Costs per HP gain unworthy for our Z's
 

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?

You've got to pay to play.

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...

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

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

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:tiphat:

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.

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

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

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...

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

I highly doubt that as the Mustang GT pushes 412 hp stock for 30k.

Buy a GT500 then. Seriously. Or do what I did, get a group buy price for a catback (My Berk was under $1000) and find a used CAI (My Gen3 intakes cost me $300 used).

Don't want Mustang. Buying used is probably the way to go. Thanks.

I had a Audi TT and a canned tune for it gave me 50 hp and 80 tq on a 2.0t 4 cyl. Add the downpipe and CBE and add another 20 or so hp/tq. I had over 300 tq on a fwd car.

Well I came from owning a 05 STi. Bolt ons for that car got you crazy power for dirt cheap but the stock turbo maxed out really fast. After the basics, you had to go with a bigger turbo for any substantial gains. Don't think upgrading the turbo on that car was cheap either. I priced out a modest build (~450-475 awhp) and it was going to cost around 10K.

I can put 6-7K into a supercharger for the Z and be right about there. So really it depends on your ultimate goal. If you want a nice jump in power for cheap, the Z isn't going to cut it. If you want 450-500 whp, then it's actually a decent platform to start with.

z is sexy looking ^^;;
think of it that way~~~

I dunno about that...

Mustang GT500 is $48K base with 550 HP and 510 ft-lb's torque. Also dropped over 100 lbs from the 2010 model, mostly from going all alluminum engine.

Is perhaps a Hyundai in your future (?)

And it's factory and has a warranty!

And built motor.

I mean for the price of all those parts you listed you basicly hit the amount needed for Stillen's SC.

This is nothing new. We had the same "problem" with the 350z platform. If you want significant gains you have to go F/I.

Often true on most import platforms.

The s2000 often loses HP with breather mods....

True... the Z does have a modest increase in power per performance, but the Z can be made lighter in weight. Those modest gains then become more significant.

And besides that, the Z is a freakin looker. I love the GT500 and the new Stang, but the Z has that WHOA factor.

Yep, the 'Stang is a great car now, but it will never turn heads like a 370z.

This is true, they should have changed the body of the stang to a small but noticeable degree to make it stand out as the new standard to beat, and not to look like the lesser power stangs. The current stang body style is so over done its lost its cool status.

The Z is definitely a very nice looking car. I did the basic mods I/HFC/CBE and tune. The car is definitely faster and sounds better then before but still not Corvette territory. I spent about $2,500.00 for all the mods which includes the cost of installing the parts as well. I haven't been to the track since completing the mods but it should be good for high 12s.

I thought about FI but I am just going to enjoy what I have and buy a used Corvette LS3 Z51 6M in a few years when the Z has about 100k miles on it I am at 30k right now.

Now the Corvette responds very well to mods. I was actually cross shopping the 2009 C6 Z51 and the 370z Sport/Touring some times I think I should have coughed up the extra 5-6k for the C6. It's ridiculous how much HP they put out.

C6 Corvette Bolt-Ons - LS3 Performance Package Test - Corvette Fever Magazine
C6 LS3
Stock: 371whp 365wtq
Bolt ons (I/H/E/Tune): 431whp 412wtq +60hp +46tq

If the wife gets the new job she is trying for then I will be trading in the Z for a 2011 GS LT3 corvette. It looks nice and having 400+ hp and 400+ tq on a NA is awesome. Here in El paso I will have some pretty good open areas to feel the cars potential and there is a nice hilly twisty road that goes over the mountain to get to the other side of the city that will be a nice drive for it.

Wifey gets the new job I get the new car. Gotta love it.

Honestly, the 370Z is quick enough out the door for most people. The only mods we do will be ones that are fun to do. When I'm used to making or losing 30-50 WHP depending on a tune, 20-30 WHP just isn't worth the thousands of dollars it costs to achieve. This is definitely not a car you buy to go fast in a straight line. ****, if that's all you want, buy an SRT-4 and throw some slicks on it.

Yeah with just an intake +20-25hp/tq the MS3 makes over 300ft-lbs of Torque, with mods you listed it's at like 360-380ft-lbs. Not exactly great with FWD though unless you're doing a 3rd gear roll-on.

I wish you and your wife the best of luck with the possible new job offer.

The Grand Sport is sick! I really like the wheels and the wide body look. Not to mention just a few mods brings that LS3 almost to Z06 hp. The C6 Z06 puts down about 443whp 412wtq (Z06 dyno numbers - Z06Vette.com - Corvette Z06 Forum) vs bolt on LS3 431whp 412tq pretty damn close for ALOT less money and still get the wide body looks!:tup:

But for the record I still love my Z. It's funny how quick you get use to power. I took a vacation recently and rented a Kia with a 1.6 4cyl for a week. When I got back from the trip and drove my Z again I thought did someone put a supercharger in this thing while I was gone, damn its fast. Few months go by and I am in here talking about a Corvette, never enough lol. :shakes head:

Thanks, and yea I know what you mean about never having enough power once you get use to it. Thats one of the reasons Im going to the vette, would love a GTR but I dont think I can afford that yet. Still have a kid in college and another in the pocket still too.

Once you got the Vette...you'll be wanting the GTR more...or maybe the ZR1...its a cycle of torture.

Over here people would cream their pants if they see a new mustang.

including me