Stages of Life

[KJShover]

In the tuner world, rides are set up in "Stages." A group of modifications. ie Stg one would be simple mods, two would be a little more heavy mods, etc.

If the Vmax mods were set up in stages, what do you think the mods per stage would be?

 

[GREEN light BLITZ]

Hard to say...slip ons are a stage one I'm thinkin.how high are we goin? 0-5? 0-10?

 

[KJShover]

Hard to say...slip ons are a stage one I'm thinkin.how high are we goin? 0-5? 0-10?

I don't know. I'm thinking a 0 to a 5+ would be a good range.
I haven't found a "stage" for the Vmax. So I thought; what a better way to create one, is have one thats put together by the owners. Also I think it should be for "total bike." where as everything is included (improved seat, bodywork, lighting, wheels as well as the performance HP stuff) and not just engine enhancements. I think this will make things a little more in tune whats going on with the Vmax instead of just focusing on the engine.

 

[KJShover]

I'm thinking of a couple of ways to compile the info.

1) Grouping of the mods. Just have to divide them up and deside where to put them in thier respective stage. Not very accurate, but gives you a list.

2) List all the mods, no matter how trivial. (more mods, more accurate list can be). Then assign a numerial value to the mod, ie. Fan switch = 2, T-boost = 2.5, Cams = 25 etc. Then decide how high on the scale is the stages. Stk = 0, Stg1 = 50pts, Stg2 = 300 etc...

Any other ideas?

 

[KJShover]

Here is an example from a 300ZX forum.

Stillen's Chart TT
1=Hi-flow Intake,
2=Exhaust,
3=computer,
4=pulley,
5=ignition upgrade,
6=flywheel,
7=intercooler,
8=boost controller,
9=racepipes,
10=cam gears,
11=injectors,
12=turbo upgrade,
13=exhaust manifolds,
14=NO Injection,
15=cams,
16=E.H.Plenums,
17=Pistons,
18=connecting rods

Stillen's Chart NA
1=Intake
2=Exhaust
3=ECU
4=pulley
5=headers
6=ignition upgrade
7=flywheel
8=cams
9=E.H. Plenums
10=Nitrous

SGP Racing's Chart for TT
90-96 Nissan 300zx-TT
Staged Upgrades

STAGE 0
Stock 280-300HP

SGP STAGE I
JWT POP Charger/Underdrive Pulley
305-325HP@10PSI
Improved Low End Response

SGP STAGE II
JWT ECU Upgrade
365-380HP@12-14PSI
Removes Limiters/Expands Fuel, Timing,
and Boost Maps/Increases Boost

SGP STAGE III
SGP Test Pipes/Gut Pre-Cats
385-400HP@12-14PSI
This Upgrade Will Shock You!

SGP STAGE IV
Cat Back Exhaust
400-415HP@12-14PSI
No Exhaust Restriction/Great Boost Response-Car Pulls Hard

SGP STAGE V
Boost Controller
420-435HP@15PSI
Steady Boost Response;Control/Solid 15PSI Of Boost

SGP STAGE VI
JWT NOS System
490-505HP@15PSI
Car Shoots Out Of The Hole/System Engaged Until 10PSI

SGP STAGE VII
Intercoolers / Radiator Upgrade
495-510HP@15PSI
A Must Have For Future Upgrades/Increased Cooling Efficiency

SGP STAGE VIII
JWT Twin POP
510-525HP@15PSI
No Intake Resrtiction/Turbos Will Sing

SGP STAGE IX
Ported Trottle Bodies/Matched Intake
515-530HP@15PSI
Car Now Ready For Injector/Turbo Upgrade

SGP STAGE X
555 / 740 / 850cc Injector Upgrade
530-545HP@17PSI
Now Able To Increase Boost/Upgrade Turbos

SGP STAGE XI
Sport 500 Turbos
555-575HP@17-21PSI

If you plan to go above this stage, engine upgrading is suggested for durability reasons. The next stages will take you above 500RWHP! If you plan to take your Z over the 650RWHP mark, you will need a higher capacity Fuel Delivery system. please check the Fuel system section for more info on how SGP can help.

Greddy TD05-16G Kit
560-605HP@17-21PSI

SGP Racing TD05-18G Upgrade for the Greddy Kit
(Cam Upgrade Required)
620-675HP@17-25PSI

SGP Racing TD06-20G Upgrade for the Greddy Kit
(Cam Upgrade Required)
This kit has 650-750 RWHP Capability +

SGP STAGE XII
Cam Upgrade/SGP Head Package

Package Includes Three Angle Valve Job, Port & Polish

Race Package Includes Five Angle Valve Job, Port & Polish, New Valve Seats for the SST or Alloy Oversize Valves,& Bronze Valve Guides.
Valve Springs, Cams, and Retainers are required for this level, and are not inluded in Race Package.

SGP Racing's Chart for NA
STOCK
222HP

SGP STAGE I
JWT POP Charger/Underdrive Pulley
238HP
Improved Low End Response

SGP STAGE II
JWT ECU Upgrade
250HP
Removes Limiters/Expands Fuel and Timing

SGP STAGE III
Exhaust
(also ALC for Auto)
262HP
Less Exhaust Restriction

SGP STAGE IV
Stillen Headers
279HP "Gain with NOS only"
We ONLY Reccomend These for NOS cars,Better Low End Torque

SGP STAGE V
Ported Throttle Bodies and Matched Intake
290HP
Improved Throttle Response

SGP STAGE VI
Injector Upgrade/JWT NOS System
390HP
Hold On To Your Seat!

SGP STAGE VII
SGP Head Package
Package Includes (Street or Race Port)
& Five Angle Valve Job
420-430HP
Better Throttle Response

By request, i've compiled these. By no means are these definitive. These are just recommendations and do not need to be followed to the letter.
Naturally most of these stages are biased to what the vendor has for sale, so some stuff is missing. Driveshafts, different brand turbos, clutches, etc.etc. Feel free to use these as a guideline and edit as necessary for your application.

 

[SpecOps13]

See how close I can cross this over from what the Sportster stages are and what my thoughts are for the VMax.




Stage 0: Stock
--------------------------------------

Stage 1: Stock plus:
Air Cleaner
Full Exhaust
Rejetting (just jets, shim needles)
--------------------------------------

Stage 2: Stage 1 plus: adjustable Ignition Module.
--------------------------------------


Stage 2.5: Stage 1 and 2 plus Sean's or Stage 7 jet kit.
--------------------------------------


Stage 3: Stage 1-2.5 plus: cams and springs, heads work.
--------------------------------------


Stage 4: Stage 1-3 plus: bore and / or stroked motor.
--------------------------------------

Stage 5: Stage 1-4 plus: (or Nitrous injection and/or Supercharging.
--------------------------------------

Stage 6: Stages 1-5+ + Totally unlimited mods.

 

[KJShover]

Thats what I'm talking about. It would be pretty cool to have one for the Vmax.

I think that if this was done, then people could write up a critique of the stage thier in, this would give people a great guide to modding thier bike.

 

[SpecOps13]

All of the above is open to our discussion. We can establish what we consider VMax Stages. We've
got many of the leading experts on the subject right here... Good project for us to do....

 

[KosRider]

I like where you're going with this SpecOps13. My only suggestion is to swap the 2.0 and 2.5 around; I think the adjustable ignition module should come after a Sean's / Stage 7 jet kit mod. Just my 2 cents...

 

[The Beekeeper]

I like this topic too, I'm not sure if nitrous or supercharging should be rolled into a particular stage tho, I would think it should stand alone as a mod, just thinking...........................Tom.

 

[CaptainKyle]

I think suspension should be in the stages some where.

 

[dmax1]

I would say each stage you perform and in what order are up to each individual riders style and comfort zone. I do agree with the idea of having a staged system of mods would be a great idea. I find this will be a very iintresting thread. :biglaugh:

 

[Fire-medic]

This just in, from Milwaukee:
Ok I propose going by odd #'s, i.e., Stage 1-3-5-7, any more after that? This way you can group things w/more leeway. Current nomenclature is sure to be a source of conjecture (why do you call a jet kit 'Stage 7' & group it in stage 3 or 5?) and do you need to include 'everything' in a lower class in the higher class? I suggest 'no, you do not.'

People have different priorities. Making a bike go around corners well is low on the list for someone who is going for acceleration, so that person may go to a chain drive, big bore motor, head work, advanced ignition capabilities, but be perfectly content w/dropping the front forks in the trees & shorter shocks. I think in most peoples' minds that earns Stage 7 but to the person who wants to make their bike handle to better keep pace w/their friends on modern sportbikes, 17" wheels, radial tires, & USD forks w/Ohlins shocks allows them to make better use of their bike's power. So, no big-bore kit, no igniton cutout for shifting or modding advances, no polished combusrion chambers/big valves, etc. & no stage 7 rank.

People will spend their $$$ where they see fit to improve their bike's performance. Consequently, the idea of a higher # stage including all of the numbers below that in mods is not going to apply 'across the board.'

 

[KJShover]

This just in, from Milwaukee:
Ok I propose going by odd #'s, i.e., Stage 1-3-5-7, any more after that? This way you can group things w/more leeway. Current nomenclature is sure to be a source of conjecture (why do you call a jet kit 'Stage 7' & group it in stage 3 or 5?) and do you need to include 'everything' in a lower class in the higher class? I suggest 'no, you do not.'

People have different priorities. Making a bike go around corners well is low on the list for someone who is going for acceleration, so that person may go to a chain drive, big bore motor, head work, advanced ignition capabilities, but be perfectly content w/dropping the front forks in the trees & shorter shocks. I think in most peoples' minds that earns Stage 7 but to the person who wants to make their bike handle to better keep pace w/their friends on modern sportbikes, 17" wheels, radial tires, & USD forks w/Ohlins shocks allows them to make better use of their bike's power. So, no big-bore kit, no igniton cutout for shifting or modding advances, no polished combusrion chambers/big valves, etc. & no stage 7 rank.

People will spend their $$$ where they see fit to improve their bike's performance. Consequently, the idea of a higher # stage including all of the numbers below that in mods is not going to apply 'across the board.'

I agree. This is why I was thinking if a number system would work. If every mod had an assigned number. Then point acumulation would decide the stage level and not a particular part. This way, if a person were to go monkey wild on thier suspension, it would reflect in the point system.

The stages can even be broken down to rider preference;

• All bike = AB
• Suspension = S
• Engine = E

For an example, Titts McGee rides a Vmax with a stage 3 engine, stage 5 suspension, and an overall stage 6-AB.

Tallying up the numbers that were assigned to the mods, in thier respective group (E,S), would give you the stage for that group.

Where the All-bike would be tallyed up like the S and E, with the tallying of the numbers from both S and E.

 

[ninjaneer]

what a great discussion. it was slightly touched upon in the earlier posts (lighting, seats, comfort), and i'm not really shocked to see that the "performance" mods are receiving the brunt of the attention, but i believe that there is probably a "cosmetic" mods classification that needn't be ignored. this will undoubtedly complicate the matter even more--where there are ways to measure the improvements of a performance mod to a certain extent and thusly simplify the classifying of the mod into a certain stage, a cosmetic mod certainly is a subjective bias. but like, i think it was fire-medic, said people have different priorities for their coin. it will be interesting to see what y'all think about this aspect of "staging" mods, and how it will evolve if it the members warrant it. i mean, and i could be totally off the mark with this line of thinking but different staging of let's say the paint (stock vs. rattle can vs graphics) and then frame vs faux tank vs scoops; and bolt-on vs hand-fabs; and then steel vs aluminum vs fiberglass vs carbon fiber). then you got seats--stock, hand-shaved, bolt-on (maxgasser, sportsmax, corbin, muscle seat), and upholstery (vinyl, cowhide, ostrich, gator), etc, etc. and then you got those that want to pimp out their maxes with LEDs (whether it's for the brake light, turn signal, or for just plain blinging up a show).

lastly i didn't see it in the earlier stage suggestions, but i believe a clutch mod fits somewhere in the "performance" stages. also caliper upgrades and master cylinder upgrades

{EDIT} were electrical upgrades mentioned? battery, stator, r/r, shorts (eg, directly wiring the r/r to the battery), crimp solder, heavy-duty ground cable, what else

 

[Fastatv]

Pretty cool idea you have here KJ. I would recommend you creat a "master" list here that everyone can contribute to...should be a very long list. Once list is completed, then catorgorize this probably rather long list into the stages...then look for agreement/feedback. In the stages, possibly list cost/approx mod time/gains/degree of mod difficulty/if applicable, link to mods, etc.. Really could be a large list but as you or someone mentioned, what a benefit to the folks "tuning".

 

[SpecOps13]

As I said, it's all open for discussion. We can run several categories, Stage of engine based on expected hp output, handling mods based on expected improvement and cosmetic mods from mild to wild... We could even have a category for comfort mods... It's gonna take a lot of help to get this all put together but, we'll have something that's never been done... Great starting points have been given already for some of this. KJ, This was a Really Cool Idea.... People could have several different Stages in different categories..


Once we have this completed, we can make up a thread like the parts compatability list and keep the up to date info in the first post of the thread for easy access and have it stickied in an appropriate forum heading..

 

[twistedmax]

IMHO, All the perfomance mods one can do are worthless without Comfort(unless your riding 1/4 mile at a time) the stock seat seems to be one of if not the first thing to go.

 

[CaptainKyle]

I will probably just kick back & watch this now. Every one is gonna have things they do first & some think are more important than others. In the end its the persons bike & as long as they like it do stages really Matter ?

 

[ninjaneer]

IMHO, All the perfomance mods one can do are worthless without Comfort(unless your riding 1/4 mile at a time) the stock seat seems to be one of if not the first thing to go.

I don't think anyone will disagree with you, but with all due respect, I think the identification and classification of mods is much more important than priorties--like what was previously said, everyone has different priorties and different tastes--all of which each and everyone one of us is entitled to. I personally am not into trap times and such for my daily driver, but in the context of this thread, I am willing to accept the mods as equals from those who are more interested in quarter-mile jaunts than cross-country journeys.

Just my two cents--I just wanted to emphasise that this is a very worthwhile endeavour and we should try to keep this on topic.

regards from my tapatalking android...