i have found a set of cams on ebay for the z has anyone else tried them? if i buy them will i need to get tuned or will a reflash work? would a reflash be worth it if i have full exhaust, intake, plenium spacer?

 

you'll get the most out of them with proper tuning and they'll go good with the other mods you mentioned.

 

personally if they are "no-name brand" cams, i would not put them anywhere near my car.

 

ghost makes a great point. stick with the name brand stuff

 

The cams are great. I have read many reviews of people who have used them successfully. They are very popular with the maxima and altima guys. Typically they see around a +20whp improvement with them.

 

^^^interesting

 

good advice

 

No, it is not. You have to understand EXACTLY what you're getting. There's plenty of good, quality parts on eBay. You just have to know which ones are junk and which ones are worth picking up. That's why you need to do your homework, find out if someone is using them and what the feedback is. I've seen eBay, no name exhaust parts and intercoolers sitting side by side next to big bucks, brand name parts and you couldn't tell the difference between them. The welds were of equal quality, they both fit the same, fins were of equal density. Invidia downpipe would run you $400 and the cheap knock off that looked exactly the same could be had for $100. Are you really better off with the name brandin this case? No. You just spent more money.

All this makes you wonder how this is possible, right? Well, most companies manufacture things in some plants far, far away. The designs are sold to big name companies by some no name places that make them. Eventually, small, no name guys end up duplicating the same part or just get a cut at the manufacturing share and sell the same exact part for 3x less because the big guys ate the initial high cost. This happens in all areas of manufacturing, not just car parts. I've seen plants that manufacture hammers that get stamped with the company logo at the end and sent out to the stores. If you look at prices, some are double the money than others on the shelf, but it's the same exact part, from the same plant . The company just chooses to charge you more because you you're willing to pay. It's your money in the end but if you're smart, you can make it go much further.

All the being said, I don't know if those cams are a good fit. Post a link to them and maybe someone can tell you if they 'look' right or not or even betet, maybe someone is already using them.

 

I disagree I still it is good advise. With intercoolers looking the same doesn't mean jack as it is the internal design that matters, but you can take a shot as bad IC wont' cause much trouble other than poor performance.

But a cam, that is another story, you have to know the internal make up of the part, how it was made, what it is made of, just because it looks the same doesn't mean anything, what are you going to do if it is made of inferior material or manufacturing process and you find out when it breaks in your engine, it will cost you more than what you saved on the original purchase.

 

All good points. This is drifting off topic here but you can easily judge an IC by taking a peek inside and looking at fin density, for starters. I think I mentioned it in my original post. Also, once it is installed, you can easily judge how it is performing by your timing profile and what kind of pressure drop you're getting with it. Another way is to look at the pre/post IC temps to assess it's efficiency. It's all been done already actually. There's been thousands of people running eBay ICs with just as good, proven results as people that paid 5X more for a name brand, in various cars. But you're right, an IC has a relatively small risk factor so you tend to be braver with them.

Cams are different. I didn't imply 'looking at them' is a good way of judging a part although person that understands material properties of metals can tell you a lot just by looking at the construction of it. I've watched my father, who is an experienced mechanical engineer, look at complex parts and systems and accurately predict how things will perform/break/wear down based on type of material used, the quality of construction, interaction with other components, etc. Its actually quite amazing to see how accurate he is time and time again. It can also be annoying when you're just trying to build something and he'll tell you that you're doing it wrong . So I guess I have that benefit for free.

As I said before, buyer needs to do their homework to make sure the item is up to par. Buying cheapest cam you can find and slapping it on is silly. All I am suggesting that popular, blanket statement like 'all things eBay are junk' is not really accurate. I believe in value for the money. That means different things to different people. Some people put higher price on piece of mind and assurance from company X. Some know enough to make some determinations for themselves so that assurance is not worth as much to them. It's a mix. How many people in this thread actually bought and used eBay parts on their cars before? I've had a few and they all worked extremely well. It can be done as long as you exercise caution.

 

Wheres the link to these nameless ebay cams??

Is it these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nismo...spagenameZWDVW

or these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CAMS-...spagenameZWD1V

 

the duration kind of sucks on the second set (first set did not list it). anyone know the stock duration without looking it up?

 

Duration.. And some other specs..

VQ35HR
Compression: 10.6:1
Redline: 7500rpm
Horsepower: 306hp @ 6800rpm (reminder of new power rating methods)
Torque: 268ft-lb @ 4800rpm
Valves: 24
Bore: 95.5mm
Stroke: 81.4
Intake Camshaft Duration: 248
Intake Camshaft Lift:
Exhaust Camshaft Duration: 248
Exhaust Camshaft Lift:

VQ35DE Specs
Description /Cam # / /Adv. Dur./ /Dur @ .050/ / Lift (in)/ /Lift (mm)/
VQ35DE (Nissan 350Z) (Stock) (256°/256°) (208°/208°) (.375"/.375") (9.52/9.52)

 

the ones i am refering to are sold by delubozparts. They are copies of the JWT cams. I know for a fact that multiple are running them with great success. Hell one of the guys i know is running them in his maxima and he is running 12 sec passes NA. Go on maxima.org and you will see there are numerous people running these cams and all have given positive reviews.

I think they are grinded off of NISSAN blanks just as the JWT cams are. If that is the case then the material quality issue goes right out the window.

 

Everyone is making valid points, but the main issue here is HOW are you going to get information on Ebay parts? Most people on these forums use name brand including myself. Will I pay extra to have a guaranteed part that will work exactly the way it was promised, ABSOLUTELY. The problem with ebay is there are a lot of vendors who abuse their privelege of selling parts at reduced prices. Many people cut costs on production, a penny here, a nickel there. Before you know it, your welds crack, your exhaust sounds like a lawn mower on crack. Trust me I know from experience. Although I have also purchased GREAT parts from Ebay, most of them have been brand names. The Z isnt a honda civic, I dont mean that in a derogatory way to those who own civics, but the Z is made with better quality. And the owners who have these cars will spend more to keep it that way. I have tried doing research on Ebay parts, its damn near impossible unless its something as simple as test pipes. From experience I have learned satisfaction is only guaranteed when you do your research on parts, whether its HKS or Megan Racing. I highly recommend to anyone that buys Ebay parts, to FIRST research online about parts and different manufacturers, SECOND when you look on Ebay see if you can recognize any of the brands, THIRD make sure the feedback is great on the seller, and LAST communicate with the seller to make sure you are getting a quality part. Most good sellers will have no problems sending you pics of the welds etc, and give you info. on the part.

 

I'm sure there are reputable parts out there, but I simply don't endorse eBay EVER. That's my opinion, you don't have to accept it if you don't want to. I have used eBay in the past, but through multiple (attempted) scams that happened to me and reading hundreds of scam stories from other people, I simply DO NOT ENDORSE USING EBAY FOR ANY REASON.

 

Wow I was right when I guessed these JERKS!!!!!! I wouldn't buy a thing from these clowns. They came to the Altima forum toting these things. Someone reported them to JWT and they were being investigated for copyright infringements the last I heard. What these guys did to quite the forum down was offer 2 people free cams if they dyno'd their car before and after. Yes they did show gains but when I asked info about the cams, he pretty much knew nothing about them. Yeah he knew whatever was on the listing but that was it. Nothing on material, whether they were treated with anything etc... I know they have some "puppet" sales guys on these forums selling stuff you think are coming from someone only to find it comes from this "Knock off" artist. I got stuck with headers that came from these clowns. When I seen who they were from I wanted to return them without even opening the box. I was told I couldn't because there was nothing wrong with them, but if there was I could get a full refund. I should have opened the box and put a ding in one of them. So I re-sold them for a loss. Isn't that right Triple8sol????

You decide what you would do. I would never buy from these guys ever!!!! Think if everyone bought knock offs.......... would there be any point in developing something better only to have someone copy you and reap all your riches. I'll shut up now.

 

Easy tiger, i am just looking at it from a consumer's point of view. While i do like JWT and their products, i could really give a $hit what affects them financially. Hell its not like they send me a christmas card or anything

 

I hear you, but think of what "could" go wrong with a cam(s). I also heard that these were JWT's rejects. Hey maybe it was a blemish or how about the material have micro-cracks in them. I love the Internet full of.......... well remember the source. If a weld lets go on your exhaust..... oops. What happens if something goes wrong with that cam at 6000RPM? It's not just the cam anymore........... could get ugly. I'd really feel better about these if I knew more about them. Say something does go wrong, where are these guys going to be for you? But like I said it's up to you. Hell I have a knock off oil cap that I bought off E-bay. Hope all is ok with it. I think I'll run out to the car and check.

 

I hear ya guys. Would I buy no name cams and just put them on without knowing anything about them? No, no way. I didn't imply we should do that. Cams are risky and payoff vs. risk may not be so favorable. See, we throw some links up here, have a few guys look at them and bang! we get a lot of info on them without even talking to the seller That's how the forum should work and it did. Cool.