[Official] Which 1st mod(s) for my Z thread.
 

I'm interested in picking up a new 370z pretty soon...I was just wondering what are the first few mods I should do that are worth while? I tried searching but I can't find a thread or sticky that goes in depth about what mods I should do to improve the HP and handling

I know headers and high flow cats seem to add the most HP on these cars...what about air intakes? I noticed only the Stillen G3 seem to have the most gains...every other short ram intake only gain a few hp over stock...are the airboxes well designed from the factory?

What about front and rear sway bars? Will they dramatically change the handling on my Z?

I do not plan to track...just spirited street driving...and occasional canyon driving...should I be worried about an oil cooler? I live in southern california...summer temps usually stay in the 90s and anytime other than summer its usually in the 75's

Any info would be appreciated....if you have a link that explains popular mods on the 370z, please let me know so I can read up on it :)

Nossss


Far as short rams, some will argue that its low gain is due to how it was dynoed.

You seem to have it down pretty good. I'd go high flow cats followed by the stillen intake. Sway bars are an interesting choice, you planning on tracking a lot?

no i do not plan to track...just street driving...

what other mods can I do besides hfc? is the stock catback real restrictive? are sway bars worth it, or do they make the Z way too tail happy?

thanks again!

Well, with en exhaust, you need to take out the most restrictive part first, which is the HFC. I wouldn't do the catback first, since it's not the most restrictive and you won't see as much gain.

Sway bars seem like a waste of money for street driving. I'd bet good money that an uncalibrated butt can't even tell the difference.

alright so stock catback isn't a restriction...that is good to know...i will be spending money on headers and hfc...those two seem to be the biggest restrictions on this car

so the sway bars are well engineered from the factory? i'm not familiar with the z setup...i'm coming from the mazda 3 community and our sway bars are not beefy at all...a huge difference is felt when adding them...even on the streets...was wondering if it was similar with the 370Z?

I'm getting the stillen G3 intakes first, I'm going to wait till F.I. Releases their headers, that way I don't have to waste money buying 2 parts. And I also plan on upgrading the sway bars to the stillen set, I've read plenty of reviews of people that said they felt a difference & gave a nice upgrade

:iagree:

I'll let others chime in on their experience with swaybars on the 370, since I haven't driven one. I think the z is going to be miles apart in handling compared to the mazda, you will likely be surprised. I would think with the nice weather in CA, the stillen intake would really work well for you.

i would like to slap on a short ram intake...like the stillen g2 or jwt or equivalent...the g3 looks nice but i'm not interested in the install or price tag....but according to what i've read..the g3 is the only worth while intake to get for the 370z....the g2 or jwt only gain like 3whp over stock...hardly worth it to me...especially dropping all that $$

I beg you sir, don't waste your money on short tubes. People have actually lost HP with that garbage.

I'm a Mazda 3 sedan owner and a Z owner as well. My first mods to the Z besides the ventureshield and tints are AAM 2.5" True Dual Exhaust and High Flow Cats, along with the Stillen front rear sway bars next week. I'm waiting on the intakes for a bit. I never got any mods for my Mazda 3 as it was just my daily commuter. It is like night and day though driving the Z versus the Mazda. Good Luck!

g3 and full exhaust

thanks...looks like i'll be sticking with stock air boxes then...or until i can man up for the G3...haha the install looks like a pita...

The "best first modifications" you should do are the ones that yield the "best first results."

I think that front end is a bit easier to get off than people would probably think.

most Nissan intakes are fairly well designed from the factory so more then likely you wont see any gains with anything that is around the same size as stock. So like others have said HFC and an oil cooler would be a pretty good start. I pesonally wil be getting the ARC boxes when they are released as well as Berk HFC and the Nissan Motorsport or the Stillen Race oil cooler.

are oil coolers even required for my type of driving? i mean so cal has pretty good all year weather...although past few days has been some 100 degree weather...however this will NOT be daily driven...weekend only car...and even if I do drive it on the weekday, it will not be during the day...

the only time I'll be pushing this car hard is during canyon runs...will canyon running be enough for my oil temps to shoot past 280f?

You don't need an oil cooler since you're not going to track. No one has had issues day-to-day driving.

like frost said, the oil cooler isn't necessary for people who will do occasional canyon runs only.

and i'm being a dork for what i've decided to get, but look at the injen intakes as well. don't know if you'll like the installation any better, but it's another option that's out there and i don't hear too negative things about it.

good to hear a Z will be running around in cerritos! i pass that place all the time on my way to work.

thanks phelan, hope to see you rollin around pretty shortly too

anybody know if engine tuning is another worth while modification? cobb ap looks like a good an easy route...plug in and flash...then go....do they actually give hp gains though?

sways + LSD + coils + intake + exhaust = my dream Z

Intake, exhaust, and HFC's. Maybe an underdrive pulley.
I hear headers aren't really worth putting on our cars.

Save your money and do the HFC's and the exhaust at the same time.

Being a base model owner, the first thing I upgraded was the horrible stock head unit to a Kenwood DNX 6140 Navigation Double Din unit.

In terms of performance, I would go with a Stillen Gen3 CAI. I was weary about taking the front bumper off at first, but from looking at the DIY and the testimonials, it's a no-brainer.

Stock suspension is fine but I'm used to driving more "stiffer" vehicles. So I'm planning on getting some Hotchkis sways unless another company comes out and makes adjustable front sway bars as well; I'm debating between Hotchkis and Stillen sways at the moment.

I think the first thing you should get however is tint! I still don't have tint on my baby yet because nobody around here in Georgia carries 50% tint :shakes head:

just get a GTM TT. then ull be satisfied for a longggggggggggggggg time.

I change my answer. I like where SSQ's head is at. :D

If you plan to push the car on the street, then you need to learn to handle the car. The first mod should be a structured Driver's Education event. Once you learn how the car behaves at it limits, then you will know where to spend the money. One trip to an event is all you will need. You will either be hooked or you will learn enough to realize you weren't as good of a driver as you thought.

Fast / Cheap / Reliable - pick two. You get what you pay for.

As far as bolt ons for this car do the G3 CAI - don't waste your time with something inside your engine bay like the G2, etc unless you want the Hot Air Intake setup instead. HFC are a good investment as is a CBE. If I could only get one I would get the CBE because it gives you performance and sound. HFC or G3 CAI are probably very similar performance/price over the CBE. HFC will give you a little more grow to your exhaust and the G3 will give you the suction note so its probably more of a preference between the two. Once you do the exhaust though it will mostly over ride the sound of the intake.

If you aren't tracking the car don't bother with the suspension unless you are illegally street racing it. Same with the oil cooler. If you are tracking the car it is very capable in stock form but you will need a cooler.

Wait I thought the only tuning available for the Z was that company out of Cali? I forgot their name :shakes head:
Since when does Cobb do tuning for the Z?

Technosquare
Cobb has released there unit, not 100% sure they have tunes yet for the 370z though. I think you can do a dyno tune with them through a shop maybe.

Thanks for the info! +1!

So I have been reading the fast intentions thread....it seems like the stock exhaust is real restrictive? I mean FI was able to get 20whp by just replacing the catback ALONE...they threw in their resonated test pipes into the mix and gained about 8whp...whats up with that? I was thinking the other way around...test pipes, hfc gaining 20whp and catbacks 8whp...haha

Anyway my main interest is to keep the stock catback...I can't see myself shelling out $1300 on a catback...I also would like to keep the car as sleeper as possible...I heard stock catback is the quietest setup even with test pipes and HFC...

If someone can chime in on our stock catbacks, that would be great

Upgrades
 

I got the stillen 3 intake,stillen exhaust and short shifter. sounds nice. Now looking forward for a ECU upgrade by technosquare...:bowrofl:

for me the stock HU had to go (can't even play MP3s), and i think i need to get a smaller side mirror as it restricts my view...unless i can position myself somehow. lol

otherwise the stock setup (sport package) is good enough for motoring the streets.
i dont need top end power...not going to be street racing anyway. also want to
keep maximum suspension travel without the 4x4 look...and stock already has that. :)

I have a stock too but my first mod will be the Injen CAI. Steven88 you should check also Injen. I have been reading this forum for a while now and trying to weigh things that has the most bang for the buck. Injen had pretty good gains I think around 18? anyways I like the way they look and also you don't have to make a hole during the installation. The polish really looks awesome. BTW you don't need an oil coller if you are only doing a canyon run as some of us who did a Malibu Canyon run did very well without a aftermarket oil cooler. I think it was discussed before on this forum that the 370z comes with a stock oil cooler on the left side of the front tire area but this oil cooler is not for tracking but good enough for daily spirited driving and some weekend canyon runs... I hope this helps. If you are planning to get Injen CAI try to PM Lou at amplifiedmotorsports and he will give you a unbelievable price and a descent installation price too if you want it installed. I will be going there this wednesday for my Injen CAI.

What? Since when does the 370Z come with a stock oil cooler? You better check you sources before putting bad info out there. :shakes head:

it does come with a stock POS oil cooler....if you look it up on nissan FAST....that part where the oil filter mounts onto is called an "oil cooler"....even though its a POS

I said I am pretty sure I read it somewhere on this forum, afterall I have been on this forum longer than you!!! I just can't remember which thread..Just relax dude..:roflpuke2::roflpuke2:

^ no need to argue, lol plus it says you signed up only a month before him ;)