5.3 Liter for the Datassun

"DatASSun" (DatASSun) 01/20/2014 at 12:01 • Filed to: datassun, Datsun, LSSwap, lsx, v8swap, Motorswap

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It didn't really fit too well .. but after removing the intake it slid right in .. no KY needed ..

No tie downs or straps of any kind ... was pretty damn difficult to get it out of the car ..

So here we have it the 2nd step in my Datsun 280z LS swap .. I now have :

1) t56 6 Speed Transmission from a 2002 Camaro ("Fully built" whatever that mean)

1) 6 Puck Clutch

1) LM4 5.3 Liter from a Izuzu Acender .. My thoughts on this is that this is probably coming out of a grandpas Izuzu and not a SSR from a middle life crisis Burnout'er ... I hope the engine wasn't molested ..

We got it back to the shop and pulled some plugs .. They all look to be pretty damn good .. with AC Delco Plugs and Wires makes me think this motor was taken care of (:

Now I need LS1 Intake manifold , Engine Harness and ECU ! anyone have one please please please let me know !

Also saw some randow Dallas Fort Worth cars along the way here are 2 of them

mycarneverruns87 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:08

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Nice! Aluminum 5.3s are not as common. Good find and good luck on the build

maximillious > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:08

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what datsun are you putting this into?

Nibby > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:09

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What is the car in the first 2 photos?

TurboSloth > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:12

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280z

LS swap

I like you. I like the way you think. How much was the engine and transmission? Also, how do you plan to mount the engine to the body? Any place to get the proper adapters for the mounts?

Also, do you know where I can find all LS parts that are compatible with Vortec engines?

Please, keep us updated (mainly keep me updated, I cant wait to see how this turns out).

Argent > Nibby 01/20/2014 at 12:15

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Kia Spectra hatchback maybe?

Argent > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:16

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280z LS swap...you're livin' the dream man.

d00mZ > maximillious 01/20/2014 at 12:18

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People don't read don't they lol

DatASSun > Argent 01/20/2014 at 12:23

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Doesn't seem like it always .. Theres a lot of effort , time and money put into this LS swap and I still dont know exactly what else I need to buy besides a radiator , alternator , A/c Compressor , Drive shaft , Intake Manifold , Ecu , Harness..

Hopefully the rest will fall in place but the LS swap is more of a burden at this point with constant worry about "will it be done in time for TX2k14"

MonkeePuzzle > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:23

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oh my! I'd love to drop an LS1 in that... if you know what I mean ;)

(I meant it literally)

DatASSun > TurboSloth 01/20/2014 at 12:25

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Car-Parts.com is the easiest way to find a motor I knew I wanted the all aluminum version to keep my car somewhat light and so I found out what that motor came out of then narrowed my search down by that ..

Good thing is that although the aluminum 5.3 is worth more the junk yards dont know that and just price them as Cast Iron blocks .. So you luck out there I paid 757.45 with tax and a 6 month warranty on the motor !

DatASSun > mycarneverruns87 01/20/2014 at 12:25

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Good thing is that although the aluminum 5.3 is worth more the junk yards dont know that and just price them as Cast Iron blocks .. So you luck out there I paid 757.45 with tax and a 6 month warranty on the motor !

DatASSun > Nibby 01/20/2014 at 12:26

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Kia Spectra 5 . It's my womans cars .

DatASSun > Argent 01/20/2014 at 12:26

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Kia Spectra 5 . It's my womans cars .

DatASSun > maximillious 01/20/2014 at 12:27

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1976 280z .. makes it the easiest out of the 3 styles 240z 260z 280z because the rear end can hold the power and the car is overall more beefy then earlier versions ..

Takuro Spirit > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:27

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*sigh*

I need to get the cash together to get an LS to swap into my T/A soon.

DatASSun > MonkeePuzzle 01/20/2014 at 12:28

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This is just a car we saw along the way .. if I had to judge its a show car because it was way too clean and had stock exhaust .

DatASSun > Takuro Spirit 01/20/2014 at 12:29

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you can pick up motors for about 500 on the low end .. mounts should be another 500 or so .. then just put a 4L60e Transmission and call it good .. Should only cost you 2500 tops todo the swap .

TurboSloth > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:30

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I was hoping to go to a "pick it out yourself" junkyard if I ever needed an engine. Today I learned that the Izuzu Acender had a 5.3L V8.

Also, is there any other difference between a cast iron vs a aluminum block besides lightness? Is the aluminum one stronger?

Takuro Spirit > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:31

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I know, I know. Been saving. Still need to sell off the extra parts I have so I can have the capital.

Mounts are actually quite cheap, the expensive part is the trans crossmember, but I'll probably just make/modify one.

mycarneverruns87 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:33

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Not a bad deal, I got the friend of a friend hookup and paid $250 for my 01 5.3. I will have an aluminum block LS someday though.

mycarneverruns87 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:36

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DUUUDE I'm trying to finish my swap for TX2K14! I know the pain!

mycarneverruns87 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:37

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By the way, do you have your build posted anywhere?

DatASSun > mycarneverruns87 01/20/2014 at 12:47

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What swap ? where are you from ?

mycarneverruns87 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:49

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I am doing a swap into a fox body. I live in Missouri but have been to the nationals a couple times when I lived in Katy and worked at Hennessey

DatASSun > TurboSloth 01/20/2014 at 12:50

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No I think the Cast Iron block would hold more power .. but I dont plan on making much over 500 hp so I'm cool with the aluminum block not to mention from a L28E (6 Cyclinder Datsun 280z motor) there is no weight difference between a LS Aluminum motor and the 6 cylinder .

The transmission will be adding 30 - 40 pounds due to a stock 4 speed manual being in the car to a 6 speed manual

DatASSun > mycarneverruns87 01/20/2014 at 12:51

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If you worked at Hennessey you definitely know what you're doing more than I do . I really have no Idea what I'm going to do about a harness and ecu .. TBD I guess

mycarneverruns87 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 12:59

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No comment on that, until my car actually runs I won't say I know what I'm doing lol. I shall have a fire extinguisher at the ready when I turn the key.

Harness and ECU are not that bad. Use www.lt1swap.com for diagram info. There will only be less than 10 wires that you have to run to relays/fuse/pumps/gauges and what not. My issue is with my chassis harness...thats the hard part

DatASSun > mycarneverruns87 01/20/2014 at 13:01

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LT1swap.com will have info for my LS swap ?

mycarneverruns87 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 13:03

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Don't let the name confuse you. TONS of LS wiring info plus more

DatASSun > mycarneverruns87 01/20/2014 at 13:51

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Nope , I really dont have the time for a build thread but I dont know If I want everybody seeing how I do things .. Part of building this car to be my daily driver is the amount of research and effort I put in to know what I know .. Which is all on the internet .. I try my best to keep the oppos informed .

DatASSun > mycarneverruns87 01/20/2014 at 13:56

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Thanks man .. See you in houston is a few months

LuczOr > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 13:57

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You need one of these:

Accessory drive

DatASSun > LuczOr 01/20/2014 at 14:04

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Since the new motor weights the same as the old one I dont need to add power steering to the car .. Just a alternator and hopefully a A/c Compressor ..

Casper > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 14:08

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It's nice to a v8 swap done with a decent v8.

mycarneverruns87 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 14:09

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It is definitely time consuming to keep a build thread current...

LuczOr > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 14:19

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You should just ebay some used parts, but you will have to get a custom length serpentine belt.

DatASSun > Casper 01/20/2014 at 14:26

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Thanks man ..

PS9 > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 14:26

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I applaud your gumption, but no tie downs or straps at all? I would be...concerned. Having a 400 lb V8 roll over on you is no fun at all. Glad everyone got home okay.

Casper > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 14:58

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What suspension and brakes are you going to use with it?

DatASSun > Casper 01/20/2014 at 15:01

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I've already got stiffer suspension tech springs and tokico illumina shocks so I'm pretty much set there .. The brakes I plan on doing the brake conversion found here .. http://drivendaily.org/s30-toyota-bra… idk if the link works just copy and paste that ..

Idk if the brakes will be done in time for TX2k might just need to put a spot light at the front of the car and flash it to anyone slamming brakes in front of me ..

Casper > DatASSun 01/20/2014 at 15:08

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I ended up going with the Arizona Z car big brakes and 5 lug converting at the same time. Spendy, but all the parts are top quality.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 14:51

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Damn you Casper your suspension set up cost as much as my car .. 2600 for my datsun .. what did you pay ?

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 16:31

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The car when I started was around $3000 if I remember right, maybe $3500. I remember I paid more for it because I wanted less rust. Over time the scope of the project kept growing. Pretty much burnt all the money I had saved for a project and money from my S2000 on parts... I actually wrote a piece of software to track it all.

Now the scope has increased to include full under coating (and powder coating everything under the car that could be unbolted), bare metal up paint, etc... so yeah, I'm well over my initial budget. I would say parts alone are around $13,000-$14,000. This is also the first iteration. I will be coming back and doing turbo, injectors, ECU, etc... which will be another $4,000 or so, but not until end of the year or next year when I have tested it as it currently sits.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 16:35

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Whats the motor set up as it currently sits ? besides the NON set up lol ..

I actually wrote a piece of software to track it all.

So I dont have the same kind of money you do .. not even close .. my car has a small amount of rust .. or atleast I keep telling myself that .. and I dont make the kind of money you do ... wait I already said that .. We'll see if I can muster up the dollars to make it to TX2k14 .. will you be there? ???

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 16:43

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The engine I went with is an SR20DET. I wanted to get a better weight distribution and better power band for daily driving.... as well as tons of parts availability. When this car is all done it should be tuned down to somewhere around 350HP. I'm over building it, but I don't think I will want much more than 300-350 HP. I will probably set it up with multiple tunes as well for track days.

Doubtful, I don't get a chance to travel very far (I'm up in Oregon) but I might be trying to make it to Z nationals. Hopefully I'll get back down to Vegas as well, but who knows if it will be in the car or on my bike again.

Right now I have it being finalized in paint and some touch ups being done. Then I just need to address the fuel system. Managed to get a nice R200 LSD the other day, so that finished off the drive train. This is by far my most expensive Z to date. My autocross 240Z was a fraction this cost... but it also wasn't intended to be a daily driver as good as my S2000 either. This one is my take on making a new car from an old car for less than a good used car.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 16:47

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Nice how much did you drop on the LSD Diff .. thats another hurdle I'm pretty sketched about is my stock (open diff) R200 .. atleast I got the beefy rear end .. but no LSD ):

Car looks killer man .. I'm sure that SR weights a lot less then my 5.3 ... one of these days they will be at the same track and we'll find out whos is the best .. or who the best driver is lol

DatASSun > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 16:48

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funny as it seems I'm mostly curious as to who gets the best MPG .. I have a bigger motor but do have 6 speeds . while you have a smaller motor with boost and 5 speeds.. should be close or atleast I hope .

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 16:50

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I should get somewhere around 32 MPG according to Nissan's engine dynamics info... but it will all be determined by my final drive and what mapping I do on the ECU.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 16:53

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Sounds like you really kind sorta know what the hell your talking about ..

I like to think I'll get close to the same .. with the T56 transmission I should be able to take off in 2nd no problem to 4th to 6th .. to save gas .. I also plan on running normal unleaded 87 Octane !

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 16:55

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The LSDs were going for around $1000 without half shafts and stuff, so I tossed $600 in with the owner of the shop I work with to pick up a parts car, then I got to take the LSD, shafts, mustache bar, etc. So I got a killer deal. He needed the shell for another customer who was having him build a car.

You should work me over on the top end. My cornering potential and distribution will be a lot better being mid-engine, but it's always a crap shoot. The big difference if it's a road course will be the LSD. In road racing and autocross the single biggest performance improvement I have seen as far as times has been LSDs. It's crazy how much of a difference a good one can make in getting to the power earlier and more of it.

Did you ever look at the VH45DE engine? A buddy of mine that's kind of always building cars, and we always have a friendly competition going, is just wrapping up a VH45DE swap into a Z32 300ZX and he dropped an M112 super charger on top for good measure. He's going to eat me alive in the straights as well.

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 16:57

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Yeah, if you aren't doing a bunch of crazy engine mods and aren't boosting it, I think you could probably get around 30 MPG... the real issue will be aerodynamics. These cars are about as arrow dynamic as a brick.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 16:58

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Well good thing is I can always add a turbo or two and make 600+ ..

I'm frantically looking for parts with no hope on finding what I need like the Intake manifold , throttle body , ecu , and harness .. but I'll keep at it .. I still have to buy mounts , radiator , fans , drive shaft , ..

Ugh this car build will be the end of me

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:01

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Oh it's never ending. I have been actively building the car (actually working on it) for over a year with a local shop. It always seems I'm hunting down a part or looking for another way to do something. It's the joy/misery of project cars, especially engine swaps.

Oh yeah, if you turbo the thing it will blow the tires off at 60 MPH... in fact here's 2JZ doing just that.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:02

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Yea and I refuse to put those stupid headlight covers on my car .. I already have the front bumper replaced and I know it sounds crazy but from that to a lowered car with the different bumper on it my car its putting plenty of downforce on the front end I can feel it .. Im sure the 3 Piece Wing I got wont help me get better MGP either .. but it looks cool just got todo the body work to get it on ..

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:05

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Yeah, I'm running the same front lip 90% of Zs do, the MSA/autosport one. I really need to build a belly pan for it and rear diffuser when I get everything else sorted. This is what it looked like when we were rolling it over to the paint shop with no engine. I think I'll miss the stripes a little, but I just want the damn thing done for now lol.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:05

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I Love this car .. wish it had different wheels on it but I dont know that he had much of a choice when he has to wrap M/T Et Streets that look like 28x10.5

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:07

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Yeah, I ended up with muscle car wheels too for that same reason. Not much out there in a +0 offset without custom ordering them... even harder if you go 5 lug. I just ended up going with GT style wheels for now and am saving to order some customs. Size depends on how much back space I can free up. The current ones are 18x8 and 18x9.5... My goal is to get back down to 17's and somewhere around 10 or 10.5 in the rear.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:09

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Hey sweet way to make a belly pan for the front bumber and what I did .. Just use the stock middle piece of the front facia and revit it to the new MSA bumper .. then install the MSA Bumper and bottom old bumper .. BAM ! belly pan complete ..

DatASSun > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:10

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What size are those wheels and tires ??? I'm currently running 15 x 8 with a 0 offeset .. give it a great stance .. the tires on mine are a 195 - 50 - 15

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:12

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I've got some 15 x 8.5 - 50 offset that will fit perfect with ZG flares if your interested ..

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:12

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18x8 front, 18x9.5 rear. Running 225 up front and 235 in the rear... but probably going 255 once the car is on the road. They are just cheapy but decent wheels I found. It's hard to find +0 wheels in 5 lug lol.

DatASSun > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:12

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ohhh but you have a 5 lug I forgot

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:14

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Nice, too bad I'm 5 lug now. My flares are actually ZG sized smooth flares, we just molded them into the body:

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:19

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Looks great man .. Wish I had a shop to work on my car here .. I really want to use these .. http://www.zforceproductions.com/?option=com_co…

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:21

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Yeah, those are sick. I tried to get my hands on some but they weren't in stock and couldn't get smooth ones. Ended up decided I didn't need that wide anyway because I can already get 255+ under here. On my old race car I had IMSA flares.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:22

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I really want rims with HUGE dishes .. so I figure I should order these and maybe he'll have to make them and I'll wait but its going to give some meaning to DATASSUN .. so I feel obligated..

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:25

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Ha! Yeah, if you went with those extra wide flares you would have serious lips to keep +0 and fill them. Mine have some lip to them and they aren't even as wide as I can go with these flares...

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:28

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Well going negative on the offset allows more dish I think .. so like the wheels I have that are 15x8.5 -50 offset have around 6" Dishes .. but they wont poke out far enough to use these BAMF flares .. so I need something like a 15or16 X 10.5 -11.5 in the rear with a -20-30 offset I think..

I dont know it just makes sense on paper and in my mind . We both know I could get them on the car and they look like shit .

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:34

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Yeah, you have 4.5" backspace to work with stock or similar sized springs. If you change to adjustable coilovers you gain about an inch. In this case it probably wouldn't matter because you are actually just pushing the wheel away from the hub, so the bigger concern will be keeping a decent grip on the wheel because leverage will be working against you. Nothing you are talking about is too extreme, but you might need to look to longer studs to make sure you can really get the lugs on there.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:36

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I think I'll be ok .. like you said the leverage wont really help too much .. I'm also taking the tires from right underneath the car to on the side of the car .. Idk how bad that will make the driving experience .. I'm mostly worried about how it effects my turning ..

Casper > DatASSun 01/21/2014 at 17:40

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Yeah, it will impact it like much wider tires would. I was able to drive my autocross car around with 285 tires on all 4 corners without too much trouble. Just more arm work without power steering.

DatASSun > Casper 01/21/2014 at 17:51

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Yea .. Arm work .. fuck that