at a bolt-on crossroads...
 

So here i am, wanting more power. I already have intakes, test pipes, a cat back, and a tune. I want more bolt on power, But it seems as if i have nowhere to go from here. Originally i was looking into long tube headers, but it seems like people have only slightly gained some mid range and even lost peak power with these. Same story with stillen shorties. Same story with the motordyne intake mani...

My question is, without going fi or full na build, is there any way to squeeze any more ponies outta this vq. I'm completely at a loss on which way to take this car right now. I mean are we really stuck at the basic exhaust, intake, tune with this car?

I'm getting kinda frustrated tbh. any advice is appreciated!

Cams maybe?
And 4.08 gears?.

Momentum headers(350z) with vvel tuning!

yes, from Z1. I gained 30 rwhp.

What mods did u have before?

Also, is z1 thevonly place that can do vvel tuning? Only reason i ask, is i'm nowhere close to them

New test pipes are required for these correct?

Edub, PPE headers start at $750 and they make damn good power. They are shorter for a long tube, but that's because its tuned for the motor. shorter primaries = better top end. They are stepped as well so there is no low or mid range drop off. Regarding the M370 intake manifold, just try it... Power up top is negligible (2whp diff for me). Mid range bump was noticeable. And it sounds great. If you don't like it, ill buy it from you, I want it back after selling it.

Edit: Just checked again, starts at $900... Looking at what you have again, depending on your opinion on the matter, pulleys give a good boost as well. Combine that with a lighter flywheel, you should feel the difference.

So to summarize, LTH's, manifold, pulley's and flywheel (might as well do clutch as well), and a slight retune, I would imagine at least another 20whp on the top end and maybe 10-15 lbft tq in the meat of the power band.

I'm in the same situation and I just bought 4.08 gears after reading reviews. The 4.08's are suppose to really wake up the Z in acceleration. Do some research on them and I'm sure you will want them if you don't do too much highway driving that is.

Why do you say if he doesn't do much highway driving? Because of the mpg decrease?

I think a lot of NA guys hit this wall. Look below for my semi off topic rant

I can't enjoy my car currently, but I was getting the power itch as well. I don't run around and race everything with wheels so I have no measuring tool. My 1/4 traps aren't very indicative of my mods either. (was about 100mph in Las Vegas; 2200ft elevation, 85F at night). Thinking about ordering a resonator to check the difference with my existing HFC, ordering new spark plugs (bad O2 and car running super rich), putting the Motordyne manifold back on and telling my Wife to dyno it :P The way I see it, it won't make less than the 304whp / 243lbft tq (AUG)I put down last time... I think my problem is, for what I have done, my numbers seem too low coming from a dynojet without something being wrong. If you want to argue the baseline, It was 270whp (FEB) at it's highest. And best dyno on the same machine was 316 (MAR). 12whp / 5lbft tq diff doesn't seem like a lot, but I think it's considerable when factoring tuning. I'm gonna tell my Wife to Dyno it again for me haha. I want moar!

Start stripping weight off the car. A 2900-3000lbs, 300+whp Z would be fast!

so far i'm kinda liking the momentum header idea. is z1 the only place to do vvel tuning so far?

as for the motordyne mani, im not to unterested in losing 5 peak, to pick up 5 midrange. seems like 6 one way, half dozen another. which im not that into spending hundreds on a mod that doesn't net much in the term of hp gains throughout

I'm not here to throw off your thread or present any argument, but I've tested the manifold extensively. You don't lose power unless you call margin of error a loss. Attached is my tuned numbers of the stock vs M370. Just because it doesn't give a pretty number to put on our sig doesn't make it a bad mod. I'm just tying to help you out in by debunking this myth. Mods are in my sig to show what I'm running. Whatever you plan to do, at least your being presented with facts and not hearsay.

thats not a bad looking graph.

on the manifold topic....

has anyone tested out the kinteix manifold available for these things. i've heard kinda "meh" reviews about the performance of them. but, my god, are they a beautiful piece

Pulleys, ha!

got some good ideas going here. i guess im kinda still dissapointed in lack of aftermarket progress on the motors. companies come on here and say "what do u want us to build" and 9 times ot of 10 they come back with a new exhaust. which we don't need (unless its something innovative).

i wouldnt mind seeing a company take some chances

i.e: new manifolds, individual throttle bodies, active exhaust, larger tb's, polishing throttle bodies (no i'm not paying mines $3700 to do 3 hours worth of machining), roots style blowers, ANOTHER TUNING SOLUTION, different cam options, more companies offering head work, etc, etc...

i just feel like the aftermarket has been somewhat asleep at the wheel on the performance for the vq37

I just ordered the Momentum 350z headers and TP's from Z1 yesterday. Can't wait to get them on and tuned. Good thing the headers reduce weight also. A good bit (16lbs). But yes weight savings is a big win.

Or shoot nitrous at it from time to time.

spohn, i'm waiting to see the before and after dyno with those headers onyour car before i make any decisions on the headers. are u doing the vvel tune as well?

Might I also suggest the Mustang 5.0

Many of those items you listed you can have done at a good shop, if they can do it for X engine they can do it for the VQ37, just have to work with them on what you want. Like, larger TB, polishing TB, cams, etc. ITB and roots blower can be done by good shops as one offs but will be more expensive.
Tuning, I think Uprev is doing a great job, we now have VVEL starting to come out with early testing and seeing good results. Tuning is something you do not want to rush, and with the limit size of the Z ownership things will be a little slower compared to other cars.

Not sure of all the tuning that has to take place or how much the VVEL can be played with. But what ever it takes I'm game. There has to be something done with the valves to help such as overlap. But that's the secrets of the tuners.

Completely agree, because when it gets hard, it's easier to go boost. I think there is easy hp sitting on the table that requires some engineering investment. There are only one set of cams available, and most parts available with engineering behind them came from Japan that mere mortals can't afford or makes no sense to dump that much money into it. Maybe if we had GTR money, but then we'd have a GTR.

The only thing superior about a Mustang is the 5.0's power (and the diff). You forgot about the brakes (pads and fluid kills any argument), handling, Forged rims, lighter weight, better dynamics (axis of rotation is actually the middle of the car). The 5.0 card is played out. We would have bought one if we wanted it.

I'll geting PPE headers installed soon -- dynos to come, but I expect them to make lots of power.

A good setof LTH's is the way to go -- stay tuned for clear before and after data on PPE.

5.0 has better brakes and is only 300lbs heavier. Sway bars can fix weight distribution.

Not going down this rabbit hole, but no and no.

Jordo, Looking forward to your results. I gained 30whp with the headers and my exhaust setup, another member gained 35whp on a stock motor and tuning.

The best bet cost per performance wise is going to be those gears, all the bolt on's you listed OP will feel like nothing compared to a set of 4.08's. You will be kicking yourself in the rear for not having done it first. You will lose some MPG but the acceleration difference is huge. You won't gain any more power, but you will accelerate much faster, that will tide you over till the gains for cams or anything else will become available to public knowledge.

anyone documented the 0-60 or 1/4 mile change on stock gears vs. 4.08's?

I so regret not doing the 4.08 when I did my LSD.

I've been down this road before. If you got the itch really bad, maybe you should consider selling the Z and starting over with a different car that has more power potential.

Yes you can squeeze a few more ponies without going FI, but if you're not going to go down that road and you really want more power, the Z platform is not going to get you there.

Think about what you really want to accomplish. If you don't want to change to another platform, your only other realistic option for a lot more power is to go FI.

Best wishes with whatever you choose! :tup:

DANG. reality is a bitch.....:roflpuke2:

i got to drive a c63 the other day that got me jonesin' for some more power

Sell your car...

...then buy mine. :stirthepot:

FIXED. It'll be the best bolt-on upgrade, ever! Haha.

Don't drive a Viper.

whats that? straight trade for your car? ok deal!

:driving:

the 4.08 gears will also get rid of S-mode, but im sure alot of yall dont care.

I'm in the same boat as the OP, already have Art Pipes, F.I cbe, G3's, pulleys, Uprev tune and still looking for more power while staying NA...

Looking very much foward to your results, I've been in the fence of getting these headers to replace my art pipes, and stilll not sure if they are worth the cost for the gains expected.

How does it work with momentum headers??? are these direct bolt on?

An about gears, has anyone done this on the 7AT?

Yes they are a direct bolt on. just have to buy 350z test pipes to work. I already feel and have seen these are better than LTH. But only take it for what it's worth.

Put her on the bottle. A 370z with full bolt ons and a 125 shot will be moving pretty damn fast. Nitrous kits and nice install only runs about $1,000 so its cheaper than a gear install and a nice cbe. If i were in your position and wanted a lot of power without spending the $15k+ for FI, i would opt for a solid nitrous kit, full bolt ons, gears, lsd, tires, and a tune.

Yea, he will be at higher rpms when cruising at highway speeds. Personally, I don't mind it because I don't really care about MPG.

I'm currently in the process of having it done on my car right now. I have a 7AT and SpecialtyZ will be installing them on December 6th. I will make a new thread with video comparison of the RPMs at different speeds with stock and 4.08s. For the 7AT, you will lose cruise control and you need the differential housing from a 6MT for the gear swap.

is it a major difference in MPG?
and would a 6spd manual loose cruise as well?

I would say like a 2-3 mpg difference from what I have read. 6MT will not lose cruise control but I heard that SRM will turn off after exceeding around 120MPH, but after turning the car off and back on, the SRM works again. This is just information I have read from doing research on the gears.