It really depends.. everyones cars will respond differently to certain mods.... I made +22whp with Test pipes and Exhaust...

If you want to get the most and dont ever plan on FI, this is what I would do

Stillen G3 intakes
Fast Intentions Long Tube Headers
Either FI Exhaust or HKS Exhaust
A Grounding kit
Underdrive pullies
Uprev Tune

That will give you the most without building the motor or going FI.



DAN

I guess I'm struggling with why do anything besides the single cheapest mod to gain NA power. The G3 Intake gives 17 whp.

Exhaust def gives better sound but for a few extra HP doesn't seem worth it?

Maybe FI is the way to go to get a decent bump in HP

What exhaust do you have, Top Speed?
I gain about +17whp from the TP cbe.

If the cbe doesn't net that much hp. How much would I be leaving on the table if I just went with Stillen gen 3 CAI and test pipes? After those mods would it be breathing enough to warrent a CBE.

If you want the most out of your tune you will need exhaust to help the car further with "breathing" mods, easier exhaust paths/flows is better. And for people saying you dont get power out of exhaust systems is a load of BS, My Berk test pipes and HKS exhaust gained +22whp over stock.



DAN

:shakes head:

I don't think you will get anywhere near to 17whp with any intake.
where are you getting those numbers from? you will also lose torque with the intakes. I'd rather have more torque tham HP but thats just me.

Its been proven that the first mod you do to the Z nets you about 15-20HP, after that you are only going to gain 5-10 maybe less with all the other mods. Also what I see is missing from this thread is the importance of a tune if you have fill bolt-on's. The Z tends to run a little lean with CAI, CBE,TP, so you might want to look into a tune as a saftey precaution as well. From what I have seen on this forum most guys are putting down 275-285WHP bone stock. After full bolt-on's and a tune it looks like there making about 330-340WHP so thats a gain of about 55+ HP

Which I would be OK with, assuming ~$3K investment. Keeps NA reliability, resale, and avoids headaches of FI which done right will push ~$10K.

No. Everyone's car will respond similarly because everyone has the same motor.

The problem is you have to make comparisons using the same type of dyno (or dyno settings if not a dynojet), same correction factor, and have a clear baseline for comparison. Across dynos, the percentage gain should be similar for a given mod.

The data from dynojets is pretty clear and the gains I've seen from various mods on different members' cars are predictiable.

The major variable seems to be that the first breather mod often seems to gain more power than when the same mod is the second or third bolt on (e.g., intakes seem to result in larger net gains when done first, but not second or third).

I'm not exactly sure why that is, but for simplicity, let's just assume it's due in part to limited room for improvement and dimnishing returns as you get closer to optimized VE for the motor (VVEL tuning might open up more possiblities there...)

The only possible exception might be removal of the factory cats, which does seem to be a consistent bottle neck that always nets decent gains; although again, probably higher if done first.

Put your car on a dynojet, use SAE correction, and I can pretty much guarantee you that if your motor is sound, bone stock you will put down about 273 whp +/-5 (I'd say 288 - 290 +/-5 for a Nismo).

I can give you guys more accurate estimates as I get more data -- please send me those drf's if you got 'em :D

Who is making 330-340 whp N/A? Not on a dynojet. Link? :confused:

Actually I've hardly seen anyone break 300 on a dynojet (especially SAE corrected -- STD tends to overcorrect towards higher values) who isn't in a modded Nismo. I think you may be mistaken...

And yet, I've seen no independnet dynos that report equivalent gains... Sorry, but I'm not buying it. Also, see my comment about the first breather mod's effect.

EDIT: Also, STD correction almost always skews high (appropriate for FI, but tends to overestiamte for NA).

I am looking at $/hp ratio. I don't have to squeeze every hp out of it. CAI and TP for 600-750 and net 20hp isn't bad. Another 5hp for $1000-1500 is tough for me to justify.

^^^Trust me on this.

I would say 1.5 - 3.0% more power at various points in the rev range. You might be able to get similar gains with just a Y pipe.

No, not at that time. I had FI Catback and FI longtube headers.

My previous Dyno was 295WHP with just stillen intakes and muffler section delete. Then when I went to dyno after installing all the other stuff I did 300WHP. (although my mid-range torque was a lot better) Intakes must have been big, because everyone seems to consistently be around 300 with full bolt-on's on Uprev's shop dynojet (where all my dynos are done).

Back on topic, I think the first thing you do, regardless of what it is will have a substantial impact. I agree with Jordo, you can get 95% of the gains of the expensive stuff and pay 50% or less if you do it right.

Jordo, you say that the HPS tubes are $110, is that for a set or each? Thanks!