I'm considering this mod, as I'd like to have better accelration. My car is a daily driver; just looking to have bit more fun with it. I don't care about track times etc.
The final drive would be the only mod, aside from Nismo sway bars.
I've heard pleny of good feedback on the final drive... anybody NOT happy with it on their daily driver N/A car?
Thanks,
Mika

 

I think it's going to be so quiet you're going to hear a pin drop on this question.....

 

Why? Because people love it, or...?

 

bingo

 

Ping.

That's the sound of satisifed customers. ;-) There is really no downside to this mod, unless your after gas mileage. The car feels like OEM, but it pulls harder. The key to this mod, is finding a good installer. That will determine if you like it or not.

 

What should one look for in a good installer?
Would someone who specializes in differential rebuilding be a good choice?
There are some shops around here, but they mainly serve the 4x4 community....
Mika

 

well, I'll chime in - I am happy with it as a mod, but not as a value for dollar. Maybe I am jaded by the other cars I have, or by the other cars we cater too, but the high price tag + install price (around $400-$500) + the need for shim sizes that are not immediately known till you break it all open (and thus risk a backorder as I did), make this a mod that is very low on the bang for the buck meter IMHO. That being said, I did it because it is in perfect keeping with the NA car I am building. However, as a value per dollar, I could have done without it

 

well as a value per $, I would think an exhaust is among the worst things you can buy

5-8hp up top (around a 4.5% improvement in poewr) for around $900-ish
vs 10% improvement in accelleratoin across the entire power band for around $1500

 

well, there are tons of things that dont have a huge value per dollar....in fact, most every mod I have done qualify, since they have all been top dollar purchases (since I like the rare stuff). Value for dollar, there is no doubt forced induction is where it's at. NA is zigging where others zag, which is what I'm all about in any car I tend to build

 

Only down side is that on average, I lost approximately 1.5 to 2 mpg...

Was it worth it??? Most DEFINATELY....

 

What other NA mod will give you anywhere near the performance of the 3.9FD for the same money? I bet your not gonna find one. Cams will cost you upwards of 2k w/ install. Headers approx. $1500 installed.

3.9FD is the one of the only NA mods worth the money IMHO.

 

yeah ditto

for sheer power, nothing will beat a FI kit - especially a SC in terms of bang for buck since they often cost less and take half the labor to install

 

Final drive=happiness

 

just out of curiosty, wouldnt you lose some top speed with this mod?

 

yes, however if you get an ECU flash with the raised rev limiter, you can still reach 162mph

otherwise I think top speed ends up being 15xmph

what tracks do you race on to need 150+mph though?

 

no tracks, just highways

 

mmm hmm ok, just don't get your car impounded....

 

Tilton flywheel and clutch...

but most people cant handle it it seems...

:-/

 

I think I'd like the 3.9 if 6th gear was a real overdrive. I'd like to see 80 mph at 2.6-2.8k rpm. Not going to happen with the current set up (or stock even). Probably great between 2nd and 3rd but, if your Z is a daily driver and you're on the freeway, you want lower revs and some gas saved when you're not going ***** to the wall.

 

I look at it this way:

I spend around $150/month a gas and drive about 800 miles a month

getting the 3.9 is costing me $10-15 a month

I spend $8 a day on lunch....

now if 6th gear WAS a "true" overdrive gear (it is, you can look at the gearing curve and the gear ratio itself prove it is), you'd be complaining that your exhaust is droning at 2600-2800rpm because at that rpm, it's a little boomy compared to 3300 where it starts to focus it's sound, lose the booming drone and become more pleasing to the ear

it's nice to not have to downshift to 5th gear to pass with the 3.9.

6th gear becomes a more useful gear when passing on the highway

The tilton clutch would be my #2 pick for NA mods. The 3.9 FD being #1


Also, for us tilton owners, we all dread going below 2500 rpms because of the shuttering noise. If 6th gear leaves you at 2600-2800 rpm, it would only take a little bit of slow down to get into that noisy rpm range. It'd drive you nuts...

Also, all the gears would be very linear and predictable, until you got to 6th gear. Downshifting from 6th to 5th would be a tremendous jump. You're no longer talking 2000 rpm jump, you're talking about almost 3000 rpm jump - which is fine I guess (make sure to rev match obviously) but it's just not as predictable since all the other gears will have a 2000 rpm difference