Skatin707

I really love the all wheel drive feature of subarus, but i love the look of the 350z. Is there a way to somehow get the 350z to be all wheel drive?

Jarred@Z1

iTrader: (4)

JUN has already done it and i think some american company has made it 4wd but its automatic.

Skatin707

Yeah, i saw that one was made in Japan by somebody. I was to have a manual transmission, that is a must for my car.

bboypuertoroc

iTrader: (4)

Function:TUNED converted a Z to AWD using the parts out of a G35X. It's also an auto (if you are looking for 6MT).

It's possible, but costly as all hell. If you really want AWD, just get an Evo or Subie.

Skatin707

Ill probably just sacrifice the AWD feature for now. Money really isnt a problem, but id rather drop $30k into the engine than into the drivetrain.

fallenromeo

iTrader: (11)

It would be a cool thing to have but it can't be cheap. That would be a lot of work and my guess would be it would cost well over 10K. Just a guess.

Skatin707

Yeah, it probably would. You would need so much stuff to do it right. That would be pretty unique though. I should consider it.

Hybrid90

Don't one of the Z members have this done? Plus Jun done it too.. I believe they used a skyline tranny/gearbox or whatever... it can be done but like others said.. tons of moola..

Skatin707

Dang, if im going to use a skyline tranny, im just going to use the skyline itself...

An R33 or even an R32 would be awesome to own at my age

Hybrid90

Actually I like the looks of the Z much better than the skylines.. too squarish.

Skatin707

Thats what i like about them. My insurance would be way too heinous though. Its going to be bad with a Z

DaveFunction2ND

iTrader: (8)

Here's the link to our AWD conversion thread. Its was a very fun project and even more fun to drive!

https://my350z.com/forum/engine-and-drivetrain/268479-function-tuned-awd-350z-complete.html

Skatin707

That is cool. I really want my z to be manual though.

DaveFunction2ND

iTrader: (8)

Thanks we definelty want a manual trans to. Its possible with any of the Skyline trans but we are trying to wource one from an R34 which is suprisingly hard to find.

Ziggyrama

iTrader: (15)

a AWD Z would be pretty amazing, especially for the FI guys. With that much traction and loads of power, you'd shave some serious time off the the 0.25 mile.

I used to own a Subie and the AWD system that subies have is pretty amazing. Guys could pull 1.6s 60ft times with them because of all the traction off the line.

All that being said, there's a lot of work that would have to be done to make a Z a AWD beast. I think someone already mentioned doing a swap from a G35X which probably makes most sense. If not, I'd use most components from that car and do the swap and try to fit a modified 6MT in there. I said modified 6MT because the tranny would have to be beefed up to handle AWD. It may seem strange to you but an AWD tranny has to be pretty stout to be reliable. The reason is the amount of traction that the car would gain. Because the wheels are much harder to spin, the drivetrain must be able to absorb all excess energy that needs to be dissipated when you do a moderate take off. Otherwise, you'll strip gears left, right and sideways. In a RWD or FWD car, you'll just spin wheels and be done with it. AWD, it all goes into the gears.

Once you do the mechanical part, you'd have to transplant the ECU to the Z as well. There sure will be extra sensors that will come with that AWD system and the ECU will most likely need the input to make it work correctly, especially if it is an electronically controlled set of differentials. If you just make the mechanical parts do all the work on their own, you'll probably end up dumbing down the system and it may not work as intended. It's like the difference between a viscous diff and an open diff. After some time, the viscous one becomes an open one due to the silicone fluid wearing one but most people would not notice a difference after a while. It all appears to work fine but is not exactly optimal.

I'm sure I forgot some important aspect of the swap you'd have to tackle. It's not easy. If money and time is not an issue, give it a try. The results could be rewarding. If not, and you really want AWD, buy an 07 STI. With the new head design, they are a force to be reckoned with. And it's really easy to make them stupid fast.

Kenk2

iTrader: (7)

GTR

Skatin707

Ziggyrama: I understand now that AWD would be extremely difficult. Kenk is right, the new GTR (which looks similar to the 350z) is AWD. If AWD was that big of a deal, i could go that route.