BA-PHOON

Well, the big day arrived and the wait since November 2007, when ZAPF6 alerted me to the fact that Nissan Aus were accepting deposits, is over! My new car arrived in Melbourne on the 14th April. I flew up on the 17th, 'borrowed' it for the day and had it detailed and a clear bra installed (Damian @ Final Inspection did the detail - absolutely fantastic person and a great job too - very pleased). I flew back home while the car then taken back to the port on a truck, waited in Melbourne over the weekend, and shipped to Tassie on Monday night. Arrived here on Tuesday. Here's a few pics. Unfotunately, I leave for Norway on business for two weeks on Saturday and won't be picking her up till I get back - bugger!! Talk to you all soon..........

G'day Lj, ...does it idle smoothly if you don't drive it straight away after starting? My F6 suffered from a rough idle problem that caused the engine revs to be erratic for about 30-40 seconds after initial start-up when the engine was cold. Turned out to be the O2 sensor which had failed (wouldn't work properly until warm or something like that)

Bought my BA F6 from Tilfords in Hobart and as part of the original purchase visited their service centre next door to check out their equipment, meet the manager and meet their FPV service technician. Wayne is the service technicians name. If you can get this guy as the one who works on your car then go for it - he has been fantastic with mine. Meet with Gareth Dean, their service manager who has also been excellent to deal with. Been serviced there every 7,500km's (oil changes at 7,500 intervals, with regulaer services at 15,000) and have to say very pleased with the service levels.

Mine used to do this as well - stock BA F6, no injectors or tune. Idles OK after starting up for about 20-30 seconds, then turns into a thing that sounds like a V8 with a huge cam. Sometime sorts itself out after about 10-15 seconds, a bit of a rev up without me touching throttle (to about 2000 rpm) then good again - smooth idle. Mine started doing it only in the winter last year, it then went away in the summer. Came back this year when the weather got cold again. This year the car started to occaisionally stall, and the 'check engine' light would come on. Turn off igintion and restart = all good. NOW FIXED! - change your O2 sensor! I think the reason it happens is that the O2 sensor takes a while to warm up (or something). That's why it's worse in the cold weather. My service guru (yes Ford do have some!) told me the reason it didn't happen straight away after starting is that the cars ECU doesn't go into closed loop fuel control until the engine has run for a few seconds (like about the same time it took the problem to start!). When the ECU switches to closed loop, if the O2 sensor isn't warm (ready? - or whatever the issue is?) then it plays havoc with the mixture (A/F ratio). This made complete sense to me because it happened every time at the same time after starting (switching to closed loop). I think the car runs lean, and that causes it to run 'lumpy'. If I tried to drive through the problem, even at light throttle openings, the car would really struggle to generate any power, until it cleared itself (all of a sudde with a real spurt!) ...anyway - mines been good for two weeks now - no issue at all! - smoother idle than new! Check your O2 sensors - that's my only tip. (By the way - The service guys had already tried changing my TPS and this didn't fix it at all) Hope this helps somebody???!!!

Mine did it too - stock BA F6, no injectors or tune. Idles OK for about 20-30 seconds, then turns into a thing that sounds like a V8 with a huge cam. Sometime sorts itself out after about 10-15 seconds, a bit of a rev up without me touching throttle (to about 2000 rpm) then good again - smooth idle. Mine started doing it only in the winter last year, it then went away in the summer. Came back this year when the weather got cold again. This year the car started to occaisionally stall, and the 'check engine' light would come on. Turn off igintion and restart = all good. NOW FIXED! - change your O2 sensors! I think the reason it happens is that the O2 sensor takes a while to warm up (or something). That's why it's worse in the cold weather. My service guru (yes Ford do have some!) told me the reason it didn't happen straight away after starting is that the cars ECU doesn't go into closed loop fuel control until the engine has run for a few seconds (like about the same time it took the prblem to start!). When the ECU switches to closed loop, if the O2 sensor isn't warm (ready? - or whatever the issue is?) then it plays havoc with the mixture (A/F ratio). This made complete sense to me because it happened every time at the same time after starting (switching to closed loop). I think the car runs lean, and that causes it to run 'lumpy'. If I tried to drive through the problem, even at light throttle openings, the car would really struggle to generate any power, until it cleared itself (all of a sudde with a real spurt!) ...anyway - mines been good for two weeks now - no issue at all! - smoother idle than new! Check your O2 sensors - that's my only tip. (By the way - The service guys had already tried changing my TPS and this didn't fix it at all) Hope this helps somebody???!!!

........YES!! - and my deposit is still looking worthwhile!!

...could it be its the starter ring gear has come loose off the flywheel? Are you sure the whole flywheel turns by hand - or are you talking about the ring gear on the outside edge? That would make sense why the starter motor runs - but doesn't turn the crankshaft, etc.???? ....just an idea

...same one I think! Definetley quicker above 5000rpm than mine - hit the limiter much harder

Met Rod Barrett last night in Hobart at the FG FPV Launch down here. Drove a green (hated the colour!) F6. I didn't hear the flutter either, until I backed off quickly before the revs got to around 4500 - then I heard it. If I backed off after 4,500 = nothing!? Didn't seem to do it as much as my BA F6 does - maybe something to do with the bigger intercooler and better piping?? I was also surprised that it felt to have just as much lag as my current car - I had heard they would be less witht eh different compressor wheel. Impressed by mid and top end power though - bottem end felt similar to mine, but above 3500-4000 rpm definitely felt stronger! Manual gearbox was also better than my current T56 too - although if I buy one it will probably be the ZF. Traction control definitely better than the BA - less intrusive, but I think that's also been the same since the BF. GT-E they had in the showroom looked absolutely fantastic in Lightening Strike. The bobtail on the rear with the painted lower sectio n on the bumper looked absolutely brilliant. If I buy another F6 it will get the mascara removed (racoon eyes) and a bobtail fitted instead of the poxy new F6 wing. Stupid me didn't remember to try launch control either!!

I must say I am really tempted to buy one of these when the current lease runs out on my F6 in December. One issue I have is that I would love to be able to upgrade the brake package to the Brembo's!! Does anyone know if that would be possible without upsetting the DSC and ABS etc etc???? As I see it these are a much better looking car, with performance that would at least match my current BA F6 (especially with the ZF option) - just wish it had decent brakes. Anyone??

Don't think so - but there was a change to the wheel offsets. BA had diferent offset front and rear. BF doesn't. Interestingly the BF has a narrower rear track as a result! 14mm narrower from memory, and I have also checked this by measurement.

....I'm pretty sure there were changes to the engine and other 'hang on' bits as well. The exhaust on the BF is definitely different to the BA, I think the BF has two 02 sensors in the exhaust, and I think the camshafts were a different profile as well. A lot of this was to do with EURO3 (or was it EURO4?) emmission compliance. There are already other threads oin the subject - check there too.

Parked in the paddock at the 2008 Melbourne F1 GP

Just had my BA Phoon bar replaced after a small 'run-in' with a wallaby. Be ready for a fair shock when you price the new bar! Over $3000 unpainted genuine FPV. Doesn't sound like you have hit hard enough to damage the mesh, but that was another $750. All up over $6000 for what was relatively little damage. - OUCH!

Thanks for the reply senna_T, I watched your posts from Japan with a lot of interest - and ENVY! I'm just on 6' so was interested to hear you would actually fit 'easily'. Actually I saw some photos on the internet of one parked behind an R34 yesterday (both cars were white) The R35 is HUGE in comparison!! I'm worried it won't fit in the garage! If I have to buy a new house just to fit the car in the garage - that will just confirm to my wife that I think too much of my cars and might be the straw that breaks the camels back!!

...yeah right! - Dags uses the rythym method!!?? ...Keep up the good wok Dags - Love it!

G'day Zap, I, like you, have a deposit down on one of these. I live in Tassie and getting any information passed on to me down here from the local dealer is like pulling teeth from a frog. (ie they don't seem to have ANY!!??) Like almost everyone else I have known the car was being shown at the MMS for a couple of months and was wondering when the guys from Nissan might send me an invite to attend the MMS for a chance to at least sit in the car, hear it running, maybe even a test drive following its stint at the show, etc. They sent me an e-mail last Thursday, only 1 day before the kick off for the show, - all it said was that the car would be there. I called the guy I have been dealing with, and asked him whether the people with deposits would be invited to see the car up close (maybe after the show closes one night), or whether there would be a chance of a drive. (Like you I have signed my 'contract' subject to a test drive and a few other things like price confirmation, servicing info, etc.) I was told after he apparently called Sydney, that the car would remain locked for the entire time it spends at the MMS, and there was absolutely no chance of a test drive, nor to sit in the car!!!??? I was pissed, and indicated I thought it was the least they could do to invite us to have a look inside the car at our leisure. He agreed that it sounded like a good idea, but said that he had asked and the answer was definite. What a pack of tossers!? If you, or anyone else gets a chance to view the car, sit in it, hear it running, or heaven forbid actually get to drive the thing, I would REALLY appreciate it if you could PM me or post it here (I'm sure everyone here would like to get your first real impressions anyway!!) I cant beleive that they have missed this opportunity to show us a car we have paid a cash deposit on! - it would literally cost them nothing - absolutely zero, apart from their time!! There will be a chance for me to have a close look at, and talk to the guys driving the Donut King GTR in Targa Tassie next month. I also asked the Nissan dealer here if they had anything to do with this entry, and not surprisingly they said they didn't. To sum up I am bitterly dissapointed that they have done NOTHING (bar sending me an e-mail 1 day prior the car being unveiled) ...Hope your 'Nissan experience' is better than mine so far!!!! - they make FPV saleman look good!!!!

...anyone else notice the front Brembo calipers are now at the rear side of the wheel!?

I had something similar on the same wheels from my 2004 BA Typhoon. All forur wheels were replaced under warranty after 3 developed cracks in the clear coat - but mine were on the grey painted area - not on the front machined face. They weren't really cracks either - that's how they started but then they flaked off and left no clear coat on a patch about the size of a 10 cent or 20 cent piece. I think there have been others who suffered the same as mine since FPV seemed to know a bit about the probelm when the service guys placed the call to them. ...found a photo

2004 AGP - spent the weekend in pit paddock - very nice

I understood there were a lot of differences!. Doesn't the BF have two Oxygen sensors? (BA only has one) I also understood that the BF had a different dump pipe and cat, although not sure about this? The BF also has different cams I think - something to do with EURO3 compliance for emmissions. On top of all that if you average the bog standard rwkw figures off the forum here I think you will find tha the BA's were putting out around 225rwkw (235 tops) while the BF's Ive read about were higher by between 15 ans 25rwkw. I think I've heard of one that was about 252rwkw (yeah yeah I know about the inherant differences in dynos etc. - but on average they have been reported as higher - right?) Some people have said this was done to make sure the F6 remained competitive with the 'dark side' cars? I also have heard that the ECU's program is different and that a flash can be detected in the BF's and not in the BA's?? I might not have all the stuff above right? - But there are probably more differences than some people suspect!

...makes absolutely no sense! - The whole object of putting anything on a accelerometer type dyno (like this one and most used commonly around the world) is to measure the accelleration of the dyno's rotating mass and covert that to kw's. You have to accelerate as fast as possible to measure the maximum kw's!!!! - otherwise don't bother.

...Yep - purchased it last year after reading about the limited release of 500 in the BluePrint magazine. Great model too - really fine detail! I was really happy they chose to release it in Lightening Strike as that's the same colour as my own. Only thing it hasn't got is the Brembo brakes (remember that Brembos were an option on the BA)