Hi all i currently have a 03 g35 and I am looking to do some mods for reliable power.

as far as engine mods I currently have greddy evo tt exhaust, jwt pop charger, z tube, MD 5/16 spacer, grounding kit, engine damper. I also have VB mod and trans oil cooler as my car is auto.

I used to have a procharger and the power was nice but I decided to sell it. Also used to have test pipes and also tried xerd headers but went back to stock cats due to sound.

Im now looking for some decent power again and am deciding which route to go. either TT, maybe S/C again, or N/A. Im leaning more towards n/a since reliability is very important to me.

Just wanted to see what you guys here think of high compression setups and if theyre reliable. also dont want to spend a grip of money at the moment.

thinking about getting some cams and wonder if theyre worth it.

any help would be appreciated.

 

3 years on my setup, power has gone up with each round of stuff we've done, and I am approaching 20k miles now on it. Many an FI guy with that mileage are on multiple motors (for a variety of reasons). As for not spending a grip - you have to defind what that translates to into $'s (I don't know the grip/dollar exchange rate ). One thing is for sure, ANY route you go is going to cost significant money. If you're looking for the cheap way out, stop now, because it doesn't exist

 

You could get a good valve job and cams and call it a day. Prob worth 15whp on top of your existing setup with the right sized cams.

 

Well at least you have narrowed it down.

 

haha yea ive narrowed it down to greddy TT, vortech sc, or cams/valves, maybe pistons and rods.

id say my budget for now would be about 3-4k. I am not looking for a lot more power but enough that it can be felt. im sure if i shop smart and buy used parts I can fit it in this budget. Im pretty much decided on a subtle N/A build i think.

so i think cams, valves w/ springs, maybe high comp pistons and rods. also Ive been reading that cams will make the car idle badly?

im looking at nismo cams or jwt c2's.

 

unfortunately your not accomplishing any meaningful gains nor any of your intended choices for that budget

 

You're over $4k right there. And you haven't even figured in tuning yet.

 

get a used crotch rocket

 

I don't know if you've checked out the top 1/4 mile times for n/a applications.. but full bolt ons will yeild you low 13's and a built motor may yeild you high 12s.. for the price n/a build is NOT worth it IMO for a 350z.. I'm not satisfied with 13's But it depends what you're looking to do.. I'd rather put that money towards a bike or a turbo build

I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.. A low boost turbo setup would be decently reliable and cost effective to go fast for a Z. Try a used kit from the marketplace.

well thats my o2.. good luck

 

thanks. yea n/a seems pretty pricey for the minimal gains at best. but i figured reliability would be there still. maybe I should look into a used s/c again.

thanks for the input.

 

get a vortech kit. i was going to spend like 6 grand on a full na build . instead got bc 264 cams and vortech kit, its on my stock engine and i drive it like i stole it and its fine and is actually worth the money since u get mad power as opposed to spending 6 grand and making another 30whp off an na build which to me is a waste of my money, make sure to get a good tune though whichever way u go. and 4 grand might get u half way to ur na build fyi unless all labor is performed by u.

 

4k will do for a nitrous set up and some bolt ons. Save more money, do tons of research, and do it the right way!

BTW, NA FTMFW! you only know is good til you try it XD FI is fun tho. I only wish i could afford a NA build block lol

 

i have been trying to look into nitrous setups also and just am unsure exactly how safe it is and what I would need to upgrade with it. if it could be run safely id spray..

ill check out the nitrous forums and ask for advice there maybe

 

It's not all about "mad power" (whatever that is) it's about the powerband, and rev range. My car makes significantly less peak HP than a Vortech setup on a stock block...and if I run against such a car (stock pulley) on your typical backroad, I can embarras one, because I have ~2000 rpm more to play with, coupled with the gears I run, all at peak power and torque. Even on the highway, the car more than holds its own with Z's with more peak hp (again stock block). The Vortech car for example doesn't come into it's own till later in the rev range, and then it has maybe 1500 rpm left before shifting on a stock block. Ultimately it depends on what you want out of your car. Keep in mind too that you have to qualify where the car is being used. If the cars are both running twisty backroads, peak hp has far less meaning than if you're doing standing mile runs. If a higher dyno sheet impresses you or you want to be able to say your car has 400whp (nothing wrong with that BTW), then FI may be a better route. If other factors are more important to you than NA may be a better choice. No matter which route to go, the OP's intended budget is not going to be enough, even if he finds a good condition used kit that happens to include EVERYTHING that it should (and having had many customers try to go the used FI route, 9 times out of 10, the kit is missing stuff, all of which gets added to the net cost and causes further delays). You then need to have at least an equal amount set aside for the 'what ifs' that you need to anticipate when doing any significant engine work on these cars. Not planning ahead is a surefire way to set yourself up for failure, and it's not something that you should rush.

No matter what route you go, it's expensive, that is a given. I would not change the route I decided to go, after owning and using it for 3 years. I've driven more than a few modded Z's, with every combo of parts out there, from stock block TT and SC, to fully built motors/FI combos, and I don't have any regrets as to what route I decided.

 

RPM 1st Gear 2nd Gear 3rd Gear 4th Gear 5th Gear 6th Gear
500 3 5 7 9 11 14
600 4 6 8 11 13 17
700 4 7 10 12 16 20
800 5 8 11 14 18 23
900 5 9 12 16 20 25
1000 6 10 14 18 22 28
1100 6 11 15 19 25 31
1200 7 12 17 21 27 34
1300 8 13 18 23 29 37
1400 8 13 19 25 31 39
1500 9 14 21 26 34 42
1600 9 15 22 28 36 45
1700 10 16 23 30 38 48
1800 11 17 25 32 40 51
1900 11 18 26 33 42 54
2000 12 19 28 35 45 56
2100 12 20 29 37 47 59
2200 13 21 30 39 49 62
2300 14 22 32 40 51 65
2400 14 23 33 42 54 68
2500 15 24 34 44 56 70
2600 15 25 36 46 58 73
2700 16 26 37 47 60 76
2800 17 27 39 49 63 79
2900 17 28 40 51 65 82
3000 18 29 41 53 67 84
3100 18 30 43 55 69 87
3200 19 31 44 56 72 90
3300 19 32 45 58 74 93
3400 20 33 47 60 76 96
3500 21 34 48 62 78 99
3600 21 35 50 63 80 101
3700 22 36 51 65 83 104
3800 22 37 52 67 85 107
3900 23 38 54 69 87 110
4000 24 38 55 70 89 113
4100 24 39 56 72 92 115
4200 25 40 58 74 94 118
4300 25 41 59 76 96 121
4400 26 42 61 77 98 124
4500 27 43 62 79 101 127
4600 27 44 63 81 103 130
4700 28 45 65 83 105 132
4800 28 46 66 84 107 135
4900 29 47 67 86 110 138
5000 29 48 69 88 112 141
5100 30 49 70 90 114 144
5200 31 50 72 91 116 146
5300 31 51 73 93 119 149
5400 32 52 74 95 121 152
5500 32 53 76 97 123 155
5600 33 54 77 99 125 158
5700 34 55 78 100 127 161
5800 34 56 80 102 130 163
5900 35 57 81 104 132 166
6000 35 58 83 106 134 169
6100 36 59 84 107 136 172
6200 37 60 85 109 139 175
6300 37 61 87 111 141 177
6400 38 62 88 113 143 180
6500 38 63 89 114 145 183
6600 39 63 91 116 148 186


RPM 1st Gear 2nd Gear 3rd Gear 4th Gear 5th Gear 6th Gear
500 2 4 6 7 9 12
600 3 5 7 9 11 14
700 3 6 8 10 13 16
800 4 6 9 12 15 19
900 4 7 10 13 17 21
1000 5 8 11 15 18 23
1100 5 9 13 16 20 26
1200 6 10 14 17 22 28
1300 6 10 15 19 24 30
1400 7 11 16 20 26 33
1500 7 12 17 22 28 35
1600 8 13 18 23 30 37
1700 8 14 19 25 31 40
1800 9 14 20 26 33 42
1900 9 15 22 28 35 44
2000 10 16 23 29 37 46
2100 10 17 24 30 39 49
2200 11 17 25 32 41 51
2300 11 18 26 33 42 53
2400 12 19 27 35 44 56
2500 12 20 28 36 46 58
2600 13 21 30 38 48 60
2700 13 21 31 39 50 63
2800 14 22 32 41 52 65
2900 14 23 33 42 54 67
3000 15 24 34 44 55 70
3100 15 25 35 45 57 72
3200 16 25 36 46 59 74
3300 16 26 38 48 61 77
3400 17 27 39 49 63 79
3500 17 28 40 51 65 81
3600 18 29 41 52 66 84
3700 18 29 42 54 68 86
3800 18 30 43 55 70 88
3900 19 31 44 57 72 91
4000 19 32 45 58 74 93
4100 20 33 47 60 76 95
4200 20 33 48 61 78 98
4300 21 34 49 62 79 100
4400 21 35 50 64 81 102
4500 22 36 51 65 83 105
4600 22 37 52 67 85 107
4700 23 37 53 68 87 109
4800 23 38 55 70 89 112
4900 24 39 56 71 90 114
5000 24 40 57 73 92 116
5100 25 41 58 74 94 119
5200 25 41 59 76 96 121
5300 26 42 60 77 98 123
5400 26 43 61 78 100 126
5500 27 44 63 80 102 128
5600 27 44 64 81 103 130
5700 28 45 65 83 105 133
5800 28 46 66 84 107 135
5900 29 47 67 86 109 137
6000 29 48 68 87 111 139
6100 30 48 69 89 113 142
6200 30 49 70 90 114 144
6300 31 50 72 91 116 146
6400 31 51 73 93 118 149
6500 32 52 74 94 120 151
6600 32 52 75 96 122 153
6700 33 53 76 97 124 156
6800 33 54 77 99 126 158
6900 34 55 78 100 127 160
7000 34 56 80 102 129 163
7100 35 56 81 103 131 165
7200 35 57 82 105 133 167
7300 36 58 83 106 135 170
7400 36 59 84 107 137 172
7500 36 60 85 109 138 174
7600 37 60 86 110 140 177
7700 37 61 88 112 142 179
7800 38 62 89 113 144 181
7900 38 63 90 115 146 184
8000 39 64 91 116 148 186
8100 39 64 92 118 150 188
8200 40 65 93 119 151 191
8300 40 66 94 121 153 193
8400 41 67 95 122 155 195

I just copy and pasted this. Adam how are you running away from the sc with that extra 2000rpm which is really 1400 on the sc'ed car and your gearing? Torque is where its at.

To the op, the factory pistons are somewhat fragile to rpm but with a safe tune and lowered expectations of what to expect from a stock block look to putting something together that builds torque early and holds it. The budget listed is so subjective. If you do all the labor yourself and buy used parts or hunt for deals then 4K is something.

To answer the title of the thread. N/A builds when assembled properly out of quality parts should be more reliable than stock. If you tune it poorly and set the rev limiter to high and bounce off it all day then you might as well have went fi and just turned up the boost until it blows.

 

(edited my previous post with details)The power on my car is far more linear, and far quicker to react than the S/C'd car. I not only can get off the line quicker, especially now with the new ring and pinion, but the car has a far more linear power delivery vs the Vortech car, which is fairly peaky. RPM wise, I have 1800 rpm more than a stock block'd car does, and torque stays nearly flat to redline now

 

Torque multiplication via gearing.

 

i can do an Fi setup myself and have done a few on previous cars including on this car. but i dont want to mess around with internals myself. seems a good n/a setup would be out of my budget. so I am now looking more into a vortech with original pulley or a 75-100 shot nitrous kit. I dont speed tbh its just nice to have the power once in a great while.

 

Since reliability is important to you, S/C route is my suggestion. More power gains and more cost-saving than what you're planning on spending with your proposed N/A build.

 

well ur fully built z wouldnt beat mine off the launch or a roll,and im stock pulley vortech btw and i love fully built NA zs as my buddy has one and if u got deep pockets for minimal gains/ and or u can actually do the labor on it than its worth it, although its fun to rev highly and has great linear power i had the choice to maybe own a fully built na z egnine, and have been driven around in it but at the end the decision for having my vortech setup and cams without a doubt is thrilling and has much more for the buck without a doubt and pins u back pretty damn good, btw im at 377whp at 5800 rpms on my stock pulley, once i retune with bigger maf i should be right around 400 hopefully, either way op just know NA build is very expensive and so would the vortech, but for 4 grand ur really going to have to stretch that in reality to more about 6 grand for a vortech , and like 8-10 grand for a sick NA z