I have regretted NOT SAVING MY FACTORY PARTS!

I regret doing any short shifter... The OEM shifter shifts smoothest and is not that long of a throw at all...

I regret doing Test Pipes... So I put a set of stockers back on... I will how ever put Test Pipes back on when I do go to the track...

Thats really it...

 

Has anyone regreted the Random Tech Hi-Flow cats?? I have some in my garage not installed yet but I'm still running a stock exhaust.

 

I regret the Crawford package:

Crawford headers...not now--the whole package seems to perform decent, but I'm still trying to get over the $1200 install bill! Yikes! Which means, well, they stay on the car forever, because it will be more expensive to take them off than the money I would get back if I ever decide to sell the car.

I regret the Crawford v5 Plenum. Sings like a witch with the top down. Some people dig the sound, most passengers don't notice it, but I do and it drives me bananas. The upside is I can't really hear it with the top up, but it's still coming off... The polished version does look fabulous though, everyone who sees it is like "holy ****! that's nice."

Crawford cats. Again, they seem to perform well with the rest of the package, but they reak of noxious fumes when you first start the car up in the morning, especially noticable in a parking garage or when backing out of the driveway in the morning. This is also something that is probably more noticable in the Roadster. They also cracked and I had to have them welded which was a PITA. Luckily Z Car G. took care of me.

I still can't belive I bought into the whole "Crawford package" will get you 40 horses buzz in early 2004, which sent me down a very very expensive path in which I could be sitting with an APS TT setup now. I kick myself almost everyday about that. My net gains were only about 20 hp BTW.

Nismo exhaust. Freeway drone in the Roadster at 75mph w/the top down was just too much to bear. Minimal gains. Looked friggin' awesome though.

Stillen exhaust. Sounds great, doesn't look as good as Nismo, but gave me some decent torque gains down low and around 3500 rpm. It rattles on my sways though, was expensive and is also very heavy. I'm sorry, but a $40,000 car with a $1200 exhaust shouldn't be rattling!

TS reflash for Crawford package. Took them 3 tries (and 3 times sending back and forth to L.A.) to get it right without pinging, and I'm still way too lean... Doesn't seem like it made any difference, except that it raised my rev. limit.

I'm neutral on the Hotchkis sways. Even at medium/medium they seem marginally stiffer than stock and the car still understeers and has noticable body roll going into corners.

I'm also neutral on the Hotchkis springs. The lowering is absolutely perfect, but they handle identical to stock, which is great if you are on a newly paved road, but crap on CA highways! Steering feel was definitely improved with the whole TVS kit though.

Best mods ever:

Popcharger, 'nuff said.

18" Nismos w/goodyear eagle f1's. Totally transformed the handling and dynamics of the car. The first thing everyone should do when buying a Z is replace the crap wheels (17" anyway) and tires! No wonder R&T mag. trashed the new 300hp Z. They said the 0-60 time was actually worse than the original 2003 Track model they tested and even Steve Millen said it handled like ****, which was pretty embarrasing! Change the stock wheels and tires, period!

Grounding kit: fun do it yourself project to get to know your engine bay a little better and looks b1tchen too.

spoilerdepot Roadster spoiler. Why don't Roadsters come with this option from the factory!?!?

de-badging the Roadster's already bulky rear.

Still to come:

UR pulley set
JWT flywheel/clutch
Stillen engine dampner

(or should I think twice about those too?)

My recommendation if going n/a is to do maximum Pop charger, exhaust and maybe the above listed "soon to come mods" if you really want "bang for the buck" performance.

Otherwise, save your money for FI and keep some in reserve in case you blow your motor...

 

hmm my crawford package doesn't do any of that

the cats don't release gas fumes, the plenum doesn't howl or make any otherwise strange sound

$1200 for install? Someone raped your or charged you for their lack of experience.

Plenum install should be an hour

header install maybe 4 hours
cat install like 20 min

sorry you didn't have any good luck

 

try loose/medium on the sways.

 

Iteresting ... I will wait for the 350EVO SS version 3 .. and try for it for the very last time

Sequential shifter tests:

Stock .. BM .. Rogue .. 350EVO version1 .. Rogue .. retry with 350EVO version1 .. Rogue ..


If the 350EVO version 2/3 is not the best .. then back to stock and compare who that feels -vs- my current Rogue.

 

Thats interesting. Crawford themselves quote 10-12 hours for the header install alone. I was charged for 14 hours for the complete package install. Yes it was the shop's first install, but they are not dishonest. They are not inexpensive either, but they are the best shop here in all of Northern Cal for Z work. They also fabricated me a custom heat shield b/ the headers and the gas line and did a nice job cutting my engine cover to fit the new plenum.

Stand behind your car and have a friend start it up first thing in the morning. High flow cats do spew exhaust fumes--that's what they're meant to do and why they're illegal here in CA. Again, it's probably more noticable w/the soft top, or maybe because I start it up in the garage and then back down the driveway so I back through the fumes... It's a minor nitpick really, but my right cat did crack and that was a bummer.

My whole point is that for $5k+ in mods you are well on your way to S/C or Turbo land. I'm probably going to go S/C soon, which is really why I'm regretting all this n/a crap.

What were your gains from the Crawford package? If you have the cast plenum, the cast plenum doesn't sing apparently, only the v5 and earlier. Again, it's not terrible, but with the roadster top down it's really really annoying.

 

i don't think you should b that depressed, man. 5k is nothin close to what i would want to start with for a turbo setup. there's no way i would install a tt kit without buildin the engine; it's just stupid. 10-15k, for the average consumer, would b about right to get the job done. you're fine; just get a bottle .

 

I wish I jethot coated my Crawford Headers

 

Free bump for a great thread.

Lets hear more.

 

Did I ever mention aftermarket body kit in this thread?

 

The plastic kinetix plenum. Looks good, performance gains are there, I can't stand the noise it makes when driving normal. Sounds great when hammering down but otherwise it's annoying. Gonna try an APS Tall Boy.

 

t Zon...

What kind of annoying sound are you talking about ? Curious since I'm considering a new plenum .. and I'm waiting to read the Z mag plenum shootout in the December edition.


thanks ...

 

Awesome thread! This really helps the noobies!

 

this is good stuff!

 

Like when your driving soft and easy in town or on the freeway, which is usually, a lot of the noise that's going on inside the plenum comes right through it. It has to be because the plenum is plastic. When idling it's okay. But when you give a little throttle to roll off you hear all of the annoying little nuances you wouldn't normaly hear. Mainly air starting to flow through when you open the throttle I suppose. Take your foot off to clutch or brake and it goes away. Foot on gas and it starts again, it's on off on off on off. I hate it. Maybe the younger crowd likes it but I can't stand it and can't recommend it.
But other than that I like it, just can't live with it.

 

From a performance point of view, I have bolts on (Crawford cats,Megan y-pipe,Invidia N1,Kinetix plenum,UR pulley,Pop charger in the Stillen airbox) and I can't gain 1 inch behind my friend stock Z at the track, even in straights...I shift ok,change gears at 6500rpm...Disappointing!
Maybe he owns a fast one from factory.For each modification my Z felt better but after a short while, either I got used to these mods or the ECU retarded timing and everything. I can't get a reflash like the one you can get from technosquare and nobody here seems to know how to adjust those piggyback.

Thank you for reading through my poor english

 

Maybe try unplugging your battery for a day or two. That is supposed to reset the ECU for mods. I dunno though. Maybe drive to Germany? They gotta have some good piggy back tuners over there, no?

ha ha!! Your English is much better than a lot of Moroon's here.

By the way what's going on with the Muslim riot's in France now? Sorry off topic.

 

i regret nothing...

 

AEM intake