Ralliart Over The Ditch
Despite what you said in your test of the Ralliart Magna ["New Car Test - Ralliart Magna"], the Ralliart Diamante is available new in New Zealand. We are not a state of Australia - yet!
Bryn Lockie
New Zealand
According to Mitsubishi Australia, at the time of publishing, there were two evaluation Ralliart-spec Diamantes in NZ in preparation for its sale there. GT
Power Player
Is the EU forcing the use of kW instead of horsepower? What nonsense! I realize the traditional English units aren't always the best (eg: Wouldn't want speed in furlongs per fortnight), but, when it comes to automobile engines, the universally accepted power unit is the horsepower.
Bill Shope
USA
The horsepower may be universally accepted in the US but internationally, and across a wide range of industries other than motoring, the more commonly accepted unit of power since the 1970s is the Watt. In the automotive industry, power outputs are usually described in multiples of 1000; the kilowatt (kW), roughly equivalent to 1.34 horsepower. Hope this helps. GT
Talk The Talk
Just wanted to let you guys know I thought the Nizpro interview was a very good read. It's the sort of stuff that should be (already is?) a regular feature in AutoSpeed. Articles of this type are particularly interesting because they give the reader an analysis of the management of Australian go-fast-bits companies. I didn't think HSV stood up too well to the questions thrown their way!
Dan Bowman
Indoroopilly, Queensland
Getting Hot
I've read 21st Century Performance, and heard elsewhere that fuel can get warm if it's constantly recirculated. What sort of temps are worth worrying about, as you mention that if the fuel gets too hot, it can be a cause of detonation. Has anyone done any testing? I am just wondering whether I might need to look into fitting a fuel cooler, as the fuel in my tank (main tank and reservoir) does get warm to the touch. The system circulates ALL the fuel to/from the main tank via a 2.5-litre reservoir. The Range Rover engine I am using does already have a fuel temp sender on the fuel rail, so it must have been an issue, even on the standard Range Rover. The engine is fitted to another car, and is twin turbo 4.6. Should I be worried about the temps, which are probably only around mid-high 20 deg C?
Stephen Ross
Belfast, Ireland
Temps in the mid-20s are no cause for concern. JE
Reaching For The Sky
I have an '89 Nissan Skyline SVD GTS. I have ported and polished the head, increased throttle body diameter, and added mods to air intake to the factory engine specs which are: Stage 2 cam and chip, oil cooler and extractors. I want to get a lot more power out of this car without a turbo due to keeping it original. I require approx another 50kW (or more) to the 140kW standard factory spec. I have not been able to find any performance articles on the normally aspirated RB30 engine. I would love it if you guys could do one. Your help would be very much appreciated.
Jim Kompogiorgas
Reservoir, Vic Australia
You're right - the fact this engine was used for only a few years more than a decade ago means there isn't much in the way of tech stuff for the RB30 engine used in the Australian Nissan Skyline and VL Holden Commodore. An extra 50kW is a tall order - one we feel may not be met without seriously compromising your car's driveability and originality. You might be able to get some advice from ChipTorque or Nizpro. GT
Going Flat Out
In Julian Edgar's review of the Corolla Levin, he states: "The load area (enlargeable with the traditional 60:40 split rear seat that doesn't fold quite flat) is quite adequate." It is possible to fold the rear seat completely flat by folding forward the seat cushions so they rest against the front seats. An Adelaide Toyota dealer was quite alarmed when I did this in a display car, as they were not aware of this function either! I am a little disappointed by the Corolla Levin and Echo Sportivo, as they are cut down versions of the overseas models and could be so much better.
David Thornley
Skye, Australia
Power Struggling
I was reading a recent article about putting an exhaust, intake and extractors on a VT Commodore SS with the Chev LS1 V8 and it said the improvements to the performance are great but the car's engine management system learns the old performance specs back. Does this mean that it is not worth putting an exhaust system on one of these engines? I'm confused!
Jonathan Rashleigh
Melbourne, Australia
The LS1 management system has what is known as Torque Management that is one of the factors that keeps the engine operating within a target range of power. Take things too far from this target range with an exhaust upgrade and yes, it appears the management system will eventually pull back the power gains. We have a story on LS1 Edit that allows modifications to the LS1's PCM to move these 'targets' coming soon. GT
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