I just got a 2006 nissan 350z touring auto. Let me first say that I am not a big racing enthusiast, I just love sports cars and enjoy driving. I was planning on keeping the car completely stock, but I thought maybe I could do a few small engine upgrades that will give the car a little more pep. All in all, just for fun and a little extra power.

My question is, for about 1500 dollars, what can I do to get a little more noticeable power. Like I said, I do not plan on racing it, I love my car stock but if I can get a few more horses then why not. My main concern is keeping the car reliable. his i my daily driver and I love, love my car. I don't want to do anything that will put extra stress on the engine, create problems in the future or make the engine prone for reliability issues. Just a mod or two to give it a tad more pep would be cool.

I do not know anything about engines, so if you guy could help me out with some basic information and advice I would really appreciate that. I plan on posting pic of m car soon. Thanks!

 

I would say motordyne 5/16s plenium spacer, cat back exhaust and suspension mods. Course the exhaust if you get a good one will wipe out almost all of that 1500 that you have. Then you might wanna do new wheels and tires then brakes and then your talking serious money. If you dont wanna spend a lot at first then start with the plenium spacer from motordyne. If you do wanna spend more then start with a exhaust. It wont give you any noticeable gains, but will make the car sound much better. Bottom line is you have to spend a lot money on Z's to make then faster, even just a little faster.
Hope this helps

 

if putting an exhaust wont make a noticeable difference in performance, I don't want to spend over a grand on it. I was hoping to spend a couple thousand, and I thought maybe that could get a 0-60 time down to like 5 seconds, but then again I don't really know much.

 

First of all,welcome&congrats on your new Z!
Be forewarned,prolly gonna get some flames on buying a 5AT Z.
Don't pay no mind.
EVERY guy that buys our cars goes through the same "right of passage".
Wants to get more performance.Most have a limited budget.
Why should you be any different?
Getting "more pep &be more cool"hmm?Realistically,for $1,500 its more about
feeling cool than actual more-HP-that-you-can-feel pep.
I'd suggest don't go the cheap route on mods.Better to save for good stuff
than buy junk.Other than doing the usual stuff when you buy a new car...
get it serviced,check brakes,belts(how many miles on your car?)etc.,Some will
suggest getting a tune.I'd wait till you put some stuff on your car.
The traditional things that most do is install a CAI.A Popcharger is very popular.
Can get one for around 125 bucks.A good catback exhaust is another good move.
The major brands:Nismo,Borla,HKS are under $1,500.Then you have install costs.If you stretched your budget say another 500.you could add HFC's or
test pipes while you are at it.Some of this dependent on emmission laws in your area and how loud you want your car to be.
With this,you should realize some more "pep".
You sure will sound cool.
Actually,when you sound cool you think you have more pep.
Thats all that matters,right?

Enjoy!

 

Thanks so much for the reply! I have 40k miles on my car. When I got the car, I took it to the dealer immediately and told him to tell me ANYTHING that needed to be done and that I wanted to keep up with this car religiously. He said everything looked good, but in a few thousand miles I would need to replace a belt. In the manual, the highest maintenance plan (there are three that Nissan recommends) is the one I am doing. As far at the exhaust, I will definitely wait on that, but probably will eventually do it. Thanks again.

 

some good advice was mentioned but lets be realistic there are a couple mods i would do with your budget.
1) (cold air intake) pop charger
http://www.z1motorsports.com/350_g35...oducts_id=2008
2) plenum spacer
http://www.z1motorsports.com/350_g35...oducts_id=2854
3) test pipes
http://www.z1motorsports.com/350_g35...oducts_id=3373
grand total of $417
If you want more I would go with
4) light weight pulleys
http://www.z1motorsports.com/350_g35...oducts_id=2648
5) exhaust top speed is your best value
https://my350z.com/forum/engine/5483...-shipping.html
6) Tune
http://www.z1motorsports.com/350_g35...oducts_id=3295
now you are at about $1700

if you wanted to spend more money a better alternative to test pipes would be ART pipes
http://www.motordyneengineering.com/...roducts_id=121

 

Ditch the pulleys. I prefer hi-flow cats over test pipe on a NA Z, but that is me. You can find all of the parts you want in the market place for a little bit less. Unless you want them all new. Exhaust, space, and intake just buy used if you don't mind it. Save few $$ there and can get quality parts for the same price as the lesser quality stuff. Just my opinion. Search for awhile, you will see a lot of these questions asked and answered to give you ideas.

 

Stay away from the dealers.
Unless your car is under warranty.
There is pprobably a shop that specializes in Z's in your area.
Find it and get to know them.
40K is a bit early to replace belts.But,anything is possible.
Don't get too paranoid on maintenance.Oil changes,filters
on a regular basis will keep your Z in great running shape.

 

0-60 in like 5 seconds with a 5AT touring is just not gonna happen without some serious mods.
Just wonder'in where you came up with that number?
I think the trap you are having is the term,"noticeable difference in performance".Basically,with a budget of a couple a grand your car will
be more "responsive".How you will interpret that is up to you.
Realistically,bolt on mods for a Z plus a tune may give yoU 20-25 extra HP.
You are not going to get high numbers...pin your back into the seat,unless
you get into FI.With a 5AT,a SC(supercharger)is a good choice.However,
to add HP near 100,it'll cost you around 7 grand.

 

Spend $700 on an osiris dyno tune and you will feel the most increase in performance without turning a single wrench on the car. If you plan on some mods, do them before the tune though.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I think at this point I am going to just keep it stock. To spend a few grand and not get that much of a noticeable difference doesnt seem worth it to me. I probably wouldnt even notice the difference anyway. Thanks for the informative replies though.