bigern1970

I see everybody claiming that their exhaust makes the most power i.e dyno numbers. I personally have a magnaflow exhaust, all in all the stock exhaust is the best , may not have the best sound but I think Nissan put so much into designing into this car that most mods hurt rather than help, I would feel safe saying that 95 percent of the people in here never put their car on a dyno and rely solely on the dyno sheets and car magazine reviews. You cant go on those numbers while these claims may be true that they make 12 hp at 5,000 plus rpms, they dont say how much they lose at bottom end how many of us really drive with the rpms constantly over 5500, I bet not many of you, ofcourse its $$$ with all these companies, I have had turbocharged integras 12.95 quarters, sub 13 second Datsun 510, and I will tell you this by the time you bolt on all the mods , the intake, exhaust, cams and plenums, port and polish , your better off getting nice turbo or supercharged system reliable torque where you have most fun, Yes there are fast normally aspirated cars out there running sub 13's but trust me they are a beast on the street and most are worthy of being trailer queens, save your money and put it in to somthing else on your car, all the normally aspirated mods are not worth it, and I almost caught myself getting caught up in the same with my 350, I will save my pesos and get SC or Turbo , that way I can run the biggest exhaust i want for less then 500 bucks way less and not have to worry about back pressure and dont have to worry about cams enjoy your Z and dont let these companies take your hard earned dollars if it burning a hole in you pocket tell your wife to stash it until you get enough for that supercharger , thanks
one mans opinion

ttsupra94

iTrader: (1)

Plenty of people on here have dyno charts for most of the exhausts available here. A lot of people dont do it just for the horsepower anyways, I like working on the car, i like the looks better and of course the sound. Just my opinion though

noel48

My feelings exactly.

mr2fasterthanyo

yup, on smaller displacement cars, and ones that are finally tuned. (most imports) you will see very little increase in power changing out the exhaust. Now if you go turbo or S/C exhaust will help. But if it is too big, then you lose the velocity of the exhaust gases that spool the turbo. For an NA car, like the Z, the stock exhaust is great, however, if you turbo your car, finding an exhaust that is a perfect match between exhaust velocity, and ability to get rid of the exhaust gases with the correct backpressure is what is best.

lexus33

I have talked to many guys on here and seen just about every combo of exhausts, Cats etc at the Z meets and they ALL say yes the stock exhaust was designed well but still VERY restrictive esp the plenum and the cats. How can making these mods not help the car breathe better and not give out a few extra horses and performance. I agree spending 5k for a FI kit would be the way to go but many of us don't have the 5k or want to deal with all the headaches that goes along with the FI. I am not looking for 100hp gains but 25hp or so would be nice. I think doing the plenum, intake, exhaust, and cats would provide that??? Am i wrong to think that?

bigern1970

Nothing wrong with that at all that what makes this hobby so nice to each his own, the point i was making is that a stillen exhaust is almost 1k headers anywhere from 500-900 , anywhere from 100 to 300 for intake dont know how much a plenum cost, jwt cams 1,100.00, thats almost 2k away from a turbo. I know everyone doesnt have 5k to spend Im fotunate enough where I can if i decide to go that route, but if you can save you chips over a year or so a sc or tc system is in reach for everyone ,,,,,,,if you can afford a z a system isnt far off. food for though just make a mental note lol

ranger5oh

I bought rims and tires for the horespower too

No, but in all seriousness, noone buys exhaust strictly for the HP gain. Sound and looks are probably 80% of that decision. Also, you mention just getting a TT instead of the mods, but you NEED an exhaust with a TT or it wont perform. Just a thought.

rodH

iTrader: (2)

some of us do NOT want an aftermarket FI system for obvious reasons.

350 PILOT

bigern1970
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but since installing my dual exhaust and pop charger I developed a theory. Nissan has to take everything into account, cost, looks, performance then balance that out. Making a car to loud would turn some buyers away while making it under perform or to expensive would turn others away. They already tried making the Z a super car and killed the program in the process. I think they learned their lesson. The duals and pop charger just put the performance of my Z over the edge where average drivers might feel uncomfortable.

That said, putting FI on a NA engine is a recipe for disaster. The engine simply wasn't designed for the extra PSI. In the long run I think people will pay much more than 5k for this mod (hope I'm wrong). As for me, I may get a plenum but that will certainly be the end of my HP mods.

PoWeRtRiP

umm....i got my exhast for performance gains only. i dont care how it looks. and yes i got some gains for it and did not lose a lot down low like you think. some of us have a plan in mind with our mods and a turbo/sc will cost you WAY more than 5k to get working reliably and right.

jng1226

I posted this in another thread, and I think it's relevant here:
<<
Road and Track Magazine - November 2003 Issue

They tested 4 tuned 350Zs, and to me the most interesting was the Motorex 350Z. It had JWT cams, flywheel and Pop Charger and new wheels and C-West Bodykit (and it had the STOCK EXHAUST). At the test track it did 0-60 in 5.1 and 1/4 at 13.7@104.6. This compared extremely well to the Stillen SMZ's (supercharged) numbers: 5.3 and 13.8@104.8.

They also tested a GReddy TT at the same time and it did 5.2 and 13.4@108.1. For comparison, their stock 350Z did 5.8 and 14.4@99.7.

For my money, and driveability and reliability (peace of mind) - NA is the way to go, particularly with the JWT parts. Imagine what would happen if they had also redone the headers, cats and full exhaust...
>>

So, how much does the JWT parts and mods cost compared to the TT and SC? And how much more gains did you get along with the potential headaches of TT and SC. If you search around here you'll find some guys in TX and TN that have NA mods and are maybe .3-.5 off what TT people are running in the 1/4, and their cars are far more reliable and dare I say more driveable in daily-driving or even autocrossing situations.

Seriously - unless you are a race mechanic that knows your motor/drivetrain inside and out (and did all the work yourself to be sure), tell me that you don't have some element of fear of something breaking on your FI modded-Z everytime your mash the go-pedal. SC and TT = more stuff going on/more stuff TO GO wrong. That said, I do love the sound of TT and actually like all the toys to play with (gauges, electronic boost controllerr, BOVs, etc.).

IMHO, I prefer to keep my compression stock and have an all-motor car that can just about run with an FI car for FAR LESS money/worries...

bigern1970

Those are great comparisons, like I said earlier I been there and done that and I am a DIY, when you get wild theres not doubt you sacrafice peace of mind and reliability ...( if you dont know what your doing) these days with most manufacturers going to aluminum blocks the strength and integrity of a botton end is going to be suspect, and while peace of mind is nice you can have a reliable TT or SC , its fuel . Back in 1992 ( the honda era) there were so many kids ( including me) racing but the difference is being smart and know A/F ratios , timing retards, Trust me the 350's bottom end is more caple than most think. I agree that a melted piston sucks. The point I was conveying is that Im not going to get caught up before like I did when I was in my early 20's but rather do mods that I can really feel, my drag days are gone but im still a car fan like many of you. thanks

infidsg35

iTrader: (2)

you dont need to buy the whole exhaust. There are 2 parts to the exhaust that are restrictive.

1. Cats
2. Y pipe

By making the purchace on these 2 pieces you can gain all the HP of the full exhaust.

A full exhaust will change sound, most of the time up to 10 Lbs lighter, better made, a better tip look (only in some cases) , much better with the bigger pipping for FI, and a fun lil DIY project..

Will an exhaust change your car that much in performance.... NO but we as a Z/G community are paying lots towards the HP/$ ratio.

phreezee

That's a retarded comparison because:
1) Stillen is a joke
2) Many people, including myself have have run those numbers stock!

I wholehearted agree that spending $1000+ for sound/look is wasteful, but to each their own. All the N/A mods for the Z cost an arm and a leg and will never get close to the FI setups that end up costing the same $:Hp wise.

infidsg35

iTrader: (2)

yes your right but an exhaust might add 6 HP on a N/A car but maybe 15 on a FI car. So lots of people including myself are doing all the N/A bolt ons for now and then add the FI kit later when more testing/stories come out along with products..

3rdpower

I've thought long and hard about FI and I could afford it. If FI is in my future I will have to consider:

COST
a. A second car
b. 10k in cost (NEW pistons and rods are not an option in my book)
c. a lot of time and energy for relatively LOWER gains

I have seen a lot of great mods on these FI Z's but from the numbers I am seeing the FI application the downside outweighs the gains.

I believe after I finish with cams and ECU in the future I man move forward with a super charger depending on my overall gains as they compare to other FI. Everything I do will be in preparation for FI. You cannot have FI w/o a new exhaust and clutch and what hell good is a Z without better suspension?

jng1226

I think it is valid because average people (magazine editors) tested all of those cars at the same time at the same place. The times may not be comparable to yours because of many factors (temp, humidity, surface, etc.), but they do make an interesting comparison to each other.

There are NA guys in TX that are only .3-.4 seconds off Greddy TT times - AT THE SAME TRACK ON THE SAME DAY. (OK - so the TTs have 5mph+ greater trap speeds)

So there

bigern1970

I agree with you, my integra was completely built, pistons rods sleeved, the whole 9, but you have to remember if stock cams are the best when left stock ( for the most part) regrinds would not be an option for me, but trust me contrary to belief FI systems need minimal if not any back pressure , and you can get a straight through system at any qualified muffler shop with true straight back exhaust with literally no bends. for less then half of a stillen nismo......etc. I you do all the na mods , trust me you will have to redo them if you go FI . more importantly the ecu and cams. The reason for this thread was to get others to see if they can save a few bucks FI would be well worth it in the long run . thanks

jazz z1

iTrader: (1)

AMEN!!!!!!!! WELL SAID.