Car sounds wweful when starting up cold
 

Why does this car sound like crap when I start it in the morning? I thought I was being picky but when the neighbor asked if I put exhaust on it (not because it sounded good) I realized it is bad. Sounds like a crappy exhaust.

are you talking about the first few seconds when you turn on the engine? that's just the way it is I think. need to warm up

Not as responsive as my 350z
 

Hi, I have a 350z and a 370Z. I'm not partial or anything! lol Anyways, I'm still learning these cars and their terms so forgive me if I don't throw out the right words.

This one doesn't seem as responsive at the gas pedal like my 350 is but I think this is because I have headers on that one. Obviously the 370 has much more power but my 350 outdoes it on gas pedal response time.

What can I do to get that power back without putting headers on the 370? I was thinking about a Stillen cold air intake. One in particular, Stillen Long Tube I hear will add 16 hp but will it add that responsiveness?

Putting headers on this one will be a challenge without having a shop do it and I don't want to go voiding my bumper-to-bumper warranty. Trying to save that for later on down the road mods.

it does sound a little noisy when it just starts up but it goes away quickly in a few seconds does yours stay noisy ?

yes there is a big difference in throttle response on this car compared to a 350z or G35 on those two its instant .

Its a warm up cycle. I can't explain exactly what happens during the process but the car is trying to heat the catalytic converters quickly so the car produces clean emissions. When the "cats" on the car are cold they are not doing their job properly so by getting them warm as fast as possibly Nissan makes the tree huggers happy. I giggle each time cause I have no "cats" on the car and I'm like "what are you trying to warm up little Z?" LOL!!!

The lack of throttle response is probably due to the strong survival instinct built into the engine control system. There is at least one thread on this site about adjusting the throttle control for snappier response.

To fix the throttle response you either have to get a tune or one of those pedal boxes that modifies the throttle output signal. The cheapest and easiest fix to throttle lag is to just push the pedal more, just takes some time to get used to it.

As for the cold start up sound, I think it sounds great. The engine holds different rpms based on coolant temp (which can be adjusted with uprev) but it could also have something to do with vvel adjusting.

what exhaust do you have?

The reason why the throttle response is not as quick as other vehicles is the fact that our throttle is controlled by the ECM and not a wire like most vehicles.

A tune by uprev to fix the throttle maps easily fix that. It did for me. Those pedal boxes aka sprint boosters are junk IMO. Why risk using those boxes which manipulate your ECM and for those who are tune have a chance of something going wrong since you have a flash tune and another device giving your ECM two different signals and targets.

Get it all fixed with a tune. In the end, unless going with a full stand alone ECU and drive by throttle wire, adjusting the throttle maps is all you can do.

The 350Z is also throttle by wire.

You want responsive throttle response, I strongly suggest Sprint Booster. I just installed it on my 370z and the difference is night and day.

SprintBooster by BoulekosDynamic

How was the install? I have been thinking about doing this for a while.

You could be hearing a bit of an exhaust leak that seals up once it gets hot. The car will be louder for the first little while, but it shouldnt sound aweful. Infact I love the deep rumble. haha.

Install took a total of 15 minutes. Piece of cake.

The best Mod bang-for-buck. It eliminates throttle lag immediately right out of the box.

Not to mention, they have a 30 day money back guarantee. Give it a try. You can't lose.

Going to have to consider it.

Mine is the same way, its noisy as crap for about a minute, it is choked really high and sounds like the exhaust is leaking...I do think it has something to do with vvel, nothing else makes sense, once the rpms come down a bit it goes away. I have a header back exhaust(no cats).

I was thinking the same thing. Just bought a 40th Anniversary with 23k miles. And it almost sounds like an exhaust leak from where the headers meet the exhaust. I thought I was going crazy but my brother and a few friends noticed it too. Putting it up on a lift soon to check under there and find out for sure.

Why are people still wondering? Its exactly what I said it was. Many new cars do it, my mothers 2010 Forester XT does the same thing. I could be wrong but it might even mention it in the owners manual.

Warm Up and Response Time
 

Thanks for the information everyone it was very helpful. I guess I see what the purpose of the warm-up is for but I can't understand why they couldn't make it sound more appealing. I was taken back by how quite the car is in general compared to the 350s and G35s but keep in mind I bought it brand new with 12 miles on it. Now that is has been broken in it actually sounds louder but so does that awful warm-up. Yes, it goes away but it reminds me of the rattle that my stinking clutch makes.

At my 1,000 mi dealer inspection I mentioned the clutch and the guy heard it when he pulled it forward. It seems to do it in 1st gear at rolling speeds the most.....right after or while releasing the clutch. Dealer said it was normal.
I love Zs so I have a bit more tolerance but my 4,000 mi inspection is going to be painful because there are now 2 things I HATE about this car.

1) THEY COME WITH **** TIRES: Supposedly these are "performance tires," but after the first real storm I realized the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires are worthless in the rain!!! I couldn't go over 40 without feeling my life was in jeopardy while other cars were passing with ease. Looked up reviews and there are plenty of consumers with the same complaints. Also, many complain of the tread life being horrible around 16-17k mile tread life and after 60% tread they get slick. Think I'll stick with Hancooks but pissed the dealer didn't put more thought into an amazing car. Not sure if they will do anything but I am going to bring it up.

2) THE CLUTCH EMBARASSES ME WITH THE RATTLE: I refuse to drive an automatic sports car, DONT BELIEVE IN IN. Yes, this clutch is picky but they rattling makes the car sound cheap. Yes, S mode helps but I should be able to drive without it and I do just fine until the dreaded rolling in 1st mode ( parking lots, drive thrus)

1) There not all season tires. Sounds like you should have got a 4x4 truck. Then again a regret post. The Z is the ****. Who cares if they are passing you buy. Its raining anyways why do you need to be speeding for.

2) Learn how to drive your car.