My friend says mods are a waste! :(
 

My friend is a big car enthusiast. And is the most knowledgeable person about cars that i know. He literally is no noob or ricer or someone who just think he knows. He does and when I research it from the correct sources, he's always correct to the dot. He says that getting Stillen Gen 3 intakes and Fast intentions CBE and a UPrev tune is all a waste of money just for 30hp and a couple of more torque since I will never ever even feel the difference unless I'm on a track and going 100mph or more. He says that daily driving it's a waste of money to get any of those mods. Especially because what I am doing is all Naturally aspirated and I don't get much gains unless I go Forced Induction. Do you think I'm wasting my money with these mods and i wont feel it at all?

Is he the person paying the car payment? Buying the mods? Driving the car? :ugh2:

Then does his opinion really matter?? Didn't think so.


No, the VQ37 is not very giving when it comes to bolt ons and extra power. Yes, the parts are relatively costly, but quality comes at a price. Fast Intentions doesn't charge what they do just because. They do because every exhaust, HFC, TP, LTH, and coming soon a TT kit, are all handmade in house. Some parts are brought in from outside sources, but the end result that's shipped to you is all of their creation. You get what you pay for. The same can be said for some of Stillens products.

It basically boils down to, if it makes YOU the owner/driver of the car happy, then that's all that matters. If this guy wants to complain, then let him complain, in his own car. You do what makes you happy with yours. Remember, mods don't only give you power gains, typically, they also look far better than stock, and especially when it comes to exhausts, sound better too. :tup:

Your friend is right But then again opinions are like a$$holes? Everyone has one.

Just leave it stock and save your money and keep your Z parked where it'll last years trouble free. :rolleyes:

As far as I can remember I live and make decisions to keep myself happy and not others.

Doesn't matter what he thinks

Obviously your friend doesn't know a damn thing about cars...
10% extra power with bolt ons and you won't feel it...???

Yeah, tell him to jump off the nearest cliff, he shouldn't be driving

he said you only get sound which throws peo-ple off thinking its faster. Plus you wont be vey far off in a strraight line drag race against a stock z unless the driver is an idiot. he say u wont even be a car length ahead with this.

Does he still believe in the tooth fairy's?

Does he actually work on cars or reads the Ford Model T enthusiasts magazine

This guy is probably a troll and his friend doesn't exist lol

Just out of curiosity, what does your friend drive, since he's the car guru and all?? :icon08:


Also, if you reference this thread: http://www.the370z.com/track-autocro...ack-times.html there is a 3/4 second difference between fastest stock, and fasted full bolt on setup. Not sure how that can be translated into the terms of the hp gain/$ argument, but it tells me the mods are doing something right...

He dirves a 2011 subaru wrx with a bunch of mods him self lol!
He has COBB tune and COBB intake and turbo heat shield and SPT quad exhaust and he has rota gird replica of volk te37 and he has STI sway bars

Why did he Mod it if Mods are a waste? :stirthepot:

Well to his credit

wrx and evos do respond better but still

Your friend is correct on one point. You NEVER get back what you put into a car. A car is a true money pit unless you have the money to buy something super exotic and can park it in a vacuum for a few generations, BUT it's your car. You drive it every day. If you want to change something, it's your money.
Look at it this way. The money you spend on mods help get us out of a recession, so I say spend away!

LOL!!!! dude you guys are frikin hilarious. BUt yeah your right in the end it's my choice and my decision to spend if i want or not! thanks guys! much obliged!

Its a waste of money...if you're on welfare, are over your head in debt, have children to feed, etc etc etc.

True story, but that's why he feels he's on a high horse. His car responds to mods better than ours, but that's par for the course when you're factory turbo'd.

Your friend is right. What I did first were my brakes. Now i'm working on suspension mods. You can add just as much acceleration time improving your suspension tune as you can intake/exhaust if done right. The difference is, the suspension tune will be useful throughout the range and will really make your car feel better.
Intake and exhaust are great for aesthetics unless you're doing quarter miles. I prefer the MAF hose mod as it helps keep air cooler going into the intake which has more use. In conjunction with HP filters you get 3-8hp throughout the range, instead of 10-15 hp in the last 200rpm. But if you're on the dragstrip? Thats where you will need high rev power.

N/A applications. The most important things are:
Brakes
Suspension
Cooling
weight reduction.

At the end of the day though... It's your money. Use it how you want to. Opinions are like azzholes.

But $4,000 in breathing mods? (intake, headers, test pipe, exhaust) Or $4,500 in a supercharger? I'll take the supercharger. Or spend an extra grand or two on a single turbo kit.:tup:

On the long stretch you will feel power so now he's kinda trying to discourage confidence in your car...
Get quality coils or get Koni yellow/swift combo. Get eibach sway bar and spl titanium suspension parts. Get michelin pss, bridge RE-11 or NT-05's take out your spare tire, mats,etc. Get even lighter wheels and i bet you his mouth will drop at your speed increase.

He's talkin' shyt cuz he has an F.I car and he has a cost to power advantage, plus he has an off the line, from a stop advantage. But it doesn't mean those advantages mean automatic victory. He'll probably blow his weak azz motor halfway down the track anyway. lol:tup:
You will have an advantage on certain types of road courses etc. Get FI yourself and he's toast.

C/S I've had this crazy exhaust idea.
I've had this idea of replicating the Nismo exhaust out of titanium and without the resonator section. Reason: The nismo can give 5 to 7 hp throughout the range. (better than losing 5hp at the bottom to gain 20hp at the top. IMHO The Resonator eats 3hp, So designing it without resonators would both reduce, weight and add power throughout the range. Sound would be throatier and slightly more metallic. Stock cats and replicated Muffler will keep it from droning. We'd be good for 8/10hp throughout the range. Built out of titanium it would be about 20lbs. :)

we're your ONLY friends. don't listen to other ppl

I'm all for doing whatever you want, but my opinion is unless you are going to race the car, I can't see any point in go fast mods. Mods for ascetics is another matter.

Your friend has a good point. All the basic mods really won't be noticeable until you push your car close to its limits. But that doesn't stop people from getting aftermarket parts. Sure, performance is important, but so is individuality. For instance, I personally get exhaust systems for my cars not because of the minimal power gains (that's a plus, of course), but mainly for the sounds that stir the soul. In the end, you install parts not only to improve your car; you install parts that make you want to drive your car just a little more.

Sounds to me like your friend is scarred your car might be better (faster?) than his if you mod and he is threaten by it.
Honestly, most NA cars do not respond that well compared to a factory boosted car. Which for people who have them (factory boost) do not understand the balance of NA power v price v performance. It can be a bit costly for smaller gains, but at the same time it generates a different response in engine performance, sound, car dynamics, etc.

$4,500 for just 30 hp = not that good
$4,500 for 30 hp, looks, and deep exotic sound = 100 hp on the butt dyno = very happy driver

If he was as big a car enthusiast as you claim him to be, why is he rocking fake $#!+?? If he does do his research he would say no to replicas/knockoffs.

Tell me if these gains are "only" sound...

Fast Intentions 370Z Dyno - YouTube

Modding is a hobby, so you do what makes you feel good. Yes, it's a money pit big time.

He is making a good point about forced induction... get it :)

He dirves a 2011 subaru wrx with a bunch of mods him self lol!
He has COBB tune and COBB intake and turbo heat shield and SPT quad exhaust and he has rota gird replica of volk te37 and he has STI sway bars


^^^
With Those Mods your already close to beating him... He is trying to discourage you from buying mods because he knows the extra 30-40rwhp mods you install will put him in your rearview.

As the official guy who has put more mods on this car than anyone here...

...Mods are like hookers... wait.... thats not right... ohhh yeah they are like renting a place you put down an expensive deposit and depending how good you treat the place and the mileage you might be able to get some of your deposit back!

Enjoy the car!

20 whp from an FI exhaust isn't something to just dismiss. What's too much money for most may be just change to some. A mod is worth it if it makes you want to drive and look at your car more, even just a little.

Mods are a waste. I'll give you my address and you can send them to me instead. I'll pay the shipping even. :tup:

Butt dyno is all that really matters in the end.

So you only waste mods on yourself, eh? I see how it is. :icon17:

While there may be a grain of truth to what your buddy says, I think he's yanking your chain. ;)

Personally, I have enough HP already and the cost of those extra ponies wouldn't be worth it to me.
Others seem to enjoy wringing every last bit of power out of the drivetrain and think it's worthwhile to spend quite a bit of money for a few extra HP.
Ie, it all depends on what you want and how much you're willing to pay for it.

OP.....The honest truth is chances are if you get a good quality full exhaust in Stillen G3 intakes you will definitely notice more power with your butt dyno. Is it going to be massive amounts? Uhh no. But that goes with pretty much every N/A 4 cyl. or V6 car that's already highly tuned from the factory. IMO if you got solely the sound improvements, that alone would be worth it. It's of course up to you, maybe you could care less about sound and are only looking to go faster? Wouldn't make sense for a street car. Honestly all a street car is for is posing, not like your going to be driving like on a race track, and if you do be prepared to pay for the repercussions.

Guys, lets not get butt hurt over op's friend's comment.

Tbh, this post is the same as someone asking a simple question "is breathing mod worth it and how much will I gain", and the simple answer is "use the search button, visit members' gallery section, and do what you want".

Op, good luck.

Hahaha, he said "in the end":roflpuke2:.

Unintentional pun. Love it!

Didn't even realize I did that. :bowrofl:

me too!

Yeah of course mods are a horrible investment. A lot of the time, they'll end up decreasing your resale value, and you'll never get anything close to 100% value added.

But 30 hp with 270 rwhp is signifiant, and something as simple as tires, swaybars or springs can dramatically change how your car feels in the corners. Mods such as brake and oil cooling make it possible to keep driving your car harder and longer. And then there's the weight reduction. 2pc rotors, lightweight battery, LTH, titanium exhaust, and that's around 100 lbs off a 3300 lb car, while still staying completely livable. Sure, it's a lot more money to spend with a 370Z, but the gains are solid in performance and huge as far as driving pleasure goes.

Don't forget the fact that the mods will be making your car worth less money.

I wouldn't say less money, more like it just won't add to the value, even though your putting money into the car. Now if it were some crazy half *** done mods that will be hurting the reliability of the car, then I can see it hurting the value of the car.