Hello, I am new to the forum and to Z's. I have an 04 with an automatic. I have searched various forums about changing gears in the rear end. I can't seem to find an answer if this can be done to an AT or not. Also what is the main reason DE motors don't respond much to engine modifications real well from what I have read? Thanks for any insight.

 

Yes. with automatic transmission, you could put the 3.5 or the 3.7 final drive in and it will improve acceleration. wish i would have done that to my old auto z i had. just find a wrecked 6mt 350z (3.5 gears) or 370z (3.7 gears) and have it swapped in.

 

Don't stress too much about what you hear regarding the DE's ability to respond to mods. I have a 2004 6mt with intake, exhaust, and a couple of plenum mods, and it is a blast. Over time you will see what some guys on here have done with them and they have no problem making plenty of power, especially with forced induction. I am putting Motordyne ART Pipes in and getting a tune this Thursday. As a new Z owner I would advise you to look into motordyne. All of their parts are top notch. Have fun and welcome to the forum!

 

Yeah, you can swap the gears to 3.5 or 3.7 and you'll get some better acceleration, however you'll be sacrificing fuel mileage of course. btw if you've got cruise control going with a higher gear might make it so you can't use cruise control.

 

The VQDE doesn't respond well to engine modifications because it's nearly at it's full potential from the factory. Which is why with some mods you actually lose power because your reversing the work the engineers put into the car. It's not like an american muscle car where you can get huge gains from an exhaust upgrade. The engineers actually put a lot of work to reach the safest maximum output while still being able to out live it's owner if taken great care. Also, why on god's green earth would you get an auto? I would of waited for a manual.

 

If you want a drastic change in performance from the engine it's with FI. Anything else is just a waste of money unless your looking for a unique sound or something.

 

Thanks! I am just learning about it so far before doing anything major. So far I am trying to figure out what previous owners have done. It has Invidia exhaust but rattles and drones pretty bad. From reading posts on this forum it is looking like a contact point of the pipe hitting the frame due to a design change. It has coilovers and MRR GT1 19in rims. This is my first import I will be working on. Normally I use an SRT8 challenger for my car to mess around with so trying to learn about imports.

 

I got an auto due to it is mainly city driving (Denver). I have a 6speed SRT8 Challenger if I want to horse around.

 

My ban hammer is about to fall upon you. You speak blasphemous words against the DE!

 

Your Invidia exhaust is trash. I will gladly take it off your hands for free. For you my friend, I give you a special.

 

I think I will just fix it lol.

 

YES! Haha

 

Lol. Well I heard of countless people getting less horsepower than stock with basic breather and fart mods (exhaust hehe). Even after a tune. But it all depends on the setup. Op also has to be be specific when he says "responds well". Does he mean power gains, reliability? Does the Z tell you it likes you after giving it mods or does it put you in the friend zone?

 

de... pssssh... team HR here. i had the invidia for a while... no complaints on it for the money.

btw smooth, i freaking LOVE Pagani's!

 

My 03 Z is my mistress that my wife knows about and puts up with. Sort of like a King and his mistress because his Queen is too busy...nevermind.

I have suspension and brake mods as well as breathing and farting mods. It works out well for me.

 

You shut your trap. You came to the wrong thread HR boy. Now me and the DE crew are gonna break your legs for rolling in our turf.

 

Well, in case you get tired of it...

I'll never kiss and tell.

Yeah! What he said!

 

haha, you know i am just poking fun...

 

Did someone say HR?

 

[QUOTE=Jah70;10300 Op also has to be be specific when he says "responds well". Does he mean power gains, reliability? Does the Z tell you it likes you after giving it mods or does it put you in the friend zone?[/QUOTE]
I didn't buy it to have Toyota Corolla reliability lol. When I say respond, I am talking horse power gains.

Thanks everyone for the insight. I will keep reading more posts and compiling my list of things to do. Looks like lower gears are in my future.