I haven't read these boards in a while, and now there are so many different mods to choose from. I have a stock Enthusiast 350z and have a good amount of money to spend on upgrades. I want to increase the performance of my Z, but at the same time, keep upgrades to those that are reasonably safe for the car. I don't want to go the route of Supercharger/Turbo so I was hoping that some of you could give some pointers of the best "bang for the buck" upgrades (brand specfic) that I should be looking at considering I have done no performance mods yet. I'm mostly looking for 0-60 type of upgrades.

 

Some may agree and I'm sure others will disagree, but here is what I would recommend you get

JWT popcharger
grounding kit
UR Pulleys
Plenum (either KINETIX or Crawford)
Hight Flow Cats (KINETIX, RT, Crawford)
Exhaust

That should get you a pretty decent increase in Horsepower and torque.

-Chris

 

Bang for the buck I would go with a lightened flywheel/clutch. That one mod alone made my entire car respond better.

After that:
Popcharger
Headers
Plenum
Cams

 

do whatever you want exept for plenum, technosquare, headers, and cats

then when you save enough money, get the FULL crawford package and you wont believe the difference

 

One question.....how important is loudness? Maximal NA mods will be loud. This is one of the main reasons I went with the HKS supercharger. A little lower powered than the others, but top notch quality, fully tuned, emissions tested, and well within the safety limits of the stock engine internals and drivetrain.

Still...if you really want to stay NA...

Crawford Plenum, strut bar, headers, cats
Nismo cams, exhaust, low temp thermostat
JWT pop charger, flywheel, clutch
ARC oil pan
Technosquare ECU reflash

This is the ultimate NA set-up for the street. For a more track suited vehicle, go with JWT cams and the tilton flywheel/clutch. You will be looking at 280-290 rwhp, but as I said, it will be quite loud.

 

Well if you want best bang for the buck, don't get an exhaust, just get a y-pipe, like the JIC one. light fly wheel, like the JWT one. There really isn't anything that is a good "bang for the buck". Everything is fairly expensive for how much power you actually get.

 

test pipes w/ resonators

y-pipe

lightweight flywheel/clutch

crank pulley

plenum

in that exact order in regards to "most bang for your $$$"

Stay away from a full exhaust and headers - too pricey and don't add enough power if you're looking for bang for the buck... but if you're looking for maximum N/A power, they are a must (along with a good set of cams, of course)

 

i think exhaust is a great mod. But its true it does cost a pretty good bit. But the exhaust will get u some decent amt of power if u ask me.

 

350EVO 3.9 final drive and Nismo Lsd sounds nice. They say this set up can potentially knock a second off your 1/4 mile and add about 10% more power in every gear but it'll cost just under 2,000 plus install.

 

If you want n/a POWER it will be everything except cheap.I mean, FI has the best power/price relationhsip. But if you still want to keep your Z n/a I'd recommendo you:

Complete new CAI:Popcharger,plenum
Complete new catback exhaust + headers
Flywheel+clutch
Cams
Grounding kit
And AEBS' stroker kit, is very expensive, about 8000$ I think, but this will make real n/a power
And as Hankvq said 350EVO final drive can make you get 10% more acceleration power but you'll also lose 10% top speed (this one Is a pretty good mod if what you want is a better 0-60, but if you also want top speed, don't get this)

 

350EVO 3.9 gears seem very good at this point for an N/A mod. You won't actually lose top end, but since the gearing is shorter you'll have a lower top speed. I'm not too sure how many people would be worried about going 156+ MPH on the highway, anyways...

 

350EVO 3.9 final drive.
The top speed in 6th gear after a ECU reflash with higher rev limit would be 176 MPH. I dont think it will be an issue.
I believe you will see this mod being listed more and more around the forum. This is the gearing the Track model should ahve come with from the factory.
You will def notice the increase in acceleration.
BJ@350EVO.com

 

OH I forgot this:
in Spain is VERY common to change the ECU or modify it. Here the engine mods are a big **** new CAI, exhaust and new or modified ECU in the better cases.
With this mod you can get about +20hp or +45hp

 

I have a crawford plenum, No headers, and technosquare (8 whp 12ft lbs) , and some other cheap bolt-ons and I put down 262 SAE corrected, thats as much if not more than many set-ups WITH headers, including Crawfords....you dont know what your talking about

 

IMHO:

OEM CAI is better than any thing offered aftermarket.

Pulley's have too many negative engine longevity issues to be worth the risk.

Test pipes or High-Flow cats appear to offer a substantial bang for the buck. I use Kenitex Racing high flow cats with my Nismo exhaust.

A lighter flywheel seems to be a good mod, IF you're going to track your Z.

The 3.9 rear axel ratio gear will definitely improve acceleration......but, at what cost?

Grounding kits........?....I have yet to see any HP improvement #'s to justify their cost. BUT, if it feels faster, it MUST be!

 

I wouldn't be surprised at those numbers at all, since the 350z outside of usa has less power. At least that's the case in japan and australia.

 

nuff: I wouldnt say everywhere outside of the USA has less power Middle East spec 350Zs get 294HP... take a look

http://www.nissan-me.com/350z/350z_specifications.htm

 

most bang for the buck mods...

lightend flyhwheel and clutch
ur crank pulley
pop charger
y-pipe
test pipes / high flow cats

anything else just inhances these mods...

 

I found this usefulhttp://www.nissanperformancemag.com/projects/350z.php