why did we buy 350Z's?

for the power? For the handling? For the looks? for the well-roundedness?

There's cars out there that are WAY easier to get more power and make faster in a straight line than the Z and WAY cheaper to mod. And you can buy them used for dirt cheap too.

I think turboing disturbs the handling aspect of the Z more than I think it's worth. To me, supercharging and NA mods are the best compromise in power, reliability, cost, and handling compared to a turbo. The Z in itself is a compromise. It isn't the best at anything really other than it's looks are subjective.

 

has anyone gotten the stroker kit?...that seems like a N/A solution

 

4 turbo's only at 6 psi....people need to take notice....high boost adversly affects longevity.

I take 4 turbo's at 5.5 psi....hope some desighn's that kit for the VQ 2 under the hood...2 in the exhaust.

 

Although I have a 300 whp NA G, I also have a TT G and a TT'ed Z. I will tell you right now that the FI'ed cars are alot faster on a road course and in general. I know power isn't everything, but it's what works. You do have to keep up with the rest of the car by addressing the brakes and suspension. See what I mean, watch this.......

Check out our (VRT's) video; http://violentracing.com/Videos/new11_2005.htm

 

If you could build a smog legal car with the same HP as a boosted car. I would go N/A.
I don't care for the turbo lag. Not to mention the added heat. I also like a N/A car coming out of the corners. Generally, you can get much better use of a N/A car out of a corner compared to a boosted car. You either have too little or too much.

Don't get me wrong Turbo cars are fun. I have owned a bunch. However, for reliability, heat, control, I like N/A with the same power better.

Unfortunately, the only way to get good street legal HP in a Z is in boosted form imho.

In my case, I don't need more than what the Z has stock on the street.
For the track, I'll take the Camaro I built.

 

little boost wont help~ i am getting greddy TT with intercooler~

 

Why Greddy? LOL Be carefull with it. IMO, you could go with a better kit....

 

I find boosted high HP RWD cars either upset the chassis off my intended line, or have traction issues exiting turns when pushed hard in comparison to NA. If your willing to throw several grand at dyno tunning, then yes you can get it linear and smooth. Your tuner would have to know your EMS, and know what he's doing. On courses with a decent straight, boost will yield an advantage. However, a well configured NA offering of the same car should be within 1 to 3 seconds with an average straight. That difference isn't worth 10 to 15 grand for a well done FI system in my opinion. Post your lap times for the NA vs. TT G's, at Willow.

 

I completely understand what you are saying. You have to get a feel for the car when it is boosted and it becomes ALOT more finicky, a real drivers car. The NA and S/C cars tend to be more predictable and much more easier to drive. I have run a 1.30.437 in a TT'ed Z, and a 1.35.629 is the best in the NA G at Big Willow Springs. 5 seconds + per lap is alot!

It takes some getting used to and finess to handle a 500+ whp Z on a (real) race track, but if you can, it is a unforgetable ride. "Can you say pucker effect" LOL

 

there's nothing that makes goosebumps emerge like the sound of a turbo spooling up followed by the whistle of a blow-off valve....but!...i will keep my Z na...the Z demands respect, one way or the other.

 

that VRT video...

nothing makes you feel like you're racing fast as hell quite like laid back gangsta rap...

 

[QUOTE=da45king]4 turbo's only at 6 psi....people need to take notice....high boost adversly affects longevity.QUOTE]

that is not true at all. there are many turbos that run at high boost and are entirely reliable.

anyone on here a trucker? those huge turbo diesels are extremely reliable and run much more than 6 psi. its not unheard of to get 100,000's of miles on them. or how about the numerous turbo cars the states have had? there are not that many that have longevity affected moreso than an n/a alternative.

if a motor is built with boost in mind it can be just as reliable as an n/a car, perhaps even moreso.

 

I had more issue with them playing Green day then the gangsta rap. Anyways, the later part of the video, they started to do all right with techno.

But you gotta admit, it kinda puts a smile to your face when you see videos of 350Z passing by porsches, corvettes, M3, M5, etc.

 

there's some BS in that video - saying the Z will pass ALL of those cars - implying that it's better than all of them

the TT Z will pass the 2006 Z06? whatever. Maybe in instances where the Z06 driver sucks and you're good...not saying the TT Z is a bad setup or anything, but that video is plain marketing

 

Some of you guys making references to "out of the corner lag" are referring to either a car with little torque or a car that makes TQ in the upper revs. Sure a big V8 will have more TQ out of the corner, but the Z already makes decent TQ, you're not falling out of the torque, but back to stock and then you get a kick in the pants. And honestly 99% of the people never go to the track and all this talk of what it does on the track is really not a valid arguement for most.

 

Wow, 5 seconds is a much bigger diff than I've seen first hand. At the end of the day your right. If you have enough seat time to really get to know the car, the boost hitting during weight transfer won't bite your head off, because you'll know what to expect. A lot of that also depends on the tune. Personally though, I'd throw the 15K at wheels/tires, gears, flywheel/clutch, aerodynamics, bolt on's and fuel control for track work. Instead of spending 15K on a turbo install alone.

 

[QUOTE=PoWeRtRiP]boost is less reliable and has adverse affects on the motor, more stress, plus, you cant compare deisel to gas, much lower temperatures in deisel engines.

 

yeah I agree

you also won't look as rediculous trying to floor the gas pedal and breaking loose the tires every single time. The first few times is amusing, after that it's nice to actually go somewhere when you floor the gas

 

Love for the haters. I love how there's always a few haters out there to keep things real.

I AGREE. So I thought with the first few posts after my long, thought out post would be a constistent flaming of me, but I'm glad I found a few of you out there who have grown passed the "Fast and Furious stage" of your lives. I don't consider myself too mature at this point in my life, at 18 and a freshmen at UCLA. But that is my opinion on cars.

I'd rather have an M3 than a F/I Z. And I'd rather have a 997 than a S/C M3. The tuning from the factory is the true engineering factor. You aren't thinking what the engineers were thinking as you are "bolting on" your aftermarket turbos.

True, both do require engineering. But I can say both boost is trendy and the easy way out. If you know anything about trends in fashion and couture, you'd understand that the trends don't necessarily mean new things. For example, vintage styling clothing is VERY trendy right now. Is it new? No. Is it trendy? Yes.

Forced induction is just a trendy thing to do. Everyone oogles at boost. I don't hear many aspirations about "building my VQ to put out 300whp all-motor". Why? It's f*cken HARD. It's just not built for it. That being said, I would never ever add a TT to my car.

I personally think the VQ is a good motor for what is was built for--Nissan's ENTIRE line-up. You won't find the S54 spread around like a *****. It was a normal V6 engine that re-designed (pretty nicely I might add) for performance.

The S54 is definitely on a different level, however I make the comparison to make an example of different levels of performance. I have to disagree with you on comparing the S54 with the Rtune Z in the link. The M3 still appeals to more than the high-performance crowd. So I think a fairer comparison would be to the Nismo S-Tune. (I think it runs at the same price too .. around $60k) It makes a strong 300hp, but it is still weak compared to the M3. I think the new Rtune is more comparable to the M3 CSL (which is not sold here). That Euro version of the M3 is very race oriented (I believed its like carbon fiber roof and interior, no power seats). It puts out like 361bhp or something IIRC and will have no problem outperforming the new Z. If you look back a few years in Car magazine (the British one) there is an article where they compare a 996 Carrera to the M3 CSL. I think that's a more fair comparison. Also, on the costing more than twice as much... My Z's MSRP was $37,600... The M3 (loaded) I wanted was $56,800... The difference in price is justified I believe... Why? Engine, build quality, interior quality, ride quality, performance, overall package.

Oh, and on terms of the realiability of the engine. BMW eventually replaced the failing rods on all the early S54 engines. Nissan... has still not offered a true solution to the problem of tire feathering. I don't think new tires and new alignment specs were the solution, but that's just me.

 

FYI, we DO REALLY pass, and are faster than the 2006 C6 Z06 with our VRT built cars. Straight up! It's simple, come to a track day with us and see for yourself. As for the guy in the '06 Z06 not being much of a driver, HA, he was a SCCA Porsche Cup driver doing a magazine test for a well known Magazine on that Z06, yea, the one that I caught and passed in our VRT built Z.

I understand you finding this hard to believe, the '06 Z06 IS an AWESOME car out of box (in fact my favorite for under 80 grand). Yet IMO, it is impressive what these Z's and G's can do once they have had a VRT upgrade. VRT can, and does build a complete brand new turn key Z or G that WILL outperform most any street car.....and all cars coming from the factory dollar-for-dollar for under 65K.

Sorry not trying to sound like an ad here , just trying to clarify something.... Ok I'm done with that...

Track days are allot of fun and a great learning experience. I wish more Z and G owners would come out to some track days and let their car do what it was designed to do....after all, these ARE Sports Cars and Sport Luxury Sports cars, RIGHT??!!

Well that was my .02 cents (probably more like $2. LOL )
N-E-Ways hope to see more of you forum guys showing up at more track days in 2006. Have a safe and happy Holiday and a prosperous New Year.