The more i read about this car the more im thinking this car is built at its best already. I still understand the car is still new and not too many radicals have been messing with this car yet but given all the threads ive read so far since i owned this car makes me think the car is at its maxium performance.

We are spending major cash for aftermarkets parts only to recieve a measly 5-10hp gain while other cars such as honda do the same after market part swap with ther oem parts get a 10-20hp gain depending on the part and its still way cheaper.

Are we being foolish to be wasting all this money? I mean we can spend up to $4000 and gain up to 30hp or get forced induction but will need more money for tuning and what not while a honda can spend 4000 and have their car running mad fast. Is there somthing im not getting or am i just getting more mature and wise with the money?

Pleas do not flame, it can be due to my late night posting but i would really like to know whats going on!

 

I've been off this last week and have spent much of it researching how much power is left in the Z. A generic rule of thumb is that a n/a motor can get about 2hp per cubic inch. That would put us at a max of 430hp at the crank. With a drivetrain loss of 15% or so we could get 350-360 hp at the wheels. At that level the car would have a very small peaky powerband and be difficult to drive well without a close ratio transmission. Also, to get to that level would require hundreds of hours of head flow testing and porting, dyno testing and tuning, exhaust flow testing and plenum tuning etc.

Our cars are presently +/- 235 hp at the rear from the factory. That means 115 is in there somewhere. I think the highest n/a i've seen is 298 rwhp. They found 63 of the 115 possible. That leaves about 50 hp to go. That will be a very difficult 50hp to get and will cost someone more than the 6 or 7 thousand dollars if not man hours to find it and fabricate the parts.

We definitely start at a higher level from a performance standpoint than the typical Honda. That means each hp is going to cost more. I think Nissan did a terrific job with pumping up the VQ motor. They got about 70% of its potential in n/a form. That's impressive for a mass produced car.

Is it worth it? Depends on what ya want, I guess. Always hated that saying. I want my car to be as fast as a Lambo. But that is probably not going to happen.

My .02 cents.

 

Even if a car were tuned to its absolute power potential from the manufacturer, there would still; be aftermarket exhausts and intakes and the like available claiming increased power. A lot of that stuff is all about look, colors & marketing genius rather than "go." The less a car is tuned from the factory, the more these products become legit.

 

it just makes me think of the RSX when it first came out. it was a dead horse. nothing improved it.

then I got my Z and I wandered from the rsx forums. so I missed exactly when and how it happened; but magicly this hondata ECU came along and made the rsx a low 14sec car. I wish I knew more about it, and maybe itd work for the Z too(both use very advanced engines and controls)

I think the power is there; the 2hp/inch seems a bit low. most engines are CAPABLE of 2-3000hp. this is strictly how much gas and oxegen you could theoreticly get into the chamber assuming you could handle the pressure and converted it to 100% force not heat. obviously you wont get that.

also if you simple balanced the engine; and redid the valves to by hydrolic ect ect; you could raise the redline to who knows where. that is how F1 cars have 800HP on 3liter engines.

and then theres forced induction. I think 400hp on it is quite strong. most cars of a light nature with aluminum blocks cant get that far. but beyond that; its not a bulletproof engine like the steel block counterparts. it need the internals redone.

for now; I think the way to mod is in handling. let the performance mods develop. if you want/need to be the guinea pig for something new, go for it. Ill just save my money till something is proven effective.

 

Not trying to be contrary, but using a 3L V10 F1 engine which revs to 14,500 is probably not the best indicator of the VQ35DE motor potential.

The Porsche 911 GT3 (380hp@7400) and BMW M3(333hp@7800) both achieve 100+ hp per liter and are considered some of the most efficient 6 cylinders in the world. Perhaps our best comparison is to a modified NSX. Which starts at 300hp from the factory and has reached up to about 350 with n/a parts and tuning.

So there you have it. If you can equal the Germans at engine building you can get 100 more hp out of the Z. I doubt Stillen will be coming out with the stage 5 kit anytime soon.

Lots of companies are claiming to make a 400hp V6, but few have acutally appeared.

My .02 cents

peace

 

Just give it more time, I'm sure more and more parts will be out soon

 

look at how long the hondas have been out. Give the Z some time, and more parts will be cheaper and more powerful. The civics are econoboxes, and, for example, their intakes were very restricted, therefore putting on a CAI can yeild gains up to 15-20hp, but the well developed intake box of the Z is very efficent, and compaines are having trouble making lots of power from the simple bolton mods. And that honda doesnt look half as good as your Z !

 

not to be a dork, but current F1 cars rev to 19,500 rpm. roughly 333 revolutions per second. mad!

nissan is providing renault technology in their F1 effort.

 

It's a brand new car, with heritage, but a new twist.

It's not an LT1->LS1 thing, its like previously stated, b18c -> K20a deal.

Whole new ball game. Give it some time, did you really expect there to be stupid amounts of parts this soon? I mean still released their G35 what, 3 months ago?

 

I stand corrected. I used to watch F1 quite a bit, but been out of touch for a couple of years. So my bad.

Maybe they will provide us with some of that technology.

 

The Nismo race version of 350Z has 400hp without any force induction. The top secret turbo 350Z has more than 500hp. There are lots people work on 350Z in Japan, so 350Z do have alot of potential, just not from an exhaust system or intake. People judge the potential by the hp increased of exhaust and intake only because those are the first thing they changed. What about cams??? stroker kit?? and proper a/f tuning???

when HONDA released the 94+ Integra GSR, alot of people think it;s already at it's peak too, but what about now, there are lots of Integra GSR that run very fast. And the B18 motors has proved it has great tunning potential. So does Type-Rs. Although many people think NSX doesn't have high tunning potetial, there are some NSX in Japan that has 400+ hp without FI also, and JGTC NSX has more than 500 hp without any FI. Reason why people dosen't tune NSX is simply becuase it's expensive.

Our 350Z is still very new, and lots of tunning parts are not yet release or available to US yet, so I think it is too early to said it is already at it's peak.

 

Nismo's at 340hp. Actually a bit less. here's the link and a quote.

http://www.carview.co.jp/magazine/sp...cle/nismo.html
Probably have to babelfish it.

 

I am not talking about that one, Zillinois. That is the nismo street version. I am talking about the GT race version. It has 400hp.

 

I did not know they were different. Do you have any links? Thanks
Would love to be able to pump up to 400hp n/a.

 

Ok first of all the car is too new. Second the 350Z is a sports car its was meant to have some power, so how can u expect an intake or exhaust to pump out a lot of power from something that is already modified. Give the car some time it will come around. Ares is right, when the RSX first came out they were considered "maxed out", Now there are sooo many parts to get your hand on its crazy. Me personally if i owned a Z now i would do some killer work on the suspension and brakes, so when that extra power starts to come ( believe me it will ) u will be set to go. I wouldnt waste my time or money on simple bolt on parts or newly manufactured parts that give u crap gains!

 

Here is the pic:
http://www.freshalloy.com/site/featu...dyz/home.shtml

look for the Red one with the black rims

I need to find the website regarding it's spec. I saw it once on Nismo japan website, but can't find it now. I also saw it on various Japanese magazine when Z33 was first released. That car is for sell to the public for aroun $89,000

 

I found one as well claim 450hp! But it was bored and stroked.
Crazy price tag though.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....article_id=381

 

YUP, ZILLINOIS, THAT IS THE ONE I AM TLAKING ABOUT. But I don't think the price is right thou.

 

On NISMO site it shows turbo to get those numbers.
r1 and the street version both show turbo to get to 400 and 450 respectively.

Bablefish it.

http://www.nismo.co.jp/shop/data/r1.html
http://www.kanagawa-nissan.co.jp/kns2/tuning/rs.htm

 

Just an FYI- I wouldnt consider the amount of available products to be an indication of how tunable a car is. Its a niche market and companies will market and manufacture pretty, colorful aftermarket bolt-ons which have no performance value yet the consumer is dooped because of the "gains" and "packaging."