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Spectre 341 Challenge – Final Recap

Jun 29, 2010

Steve Millen and the STILLEN team have returned home from the Spectre 341 Challenge. We had a great trip and we are already thinking of ways to improve the car for next year and see what kind of car I (Kyle Millen) can bring up there to compete in! The team at Spectre did a great job for their first event and we are really looking forward to heading back next year!

Photo courtesy of Larry Chen / Spectre 341

The GT-R finished 2nd overall, missing the top time by 1 second. Next year we’ll be bringing back some Dunlops and should be able to pick up at least 5 or 6 seconds. Unfortunately the Bridgestone run flats did not offer enough grip for the hill climb. But, we knew that going into the event as the Dunlop tire is the NISSAN recommended performance tire. Unfortunately they were out of stock though so we had to run the Bridgestone’s.

Virginia City is an amazing little town and if anyone is ever in search of a fun destination that will take them back to the old western movies, this place will make you feel like John Wayne…It is truly unbelievable! The town is nearly 300 years old and I’m pretty sure the only modern updates are the paved roads. The sidewalks are still wood, the buildings are hundreds of years old and they are awesome! The locals are also extremely nice and friendly.

Steve ran his fast times of the day early in the morning on Saturday morning and around noon made the decision to pack up and head home. He reported that the road had become too hot and the tires too slick so he felt like he had gone as fast as he could go. As you know, we had two days to turn the car around and get it into a transporter headed for targa New Zealand on Tuesday so we all decided it was best to just save the car and head home a little early.

Here’s some photos of some of the cars at the event:

Around noon we were on the road home. I made the 480 mile road trip in about 8.5 hours in our supercharged 370Z. I was also really impressed that I did it on one tank of gas which means it averaged around 27 MPG! Not bad!

Unfortunately one of the other competitors Alex (VRAlexander) Djordevic had gone off the road in the fastest section and did not survive. All of us at STILLEN would like send our thoughts and well wishes to Alex’s family and friends.

Photos by Boxtergirlie01 via 6speedonline.com

More Coverage:

STILLEN GT-R at Spectre 341 Challenge – Ongoing Updates

Jun 25, 2010

Looks like cell phone coverage is decent out in Virginia City where STILLEN and Steve Millen are running the GT-R at the Spectre 341 Challenge. We’ll use this blog post as a place to post updates and photos we get back from the team. We’ll have a full recap after the event ends.

Friday 6/25 – 11:20am (Kyle via text)

Phone works okay.. no real updates.. did drivers meeting this morning and the drivers got a tour of the race course with tips from Amir from Spectre

The HRE Porsche is pretty nice and looks well prepared and the LG Vette is nice.. light weight good tires.. all good

There’s a hearse here too! I don’t know about it though.. I think they are just here

Friday 6/25 – 11:43am (Kyle via text)

The hearse now has numbers.. looks like it’s running!

Friday 6/25 – 12:33pm (Kyle via text)

Just started sprinkling and apparently they’re delaying the start (we’d really like to run!)

(Questioned Kyle on whether it was a get in line type of deal, or if everyone is running it a set number of times?)

Just get in line..

We haven’t even left the hotel.. were trying to convince them to let us run

There is 700-1100 horsepower Porsche.. there are some huge horsepower cars up here

Friday 6/25 – 12:33pm (Kyle via text)

We did find out though that they aren’t posting any times until tomorrow night. We have a stop watch that we’ll keep track of our time, but we don’t know how everyone else is doing

Steve and Jodi Millen

That’s not a typo on Jodi’s race suit!

Friday 6/25 – 2:27pm (Kyle via text)

We were two minutes from starting but the safety crew had to leave for a local accident… no go on the restart. The accident was not on the course.. the same crew is on call for the other highways as well. Unfortunately this is cutting down on the number of possible runs.

Friday 6/25 – 2:52pm (Kyle via text)

Cars are away!!! The GT-R was second in line!

Friday 6/25 – 3:20pm (Kyle via text)

First run was good.. they’re just going to increase boost.. tires are still a bit greasy but starting to come in

Friday 6/25 – 3:46pm (Kyle via text)

GT-R just took off for its second run.. looks like he’s chasing it harder this run

Friday 6/25 – 4:15pm (Kyle via text)

Here’s a quick video from a corner I’m standing on of the GT-R

Here’s a video of the Viper coming around the same corner

Friday 6/25 – 4:59pm (Kyle via text)

Done for the day.. Steve is pretty happy with the car and is still trying to scrub in the tires. Only made three runs but I think they’re happy with what theyre seeing.

The high elevation has caused a big drop in boost but the TurboSmart boost controller is allowing them to adjust that and increase pressure.

Look for more updates tomorrow..

Saturday 6/26 – 9:08am (Kyle via text)

First run of the day they shaved 3.5 seconds off from their fast time from yesterday.

Saturday 6/26 – 9:34am (Kyle via text)

They just shaved another three seconds.

There is a really fast EVO up here with really sticky nittos and the driver has a lot of experience.

Saturday 6/26 – 9:59am (Kyle via text)

If we had some better tires like the Dunlops we’d be much faster. Unfortunately the Dunlops are on national back order otherwise we’d have them on the car.. according to Nissan they’re good for around a second a mile faster.

Saturday 6/26 – 10:16am (Kyle via text)

Saturday 6/26 – 10:25am (Kyle via text)

We softened the STILLEN front sway bar last night, and Steve is saying its helped a lot and he can start turning the back of the car today.. I’m sure that’s where some of the time is coming from.

Saturday 6/26 – 10:40am (Kyle via text)

Quick video of the ZR1

Quick video of Steve and the STILLEN GT-R

Saturday 6/26 – 10:50am (Kyle via text)

Steve and Team STILLEN are done for the day.. the road is extremely slick, and the tires don’t have any grip any more.

With having to ship the car to New Zealand for the Targa Rally in a couple of days, and not having good tires, Steve’s just taking it kinda easy.

This is a fun event and we will be back for sure next year.

More Coverage:

Team STILLEN Attacks Spectre 341 Challenge Hillclimb!

Jun 22, 2010

The busy schedule for the STILLEN R35 Nissan GT-R has finally finished with the shows and now it’s time to get back to racing! Team STILLEN will be bringing the orange beast to Virginia City, Nevada for the first annual running of the Spectre 341 Challenge being held June 25-26, 2010.

This event is held on a closed section of Highway 341 that would normally be opened to the public. Originally started in the early 70’s this event was pioneered by the local Ferrari clubs. The event ran until 2002 before being shut down. 2010 marks the re-organization of the event and the new promoter Spectre 341’s involvement. The course is 5.2 miles long with plenty of high speed long turns and narrow switchbacks. In barely over 5 miles the event travels 1,200+ feet in elevation!!! The current record up the hill is three minutes and 10 seconds. Held by the president of Spectre Performance and his highly modified F40 Ferrari. Steve Millen and Team STILLEN hope to break that record and perhaps dip under the three minute mark!

To prepare for the event the Team headed out to Spring Mountain Raceway to do a little track testing. Spring Mountain is a good test area for this event because Highway 341 offers pretty flat, high speed turns, and a few tight twisty areas as well, very similar to a track like Spring Mountain. The main priorities at Spring Mountain were tire testing, suspension development, and increased boost pressure. Further development back at the shop consisted of installing GReddy Intercoolers, GReddy Hard Pipes, and a GReddy Cold Air Intake.

Never one to miss an opportunity to challenge themselves, Steve and the Team will tow the car up to Virginia City on Thursday, race on Friday and Saturday. Then head home Sunday. That seems pretty simple. However the added twist, Steve has to have the car in the container headed for New Zealand on the following Tuesday!

That leaves the team just 2 days to take the GT-R from a hillclimb car to rally car. We’re sending the car down a little early this year as it will be one of the main exhibits in the New Zealand Speed Show event. The New Zealand Speed Show is the largest automotive show in the country and both STILLEN Targa rally cars will be on display! The STILLEN Ford GT will be coming back out into the spot light and will be positioned right next to the Nissan GT-R.

There is a lot going on here at STILLEN and we would like to invite you to follow along with us!!!

More Coverage:

Here’s a quick video introduction to the Spectre 341 Challenge

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ybahw79Muw[/youtube]

STILLEN GT-R On DSPORT Cover July 2010 Issue

Jun 3, 2010

We recently met up with the guys at DSPORT Magazine at a local studio to shoot the STILLEN R35 GT-R for the cover and feature of their July 2010 issue. We’re happy to announce that this issue is currently on the newsstands, and has been delivered to subscribers!

In addition to getting some fanastic studio shots of the GT-R with the beautiful Ariel Marie, DSPORT also shot Steve Millen’s Championship IMSA 300ZX Twin Turbo inside this issue. Richard Fong also spent some good time with Steve Millen discussing both the exploits of the R35 GT-R as it tackled Targa Newfoundland, it’s plans for the rest of 2010, and some history of the IMSA 300ZX and racing stories of Steve.

This is the largest issue yet of DSPORT, their 91st in fact, with everything from event coverage, some very cool vehicle features, product tech and testing, model photos and interviews, and industry news.

Be sure to hit the newsstand and check this issue out before June 30th!

STILLEN Open House – Saturday May 8th – Update!

May 4, 2010

We have never been busier here at STILLEN, with the R&D department at full throttle, new products launching left and right (515hp 370Z/G37 Supercharger, 370Z Body Kit, just some of the recent launches), the sales team busy on the phones, and all of us putting the final touches on what is shaping up to be a great Open House event here this Saturday!

(High Resolution Version – Click Here)

We’ve been getting tons of feedback for our 25th year in business and are just as excited as the Nissan and Infiniti owners who are making the journey (from 5 different states!) out to the STILLEN headquarters this weekend to help us celebrate. We’ve done our part to make this event special. In our previous post we’ve outlined some details of the event (and they are recapped below), and we’re working hard to make this even even more special.

We’ve invited both the mainstream automotive media, as well as local media to this event, and are proud to announce we have a great lineup of editors coming out to take photos, film coverage of the event, AND also scout for potential feature vehicles to cover. This is your chance to be in your favorite magazine! So far we have confirmations from the following:

In addition to all of the magazine and video coverage, we’ve also asked some selected partner vendors of ours to bring out their booths and new products and display at the show. They will be on location in a new larger Vendor Row to show off everything new they have. We’ve also asked all of them to contribute prizes for the raffle that will be going on all day at the show. There will be thousands of dollars in giveaways for you to win just for showing up and registering at the event which is free! Current list of vendors are:

Recap of Show Details

Saturday, May 8th, 2010 – 9am – 2pm

3176 Airway Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

The STILLEN Open House event is arguably the largest gathering of Nissan/Infiniti owners in the world. Showcasing some of the most highly modified vehicles you can imagine from all over the United States. This day-long event is here at the STILLEN facility, and in 2008 we had to block off more of the street than usual and this year we are hoping to go even further! This show brings thousands of cars and is a great place to see all kinds of modified vehicles from mild to wild!

Come down, bring your Nissan or Infiniti (or just yourself) and join us as we celebrate 25 years of STILLEN and Nissan/Infiniti performance!

Special Features and Attractions:

Over a thousand highly modified Nissan/Infiniti cars from around the country
Discounted Dyno Runs
Free Install on Selected Items
Show Specials on Products
Special Guest Appearances
Shop Tours
Technical Seminars
New Product Launches
Vendors Displaying Product and Answering Questions
Great Raffle Prizes and Giveaways
And much much more!

Join the discussions, and join the caravans forming to head down to the event!

…many more, check your favorite forum!

Steve Millen’s Birthday Gift – HPI Remote Control GT-R

Mar 29, 2010

Last month we celebrated Steve Millen’s birthday in the style that would only fit a bunch of car guys and racers… We gave him an exact replica remote control car of his Nissan GT-R Targa Rally car.

After a bit of research online we found that HPI Racing has a 1:10 scale 2009 Nissan GT-R. After a few phone calls and emails of hi-res images the guys from HPI confirmed that they could take on the project and boy did they deliver! The car turned out better than any of us had imagined!

The car is a standard off the shelf car for HPI but it went through the transformation by Andrew Hilman, HPI’s R&D Graphic Designer. With painstaking detail and precision Andrew matched all of the sponsor logo’s spot on!

Happy Birthday Steve!

Press Release: STILLEN Introduces 515hp Supercharger for Nissan 370Z / Infiniti G37

Mar 18, 2010

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2010

STILLEN Introduces 500+HP Supercharger System for Nissan 370Z / Infiniti G37

(Costa Mesa – CA) – After more than a year of development and testing, Steve Millen Sportparts (STILLEN) is proud to announce the release of the STILLEN Supercharger System for the Nissan 370Z and Infiniti G37 with the 3.7L VQ37 engine.

This complete bolt-on kit includes everything needed to increase the factory 332 horsepower to a tire shredding 500+ horsepower on 91 octane pump fuel!

STILLEN designed a new cast aluminum intake manifold specifically for this system, featuring longer runners and a large plenum for the engine to draw air, complete with integrated air-to-water intercooler system, dramatically cooling the air charge from the Vortech V-3 Supercharger unit. The V-3 features a self-contained oiling system and quiet V-belt design, with plenty of additional boost capability for those wanting even more power down the road.

Much of the assembly of the kit is done in advance, with the main supercharger unit being pre-assembled to the laser-cut billet aluminum mounting brackets. Installation is very straight forward, including detailed step-by-step instructions, requiring a typical shop 12 hours for the complete install.

STILLEN took extreme care in designing this system, ensuring that all additional coolers (oil, transmission, power steering, etc) would work with the intercooler system, as the Nissan VQ37 engine is prone to high oil temperatures unless properly cooled. STILLEN manufactures bolt-on cooler kits to keep these temperatures at normal levels no matter how hard the vehicle is being pushed.

Tuning is done with the use of an ECU based tuning device (reflash), larger 600cc injectors, and high output fuel pump. Intake features include a Polished Aluminum Intake Charge Pipe, and Cold Air Intake Y-Pipe with draw through MAF sensor bosses and filtered using genuine K&N intake filters.

At all levels of development the system was tested, both for street drivability and reliability under normal traffic and freeway conditions, as well as being put through its paces at El Toro Air Base, 140+ mph runs, hard driving on tight courses with excessive revving and redlining, and extensive monitoring of all pertinent air and fluid temperatures, air temps before and after the intercooler, etc.

At the onset of this project Steve Millen established two primary goals, performance and reliability. After our extensive reliability and dyno testing we can confidently say that we’ve exceeded both of these.

Steve Millen and STILLEN have a longstanding history with Nissan. As the lead factory driver, Steve drove the famous #75 300ZX to numerous IMSA wins and two World Championships. Millen founded STILLEN 25 years ago and uses his intimate knowledge of Nissan engineering to develop products such as forced induction, exhausts, air intakes, suspension kits, big brake kits and urethane aero body components.

To learn more about the STILLEN Supercharger System for the 370Z / G37 and other STILLEN products including Nissan 370Z big brake kits and Infiniti G37 performance brake kits, visit www.stillen.com, email for more information at pr@stillen.com, or call STILLEN’s knowledgeable tech staff at (800) 576-2131.

# # #

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWPApekHWSE

About STILLEN
STILLEN, located in Costa Mesa, CA, is a premier manufacturer and distributor of a select line of high performance products for late model import and domestic vehicles — developed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. Founded in 1986 by renowned professional driver and race car builder, Steve Millen, STILLEN incorporates cutting edge race proven technology and advanced aerodynamic designs into the company’s proprietary performance and appearance product lines. Millen is known worldwide for achieving the greatest number of wins in IMSA GT history during the course of an impressive racing career that spans 30 years and numerous wins in series around the globe – from LeMans to the 24 Hours of Daytona. Still family owned and operated, STILLEN branded products include exhaust systems and components, superchargers, fuel systems and components, brake kits and components, and urethane body styling products. The company’s race heritage and continued participation in motorsports has added special focus on motorsports proven R&D, manufacturing processes and materials, and expert, enthusiast-based customer support, distinguishing STILLEN in the field of performance manufacturers. In addition, STILLEN is an online reseller of many high performance products for late model cars and trucks, import and domestic, and creator of unique, one-of-a-kind performance project vehicles.

For Further Information, Contact:
Josh Biggers
Marketing
STILLEN
714-540-5566, ext. 157
jbiggers@stillen.com

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STILLEN Supercharger Development Posts

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*Individual results will vary based on the baseline of the stock engine, type of dynomometer used, temperature, elevation, fuel and various other factors. Typical results are between 480-520HP (flywheel) at under 500′ elevation and below 75ºF.

Come Celebrate 25 Years with STILLEN!

Feb 27, 2010

Mark your calendars: STILLEN’s Open House Customer Appreciation Day is

May 8th, 2010!

NEW UPDATES!! – CLICK HERE!

2009 brought some high highs and some low lows. Through the tough economic times STILLEN pushed ahead with new products, new race programs and took the STILLEN prepared Nissan R35 GT-R to a first place finish in the Targa Newfoundland Rally. All the while continuing growth saw the expansion of our manufacturing facility and more development out of R&D.

Development of that race program prevented us from being able to hold our annual Open House Customer Appreciation Day, but we are very excited to announce that 2010 will see the return of the highly anticipated event. We would like to invite you to come down and celebrate our 25th year in business!

Come down, bring your Nissan or Infiniti (or just yourself) and join us as we celebrate 25 years of STILLEN and Nissan/Infiniti performance!

Special Features and Attractions:

Thousands of highly modified Nissan/Infiniti cars from around the country
Discounted Dyno Runs
Show Specials on Products
Special Guest Appearances
Shop Tours
Technical Seminars
New Product Launches
Great Raffle Prizes and Giveaways
And much much more!

STILLEN GT-R in Nissan Booth at Canadian International Auto Show

Feb 18, 2010

Earlier this month we said goodbye again to the STILLEN R35 GT-R after getting the call from Nissan that they would like to bring the GT-R back into Canada for the 2010 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.

Nissan arranged for transport, and placed the Targa GT-R in the center of their booth, giving attendees a chance to get inches away from the Orange Godzilla and get a peek for themselves. The show runs through February 21, 2010. [Pictures & Video after the jump]

TBWA\Toronto, Nissan’s agency in Canada put together this video of the GT-R on location at the show:

OFFICIAL NISSAN PRESS RELEASE:

Mississauga, Ontario – The Stillen GT-R that competed at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland will be on display at Nissan’s booth at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto in February.

Race car driver Steve Millen and his Stillen crew completed a tear-down and build-up of the GT-R to compete in the Newfoundland tarmac rally race.

“Nissan is excited to provide GT-R fans with this special appearance,” said Jeff Parent, vice-president of sales and marketing at Nissan Canada. “The Stillen crew showed us all just how mean ‘Godzilla’ can be, so we wanted to give fans a chance to get up close and personal to this great machine.”

While many modifications were made, the major change was a weight reduction of 78 kilograms over the stock model, along with increased throttle response and appropriate suspension changes.

The Stillen GT-R reached 96 km/h in 2.9 seconds, compared to 3.5 seconds in the stock version.

Here’s some photos of the GT-R at the event, taken by Ryan Cash with rwdftw.com:

If you haven’t seen the STILLEN GT-R in action, here’s a couple of in-car footage of stages during the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally:

STILLEN R35 GT-R – Brigus Stage – Day 5

STILLEN R35 GT-R – Gander Stage – Day 2

TheSmokingTire.com Video Tour Behind The Scenes At STILLEN

Jan 14, 2010

A little while back we had a chance to meet up with Matt Farah and his awesome crew from TheSmokingTire.com and show them around the buildings here at STILLEN.

Matt and Steve then jumped in the bright orange STILLEN GT-R and took a run through some of the local canyons. See below for the video!

Matt started The Smoking Tire video series last year, and previous to that was the driving force behind Garage419. Two minutes with him is all it takes to recognize that he’s a true car enthusiast, and he’s as genuine as he comes across in his videos. Be sure to check out and subscribe to his video series here.