Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

baddyb13 · 04-17-2015, 05:25 AM

The photos of the car Sam posted above are mine.
I don't post much but have monitored the trials and tribulations of GTM over the last year.
I'm not going to use this forum to bash Sam, or anyone else associated with GTM.
I'll simply share certain facts.
I had spent considerable time researching which TT kit to have installed once I purchased my Z.
I had visited GTM a couple years prior to see the shop, meet Sam and to get comfortable that GTM was in fact the right place to have the work completed.
Once that comfort level was established, I had my car shipped to GTM in October 2013 from Michigan.
I stayed in constant contact with Sam during the process.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an easy customer.
I'm demanding, relentless, and need to be communicated with frequently.
Initially I was told that the car would be done in approximately 4 weeks.
I was hoping to put some miles on it before i had to store it for the winter.
Sam convinced me to go with the new V3 kit.
I was (and to a certain degree still am) concerned as I didn't want to be a guinea pig for new parts, etc. knowing that if something goes wrong the car would be in Michigan and GTM wasn't.
As November & December came and went, I was promised that the car was coming along although I hadn't seen any pictures.
Sam was usually accessible by email/phone but as the weeks went by I was getting less comfortable.
By mid February, I hopped on a plane to pay Sam a visit.
He knew I was coming and agreed to meet me on a Saturday morning.
The car was in process but not nearly as far along as I was led to believe.
I was told they needed another 4 weeks.
Eric was the primary mechanic working on the car.
4 weeks later I told Sam I was on the way back to pick up the car.
I arrived mid-march and the car wasn't ready.
At this point, after monitoring the forum and all of the people who had fronted $ for the pre-sale TT kit, I was making contingency plans (i.e how i was going to get my car back, engaging counsel in California, etc.).
I still continued to pester the hell out of Sam & Eric and essentially gave them an ultimatum.
At the end of April 2014, the car arrived back in Michigan ready to go.
I'm well aware that I'm one of the fortunate ones - for probably one of several reasons.
The car is running 7 PSI and generating approx. 417 HP.
If I turn the boost up to 11 PSI, it cranks out about 497 HP.
This is per the dyno graph sent to me from GTM.
If anyone wants to see it, please IM me with your email address and I'm happy to share it.
I've put on nearly 4,000 miles since last year.
In addition to the V3 kit, i had a Defi boost, oil temp and fuel pressure gauge installed in the factory locations.
The workmanship was very professional and I haven't had a single issue with it.
The car is fast as hell and is used as a daily driver.
I'm still on the stock clutch but don't beat the crap out of the car.
One thing I may consider down the line is GTM's traction control upgrade.
The factory TC system can't handle the amount of power the car is making.
I have brand new tires and can spin them in 3rd gear at 50 MPH on dry pavement - and that's on the low boost setting.
From that perspective, you do need to learn throttle control.
From what i read, i know people have had issues with cracked manifolds and as a result the car will run rich.
I do get quite a bit of carbon out of the exahust but have had friends drive the car (while i followed behind) and have watched start up, acceleration and have never seen a change in exhaust color.
For now I'll assume the excess carbon is a non-issue since it doesn't appear as if I'm burning oil or burning to rich.
No issues with the O2 sensor or check engine light either.
I'm not a mechanic.
I just know enough to be dangerous as I've been modifying turbocharged cars for the last 25 years.
I'm not suggesting anyone should trust GTM at this point.
Sam will have to re-earn people's trust by doing the right thing for those that have been burned.
I don't know if that's possible.
That will be up to him.
Eric was instrumental in completing the car and without his mobile number and hundreds of text messsages, I don't know if I would have seen the car again.
Sam's been in touch with me a few times since the modification to follow up and ensure that I'm happy with the end product.
At this time, I have no complaints.
I enjoy driving the car as often as I can.
A co-worker of mine has a 2015 CTS-V.
Let's just say lunch time isn't the safest place to be on roads by our office.
If anyone would like to talk to me, IM me your email address and we can correspond directly via email. Good luck.

04-17-2015, 05:25 AM	#8 (permalink)
baddyb13 Base Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Michigan Posts: 2 Drives: 09 Nissan 370Z M6 Rep Power: 12	The photos of the car Sam posted above are mine. I don't post much but have monitored the trials and tribulations of GTM over the last year. I'm not going to use this forum to bash Sam, or anyone else associated with GTM. I'll simply share certain facts. I had spent considerable time researching which TT kit to have installed once I purchased my Z. I had visited GTM a couple years prior to see the shop, meet Sam and to get comfortable that GTM was in fact the right place to have the work completed. Once that comfort level was established, I had my car shipped to GTM in October 2013 from Michigan. I stayed in constant contact with Sam during the process. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an easy customer. I'm demanding, relentless, and need to be communicated with frequently. Initially I was told that the car would be done in approximately 4 weeks. I was hoping to put some miles on it before i had to store it for the winter. Sam convinced me to go with the new V3 kit. I was (and to a certain degree still am) concerned as I didn't want to be a guinea pig for new parts, etc. knowing that if something goes wrong the car would be in Michigan and GTM wasn't. As November & December came and went, I was promised that the car was coming along although I hadn't seen any pictures. Sam was usually accessible by email/phone but as the weeks went by I was getting less comfortable. By mid February, I hopped on a plane to pay Sam a visit. He knew I was coming and agreed to meet me on a Saturday morning. The car was in process but not nearly as far along as I was led to believe. I was told they needed another 4 weeks. Eric was the primary mechanic working on the car. 4 weeks later I told Sam I was on the way back to pick up the car. I arrived mid-march and the car wasn't ready. At this point, after monitoring the forum and all of the people who had fronted $ for the pre-sale TT kit, I was making contingency plans (i.e how i was going to get my car back, engaging counsel in California, etc.). I still continued to pester the hell out of Sam & Eric and essentially gave them an ultimatum. At the end of April 2014, the car arrived back in Michigan ready to go. I'm well aware that I'm one of the fortunate ones - for probably one of several reasons. The car is running 7 PSI and generating approx. 417 HP. If I turn the boost up to 11 PSI, it cranks out about 497 HP. This is per the dyno graph sent to me from GTM. If anyone wants to see it, please IM me with your email address and I'm happy to share it. I've put on nearly 4,000 miles since last year. In addition to the V3 kit, i had a Defi boost, oil temp and fuel pressure gauge installed in the factory locations. The workmanship was very professional and I haven't had a single issue with it. The car is fast as hell and is used as a daily driver. I'm still on the stock clutch but don't beat the crap out of the car. One thing I may consider down the line is GTM's traction control upgrade. The factory TC system can't handle the amount of power the car is making. I have brand new tires and can spin them in 3rd gear at 50 MPH on dry pavement - and that's on the low boost setting. From that perspective, you do need to learn throttle control. From what i read, i know people have had issues with cracked manifolds and as a result the car will run rich. I do get quite a bit of carbon out of the exahust but have had friends drive the car (while i followed behind) and have watched start up, acceleration and have never seen a change in exhaust color. For now I'll assume the excess carbon is a non-issue since it doesn't appear as if I'm burning oil or burning to rich. No issues with the O2 sensor or check engine light either. I'm not a mechanic. I just know enough to be dangerous as I've been modifying turbocharged cars for the last 25 years. I'm not suggesting anyone should trust GTM at this point. Sam will have to re-earn people's trust by doing the right thing for those that have been burned. I don't know if that's possible. That will be up to him. Eric was instrumental in completing the car and without his mobile number and hundreds of text messsages, I don't know if I would have seen the car again. Sam's been in touch with me a few times since the modification to follow up and ensure that I'm happy with the end product. At this time, I have no complaints. I enjoy driving the car as often as I can. A co-worker of mine has a 2015 CTS-V. Let's just say lunch time isn't the safest place to be on roads by our office. If anyone would like to talk to me, IM me your email address and we can correspond directly via email. Good luck. Last edited by Trips; 04-17-2015 at 06:11 AM.