Hello all,

Have been a member here since I was 19 and had my first 350z. After shuffling around between an Evo and an LS swap RX7 i could not find time to finish I am back in another 350z, this time in Daytona Blue and TT. Bought from a dealer with 30k miles, perfect in and out, good results on comp/leak down test, no perceivable engine issues, no leaks, running ~7-8psi. First order of business is a re-tune so Im confident in its reliability. Then on to mod city!

Im sure I will have tons of questions for you guys as I was never fully involved in modding my first Z. This one will be different!

EDIT(to maybe spice up whats always a boring thread) - intended mods:
-re-tune
-Work Emotion CR Ultimate in Flat Black (undecided on sizes)
-new single exit exhaust (currently has Borla, not a fan)
-audio (have a w6 and monoblock amp to put in place of the crap system the owner left)

down the road:
-coilovers/susp tidbits
-NISMO brake upgrade
-bottom end build
-head hardware w/ cams
-exterior styling

Mike

 

Welcome back and congrats on buying the best color 350Z there is. Hope all goes well with your mods.

 

Congrats on the Z again!
However I was not aware Nismo made brakes

 

I am refering to the NISMO brembos. If I said Brembos i figured there would be confusion over which BBK i was getting. Just throwing on some of the stock NISMO calipers and rotors, probaly do braided lines while im in there.

 

Welcome back to the Z game.

 

Pics?

A re-tune will be needed, from what I've read many tuners do a bad job from the get go.

 

Your OP failed to mention whether your new ride has a built shortblock? If not, and despite the good readings you posted, a stock block will only last for a short time with even the modest amount of boost you plan to run. At a minimum, I'd start budgeting for ARP hardware, stronger rods, forged 9:1 pistons and an oil cooler before even starting a tune.

 

dkmura, I am fully aware that stock shortblocks have their limits. Im coming from an Evo X and it had roughly the same "cieling" of 400wtq. I dont really care what the gauge says as far as boost. The reason I am getting it tuned is reliability. I cannot trust someone elses work and I have dealt with these issues before. To say that boost always equals failure, despite my limited VQ knowledge, is wrong. Every engine will have its own individual limit, but that limit is based on torque and knock, not simply that its boosted and it will fail. There are plenty of members in the 400hp+ range with manageable wtq numbers. with thousands of miles on their stock blocks.

I 100% agree that a build is the next step, but Im not sure I can agree that its absolutely necessary to run boost. The tune will not be to increase numbers if thats the impression my post gave. Although my friends at Kaizen (primarily X's and GTR's) just retuned someone's X and got more power out of less boost with less knock.

 

Exactly. Safety is all in the tune. Although I will say driveability was pretty good, so Im hoping the tune is at least competent. Either way it will be done again at a shop I trust. Pics when i get her and clean her up. Shes at the dealership waiting on tags. I wont let them clean it, specifically told the guy not to.

 

You asked for opinions on what your build should include and I provided mine. As for comparing your experience with Evos and Z33s, I'd say that you're the one who's wrong. One has an engine originally designed for FI and one was not. Despite a good tune, a stock VQ35DE is an alloy engine never designed to withstand boost for any appreciable amount of time.

If you feel differently, fine. It's your car, so carry on and join the legions of those who've had their VQ blow up or need expensive shortblock work. Either way, they tend to slink off and never mention what really happened.

 

Im not arguing that point with you. But telling me to save for a build as opposed to getting the car re-tuned? I dont understand your logic at all. I have no idea what the tune looks like on this car. To continue to drive it as is would be stupid. The tune isnt for more power, its for reliability and piece of mind. Im not looking to max out the turbos or the cars capability. Not to mention that my intended tuner has several FI Z/G cars in the same power range over years of daily use.

I clearly state in my post that a bottom end build is on the horizon. Telling me that every VQ bottom end will fail because its boosted is quite frankly ridiculous. Will longevity be effected? Almost unavoidable. To say that its inevitably close to failing is dooms-day thinking, and I think youre vastly underestimating what a properly configured tune can do, regardless of the material of the components. The engines limits are based on concrete properties found in the materials and geometry with standard variation for expected differences in defects and wear. At a certain tq level an engine will fail. It doesnt matter if it is designed for boost or not. If the dangerous aspects of boost are avoided (knock, crank case pressure) then it comes down to cylinder pressure. More cylinder pressure = more power.