gq35

Hi all,
I have a G35 '03; 6MT; Prem package; Nav; Pearl White, with the following modifications. I am getting into it real deep, want more power, more speed .... I am addicted ... okay!! Car just turned 15,000 miles

Current Mods:
Engine: Crawford Plenum (and I managed to modify the OEM cover to fit); Grounding Wires; UUPulley Set; Stillen Intake; 350Z Tube to Thorttle Body; Stillen Dual Exhaust; Techno^2 ECU
Other: Clear corners; Skyline badges; Race Pedals; SuperWhite Driving lights; I have added the two piece plates and spoilers that fit underneath the car and I have upgraded the center counsel to '04 style (with the armrest). Light/Mid Tint.

I need feed back on the following mods:
- Short Shifters? Does B&M make one for my car? How about that Rouge(?) shifter, any feedback? Sometimes at high RPMs when I shift quickly, the 2nd to 3rd shift is ... well ... "crunch" is the based way to explain it I guess! Any suggestions other than push the clutch all the way in - which I do.
- Nismo light flywheel (23lbs.) or other light flywheels? My concern is that Nismo may not be as light as some other ones but it is NISMO and fits with OEM clutch. Plus, this is my daily driver, I really don't want to be minding the gas/clutch at every stop light. I am not going to track this thing ... I don't think anyway.
- Rotors and brake pads. Brembo sloted/drilled?? Green Stuff pads or any other ones you guys have used or have gotten feedback on?
- 350 EVO Throttle Body? 3 - 5 hp is claimed. Any info or feed back on this is welcomed. Is it worth it?
- What is the differential gearing on the G35 6MT? I saw an ad for a 3.91 gear set. any feedback on this? Where is the RPM say at 70 mph in 6th gear?
- Tires! I need them for the back, I am right at the wear mark. I have the Mich. Pilot Sports on there now. Should I stay with them or switch to another brand? Money wise they are all close to one another, my main concern is overall perfromance and road noise. Any ideas guys?
- Light weight wheels that actually look nice ... any ideas?
- I have heard the Iredium plugs make the car run hotter, true / false / why? Different plugs make a difference in hp/speed?

WOW My head is spinning reading my own e-mail. ANY help would be appreciated ....

themyst

iTrader: (1)

-i have no idea about the shortshifter so i can't comment... the stock shifter is pretty short to begin with... only car from memory with a shorter stock shift is the s2000.
-Getting a lighter flywheel will make the car faster, however will make daily driving a pain in the behind, as the revs will drop faster and you will have to pay more mind to what you're doing in daily driving.
-try the hawks brake pads for the brembos, they will dust up less. Slotted rotors would be great for aesthetics, but waste of money otherwise, since you say you won't be doing any heavy tracking.
-350EVO throttle body... interesting mod, just not worth shelling out 800 bucks for.
-3.91 gearset would have the rpms around 3200-3400 in 6th gear... off the top of my head. Excellent mod if you're a drag racer... the sound of higher-revving rpms during highway cruising would be annoying... also keep in mind your top speed will drop a little and your car will suck more gas.
-tires... S03s are better than the michelins... in my opinion. they both wear out pretty quickly, but the s03s heat up a lot quicker than the michelins in my experience (Had s03s on my Volks rims when I had the Z)
-lightweight wheels that you can't go wrong with ... TE37's. I like the GT-Cs as well.
-colder spark plugs supposedly help performance slightly.

Based on the mods you have... high-flow cats are the next item on your list. Expect gains in the 6-8 rwhp range. Random tech is a great brand, and performancenissan sells them for 500$ to my350z.com members. If you have the money, check out the JW cams... although I don't think its worth the money for the parts/install. I honestly think if you have the money to spend on modding your car, get a blower....

gq35

themyst thanks alot buddy.
Do you have pics on the wheels? The EVO is around $300 with core ... worth it? I know what you mean as to the flywheel, but every lbs you save in rotation, you gain some 1.0 - 2.7 hp on a very good day. Going from 36lbs or so down to 23lbs, sure is going to help!! As to the gears in the back, forget it ... this thing has a higher than what i am used to revs at cruise anyway. I am not familiar at all with the tires .. could you give me the manufacturer etc.? As to the SC, I am scared it will blow my engine (ATI) or have to have that hidious hood put on (Stillen). Any ideas on the crunching 2-3 shifts other than operator error?

themyst

iTrader: (1)

I don't know much about the 350EVO throttle body, so I can't comment...
Do a search for GT-C and TE37 and I guarantee you'll hit at least 50 results. The reason why I would be against the flywheel is that even though the revs will get up there faster, resulting in quicker acceleration, the problem is that the revs will also drop that much faster. unless you like giving 100% concentration to shifting every day, I wouldn't recommend it. Then again, I don't have a lightened flywheel, just speaking from the comments and reviews i've heard from others. The tire brand is Bridgestone S03 Pole Position. And for your final comment, there is only so much you can do with the VQ35 short of a blower that will yield significant results. If you're into straight-line speed, perhaps you can invest in a 50 or 75 shot of nitrous. Contrary to popular belief, it is safe to run as long as you don't abuse the "privilege" per se. My 2-3 shift is slightly rough but its nothing to be worried about... you have a 60k bumper to bumper warranty, so if the tranny is bad, it will only get worse... with plenty of time to get it replaced. The 350Z I previously owned had a crunchy 5th gear, 6th gear, but 3rd and 4th were light as air. I guess Nissan transmissions are all dissimilar.

Eagle1

iTrader: (2)

GQ35:
Just about every topic you have listed has at least one thread dedicated to it somewhere here or on G35driver or freshalloy.
However, since you have them all here, let us set them up and knock them down, with other folks welcome to differ on prioritization etc.

IF you want power, get FI. To tear down the stock NA motor and put in forged internals, special cam etc. ......by the time you are done you will spend the same money for NA, to get a 8000rpm motor and another 30hp....when you could have 100+ with FI. And your warranty is gone on the motor either way.
Therefore, since your intake side is pretty much taken care of, all that is left is exhaust. If that is not enough, get FI. If you don't want FI, be happy and look to drivetrain and suspension to improve performance, and of course brakes and wheels.

RT cats, or other highperformance high flow models are a definite good addition. It released 20hp on my car with FI based on dyno run.

Forget about headers unless you have money to burn, or just like the sound (a viable reason, just not a hp return here when it is additive to everything else you have already done.)

The Nismo flywheel and a Nismo high perf clutch is an absolute "no brainer" mod. Great results, civil in traffic, not noisy.
The JWT grinds and is more twitchy, as it only weighs 14 lbs and has no sound and vibration damping (Nismo has one layer, stock has two) but also very good. Just drive one before you decide. Tilton is 8 lbs and is an animal, I would not do it.

B&M is making a short shifter, but it is not yet released. Look for sometime in March. Rogue has a good unit, they put a pin through the assembly to address the one complaint they were getting. Shortens throw about 20% and increases precision. Height of shifter is same as before. The 2-3 shift is definitely sloppy on the stock set up.

As for "crunch" on your 2-3 shift, I don't know...it should not do it if you are putting the pedal all the way down. When you get the flywheel/clutch replacement, check the wear.

Nismo limited slip differential. If you want performance, you gotta have this. You can go with the "light" initial torque setting, which is very friendly (I have the recommended medium setting, and that is only borderline civil) but it will give you way more performance returns than any more tweaking around with your intake and exhaust can give you. And really BIG smiles.

Forget the EVO throttle body. WIth the mods you already have, not cost effective additional returns..

Final drive ratio is 3.53. Don't change it to the 3.91

Colder plugs are fine. One step colder is enough.

Tires. Big science project with this one. The S0-3s are great, but they are about 3lbs per wheel heavier. The Michelin are more expensive, but use a different compound to save the weight. Will it really matter? Well, why spend a couple of grand to shave weight on your wheels, and then slap it back on with heavy shoes?
A good set of forged wheels in 18" diameter will weigh a sniff over 18 pounds. Nismo are real fine. Track Zs weigh about the same, but cost a couple times more than Nismo. If you want forged designer wheels.....you have a rainbow of choices.
The big issue is ...........first what diameter, then what width.
If you are going to track the car, stay with 18. If you are going to street the car, you can go 19. Enkei has a new 5 split spoke forged wheel custom designed for the G coming out in February. Those will weigh about 19.5 pounds for a good forged set. If you go 20......you are not serious about performance. It is a legitimate look ambition, but not a serious performance diameter for this car. You need to have too small an aspect ratio tire in my view for a best performance outcome when you use a 20" on this car. Don't get me wrong, they look cool...but you will get spanked on the road with it.

Ok, now the tires. If you go 19" then 245/35/19 front and 275/35/19 rear. This will keep the overall circumference of the tire in line with "plus one sizing", and get much wider rubber on the road for handling, and maintain proper stagger.

As for brand. Up to you. I like the Pilot Sports, except in cold weather, all the ultra high performance (summer) tires get dicey below 45 degrees fahrenheit.

Brakes. The brembos are great. Hawk or Axxis pads will do fine.
The only reason to change rotors and calipers would be if you track it. The larger rotor will NOT stop you quicker. It only helps to absorb and dissipate the increased heat of braking. Slots will slough the dust and dirt. Drilling is not a good idea for a track car, it removes mass and thus heat absorbing capacity of the rotor. It looks cool, that is all. Used to be it helped to slough dust, but the slots effectively do that now without the heat penalty, and the increased chance of rotor warping or cracking that drilling creates.

If you go to a big brake kit, like StopTech, Wilwood, etc. at 14.1" you probably only need to do the fronts. 70% or more of your braking is on the front. The back kit is only needed if you track it. Even then with brembos it is arguable that you do not need to upgrade them.

WHAT YOU DID NOT MENTION.
Stiffer sway bars.
Coilover suspension, with a lowering of the entire car one inch all around.
This combination will do more to increase the performance of the car than almost anything else you can do, at this particular point in time given the mods you have already done.
Except for a driver course and some track time. Highly recommended. You have more car at your disposal right now than most drivers can handle. A course will amplify your appreciation for what you already have, and allow you to use and enjoy it more as well.

Have fun.

gq35

Thanks a bunch Eagle1 and themyst for your honest and prompt response. I will research more based on your threads and report back shortly. Thanks again guys.