I've had my Z for about a year and a half now, but finally joined this forum to get help starting on mods and engine works. After my '92 civic failed on me, I decided to go for it and get my dream car since I had enough saved up. I was fortunate enough to find a 2004 350z Enthusiast with only 10k miles on it, it was my daily driving car for about a year until I decided that one day I'll do something big with it so it's better to perserve the miles since I commute A LOT between school and 2 jobs. It sits in the garage and doesn't come out unless it's for a special event or sunny day which is rarely ever since I live in rainy Seattle. My daily commuting car now is a '92 MR2, it's a major difference in horsepower and yeah I do miss driving my Z, but whenever I do take it out, I appreciate the car more...I'll attached a picture, but it's pretty much stocked because like I said, I need help deciding where to start. Thanks!

 

welcome to the forum.

 

Welcome. You have a beautiful Z.

 

I would say lower your car on air suspension because you live on a hill.

 

Hellaflush

 

Hi em and welcome

 

More pics of the MR2

 

The MR2 is honestly nothing special, I just needed a car that I don't really care about so it's easier to get around on a daily basis. I would have settle for anything, but at the time my cousin was willing to sell his MR2 cheap to me and I would rather trust a family's car than a stranger's. Haha.

 

Hahahaha, thanks. I assume you're vietnamese also?

 

Alright, thanks for the advice. I swear that hill is such a hassel to get on and out of. Lol.

 

chao em

creepin`

 

Vang

 

Welcome to MY350Z.

 

Lemans Sunset Orange best color for the 350z. I'm biased, though I have an 03 in the same color.

Yours would be the 4th or 5th unique Lemans Z I've seen in the Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue area. Was your car at the 13 Coins restaurant in Seatac about a week back? I think I recognize the spoiler.

You said you were open to suggestions on where to start on modifications. Are you going for performance or looks? Either way, you can't go wrong with new wheels. It's ironic, but I've been looking for a hardtop MR2 to tinker with since modding the Z is so annoying expensive.

 

Welcome!

As far as modding it depends on what your goals and budget are for your car. I think the air suspension is a dumb idea. Personally since it sounds you're on a budget and want to keep it very drivable, I would go with the Hotchkis TVS kit (springs & sway bars) to start with your suspension. If you can afford it pick up a set of SPL's front & rear end links as well.

If you're looking for some extra HP the MotorDyne 5/16th plenum spacer is one of the best "bang for the buck" bolt-on mods. Match the spacer with the JWT PopCharger filter and you'll be set. Exhaust are hard to tell someone to get. We all have different opinions on what sounds good. Again since it sounds you want to enjoy driving the car versus building a street machine or track killer I think the Tanabe Medalion is a great choice. I'd stay away from cat-deletes (aka; downpipes) or resonated cat-deletes. With a non-boosted VQ and cat-deletes you get the bumblebee effect.

A great wheel and tire combo always separates a stock Z from yourself. Plus they look GREAT and can set the route of what you want. Again since you're budget limited I would suggest a set of 18" Enkei RPF1, PF01 or NT03+M (18x9.5 +15 & 18x10.5 +15) with a set of BF Goodrich KDW tires (255/40 & 285/40)

And of course do a lot of reading on the forum for a lot of good (and bad) information. Plus you might be able to save some cash and buy parts used. The Z is going on 10 yrs old and people are moving on from them and selling their parts for OEM. If you are like me and have to have new, Kyle & Brett over at Import Parts Pro are GREAT vendors! Good luck and welcome again!!!

 

I'm glad you think my car is unique, but I doubt that was me since I haven't been to that restaurant. Lol.

As of right now, I'm on a budget and only want to do minor things until I get tuition out of the way, but I lean more toward performance. I think new wheels is a good idea though, I just don't want the exterior to look way too flashy and have the car be slow.

You should find yourself an MR2 also, I find it so much easier to get around in since it doesn't have as much blind spots as the Z and since the back window is completely vertical, whenever it rains, the rain just goes straight down and the window doesn't fog up.

 

Make sense two two seater sports cars

 

Oh, I had meant unique as in I could tell each one was different, not seeing the same car 5 different times.

In terms of performance upgrades, the 350z likes to eat wallets, or purses in your case. However, if you keep an eye on Craigslist, both Seattle and Portland, you can find an occasional deal. I've gotten stupidly awesome ones like a pristine set of Nismo LM-GT4 wheels for $800 (!!!! still can't believe that one), and an Akebono big brake swap also for $800.

For the best bang for the money, you could keep an eye out for an airbox (intake)from the 05+ (UpRev and HR) cars. They are a significant improvement over the 03-05 airboxes, and perform as well as many aftermarket intakes. You can usually find these used for as little as $50. The next best mod for the money would be the Motordyne 5/16 spacer, like Robert mentioned earlier. That can be had for about $200 new from online sources. After that, the next performance mods would be exhaust and high flow cats, but that's getting into the $$$ range for quality items.

Sadly all of those bolt-on mods above, plus a custom tune, would perhaps net a 15% increase in your performance numbers. Don't let that discourage you, though---15% is still 15%. Part of the reason why I was looking for an MR2 was because a V6 (3VZ-FE or 1MZ-FE) drops right in with little fuss, and the swap would be really cheap but gives rather significant power gains. That plus a mid-engine car would make for a really agile and fun daily driver.

And yeah, about the foggy windows...I don't think I've ever turned the A/C off in the 350z while I've lived in Seattle. It's really the only way to keep the windows from fogging when it's raining.

 

A set of lowering springs and wheel spacers on the OEM wheels would make a difference. Congrats and welcome to the forum .

 

just quoting this for personal reference.

hello, though!