ranger5oh

Ok.. Low end grunt? Have you driven an RX-8 or an S2000? Our car makes more torque at IDLE than either of their peaks!

azjimbo

Great point ranger5oh.

Dissident

iTrader: (1)

I would bet that a higher HP 350z is on the way pretty soon, as soon as Nissan works out some of the other bugs (i.e. tranny, suspension bounce). If they sell an ECU upgrade now, that only increase the chance of more failures.

It's also not uncommon for manufacturers to release a brand new car that is tuend well under it's potential as they work out bugs the first few years, and then gradually raise horsepower. While selling stuff like a NISMO ECU would make us happy, it is possible Nissan thinks that might hurt future sales (especially if the 05 or 06 Z has basically an ECU upgrade to make more hp).

I didn't buy an 03 for a reason, and would've even preferred to wait another year or two (if I wasn't sick of driving an SUV), but as it stands, I'm hopinh that there will be OEM Nissan or NISMO parts available over the next few years to satisfy me.

There is also the possibility that the motor we've got now is already near it's potential, much like the S2000, but I'd be surprised if that were the case.

racingdynamcs

get a mustang .... w/ supercharger ....

SharpST77

drive my 91 corolla AUTO..and see what i go through everyday....pfft...complaining about the Z with no low end... blah

N Rage

I gotta go along with C5DEMON;
my modded 'C-5' Vette (intake, exhaust, 'puter, etc...I "ZO-6'd" a vert..vroom-vroom with open head room) definitely had the "smoke 'em & hold on" power but the 'Z' has a much better feel in the twisties :-)
Plus..the boys really hated when I was arround (yeah..showin' off *blush*). Unfortunately most 'Vetters' are old fat folk with "gender priority" problems (lol).
I too am planning on waitin' & watchin'.. to see what comes. These cars aren't holding their value and uppin' the "grunt" just to lose the investment isn't kewl (unless you're livin' at home with someone else footin' the mortgage). Plus I've got expensive taste in wine & clothes/shoes ;-)
As for the Vette: sold it for what I paid..and pieced out the mods to get some of the bucks back!

Oh..any generous gents wanna 'bank roll' my needs? I'm sure we can work 'up' something :-O (LOL)

vonsudderth

Technosquare out of Los Angeles are the only ones that have cracked Nissans programming code and they have to have your computer to remore the rev and speed limiters. Also, they can fatten up your fuel map and change the advance. But, it is done in machine language so you ahve to send in your ECU and that means you will have to reprogram the throttle and the key. The best solution is going to be for me to take a drive out to LA from Vegas so they can do it while I wait. This way I do not have to get anything reprogrammed after they do the upgrade. But, since you cannot de-program it you will catch hell if you take your car into Nissan and they put it on the Consult II computer. They will see that you have changed the program and they might void your warranty.

topdown-z

Just decide to buy whatever your Mom will pay for. Don't worry about the horsepower gains, just learn how to operate the car right. I kick A$$ on so many modded cars with my roadster because half of the nimrod dumba$$ed poobutts can't drive, let alone know how to shift at the right time. But boy.........their stereos sure sound nice and their playstations work well to help them get over getting their a$$es kicked in a head to head run.

themyst

iTrader: (1)

1000 dollars will get you a nice power gain. cats, pulleys, intake, plenum. Skip the exhaust and headers. I felt that 1000 bucks was well spent at least on my end

snolden

right now the best performance upgrades are non engine upgrades: i.e. tires for better traction, flywheel for better response and less rotational weight, underdrive pulley (kinda an engine mod), clutch since you are doing the flywheel already, some weight reduction where possible (this is a good excuse for an aftermarket exhaust now, it can save 20-50 lbs).

maybe a short shifter to reduce shifting times

those items will make it seconds better on a road course and several tenths of seconds better on a dragstrip (although a lighter flywheel can actually hurt your launch).

Auto trannies can do the valve body upgrade and torque converter upgrade to shave almost a half second off a quarter mile run.

But still you are right even these mods are gonna run 2000 plus dollars.