best way to add 50hp?
 

hi my Z is completely stock for now and im pretty ignorant when it comes to tuning and mechanics in general but i want to add anther 40-50hp to my car. i know it is 332 stock but is that even the correct number? i see people on here talking about whp and that seems to be usually lower in the 300 range. can anyone steer me in the right direction? also i am very concerned with damaging the car by tuning. ie transmission damage or something. help please thanks

With full boltons and a good tune, 50 whp is about where you would end up. Just look at my parts list and it will give you a good idea of what your looking at when we say "full boltons". Read this link so that you may better understand how this game works. Horsepower - Wikicars

For clarification in this article; Effective Horsepower is also known as WHP, or wheel horsepower.

332 is rated at the crank. When you factor in driveline loss which on average is 12-18% is where you get whp. And of course not every motor is identical though assembled the exact same in the exact same way...its not just calculations as moving parts will differ. Reducing rotating mass such as a lighter flywheel or lighter wheels will even change whp due to less rotating mass = easier to spin and less drivetrain loss. There is no "best" way. There are easy ways, and there are common ways. Easiest way is nitrous with a 50 shot. Instant 50 whp depending on the kit. Common way as stated earlier is intake, high flow cats, cat back exhaust, and a tune. You'll get 50 whp with all the best parts but it does set you up for future upgrades like a tt or sc in the future.

Once you max out the bolt-ons, you need to dump weight all over the car to pick up more effective power (and better handling): the obvious priority targets are tire/wheel weights, battery relocation/downsize, and gutting all the audio gear from the car and all the junk in the trunk area in general. If you want to keep all of that stock and you don't think the full bolt-on arrangement will make enough power to keep you happy, you might want to look at a low-end SC kit (by low-end I mean conservative pulley and tune, not cheap knock-off brands :) ). Better to go that route right off the bat if you're ever going to, since many of the best bolt-on NA stuff isn't really SC-compatible (e.g. big headers and long-tube intakes).

So if I lose 30 pounds, how much H.P. will my car gain? :icon17: Only tire/wheel weight make sense.

As stated, Intake, Exhaust and tune will get you to 300 WHP, Stock cars are around 265-270. 50 WHP is hard. Maybe intake mani( Mixed results) and or HFC's.

you will not get + 50 from bolts and tune.
You should look into light weight parts along with stage 2, imo.
Weight reduction is key in tuning a car.

I disagree. My parts are listed and my baseline was 270. I'm still untuned until uprev sends me back my ROM files. I'm sitting at 316 right now.

50whp? The easy way is a turbo kit, but the chances of hurting the engine can be high depending on the setup and how you drive the car. The safe way is bolt ons, but you're going to have a hard time getting 50whp from bolt ons.

You have the Long Tube Headers working in your favor, even with the new tune you're pretty much maxed out.

It is not easy getting 50whp but it can be done. You will have to go with long tube headers, HFC or TP's will not be enough. If you go that route you will be LOUD! Also, since you seem like a noob, the install for all these parts and the subsequent tune will not be cheap, that is if you want it done properly.

I think he meant @ the crank, but it's still a close call with bolt-on's alone. He could also go with the Stillen supercharger...that's good for about 50whp isn't it? :rolleyes::stirthepot:

Every car is going to react a bit different with respect to variances and environmental changes. 50whp is a difficult, but achievable goal with just boltons. I agree that it may only be achievable with LTH's, I'm right there and I installed a HFC. If I replaced it with a resonator of test pipe, I would most likely be at 50whp.
I can almost guarantee you will spend $4,000 on parts alone on the low end. For any boost application, your looking at a minimum $6,000 to start... Not including install or tuning. Just to get where I'm at I spent about $5,000 (shop install) and I still need to pay for the tuning session!

Just like buying a house, there are a lot of hidden costs in this, and it exponentially increases with boost. So have your wallet ready.

Hey Vivid. Quick question for you...In terms of slapping on a GTM Turbo Kit for example, can you please elaborate on how for instance that kit would be somewhat "detrimental" or possibly hurt the engine...i'm just curious as my first mod for my 370, would be to throw on a GTM Twin Turbo kit.

Thanks!

I hope cost isn't a factor in this build?

I wouldn't get so hung up on adding 50hp. Chasing a dyno number is never good when it comes to modifying a car.

I would just go for the bang for the buck mods rather than going all out NA bolt-on's. This isn't an LS2 or 2011+ Mustang 5.0L. The HP per $ ratio isn't very good when you start adding intake/exhaust mods on the 370Z.

:kickingdeadhorse: