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Found and installed another set of disco'd XERD long tube headers. Fitment was perfect. No knocking, bending or otherwise to make them fit. Brackets lined up and O2 sensors plugged in. Car sounds great!
I also installed a Gripforce 15lb flywheel with an OEM clutch and PP. I love how more responsive the car feels and how much easier and smoother it is to shift into gear. I'm also glad to see that I didn't feel any extra NVH or harshness due to the flywheel.
Installed a BLOX 5/16 plenum. Didn't feel the massive gain some have touted but it feels a bit peppier past 5k RPM? Maybe that's due to the headers? I donno.
Lastly, got those Wedsport SA-70 wheels I spoke about previously. Had them resprayed in bronze, currently waiting for my Bilstein B12 kit to arrive before I install them. Goal is to run 265 fronts and 285 rears. If I can't find those, I'm going to run the more common 255/40/18 fronts and 275/35/18 rears.
Next in line is a Whiteline bushing conversion front and rear. I'm going to order the "essentials" kit and then supplement it by separately purchasing a full rear set (as they don't make a complete kit like StrongFlex/Energy do). The essentials kit is mostly for the front end with just a rear diff bushing. I'll also be doing an UpRev tune in the near future, probably around NY when I get my work bonus. Hoping for a reasonable ~305hp after the tune.
After that, a set of poly motor and trans mounts and she should be good for a while. I also have front and rear camber arms in my build list but I want to make sure the foundation is there first.
As always, would love some input/opinions/advice. Have a lovely Friday everybody.
Ordered the Whiteline Essentials kit today (WEK003). Kind of miffed Whiteline don't have a complete kit available like Prothane do, though. I know both are HQ but my mechanic swears by Whiteline so I'm gonna do some head-scratching and order them all myself. But the essentials kit comes first.
Lifted the car so I could remove my fender liners and check my lighting system. Surprised and confused to find that I have factory HID's, even though my car is a base. It's a US spec car if that makes a difference.
Probably later on in the month/early next month I'm going to order a set of 50W ballasts and bulbs from TRS (www.theretrofitsource.com). Probably convert my highs to HID's as well.
I'm loving this car more and more every day. Once I get the handling and suspension down, I'm going to start working on tidying it up. New paint job, reupholster the interior, stuff like that. Gonna end up throwing more money at this thing than I paid for it. :P
Wedsport wheels are as yet uninstalled as it is winter and I thought I'd annihilate the tires that are on the car before I buy a new set anyway. Also, married. Which as other married owners here can attest to means there's a black hole where my wallet used to be.
Ordered the Whiteline Essentials kit today (WEK003). Kind of miffed Whiteline don't have a complete kit available like Prothane do, though.
I'm with you on that. I wish the essentials kit came with more bushings which could easily be considered "essential". Let us know your thoughts after getting them installed. I'm considering the same kit, but am worried it might make the ride a bit harsh for daily driving.
Originally Posted by Shoomakan
Probably later on in the month/early next month I'm going to order a set of 50W ballasts and bulbs from TRS (www.theretrofitsource.com). Probably convert my highs to HID's as well.
Have you considered upgrading to 06+ headlights? The bi-xenons are great. If you don't want to drop $1,200 on a brand new set, you could probably find them used for a decent price and give them some TLC. Just a thought.
Originally Posted by Shoomakan
Also, married. Which as other married owners here can attest to means there's a black hole where my wallet used to be.
Went out for an early Sunday cruise with the missus, wanted to push the car on the stock shocks and springs before I installed the new ones. Managed to snap a couple of nice photos.
Just dropped the car off for the suspension install. Bushings aren't here yet so I'm just installing the B12 kit. Ran into a pleasant surprise on my cruise. Bunch of really nice classic cars!
For those wondering, those are the Sannine mountains. Altitude about ~1700 meters where I parked. Car felt like it had 200 horsepower up there. :P
Also, as soon as I send the car out for bodywork after winter I want to delete the mudguards, those indicators under my "Z" logo on the fenders, and do an antenna delete. Want to make this thing look a bit better. One step at a time. Sigh.
Hey guys. Installed my B12 Pro Kit yesterday. Here's how she sits now. There's apparently an adjustment in the front to bring it up another 1 cm or so to flatten the stance, and I think when I install all the Whiteline bushings I'll do that.
So far I'm very very happy with how she feels. So far these are the best investment I've made into the car. Didn't get as low as I thought, probably due to the fact that my shocks were quite tired already. Which is a good thing, as any lower than this and it would be near un-drivable on our roads!
Sorry for the shitty picture, I usually try a bit harder but it was 7am and it had been raining all night, so yeah.
Took some better photos. So, here's Liza's current stance. I'm going to try to drop the rear another cm, probably by modifying or removing the spring perch isolators or something.
Otherwise, VERY happy with the handling and ride quality.
I'm with you on that. I wish the essentials kit came with more bushings which could easily be considered "essential". Let us know your thoughts after getting them installed. I'm considering the same kit, but am worried it might make the ride a bit harsh for daily driving.
Have you considered upgrading to 06+ headlights? The bi-xenons are great. If you don't want to drop $1,200 on a brand new set, you could probably find them used for a decent price and give them some TLC. Just a thought.
Hey buddy,
I don't mind a bit harsh as I prefer a car's feel to it's NVH properties. But I'll keep you posted.
As for the 2006+ bi xenons, I'm not against it but I can't find any clean units for less than $700 here. And nobody here has the Depo units, and they are prohibitively big to ship all the way to Lebanon, I'd end up paying a fortune. So I thought new Depo 2003 assemblies + high quality HID bulbs and ballasts would be fine enough for me, for about ~$500 all in. If I find affordable units later I can switch over the ballasts and bulbs anyway so it isn't money wasted.
Just an FYI , 255/40-18 front and 275/35-18 rear is not a common setup. 275/40-18 rear is the common tire that you would want
I was using a tire calculator and 275/35/18 is within 1% of OEM, whereas 275/40/18 is farther away from that.
Running it again, a 275/40/18 tire will be over 3% off spec (-3.54%), whereas a 275/35/18 tire will be at +0.54%. I'd rather the closer number, obviously.
I've just installed the Whiteline essentials kit, BDE semi solid motor mounts, and a Torque Solutions tranny mount. I also shimmed my diff with a 0.8mm shim.. here's my impressions.
First, the Whiteline bushings REALLY firmed up the car in a good way. It's not harsh at all (to me), and everything feels nice and tight. In the front. The Essentials kit only comes with rear diff bushings, but my rear bushings are tired and so the car feels planted and amazing up front, yet loose and wiggly in the rear. The rest of the bushings should arrive next week, so after I install them I'm sure I'll be much happier.
As for the BDE mounts and TS tranny mount.. The good is that everything feels MUCH more direct, and for some reason the handling has improved a bit. Doesn't feel like the motor stops or leans at a different rate than the car and as a result it feels much better composed. My longtube headers aren't touching the subframe or whatever they were rubbing on when I took sharp left corners. Shift feel is improved, and it feels much easier to drop into 1st when you're not at a low speed. No need to really jam it in anymore, it just goes in.
The bad... NVH is insane. I feel like I'm driving my Mazda work truck at certain RPM's. When you're puttering along in 2nd or 3rd gear at around 1000rpm there's lots of vibration, and again around ~2200rpm. The exhaust sounds much louder, and everything is very, well, rumbly. I read online that both the mounts and the tranny mount need to be broken in for a few hundred miles, so here's hoping my issues diminish somewhat.
It's my opinion that unless you have a high tolerance for NVH and/or you track the car occasionally as I do, DO NOT INSTALL SEMI SOLID MOUNTS AND A TQ TRANNY MOUNT. Stick to regular poly motor mounts and a STOCK tranny mount if you want to firm everything up in a nice way without significantly adding NVH.
As for the diff, it has improved it greatly but there's no getting around the fact that it's a VLSD.. the second one of my tires lifts off the ground slightly (like entering or leaving my office, we have a steep ramp) I lose traction and stay where I am. However, it is much improved in regular conditions. It doesn't bind at all when at full lock in 1st gear either. Not at all. I'd say it performs as well as the diff should when it's new, nothing more. NOT a true 1.5way clutch or torsen diff, that's for sure.
So it seems due to the new mounts, my long tube headers are touching the underbody somewhere. I'll update the review and NVH situation after I fix them.
Installed the rest of the Whiteline bushings yesterday and moved my passenger side header pipes a bit so they weren't touching anything. The clanging that was occuring at 2000ish rpm is gone, but I still maintain that the NVH levels are too high for a daily being driven by someone who won't track the car frequently. I don't mind it, but honestly I feel that I'll swap out the solid motor mounts at the end of the year to regular polyurethane units.
As for the Whiteline bushings... words cannot describe how tight and lovely the car feels now. Planted, confident, and capable. Not a single squeak, too. I'm very impressed. My Z has went from a great handling car to the best handling car I've ever driven. It's being let down by my 3 year old tires now which are the next, and last, thing on my list of things to do before my first racing even next month.
Nice update! Was that Whiteline's essentials bushing kit or did you go all out with every bushing set they had available? Edit: nevermind, just saw it's the essentials + rear kit...
Also, do you have an engine damper (Stillen or otherwise) to help with NVH? Fits perfect, made for less rumble at certain RPMs where it seems engine/exhaust noise was close to car's resonant frequency -- something you want in SPL competitions with subs in the back, not so much for daily driving.
Finally installed my Wedsport SA-70 wheels on the Z. 18x10 ET32 rear, 18x9 ET32 fronts IIRC. Rear tires are 275/40/18, fronts are 255/40/18. Tires are Nitto Invos.
Alignment specs are OEM front camber (no camber arms yet) which I believe was 1.5 degrees. Rear camber is -2 degrees. Rear toe is 1 degree total.
Car feels super planted now and won't even let loose in 1st gear on our smooth asphalt.
Looking good! Always liked the black with bronze wheel look. Those are the tire sizes I planned to eventually run, so thanks for the reference pictures.
Participated in my first official event in my 350Z yesterday. Quick recap for those who have not followed this thread in its entirety:
Mods:
Full Whiteline bushing set front and rear;
Bilstein B12 pro kit;
Solid motor mounts;
Torque Solution tranny mount;
Lightweight flywheel;
XERD longtubes;
Aftermarket Y-pipe;
Scorpion catback.
Running on Wedsport SA70's, 255/40/18 front tires, 275/40/18 rears. Tires are Nitto Invos.
Thoughts and impressions: I feel like I need more front camber. Car pushes too much in corners even with slow entry speeds. Mid corner throttle inputs result in the front running wide. I feel a square setup would help, but OEM camber up front isn't helping me either.
At the ~1350 meters (4,430 feet to those living in Trumpville) of altitude that the race was held at, the car felt severely underpowered. Couldn't eke past top of 2nd gear/beginning of 3rd. Elected to just keep it in 2nd gear and bounce off the limiter for a few seconds instead of shift up for 2 seconds and then back down to enter a corner. I'm sure a tune would help but I also feel I need shorter gearing.
Stock LSD is garbage. Even though I've shimmed it a little bit (not enough to cause any binding/crunching), I always had one wheel peel when I was in 1st gear through a tight corner. Along with the understeer it was exhibiting it was an experience to say the least.
Otherwise, the car feels WONDERFUL. So communicative of what it is doing and what it intends to do. Whole car feels like one solid piece if that makes sense.
I placed 2nd in my class out of 5 cars. My class has an SC FBO gen 5 Camaro SS, a tuned but otherwise stock M2 DCT, a 1M converted 135i with a tune, and an FBO S2000. All of us were running road tires.
My overall time was ranked 37th out of the 62 cars that participated, most of which were Evolutions and Megane RS's (those are hella quick. European members will know what I mean).
Check out the attached images, and I'll follow up with a few clips or my onboard run as soon as I can (I apologize in advance for the n00b mistake of placing my camera outside with no case, all you can hear is some tire squeal and lots and lots of air).
For those wondering, I think the classification system is also a bit flawed. An Evo with FBO + tune and a stroker for instance will be in the same class as a stock one provided it is not gutted and running street legal tires. That's why a 700 crank horsepower Camaro was in my category, for example.
...That's why a 700 crank horsepower Camaro was in my category, for example.
in a round-about kind of way - it's sorta an insult to Chevy & the Camaro that they have to have a 700hp engine simply to compete with cars with 1/2 their hp
11-10-2017, 12:30 AM
Shoomakan's Build Thread
