LeftLaneLuc

Hey all. As you can tell I'm a new poster to the forums and from the title you can also get that I'm an inexperienced kid who currently just bought a 2005 Nissan 350z auto (Yes, I know..). I paid for the car myself and am paying for insurance myself. This is probably the most excited I've ever been to own something. 80k miles, 1 owner, all service records, everything up to date and COMPLETELY stock! And interior and exterior is in mint condition.

I'm sure this has been asked tons of times, but I'm looking for something maybe a bit more specific.

How should I go about modifying my car and at the same time respecting the community?

For starters I don't want to do anything CRAZY to it. Ideally I'd like to get around 325 whp w/o turbos or supercharging it. So simply put, what should I get done and in what order? I'd prefer to keep things cheaper if possible as I am only 18 and have other responsibilities such as school and work and won't have a ton of $ to spend on things.

And for the second part of my question.. How should I go about respecting the community? I'm asking this question because I see so many comments talking about how the only people buying these cars are high school kids with daddy's money and such.. I want to be able to fit into the Z community and have fun with others who have such toys. I'm guessing the basics like don't be an idiot driver, don't try and race people, don't add stupid wings or weird rims, etc.. But is there anything else I should know about the community now that I own a Z?

Thanks to any and all who take the time to read this and respond!

rearranged

First off, 325whp will never happen without forced induction. Right now you're probably around 220whp completely stock with auto transmission. And you won't be able to do anything cheaper. I got intake/exhaust mods and a tune and it cost me around $2500 to get to 250whp. The best thing you can do is learn how to drive the car. Find a hpde in your area before you worry about spending a lot of money for little hp gains.(in before Mic)

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Welcome and glad to hear your enthusiasm. However, doing just a bit of searching on this site would have easily answered your first question. There is simply no cheap or easy way to get 50-75 whp gains with this car. Forget about simple bolt-ons for making large gains- it just won't happen.

As for respecting the forum- spend some time reading and searching before asking a lot of lame questions. Being an educated Z owner goes a long way here. Learn how to do basic maintenance, detailing and repair while you learn how to drive this gorgeous sportscar.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Read and learn, keep reading , keep learning. As mentioned, your not getting 325 without dropping a ton of cash

HCO_surfer

Bolt ons will literally only add a few hp. You will not reach 325 without f/I..

A turbo kit would cost you way too much. You should just enjoy the car as it is or with minor mods. There is no reason to go in debt for mods.

The Swede

As another inexperienced kid (although slightly older ahem...), my advice is to enjoy the car as is for at least a year. Learn about it, how it drives and how to drive it, where it lacks in your opinion etc. You'd be surprised how well it can perform with a proper driver behind the wheel (not me). Save up your funds for maintenance and future mods. I've had mine for a year and a half and I still have no clue what I want to do to it.

It's not a "live my life a 1/4-mile at a time" kind of car.
Don't race people, just don't. And for the love of god don't "dorifto" on public roads, or anywhere but a drift pad for that matter. Curbs, trees and lightposts eat young dorifters alive.

venture210

Welcome OP. You seem to be off to a better start than most. Just enjoy the car for what it is. I say pay it off before looking for more power though. Whatever you decide, good luck

JERZ350

iTrader: (2)

This 100%. I have pretty much the same car as you. My mods are in my signature, I managed to squeeze out 255WHP. You probably can't even hit the 300 mark with Auto and DE motor, I think only a handful of MT DE's hit 300WHP with cams as well.

But hey, don't get discouraged, its plenty and you're lucky for it being one of your first cars. You seem responsible, so keep respecting the car. My first car was an 88 Pontiac Grand Am back in 2000.

If you're going to mod it, keep it classy. These cars are really great looking as they are. That said...it's easy to make them look stupid. Look around the forums here for examples. You'll find the tastefully modded ones get the most approvals. With these cars, if it's cheap....then its CHEAP.

dboyzalter

iTrader: (3)

Congratulations on the new car, like others said its not cheap to gain power, but honestly the car has no problems getting up to speed on the freeway...

If you want a cost effective mod that you will actually notice.... When you replace the rear differential bushing that is most likely oozing black death by now, swap in a differential from a 6 speed...

Other then that just enjoy the car and save up for new tires.

xbitterbanana

iTrader: (4)

Auto has 3 bolt flanges, and manual have 4 bolt flanges into the drive shaft. It won't be a simple swap.

CK_32

iTrader: (1)

Welcome! hopefully you mean that because we need REAL Z drivers in here.


So many dam ricers haha


But, that said enjoy and drive the car as is. Im sure its plenty faster than you assume it to be. Congrats and respect on your bills, not many kids and some guys can say they own up to their own bills, but mommy and daddy.


As said above, if you want power gains the cheapest rout is to buy into FI, cause to get 350+ N/A is going to probably cost you double if not more of FI and you still might not get there.


But again, enjoy the car. Don't waste it on an intake or any of that. Get some tint, maybe wheels, do the simple clean look mods, and just save for FI if you can and NEED that power. The Z is plenty fast. Not the fastest but you also don't want to crash your first and own car your still paying for.


GL man, hope you enjoy your Z.

rancor

My 07 has a 4 bolt flange on the drive shaft, and I don't think they would change that between years.

Z1NONLY

iTrader: (2)

Driving is like typing. If you are asking how to upgrade your keyboard (car) because you simply want an upgraded keyboard, that's fine.

But if you actually want your keyboard (car) to go faster, then typing class (performance driving school) is the best way to make that happen.

Seat-time you will destroy-bolt on you all day long time.

Colorado04Vert

This is by far my favorite thread so far.

no sarcasm.

A young kid who wants to do things right. Good to see

Zruralracer

iTrader: (1)

My oh my how the community has turned around here lol, was worried I would see a bunch of "go read we don't spoon feed here"

If you want 325HP you need at least 10,000$ to get there. You will need head work, big cams, etc. Look up Sasha Anis with On Point Dyno his blog has some great reads for N/A guys.

Personally best mods ever done to my car (2003 Performance) were wider wheels and tires. After that it was probably 2500$ in bolt ons and I still only hit 268hp/258tq. As everyone else said you will just want to learn the car. Just respect it and fear it for the first six months. I got mine at an early age and it is a VERY capable car. Make sure it doesn't get away from you, and drive like a grandma with 3 inch thick bifocals in the rain. Especially if you have a base model without the LSD.

Sorry for the rant, I am sure others will have their own opinions and welcome to the community!

mr. sparco

iTrader: (13)

The right thing to do is not to follow what others have done which is: drift into a pole on Thanksgiving, slide into the wall getting off the freeway, hopping a curb trying to power out of a corner, and of course flipping the z (which so many kids have done).

gc350z03

Glad to see another younger Z enthusiast that doesn't instantly come in here making a mess! I bought my own Z at 15, however mine had like double the miles yours does. I hope you enjoy the car, like everyone said learn how to drive the car first before mods. I drove the car for a year with a permit and in that time took it to the dragstrip several times and between year one and this last year at 17 I dropped like 2 seconds on my 1/4 mile. Also do not do anything stupid on the streets, luckily my older brother learned that the hard way so it was never an issue with me. Good luck with your Z and feel free to post any questions!

grimm66

Nitrous will the be cheapest way to get to 325whp. Surprised no one said that yet.

slow7

iTrader: (1)

Pretty much everything has been cover just drive it, track it for 4-6 months stock, improve your driving, maintenance is the key keeping your Z alive if your on budget, dont rush performance parts over maintenance, other than that welcome to the Z family go check out some builds or DIY threads to gain knowledge on the Z also the link here https://my350z.com/forum/autocross-road-305/ section if you want to have fun racing responsible, Happy Searching!

CK_32

iTrader: (1)

Because a lot of people who run Nitrous say its actually not cheaper long term or with a proper kit.


I also know a lot of guys ditch it and end up going turbo anyways. I only know of a few guys who run strictly nitrous through of this forum. Also that kind of limits your power to drag racing. Not everyone is just looking for strip times.