Since time was no longer an issue in mid-April (all track events in April and May were shuttered), it was necessary to address brake cooling. Up to this point the NX has not had an issue. The G-LOC Brakes compounds easily handle any heat that the 11.75″ Wilwood rotors and calipers build up during braking. The G-LOC Brakes R16 compound front and R8 compound rear have handled every track condition that we’ve faced. R6 compounds are ideal for street and autoX use. The installation of this splitter and air dam, however, will absolutely produce a dramatic change of air flow over the calipers. I’ve recommended brake cooling ducts to so many drivers that it is absolutely time to install them on my own car.
Of course, there is no such thing as a brake duct cooling kit for a Nissan NX, but there is such a place as Aircraft Spruce Canada (they’re in the U.S. too) which was important as it meant no border challenges or delays. 2″ ducting and duct flanges were selected, going against the standard rule of thumb for 3″, but again space constrictions had to be taken into account. Additionally, the 2″ flange was the ideal size to bolt to the caliper mount. Time will tell if this was the best choice or if too much was lost to space concerns. What isn’t a concern is the quality of the parts from Aircraft Spruce as they are designed for use in light aircraft. Many car enthusiasts have found this to be a great source of parts for adapting and creating.
At this point you’re probably realizing that the air dam and splitter involve a significant amount of effort and time to make happen. If you’re like us, you’re working on a few things at the same time. The next challenge was to look at the handling. The front lower control arms have long been a sore spot for Nissan B13 enthusiasts. Back in the day an SR20 forum member, going by Octotat on the SR20 forum, made a very limited run of custom arms. Missing that, eventually we found a used set and ran them for about four years. Outstanding improvement but they were removed coming west. To fit perfectly the front fenders needed to be cut. Plus over the last few years the 9/16″ by 20 point castle nuts have been lost. That is not something that can be easily replaced. A local machine shop is going to build some but they won’t be ready until mid-July at the earliest. So that meant a return to a setup based upon the factory arms that was used years ago.
The rubber bushings were upgraded with aftermarket bushings and these are still available. But with a great new twist in a roll center correction and bumpsteer upgrade kit from 2J Racing – a kit that should resolve some of the issues with the B13’s suspension. It’s not Mike Kojima’s control arm fix. It’s not Octotat’s control arm trial. But it is an upgrade that allows improved handling with no requirement to cut into the fenders or fabricate something from scratch. (That may still happen – some day!)
