Hi everyone,

If you are a search ****, well, dont waste your time. I was insulting people online before you could spell your password. However, I am all grown up now.

To the rest, I have some questions for you. I have always loved Z's, and am an in position now to buy one. I have bought new before, and dont care to again. I am looking at 05-07.

Several questions. One, regarding auto vs. manual. I have not driven an auto yet, but intend to. I have done mountains of research though, and realize everyone has their preference. I am interested in everyones point of view. I love to go fast, and drive hard, but this will also generally be a daily commute vehicle. I do plan on a convertible. I see the auto has a "manual" shift. In watching videos, it seems to be almost an instantaneous shift. I have a GTP that has a performance shift, and will chirp the tires even though its an auto. generally speaking, I will be driving it in auto, but occasionally will switch the auto to manual shift. Does anyone see a serious difference in auto vs. manual, other than the obvious .3 second gain on 0-60?

Second, this will also be a toy for me, and I do intend to goose it a bit hp wise. I would imagine I can hit 400 hp fairly easily. Will the auto hold this much, or should the MT be required?

Third, I have read conflicting things about hp. I have read (auto) 286 I think, up to 306 in hp. But, I think, that stopped in 2004 and all models up until the 370 have the same HP. Can anyone clarify that?

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.

 

Automatic vs manual transmission is a 8 year debate. Not going to go there. Buy what suits your needs.

 

You won't hit 400, without FI. Yup all Z's after 2004, have the same horsepowaz.

 

David, thanks for nothing. you are a sport.

NyC, thanks for the clarification. I am excited, as there seems to be a huge aftermarket for performance parts for the Z, making it very easy to tune. First would be a cold air intake, then a chip. And see where it goes from there. A best friend can install such things as chargers and turbos, so we could just get crazy. He said though that any more than that would require an entire transmission modification, dont wanna do that.

 

I kid, I kid. 07-08 Z's have 306, when considering the SAE revamp of how hp is rated, since 2007. 03-05 287hp, except anniversary model and 06 300hp rev-up motor. Watch out for the rev-up, it's prone to consume oil.


EDIT: No bueno on the chip idea. UpRev and Osiris are the most popular methods, and you will need to dyno tune it, for best results. Get a diff, if you're going to be gunning it. Best mod in my opinion for the enthusiastic driver and will have you prepared for FI.

 

I got an 07 Auto and its shifts in tiptronic mode very smoothly and very quick. If i were you, i'd look into an 07 as there was a complete 80% engine rebuilt in the 07/08 models fromm the 04-06's (hp increase to 306 as well). The hood is also different- sticks out more in the middle.

Good luck!

 

Awesome. Thanks for the comments guys. I am headed about 3 hours away this week to drive it, and hopefully bring it home and its an 07. blue and convertible. The other is an 05, but it has heated leather, which I have now and love. But, at the end of the day, this is a performance machine and thats what I am after. So if the 07 has that extra horsies, then thats the decision.

 

Personally if I was looking for 400 HP from an automatic Z, a supercharger would be a good bet. You won't get that kind of power without FI and that seems like a safer way to get there to me.

The stock internals should be able to safely handle about 5-6 psi. Any more than that and you'll need to consider building your engine if you want even more speed later on. There are quite a few FI applications built around the stock settings so you should be good to install one and go, if the car you get was taken care of. The best thing is doing your homework and knowing your options, and since this is a pretty big purchase, consider if the choice you want to commit to is worth it.

Also, I can't stress this enough, if you're going for that HP figure you should get a valve body upgrade and transmission cooler upgrade to help the AT handle that extra oomph.

 

Bluez, thanks for the heads up. Thats exactly what I am doing, a lot of research. I appreciate your input. when you guys are saying FI, what is that?

 

FI is short for Forced Induction,meaning adding turbo or supercharger.

Welcome to the site,GL on buying what suits your needs.I have an 2008 I got about 3 weeks ago in 6 speed manual and love it.I couldnt see driving this type of car with an auto,but to each his own.Mine is a daily driver.

 

Hk, thanks for the response. My intention was to start with stuff I may be able to install. I believe the lingo is bolt on. So many aftermarket parts to bump it 6-10 per pop. Regarding the manual, one thing sticks in my mind. And I LOVE 6 speeds, but using a cell phone while driving could be an issue, and I sell insurance, so I work a lot from my cell phone.

 

https://my350z.com/forum/vq35hr/5081...ity-check.html. / thread.

 

Everything is easy with money... it isn't a Ford V8 that you simply do H/C/I and jump 150 HP after $3,000... look to spend at least 3x that if you do it right.

If you really want to hit 400 HP you will be doing FI; so don't waste your money with bolt-ons... save your money for FI.

Don't believe manufacturer hype that you are going to get 10 HP from intake, 20 HP from exhaust, etc... if that were the case we would all have 400 HP.

 

Ahhh wow. Point well taken. So you recommend shooting straight into turbo or supercharger?

 

If you have the money sitting in your account dedicated to that... YES.

If you have the mod bug I would recommend doing mods that would work with the FI for the future... things like suspension work, hi-flow cats, cat-back exhaust, wheels, etc...

 

Bluetooth headunits are pretty cheap and can be had for about under $125.That is an option if you talk on the phone a lot and still want a manual.

 

As others have said, bolt ons won't really get you much in terms of hp gains, especially with the HR (07+ engine.)

As for the transmission question, it is best to be clear about your goals for the vehicle. If you are chasing performance and horsepower, eventually you are going to be disappointed that you are losing power and control through a slushbox.

On the other hand, some people just don't like rowing their own gears on a daily basis.

I DD a manual Z and MUCH prefer it to an auto, but that is my opinion. I would suggest reading around on the site to get a realistic idea of which mods lead to gains, how different each model year and redesign is, and what you need to do to reach 400hp. And no, a tiptronic style transmisison does not give you anywhere near the control or connected feeling with the vehicle that a true manual does, but if you have a simple drop top cruiser in mind, maybe that won't bother you.

 

How much time have you spent driving a 350Z? What makes you think you really need more power, especially that much more? I enjoy driving my car immensely, and I can go nutso fast nutso quickly without hardly tapping it's stock potential.

Most of the time, I'm happy to just putter around, though. I'd be downright ashamed to have any of my friends see me driving the car to it's stock potential on a public street or highway.

 

You want to hit 400hp, but you don't know what FI is? Sounds like a little more "research" is in order. Consider a pop charger and plenum spacer. Little has been gained from headers from what I have seen. If you REALLY do want to hit over 400hp, visit the FI section and make sure you don't have an attitude with those guys or they will drop kick your *********. You better have a lot of scratch to spend on your Z as well because it will drain your wallet and become substantially less reliable (what FI job doesn't?)

Manual vs auto is completely preference. I have a manual because a sports car with an auto is like kissing your sister if you ask me. However, I do not daily commute in mine so it might be different if I sat in 5 o'clock traffic every day. Plus, if you do go the FI route AND drive your car hard, be ready for problems putting lots of miles on it.

There is a difference in 1/4 times, but it is marginal unless you are planning to track your car, which I'm assuming you are not.

By the way, I'm one of those search *****. There is a lot of info on this site that a lot of people have spent a lot of time compiling and to suggest that they do it over and over every time someone comes on here and asks questions is a little ridiculous.

Finally, Davidv is a guy whose good side you want to get on if you go FI. If I'm not mistaken, he is fairly competent.

Oh, and best of luck with your car.

 

Just so you know, the 2006 automatic cars have the original 287 hp non-Rev up motor. The 2006 manual transmission cars have the Rev up motor which had oil consumption issues.