Nissan 370Z Forum - Picking up the Stage 2 Vert from GTM!

Ok, where to start. I went to GTM last Wednesday to get the Z. Sam has a lot going on there. Z's are everywhere. He is also working on the Infiniti line. My car was still being worked on when we got there, but to Sam's credit, I had a leak in one of the intake tubes, so they were replacing the tube. It was a SMALL leak which I'm not sure I would have noticed, but it made me feel good about my car being there and that Sam does NOT cut corners.

The car is lowered 3/4" on KW V3's and has Hotchkis sway bars. Sam said that on a handling scale of 1-10, it is an 11. I have to agree! It handles like it is on rails.

The headlights from MRWorks look amazing except for the fact that they are condensing again. I called them, but the company folded. I will never do a headlight mod again. Too much of a pain in the azz.

Sam installed the water/meth system in such a way that you would never know it had it. I will let him go into detail if he wants, but there was not enough room in the bay, so the original plan was to cut in my trunk and put a water tank there. Sam takes great care and pride in his work and didn't feel comfortable butchering the car that way, so he came up with an ingenious idea so it all looks stock. It works VERY well. I drove it all the way home and didn't have to fill it again until I got home, and even then, it wasn't that low.

Did not go the route of the GTM exhaust because he still had to fabricate the exhaust and we were running out of time. He gave me several choices on brands and after talking to Andrew and a few others, I went with Invidia. I have not been disappointed at all. It is throaty with absolute no drone or rasp. It is a deeper sound and I like that a lot. The tips look amazing on a black car.

I took it for a test drive in flip flops none the less and I felt like a damn noob. Since I went with a new twin plate clutch, it had a much different feel to it. The release on the clutch was a lot higher on the pedal position than stock, so it took some time to get used to. The clutch had a little chatter to it, but nothing bad, and Sam said that was normal due to the twin plate. I'm not a clutch pro, so I thought he would know more than me. I have a guy here who builds racing cars and I will just ask him for his opinion.... it wouldn't hurt. When you start it up, it has a slight, and I mean slight, whine to the SC. You have to listen for it.

You take off from a stop, accelerate, shift and then PSHHHHHHHH!!! Wow!! It was amazing. The car is so smooth on power. From the initial take off to the shifting point, the car does NOT hesitate at all. There is continuous power all the way through the RPM band. I have been in TT'd cars where there is a lull down low. Not in this thing. I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying this car.

The fit and finish of the car is top notch and I give GTM all the credit in the world. I know I was hard on Sam at times because of the frustration at the time it was taking, but in the end it was worth the wait. They are true professionals and the end result is reflected in that professionalism. These are my opinions and I am not being compensated at all by GTM. I am just a customer who is extremely happy with my car and I am happy with the results that were produced by Sam and his crew. I would definitely go back to GTM for my performance needs and I would recommend them to anyone considering a SC or TT kit for their Z.

That being said, the trip took me from Sams shop in Rancho, through Vegas, up to Utah and then hwy 70 through Denver to St. Louis. The car performed well even in 118 degree temps in the high desert. I had oil temps that did reach 240-255 at times, but never got any higher than that. Water temps were normal even in some spirited acceleration. I never once received a check engine light once the trip started. I did get one on the test drive, but Sam identified the problem and it was corrected. After that, the trip was FLAWLESS. I have the car home and have had it out everyday. There are no odd rattles, smells or hiccups. I drove 1815 problem free miles to get here and have not stopped smiling.

If you have any questions that you have, I will answer them the best that I can. I am working on getting a hold of a video camera and will post the vids as soon as I can. Here are some pics of the car and from the trip. I used only thumbnails because it is a pain to embed all of these pics. Enjoy.

Wayne