i agree with josh with the water issue... as added note, if you decide to install the scoops you can also place it somewhat indirectly from the intake filters to have more confidence that it would not get water damage or get extremely soaked... :twocents:

however, after rethinking about the location of the filter in relation to the front fascia/bumper and chassis/foam, imo it will actually suck air from underneath the car or the air coming off the asphalt that is bouncing off the radiator... i cant find anywhere other paths the cold air can come in at...as such, i am thinking that if it is hot outside/at the track, this CAI will actually not be sucking cold air in... which kind of goes against what josh is saying and gives more reason to get the scoops...

my problem with this is that i dont like the scoops... so i think if stillen is in development of a front fascia body kit for the z... i think they should put in consideration to establishing better in flow coming from the top of the car/bumper... with that, i believe the 15-20hp gains will be easier to foresee... ( OORRRR ... just take out the foam that is blocking the air... but am no mechanic/engineer, which means i am not quite sure what the impact would be to the car)...

... all this thoughts will probably be answered after SEMTEX's dyno results... -Semtex, just in case my thoughts hold water... i think you should bring your shotgun and use it to put holes on your bumper and re-dyno the car... :tup:

I respectfully disagree as there are two radiator fans pulling-in and evacuating hot air out of the area where the filters reside. If you use your theory then the factory layout is even worse.

I believe that styrofoam block is actually part of the crash structure. Like it's there to absorb energy in the event of a collision, so taking it out probably isn't a good idea. As for the shotgun, I'll give it some serious consideration. :bowrofl:

Big Thank You! RCZ
 

Nice Posting and information/pictures for the intakes.

I'm sold. Good stuff :tup:

Hmm have a couple questions.

1) After install would be recommended to reset the ECU?

2) Is a tune necessary or beneficial after this mod i.e. will you see even more gains after a tune?

Although I dont know how to reset the ECU right now, I know anytime you much with the intake, it was good to reset LS1's ECU - this Im sure is no different.

Tune will almost always be beneficial. Necessary, no.

I think for the ECU reset on the 370z and Same for G37 there is a Pedal code which is a little harder and you can just disconnect the Negative battery cable overnight. But you lose radio presets.

The pedal code has been in Nissans and Infiniti's I believe since the 98 Maxima. This is what i found through research. But G37 drivers can confirm!

You are correct, and there is also a second reason:

http://www.the370z.com/members/socal...test-dummy.png

Please do not remove your impact styrofoam, at the request of crash test dummies around the world.

I disconnected my battery after the exhaust install, and did the same thing after the intake install. I just jot down all my settings on a sheet of paper so that I can easily program everything back to the way I want it. Interestingly enough, you lose all your radio presets, but not any of the XM presets. Other stuff that has to be set back includes audio settings, shift light rpm, oh and this is an important one -- when you hook the battery back up, SRM is off.

Correct me if I'm wrong! One fan is for the radiator, the other is for the A/C.
I believe the A/C fan only comes on when you run the A/C.

Thanks.

Do not know...I'll have to see after a drive.

I'll post again when I get home, but fyi the easiest way to reset an ecu on any car is to disconnect the battery and pump the brakes. that's it, there is no magic. that discharges the system and then just reconnect battery and ur done. I've done it many times on many cars.

Resetting the ECU is totally unneeded for installing intakes or exhaust, drive the car for 20 miles with the new modifications installed and the ECU will adapt to it if it requires adaptations at all.

There may be a half hp difference...this is one of those things that makes no difference...

I agreed because its possible... I didn't think it would be this easy though.

Sorry, but things like these don;t make much of a difference. This is air we are talking about, not water. There's plenty of air and plenty of cold air flowing through there when the car is actually moving. If you want to talk about the details, you gotta take that into account too. The dyno is sitting still, granted there is a fan, but its never going to mimic the air flow it gets when you are actually moving. If anything it would have LESS heat soak and perform better on the street.

Yeah there's definitely a sound difference. I can hear them even at low RPMS actually.

Completely stock exhaust.

Again, minor point that doesn't deserve any more discussion. Guys the ONLY time water will cause problems with intakes is if you are revving it when the intakes are under water. Otherwise stop worrying about the water.

There's a few factors that lead to this. First of all, the corrugated section is gone. Second the bends on the intake are smoother and therefore better flow. Third the intakes themselves have a lot of surface area, more so than open stock intakes. 4th the diameter of the piping may have changed a little, tricking the MAF into thinking the AFR is richer than it actually is. Usually when you tune for these things in cars that need bigger intakes you do something called scaling, where you adjust for the bigger piping. Without tuning, the intake may be helping the car run slightly leaner (NOT DANGEROUS, don't jump to conclusions already, this isnt going to blow up your motor) which would be idea for making some safe hp. 5th, the placement allows it to draw colder air. 6th STILLEN designed this intake to work, that means lots of R&D on the design to make it flow and perform as well as possible with the motor.

There are only so many places you can put these. After looking at the other possible options, it is clear that STILLEN put these in the best possible place.
Remember we also have to install an oil cooler in there and there isnt much room anywhere else. We were pretty impressed with fitment actually, the intakes fit perfectly in that spot and dont need any type of supports. If I had to design the intakes again, I wouldn't change a thing. I may add some gold or plain reflexive foil or a thermo-tec sleeve to the pipes because I dont care as much for how they look, but rather how they perform. This is what Im talking about...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/44...75c9687096.jpg

http://www.elephantmotorsports.com/images/get/325/.jpg


http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/l...e/heatwrap.jpg

Leave the structural components alone while you can.

1) No, just drive a bit and it will adjust real-time

2) Necessary, no. Beneficial, always.

great point RCZ on the topic of placement of the intakes... you and Stillen got that exactly right, there isnt anywhere else to better place them... my question was do we need to do anything else to also help the intake suck in more cold air to get the optimal performance... i am already sold with those intakes.. i just think the bumper restricts the cold air inflow... which might not be even a valid concern after we see semtex's dyno results...

btw since nobody wants me to take out those damn foams...maybe i can drive with out the bumper instead... i think that's the next best alternative besides driving around with shotgun holes on the bumper... jk ... :p

:)

Look at it this way, the air temperature inside and outside the bumper is probably marginally different. Not enough to make real difference. It is actually a good thing that they are protected from rushing air. Think about it; have you ever tried breathing with your head out the window at 80MPH+? You would think that with all that air rushing into your face, you would be able to breathe more easily, but it actually becomes harder because of all the turbulence. The same thing would occur if you put the intakes to direct air flow. The turbulence at higher speeds would actually be detrimental to performance. If you want to do something with the bumper to get more air in there, you would be best off by adding venturis that route directly into the intakes. Notice in this picture, to the right of the drivers head.

http://www.automobilsport.com/upload...ngliz-test.jpg

I don't know if this is something you should worry about though...

If you really want to do something about it then do this...On the bumper cover, the fang splitters have openings which come blocked off, but can be removed. You could take tubing and route air from there, up to where the intakes are.

I for one, am using those splitter inlets to either get air to the brakes or oil cooler. I am not worried about the intakes...

Apparently theres something out there called Aero-Lite Heat Reflective Tape that is cheap and 96% reflective. It is not gold, but will work just as well. :) I will look into this... should be able to get the job done for about $50...for those who are anal about heat and heat soak like me. Earlsindy.com sells it.

Sounds like a good idea. Being a soon to be ex-turbo guy as well, I hear you on being heat soak crazy. ;)

I just placed my order for the Gen3 Intake and Cat-back from Stillen. With any luck they'll show up Thursday and I'll install them next weekend, and then all my basic bolt-ons will be complete.

Thanks Brandon, I'll follow this order through and get them out ASAP. I believe both are in stock and should ship Monday, a couple of days to you.. and it'll time for the install..

:driving:

When you get these installed and finished, let me know, I would love to meet up in Houston and hear/see your car.

Yeah we need to organize a 370Z meetup in Houston sometime soon anyways, I know I can't be the only one in a city this big :)

There are a few on here already, I will either be getting mine in April or May, two dealerships have one coming in that I want, just seeing who gives me the best price. :D

Topic focus :) hehe

RCZ.. so are you planning to remove the little plastic pieces to actually make the fangs a bit more functional?

For sure, that's going to be part of the next step I think. I have to get the oil temperatures to remain stable if I want to be able to use the car on the track. A trackday is always the make or break test. If somethings going to melt, rub, grind or make noise...that's where it will happen. These intakes need to go on the track to finish their testing.

Cool. Let us know your progress there!

I am still assuming you do not feel the filters blocking the radiator some will cause problems... True?

theses intakes are a lot smaller then a intercooler blocking the radiator, and that hasnt caused problems

That's a great point!

Excellent point. Thanks!

The intercooler only needs air to pass through it, intake filters 'consume' the air so it doesn't just pass through an on to the radiator.

That said, I agree they are pretty small and won't likely make a difference.

Guys, honestly, enough with this debate. The intakes will not cause anything to happen to the radiator performance and they are getting enough air. If you want to talk about this, start a new thread. This stuff is senseless. There's been ten million times before where people have put things in front of a radiator and nothing has happened. An intercooler will not only block flow, but it will also heat the air going into the radiator. Theoretically these things make sense, but in practice they dont make discernible a difference!

RCZ's right. How many 944 turbos do you sitting on the side of the road overheated? The intercooler is in front of the radiator.

Thank you Raul for bringing your Z up to test...i have always been a big fan of independent results and to see a company put out a quality product for a new vehicle so quickly it is a true testament to dedication....I have tuned countless nissans with every mod imaginable and in almost every configuration...and can honestly say this mod excites me...(not like that..lol) ....the kit went in flawlessly with little effort and made real world gains across the board....well done Stillen...im ready to see what comes next!

-Jack Cecil-
HorsepowerLogic

Actually thank you right back Jack, for taking the time to do the install and dyno, with our advisement that this particular upgrade takes a couple of extra runs to show it's true power.

Enthusiasts drive this industry, and we're happy guys like you get it. It sounds like Raul has some more stuff he's going to be bringing your way.. can't wait for your further assessment. :)

i just need to decide if i wanta buy bolt-ons now or just wait for a turbo kit to come out

Most bolt-ons will be necessary with forced induction to get the full impact.. others can be removed and sold in the classifieds.. I can guarantee you there will be swarms of folks looking for quality items to get at a discount.. and you'll get the enjoyment in between..

Beware the dreaded water ingress & hydrolock :eek:


Watch out for very deep puddles :ugh2: