Costs per HP gain unworthy for our Z's

TongMan

Is it just me or is it that we overpay for barebly any worthy gains for our Z's? I was excited to start modding my 370z, so I did some research about the parts that I was planning on purchasing. I've come to learn that for the amount of money that we spend on these parts, we barely get any worthy hp gains. For example, I'll list what I was planning on upgrading.

Intake: Stillen, Injen, or AEM Cold Air Intake
Exhuast: Stillen, F.I., HKS
Headers: HR Longtubes
Tune: UpRev Tune, Cobb AP

So, I've calculated the costs of each part and compared it with the amount of hp increase.

~$500 for a tune for ~10 hp and 8tq
~$1700 - $2500 for catback for ~10-20 hp
~$1300 for headers for ~10-20 hp
~$500 - $800 for an intake for ~5hp-10 hp

When you think about the cost vs the hp gain, it just doesn't seem worth it. Or am I the only one that feels this way?

m4a1mustang

You've got to pay to play.

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shabarivas

Well - you do realize that when you add all those together you get even less power right? Intake alone might give you 5-10 but if you get I /H / E you are def not going to see the sum - you will see a max of about 20-25 whp from breather mods + tune. FI or nothing...

Lemers

You didn't even think about SC or TT. Now you start getting in $5k to $12k.

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TongMan

I guess stock is the way to go with this car. Its still fun even without the performance mods.

wifedrivenZ

You have a valid point with what you are saying about how much it cost. But why do you want to modify your car? Are you a guy who likes to take his car to shows? Or do you want to have the speed just in case you need it? The reason I tune my car is for the sense of accomplishment. I took something that should not be the fastest car on the road and now very few cars can touch it. If you are on a very strict budget then I say a supercharger is the best mod for the money. 6-7K tops and you will have over 400HP to the wheels. That is not so bad for the money. If you take 6500 and divide it by 130HP that is only $50 per HP. That is not a bad when you think about it. Best of luck to you

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flashburn

Depends on what you are looking for. If you are solely looking for performance, then yes, the gains get exponentially smaller as you get more and more bolt-on mods.

As others will say, the best bang for the buck is either test pipes or HFC's. You also get a more aggressive exhaust note as a bonus.

Personally I want to try and get as much performance as reasonably possible without going FI, mainly because of the added stress and longevity of the engine. Plus, it's always fun getting new parts for the car to keep it "new" to me.

In actuality, if you have the money to spend and don't plan on racking up the miles, a supercharger kit is probably the best bang for the buck possible.

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zcar_dad

I think the 370 & Nismo have sufficient power for road courses. What they need are better brakes and an OIL COOLER.

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Zsteve

You should have bought a turbo car then it would come out better.

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LiquidZ

Amsoil sells Injen intakes and with my dealer pricing, I might be able to help you with the lower pricing.

And yes, I agree the bolt on route is not really cost effective on these cars. Now bolt-ons on a good ol' American V8 are a completely different story...

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Zsteve

I think he should tade in for a turbo car or a SC one, then atleast the tune will be in his price to hp gain range.

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2010 LS3 C6 Silver coupe corvette

LiquidZ

Factory FI cars will give you the best HP per dollar ratio out there.

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theDreamer

Going forced induction is a good pay out for our cars in terms of price v. performance. The only issue is it is a larger up front cost.

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TongMan

Had one. Traded in my Mazdaspeed3 for the 370z. You are correct as I received a gain of 26+whp from a cold air intake. Cobb AP gave me an additional 15 - 20 whp.

SPOHN

Even if you drop 12 to 18k into a TT setup, your still alot cheaper than any other car out there that's capable of 500whp.