Is the Z NOT a tuner friendly car?

Originally Posted by BigT

Its tough for me to explain it seems. lol

My evo X had 370whp, bolt ons and tune only. My evo 8 had 420 whp with a small 20g turbo. My DSM also had 400whp with a 20g turbo. All built and tuned by myself. Those cars responded so well to mods, handled and drove so FUN. Also, they were great starting platforms. Go to any auto-x, road coarse, or drag strip and these cars can compete with the best of them.

Now, I wanted something new to start with. Part out and trade in my last evo, the 8, and purchased a Z. This is just slightly over a year ago. The Z is a great car. I truelly enjoy it, more than just for its performance. The motor is so smooth. The ride is surprisingly very good. (try driving an Evo or STI, the Z is a BMW compared to those) The car is fantastic. It even gets great gas mileage. I'm contemplating keeping this car for a while, a long while.

I'm getting married in September. I have an appointment with Ignition Motorsports to install a Stillen supercharger in October. But, now i'm wondering if its even worth it. A stock turbo Evo will run circles around this car. The Z performs WELL in so many ways, but it does nothing GREATLY.

I've come to this conclusion. I either need to get my priorities straight and decide what I want from this car. Or move on.

Originally Posted by Drex

so the problem is factory FI vs NA and the ease of power gains with FI vs NA?

Originally Posted by BigT

If the Z was factory FI, that would be SWEET! Tell them to ditch the VVEL too.

Originally Posted by theDreamer

The VVEL system will be the way modern cars go, it is early so there are some kinks (think direct injection) but having the ability to electronically control the intake cam is huge. Can easily just dial in your needs with a tune without having to swap out parts.

Originally Posted by BigT

Dreamer, if what Ecutek is saying is true, i'll be the first in line to jump on their bandwagon. VVEL is a fantastic technology, but only when you can manipulate it. Otherwise we are just throwing boost out of the motor. Literally.

Originally Posted by theDreamer

How do you know that though? The VVEL system with a factory exhaust cam plus tuning the intake cam could be worthless. Looking at a lot, and I mean a lot, of boosted VQ37 motors and comparing them across the board to the VQ35 (DE to HR) we are seeing equal if not better gains when applying forced induction.
The VVEL system might create more power, but honestly it will be a larger expense, because you will need to incorporate an exhaust cam into the tuning mix to see true benefits.