Modding & or enjoying the car
 

I can understand that modding cars can be a lot of fun. That being the end goal is completely fine. It's only that I find many people modding, changing things then fixing things that the mods disturbed & doing it forever. Later they follow with endless dyno runs. God forbid if the power dropped after modding:)

My point is that it's fine but so very, very few seem to use the completed modded car for running it/going fast.

I know that many say that I'm hung up on drag racing. Well maybe I am so lets try the words getting on the car, seeing how quick & fast it became after the mods without the worry of tickets or car accidents:)

Not an important subject, I'm just bored. Of course I'm also tired of reading endless posts of modding/making performance changes & almost never seeing the end results. That's partly why I never went far with modding my car.

Today it's after market headers. I'm fine with that mod but so far I have not seen ONE positive result in performance from an HR 07/08z or a 370z. So why should I bother????

Thanks & have a nice day.

first figure out wat you want to get out of your car, a goal.
then only change the things required to achieve your goal.
when you're done, stop, and save up for other things or future car.

a lot of folks just dont have the focus mostly due to inexperience.

Whats your budget and goal? I can show you the right way after you answer the question :)

There's a lot of reasons behind constant modding. I like having a project, and I enjoy tinkering with stuff. I don't think I own a single mechanical device I haven't screwed around with at least a little bit. I don't drag race, but I enjoy spirited driving when conditions allow.

I do agree that a lot of people are hung up on peak dyno numbers. It seems like a good chunk of the Z community fixates on peak power over power under the curve, which confuses me to no end.

I think you might just have a hard time relating to what some others feel. That being the desire to just be driving some kind of monster (the Zs really are mini-Zilla after all) but within legal-ish limits and never on a track.

I love to drive but until my Z I never drove anything modding or track worthy. But I still enjoy(ed) the hell out of my '05 Altima S-ER. On-ramps, overtaking, and quiet twisting roads were all I had and they made me smile.

So why mod a Z if you aren't going to track it? Because those on-ramps are even more fun, the overtaking more of a rush, and those turns...well you better know what you're doing now!

Why not track your car? Let's face it, some people aren't cut out for high speeds especailly when they aren't obtained in a straight line. And that's ok because daily driving can still give you the chance to smile.

Why dyno them and stuff if you aren't going to track them? Because some, like me, enjoy taking something not quite perfected and getting the most out of it. And along the way the driving you do can be more fun.

I have said this before when people get in to the 'this car is faster blah blah': I bought a Z because I can take it and using my skills and vision turn it in to a monster. That is very rewarding. I didn't buy a BRZ because out of the box it is what it is ever going to be. And I didn't buy a Vette for the same reason. I might have bought a Mustang but I really don't like muscle cars.

I think your problem is not knowing your goal. A lot of people who "mod" with bolt-on's do it because they're curious to see how much power they can squeeze out. It's something that you can't really explain, but a lot of car enthusiast understand. To us, the Z is something special, to other's (like my GF) it's just a car. I'd honestly be fine with a stock Z, but I change things or "mod" because I want my car to be a bit more unique and my own. I wanted an exhaust that was a bit louder so I replaced the stock one. It's the same with anything in life really. That's like asking why Megan Fox has tattoos on an otherwise perfect body.....to each his/her own.

I modded my Z because I wanted a fast daily driver. NA Z's aren't fast to me. They're gorgeous and handle great, but they're a 12.9-13.5 cars, and that's not fast. It's not slow, but I wanted something that would run 11s if I ever decided to drag it.

I think of Tim Allen whenever I see posts on peak. Not that there is anything wrong with wanting to build something with the goal of maximizing the peak. But I am like you I would give up 10% at the top for a curve that gave me 25% more almost to the top.

The obsession of peak over curve might come from the average age of the Z driver? I bet it is older than Honda drivers but less than Vettes...likely averaging the same as 'Stang drivers with a more narrow range. No...I am not slamming youth. It is just that younger people tend to view things differently and as I already said...there is nothing wrong with that!

Excellent. :tiphat:

Here's my ramble:

When I was in my teens and 20s, and even into my 30s, I loved to tinker with engines. Back then you could get considerable gains with headers, intake, and a bigger carb or jets; all fairly easy jobs for a weekend mechanic with a Chilton's and a torque wrench. The parts were readily available and relatively inexpensive. And the only electronics was in the radio. Not so much nowadays - on all counts. Still had to be careful to make sure the mods played well with each other but not as critical as with today's high-tech stuff.

And we didn't have The Intertubes back then, so getting good info could be difficult and expensive. Most of my car buddies and I had large stacks of car magazines with DIY articles stashed away for reference. I still have several hundred dollars of FSM, parts catalog, and assembly manuals for a '67 Mustang in the back of a closet.

It was a LOT of fun. And a lot of headaches and dumb mistakes (AKA a Learning Experience). Oftimes, it's all about the journey. I'm sure many of the modders today feel the same way about what they are doing - it's just more expensive and not as productive as it was in The Good Old Days.

My Z already has more than enough power for me. Any mods I may make will be more about efficiency/taste than HP. I may have lost a few HP with my exhaust mod but should be able to get that back when/if I get around to getting a tune.

/ramble

It's not an age issue- just look at the Supra guys. 1100whp, but basically undriveable.

I started modding the 370 as soon as it became apparent that the car required an oil cooler just to get home uphill in mildly warm weather. Soon after I wanted the CBE power and to take away an exhaust note that I did not love. I then proceeded to adjustable sway bars and adjustable coil overs. As past experiance taught me, adjustments will occur with future unforeseen mods.

The results for me are apparent when I hit a straight away at the track and end up hanging with (2007) 911's and (2002) Corvettes. Any monkey can mash a pedal. Later when I pass them it all becomes clear, modding can help.

Good response from all & more than I expected.
I'm fine with & also do some stuff on the street/highway. I enjoy passing a few cars then slow down so not to get a ticket:) Getting on & off highways I also take it to some (fairly safe) limit.
I also think (posted about it) that the curve & longer top h.p. line is better than a quick up & down with a higher peak h.p.
Let's not forget that a lot of the dyno pulls/charts are NOT always accurate/honest:)

Anyway they are Z's, let's enjoy them while they are still available:)

Oh yes, if anyone sees positive track(not dyno:) results from long tube headers, here or on the 350z site please let me know.

I havent seen much of anything positive on the HR engine but some bad result but the VHR having either the PPE step header or the FI long tube did provide gain overall than OEM header + test pipe.

Personnaly, I always went back on the dyno after every mods and I did see myself gain on that aera.

OEM header + Test pipe VS Stillen header + Test pie VS PPE step header.

but again this depend also on how much everything else can actualy flow.

:iagree:
I don't have a lot of mods but the ones I do have are pretty much exactly what my goal was. Once I convert my resonated exhaust to non res I think I will have reached my end goal. Might add a few cosmetic mods in the future but I like what my car is right now.