I had some friends/family ask me if there is anything that I would like for Christmas (I must have nice friends and family) since most of them have a hard time buying stuff for me as I'm a pro skier and I get most stuff for free through sponsors.

Anyways, I was trying to think of some less expensive parts for my car that they could maybe get me.
I currently don't want to do anything to increase power output yet because at my current skill level the 350z has more then enough power. I plan on going to the track a lot once the my off season comes around so I was thinking that anything that would help with cooling/reliability would be a good idea.

Some of the parts I was thinking of are possibly a Nismo radiator cap, Nismo thermostat, Nismo power steering oil cooler, an oil catch tank, and that’s about all I could come up with.

The other thing I thought of was maybe a Stillen engine damper brace.

I am just not sure if I really need any of these things since the engine is stock after all. On the other hand I will be driving the car hard on the circuit so the extra cooling could be beneficial. I live up in Mammoth Lakes during the winter when I am not off travelling, it is a little cooler but I’ll most likely take my car to the tracks south of here where the temperature is a lot warmer.

What are your guys thoughts on these products for my car? Also, do you have any other ideas for parts on the less expensive side that would benefit my 350?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Well, these are not sexy sounding, but they are going to help since you are going to be tracking in Calif/Nevada in the late spring to late fall months when there is no skiiing to be done.

Cooling. If you run in the heat, you must pay attention to this.
l. ARC high capacity oil pan. Adds about 1.5qts capacity.
2.Koyo high capacity radiator. The core is about three times the thickness of the stock radiator. Drop a bottle of Redline Water Wetter in it as well.
3. Nismo thermostat.

If you want cheap and easy to buy stuff, then things like driving gloves, driving shoes, balaclava etc.

There is an endless list of useful tools for tracking, things like a torque wrench to check your lugs between sessions, etc etc.

Have fun out there, and drive safely on the track.

 

I second this. Make sure you go to a race shop that carries a variety of gloves / shoes, and be sure to spend some time trying them all on.

 

I second the cooling theme

Nismo P/S cooler ~$100
Nismo Thermostat ~$120
Nismo finned diff cover ~$95

best thing would be to go to www.mynismo.com (Performance Nissan website) and put all the things you like in the wish list. Then your family can just click order when they are ready

BTW what type of skiing do you compete in? Happy Birthday!

 

Thanks for the ideas guys. Those all sound good to me.

I do what's called Freeride Skiing. I compete in event like Slopestyle, Big Air, and Half Pipe. It's the kind of stuff that you see in the X-Games and on channels like EXPN and Spike TV. I must say that it’s a pretty damn fun job.

 

Oh and one other thing, what about the oil catch can? Is that something that helps much or is it just a waste of money?

 

The catch can is a good addition to a track car, it will reduce the oil blow by generated in the intake tube and on the MAF. I haven't added one to my car yet, but run one on all my other cars. I do clean out my intake after every event though and there is a lot of oil.

Good job on the freestyle skiing! I used to compete in snowboarding events. I coached at Mt. Hood in the summers and went to High School in Maine (CVA if you're familiar) where we got to ride every day Also made a movie once with Plake, Justin Patnode and Mosely during winter of 99. Real fun industry!

 

Nice, I've spent a fair bit of time in Hood myself.

Yeah, it sure is a great industry. Even though it really is my job, it sure doesn't feel like it. It's great to be able to do what I love everyday.
The only problem is how hard it is on your body. Oh well, I'll just have to enjoy it while I can.

As for oil catch cans, is their much difference between the different makes? I noticed that ARC has one specifically for the 350z but its about double the cost of the GReddy and Cusco cans.

 

The ARC can fits nice, but is way overpriced. All you need is a small plastic or metal container with two holes and a cap. I usually fill it with some foam air filter left overs to absorb the oil and empty it out every event or every few thousand miles. Most all universal ones will work, just make sure you can fit it under the hood.

Injury is the very reason I don't ride any more, broke my back and tore way too many ligaments... can never do the things I used too anymore Enjoy it while you can! Hopefully longer than I did

 

Sounds good, thanks for the help.

Yeah you always need to have a back up plan because injuries are inevitable when you do the kind of stuff that us snowboarders/skiers do. It's too bad but you just can't do it forever. So I'm just doing what you said and enjoying while I can.

 

Does the NISMO finned LSD cover only work for the NISMO LSD or can it be used with any LSD such as a Cusco RS or KAAZ?

 

The Nismo (actually Nissan Motorsports) LSD cover is a direct replacement for the stock part and will work with stock VLSD, and all aftermarket LSD's. The only difference is the addition of cooling fins to the outside of the cover.

 

Ahh alright, thanks