Just recently I have been able to finish getting some upgrades installed on the Z. So what exactly was installed? Well, the AAM Competition Intake
Manifold, EPS Tuning Big Throttle Bodies, and Administration Tuning 3'' Intakes. The initial setup in the car and that of the previous tune composed of Z1 Ported Manifold and Injen SP Long Tube Intakes.
Before Upgrades:
Let’s start with the one item I had won in a raffle at ZDayz 2016, the 370Z AAM Competition Intake Manifold. After months of waiting for the part to be built (it had not come out of production when raffled), in addition to time I spent overseas deployed, I was able to go about getting this bad-boy wannabe installed. Some of you know about the condition it was when received, pretty much, and ugly heaving piece of cast with large cast flash leftovers not cleaned up inside. After posting a few photos of the heavy paperweight, AAM Competition reached out to me and helped out. So what did I do then? Sent the manifold to Synergy Composites in Indianapolis where Mr. Shawn Lane after hours of hard work sanding and polishing and about 20 cans of elbow grease, was able to get some luster out of the manifold and glue the carbon fiber inserts on top. Thanks Shawn for the
work and help getting this finish quickly.
As received from AAM Competition:
After polishing done by Synergy Composites:
Once the manifold was polished, it was immediately sent to EPS Tuning along with the lower manifold and gaskets, where Josh took care of cleaning
up the guts (leftover cast flash), port-matching to the throttle bodies, porting the lower manifold, and polishing the plates. I've got to say, these folks were extremely helpful throughout the whole process and very easy to communicate with (extremely fast response times, even during after-hours!). If only I had them closer to OH! Give them a call for any of your TB needs, porting or their PCV Delete Kit, I have no doubt they will take great care of you.
Overall, installation took about 4-5 hours and was accomplished with another buddy of mine and 350Z owner, Alex. Upon completion, the car
started right away. The only obvious thing... the car was struggling at idle and since it had been already tuned with EcuTek, the idle re-learn process had to be done through the software and not by following the steps in the service manual.
Next morning, I drove to Louisville KY for a dyno tune at Dynosty. Folks, the service this shop provides is second to none. While Logan provided the much needed entertainment after a 2.5 hr drive, Hal strapped the car in the dyno, pulled his magic wand and can of unicorn dust... the results, more torque - but unfortunately not much more power. He was also surprised that those upgrades did not yield more power at the wheel or at least a smoother curve. He did mentioned that LTH's would be of help to smooth down the curve and make more power. Honestly, it didn't matter much to me, the car felt completely different, much more responsive.
Dynosty - EcuTekBefore & After - 4th Gear Pull
Dynosty - EcuTek Final Tune - 5th Gear Pull
While I planned to attend ZDayz 2017 and test the cars performance, I was unable to do so due to some shitty job performed by a local body shop.
Finally, I had to add a few touches to the engine bay to make the setup look cleaner, changing the PVC hoses and fittings (thanks to Joe at ZSpeed
Performance) and hacking the EVO-R 350Z harness cover to fit on the 370Z. Now, after a few weeks of daily driving, I am wondering what other mods
could help with power gains, improve the curves. So what are your thoughts, recommendations?
Thanks to AAM Competition, Synergy Composites, EPS Tuning, Dynosty, & ZSpeed Performance.
