will £8k buy a 400 bhp skyline?
if so:
will it be decent for this money?
if so:
has anyone got one for sale?
if so:
let me know

 

yes

depends, alot of abused shit out there.

try Jay on here has an R33GTR thats probably for sale, get it running a bar of boost and that will be about 400bhp.

 

1 bar on the standard map is around 365bhp on the R33

 

loads on pistonheads and GTR board dojj

 

8k will get you a nice 32 with way more than 400, and prob will get you a (gay!) 33 with "400bhp" (ie stg1 mods, more like 360-380 depends what tranny loss you believe).

Everyone has them for sale, jus go look on the GTR forum.

 

thank you all, but i'm making enquiries ebcause it's osmethng i know more than nothing about

so, without going onto the other forums and asking all sorts of silly newbie questions and getting no answers her are some more:

is the 33 a better car than the 32 or is it the other way around?

what years were they produced?

will it be more difficult to source bits for an imported version (assuming they wern't sold her originally)?

what are the main things to look for when viewing?

how reliabile will it be with 400 horses?

what are the consumables like cost wise for general running about if you don't spend on fancy brakes and engine bits?

what goes wrong that is costly to fix?

why sholdn't i take it to ea?

who is the best place to take it to for getting looked at?

who is the best place local to west london to go and get it looked at?

what should work that peole will say does work without having the ability to check if it does or not?

any lights that need to be on when the ignition is on that shoudl go out when the cars up and running?

do they need to run on a specific fuel?

anything else you can think of that will be relevant?

 

is the 33 a better car than the 32 or is it the other way around?
almost identical barring the 32 is a fair bit lighter, and the 33 looks totally different.

what years were they produced?
32 is late 89 till 94 i think. 33 is 94 till i dunno, 98 i think?

will it be more difficult to source bits for an imported version (assuming they wern't sold her originally)?
nissan can get you ALL the bits from the dealer no problem, and quickly, and some of the tuners can get it even faster and even quicker. even dead rare parts.

what are the main things to look for when viewing?
if they are fucked usual stuff really, plenty of buying guides on GTR forum, go looksie

how reliabile will it be with 400 horses?
you mean "stage1" (ie 360-380bhp that most people call 400) or real 400. if done well, both would be relaiable as standard. and boring and slow IMO

what are the consumables like cost wise for general running about if you don't spend on fancy brakes and engine bits?
fuel is a lot of money these days

what goes wrong that is costly to fix?
big end bearings go, turbos shit out their ceramic exhaust wheels, ignition coils die, etc. and tho all other bits are mega strong, if anything does break, its a lot of cash

why sholdn't i take it to ea?
because they are absolute jokers

who is the best place to take it to for getting looked at?
if london way, then GarageD in Watford, or RK Tuning, in, somewhere else nearby

who is the best place local to west london to go and get it looked at?
see above

what should work that peole will say does work without having the ability to check if it does or not?
eh

any lights that need to be on when the ignition is on that shoudl go out when the cars up and running?
i cant remember, but oil and battery of course it has a front torque gauge tho that does things and stuff. again, check buying guides on GTR forum

do they need to run on a specific fuel?
super unleaded minimum, but IMO it needs to be checked even thats safe as jap fuel is good, esp if the cars been remapped at some point in japan

anything else you can think of that will be relevant?
dont do it seriously tho, they ace cars that sound amazing, but i just not a huge fan of lightly modded ones, better cars out there IMO for the money.
oh and the 4 wheel steering sucks, may go wrong, and sucks. dead easy to lock and/or remove anyhow, solving all issues cheaply

 

my black one is for sale.

hks exhaust,decat,trust downpipe.induction kit,blow off valves,ally rad.
goes pretty well.
8k would buy it..............

 

No way you will find a 33 with 400hp for 8k as for a true 400hp you need to uprate the turbos and that is quite costly.

You will get a 32 with 450 for 8k if you speak to ron at rk tuning as he has one for sale as we speak.

You need to start it from cold big time and if it has any rattle and it has not been rebuilt with different pistons then walk away. at least 5 i looked at were rattley as F**k

I tool 2 months to find mine and it still is A1 and i drive it hard. its running a bar of boost and its powerfull although nowhere near as powerfull as it needs to be. it will be going in to have turbos done but it costs 2k fitted then ecu which is about 400 second hand then 300 for mapping.

Then you have about 420hp 450hp (genuine) and the fun can begin. Injectors head gasket and a few other bits and youre at 500. turbos if you get the right ones

HKS-5S will take you to 650hp so im told.

I love my one, comfort reliabilty and power not to mention awesome handling. It really is the complete package for the money. but really you need 10-12k for a nice 400 hp one especially if you want midnight purple.......

Hope this helps. anything else just let me know

Mines always run on vmax.

Stavros what can you get with 380hp and amazing reliability for 8k.

 

They can do 400bhp, but wont last too long.

What ECU is that? You can live map the stock ECU you know.

They are called GTSS and wont make a real 650 in a million years, not even 600.

Supra, Soarer, Chaser, Aristo, etc etc, would get examples of all of them with that power, be a fuck sight more reliable IMO, and that cash or less.

 

Hi mate

No i mean 2860-5 not he shitty s (GTSS) version (sorry my fault) and they will take to 600 hp without any major stress.


Ecu i mean is apexi Fc which everybody changes to due to not many people supporting mapping on the standard ecu (i know they can be but no one wants to for some reason)

Anything over 1.2 bar and the turbos will shit themselves nearly strieght away so its not really possible to get 400 hp definately not reliably.

Soarer is a shockingly poor handling car, A supra in my opinion is a great looking car but hard to find a nice one with low miles in a manual 6 speed for 8k and they struggle to be as reliable as a skyline.

They are good though and i do fancy owning one.

I havent become an overnight fanboy or nothing i just love the car, im still not bored of it and the tuning possibilities are endless. There arnt that many standard internal engines that can take 500hp all day long.

It was due to one of youre threads that i went for a R33 so i do take what you say on board as you are very knowledgable on the jap cars but i just cant say that he shouldnt own one.

In my opinion buy jays one, 8k is a fair price as long as its a nice one and isnt rattling.

 

Fair enough, 2860-5s are way bigger, and yeah, can push up to 650odd no bother.

Soarers handle as well as anything else with uprated suspension, multi link all round, basically exactly same underneath as Supras and Chasers.
Supras are massivley more reliable than GTRs too.
Being RWD means they not so sure footed, but thats RWD for you, depends if you like RWD, different people want different things.

People like to say stock RB26s can do 500bhp "all day long", and im happy to push mine to 600bhp on stock internals, but I dont think "all day long" is all that realistic, its rare to find any hard used stock RB26 that doesnt shat its pants after a while, and 1J's and 2J's certainly seem to last longer at that power.

Main problem with GTRs are even though you can say how great stock internals are, when changing turbos is gonna set you back 2k it dont make much difference if you saving on buying internals when bolt on bits are such a rip.

Skyline GTRs and RB26s are great cars and great engines, but value for money I dont think they are that great at all. Well, cars are to buy, but tuning and fixing is bloody horrendous.

I love the RB26 in my car, a big bastard engine that sounds amazing and can rev to 8k+ as standard, but I wish it didnt have it still. Will be wishing that even more soon as it breaks, and I bet its not too long coming.

Fuck all torque too really, but just got to get used to revving them like a Honda Type-R!

 

Lol yeah you do have to rev it, gonna go through some clutches i think.

I agree with the tuning costs 2.5 k for ecu turbos and fitting the lot is a lot. some backstreet garage will rebuild a cosworth for that, but then it couldnt do 500 bhp without spending 3 times that.

Youre car must really give a kick as its also light. there is a 850hp r33 at rons at the moment for sale that had easily over 20k spent on it (wheels were 2200 and brakes were 3k)and its currently up for sale for

17k.

What does that tell you about not getting youre money back lol

I wouldnt want that sort of bhp rwd im afraid, not for me.

There is this skyline tax that everyone talks about that really does hurt youre pockets but i think if you stick with the right tuner you will be fine.

Im possibly a bit different because of my bad experience in the past. The money ive spent on this is nothing compared to what ive wasted on cosworths and if i was to put 10k into this id have 700-800hp and wouldnt be breaking gearboxes and diffs everytime i wanted to pull away. Should break 200mph aswell.

But my advice to Dojj is still to buy one, You have to try these things and it wont hurt if he gets a good one. And you never know he might love it.

 

You reckon youd have a genuine reliable 700-800bhp Skyline GTR for 10k worth of work?

Thats less likely than your Cossie engine on pump fuel making the 600bhp it was supposed to.

 

well for 7k more martin was saying it would so ill take his word for it as he know a thing or two. (that was including hydralic clutch and all the other bits you need) that you get already with a 33.

for 18k i can have 1000+ hp RB3.1 built with all new bits built by one of the best in the game. (thats just the engine).

So yes i think 10k with the right tuner would get me somewhere in that ballpark (nismo blocks are pricey though), might not ne able to brake but would certainly be fast.

 

Trust me, I have specced, paid for, and owned a 900bhp RB30 engine etc, and know what GTR bits cost.

If your paying the usual suspects I dont think for a second youd get close to a reliable 700-800bhp for 10k inc mapping, labour, all the ancilliaries. Not even if you got RIPS to supply you with the parts rather than getting ripped off in the UK.
At that power nothing standard barring inlet manifold is any good to you if you want reliability, and you may as well change that too. Nothing at all.

And then the stock box wont last long unless you driving in a way that even 400bhp is a waste, even after youve blown about twice your 10k budget getting everything ready.

Even RIPS list a "complete package" (ie turbos etc too) starting at just over 9k, then you gotta get it here from NZ, pay the taxes, buy the fuel system, the clutch, the managment, all the various ancilliaries, get it fitted, get it mapped, etc etc, and by the end of it you will be coming on for double your 10k budget.

And if you paid a UK Skyline "expert" to do the same (ie built it all) its safe to say itd be twice what RIPS will charge you, and then some.

If swapping to some direct replacment turbos on stock manifolds alone costs 2k, without the tons of supporting mods to make use of them, what you expect?

Trust me, been there, done that, know the prices even when saving cash massivley by doing stuff most people dont (ie fucking LOADS of research, buying abroad, and getting shit custom made), and its WAY more than 10k.

Seriously mate, its not as rosey as you think

 

Don't you just love 'intelligent advertising!

 

mate bought one a few months ago its a 95 v spec nismo,with nismo turbos and other nismo this and that,i had a go in it and it and was impressed.
he had a slight misfire +paid over 500 quid and it came back still the same then paid a grand and had a specialist check, service and tune it and the car howls up the road now.

 

mate bought one a few months ago its a 95 v spec nismo,with nismo turbos and other nismo this and that,i had a go in it and it and was impressed.
he had a slight misfire +paid over 500 quid and it came back still the same then paid a grand and had a specialist check, service and tune it and the car howls up the road now.

 

mine was in at abbey and they got it wrong so it really does pay to go with a reputable tuner

 

Fpmsl!! Idiots.

 

well now, that's a lot of info to be thinking about

i'mnot even the one buying the car, my cousins kid is as a stop gap

he was going to get an XK8 but it wasn't going to be soemthing you could get away wiht for a 25 year old

i've sent him all the various bits and obs that have been mentioned and a link to this post, not sure if he'll need to log in through to view it, but supra's were also mentioned in our conversation as well as a yank muscle car (dismissed for fuel and being wrong hand drive)

thanks for the info, it's been enlightening folks

 

 

WANK GUTLESS and unreliable engines in my opinion and experience!

Always a huge bill around the corner with an RB26 if you ask me!

Supra lump FAR superior and MUCH more reliable. Although I have not owned one to be fair....

Ebony you seem to have alot to learn about Skylines! YOUR only saving grace is you have picked a good tuner in Ron at RK. He won't rip you off. Very trust worthy and cheap for a UK Skyline tuner!

A nice R33 is a very capable car and great allrounder though and great to drive.... JUST BLOODY THIRSTY OLD THINGS!

 

well, enlightening if you listen to certain people, totally wrong if you listen to others

 

at least there are peole who know what to expect for what sort of money and what not to expect

the question of getting a 400bhp skyline for £8k though seems to be "you might be lucky, but do your homework first"

surely 360/380 isn't that far off the mark so why so much more to get the extra 20 brake?

 

as they rip you off 2000quid for a set of turbos that you need for a start

 

Because its not genuine 380 bhp without the turbos Dojj. Turbos are expensive mate but once you have bought them they will stay with you to 650hp.

I paid 2100 for my gt35 to just about make 600hp with all the bits for my cosworth so its not too bad is it.

Stavros does seem to know a thing or two and as i said it was down to some of his comments that i bought mine but it is always good to get views from more than one person.

either that or everyone would have supras which they quite clearly havnt.

Porkies comment on being WANK GUTLESS AND UNRELIABLE did make me laugh. True passionford advice through and through.

You would be far better with a standard cosworth engine where the head lifts off at 350hp lol.

Youre cousin really cant go wrong for the money but like any car you plan to modify you need money in reserve for when things go wrong, as long as he isnt stretching himself he will be fine.

 

he'd rather buy a sorted motor and be done with it, rather than pissing about modding a car he's driving

and as he wants to use it as a normal everyday car, is it asking too much?

 

not atall mate 350hp is still punchy enough and really reliable at that aswell. Either that or get him to increase his budget to 10k and he may find a 400+ one.

Best to get him to drive an r32 lots of people prefer them and you will pick 400+ bhp one up for 8k.

Good luck with the hunt.

 

fucking hell Dojj, your sierra 24v twin turbo is up and running and you want a GTR as well
have you come into money ?

 

its not for Dojj, its for someone else

 

2100 for what? Certainly not just for the turbo, unless you got ripped off WAY worse than I thought.

Eh? Lee owned a fucking 550bhp R34GTR for fucking years, he KNOWS about them, and IMO he fairly right.
You have owned a very lightly modified one a few weeks and have a history of beleiving anything a tuner tells you and getting TOTALLY ripped off, and you think his advice would be less reliable than yours?

WTF

dogshit slow feeling even at 400bhp in my opinion, and properly torqueless. tho maybe im not easily pleased.

 

is it going to be a better purchase than an XK8 is what he wants to know

i said it's going to make him look not as out of place behind the wheel as he's only 25 or so

 

With GTR's, can you not just get a big single, some injectors and then wack the boost up like like on a stage 3 YB and get some torque?

 

Come back when you have owned one for more than a few weeks....





thats my Skyline R34 GTR... hardly a snotter was it.

Dyno'd at 522bhp....

I ran 3 500bhp+ cars for a long while together! The Skyline was the most unreliable, cost the most to run, was thirtiest and was the slowest in a straightline by a mile and FELT FOOKING GUTLESS compared to the Cossie and the 911....

It was however EASILY the best looking in my opinion!




SO to summarise... JOG ON!

as I DO fooking know what I am talking about!

True passionford advice??? YES!!! and its normally VERY good advice!

 

NIce garage and cars porkies

 

I'd be touching some wood ASAP...

then I'd get a Jun or Tomei oil pump fitted sharpish...

RB26's especially old r32 and r33 engines are timebombs nowadays...

They WILL do the bottom end at some point if not rebuilt!

get the bearings replaced.

and as for a YB head lifting at 350bhp?? what?

sadly Patrick the Sierra has now gone

he will be back though I hope one day!

the Skyline can fook off though! I miss looking at it ALOT but I don't miss driving or paying for it AT all!

 

Yes porkie very nice, Extremely good looking mate. I personally prefer the 34 to the porsche any day of the week. and i wouldnt be the only person out there to say that.

i am confused how you can say 522 bhp in a skyline is wank and gutless, People dream of having the sort of cars you have owned (me included). and one day i will, i am after all only just 25 and currently only have a 300k house (Paid For) and 25k of toys around me so obviosly im not in youre league yet mate but give me time and ill try to aspire to youre level.

did you have to rebuild youre R34, how many miles had it done if you dont mind me asking. skyline ownership is a learning curve and passionford is not the only way that i can learn more. So forgive me if what im getting told here is completely different to what people are saying anywhere else.

i must have took 20 people out in my car most of them being from cosworth backgrounds and they all agree its punchy enough at the moment and certainly no one has called it wank gutless and slow.

I too have had 5 m3s 3 400hp+ cosworths a 420hp subaru, lots and lots of other performance cars (obviosly no where near what you have had).

Also my dad was a semi profesional rally driver for 12 years so ive had the privelage of being in and driving some seriosly quick cars including M5. audi quattro rally car. amg sl55. audi rs4.

I also have an r6 at the moment as a bit of a toy.

so please dont think i dont know what is fast and slow.

My point about the head was that if you whack the boost up on a standard cosworth without doing anything to it, under the higher boost the head can lift (its that well built).

all i was trying to say is every car unmodified of this age is not exactly quick.

my standard 50k miles saff was shit and slow and wank as you put it.

if i could spend as much on my car with the best tuner in the country (as martin is) as you did on youre 3 door and im sure it would be a good race.

this site is like a my nobs bigger that youres convention jesus no wonder lots of the old faces left.

maybe its because its typing obviosly you cant hear my voice but im not having a go or being lairy in the slightest (unlike stavros) just trying to put a constructive argument.

by the way i definately want the wheels now as they look the nuts on youre car porkie....

 

So was I... and I really wasn't trying to be flash, I was pointing out that I DO know what I am talking about.

Its the lack of torque that makes a Skyline feel Gutless.

MOST people I know that have had Skylines have engine problems.

They just have this aura of being bombproof when in reality they really aren't and have MORE inherent problems than a YB! not less!

Cossies engines are only unreliable when they get DIY'd badly or poorly modded or not maintained as they get old.

Same as Skylines engines that are now reaching that ages and having same bodges done!

I still REALLY like R33 GTR's and WOULD reccomend one. They have awesome presence, are big, comfy, fast and great handling cars and strong transmission.

But they are thirsty, can be unreliable and a 500bhp Porsche engine feels and pulls alot harder from anywhere in the rev range.

Me and Maria raced them a few times and the 911 would just WALK away from the Skyline.

As I said though I do still like R33 and think they offer fantastic value for money and would MUCH rather have one than a Saff..

You are in good hands with Ron at RKtuning. He won't rip you off and knows them very well.