A&Q about 350Z
Q:
I have a brand new 2006 silverstone 350Z Touring. I love it! Difinitely the best car out there. I would like to do mods to it. What do you feel is best to do first? Has anyone had major problems with their mods?
A:
I'm a 22 yr old girl...not alot of people my age to ask....i'm depending on you guys.
A:
the first thing people usually do is get an air intake.
A:
depends on how far do you wanna go with your mod. Also, are you modifying your car for looks or performance? Or both? Consider all those first so you'll spend your money efficiently with satisfactory results. Now if you're going for looks, I would recomend going with really nice set of wheels first. It'll make your car standout instantly.
A:
You have to choose: Rice or Race.
Rice = stickers, wings, spinners, etc.
Race, from my point of view would be =
1) intake, cold air or cone
2) exhaust
3) lightened flywheel, racing pulleys
4) manifolds
5) remove cats
...
X) forced induction, super or turbo.
A:
The first thing you should do is an APS twin turbo kit (which includes dual
cold air intakes) and also the APS high flow plenum (upper portion of your
intake manifold), APS 2.5" true dual exhaust, and 2.5 " test pipes. That will
put you at 450 hp to the wheels or about 540 hp at the engine. You will
have almost as much torque as the hp figures. Reference my 04 350Z
came with 230ish hp to the wheels and 287 at the engine. This will put you
at mid to high 11 sec. qtrs. vs. high 13 to low 14 sec. qtrs stock. You will
have such a $hiteatin' grin on your face as wide as the state of Texas that
it will take you 2 weeks at work to come down to earth from. I have felt
that type of power increase with other cars and it is a trip. I will be going
to Chicago in March/April for APS parts per above and I know from other
APS TT 350Zs what it will be like.
If you are going to spend money, you should go on and get results,
dammit! Why spend $1400 on a cold air intake and exhaust and get 10
hp? Can you feel 10 hp on the street? No. Can you feel or even see 10
hp at the drag strip. No. (Temps at the track and your launches and other
factors will vary your times to the point you would need an electron
microscope to really go to the drag strip with 10 more hp and definitively
tell a difference.) Oh....but if you throw ALL the nismo n/a parts to the tune
of $6,000...well now....that is a whoolee different kettle of beans,
altogether! In that case you will get 18 more hp and you will spend the
other $6000 that it woulda cost to do it right the first time getting drunk
and trying to convince yourself that that was a good deal regarding power
for the money, ha.
If you sell your wife and children you should be able to afford all this. So I
am really doing you 2 favors here if you have this setup family-wise. This
set up, installed and dyno tuned will run you about $12,000. If you go
against my expert advice and forego the sale of your family to the highest
bidder, you can finance such a power upgrade anyway. And with this
power setup you should be able to outrun the repo man if you stay alert!
Hell it is only money, you can't carry it with you! Compared to what it cost
me to put just my oldest kid through college, this is peanuts! And can that
kid do 125 mph in a qtr. mile even with his degree?
In summation, just ask yourself...what would Tim Allen do? Well, I guess
we cleared all this up. If you can mortgage your soul for another 4 or 5
grand you can go with better rods and pistons and now you can up the
boost and get into some real hp, pardner! In that scenario, substitute the
APS 3" exhaust and 3.5 inch hi flow catalytic converters instead of the
above 2.5" & 2.5" setup. 540 hp at the engine was kinda wimpy anyhow,
truth be known! Why merely beat Vipers and Z06s when you can humiliate
them for another 5 grand?!? Like God intended! This last question is what
I'm facing. I will sell my wife to anyone on this website reasonable... I will
sell my children...fairly reasonable! But make sure you call me at work.
Please have a heart and don't leave a message regarding this on my home
phone and #$#!! up all my beautiful plans.....
Post Edited (Jan 29, 1:10am)
A:
haha more power-sell your wife and kids, thats good and im sure it would work but she said she was a girl
welcome to the forum first of all, im also 22 so your not alone
1st thing most people do is a intake, then exhaust, then if you want more a lightened flywheel and underdrive pulleys. then if you have the cash to splurge/or can get a loan-force induction=turbo/supercharger.
also like was said if you want some looks, good company body kit, wheels, upgrade the suspension and brakes
and always remember one important fact horsepower = money
93 z32 convertible=pearl white, 5 speed
jwt pop-charger, hks hypers, asp underdrive pulley
86 z31 na=super white, 5 speed
A:
Don't sugar coat it like that More Power. Tell us how you really feel... And
you left out the APS extreme performance fuel system with the more
advanced setup you finally recommended to get above that wimpy 540 hp.
Damn, man, when will you ever learn to stop bringing knives to a gunfight!?!
For all you know, that damn Viper or Z06 might ALSO be modified! Like I
always say...sometimes...you're gonna need a little insurance power hold
card, he he, if you really want those turbos to spool up tight and raise hell!
Post Edited (Jan 29, 1:08am)
A:
Heeeeeey, you are right.... She did say she is a 22 year old girl. Weeeell
then, that is different! Hmmmmnnn.... Ok, myzishot, sell any kids you have
and especially your spouse if you are married per my above recommendation
now modified to suit your gender. Any spouse you have is about as useful as
a screen door on a submarine if he hasn't already modified your Z car without
your haivng to ask!!! He's outta here and that right quick! And then if you
are also real cute, you can marry me since I will soon be without a family as I
have already outlined above in detail. The deal then is, as long as you work
hard and bring home a decent pay check with which to modify both of our
350Zs, then you can be sure I will never sell you or ANY of our future children
for car parts. I am a man of high principles..for the right price! (ha)
Post Edited (Jan 29, 1:11am)
A:
Hey Too Much HP is not enuf, I purposely left out the APS extreme
performance fuel system above just to see if you were paying attention, you
gear head. Don't make me walk all over you on my way to 10 second qtrs.!
Oh, I'm comin' fer you, pork chop!
Post Edited (Jan 29, 1:11am)
A:
Damn. Settle down boys. Finally get a female on this site and you guys are going to scare her away!
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1985 300ZX n/a
A:
I hope she knows that I am just kidding her and maya as well, he he. All in
good fun. I guess I like to kid too much - so I'll apologize if I ruffled any
feathers. I DO think it is neat having a woman 350Z enthusiast onboard!
The world needs more of 'em. And she's got you, phxZ31, to keep us turbo
boost hooligans in line. Thank God. Again, even though I kidded her a bit, I
did try to give her a lot of info to consider as well.
We used to have a woman named Joy on this website and she was way
tooooo cool. And she gave as good as she got, ha. I wonder where she
went? Haven't heard from her lately.
Anyway, welcome, myzishot, and I hope we have given you some good info
and not scared you away with the ribbing. And actually I'd have to get top
dollar value before I'd even consider selling my children for car parts. ha.
Post Edited (Jan 29, 1:21pm)
A:
Ok, well, hm, yeah. =)
A:
nice back pedaling MP :o
A:
justinhenry...You are kidding... right? Please don't tell me that you took me
seriously as I had some respect for some of you than I am seriously
reconsidering. Do you really think I would or could sell my wife and children
for car parts? Could a joke possibly be more obvious? Do you really think I
was serious about marriage to someone I don't even know and have never
seen? Some of you on here have known me for a long time. All it takes is
less than a keen sense of the obvious to understand. Cmon...."my turbo is
bigger than his" was taken for anything other than a joke.?!? Man, yeah I do
joke a little at times, but some of you need to loosen up and ...to be nice...
ratchet up your intelligence a bit.....sheesh.
Post Edited (Jan 29, 2:32pm)
A:
Justin, you don't live in Michigan do you? I might know you! You don't go by the name Joe Bob do you ?
A:
i was joking MP.. sheesh.. loosen up!
i've been to michigan and i knew a guy named joe that we called joe bob, but not in michigan.
i live in florida.
A:
Don't worry MP, I will beat his ass for you. He lives in the same state as me.
Post Edited (Jan 29, 3:17pm)
A:
LOOK, ITS JUSTIN
A:
damn, i'm purdy.
A:
Leave it to us silly bastards to get this far off topic. :)
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1985 300ZX n/a
A:
No problem justinhenry. I just wanted to make sure you knew I was joking.
And I should not have used the reference to intelligence there. I apolgize. I
was kind of reacting to something someone else had overreacted to on a
different thread that was just, I thought, a very benign and obvious joke on
my part. And the timing just so happened that I saw your post couple
minutes later. When one is not in person with people, it is not as easy
sometimes for them to tell you are just pulling their leg. I try to make that
obvious, but again I was partially reacting to something else. No hard
feelings.
Post Edited (Jan 29, 7:14pm)
A:
no worries..
A:
Don't worry. It takes a little bit more than a few jokes to scare me off. Thank you guys for all the advice. To answer your question I want to modify for performance first and then move on to looks. Unfortunately I'm not married so I don't have a husband or kids to sell off. I guess I'll just have to upgrade one at a time and pay for it the old fashioned way.
A:
OK, but do you need a man?
A:
Justin, I am going to hunt you down with my blood hounds and eat your flesh. hahaaaaaaaaaaaa.
A:
cool
_____________________________________________
'05 350Z Chrome Silver Touring
'73 240Z
A:
What kind of performance are you looking for, whats your timeframe and whats your budget? If we know that information we'd be better able to guide you down a good path.
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1985 300ZX n/a
A:
1st, start with Rims, then stereo. But, then again, why not some turbo power. Pending on what you want first, looks, or power.
simple said, I think you should get some wide tires with rims
A:
Omigod, next time I post I'll begin with, Hi I'm a chick I'm blonde, I'm 110pounds, blue eyed, big t*ts drive a Z, loaded with cash... then look at all the help I get!
thanks for the t*tis, I mean tips!
2005 350z Brillant Silver Coupe, love her to death! varoom.
A:
hahaha, good point down
A:
Even though this thread has gone way off the end, I wanted to add that when deciding on mods, you might also consider any racing that you might find an interest in with your Z. I have begun autocrossing my Z, and there are many regulations on what mods are allowed and for which classes. Obviously being a beginner, I am trying to stick to the Stock class to try to better my chances at having a fair game. If you aim to autocross your Z in the Stock class, there are only a few mods that you will want to consider.
1) Tires - Sticky, performance oriented tires are what can make you win in the Stock class. You must stay with a size that was offered from the factory for the year and model of your car. Since my Z is a 2004, I can go no larger than 225 on the front and 245 on the rear. The new 2006 Z could go for a bit wider tires. Hoosier A3s and Kumho Victoracer V700s are what I hear are the favorites of the autcrossers. Make sure the tread life is very low (around 60) to be sure that they will heat up quickly and be very sticky. Also make sure they are still DOT approved.
2) Lightened wheels - You must stick to the same size and offset of one of the manufacturer offered wheels sizes for the year and model of your Z. I can not go larger than 18x8" with about a 30mm offset (+/- 5mm). A 2006 Z could use any wheels with the new larger and wider wheel dimensions. The benefit here is that you can change out the wheels to a lighter aftermarket version. Stock wheels can weigh up around 25lbs - but you can get the same size wheels and lose about 8lbs per wheel. Losing rotational mass is a great upgrade.
3) Switch to synthetics - Synthetics can help unleash some hidden power. There are plenty of threads on this forum that discuss the different brands and benefits. Reducing friction in the drivetrain can help free up some of that power while providing even better protection in racing conditions.
4) Use a higher flowing drop-in air filter - To remain in the Stock class, you can not use a cone filter or cold-air intake. You must use a drop-in filter that is the same size as the stock air filter. K&N is of course very popular.
5) Replace front sway bar - I haven't researched this yet, but I hear that you can replace the front sway bar and remain in the Stock class. As phxZ31 has mentioned above, the Hotchkis sways could work well for ya.
6) Lose weight - If performance is your biggest desire, make sure that you do not add unnecessary weight to the Z, and if possible decrease some of the weight. Do not add two subs and a couple of amps, and the housing that would be required to add all of that. If you desire a better sound system, but want to keep performance at the top, try simply upgrading your stock speakers and head unit with high-grade aftermarket parts. It won't wake the neighbors, but you should still have optimal stereo quality within reach. Don't add a bodykit too, since this does nothing for performance and actually will hurt performance due to the added weight.
That's about it. There's probably a few other mods that are legal. I'll let someone else chime in with that list. But these are the basics to modding a Z and remaining in the Stock class at Solo autocrossing.
'04 Daytona Blue 350Z Enthusiast - B-Stock #34
Tanabe Sustec 36mm chromoly front sway bar
K&N drop in air filter
Hawk HPS brake pads
Pioneer Premier CD/MP3 head unit
18% tint rear and sides
Post Edited (Jan 30, 11:30am)
A:
I forgot to mention, that when I recommended tires with a tread life of around 60, I meant for the track only. Tires with a tread life of 60 or less usually are not meant for highway and street use. I snagged an extra set of stock wheels on ebay for a low price, and I'll be putting my autocross tires on them. You would not want to go below 140 tread life for regular street use. Plus, autocross tires usually only have two or three tread grooves, and the rest is similar to slicks. That's just not practical for regular street use.
So if you want to autocross and not have to switch out wheels, go for a performance street tire with a tread life between 140 and 200, with an agressive tread that puts a lot of rubber down while still handling water channelling.
Sorry, I just wanted to be thorough.
'04 Daytona Blue 350Z Enthusiast - B-Stock #34
Tanabe Sustec 36mm chromoly front sway bar
K&N drop in air filter
Hawk HPS brake pads
Pioneer Premier CD/MP3 head unit
18% tint rear and sides