Prepare Your Nissan Skyline GT-R for R’s Day 2024 At Laguna Seca 103 dB

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Sean Morris

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R’s Day 2024 at Laguna Seca

R’s Day is an annual event that celebrates the Nissan GT-R and its passionate community.  There was a bit of a false start on Spring Mountain this year, so its back to Laguna Seca in Monterey on May 26, 2024.  Its a 103 dB day, so higher than last time we went, but still not that loud. The first session, the first year we went out of 26 car, I think there were 24 over noise.  So be prepared to handle noise. If that be a baffle, extra muffler, or lift and coast, its what you are going to have to do, not to get kicked off the track.  Look up Laguna exhaust for some ideas. 


Checking wheels and tires for fit on the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca
My fathers customer’s GT40 #1018, driven by Graham Baker at Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca

On the grid for World Challenge touring car in 2009

If you have driven on track dozens of times, or this is your first time, here are some procedures, and checklists of items to help ensure your over 25 year old Nissan Skyline GT-R survives. 
  1. Notebook or notes
  2. Maintenance
  3. Fluids
  4. Tires
  5. Brakes
  6. Cooling
  7. Suspension
  8. Alignment
  9. Oiling
  10. Nut and Bolt
  11. Tow Hooks
  12. Fuel
  13. Modifications
  14. Track instructional videos
  15. Track Day Insurance

1.Notebook or Notes

We are in the modern era of taking notes on cars, but I still generally use handwritten notes.  I generally have a notebook for each car. In it I have car information. 
In the garages at Laguna Seca

2.Maintenance

You have to maintain the car.  You have to at least check these items. If you don’t know the last time they were replaced, replace them prior to your track day. 
Maintenance Requirements for RB26DETT/ R32
Air filter element
Every 36,000 miles
A 10-30 , 15-50, 10-60 depending on ambient temperature
3,000 miles or 6 months
OEM 15208-60U00  
OEM R32  AY100-NS007 
K & N HP-2008 
MOBIL M1-208 
WIX 51361 
OEM(R34, smaller filter) 15208-9E000
Every 3,000 miles
Spark Plugs
NGK PFR6A-11
BCPR7EIX (one heat range colder iridium)
Every 60,000 miles
Timing Belt
OEM 13028-20P25
Tensioner- 13070-42L00
Idler- 13074-58S00
Tensioner Spring- 13072-58S10

Water Pump – 21010-21U26

N1 Water Pump – 21010-24U27

Oil Seal- Camshaft (x2) 13042-16V00
Oil Seal – Crankshaft Front – 13510-19V00
Every 60,000 miles
Suspension ball joint grease

Grease
Every 72,000 miles or 4 years
Manual transmission fluid
GL-4 75 –90
OR Redline Shockproof Heavy (we recommend)
Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
Differential Fluid – Front
GL-5 85W-90 or Shockproof Heavy
Front diff fill plug – 00931-2121A  .   Front diff drain plug (has a magnet)  32103-01A01
Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
– Center
Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
– Rear
LSD GL-5 80W-90 or Shockproof Heavy and LSD additive
Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
Fuel Filter
OEM 16400-72L00, 16400-72L05, 16400-72L15
Purolator F44663 same as 1996 Infiniti J30
Every 15,000 miles
Wiper Blades
Right Front
Left Front
Rear
19.5 inches
18.5 inches
16 inches
Radiator Cap
OEM – 21430-4B700


FMSI D460, D647, D1182  HB178
AP460 R-4S
As required
AP109 .595 R-4S
As required

296 mm x 32 mm  
40206-05U02 Right Side 
40206-05U03 Left Side
As required
Rear

Same as Z32 TT  43206-05u13
As required
Power Steering belt
AC belt
Alt/ WP /Fan 

4PK= 4 rib 
950= 950mm

Maintenance Requirements for RB26DETT/ R33

Every 36,000 miles
A 10-30 , 15-50 – 10-60 based on ambient temperature
3,000 miles or 6 months
OEM 15208-60U00  
OEM R32  AY100-NS007 
K & N HP-2008 
MOBIL M1-208 
WIX 51361 
OEM(R34, smaller filter) 15208-9E000
Every 3,000 miles
NGK PFR6A-11
BCPR7EIX (one heat range colder iridium)
Every 60,000 miles
OEM 13028-20P25
Tensioner- 13070-42L00
Idler- 13074-58S00
Tensioner Spring- 13072-58S10

Water Pump – 21010-21U26

N1 Water Pump – 21010-24U27

Oil Seal- Camshaft (x2) 13042-16V00
Oil Seal – Crankshaft Front – 13510-19V00
Every 60,000 miles

Grease
Every 72,000 miles or 4 years
GL-4 75 –90
OR Redline Shockproof Heavy (we recommend for a hard run car)
Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
GL-5 85W-90 or Shockproof Heavy
Front diff fill plug – 00931-2121A  .   Front diff drain plug (has a magnet)  32103-01A01
Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
Nissan Automatic Fluid D
Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
LSD GL-5 80W-90 or Shockproof Heavy and LSD additive
Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
OEM 16400-72L00, 16400-72L05, 16400-72L15
Purolator F44663 same as 1996 Infiniti J30
Every 15,000 miles
Wiper Blades
Right Front
Left Front
Rear
xx inches
xx inches
xx inches
OEM – 21430-4B700


As required
– Rear Brembo
As required

324mm x 30 mm
As required
Rear

300mm x 22 mm
As required
4PK 969
4PK 910
4PK 875

4PK= 4 rib 
969= 969mm

3. Fluids

Replace them all before, and after each track day.  It is cheap insurance.  
  • Engine Oil – 7.5 – 30 (10-30 for a street car, 10-60 on a track car) – 4.5 liters
  • Oil Filter – OEM 15208-60U00 , WIX 51361, OEM(R34, smaller filter) 15208-9E000
  • Cooling System – Approximately 9 liters. Gycol or Water?  Depends where you live.
  • Front Differential (F160) – GL5 85-90 1 liter – (1 quart)
  • Transmission fluid – Don’t try and fill it though the gear shifter. Though the gear shifter is the transfer case .  GL4 75-90  4.1 liters (4.3 quarts). Getrag has its own fluid
  • Transfer Case – Nissan Automatic Fluid Type D 1.8 liters (1.9 quarts)
  • Rear Differential(R200) – LSD GL5 80-90 1.5 liter(1.5 quarts)
Racing Brake Fluids
Brand Name DOT
Rating		 Dry
Boiling
Point		 Wet
Boiling
Point		 Compatible with
Conventional
Brake Fluids*		 Qty
Fl Oz		 Part
Number
AP Radi-CAL R4 4 644 399 Yes 16.9 3310-004
Motul RBF 660 4 617 401 Yes 16.9 MT660
AP Radi-CAL R3
(formerly PRF)		 4 608 399 Yes 16.9 3338-17oz
Red Line RL-600 4 604 400 Yes 16 RL600
Motul RBF 600 4 594 421 Yes 16.9 MT600
AP Radi-CAL R2
(formerly Super 600)		 n/a 594 399 * No * 16.9 3309-17oz
Castrol SRF 4 590 518 Yes 33.8 12512
Prospeed RS683 4 583 394 Yes 16.9 3340-201
ATE Type 200 4 536 396 Yes 33.8 3327-Liter
Motul DOT 5.1 5.1 516 369 Yes 16.9 MTDOT5.1
AP Radi-CAL R1
(formerly AP 551)		 3 516 284 Yes 16.9 3305-17oz
Castrol Advanced Performance
(formerly GT-LMA)		 4 509
(was 446)		 329 Yes 12 or 32 3308-Size
My pick for brake fluid, even though its more expensive, and a little hard to get is Castrol SRF.  The dry boiling point is not the highest, but the wet boiling point is. In a perfect world, no water would be in the braking system. In reality brake fluid is hygroscopic (it attracts water), and there is lot of water in the air we breathe.

4. Tires

285/680/18 Toyo slicks

Tires are the only things that touch the track.  We would say that the single biggest thing that effect how the car works, are the tires.  The wrong tires for the wrong job, will mean you fail to reach your full potential.  Tires will be a complicated problem because there are compromises. The fastest tires on track, will also wear fastest. The longest lasting street tires, will preform fairly poorly on track. Now if it rains, the best tires in the dry, may be the worst tires in the wet (think slicks).
18 x 10.5 +22 Volk Racing TE37SL . Toyo Proxes RS1. 285/680/18. 26.7 inches tall These slicks are just a little too big for the car at this ride height . A better size would have been the 285/650/18 which are 25.5 inches tall


Generally I want the stickiest, widest tire possible under the car.  The key being under the car. Not sticking outside of the body lines.

Tire pressures are set with hot pressures in mind. You want to have at a minimum a good tire pressure gage, and note your cold tire pressure when you start the day.  Then after each session, measure hot tire pressures. I prefer a larger 0-60 psi gage that is liquid filled with a bleeder. That gives you a bit more accurate of pressure readings. 

What wheels fit my R32 GT-R? 
Can I run different sized tires on my Skyline GT-R?
16 inch tire options for OEM R32 GT-R Wheels

Wheel lug tightening torque for Nissan Skyline GT-R 98- 188 N-m (10-12 kg-m, 72-87 ft-lb)
Hub diameter 66.1 mm

5. Brakes

Stock R32 GT-R – Non Vspec

  • Front -296 mm x 32 mm
    • 40206-05U02 Right Front OEM Cross Drilled
    • 40206-05U10 Right Front OEM Plain
    • 40206-05U03 Left Front OEM Cross Drilled
    • 40206-05U11 Left Front OEM Plain
  • Rear-  297 mm x 18 mm
  • The OEM rotors are cross drilled. Eventually in the GT-R racing range they went to a solid rotor, because cross drilled rotors crack. For racing use, usually a different kind of surface treatment is popular(Plain, slotted, J-Hook). Cross drilling looks good, and works well enough on the street. I like a two piece rotor as they weigh less than a solid disk. You can save several pounds per corner by going to a aluminum hatted rotor.
  •  DBA has their 5000 series of rotors but not in the stock 296 mm size, just the 4000 series rotors (Front DBA 4926 296MM   4000 Series Heavy Duty.)(Rear DBA 908)  Have to see if I can come up with anything, or do something like a bracket to put a larger rotor on the car. Larger rotors mean larger wheels, and I think I am sticking with the 16’s. (I lied, I’m on R34 18″ now)   Brake Weights – R32 GT-R  
  • EBC Brake rotors ~$250 to $350 for a set – Front RK1226  ~$85-120 for a set  Rear RK699


  • Std Brembo R32/R33/R34 rotors are 324 x 30 mm front
  • Std Brembo R32/R33/R34 rotors are 300 x 22 mm rear
  • Vspec N1 Brembo R34 rotors are 322 x 22 mm rea

  • OEM R32 GT-R 296 x 32 mm front
  • OEM R32 GT-R 297 x 18 mm rear
  • Std Brembo R32/R33/R34 rotors are 324 x 30 mm front
  • Std Brembo R32/R33/R34 rotors are 300 x 22 mm rear
  • Vspec N1 Brembo R34 rotors are 322 x 22 mm rear
  • F40 Front and Rear rotors are 332 x 32 mm 
  • F50 Front rotors are 355 x 32(34?) mm
  • R35 Early – Front 380 x 34 mm
  • R35 Late – 390 x 32.6 mm (they went thinner)
  • R35 rear – 380 mm x 30 mm
    • 6. Cooling

    Cooling can depend on your ambient temperature and humidity. The hotter ambient is, the more humid it is, the less effective the cooling system is. On an RB26 there is a factory oil/water oil cooler. That cools the oil, but adds temperature to the coolant/water.  Oil generally runs hotter than water. Radiator, Hoses, Coolant, Anti-Freeze, Water Pump information. 

    An RB26 is nearly oil cooled.  7 main caps, twin long cams, oil squirters, oil cooled pistons, turbos.  Heat is introduced into the oil, and that heat needs to be rejected via an oil cooler. Big, and many seem to be the RB26 answer.

    You probably need to run an aftermarket oil cooler.  Bigger is better. If you are making a lot of power, then a lot of that power is turned into heat.

    VP Racing fuel at Laguna Seca


    7. Suspension

    Suspension. There are lot of parts to suspension. Some people use the term to only refer to the coil overs/shocks, but there are also suspension arms that encompass the term. Most Japanese brand coil overs are over sprung and underdamped. What this means is the springs are really stiff, and the control of the spring is not where it should be. While that setup may be fine on very smooth roads, or very smooth tracks, here in the US, we generally have neither.

    In order for you to be able to control the car, the tires have to maintain contact with the road/track surface. If the car is so stiff that the tire is bouncing up and down, and not contacting the road, you will not have control. There are many reasons not to over lower a car, or to make it too stiff. Stiffness does not equate fast or good handling. We see all kinds of Chinese branded coil over crap sold to unknowing young buyers. When you are young you might be able to live with shitty suspension, but as you get older, and have a chance to try out cars with hundreds of setups, you will probably much prefer a real coil over, vs some eBay crap.

    As far as brands go, we like Ohlins. There are different levels of Ohlins, the newest are the DFV, or dual flow valve setups. Ohlins does a good job of matching spring to damping.

    Ride Height : Don’t go too low. The suspension has to be able to compress to work and control the tire
    Camber : The reason for camber, is not for you to fit the widest tire possible. Camber flattens out the tire as you are cornering. Too much camber negatively effects braking.
    Toe : You have 10 of them. Or rather it is the direction the tire is pointing. Toe in, or toe out. Toe in make a car more stable, toe out makes it a little less stable. Toe being off is the biggest wear of a tire.
    Caster : Shopping carts have casters. In a car it is self centering of the wheel, and steering effort related.

    As far as adjustable parts go, if you don’t know what they do, and how they interact with how the car handles, you might not want to mess with them. There are plenty of ways to adjust how a car handles, based on how you drive, and tire pressures, but lots of people want every piece of adjustable suspension component they can get, then leave it all stock settings. Don’t be that guy.

    Suspension and Alignment Settings : R32, R33, R34 GT-R
    Suspension Parts : Nissan Skyline GT-R
    R32 GT-R Chassis Bracing
    MotoIQ : The Ultimate Guide to Suspension and Handling
    Wheel Hop

    8. Alignment

    Alignment, corner balancing are both very important things in making a car handle well.  Most any shop can handle aligning a Nissan Skyline.  The OEM specs are above.  Once you get into a track car however, your alignment for the track, may/should be different than for a street car. Follow some of the MotoIQ information above to learn more about suspension and handling.  I use Smart Strings to align my personal cars, and race cars I work on. This allows for a much more precise setup.



    Corner balancing is done for cars with adjustable suspension.  If you don’t have aftermarket coil overs then you won’t be corner balancing. If you do, then it is a critical step in making sure that the car is setup for the track.  If you don’t have the tools required, you have to find a shop that can help you properly corner balance your car. 
    So on the Proform scales:
    • 3167 lbs R32 GT-R 1/2 tank of gas
    • 3336 lbs R33 GT-R with no gas
    • 3348 lbs R34 GT-R with 1/4 tank of gas
     

    GT-R Alignment Specifications
    BNR34
    BCNR33
    BNR32
    Front Camber
    – 0deg 50’  +/-45’
    – 0deg 50’  +/-45’
    – 0deg 55’  +/-45’
    Front Caster
    3deg 55’ +/- 45 ‘
    3deg 55’ +/- 45 ‘
    3deg 40’ +/- 45 ‘
    Front Toe (mm)
    2~1
    0~2
    1 +/- 1
    Front Kingpin
    15deg 20’ +/-45’
    15deg 20’ +/-45’
    15deg 25 +/-45’
    Rear Camber
    -1deg 15’ +/-30’
    -1deg 05’+/-45’
    -1deg 05’ +/-30’
    Rear Toe (mm)
    4~0
    0~5.2
    2 +/-2
    9. Oiling
    Pennzoil Racing 10w-60
    This is a double edged sword.  If the car is stock, you aren’t on a crazy tire, and everything is in good order, then whatever the car has is probably fine.  However…
    10-60 is what we have found to be the best weight for a heavy run RB26. 

    Peter from Australia mentioned that I should let people know that the oil level should be filled to the bump/hump in the dipstick. We do talk about it in the basics and oil and filter change, but it might be missed.  This overfill may help keep your oil pickup covered in oil.  Very good idea for a near stock car that is tracked. Some pictures of oil pan level and that bump are here – https://www.gtrusablog.com/2019/08/rb26dett-oil-pan-testing-filling-it.html

    Buy USA Legal R32, R33, and R34 Skylines at Toprank Importers!
    Index and Start Page
    Nissan Skyline Parts and Toys

     Nut and Bolt

    Yes there is an entire book about nuts, bolts, fasteners, and plumbing
    Nut and bolt is what we do to any car before we take it on track.  It is a critical step to ensure that you have the minimal amount of mistakes or failures.   You will hopefully save yourself a ton of time and effort if you just do some checking.  You really want to touch, poke, prod, and shake everything on the car prior to going on track. You will find loose items, and fix them before they become an issue.  Make sure you lift the car, and grab each wheel/tire at 12 and 6 o’clock and shake. Then grab them at 9 and 3 and shake.  You are checking the condition of the wheel bearings, tie rods, and other suspension parts. 
    Nut and bolt involves taking wrenches, and other tools, and putting them on anything on the car that was touched, might fall off the car. So if you just replaced the brakes, then go back with a little clearer head, and double check them.   Often what we do on race cars, is use two people, each with a paint marker that goes around the car, and puts a dot/mark on each nut or bolt they touch.   Fast reference to make sure that you have the minimum amount of mistakes. We are all human, we all make mistakes, or miss a bolt. 
    The best paint marker we have tried and used, is the 1.8 mm to 2.5 mm Posca marker in Pink.  Pink shows up on about anything.  Easy to see, not expensive at about $5 each.  Really worth it if you have things to mark. 

    11. Tow Hooks

    Tow hooks are required for most track day event organizers. They want a safe, defined spot on your car, where they can move it, if it becomes disabled.

    12. Fuel

    Run good gas in your car.   We could talk about octane, and octane requirements. But we just will say, run the good gas. Run the expensive gas.  If you are blasting around the track, not paying attention to things like boost, or temperature, good gas may save your engine. So that few hundred dollars in the good stuff, may save you a $5k engine rebuild.  If E85 is available, I recommend running it. 

    E85 fillup for Brians R32 GT-R. Do it don’t look back. 

    13. Modifications

    These are entirely optional.  There are a metric fuckton of things you can do to a Nissan Skyline to make it preform better, or perhaps worse on track.  Yes really. You really can make it worse.  If you don’t know the hows and whys of a modification, you should seek some help, or guidance.  Aka low is good, so lower is better?
    14. Track Instructional Videos

    The Scion tc lined up for World Challenge touring car in 2009 at Laguna Seca

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