Hey guys, so i purchased a 2004 350Z with about 26K miles on it, and now its time to spoil her a bit, i have plans on purchasing:
-Megan racing track series coilovers
-Orthodox lightweight pulley set
-motordyne plenum spacer (maybe even their intake mani)
-DC Headers
-Berk test pipes
-for cat back exhaust im not sure yet still researching
My list is still unsure i do my researching and reading from here a lot! so its good to be part of this just thought i'd introduce myself a bit. thank you guys for your time and i would love to get some advice from all who welcome to. Thx!

 

Welcome to the forum!
Do a little of your own research on doing the lightweight pulley set, some would say it's not the best idea
Also, headers may be more trouble than they're worth.

 

Wow!low miles on that 04!
Great find.
Looks like you are going the performance direction.
You came to the right place for advice.
You are sure to get a lot of this forum.
Saying that,I'd skip the headers.Not worth the expense.
Living in CA,I'd think test pipes will be a problem?Maybe
HFC's would be a better choice.For a catback,the actual
HP results don't vary by brand.At least not that you are gonna actually
feel.Most guys are steered by the sound/tone.I sure would select
a quality system known for accurate bolt on.Also,whats your budget?
Most good systems run in the $1,200-$1,500 range.There are some
"ultimate" systems that are twice that.I love the Amuse system.I'm
also partial to the tried&true Nismo S-Tune.The Shock Wave set up is also
great.You did not mention a intake?Already have one on your Z?
After you do all this stuff,you won't get a full return on investment unless
you get a tune to make it all work to the max.

 

Welcome!

 

Save up for F/I

 

Check into a Quaife Differential set. I have one purchased and going to be installed the 25th along with DC Sports ceramic headers, Motordyne ART pipes and the Shockwave 2 cat back exhaust then tuned. I've read from multiple people that the Diff's should be the first thing done to a Z. Just my .02

 

Scrap the headers and test pipes.

Go with long tube headers. Either PPE or OBX.

Saves money. Slighty better power gains. Most importantly the sound it creates turns your Z into something exotic.

You'll thank me.

http://www.sparktecmotorsports.com/h...tm_content=pla

 

of course it is all preference, i would go JWT popcharger, Nismo S tune catback, HFC's ,plenum spacer, Uprev Osiris tune

 

This is basically what I did to mine, with some vendor variations. Will cost between 2300-3000. Will give a noticeable boost to the butt meter. But of course nowhere near going F/I. If you have the patience, save for F/I. Can take a more "subtle" approach and go with a supercharger. Easier install/maintenance.

 

personally i would never buy anything from Megan again, you get what you pay for! but for a noticeable difference while remaining NA im with FixthatF-16 i'd go with a new LSD and a 3.9 or 4.08 final drive, dont have to worry about emissions and everything looks stock, thats one of the things im currently saving for... just my .02

 

congrats and welcome

 

Welcome. +1 for forced induction.

 

+1 for Quaife Diff - best thing I ever did to my car
+1 for F/I - if you are going to pay for power, get the real deal.
-1 pulleys/flywheels/final drive mods. complete waste.

If you are looking for lower budget modifications

-engine mounts or torque damper
-Z1 transmission mount
-Diff brace or diff mount
-take out your spare
-disable your traction control
- RJM clutch bracket

 

welcome and congrats!

 

Welcome ,definatly search and evaluate your plans

 

yea i got lucky on the low mileage, some older 45 year old owned it since 04 and 2 days before i purchased it he traded it in so before the dealership could evaluate the vehicle i came upon the mans phone number n spoke to him and did a VIN number check and all was great, so i think i got a somewhat good deal for 16K...

well i'm giving myself a budget but its for a complete set up for exhaust. i want to stay somewhere less than 2,500k for complete exhaust (headers, HFC, Cat-back exhaust) and if possible somewhere cheaper but i know Z's are not cheap lol. and yes i had purchased a jim wulf intake from a neighbor so besides wheels thats the only thing i have purchased.

 

dang you just blew my mind, i never would of thought to change the differential or trany ratios this early into the mod world lol. im going to keep that in mind. thank you!