Nissan 370Z Forum

Nissan 370Z Forum (http://www.the370z.com/)
-   Forced Induction (http://www.the370z.com/forced-induction/)
-   -   Forced induction insight and advice needed (http://www.the370z.com/forced-induction/134975-forced-induction-insight-advice-needed.html)

jchammond 10-18-2020 03:07 AM

Vex, check with your tuner & ensure that the ecm on the 2020 model will be tunable with any of these kits first :tup:
At one time there were storage issues on the newer models :ugh2:

takemorepills 10-18-2020 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tchertel (Post 3966005)
If the car is a good, reliable car and you want to continue to use it as a daily driver then I would recommend not touching it. Installing Stillen's supercharger kit was the biggest mistake I made with my Z. The kit went on at 21k miles I have only had about 7 months trouble free, beyond that modifying this car turned it into the biggest piece of s**t! If you want something reliable that you don't have the mess with every freaking weekend trying to fix issues then don't touch it. If you want a turbo'd or supercharged car I would recommend buying one that has a turbo or SC from the factory. Right now, I am wasting money on insurance for this car because it is in garage with the hood up more than it is on the road.

If you go FI all I can say is good luck and have a backup vehicle to drive. Luckily I have my '98 Ram 1500 that is a thousand times for reliable than this POS Nissan with no thanks to Stillen.

I modified my Nissan Titan with SUPPOSEDLY good parts. I have had nothing but problems, and regret the thousands I spent on it. After the problems appeared, more thorough research turned up that for a few people, they also encountered the exact same issues and after spending tremendous effort and money to solve the problems, they all just cut their losses and sold their trucks. I'm going to need to reinstall expensive OEM parts back on to my truck to get her running right again.
This experience is what keeps me from modifying my Q60, I really don't like how torqueless the VQ is, but I am loving the reliability of the Q60.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchammond (Post 3966062)
Vex, check with your tuner & ensure that the ecm on the 2020 model will be tunable with any of these kits first :tup:
At one time there were storage issues on the newer models :ugh2:

Did Vex say he was going to modify a 2020? If he did I would strongly advise him to wait for the new 300Z TT. It will have the VR motor in it. If Vex buys a new 370Z and then drops $18K on it...he'll be way over the buy-in for a new VR powered Z.

Heck, I watched a YouTube channel that had a story about 3 great "sports cars" for under $10K. One of them was a 2009 370Z. They paid $10K for it and it was in excellent condition. I tried to find a 370Z in my area (WA State) for near that price, and the lowest I could find was $15K. I had an idea that at $10K plus the $18K for boost would make for a decent turbo Z project, but if I can't get one under $15K then I need to drop at least another $18K that would be up to $33K for a car over a decade old. Some of the older 370Zs may need extra money to repair issues like rear diff bushing, steering column lock, wear and tear, etc.
Or I could wait until the new VR powered Z drops and just buy a factory turbo car for little more. The new VR powered Q60's are getting sorted, there's people running low 10's and high 9's....that's with 7AT and weighing 650 pounds more than a Z.

TopgunZ 10-18-2020 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by takemorepills (Post 3966095)
I modified my Nissan Titan with SUPPOSEDLY good parts. I have had nothing but problems, and regret the thousands I spent on it. After the problems appeared, more thorough research turned up that for a few people, they also encountered the exact same issues and after spending tremendous effort and money to solve the problems, they all just cut their losses and sold their trucks. I'm going to need to reinstall expensive OEM parts back on to my truck to get her running right again.
This experience is what keeps me from modifying my Q60, I really don't like how torqueless the VQ is, but I am loving the reliability of the Q60.



Did Vex say he was going to modify a 2020? If he did I would strongly advise him to wait for the new 300Z TT. It will have the VR motor in it. If Vex buys a new 370Z and then drops $18K on it...he'll be way over the buy-in for a new VR powered Z.

Heck, I watched a YouTube channel that had a story about 3 great "sports cars" for under $10K. One of them was a 2009 370Z. They paid $10K for it and it was in excellent condition. I tried to find a 370Z in my area (WA State) for near that price, and the lowest I could find was $15K. I had an idea that at $10K plus the $18K for boost would make for a decent turbo Z project, but if I can't get one under $15K then I need to drop at least another $18K that would be up to $33K for a car over a decade old. Some of the older 370Zs may need extra money to repair issues like rear diff bushing, steering column lock, wear and tear, etc.
Or I could wait until the new VR powered Z drops and just buy a factory turbo car for little more. The new VR powered Q60's are getting sorted, there's people running low 10's and high 9's....that's with 7AT and weighing 650 pounds more than a Z.

I custom fabbed my own turbo for my 2013 ford raptor making 680hp and it has 25k boosted on it without a single hiccup. 🤷

takemorepills 10-18-2020 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopgunZ (Post 3966139)
I custom fabbed my own turbo for my 2013 ford raptor making 680hp and it has 25k boosted on it without a single hiccup. 🤷

I realize many people have good outcomes with their vehicles when they are modded. It is all dependent on:
quality of parts
knowledge of people doing install
knowledge of tuner
access to appropriate tools (doesn't need to be the best/fanciest tools)
access to fabrication in many cases
time
money

I'm pretty sure you have access to the majority of that, and you definitely know what you are doing.

When I did the LT headers, full exhaust and UpRev tune on my Titan, almost all of the feedback I saw on that was positive. Unfortunately, when I ran in to issues, I found out those were well documented also, however I didn't come across those topics until I searched the specific issues I am having. Such as when I received my parts, I could tell they were poorly fabricated (everyone said "it'll be fine, they all kinda look like that") then the engine codes that indicate exhaust leaks. The incredible hassle of working on a Nissan Titan compared to any of the Big 3 trucks (nearly impossible to do headers on the 4x4 without losing your sanity) and lastly the incredible noise that took 2 UQ resonators to tame (still too loud). Then the tuning...eh, how can the tuner not realize that the left bank of my engine has a persistent exhaust leak (from the crappy headers I bought)?? They kept tuning despite obvious AF imbalances. This has been a bad experience for me. When calculating the cost of having a turbo 370Z, it gets so close to the cost of a new, already FI car (next Z) for the average Joe, that it may be worth considering getting the car that is already boosted AND brand new.

My previous car, a 2016 GTI, all I needed to do was slap on a JB4. Which happens to be available for the VR. I am sold on that approach now.

Also, right now, the market is in turmoil. Parts are hard to get in some cases, I personally have had problems with metal fabricators in my area due to them being fearful of the 'rona, and used car prices are ridiculous.

If I truly could get a first or second year 370Z for under $10K I would DEFINITELY have another go at modifying. For those who already have their Z, that's totally different than considering obtaining a new 370Z then adding boost, when a turbo Z is on the horizon.

2011 Nismo#91 10-19-2020 07:47 AM

IMO.
All those kits are good, but I think with a 600WHP goal the FI kit would be easiest to reach that number, a single turbo or SC wouldn't be as simple unless your going E85. Also your budget looks fine for everything outside the motor, with 600WHP and the associated amount of TQ you may want to consider work on the internals?

Vex 10-19-2020 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tchertel (Post 3966005)
If the car is a good, reliable car and you want to continue to use it as a daily driver then I would recommend not touching it. Installing Stillen's supercharger kit was the biggest mistake I made with my Z. The kit went on at 21k miles I have only had about 7 months trouble free, beyond that modifying this car turned it into the biggest piece of s**t! If you want something reliable that you don't have the mess with every freaking weekend trying to fix issues then don't touch it. If you want a turbo'd or supercharged car I would recommend buying one that has a turbo or SC from the factory. Right now, I am wasting money on insurance for this car because it is in garage with the hood up more than it is on the road.

If you go FI all I can say is good luck and have a backup vehicle to drive. Luckily I have my '98 Ram 1500 that is a thousand times for reliable than this POS Nissan with no thanks to Stillen.

I appreciate the advice Tchertel, I understand where you are coming from and before I bought the Z I considered a number of more expensive cars that where fast from the factory as well. I've done the whole buy a fast car and don't touch it thing before and the feeling of building the car myself versus buying something already fast is just a better feeling for me. I do have my truck which has reliably gotten me around for multiple years so if I do have to put some work into the Z, its not my only vehicle. I don't mind spending time in the garage, in fact its almost like therapy to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchammond (Post 3966062)
Vex, check with your tuner & ensure that the ecm on the 2020 model will be tunable with any of these kits first :tup:
At one time there were storage issues on the newer models :ugh2:



I did talk with my tuner and everything seems to check out well on the tuning side. The plan is to run ecutek tuning wise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by takemorepills (Post 3966095)
I modified my Nissan Titan with SUPPOSEDLY good parts. I have had nothing but problems, and regret the thousands I spent on it. After the problems appeared, more thorough research turned up that for a few people, they also encountered the exact same issues and after spending tremendous effort and money to solve the problems, they all just cut their losses and sold their trucks. I'm going to need to reinstall expensive OEM parts back on to my truck to get her running right again.
This experience is what keeps me from modifying my Q60, I really don't like how torqueless the VQ is, but I am loving the reliability of the Q60.



Did Vex say he was going to modify a 2020? If he did I would strongly advise him to wait for the new 300Z TT. It will have the VR motor in it. If Vex buys a new 370Z and then drops $18K on it...he'll be way over the buy-in for a new VR powered Z.

Heck, I watched a YouTube channel that had a story about 3 great "sports cars" for under $10K. One of them was a 2009 370Z. They paid $10K for it and it was in excellent condition. I tried to find a 370Z in my area (WA State) for near that price, and the lowest I could find was $15K. I had an idea that at $10K plus the $18K for boost would make for a decent turbo Z project, but if I can't get one under $15K then I need to drop at least another $18K that would be up to $33K for a car over a decade old. Some of the older 370Zs may need extra money to repair issues like rear diff bushing, steering column lock, wear and tear, etc.
Or I could wait until the new VR powered Z drops and just buy a factory turbo car for little more. The new VR powered Q60's are getting sorted, there's people running low 10's and high 9's....that's with 7AT and weighing 650 pounds more than a Z.



That is correct, I am modifying a 2020 370Z Sport. The new Z does look promising and who knows maybe in another few years I'll pick one up. However I do believe in waiting past the first year to avoid any potential first year issues. That makes it 2 to 3 years down the line before I would even consider getting one (Depending on how it looks on final release). I did consider a used one for cheaper but I never plan to get rid of this Z and for a car that I plan to keep for as long as I am around a new one just made sense.



Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011 Nismo#91 (Post 3966231)
IMO.
All those kits are good, but I think with a 600WHP goal the FI kit would be easiest to reach that number, a single turbo or SC wouldn't be as simple unless your going E85. Also your budget looks fine for everything outside the motor, with 600WHP and the associated amount of TQ you may want to consider work on the internals?

Thanks for the input! The plan is without a doubt to go E85. I live within 15 minutes of multiple E85 stations. I did decide that I will put aside a spare block to either serve as a stock replacement block if anything should go wrong or if everything goes well then a spare block to be built on the side.

Vex 10-19-2020 12:50 PM

I appreciate everyone whos been chiming in, It's good to hear from everyone. This is including those who have had great success and those who, unfortunately, have had poor experiences. All the advice and insight has been helpful in some way, shape, or form.

Boosted Performance 10-19-2020 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011 Nismo#91 (Post 3966231)
IMO.
All those kits are good, but I think with a 600WHP goal the FI kit would be easiest to reach that number, a single turbo or SC wouldn't be as simple unless your going E85. Also your budget looks fine for everything outside the motor, with 600WHP and the associated amount of TQ you may want to consider work on the internals?

F.I is a fine kit, no doubt about it. But just about any turbo kit on the market will hit 600whp on pump fuel without much effort. Our kits out of the box are good for at least that, and customers have made almost 900whp with fuel system upgrades on DE engines.

tchertel 10-19-2020 10:33 PM

Yep, buying from Stillen was a mistake but since I live here in Komifornia I did not have much of a choice as I need that freaking sticker. However, that sticker does me no good right now as I cannot keep the check engine lights away long enough for the I/M Monitors to become ready. Not sure what I will do when May rolls around and is time for the Z's first smog check. Stillen completely mis-represents their kits so anyone who does not need to worry about smog inspections don't go with the Stillen kit.

I am currently working with a tuner to see what we can find and clean up the cold idle to not pop anymore P0300s.

TopgunZ 10-20-2020 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tchertel (Post 3966462)
Yep, buying from Stillen was a mistake but since I live here in Komifornia I did not have much of a choice as I need that freaking sticker. However, that sticker does me no good right now as I cannot keep the check engine lights away long enough for the I/M Monitors to become ready. Not sure what I will do when May rolls around and is time for the Z's first smog check. Stillen completely mis-represents their kits so anyone who does not need to worry about smog inspections don't go with the Stillen kit.

I am currently working with a tuner to see what we can find and clean up the cold idle to not pop anymore P0300s.

Not sure who your tuner is but I would look up either Sebastian from Spec Z or Eugene from Infinity Auto Care. Both of those guys should be able to get your car tuned properly to pass smog.

Spooler 10-21-2020 09:40 AM

What not to do. Read the whole train wreck.

http://www.the370z.com/forced-induct...harger-46.html

solidus 11-20-2020 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spooler (Post 3966747)
What not to do. Read the whole train wreck.

http://www.the370z.com/forced-induct...harger-46.html

:rofl2::rofl2:

OMGWTFBBQ 11-26-2020 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tchertel (Post 3966462)
Yep, buying from Stillen was a mistake but since I live here in Komifornia I did not have much of a choice as I need that freaking sticker. However, that sticker does me no good right now as I cannot keep the check engine lights away long enough for the I/M Monitors to become ready. Not sure what I will do when May rolls around and is time for the Z's first smog check. Stillen completely mis-represents their kits so anyone who does not need to worry about smog inspections don't go with the Stillen kit.

I am currently working with a tuner to see what we can find and clean up the cold idle to not pop anymore P0300s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopgunZ (Post 3966498)
Not sure who your tuner is but I would look up either Sebastian from Spec Z or Eugene from Infinity Auto Care. Both of those guys should be able to get your car tuned properly to pass smog.

+9000000000000

To tchertel, send your car to Seb at Specialty Z. He will get you squared away.

Take it from me who's been through hell and back. Mickey Mouse Racing hack job install + sh!t tune = my Z sat abandoned on the street for three years untouched because I didn't want to deal with the headaches. I finally sucked it up and towed my Z 90 miles one way to Seb. After tuning my custom supercharger setup, I've been dailying it for the past year and a half at ~400hp/380ftlb with absolutely no issues. I'm going twins soon so that'll be fun.

To the OP, go with the Fast Intentions kit. But the most important part is finding a solid tuner. This is make or break.

ForceFed 11-28-2020 02:53 PM

Last November I went with Fast Intention's Stage 1 kit, with their 3" down pipes, exhaust, high flow cats, E85 flex fuel kit and return fuel system. Made 630 whp and 500 tq. Been a year now, absolutely no issues. The car still feels solid and reliable as if it were stock, should've come this way from the factory. Good luck with your build :-)


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:41 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2