FLYNLO

Bill X of Sydney is most definitely not one of those people you see commuting to work at six in the morning behind the wheel of a 40 mpg buzz box with a mindless 'stunned-mullet' look on his face. No sir. When Bill slips behind the wheel you can rest assured he's steering something powerful and the ride from A to B will to be, well, exciting...

In the past, Bill has chewed his way through a few worked Mazda rotaries - including a Series 6 RX-7 - and, most recently, a late-model Subie WRX. The Rexie, though, was just too damn sterile - it didn't really tell Bill when he was travelling quickly nor did it provide many (any) tail-out thrills. This is where an imported Nissan R33 Skyline GTS25T 'drift-o mobile' steps into the scene!

The example you see here was bought in pretty much stock-standard trim; the only mods were an aftermarket exhaust and a pod filter. Still, with a factory rated output of 187kW, these basic mods typically gave comfortably more than 200kW at the flywheel and a definite acceleration advantage over stockers.

Bill says the particular exhaust and intake system that came on the car were semi-decent, but they sure didn't extract every last bit of efficiency. This situation was remedied with the move to a more free flowing HKS dump pipe, straight-through 3-inch mandrel exhaust and a new K&N pod filter. With eased intake and exhaust flow, the RB25DET mill was then crying out for a bit more boost so Bill upped turbo effort to 10 psi. Those few extra psi really woke the motor up but, unfortunately, one of the pistons was found not to be an early riser...

Like is so often the case, terminal engine damage was the trigger for a serious engine rebuild - which was conducted by the lads at Tony Rigoli Performance.

The Rigolis there are no strangers to high horsepower modern vehicles and were well aware - from experience - that truly big power necessitates a big turbo. And that, in turn, means upping the swept capacity of the engine in order to maintain good drivability and bottom-end torque; there is, of course, also a top-end power advantage that come with it, but this is effectively a 'bonus'.

In the first instance, a good RB30ET block was sourced and assembled with forged Aries pistons (giving a static compression ratio of around 8.0:1) and Argo conrods. The head was also O-ringed to protect against blown head gaskets; an OE head gasket remains in service.

Atop the block was bolted the standard R33 GTS25T DOHC, 24-valve alloy head, which is widely noted for its excellent flow capacity. No mods were required in this area - even the cams remain stock.

And now onto that giant windmill that fills the RB30/25's belly with air.

The Rigoli team selected a Garrett '700hp' GT40 roller-bearing turbo to meet the 400-ish horsepower ATW goal. The big new turbo called for the fabrication of a custom tubular exhaust manifold, which also branches out to a TurboSmart 45mm external wastegate - essential to protect against over-boosting and relieve backpressure at high power outputs.

The pipsqueak standard R33 intercooler has vaporised to make way for a massive Mood Motorsport front-mount bar-and-plate intercooler, which chills induction air with no sweat. Three inch diameter piping carries induction air to and from the core and you won't find a blow-off valve anywhere under the lid.

There was no point attempting to run the standard R33 Skyline ECU, so a programmable MicroTech MT8 replacement ECU was plugged into the factory harness. The MicroTech unit takes a load input from an in-build MAP sensor and fires modified RB25DET injectors (which Dom Rigoli says have been flowed at around 700cc) and the standard RB25DET direct-fire ignition system. Since a large volume of fuel is drunk when pushing over 400RWHP, the fuel pump has been switched to a Bosch Motorsport item that's teamed with a surge tank.

The speed at which that GT40 turbo spins - and therefore its output boost pressure - is altered using an electronic A'PEXi AVC-R unit. Bill dials in up to 15 psi boost for street duties (running good ol' Shell Optimax) but up to 29 psi has been forced through on dyno sessions (while running ultra high-octane C16 race fuel). Power output, by the way, has been certified on a Dyno Dynamics chassis dyno - 450hp (at the aforementioned 29 psi boost and with C16).

One of the great attributes of Nissan turbo vehicles is the strength of the driveline - the gearbox isn't made out of cheese like it is in, say, a Rex. So you're jaw shouldn't drop when you hear the gearbox is standard R33 GTS25T but, understandably, the clutch is now a brass-button job. In the near future, though, this is likely to be swapped to a more drivable triple plater.

The rear-end, meanwhile, is also about to get some attention. A Nissan S15 200SX diff is presently in the pipeline - not because it has any strength advantage, but for its shorter gears (which will help the relatively heavy R33 leap off the line).

Getting this amount of power to the bitumen in a rear-drive IRS Nissan - without slicks - is something of a challenge. The suspension set-up on Bill's car comprises 2 ½-inch lower coil-overs working with the standard swaybars. This combo is a good compromise between tackling corners and getting the utmost straight-line acceleration.

Thankfully, Bill has recognised the car's need for better-than-standard brakes and has responded by fitting Skyline GT-R 4-pot fronts - a bolt on conversion, we're told.

The R33 Skyline - although distinctly larger than the R32 - is a very clean, flowing shape. Bill hasn't spoilt this with any bolt-on plastic from Hong Kong. A minor exterior modification is the S15 rims, wearing 225/50 Falken Azenis road-legal semi-slicks.

Indoors, meanwhile, the grey-on-grey drabness of the original interior has been shuffled along for a high impact red leather re-trim. High-grade leather is used on the door trims, the gear knob and handbrake lever boots, on the standard back seat and a pair of reclining Recaro fronts. Contrasting with this is a checker plate floor. Oh, and there's also a DVD player, Sony PlayStation, MonsterTacho (with shift light) and A-pillar mounted boost and oil pressure gauges.

With a best quarter mile time of 11.3-seconds under its belt (running 'proper' slicks), Bill is quite content with the on-road performance of his '33. It really is something of a low-flying weapon - and, since our photo shoot, it now has the number plates to back it up. The standard alphanumeric plates have made way for FLYNLO personalised plates. Does anybody have an argument with that? We didn't think so.

Contact:

Tony Rigoli Performance
+61 2 9726 6662

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