New 350Z owners, read this before doing any modifications to your Z.
#183
Originally posted by NoRulzat140 MPH
Easily one of the best write ups on any forum for any car. Period. By a member. I know Im like wayyyy late. But I strayed away for a while.
Easily one of the best write ups on any forum for any car. Period. By a member. I know Im like wayyyy late. But I strayed away for a while.
Jeff - zland
#184
wow
Today was my first day at 350z.com and I almost immeditely started my own thread (good buy?) regarding the price of a enthus 2003 (23k) that i'm thinking of buying (please check it out and let me know what you think). Then is saw this thread...I've already been thinking about mods and I haven't even bought the car yet. Sincerely, thanks for this thread as all those agree. I really enjoyed all my HS teachers and never really thanked them, so now I'll thank you twice as much. Thanks again!
#185
My experience is many of the students a teacher thinks he had an impact on, he really didnt have much of one. Many of the students that a teacher does not think he had an impact on is inaccurate because he might have actually had one. Most students are not comfortable with themselves to approach a teacher and thank them.
#188
Hi Zland
Thanks for the quality post
One question you say :The Stillen SC will provide you with an engine warranty if you do not boost it over 5.5 psi but then you will be putting out approximately the same hp as a built NA motor.
What do you mean by a built NA motor?
Assume this may be an americanism?
Cheers again
Paul
Thanks for the quality post
One question you say :The Stillen SC will provide you with an engine warranty if you do not boost it over 5.5 psi but then you will be putting out approximately the same hp as a built NA motor.
What do you mean by a built NA motor?
Assume this may be an americanism?
Cheers again
Paul
#189
If my memory serves me correctly, the Stillen SC canbe purchased with a warranty for stage 1 & 2. search the forum for hp numbers and look at SportZ magazine website for dyno numbers as well. The hp and torque numbers for any of the SC or TT's including the Stillen far exceed any NA car.
#190
This is a great thread. The suggestions made in the beginning can apply to all cars in general. I have experience modifying vehicles. My last ride was a Chevy Avalanche that had over 10k put into it.
THis is a whole new scene for me. I know very little about Import Racing. Until I learn more about my Z I will be keeping it somewhat stock for awhile.
Generally I start with Wheels and Tires. I then go to Intake and Exhaust. Since a Twin Turbo kit is a distinct possibility I will probably hold off on the Intake and Exhaust until I know which works the best with the Turbos.
I will be relying on you guys a lot in the future. LOL I have a lot of learnign to do!!
THis is a whole new scene for me. I know very little about Import Racing. Until I learn more about my Z I will be keeping it somewhat stock for awhile.
Generally I start with Wheels and Tires. I then go to Intake and Exhaust. Since a Twin Turbo kit is a distinct possibility I will probably hold off on the Intake and Exhaust until I know which works the best with the Turbos.
I will be relying on you guys a lot in the future. LOL I have a lot of learnign to do!!
#192
Still a hige help
After being pointed in this direction by a member in the NorCal forum, I have to jump on the bandwagon. A year later, your original post is still a huge help to those of us ready to jump into the mod pool. Jeff, thanks again for taking the time to put your experience and opinion to print.
Kyle
Kyle
#193
hey Z land im looking to drop in a twin turbo im not sure wheter to get a Greddy or an APS. Which one would you recomend? Im looking for a daily driver not a race car. O and if I do drop in a TT what other modifications would I have to make? And are they reliable? Dont want to blow my engine.
#194
Hey zland,
I'm the guy who asked THE question which your referring to when you started this thread.
I have not touched the engine yet. Just changed the suspension to S-tune, got the lgmt's with S03's, and changed shifting **** and got SS brake lines. Also changed all fluids to synthetic other the clutch fluid.
Anyways, I didn't touch the engine for the same reason this all started. Now that the new Corvette came out (beautiful IMO), and the GTR around the corner, I want more info before I delve in to mod the engine.
Your post is excellent. From a practical and financial standpoint, it makes more sense to buy the C6. Why?
1). Much more power
2). Lighter
3). Warranty
4). Better suspension (what I hear)
If you mod the Z, unless you REALLY know what your doing, reliability will probably be worse, maintenance will be higher, and you will lose your warranty.
The more I read, the less I realize I know and the more apprehensive I get about TT the engine.
I mean, you can only boost it so high on stock internals. What if your car happens to be one of those a little weaker internally stock and blow your engine? Unless you have a warranty by Stillin, your hosed!
So if I TT/SC my Z, I'm going all the way- Start with building up the bottom end first. But that will be ALOT more expensive RIGHT NOW (I say this because in several years with much more competitors, the price WILL drop). But this doesn't satisfy me NOW.
So it does all depend on what you want. When you first wrote this up, I didn't quite understand what you meant by "know what you want first" because my first thought was 'how can you know what you want first because you haven't done this before and you don't know how to do it right?'. The answer: wait, learn to find-out what you want, then decide. Those are the 3 steps everyone needs to do anyhow when making any kind of a descent decision/choice.
So THANK YOU so much for writing this up. It obviously helped me since I didn't touch the engine. However, I knew I wanted the suspension built up so I did it although I still think I did it too soon because I wish I would have gotten Tein Flex with EDFC (not that S-tune is bad, but that I would have preferred Teins adjustability more).
Thanks again.
PS Just to make sure this doesn't become a 'C6 v. Z' thread, I do love the Z, but I do WANT more RELIABLE HP/TQ in the LEAST EXPENSIVE manner, yet with the highest QUALITY possible. Besides, I also want to know what the GTR is finally going to look like, what the HP/TQ, price, and how power delivered (ie TT/SC, NA)
Choices, choices
I'm the guy who asked THE question which your referring to when you started this thread.
I have not touched the engine yet. Just changed the suspension to S-tune, got the lgmt's with S03's, and changed shifting **** and got SS brake lines. Also changed all fluids to synthetic other the clutch fluid.
Anyways, I didn't touch the engine for the same reason this all started. Now that the new Corvette came out (beautiful IMO), and the GTR around the corner, I want more info before I delve in to mod the engine.
Your post is excellent. From a practical and financial standpoint, it makes more sense to buy the C6. Why?
1). Much more power
2). Lighter
3). Warranty
4). Better suspension (what I hear)
If you mod the Z, unless you REALLY know what your doing, reliability will probably be worse, maintenance will be higher, and you will lose your warranty.
The more I read, the less I realize I know and the more apprehensive I get about TT the engine.
I mean, you can only boost it so high on stock internals. What if your car happens to be one of those a little weaker internally stock and blow your engine? Unless you have a warranty by Stillin, your hosed!
So if I TT/SC my Z, I'm going all the way- Start with building up the bottom end first. But that will be ALOT more expensive RIGHT NOW (I say this because in several years with much more competitors, the price WILL drop). But this doesn't satisfy me NOW.
So it does all depend on what you want. When you first wrote this up, I didn't quite understand what you meant by "know what you want first" because my first thought was 'how can you know what you want first because you haven't done this before and you don't know how to do it right?'. The answer: wait, learn to find-out what you want, then decide. Those are the 3 steps everyone needs to do anyhow when making any kind of a descent decision/choice.
So THANK YOU so much for writing this up. It obviously helped me since I didn't touch the engine. However, I knew I wanted the suspension built up so I did it although I still think I did it too soon because I wish I would have gotten Tein Flex with EDFC (not that S-tune is bad, but that I would have preferred Teins adjustability more).
Thanks again.
PS Just to make sure this doesn't become a 'C6 v. Z' thread, I do love the Z, but I do WANT more RELIABLE HP/TQ in the LEAST EXPENSIVE manner, yet with the highest QUALITY possible. Besides, I also want to know what the GTR is finally going to look like, what the HP/TQ, price, and how power delivered (ie TT/SC, NA)
Choices, choices
#195
uro279 -
My advice would be to trade your 350Z in on a C6 Z51 6MT and leave it bone stock. No Z will be able to touch you.
I went whole hog modding my '03 Track (just about everything but forced induction), spent more $$$ than I care to admit, and was never really satisfied. Eventually the car was totalled, and I had to pull all the mods out, put the engine back to stock to give the wreck to my ins. co., and sell all the mods on ebay. I sold the last mod today.
I bought an EVO RS, and I love it. Really fast and much cheaper to mod than the 350Z. Don't get me wrong, the Z is a great car. Beautiful, powerful, and good handling. But at the margin, it can't stand up to a Corvette or an EVO or an Elise or an M3 or a 911 or an STi, or an S2000 or a . . .
My advice would be to trade your 350Z in on a C6 Z51 6MT and leave it bone stock. No Z will be able to touch you.
I went whole hog modding my '03 Track (just about everything but forced induction), spent more $$$ than I care to admit, and was never really satisfied. Eventually the car was totalled, and I had to pull all the mods out, put the engine back to stock to give the wreck to my ins. co., and sell all the mods on ebay. I sold the last mod today.
I bought an EVO RS, and I love it. Really fast and much cheaper to mod than the 350Z. Don't get me wrong, the Z is a great car. Beautiful, powerful, and good handling. But at the margin, it can't stand up to a Corvette or an EVO or an Elise or an M3 or a 911 or an STi, or an S2000 or a . . .
#196
Originally posted by Egbert Souse
uro279 -
My advice would be to trade your 350Z in on a C6 Z51 6MT and leave it bone stock. No Z will be able to touch you.
I went whole hog modding my '03 Track (just about everything but forced induction), spent more $$$ than I care to admit, and was never really satisfied. Eventually the car was totalled, and I had to pull all the mods out, put the engine back to stock to give the wreck to my ins. co., and sell all the mods on ebay. I sold the last mod today.
I bought an EVO RS, and I love it. Really fast and much cheaper to mod than the 350Z. Don't get me wrong, the Z is a great car. Beautiful, powerful, and good handling. But at the margin, it can't stand up to a Corvette or an EVO or an Elise or an M3 or a 911 or an STi, or an S2000 or a . . .
uro279 -
My advice would be to trade your 350Z in on a C6 Z51 6MT and leave it bone stock. No Z will be able to touch you.
I went whole hog modding my '03 Track (just about everything but forced induction), spent more $$$ than I care to admit, and was never really satisfied. Eventually the car was totalled, and I had to pull all the mods out, put the engine back to stock to give the wreck to my ins. co., and sell all the mods on ebay. I sold the last mod today.
I bought an EVO RS, and I love it. Really fast and much cheaper to mod than the 350Z. Don't get me wrong, the Z is a great car. Beautiful, powerful, and good handling. But at the margin, it can't stand up to a Corvette or an EVO or an Elise or an M3 or a 911 or an STi, or an S2000 or a . . .
#197
Hey, I like your comment about recommending these new guys who just joint the Z club.
I spent so much time and money upgrading. If I can do it all over again. I would definitely stay with one brand as much as I can. Nothing feels better than the exculsiveness. Like AMG to Benz
Nismo to Nissan.
I have Nismo wheels, body kit, decal, so looks wise it is Nismo alright. I have Bilstein Shocks, tein H springs, Unorthdox crank pulley, JWT Camshaft, flywheel and clutch. I have Borla header, Random tech cats, Injen Exhaust and HKS intake. That is the part that bother me. Different intake to exhaust. All different brands. I truly wish I had just gone JWT all the way in power or Nismo all the way. Because it will make the car exculsive. But, I am learning to live with all these mixed brands and be happy.
so, I say do your reserach and find out who is the best or who fits your budget before you upgrade. It will help you like the parts you purchased a lot more.
I spent so much time and money upgrading. If I can do it all over again. I would definitely stay with one brand as much as I can. Nothing feels better than the exculsiveness. Like AMG to Benz
Nismo to Nissan.
I have Nismo wheels, body kit, decal, so looks wise it is Nismo alright. I have Bilstein Shocks, tein H springs, Unorthdox crank pulley, JWT Camshaft, flywheel and clutch. I have Borla header, Random tech cats, Injen Exhaust and HKS intake. That is the part that bother me. Different intake to exhaust. All different brands. I truly wish I had just gone JWT all the way in power or Nismo all the way. Because it will make the car exculsive. But, I am learning to live with all these mixed brands and be happy.
so, I say do your reserach and find out who is the best or who fits your budget before you upgrade. It will help you like the parts you purchased a lot more.
#198
Originally posted by Egbert Souse
I bought an EVO RS, and I love it. Really fast and much cheaper to mod than the 350Z. Don't get me wrong, the Z is a great car. Beautiful, powerful, and good handling. But at the margin, it can't stand up to a Corvette or an EVO or an Elise or an M3 or a 911 or an STi, or an S2000 or a . . .
I bought an EVO RS, and I love it. Really fast and much cheaper to mod than the 350Z. Don't get me wrong, the Z is a great car. Beautiful, powerful, and good handling. But at the margin, it can't stand up to a Corvette or an EVO or an Elise or an M3 or a 911 or an STi, or an S2000 or a . . .
Stock the 350z is not that impressive on a track. But with some key area modifications(not just randomly throwing a bunch of money into it), it will be just as fast as stock(or mildly modified) 911s, Elise, S2000 and M3s... (at fraction of price).
350z is just not a track car out of the box, like the EVO(wich is a souped up, stripped down awd econobox).
I had the opportunity to lap few cars uou mentioned... STI, 350z, S2000, M3, 911 and a few others. 1st - unless you track professionally, fast is relative. 2nd - the driver makes the margin. And I can tell you, a nicely tuned 350z is so much more smile inducing and drive rewarding than an EVO.... wich in your case I can understand why you prefer the EVO... but again.. driver makes the margin.
#199
I got a question about the VDC on a 350Z touring. I just purchased some 19inch 8.5F and 9.5 R 5zigen hyper BLACK CHROME wheels with toyo 245/35/19 F and 275/30/19 R I have not installed them yet WILL this affect my abs and VDC on my Z.
#200
That is one outstanding write up (article). I would like to touch bases with you, as I am a Z person myself, 260Z, 280Z, and now a 350Z Track. I have done a few NISMO Mods, i.e. cold air intake, headers, rear exhauset, but would like to touch bases with you more on the "SC" portion. I have been looking at C2 Procharger, as it is smog legal 50 state. Also the "ECU", is Nismo going to come out with it, if not where is it available? WSchli16725@aol.com