Should I Add Stillen Gen 3 Long Tubes?
 

Have a 2010 370Z Roadster - essentially stock but for Borla CBE and rear spoiler - and I love the way it sounds. I know Borla isn't everyone's fav - bought the car it was already on and I dig - but, been watching some vids about 'simple/easier/basic' mods - and these intake kits intrigue me (I'm not a gear head - I'm a Z enthusiast who loves to cruise with the top down and get on it now and then.

Thoughts?

This seems like a decent price: https://www.stillen.com/stillen-2009...ssan-370z.html

What should I expect to pay for installation if I decide to not take it on myself?

Thanks in advance for the opinions/advice.

PS> Car is covered and stored now for winter and I miss it SO much!

One of the best intake kits out there, while still keeping the filters up high enough that water isn't much of a concern.

The only downside is when it is time to do filter maintenance, you get to pull the bumper again. So you might as well get comfortable doing that. Luckily, you won't have to do that often, but you might as well learn how to do it. However if you don't have any tools, this could be a reason alone to keep the stock setup.

Where in Ohio are you? FedEx attempted to deliver mine today. I'm not going to install mine in the freezing cold, but if you close, you can come by and see what's involved if you want.

I guess the real question you need to ask yourself is are you willing to pay $500 plus probably another couple hundred for installation to have slightly more power? Also consider that you already have aftermarket exhaust; changing the intakes on top of that will probably require you to have a tune for the car to run right, so budget another few hundred. If you're the type to "cruise with the top down" it's probably not worth it unless you've got money burning a hole in your pocket. If you do track days or autocross or something then by all means go nuts.

Thanks for the thoughts OhioYJ - much appreciated! I have tools - I just don't have the patience! I'm in Central Ohio - and thanks for the offer - where are you? would def help to see it up close.

Since I don't daily drive - and store in winter (at least so far - that's getting hard to do on these 60 degree dry days!) - Stillen site says they don't need maintenance/cleaning for 50k - at the rate I drive, that might be 5+ years!

This makes total sense Duc - and why I had the question to begin with - I like the idea of a more aggressive sound - and a little extra kick on a freeway ramp or pushing through a turn out on a backroad - but, I'll likely never track.

I thought a couple hundred for install sounded right - and I was wondering about a tune - I know next to nothing about that...thanks again.

You have to ask what you want to do to the car? Do you eventually want to boost the car? If so why waste the money.. if not then do it!! You will love them not to mention they look amazing.

As for a tune. You will not require a tune by just having a cat back exhaust and an intake. You will have to have a tune if you replace the cats.. but if you keep the stock cats you will be fine. Rule of thumb

3 or more breather mods = no tune required. Now if you want to squeeze every ounce of power out of your mods then get a tune. I ran G3 intakes and F.I. Exhaust for 3 years without a tune and no issue. I did take out my cats and replaced them with test pipes so I went and got a tune. Hope this helps.

I'm near the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. I would say 50k is a little optimistic, since it's a filter per throttle body, you might plan on 30k, but still, yeah it would be a while.

Just FYI, Stillen sends it requiring a signature, so you may want to send it to your work. I wish I had known this in advance, I wouldn't have had it shipped to my house had I known.

Have you considered the K&N typhoon kit? It will give you the added intake sound and a bump in power. Not as much as power as the Stillen G3. It is a very easy install, looks great under the hood. Stillen offers a similar kit in the G2. You should be able to find a typhoon kit for half the cost of a G3.

I had the K&N kit and was happy with it, but wanted the most performance and changed it out for the Nismo long tube intake. It's similar to the Stillen G3. For around town and some fun driving, there really isn't a notable performance difference. The long tube intake is actually quieter. The K&N has a pretty nice sound when you get on it. I also have the Borla, matched up with high flow cats and pretty happy with it.

Or just skip the intake kit and put K&N filters in the stock air boxes. You will get the performance improvement, but not the sound.

The typhoon is a short ram, isn't it? The op would be far better off with maf tubes and drop in filters than a short ram hot air intake.

Thanks everybody - very helpful!

Take a look at the Z1 CAI.

I have the Z1 cold air intake kit, test pipes and hks catback.

Definately opens the car up!!

Install is easy, just have to be careful with the bumper

I only drive mine on weekends, so really only have to clean the filters once or twice a year at most.

May want to think about an oil cooler as well, easily dropped my oil temps 20+ degrees , helps in the summer

I would say do it right the first time.

I first went with K&N drop ins and post MAF tubes...

I then bought the K&N typhoon kit... heat sink sucked during the summer...

I ended up getting the AAM intake kit and have not looked back since.

They occasionally run promos, I got mine for about 430 shipped!

Good Luck Man!

Yes, you should!

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Tubes + Filters is a mod that really is in your head for the most part. Jordo documented some gains but in reality it's hardly noticed. You just know there *has* to be more power. I did it out of principal to squeeze out whatever bits of added response comes from removing the resonator. My car is a daily so I try to keep it as hassle-free as possible.

It's a funny thing, though. People can find the tubes+filters to be negligible over stock, and other people can find long tube intakes to have negligible gains over tubes+filters in complete perspective due to serviceability, gains concentrated one end of the power band (this may change with a tune), and heat soak. Then add in the select posts that will suggest there's a power loss in the end with the bumper on in real world conditions, etc....There's a fair share of grey area to how much you really get out of it for the money.

In the context of being a weekend car, indeed better if you just do it right the first time. No point in dropping that hundred-something, wasting time installing it (or paying someone to do it), then trying to flip it when it can all be one and done with the long-tube setup you ultimately want. It's cooler without a doubt. Anytime someone looks under my hood and they ask about the intake, I give them an underwhelming "ehh, just tubes and filters" response.

As far as a tune goes. I'm very big on it, especially after you have bolt-ons. The throttle response fix is an essential for this car. Radiator fan adjustment can also lessen the need for adding an oil cooler depending where you live.

I always wondered if there's an updated take on the Stillen G2. I know an older post cited gains, as well as another that noted fit issues. I'm just intrigued because it is still heat shielded, and what I presume to be the same fundamental design as OEM with larger diameter tubing.