Just putting up a quick post to let all know that Julio’s build is completed, and the car is running synthetic pushing 13psi right now 
Check out the vids for a run between the both of us with his latest setup.
So I’ve begun building the motor for my sedan. The doner block is from a b25 that had bent rods due to hydrolock with <11k miles. I've sourced an S52/b30 crank, and will be using s52 rods with forged cp pistons @ 10:1 compression. The doner block has been pulled apart, and I've begun port matching the exhaust ports to the header. For now I'll be running stock b25 cams, but will be upgrading to the b30 intake manifold using a fabricated plate to adapt the cable throttle body from my b28. I'll update with pics as time goes. For now I'm stuck until the pistons arrive, which unfortunately may not be for a few weeks.
b25.. check out the bent rods
Nitto NT-05 Tire Review
So I was fortunate to get my hands on a set of Nitto Tire NT-05 tires a couple months ago. The NT-05 is Nitto’s new Extreme Performance street tire, similar to the Dunlop Z1 *spec, and the ever popular Bridgestone RE-01R (recently replaced with the RE11). They’ve been mounted for over 5k miles on my car, and here’s the scoop so far:
Initial Thoughts
When you first lay eyes on these things, they look so radical that you don’t really know what to think! The cuts and pattern in the tire are different from any other street tire I’ve seen, and at first glance you can tell that these tires mean business. The compound feels soft to the touch, and the sidewalls are quite stiff even when not mounted.
Daily Driving/Wear
When you purchase a set of high performance street tires, you can expect a bit more road noise than your average summer tire. The NT-05 is true to this statement. It’s a bit noisy on the highway, but again, that’s expected from a tire in this class. With over 5,000 miles on the tires, including a few light auto-x’s and one road course event, I think I can safely expect another 3k miles from them (remember I do run the hell out of them on the track at certain events, strictly street use will prolong their life).
Performance
Naturally, this is where these tires shine. The NT-05 has some impressive grip even when cold, rolling right out of the garage! They are awesome on the street, for those spirited moments when you just happen to catch the green light making that open right hander, or when you have a clear shot at that open exit/entry ramp.
At the auto-x events, the NT-05 is also a winner. They are fairly quiet, meaning there is minimal screaming from them at the limits, and even with a 40 sidewall profile, I had no issues with rolling over the sidewalls with ~35psi hot.
I was able to get out to CFRC as well to see how these tires held up at the road course. My previous track tires were Michellin PS2s and Hankook RS2s, so I was definitely curious as to how the NT-05s would compare. After a few warm up laps I was ready to go. All I can really say is… wow. Braking feels impressive, I was really working hard to activate the ABS (which could easily be done with the RS2s). Turn-in felt great, they were very responsive and did not feel sloppy in the slightest bit. With ~35psi they were not rolling sidewalls and offered excellent road feedback. Throttle steering is extremely controllable with these tires, which is a huge plus! They are quiet tires as in they don’t scream much at all when at the limit. This could be a benefit or flaw, some people like to hear the tires scream on turn in, but personally I prefer them to be silent.
Summary
Excellent Extreme Performance street tires at an affordable price. They are a bit noisy on the street, but well worth it for the enthusiast who wants a great street tire that can perform on track. The NT-05 is my new tire of choice, period.
So I finally made a trip to the new shop, and I must say it looks great! Some pics from the evening:
We have Stan’s car finished, with the C30 intercooled kit up and running. As of now it has a base tune on it, super rich, but will be driven down to AA to get the final tune tomorrow.
Just pulled in
mmmm
front bumper
So we all made a trip out to the local drag strip yesterday. With lots of prep, I was shooting for 12s at this horrible track, and Julio was aiming for the same. Our friend Chris came out with his e46 M3, as well as my room mate with his supercharged Mustang. We also met our buddy Laffyette at the track as well with his 325ci.
Things wen’t south from there.
On Julio’s first pass he broke a motor mount. On Chris’s first pass he snapped an axle (245/35/19 rears on the M3, go figure?). This put both of them out on their first run. Julio was able to drive home, but Chris had to call a flatbed.
On my first pass I went 13.12 @ 110mph. I proceeded to pull a 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, and 13.5 ALL @ 110mph… failure. My room mate was aiming for 11s, but couldn’t break a 12.6 @ 120mph.
Laffy was the most unfortunate out of us. He was aiming for a low 15, which he got, but on his last pass did the infamous money shift. 3-2 down instead of 3-4 up. He had the car trailered out by some guys that were nice enough to help out there. I’ll be updated with what he ends up doing with it.
The majority of my runs are on video, I just need to rip them off of the cam and upload them.
Performance only comes in one color, right?
We made a few changes to the kicks today. From 10am to 10pm I was in the garage prepping and spraying my RS’s, and Julio came by and did his ltw5’s as well. I also mother’d up my lips and Julio went with the t/a. Here are a few pics of the projekts, and we’ll have a photoshoot up within the next week or so. I also apologize for noisy pictures… low light calls for high iso.
I don’t think I’ll be making the trip up to gainesville this weekend. Unfortunately the weather is predicted @ 60% chance of precipitation, so it really doesn’t make sense for me to make the drive up there. Julio will be there visiting some friends, and if by chance it doesn’t rain, I’m sure he’ll be there making some passes.
In any case, we should be starting Stan’s (novare330 on e46fanatics) AA C30 install within the next few days, so we’ll have updated progress posts each night.
So I was fortunate enough to get a set of the upcoming nt05 street tires from Nitto. They’re set as nitto’s new top of the line street tire, built for auto-x and road course. With a treadwear of 200 and AA traction, I’m hoping for performance up there with the ps2, so-3, star-spec, etc. They were just mounted on my car, 235f and 255r, 17″ of course for my RSs. The compound seems to be extremely soft, and the pattern is pretty cool looking. Since I was previously running a 245 ps2 rear setup, I had to raise my car about an inch to prevent rubbing, but I don’t really mind because I can now turn in hard anywhere and not worry about rubbing, or scraping my exhaust on speed bumps and such. Pics will be hosted later, and I’ll be sure to update along the way about how they’re performing!
I’ve decided to make my own faux-suede boots similar to the ever so popular “alcantara” I’ve put together a couple with black stitching, and then went on to test my skills with a multi-colored stitching similar to that awesome ///M theme! What do you think? $25 for black, $30 for multi-color, shipping included!
