So like so many others before me, I bought a used 2003 Z and got pretty well shafted in terms of the faulty tranny--not to mention the previous owner had (unbeknownst to me) completely worn out the clutch cover, clutch disc, throw out bearing, pilot bushing, and flywheel...a fact I learned only when the dealer removed my transmission to replace it with a new one under warranty. He quoted me $1400 for the parts and as it turned out the majority of that was for the flywheel, I dont know how many people are aware of this but a factory 350z flywheel is $1100 from the dealer!!! So I bought the Fidanza flywheel (also distributed by JWT - rebadged) and told them to just put that in...so they gave me the usual we're not responsible for this and that and if that happens and we suck *****, etc etc...so they installed the fidanza, along with the stock clutch...Immediate first impressions...sometimes when you start the car (and I dont know why it doesnt always do it, temperature variation, I dont know) and it reverts to its default idle speed RIGHT AWAY (again, doesnt always do it), the car MAY stall, so if you see your RPMs jump and then start to fall quickly youll have to revv it a little, which I love doing anyway, (and now I finally can, and with a valid excuse) even if everyone in the parking lot just thinks youre a giant douche nozzle. Continuing...in my particular application there was NO additional noise at idle...none. However, when you are accelerating in first and second gear you will hear the infamous cement mixer sound...its really not that mysterious, enigmatic, and frightening as it sounds...its just like that normal sound you hear right now when you are accelerating in low RPMs and kind of bogging the engine down, its just louder now. If you have the windows up and the radio on at an even moderate volume, you will not hear it. If you are cruising with the radio off and the windows down, the sound will be very apparent. I have an aftermarket exhaust, and its not REALLY loud but it covers the sound up pretty nicely...really guys, its no big deal...Im TELLIN you. And after a couple of weeks, the sound calmed down quite a bit so its really not bad at all anymore. In terms of performance, I didnt expect much so I was pleasantly surprised. Its not gonna BLOW your mind the difference, but seriously, the car is NOTICEABLY faster...it doesnt do much in the low end but from about 3500 RPM to about 6000 RPM you can really feel the boost...if you stomp it it throws you back a little harder and it pins you to your seat noticeably harder too...In fact one thing I noticed after I got the flywheel is that when I would redline first and shift to second with my VDC on, the tires would chirp with enough force that the VDC would kick in harder than before and actually completely stop the car from accelerating for a second the force was so strong, it DIDNT do that before! So now I have to always turn VDC off and I can gun it all I want...So in summation its a great mod for NA or FI and I dont regret it for one second! I know it was hard to find a really honest opinion about this particular setup when I was looking around while shopping for the flywheel, so hope this helps!

 

As mentioned in another post, I am having my clutch and transmission replaced. I found the Nismo fly wheel available for $480. The JWT fly wheel is $400 and weighs less. I am concerned about durability of the lighter one.

 

I've had the JWT combo for 18k+ miles now & no problems...........