Since the first “Back to the Future” movie, those that were into the show car circuit became interested in Lamborghini doors. Of course, nowadays, these doors go by many names…Lambo Doors, Suicide Doors, Vertical Doors, and more, but regardless of what they are called, in the last few years, there has been a huge demand for these doors, particularly in the sports car arena.
However, people are not only using vertical doors in the show car arena, your average everyday car can be seen with them (if you are in the right socio-economic neighborhood, at least). So what is the big attraction? There are a lot of things that a person can do to modify and accessorize their 300zx. Why vertical doors?
The answer is simple…style, class, ease of installation, and not to mention, they are head-turning. While vertical doors will not make your Nissan 300zx faster, louder or a better drifting car, they will most definitely get you, or at least your 300zx, noticed. Think of the young guy walking a puppy, and all of the hot chics that stop to talk to him. Well, vertical doors have the same exact effect!
In fact, Shaquille O’Neil thought they would be so impressive that he asked an installer to have them on his Navigator in three days, so that he could show them off at a big game night. Similarly, Ice-T and T-Pain got into the suicide door trend by not only putting them on their vehicles, but also rapping about them.
Ok, ok. You have decided to get vertical doors, but here is the hard part…which ones to get? AutoLoc was one of the first to manufacture aftermarket vertical doors, and their products are still one of the best. They offer doors that swing up a full ninety degrees, and are direct bolt-on, with no welding or drilling. Further, they offer doors that are either manual or automatic. With a touch of a button, your doors can be pointing to the sky.
Other manufacturers, such as GT Factory and MimoUSA, have jumped on the vertical doors bandwagon, producing high-quality Lambo doors of their own. In fact, GT Factory is known for their suicide doors that open to a full one-hundred and eighty degrees. However, GT Factory’s installation is slightly more complicated than AutoLoc’s, requiring about fifty percent weld on, but GT Factory’s lifetime warranty and phenomenal technical support seem to make up for the extra installation requirements.
The truth is, there are an extremely wide variety of vertical doors on the market, today. The potential buyer must ask themselves what they want from their new Lambo doors. Do they want manual or automatic? Do they want ninety degrees, one-hundred and eighty degrees or straight up? All of these will affect one’s decision on which vertical doors to buy, but potentially the most important question remains…what is my budget?
Vertical doors range in price from roughly $700 to $6000. One’s budget will ultimately affect which vertical doors they decide to put on their car, but either way, they will be the talk of their block.
Jennifer Lassiter
Drifting has become a phenomenon, not just for teenagers and young adult men, but women and older adults are participating in this most unusual sport. There is quite a large debate among drifters as to what cars can actually drift, what cars are best for drifting and what cars can absolutely not drift.
Our focus will be on whether or not the Nissan 300zx can drift, is it considered a good drifter and how does the weight of the 300zx affect its drifting capabilities. Nissan Sport Magazine is the expert Nissan magazine, and they love to see exactly what Nissan’s are capable of. In 2005, Nissan Sport Magazine decided to test the 300zx Twin Turbo and the 300zx 2 + 2, to see what they were capable of in the drifting arena.
Before we drift, what exactly do we know about the 300zx that makes it different than the “typical” drifting car?
o The 300zx is FAST! The ability to reach 60 mph in around 5 – 6 seconds makes it an incredibly quick sports car, and with engine modifications, turbo modifications, or boost kits…it is even faster.
o The 300zx is heavy. The 300zx weighs in at a little over 3,500 lbs! This was and still is unheard of in what is considered to be a fast, agile sports car.
Many so-called “experts” claim that the 300zx can’t drift because of its weight. Well, Nissan Sport Magazine wanted to find out if this was truth or myth. Let’s see what their road tests showed:
o You CAN drift the ZX! It has an amazing right turn drift, but it requires an experienced drifter. Where some cars can be drifted by first-timers, the 300zx is not one of those. A key factor to drifting this particular ZX is the E-Brake. The emergency brake requires a harder jerk than other cars, due to the type of brakes that are on this model.
o The four drifts that were conducted on this ZX model completely destroyed a set of high-end Bridgestone tires!
o Nissan Sport Magazine also noted that less wheel flicking and more throttle, creates a better drift in the ZX. What additional factors play into drifting the 300zx?
Modify, modify, and modify some more! You can customize your braking system with performance brakes, you can use sup-up the turbo with a turbo kit, or simply do some minor tweaks with air intake and strut bars. Ok…so now you know what it takes to drift, but you have to find the best place to get your modification parts. I ALWAYS use Modified 300zx.
Jennifer Lassiter
In 1989 the R32 GTS-T was born with specifications way ahead of its time. The R32 was smaller in size compared to the old boxed shaped R31, looking much more like a sports car than a family sedan. The box shape was refined dramatically and the famous round stove top tail lights were retained. The interior was dramatically improved to make you actually feel like your sitting in a sports car.
The silky smooth RB20DET engine suits was introduced to the R32 and really compliments the car well but lacks a little torque.. The 158kw is produced by a 2 liter, twin cam, inline 6, with variable valve timing on the engines intake. Air is forced into the engine via a turbocharger with a ceramic exhaust wheel for quick spooling. Air is further cooled via side mounted air to air intercooler. All this technology back in 1989 meant the Skyline was capable of achieving 0-100 in 6.5 seconds and the 400m sprint in 14.8 seconds.
Driving the R32 is fantastic it weighs 1320kg’s and is equipped with independent multilink suspension on all 4 corners. This equates to a direct steering feel and great handling. Another technical gadget shared with its bigger GTR brother is a 4 wheel steering system called HICAS, which stands for High Capacity Actively Controlled Steering. This system as the name suggests actively steers the rear when cornering, the amount the rear wheels turn is depended on speed and cornering angle. This device seems to reduce under-steer giving the Skyline a flatter cornering feel.
Tuning potential for the R32 is fantastic add a nice free flowing exhaust and intake and the RB20DET really comes to life and sounds great too. You can add another 25+kw to the factory claimed 158kw with these 2 modifications alone. Stiffer sway-bars front and rear will drastically improve the already fantastic handling. In Australia a Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T coupe can be picked up for 10-14 thousand pounds this is good value for money for amount of performance they deliver.
The 2010 Nissan 370z is getting ready to hit the markets along with 2010 Nissan Maxima by the end of year 2010. It will be released as a replacement to the 350Z sports car, and the prime competitors to the 2010 370z will be BMW 1-series, Mitsubishi Evos and Audi TT.
According to the sources of Car and Driver, it is expected that the next generation Nissan 370Z will use wider and lighter platform. It will be powered by the new 3.7 liter V6 engine that can produce power levels of up to 330 hp and will be included with 7-speed dual clutch transmission from GT-R.
The 2010 Nissan 370z is expected to be debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which is going to be held few months later. The base trim of the vehicle will be mated to the 6-speed manual, while 7-speed automatic transmission will be offered at higher costs. The price of the base model will be around $29,930, while the coupe version will be priced a little higher around the $32k mark. The variant with 7-speed dual clutch transmission will cost around $31,230.
The touring package will be mated with the 6-speed manual and the cost of this will be around $34,460. The automatic version of the same model will cost around $35,760. The new features that are expected to be included in the Touring model are heather leather appointed power seats, universal transceiver, home Link, Bluetooth hands free phone system, aluminum pedals, 8-speaker Bose audio system, cargo cover and XM Satellite radio. The other paints like Chicane yellow and premium paint color will be offered optionally.
Nissan Maxima will also be coming your way along with the new 370Z; so keep an eye on both these amazing speedsters.
|
|