tomei Fuel Regulator Type L
- Cusco Oil Catch Tank
- Goodridge Brake Hose (6 PCS)
- Whiteline Swaybar-h/duty Blade adjustable
- Whiteline Camber adj kit - upper c/arm x 2
- Whiteline Arm-adj upper radius-camber/toe
- Whiteline Swaybar-x h/duty Blade adjustable
- Superpro Castor Rod Bushes

Can't wait to see the car!

R33 GTR Upgrades: Whiteline Suspension Parts, Tomei Fuel Pump, Tomei Fuel Regulator Type L and Cusco Oil Catch Tank Being Installed

The Whiteline R33 GTR suspension parts have been fitted.

Pictures to follow as I'm busy with work and will be flying out of the country in a couple of hours.

My mechanic will be installing the Tomei Fuel Pump (output 590PS 276 L/h), Tomei Fuel Regulator Type L and the Cusco Oil Catch Tank over the weekend.

Stayed tuned!

R33 GTR Upgrades: Nismo Engine and Gearbox Mounts Installed

Lets be honest. The R33 GTR is a 13 year old car. Over time, parts on the vehicle will get worn out. When this happens, you lose performance and drivability. Which leads us to the problem of tired engine mounts. What tends to happen is clutch judder when moving the car from rest and shifting is less precise at higher RPMs. Not to mention its discomforting as a vehicle owner, to sit in a car that shakes (slightly). Enter the Nismo mount.

"Upgrade tired and beat up OEM engine and transmission mounts with the units from Nismo. Nismo mounts are 30-40% stiffer which makes motor shake less at idle and the Nismo transmission mount provides precise shifting at high rpm from reduced motor/transmission movement"

With that official Nengun brief out of the way, it should be said its worth upgrading / refreshing your mounts if you are looking to increase your car's engine power (well torque really). This is paramount if you harbor plans on doing any track work in the future, as the engine tends to rock during heavy usage and worn engine mounts can cause other serious problems (like a broken front differential). Plus nice new, stiff mounts will give you the added benefit of extra response as normally when you mash the throttle, some of that instant torque is lost in deflecting the engine mounts. With stiffer mounts, the torque travels through the drive train instead.

I was fortunate enough to source Nismo engine and gearbox mounts last month and had them lying around ready to be installed. Here they are, nicely packed up:

Definitely noticed a difference after the installation. The car idles better and there is less vibration when driving at higher speeds. The new mounts are stiffer than the original units. Launches are smoother, whether you are accelerating casually or aggressively. And lets face it, 13 year old mounts are not going to cut it. They need replacing and rather get OEM mounts, I decided to swap in Nismo ones for long term security. Lastly, Nismo mounts are solid compared to the liquid / gel filled center on the OEM mounts, so in that sense, the Nismo parts are superior.

The car at my mechanic's workshop

The old engine mount still in place

A clearly very tired engine mount that was taken out

Compare the old and the new (the Nismo engine mount is on the right)

Clearly compressed and the exterior is flaking off

The Nismo engine mount installed

The gearbox mount out and it too is clearly worn out

The Nismo gearbox mount, ready to go in

All done! Till the next mod! Whiteline suspension parts!

Italia Auto Ulu Yam Dawn Run

Finally managed to have a shakedown run to get a feel of the new car. I guess theres no further need to hide the identity of the vehicle as its pretty obvious. Its a 1997 R33 Skyline GTR (BCNR33).

I invited Temujin, a member of the Skyline Club of Malaysia, to come along in his R32 GTR (BNR32) which had recently come out from GT Auto with a dyno figure of 380 bhp. He too wanted to have a shakedown session to get a 'feel' of the Angry Kermit (his car is green you see).

The meeting point for this weekend's run was at Petronas Batu Caves and as the title of this post clearly indicates, we were running with the Italia Auto boys (IA). I arrived at 7 am and it was a massive turnout. Nearly 40 cars, mostly Italians (Alfas and Fiats) but also some Frenchies, a Lotus and our JDMs (Temujin's R32 GTR, my R33 GTR and ToE's R35 GTR).

The weather was beautiful and the sun had just risen as we roared our way past the lake on the outskirts of Kampung Batang Batu (the settlement before Ulu Yam town). The car handled really well and is a testament to my foreman who serviced it after I had purchased the GTR. He made sure that the car was refreshed, not only in terms of consumables but also with parts that needed to be replaced due to wear and tear (long story). Although I do have to say that the twin turbo setup which makes quite a large amount of power, takes some getting used to especially when taking sharp corners (nearly did a drift at one stretch of the road). Gotta get used to braking early and ease off in the turn then power out.

From Ulu Yam, we then made our way to Gohtong Jaya to have breakfast at the mamak next to Hotel Seri Malaysia. Had a great time catching up with some of the IA guys and looking at each others' cars. Some Golf GTI buddies of mine from the Volkswagen Golf Club of Malaysia, who were in the area, dropped by to have a look at the GTR. Got to catch up with them as well before they headed down to GT Auto for a dyno day.

Here is footage taken by ognam of IA, which he edited into a video for our viewing pleasure. Especially liked that early bit of the silver car rolling into the Petronas station ;).

Till the next run which will take place in 2 weeks time - hehe - drive safe everyone.

New rims and tyres for the mystery car

It came with stock 17" factory rims and that setup didn't do the car justice. Hence, I immediately set about rectifying this problem. And so, a few weekends back, I made my way to Hup Shun in Sunway PJS 11/7. According to local motoring afficianados, this particular shop sells genuine rims and tyres at lower prices when compared to other places in the Klang Valley.

While browsing through the selection of wheels that were on display, a Hup Shun employee asked me what was my poison. I explained that I was looking for 18" x 9.5" +12 rims. He replied that strangely enough, a R34 GTR had come in earlier in the week to get its Volks Racing RE30s replaced with Volks Racing TE37s (the former came in bronze). He also mentioned that the rims were up for sale and were barely used.

Some Hup Shun technical staff then carried the four rims in and I could see that he was speaking the truth - they looked almost brand new. For those who are not aware, RE30s are one of the lightest rims available on the market. The 18s for example, weigh only 8.10 kg. The TE37s on the other hand weigh in at 8.45 kg. So I'm not sure if the R34 owner was actually "upgrading" but rather the whole exercise was more for looks, as the TE37s are a better match for the sharp edges of the BNR34.

RE30

Needless to say I was pretty much sold the moment I lifted up one of these babies. They were so light. After checking all four for any signs of damage and finding none, I asked the Hop Shun employee what tyres they had in stock that could fit the RE30s. He said that they recently brought in 6 units of Bridgestone Potenza S001s. Now I knew that the S001s came on the market in early 2010 and were actually factory fitments for the Aston Martin Rapide and Ferrari 458 Italia. It was also going to be used in the soon to be released Lexus LFA as the car's factory fitted tyres.

Here is the product description by tiretrack.com on the major features of the S001:

The Potenza S001 is Bridgestone's Max Performance Summer tire developed as Original Equipment for premium high-performance sports cars, coupes and sedans. The Potenza S001 is designed to combine low rolling resistance efficiency with maximum sports performance in dry and wet conditions. However, like all summer tires, they are not intended to be driven in near freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

The Potenza S001 features an asymmetric design combining a large outboard shoulder, interlocking tread blocks and a central circumferential rib to enhance dry road steering response, high-speed stability and cornering precision. Notches in the shoulders expel water to the sides while high-angle lateral grooves in the intermediate ribs pump water into the wide circumferential grooves to help resist hydroplaning.

The tire's internal structure features a lightweight belt package consisting of twin steel belts supported by a spirally wrapped aramid/nylon cord reinforcement that reduces rolling resistance, enhances ride quality and ensures high-speed durability. Active rubber inserts in the sidewalls near the bead areas tune vertical sidewall stiffness to blend cornering grip with ride comfort, as well as increase longitudinal stiffness to generate straight-line braking forces.

To cut the story short, I purchased both the RE30s and the S001s (265/35/18) that very day and they are now on the mystery car. Very, very happy indeed with the results despite having to cough up some dough.

The RE30s being prepped

Shod with S001s and being loaded onto my workhorse Nissan X-Trail for fitment and alignment eslewhere at a family friend's shop

On the mystery car

Getting the alignment done the old fashioned way

I'm pretty sure people will be able to figure out what the mystery car is by this point in time ;). Till the next mod entry, readers...

Some Japanese eye candy

Some personal favorites...