Could someone help me out here without going into the whole "That's already been asked" ********? I got my Z about 2 months ago. My intent is to make it the fastest thing on my "block." I am thinking about the Stillen supercharger, but I've heard that twin t's are a better choice. I will be driving this car daily as well, to work. WHAT SEQUENCE SHOULD I DO MY UPGRADES IN FROM FI TO EXHAUST? How much HP can I expect to gain from either twins or a SC? Thanks for the help. I've been driving all non sports cars my whole life. Unless you want to count my Ford Escort ZX2!! HaHa. Thanks a lot, folks.

 

You need to research what type of FI you want to go with . Make a total plan . We cant make that choice for you . Alot of it depends on your pocket book and how much time your willing to spend on dealing with it

 

Thanks. I should have detailed what I was planning to spend. I am actually going to take on a second job for a while just to upgrade the car. I love the damn thing! I want the most HP I can get from the FI and I'd like to upgrade exhaust as well to get an even better sound (it already sounds great stock) as well as more HP.

 

i think it is best to start from the bottom and work your way up. there are millions of posts on here...

we could build you a reliable fun car with 325 RWHP, up to over 550..... it all depends on what you are looking to spend on it.

set a goal...... and start slow, but always have the end in site.

meaning: track car or drag?
if you are going to go turbo, you don't really need to buy an intake and headers... things like that...

there are millions of years of experience on this board. while, i do not have to much experience with the 350z, it is the same basic strategy for any car..... planning planning planning. that is the main thing i have figured out over 6 years of building, racing, and tuning imports. (mostly the mr2)

 

Interesting. I suppose a more solid plan is in order, although the main thing for me is to keep it as a track car and just make it a lot faster. I want to go over the 330 HP mark. TTs or SC? Which is the better choice?

 

i have always preferred the Turbo option.... but you must remember that they require more maintenance than a SC or NA car.

it has be properly cooled down, warmed up, monitored and serviced. if you are a novice to cars, then running a TT set up that isn't stock, might not be the best deal.

will this be your daily driver, or not?

have you done lots of road racing/autocross? before you start any real mods, do a season at the track.... racing every chance you get to learn your car... then start with the suspension... it is amazing how much ground an underpowered car can make up against higher powered cars when they are properly set up.

my old NA mr2 (130 RWHP) used to keep up with vipers and vettes on the autocross track, and not do too bad at the larger tracks, (at least the tighter ones) because i could go into and out of the corners a lot faster.....and it made up for the lack of HP.

after racing a season (if you are serious) then start going for the HP mods.

 

There is a lot to this, I'm starting to see. This will be my daily driver and I am a novice but have ambitions of increasing my knowlege to run with the best of them. As for suspension, they have a NISMO kit I believe which has its warranty. My thing is that I don't really want to try to win any prizes, but I just want to know that if I come up to a stop light and some other vehicle wants to get fisty, I want to know I can get the victory! As for getting to know the car better, that has taken suprisingly a lot longer than I expected. The steering has always felt stiff to me in the Z. Another thig, first gear takes you way up in RPMs pretty quickly. When I'm just reguraly city driving, I usually cruise in between 2500-3500 RPMs. Peformance mode I'll take it to 5 easy. How high is too high to be doing regularly? I know its made to perform on theother hand. Where should my RPMs be for city and performance modes?

 

its just a matter of what kind of fuel economy you want in relation to where you shift really.

may we ask how old you are? sounds like you just want to be able to run from stop lights. we will help you out, but we will be more hesitant if your soul purpose to fill out an application for a darwin award

 

This is a very BROAD answer.
First question is, BEFORE you even go into what path or think about what path you want to go down, (ie. TwinTurbo, Supercharger). You need to figure out how much $$ you want to spend. If you tell me how much the MOST you want to spend on your performance upgrades, i can tell you what options are available. PM me or just reply back to this if you want.

 

I see you mentioned the "W" word. If you put a SC or TT in your car, your warranty is out the window.

If you want reliable 350rwhp, Id suggest you look at the Vortec SC or the ATI SC (which you will still need to add something to pull timming.

If you want something that will also be easier to grow with, but is also a little bit more risky, try looking at the Turbonetics single turbo, or the APS single turbo (which isnt due for a few months).

Going TT will involve the most risk to your motor because it produces a good amount of power very early. It is also the most expensive option due to more parts in the kits and the difficulty in installation. It is highly reccomended that you just invest in upgrading the engine's internals when you install a TT kit. This will add at least 5000 on top of the TT kit and install.

Do more research before you jump into adding FI.

 

Okay, here is the first "Obi one" comment. And here we were doing so well, ladies and gentlemen!! Nothing inflammatory up until this point. So, let me see if I have this straight; Because I am interested in automotive superiority, I must be very young? Why did you buy your Z, to take your grandmother on a Sunday drive, or perhaps go pick up some groceries? Not to mention, what do you think the average age of a person owning a 30,000 dollar sports car is, 16?17? It sounds like that is your implication. My purpose for this pursuit is to be able to have my car's bite (performance and HP) as big as its bark (appearance, sound, reputation etc.). I don't want some slightly souped up Honda Civic leaving me in the dust because he made after market mods and I didn't. That would not represent Nissan or the Z very well at all, now would it? Certainly anyone reading this can appreciate that! But thanks for all your help. I think I came out of the "closet" and confessed that this Z is my first real sports car, didn't I? Well, should it be unreasonable for me to be asking "novice type questions," Obi One??!!! So can you expand on where I should be keeping the RPMs in the interest of the car's performance, longevity and overall health? Thanks, and God bless. By the way, the short version of the answer is: 26.

 

So basically you want the fastest 350Z in the world? That isn't possible, there will ALWAYS be a faster car. You're not going to "smoke" everything.

BTW, I don't believe he meant that to be an insult to you.

As far as RPM's, anywhere under fuel cut off.

 

it wasn't meant as an insult..... i am only 25........

but i didn't know if they were "novice" or just plain young questions..... we all at one point are exactly where you are...

i wasn't trying to flame you, or insult you in any way..... i was really just trying to figure out where you really wanted to go with your car, to give you an idea........... there are lots of differen't choices.......... same for instance, my black mr2. i spent over $30,000 on it in mods.. but they were all for the track. even down to the A/R ratio on the turbo, and the size of it. not to mention all my custom suspension, brakes, , custom exhausts, headers, intakes and what not where all geared for track/autocrosses. if i had spent that money on making it an all out drag car, it could have run in the low 10's.

so i was just asking your ultimate goal. in knowing these goals, we can help you set your car up correctly. too often people start one way, and waste good money on parts that aren't the best for the application they are going for (for instance a large turbo better suited for drag than for autocrossing)

sorry you took it the wrong way

 

Ok first off, iam 16, so dont be dissn the young Z drivers..!!! lol

Now that is out of the way. I already sent you the VERYYYY long pm explaining everything.

About his post, i dont think it was an insult. But he has a point, what is your goal? As nis350ztt said, and i said in the PM, there will always be a faster car then you. From what it sounds like, you just want to up the HP on the car a bit, but you are not lookn to drag it, or take it to the track and make it a low 11 - 10 sec car. Which is fine. If you really are just looking for a quick power boost, go with the SC. If you really are that worried about voiding the warranty. Pay out the extra bucks to buy the stage 2 stillen threw your dealer, and they will have that warrantied, and it doesnt void your warranty. Unless u bump it to stage 3, then that voids it :P.

But you really have to tell us, what your MAIN goal is? If you personally have the $$, go with the APS TT kit. Best out of box TT kit on the market, less to worry about, and what you need to upgrade, like greddy kits, no offense. But if u just want a simple SCer, like i said Vortech or ATI is your way.

So help us help you by telling us what your main goal is.

 

Thanks, folks. Sorry to take you the wrong way, and I appreciate the help. The MAIN goal for me is to be a cut above 90% of the other cars in the Zs class that are on your average NORMAl roads. I was just speaking to a guy and he recommended simply a bolt on cold air intake and some exhaust....I think he said "Bola" exhaust.....? These mods sounded relatively risk free and inexpensive. I don't want to beat a Ferrari, but I'd like to have the fastest sport compact on my street. It doesn't seem anyone around here actually makes performance upgrades, but just adds more plastic to the body of their cars!! Thanks, again.

 

well the z is already better than almost any car in its price range.... while maybe not the quickest off the line.... it's mix of handling, power, and useable powerband are very effective.
99% of the cars you will run into do not run faster than mid 13's.
the Z is typically low 14's stock.

the exhaust he was talking about is the Borla "True Dual" exhaust.

breathing mods (I/E) only give minor gains to the Z though, expect at most i think around 5-9 HP at the wheels through an exhaust.

it won't take much to make you be able to beat most cars you will come across. even within the Z's "competitors". if that is all you are looking for, and SC kit might be the way to go.... if you decide you want more power and what not, then you can always sell it and buy at turbo kit.

there are endless possibilities... why do you think i am switching from the mr2's to the Z? granted, i think the MR2 is a better stock platform (3SGTE, mid-engine) for the road course and autocross i like, but from what i have seen, the Z's aftermarket support is unlike anything i have ever seen with the mr2. the stuff i had to get custom made and built (either by myself or a vendor) they carry as normal stuff for the Z.....

you picked a good car to start off in the sports car world with. now it is time to start building an excel spread sheet with what you want, in the order you want it, the cost of things, and all that fun stuff.....

 

Sounds great. The spreadsheet idea I will do. I like to detail my plans with anything. Not so much HP off the breathing mods, eh? I guess its different on every car. What about headers? That wold also be considered a breathing mod, correct?

 

correct. they see slightly better results.

for what you are looking for, I/E/H/ high flow cats or test pipes, super charger and TS reflash would make your car pretty damn quick, but still be very drivable and reliable.....

check out the FI forum for more info... i am not too familiar with te Z's superchargers that are available

 

What are some cars in the same class that are real competition for the stock Z?

 

Evo VIII, EVO VIII MR, WRX STi are all in the same class and would beat the Z unless it has FI. M3's are also in that class, though more expensive.