G6ET8U

I suppose it does come down to the old saying 'There is more than 1 way to skin a cat' and something as technical and complicated as the ZF I would think that there wouldn't be a hard and fast rule with how to modify them. It will also come down to where and how the failures previously seen on cars they have tuned have come from. Add in the next variable, the ZF tune it self and you open up another pandora's box of avenues for failure lol Just guessing that some may see it as worth the time where as others think the time/money is better spent elsewhere even more honestly some maybe haven't even thought about how to modify it for increased performance. As the consumer, you and I and everyone else that has one of these boxes is still confused a lot by the walls of magic, capes, smoke and mirrors that surrounds the ZF. I'm not sure if you are a member of AFF but there is a great thread and brilliant read in the Performance section (turbo 6's) about ZF's. The guy who makes the Nizpro Input Shafts for Nizpro has a lot to say but better than that it's backed up with heaps of facts and picture evidence. Jack

No worries Jet, my understanding is that nothing is done with the valve body. As I'm unable to be without my car (single, live by myself and work nealy 60kms from home 6 days a week) for any extended period of time this is actually easier for me, bit more interesting too Have a look in the Crescent Motorsports section on here and there some good reading in there from Joe. All good mate, the factory auto can handle that power but it's life is decreased dramatically. It's a hell of a lot of power and torque to be putting through a stock transmission. I'm in a pretty fortunate position to not do something about it rather than being the end for my car, modifications wise, this is just another step along in the journey! Jack

It is a complete pain the ass! The stock ZF that was taken out has had the valve body removed and put in to the changeover transmission (which is stock standard as well) I already had. You are correct that they are 'married' to the ECU/Car. The tired stock ZF has been sent off to Nizpro to be built for me. The changeover transmission was just dumb luck really. I happened upon something else I wanted for my car and the guy also had this ZF that was going to be used for another project but never went ahead. He had no use for it now and I bought it, hoping it would be 'cheap' insurance if I broke mine along the way, mind you I had no idea about any of the software/hardware requirements that are needed to swap a ZF. I have an FPV Cluster sitting here waiting to go in to the car and it is the same as the transmission. The original cluster needs to be removed/unmarried and then the new one installed and then married to the ECU/Car... only Ford themselves and Herrod are capable of this as it's all in the software and you require special access to it to complete the change. I've had it for about 6 months now and can't be assed getting it fitted lol Herrod want the car for half a day for it and Ford have said they can't promise they won't wipe the tune and mess everything up but want the car for an entire day just in case... So to answer your questions... 1. I have a donor ZF in the car but it is stock standard. 2. The donor valve body was removed and replaced with the one from my car before the whole shebang was installed. 3. A ZF tune was required to try and get the replacement ZF to play ball in my car. It still isn't perfect though as the boys told me it will still flare intermittently on hard changes but it isn't repeatable. I've had the car back for 25kms so far and haven't come across that yet. Time will tell if the car learns it's way around it or whether some more massaging of the ZF tune will be required Jack

No doubt Freaky... Move goal posts... don't tell anyone. Apparently the fun is trying to work it out. I beg to differ. Jack

On what fuel? 380 on E85? 380 on 98 BP Ultimate? Sounds crazy but even this question will require a different turbo than the stock one lol F6 Turbo (GT35/40) will make 380rwkw as will a GTX 35/82R turbo. The GTX, same tune WILL go faster and trap harder. GTX 35/76R is the smaller brother of the 82R and though it has no friends so far with regard to track times it is starting to become a real possibility as a great upgrade in between the stock GT35 and the 82R. Just remember that if you want boost hitting hard early then you WILL NEED SO MANY more things to make it reliable. The Ford stock stuff won't hold for a few minutes let alone a few thousand kms. Jack

Jetters. What you don't see here is that my 'new' ZF was already at Nizpro and I picked it up. I have a good relationship with Simon and Dave there and they both said to me that I need to make sure that Blue Power change over the valve body from my FG to the donor trans. I told Theo at Blue Power about this and he said that they'd try it. Unfortunately they ran out of time to just do the swap and try it. Mind you this is their first brand new ZF swap from FG to FG. They have told me a BF to BF swap is as simple as that. Swap and go. I have no idea why FG is different though. Jack

Tim that question needs to be asked with this question also... Do you want 300rwkw or400rwkw? Be honest with yourself mate. You will save money in the end if plan for ahead for 400. Just remember you'll need a bit more go fast stuff to make it a great car if you want 400++. Sounds like a big number, especially when I say it's a 650hp street car. 300+ on the stock standard baby turbo in an FG has NEVER run a 10, they get close on E85 tuned hard as F but not on pump 98RON... A well set up, pump fuel 400 car will. Jack

Do the whole lot at once. I did believe me you will drive away with everything done at once wondering whether the earth just stopped. At the first stop at traffic lights you will be laughing, out loud and wondering 'what the F have I done!' Jack

Truest... and best post in ages. Get amongst it. Jack

It was one of the 'neggers who posted it earlier... It is a coin toss whether to go GTX 35/82R or not. It goes like this... Heads - GTX Tails - Flip Again. Best post in ages Jack

Care to elaborate more, please? On a brighter note Picked up my car from Blue Power this afternoon after work. I've just driven it home and it's tight as a drum! It's suprising when you live with something (in this case it's my car) everyday it changes a lot but you never really notice it... that is until something on the way out is replaced with a new item. Wow is all I can say. What had started to feel a bit saggy and flat is now just stunning. My car is back! And it's better, from a drive perspective, than when it was first modified back in February! I can also say that the tiring ZF in the car was making heaps of noise. I was blaming the Harrop and the tailshaft for the noise... wrongly. It was the ZF telling me it was calling time out. To Blue Powers credit it wasn't just a matter of take one out and put the new one in. First of all the valve body needs to stay with and be installed in the new transmission. Done. Install in car and away we go? Nup. Go for a test drive and it's shifting all over the place, flaring and banging changes. This is with the ZF tune that car already had. Simple fix, chuck the stock ZF tune in? Nup. Worse... bit of uh oh... what the F have we done lol Hmm... start new ZF tune from scratch. Fixed? Yes, I've been told to take it easy for a couple of hundred kms to let the new ZF learn it's way around my car and what not. Apparently it still has an intermittent flare on some hard changes but it isn't repeatable. Something that will have to be massaged out of the ZF tune in time unless the car learns it's way out of it. Too easy. So there you go Jeez it's great to have my car back. I had a brand spanking new Nissan Almera sedan for 3 days. What a flogs car... everything that is wrong with cars is right there on show! Jack

Why is that? What's happened? Jack

Car is at Blue Power 2 stage transmission swap is underway! First is to take the original and stock ZF out and send it off to Nizpro for their Stage 2 treatment. Replace that ZF with another ZF that will keep me going for the time being... waiting... like Christmas for the Nizpro trans to come back Hopefully before the close... Calder have 1 more night where I'll be in my car with the fresh and stock replacement ZF to go for a 10 with the tune untouched. Then when the Nizpro trans comes back we'll go right after it Bring it on! Jack

Mine is in now for stage 1 of the auto make over... I've spoken to a couple of folks around the place about the hitting of the limiter on the change. Is yours still set to the factory limiter? Interesting stuff I've heard is to add another 300/500rpm to the limit via the tune to allow for the slip on the change on a tiring ZF. I had a run the last time out at Calder and hit the limiter on every change. Still ran a late 11 but it kills the car and the time... Got a spanking new ZF going in as we speak and then the tired one in the car is off to Nizpro time to really get after a time in this car! Jack

^ True that. Mine ran mid 220's from stock Jack

Goes alright too, just quietly Adam Jack

Nice ride Tim! Love the G6ET's... clearly biased here! With regard to sourcing parts for your car before a tune or more mate it well worth finding a tuner you are comfortable with first. Some may well be able to get better deals on some things but also have preferred suppliers too. It certainly isn't the be all, and end all of things but every tuner to a man has their prefered way of doing things with certain parts that they know will get the results that you are asking for With regard to tuners, if you are looking toward Herrod in Thomastown then just another 10 mins away is Blue Power Racing Developments in Cambellfield. I cannot recommend Chris, Theo and Ryan highly enough. Once again biased, no harm done in having a chat either way As was posted over on AFF... they have the smoking jacket crowd (G6ET) covered mate! Jack

Cheers freeze! Jack

Honestly mate, it's not what they charge for replacing the bushes. It's the need to keep on replacing them if you continue to use factory stock bushes.

G6E I hear you got out to Calder last night? How'd you go mate? It was good to catch ya the last time out too! Slipping auto and work the following day (today) put me well and truely on the sidelines. Jack

Till I beat that 10.99 I'm never going to live that one down... lol Would be fun to run a 10.96 or better though Jack

In the end Marko it isn't about dyno figures. This one is about running a time Jack

Blue Power will continue to look after the car. Jack

I'll keep you lads updated as things progress Price wise it certainly isn't a cheap exercise, quite expensive actually. It depends honestly on how you view costs though. If it performs as it should then in the end the initial cost certainly isn't that expensive. I will continue to race my car at the strip and I want peace of mind that I'm not going to go home on a tow truck everytime I take it out. Even with friends in the right places to assist with parts or labour or even both it is still a 10k proposition to break a couple of these and end up essetially with ZF number 3 where you started out in the first place. Catastrophic breakages are a pain in the a$$ for starters, lost time with what for most is a daily driver, it then means, trying to get around without a car, trying to get the cash together for an unplanned breakage. I am not in a position to have any of these impediments, let alone want to have to deal with them. I'm basically betting my money up front that I won't do that in an attempt to try and halve the cost of a couple or more broken ones. Fingers crossed. Jack

Stock standard motor Freaky. Including valve springs. Completely unopened. Exhaust is full DiFilippo 3.5" turbo back in S/S. Jack