Hi,

I just got my 350z and I work hard for every dollar I earn, becasue I am not old and i cannot get a job that pays very well. Right now i am working my *** off. I haven't even spent a dime of my checks and any money that i earn here and there. All my money has been put right into my bank and saved for the Z. Right now I just helped out my parents pay for my 350z and somehow i managed to still have a nice chunk of money in the bank. My Z is bone stock, as for now, but i would really appreciate it if someone could help me set a goal as to how much money i would have to make to have a respectful 350z. I have roughly 2000 dollars in the bank now but te more i search on this site i know that that will not get me very far. I have a crappy job that pays by the hour. But I really just want a 350z that is nicely modified. How much money should I have saved up to modify my Z? Although i couldn't possibly go FI, i just wanted to make my Z faster while having a tasteful look to my Z (which i think is already great).

1) What is a good amount of money to start modifing my car?

2) Is it possible to have a low 13 second 1/4 mile with a rough $4000-5000 or more budget?

3)What mods work the best together?

4) Which mods will i get the best "bang for the buck" out of while not totally voiding my warrenty?

Thanks any help would be appreciated greatly.

 

I'd suggest reading this first...

https://my350z.com/forum/engine-and-drivetrain/50429-new-350z-owners-read-this-before-doing-any-modifications-to-your-z.html

It's pretty long but it's definitely a good read.

 

Ok, as you can tell I usually don't post too often, but in the two years or so that I have been a member I can't count how many times I've seen posts like this. This is not a knock on you by any means, but you need to ask yourself why you want to add hp. I'm assuming your of the younger set and you have a tight budget. IMO unless you actually ever plan on tracking your Z you'd probably be best off just buying a nice set of wheels or maybe an exhaust and putting the rest in the bank. I have personally been down this road before. The Z is fast as it is...plus if your never going to race it (Legally) why waste the money when there are speed limits. I know these are assumptions since you say you want to hit low 13s, but having some money in the bank is worth a lot more than half-a-second in the quarter. Good luck with your Z.

 

I generally point new 350Z drivers to the thread above, but your post is exceptionally practical and sincere, so I will take a minute to answer.

First fix the driver, then the car. Its a old racing cliche, but worth quoting. If you are a new 350Z driver, you are not pushing the car to its limits. Get out there and practice and practice. Once you are running about 13.80 stock, then it is time to mod.

Second, follow the suggestions in the link above. Don't buy the cheapest stuff that you can find, but don't buy the most expensive either. Check members who post time slips, and use their mods as a guideline.


I guarantee that with dedicated practice, you can get to 13.47 seconds for less than $3,000.

 

Blah Blah Blah..just Answer The Kids Question!! Intake 150, Bucks,"jim Wolf" Exhaust 570 "helix" Light Weight Crank Pully 200, Plenum Or Spacer 200 To 300.....and Youll Have Enough Left Over For A Nice Aero Part To Set Your Car Appart From Eveyone Else's!

 

WOW! And you are running what with this set-up? 13.40? 13.30?

 

you want extra horse power? No problem:

 

davidv, I've been meaning to ask: have you ever done any ECU reflash, or piggyback with tuning?

Do you have to reset your ECU to get the best 1/4 times?

Thanks.

 

No ECU tune. I have one more mod (plenum spacer) before considering a ECU tune. A tune is about $500 and I would really like to see a return on my dollars.

I have never reset the ECU. BTW this is my third racing season. I’m out there racing about 3 times/month so I get a lot of practice.

 

i/h/e

 

It's funny because modding your ride is comparable to drugs. Some people do it and that's it and other people are simply hooked. It's an expensive and most of the time pain-staking process. It can be rewarding or terrifying depending on how you go about it. Now, you're going to do whatever you got your mind set to but keep in mind, why are you doing it and as long as you're happy then that's that.

Some rules of thumb are starting front to back i.e. intake, headers, cats, exhaust or reverse order. Suspension, brakes, etc. But also keep in mind that you have a new car and almost anything you do will void your warrenty. I've been down that road and warrentys are our friends. Even though I'm good working on cars it's always good to have a warrenty in your back pocket.

Talk to your local dealer and ask what affects your vehicle. When I spoke to them they said just about everything. And what I mean by that is, if you put an aftermarket intake on incorrecty and something freakish happen to your injectors well you SOL cause they will blame your intake.

If you want a faster car, well get lighter wheels and a lighter hood. It's all about power to weight ratio. If you could drop about 100-200 pounds you car would be much faster and you've done nothing to the engine. These are just suggestions but they work. Lightweight racing wheels, carbon fiber hood, a big break kit, and some suspension mods could give ya what ya what. But if you trying to be king of the road the Z will set you back way too much and you're better off with a different ride. But if you love the Z like me, a little bit goes a long way at the end of the day. Use the KISS method Keep It Simple Stupid and if you're not sure then don't do it.

 

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hehehe calm down davidv

 

I am in your same boat redline, I am going to be buying mine very shortly, next few months, and I make good money but need to start saving for a house. I dont care as much about speed as I do about looks.! i wish you the best of luck!

 

call AAM and talk to Noah or Mike. 301 330 8835. They will be able to help you out. I would say that if you upgrade your tires, then do the AAM or JWT intake, AAM plenum spacer, Strup headers, AAM 3 " TD or Borla 2.5" with some NO2 and you will be good to go.

 

Thanks guys i will consider everything you said, and that forum that GTNPU Z showed me was one one the best on this site, it deffinitly was a good read, but i would like to ask one more question.

What mod will impress the ladies the most?

 

A nice set of wheels

 

Thanks for the info. Good to know. I know I read somewhere that if you flog your car all the time and take it to redline frequently at WOT then you are in the performance fuel map... which is probably where you are

 

Hey again, I have actually done a lot of research of some parts that i would really like to do to my Z. Ok..heres the list that i have came up with.

19 inch Axis Seven Mods
w/ Toyo Proxes T1-R
AAM Angled Plenum Spacer
AAM Y Pipe
JWT Pop Charger
Strup Headers
AAM Spec Ecu flash
Eibach Pro Kit
Sparco Shift ****

What do you guys think of my list so far? I came up with a rough estimate as to what it all would cost it woul;d cost around 5000 bucks w/o installation. So what do you think the numbers i could be putting down if i had all that work done to the 350z? Assuming that i had mastered my driving and shifting skills in the Z.

I also realize how hard im gonna have to work this summer to get this money.

Thanks Again.

 

Gotta get a ***** pump for the ladies!!