as far as looks are concerned, i dont care TOO much really....but having the engine exposed in any way would lead to long term problems with rain and dirt, right? I mean having rain constantly ON your engine metal pieces has got to cause rusting, or some sort of nasty effect. It's a cool idea though and very budget-oriented.

 

yeah, I woudn't want the elements to have a direct shot in to my engine - then again I'm in Ohio. Also, whare are the chances of small animals nesting inside your engine bay? Thats all I'm going to say about it...

 

hood spacer isnt really something new, people have been doing it for years, i think it looks horrible though

 

Motordyne Plenum Spacer vs. Kinetix Intake Manifold

the 1/2 inch one is the way to go if you are going to get the motordyne plenum spacer. its the spacer designed for most power gains and an audible difference. if i get the motordyne spacer, i will get the crawford strut bar (i dont want that ugly hood STB)

so if you do the math, it is 200ish for the motordyne plenum spacer shipped + 170 for the crawford STB = 370. but then i figure if i am going to spend 370 on this, i might as well shell out another 300 and get the kinetix racing intake manifold, which should be priced around 650. i think me and you are looking at all the same performance mods. my car is bone stock, asides from aftermarket wheels and tires. i plan on sticking to a NA setup, because i just dont want to shell out 7000 for a turbo or supercharger installed.

so i figure....
1. kinetix intake manifold - 650
2. injen cai - used for 100, new for 200
3. injen super ses - new for 750, used for 500
4. kinetix HF cats (there is a gb on these and the new intake manifold) - 325
5. UR crank pulley and belts - used for 200, new 350

these parts are easy to install, so at a shop, install costs wont be too high (not 500 install like with headers). altering the upper and lower plenum is what allowed the 05 350z to make 300 hp. the kinetix intake manifold, although NA dynos arent out, i think it has potential to create a 20 hp gain when used with mods 2-5. this 20hp gain will be in addition to the power gained from mods 2-5, so i am thinking somewhere in the ballpark of 40-50 hp total with using these mods. if i am right, as the kinetix NA dyno will be released tomorrow, that is around a 20% gain in power for around 2000 bucks (if you buy the parts of the classifieds).

i dont know.. i might be rambling... but if those mods cant create a 30+ increase in hp, i will just get the motordyne spacer (1/2), crawford STB, jwt popcharger, some TD exhaust, and some HFC. i should be able to get all of that for around 1000. power gains should be around 20-30 hp, decent for the price. its times like this when i wish i had a supra tt.... if you invest 2500 into the 2jza engine... you would be throwing down more than 500 horses. truth is, if you dont go FI, you cant get any real power gains. hopefully the kinetix intake manifold dynos will prove me wrong

 

Before the plenum install my setup was:

JWT Pop charger
Helix test pipes
GReddy Evo II exhaust (true dual)

that combination made 245 whp and running extremely lean 14.0-14.2 also it didn't feel as strong as putting a plenum spacer. You'll need a ECU reflash if you want to gain more HP but i seriously doubt you'll get 30-40whp from the mods you listed. as far as nissan getting 300hp for the new Z that's only a bump of 13 hp from the crank. when you think about it thats about what the plenum spacer is doing already. i know the hood spacer not for everybody, but i think it looks great and i plan to track my car soon. good luck on your future mods.

virg

 

I know it's off topic, but damn that's lean nismo33...14.0-14.2! Just from those three mods?

 

Yeah it sucks to be me. I'm gonna have the car dynod before the reflash to see what the numbers are after i installed Plenum.

 

I have a G35 coupe with a 350Z engine cover. Will the 350Z engine cover fit with the 1/2" spacer on? I'm assuming it would. Can someone confirm this?

 

I don't see why not since there isn't a strut bar in the way. The only issue of fitment was with the G35 engine cover and no on the z.

 

I don't think water would be a big issue since there are gutters for the water on each side of the fender then at the firewall there are some as well. not to mention when it rains water comes up from the bottom also. as far as dirt. I've been driving the car now for almost a week and the engine bay is still clean. nothing out of the ordinary. I think the vented hoods would have more of an issue.

 

would the 3/8" fit the Z without hood spacer?

 

i agree the 1/2" is the way to go....but in the other thread the Motordyne guy mentioned that the 1/2" spacer only put out like 1-1.5hp more than the 1/4". for that little performance ill keep my hood stock. also i dont care about the louder growl

 

yes that doesn't seem to be a big difference, but the dyno can't see what the HP is when the car is moving and the air is cooling the upper plenum.

 

Virg,

As far as driving impressions are concerned, what kind of hp increases do you feel? Any losses down low? My primary concern is to get the 1/2" spacer b/c of the hp..and noise

ravi

 

you definetely wont be disappointed with the engine response from 5500 and up. would be way better with a TS flash so you can go up to 7100. did not really notice it affecting low end it feels like it increase across the board but very noticable above 5500. as far as sound i think it made it louder but i'm already running test pipes. i wish i still had my nismo it sounded so mean with the test pipes. damnn evoII exhaust for being so quiet. don't get me wrong it sounds great just want it louder

 

i like the 1/2 in spacer. but, i want to keep my oem strut and i dont like how the hood looks with the spacer on. i just might go with the 1/4 in. but i was wondering what the
growl" sounds like with the 1/2in. any audio clips?

do we need to use that spacer with all hoods? i have the kaminari CF hood on order and it is vented so im not worried about engine bay temps.

 

i personally had the aam spacer and i found it to be a good short term solution but not a longterm one. i kept having to check for leaks. and it ended up killing me.

go for gold and buy a permanent solution -- crawford or aps ... anything that is one piece design... i would mention kinetix but its plastic. too many people have cracking issues

 

your hood looks stupid man...."jury rigged"

 

no worries. what matters is what i like and what i get out of it.

 

that is true nismo33....your car looks great otherwise imo....but its what you like that counts