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Yep! I said it! Took that stick out and I'm about to go all ham on beating this dead horse. It's been a few years, and we all (or most) have read the opinions regarding past and more up-to-date stage charts and their inherent uselessness. I think we all can agree that asking someone what their mod list is during a Z car oriented club event or meeting, can be a painful experience, especially if you are seeking a quick and decisive piece of information. I am a firm believer in less is more, especially in the realm of clear communication to keep a conversation going, for the benefit of all involved. Opinions from the "Stages are dumb" side usually arrive to this conclusion due to the mod list making up said stages not being flexible to the budget of the owner OR being directly connected to some product or service provider, i.e. Z1, CZP, IPP, SZ, Etc... (We love you but don't do stages please). Or just people that want to do things the wrong way, and put on turbos before they put on a GD intake or something of the like, you know who you are - you stage hopping bastards. I propose a stage chart for the owners by the owners, to quickly answer the age old car enthusiast question within Z circles. "What's it got done? or What stage?", "It's stage 5", "Oh wow, which turbos?". Thereby allowing the curious enthusiast to boost relative knowledge on their own personal interests to move the conversation. Rather than sit there listening to nails on a chalkboard on the throttle body mod and sound deadening material removal that the other owner performed, that most people could care less about, (Sh*tsGiven = 0 Formula). The stages would need to incorporate intelligent (read purposeful) modification paths. One-Offs of custom fabrication need not apply, and should be used to entice interest in those that give a friendly damn. Most people do these in order because you can't have one without the other, at least not correctly supporting other more in depth modification choices. Here is my proposal, because work is slow I want you to humor me... Or don't. New (TT.Net) Twin Turbo Stage Chart
Stage 1 - Single Intake & Cat-Back Exhaust
Stage 2 - ECU Eprom Chip Reflash w/ Boost Controller or Boost Jets (Over the Counter or Custom Dyno Tune)
Stage 3 - Downpipes, Testpipes or High-Flow Catalytic Converters
Stage 4 - Intercoolers, Dual Intake & Fuel Injectors
Stage 5 - Upgraded Turbos, Exhaust Manifolds, Intercooler & Intake Piping
Stage 6 - Head Work (Cams, Valves, Exhaust & Intake Porting, Etc) - May Include Throttle Bodies/Intake Plenum Upgrade or Modification
Stage 7 - Built Short Block (Pistons, Rods, Etc) The (TT.Net) NA Stage Chart
Stage 1 - Single Intake & Cat-Back Exhaust
Stage 2 - ECU Eprom Chip Reflash (Over the Counter or Custom Dyno Tune)
Stage 3 - Headers, Testpipes or High-Flow Catalytic Converters
Stage 4 - Dual Intake & Fuel Injectors
Stage 5 - Head Work (Cams, Adjustable Cam Gears, Valves, Exhaust & Intake Porting, Etc) - May Include Throttle Bodies/Intake Plenum Upgrade or Modification
Stage 6 - Built Short Block (High Compression Pistons, Rods, Etc) Lightened components such as but not limited to, pullies, flywheel, driveshaft, etc, are not direct power adders (although technically many others fall under this list), would be denoted by a "+" symbol such as, Stage 5+. This would allow a quick idea of what's done, and the person asking could follow up with a more directed question to find out brand/size/etc. Suspension, brakes and chassis modifications need not apply, as they tend to be less uniform from vehicle to vehicle, obviously. The "Stage 3" line would still denote the usual (Intake, Chip & Exhaust) to a more modern standard, exact stage matching wouldn't be necessary, but would greatly help narrow down excess information for the listener. This would also require a slight streamlining of tt.net's stage system input in the profiles and FAQ, while still utilizing the things we enjoy about the site. Which I think would be beneficial it keeping more people focused on conversation here rather than facebook. Feel free to comment and hate on this, no one would have to use it even if it was agreed upon. To each their own. Thanks for reading and stay healthy & all that jazz.
1993 Nissan 300ZX Slicktop (Oxford Gray Metallic)
1992 Nissan Skyline GT-R (Gunmetal Gray)
- Long Live the Z and Godzirra! -
"Love cars. Love people. Love life." - Mr. K. |
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