Hey y'all,
I hope you don't mind me posting here. It's been quite sometime since I've been on this forum. Shot out to AK for locking my old account while I was in school. lol.
Why am I posting here? My350 has surely changed ALOT overtime since 08 up to now. It's flooded with non-sense and bashing other people etc. I loved the atmosphere I had here and still do to this day. Thank y'all for keeping it the way AK intended the forum to be. In addition, I've had the pleasure of meeting Hotrodz back when I was living in AZ. His car along with others (terrible one, DJ Todd, etc) have made me decide to get another Z considering the support for FI.
Prologue:
Without further ado, let me start from the beginning.
2010: To make a long story short, I wanted something with a manual transmission. I originally wanted an STI, but after doing a bit of research, I didn't want to deal with a car that could potentially be an issue in the future. Despite getting offered a great deal on a 2010 WRB GRB hatch (invoice/drive out), I declined. Next stop would be a 370.
I ended up searching for Zs. Went up to Gwinnett Nissan and found a new 09 Chicane Yellow 370. To this day, I'm jealous how updated the interior was compared to the 350s even on the Nismos. The dealer and I didn't agree on a price, but I was still on a hunt for a Z. I then discovered an oil temperature thread back on this forum. Unfortunately, I decided to hold off on the 370 till Nissan fixed the bugs. *Either way, I would have just gotten an oil cooler w/a thermos. sandwhich plate on the car and called it a day
This might be the part where I might get flamed. etc. lol Since I lived on the southside of town, I didn't find any 370s around the other Nissan dealerships here. What I did find was an 08 Nismo 350Z that had been sitting at this Nissan dealership for a bit of time. This was also the time that the 09 GTR R35s started popping up at dealerships (w/the stupid barricades around the car). I fell in love with the car and again didn't quite see eye to eye with the dealer. They wanted full sticker ($45k) with a $1k down payment. I said screw that. haha. Can't pull that $hi* on me.
A few days passed and they called up and wanted to get rid of the car. I couldn't pass up this deal (at invoice/drive out).
08 Nismo 350z/Chassis #1508:
2010-2014->It was mostly breaking the car in, service, and learning how to drive it. -Had about 9k-10k miles on it for those 4 years since I was in/out of state.
2015->Felt more comfortable with the car and no one had done a Tomei install at this new shop down in AZ. The owner used to work for National Speed and was familiar with the Nissan/Z platform.
Here are some pics.
->CD09 Transmission/CSC issues:
In the past, people have had issues with the 5th gear synchronizer. With a little more research, I had issues with the 2nd gear synchronizer. This wasn't just once, but twice. Luckily, I met someone, who helped me get this squared away before the warranty went out, back in AZ that is highly recognized in the R35 GTR service department in the U.S.
During the second replacement (@23k miles), I went ahead and refreshed the majority of the drivetrain system and components rather than wait till later. Through some more research, I came across ZSpeed and Joe was nothing but exceptional service and customer support. Knowing the warranty/service update on the 07 350s clutch slave cylinder, I decided to go ahead and ditch the OEM unit from the start. I had moments where I would need to retract the pedal back up with my foot. Here is what we decided on.
*Goal->reliability/heat tolerance/CSC preventative maintenance
-SouthBend Stage 2 Daily Clutch (mostly street use sprinkled in w/ some track use) [16-17k miles both street/highway/4 track days during AZ's 100+ degree heat; no changes noted/will continue to monitor]
-SouthBend Steel Race Flywheel (for heat management) [16-17k miles]
-Z Speed Heavy Duty Clutch Slave Cylinder [16-17k miles]
-Z Speed Wilwood Master Cylinder [17k miles]
-SS line wrapped w/Cool-It Themo-Tec [20k miles]
-Motul RBF 600/660
->Brake Refresh
-It was time to replace the front pads, but I went and decided to upgrade the brakes for track use. I called up Stillen and spoke with Adam. I decided and went for the DBA Club Spec 3000 Series Rotors front and rear paired with Ferodo DS2500 pads.
-Mini-Review (DBA rotors and Ferodo pads)
A.)Ferodo DS2500s
-To my surprise the pads were quiet like stock with slight noise
->Replaced with Carbotech XP10s fourth months after last track day.
-Why? I didn't like the amount of bite I was experiencing.
-Pros: Consistent even during extended use. They never lost bite.
-Cons: A bit abrasive towards to the rotors compared to my Carbotechs.
B.) DBA Club Spec 3000 Series Rotors
-Still running to this day. No issues to note. Very consistent and reliable.
-Pros: Very consistent. No signs of fatigue cracking. Red/Yellow/Green
paint markers to visualize heat ranges.
*One thing I've learned up to this point is to use the brakes LESS
and utilize the tires MORE. On the plus side, you can have brakes
that will last for awhile too, which can help with more
maintenance items in the future.
->2016
-During this year, I......
December->Car has been used a lot for daily commute so it has racked up some mileage. The only modification I added was an Uprev tune by Jon @ Z1 Motorsports.
---Current/2017
Sitting now at 39k miles.
Mods added:
Z1 Motorsports Brake Master Cylinder Brace w/Endless RF650 brake fluid
-Review will be up later on. Hands down added STIFFNESS and CONFIDENCE in the brake pedal modulation. I previously used Torque RT700, which lasted about 1 1/2 year with a few preventative bleeds. It was pretty much "like new" in terms of color.
I knew I was going to be running one more track event in AZ through NASA. So I decided to give the brake system a complete flush and bleed with the Endless fluid. The Torque RT700 was basically black coming out of the bleed nipple. At that point, I knew it was time to change. lol
April->So finally this was the month I would be able to enjoy my last track day in AZ.
The car was ready to go. I lived about 15 mins from WildHorse Pass where Bondurant established their racing school.
I pull up and see a silver Nismo 370 during tech inspection. Low and behold it had Fast Intentions decals on it with a sick *** NT03 square setup. I talked with the owner, who happened to be Hotrodz! This guy has to be one of the most down to earth individuals I've met. It must be a Z thaaannng. Anyhow, we chatted about our cars and I did not know how much history that car had. Considering the use, weather, and track conditions in AZ, I was very surprised how well his Nismo held up.
It felt pretty damn good to have another Z, yet alone a Nismo driving with me. I never had that happen before.
Driving with him was fun! He tried my line out and it seemed to work for him very well. I think he has a bit more room to push with those R888s.
Throughout the day, we both didn't have any issues. I think Hotrodz had a small sensor issue with the SRM. Both cars ran flawlessly in the 100+ heat.
Basically, after the day was finished. I had my heart set again on another Nismo, but this time with boost!
Thanks @Hotrodz for the show and tell!
Here are some pics, enjoy!
Tomei after daily use + AZ heat + Track days
Brake fluid temps
Hankook Ventus RS3s Ver.2 Front
Hankook Ventus RS3s Ver.2 Rear
Me actually being STOCK!
Hotrodz thinking he's STOCK!
To be continued........