Been there, done that. Identical at that. Besides, don't you know all the cool people are going with single turbos?

 

LOL!!! Well I guess I was never "cool" to certain Colorado "people."

Honestly congrats on the Lotus. Wish I could've gotten a ride.

 

Yeah, I was hoping to go for a spin in your newly TT'd toy too. I guess we'll have to wait till I make a trip to TX.

And now back to the regular thread! lol

 

Might be able to offer you a better deal if you're willing to make some money and give me your whole day. Can discuss in the PMs.

Back to subject...

 

+1 on the pop charger...
start with the lil things first... (like a s2000 antn)

 

Guys once again massive thanks for all your help with this, I thought I might get a few responses but I didn't expect this! Now on to Q&A:

My Z is a 2007 Touring, sorry I didn't mention that already. As for the pads what would you recommend? Would they pretty much be track only and if so how hard are they to swap out? After 2 days in the Elise and Exige with much less straight line power than my Z I totally understand how important handling mods are over straighline power. I think that's why I'm looking for a little balance of both.

I do have a friend that's got a garage I can use and while he knows a ton more than I do he's never done this stuff either. I'll definitely post over on Spivey's board and see what I can find for help there. Given that I'm doing tires too if I could do this all in for $2k I'd be thrilled.

Amarao - great comment about the Lotus, during the school I was thinking that a lot. But after getting back into my nice comfortable (and still fast) Z there's no way. I don't need a track only car, I need a car that I love (my Z) that is also fun on the track (which my stock Z has been). Damn the Exige is an amazing car though... And yup Frank was at the school with our group (I've known him through work for years but have only recently become friends with him). He and I were actually roomies for our trip, he's a great guy and has been a ton of help.

Thanks again for all the wonderful help guys, sounds like I'll be getting:
- Hotchkis TVS Kit - $450
- Brake Pads (once Robert tells me which ones) - $200
- JWT PopCharger - $320
- MotorDyne 5/16" Iso Thermal plenum spacer - $225
...or...
- MotorDyne MREV 2 Manifold - $390

which of those last two would you go with or from what I just read do I want both? All of that above is about $1600 which is more than I want to do right now. Seems like I definitely want the suspension kit and the pads, so would I drop the Manifold or the spacer?

Also I know the 07 has the new engine in it, I assume that's not the REVUP engine, is that true?

 

Oh, and I've already replaced the brake fluid with RedLine (before my last track day) and will be doing that again before the next one...

 

First no problem. I'm just happy to see you're taking the advice and building a balanced car for street and track. I'll look more into the pads for ya. Also ask on MHZ as I know they have several thoughts on pad selection. Changing the pads is a simple project and once you do it you won't forget how.

As far as the MotorDyne products & the JWT PopCharger, I'm unsure due to you having the '07 VQ. Maybe someone that has an '07 will/can chime in for me and give better advice.

 

For the OP,
Do you want the mods to go faster? To feel fit in with your 911/M3/R8 friends? Or to win in your autox events? You should decide before buying anything.

For autox, some mods will bump you to a higher class. You will likely compete against some faster cars and drivers. If you are new at this, my recommendation is to do nothing to the car. Just learn to drive it the way it is for one season before investing any money on mods. The goal becomes beating your friends' highend cars with a stock Z. That would be satisfying.

 

Good point made above. However minor upgrades like tires and brake pads shouldn't bump him up in class. Also really hard to tell if someone upgraded their brake pads. lol

 

r seng gave it to ya like it is! save your $$. Just watch the price of gas go over-the-top ON A DAILY BASIS. Things are NOT gonna get better, rosscarlson!

 

Agree. Read the rule book to determine what parts you want and what class you want to run in.

A couple thoughts:
- For solo/AutoX, you can run really fast without having the fastest car. Driving skill is a hugh factor.
- My personal opinion is that one can learn to be a good driver with a reasonable car. The Z is a very reasonable car to start with. Tires and brake pads will do little to help you learn to drive better. They will no doubt improve the time of your runs, but not necessary your driving skills.
- For brake pads, a solo run will not give you enough use to heat up the pads like road race on a track. If you choose to change them, make sure you pick the ones that garb better than stock even if they are cold. I don't know enough about the after market products available for the Z, may be others can help out here.

Amarao,
Saw your twin today on 6th, it's blue, still with temp reg on the back window.

 

Bwahahahaha! There are more of us!

Ross, if you need help on installs let me know.

Rob, I'm actually in Orlando until the 10th, but if it's something i can still help you with let me know.

 

Thanks for all the wonderful advice guys. I think I've decided that I love my Z just as she is and that I'd rather spend the money on driving schools and other events. After reading a comparison of the Nissmo version and seeing that it only posted a 1.5 second faster lap time it seems a little silly for me to start modding my car. While I'm a good driver I definitely have lots to learn so think the money is better spent there.

I think that leaves one final question, what do you guys think are the best pads for track and AutoX? I'll do more autox events than track days but want to be fast at both (would buy two sets if I need to).

BTW Boulder Nissan has an 07 Nismo with like 800 miles that is only 32K - I'll admit I've been tempted to trade mine in on that one but that would be just stupid for me right now....

-Ross