Whats needed for TT Install?
 

Noobie member here. I'm planning to meet with AAM next week to discuss TT on my 09 base/manual. This car is bone stock, I'm trying to educate myself the best I can before meeting to attempt to grasp what I will need to make this transition. I know I will upgrade suspension over winter but am trying to take advantage of their scheduling so I know I'm probably doing this a bit backwards. From searching the forum I've kind of come up with my understanding, trying to differentiate between minimal must haves up front versus really should haves which I will do over the winter. This is my understanding, please help me fill in the voids.

Must Haves Upfront:
TT kit
Exhaust
Clutch/Flywheel/upgraded CSC
Tune/UpRev
Gauges/Controller (if I plan on leaving at low boost is this needed?)
Upgraded motor/tranny mounts

Over the winter after install:
Upgraded rear differential and mounting bushings
Suspension/tires

Trying to make this a stealth build so not planning on body kits, etc.

I apologize if this has been covered before, please excuse my ignorance!

Thanks!
Alan

I think you pretty much got all the necessities. I am actually running the OEM motor/tranny mounts as well as rear diff bushings... I won't bother to change them out until I need to.

Gauges are your preference... I actually ran gaugeless for a while and now I only have a boost gauge. I don't run a boost controller either... my kit has small internal wastegates and they are maxed out as it is. This really depends on your power goals.

You should definitely look into Ecutek over Uprev. It is far superior in every single way, aside from not being able to tune it yourself.... but of course that might be limited to what is available in your area. Making sure you pick a good tuner that has experience with this platform is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. SpecialtyZ does offer remote Ecutek tuning and some folks have gone with that option since he is a known commodity and has an excellent track record... But that process seems to take a long time.

One thing you may consider is putting the clutch/flywheel/CSC on first so you can break it in before the turbo kit... It could be challenging to tune if you are still in the breakin period.

Hope this helps! There is a lot of good information on the forum if you search around.

Edit: Forgot one thing! If the kit doesn't come with it, you'll probably need an oil cooler. I don't personally run one, but I run the Gamma oil pan which is a big aluminum heatsink and increases the capacity by a couple of quarts as well. No problems with it even in the florida heat, but I also do not track the car. I personally think this pan is a highly underutilized option... it also has TT oil return ports built in, and I don't need to fumble with oil cooler block off plates in the winter. The one drawback is that changing the oil filter is a little messy.

I have the aam tt kit and I live in Florida like the guy above. Oil cooler is a must and if you can spare the change go with an aftermarket radiator. Mishimoto makes a really nice aluminum radiator with a slightly larger capacity AND built in AC condenser. only 700 bucks, in my opinion totally worth it. Z's are infamous for running hot. One more thing you may have over looked, BRAKES! Make your car as fast as you want but if you can't stop you're in some real trouble hahaha


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Scratch the mishi off and get CSF 3x pass rad. I drag my car often enough often doing back to back to back to back runs with a short 10 minutes wait in line to run again. I don't ever see oil temp over 200*.

In addition, I would change the engine mounts out while you or the shop is in there. It will be the easiest time to do it.

YzGyz

Fuel return system

Several thousand dollars in reserve stashed away somewhere

This ^

Initial budget plus at least 50% to avoid having the car broken and in the shop for a year - not sure of the quote you currently have, but figure on +50% for "other stuff".

And repeat after me .... a rough rule of thumb is $1K per PSI of boost up to 10psi and $2K for each additional PSI above 10.

Oil cooler is a must have. Diff bushings are a must. Budget for 20 to 25k. Aftermarket radiator is not needed. Ecutek is preferred for tuning.

$20-25k? Ouch? I keep hearing that number and for only 5-600hp, that's pretty sad :(. I think swapping in a 2J or RB or really any other motor with the same number goals would be far more reliable while also being much more economic. Yes I know, there's millions of other threads for this so don't waste your breath debating it with me but man, the premium prices for such low returns are crazy on this platform..

Maybe I am naive, but I think that number is a little out of sorts and very much depends on your power goals and how much labor you are supplying yourself.

I have less than 10k invested in going TT and that includes the $400 in labor for farming out my clutch/flywheel/CSC installation.. I did the rest of it on my own.

That being said.. if I wanted to go to the next level in power it would come with a pretty hefty price tag.

If you keep things basic and only want 500whp, it can be done for a reasonable price.

I agree^^. I would be the only one to physically turn the wrench on my car, I've just always been that way. For me, the only thing I would pay for help with is the tune, I wouldn't know where to begin lol. So to budget for a turbo kit and tune I could easily aim for around $10-12k after random side pieces and road blocks, even then I hope for less being a rear mounted setup.

If you're talking to AAM I'd say have them package the kit and install/tune. That way all you do is pay and enjoy. If you're feeling adventurous then buy the kit and install it yourself. Caveat to that is that you're shaking down your own work. I have Uprev but I agree that if this is your first you're better off with Ecutek. Word of advice: If you get a boost controller nake damned sure that the installer and the tuner are familiar with it. That sh*t is expensive. And the best advice in this post is to set aside 50% of the build cost for "situations". Boosted people problems.

Are you opposed to a single turbo kit? Boosted Performance offers a twin-scroll single turbo kit that's around $7,700 for the turn-key kit. It's supposed to be one of the easiest turbo installs for our cars, and it has very similar performance gains to a TT set-up.

So what's the benefit of going twin turbo vs single turbo? I know there's a thread talking about each, but I still don't know what you gain by adding that extra turbo. Is it power sooner in the rpm band?

Also, LOL at the guys complaining about *just* 500-600hp. Keep in mind the base car only weighs 3250 lbs... that's a lot of power for a light car. I can't even imagine why you'd go higher than that. Unless of course, you have no need for traction. I can't imagine a 600hp Z being butt loads faster than an 800hp one.

You get faster spool by bringing the turbos much closer to the exhaust ports and you keep exhaust pulses from colliding with one another... but there are a lot of great builds using the BP kit these days and it looks like they build boost pretty fast to me.. he uses a twin scroll turbo so it eliminates the exhaust pulse issue.

One potential downside of the BP design is the turbo sits low and is at slightly more risk of getting hit by something and you probably couldnt drive through minor flooding - I am only speculating here though.

Other than that... the twins are more expensive, complex, and laborious to install.

Both types of kits have pros and cons... I love my twin turbos and I got a crazy good deal on my kit... But if I was weighing my options now it would be pretty tough not to get a BP kit.

You can definitely get boosted for $10k or even less for that matter. Being boosted is one thing. How will you use the power is another. Making 1000hp means nothing if it took 6 straps on the dyno and 3 big guys in the trunk for the car to get enough traction on the rollers to read correctly.

Then there is the question of how are you going to use said power once you can lay it Shen. Are you going in strait lines while rolling? Dead stop? Hitting Twisties? Big sweepers or tight turns?

Adding power to the power plant is one thing. How are you going to use said power and in what fashion is another. This is where all the other $$$ add VB up. Anyone but following my build thread can easily see what it takes. I probably spent $3k on top of my list on things or services but don't feel like adding it.

Then people also forget to add in the time that they spent working on the project. I have spent so much time wrenching be it's ridiculous. My siblings call my car the flying car. Three power is fun but there is always that Little bit of paranoia that something can and will go wrong so that's why I keep messing with the car. There is also that voice that tells you "hey, you already spent $xxxxx and only this great. Another $xxxx more and it will but that much better."

YzGyz

FI Full Turbo Kit (optional)Larger Housing-External Waste gates
34 Row Oil Cooler With blockoff plate
AFR/Boost/Oil Psi Guages & Pods
Motor and Diff mounts
Exhaust 3" 3" tubing all the way
(Optional) CSF Radiator and Upgrade fan
Misc Fluids and Materials Oil and Coolant
Software and Tuning EcuTek or Uprev
(Optional) Turbo and Exhaust Wrap Intercooler thermal coating

Tires Brakes
Steel Braided Brake Lines
Brake Pads XP10 Front XP8 Rear
Brake Fluid RBF600
Rotors Z1 Slotted
Tires 275/35 305/30 RE11

Zspeed Clutch, Flywheel, Elimination Nismo pilot bushing
Quafe Limited Slip Differential
Fluids, oils Clutch, Transmission, and Diff

Suspension
KW V3
Hotchkiss Sway Bars Front Only

Misc
CJM Fuel Starvation Fix Kit
Other Fluids Water Wetter and PS Fluid

This is a short list I put together of what I felt was needed to make useful and safe power. Useful and safe because spinning your wheel(open diff) or wheels(crappy rubber) or your clutch just wastes money. And because you can get to much higher speeds much faster being able to stop faster is important as well. Tires and brakes will add nearly 2k if not more to your costs.

While you can do FI for 10K at that point it's more for show then go.

L O L all you want but nowadays 600hp is the new 250hp, not to mention that's about where our motors go. Its just not enough to play with the grown ups around here. So again, $10k or less sounds good for those numbers but, anything over that you are far better off swapping a more proven platform.

Yes, but besides bragging rights ("my car puts down eleventy billion hp") you aren't going any much faster. Because physics. So while 600hp might be the new 250hp, all you're really doing is spending more money to go beyond that.

Thank you all for the GREAT info. My plan is to have AAM do the install and tuning, just by dumb luck I'm 15 minutes away. I honestly would be ecstatic to have 500 HP, I know turbo's are addictive..but I just want to get the power then concentrate on handling, wheels, tires, etc. in stages. I'd like to do some track days and rest of the time driving curvy roads. I've always liked lower end pull versus redline power, my searching suggested that TT favored a broader spread of power compared to a single turbo hitting harder and up high?

I also really want to stay within the safe perimeters of the stock motor, from what I've read with the correct "supporting mods" (gotta love that phrase) I shouldn't have any grenade issues. Please school me on anything I've misread, misinterpreted or am just plain wrong..I'm a performance bike guy with a fragged back and seeking to emulate as much as possible the power hit and enjoyment good HP exudes!

Alan

FWIW, based on most of the builds on here, the stock motor is good to about 450 ft/lbs torque. Once you go past that, you run a much higher risk of blowing something in the motor.

If u want more bang for buck feed the cat corn. You get big ## at the low cost of a few grand. Lol. Bigger injectors, bigger fuel pump. Maybe a fuel return depending on how much ## but it's a big step VB power wise.

And for what its worth, the bike rush is 2x more exhilarating than the car rush. At least it is in my experience.

YzGyz

Very true but that's a whole different discussion lol

Actually the stock block can handle another 100 ft/lbs and be safe on e85 or 100 octane. Before I switched to e85 my numbers on 100 octane were 556whp and 552tq. :p

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I met with AAM today. They showed me the shop, the different workstations (mandrel bending, tig welding and other fabbing and dyno.) They also showed me some customer cars ranging form 370'z to GTR's. MIke and Tyler then set down with me and went over a detailed list, I'll post the write up in a bit. Overall I was very impressed with the shop and quality of components they build in house. Bottom line we're talking right around $15,000 w/ labor for 500HP with a 1 to 2 week turnaround. Since they more or less center all their focus on the 370, GTR and Infinity they have the process down to a science. Its looking very promising to me.

One question I forgot to ask, whats the deal with emissions? They are installing their 3" true duals and I'm not sure if they have catalysts or not. Of course I'll ask them but in the meantime thought I would ask for members experience dealing with the government moneymaker. I know a friend of mine has a Miata with an LS1 and he does some tuning wizardry to make it pass without removing any hard parts.

I have there twin turbo kit with the 3 inch true duals. I couldn't see it passing emissions. Their down pipes get rid of the cats all together.


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with the upgrades that you initially listed,,,I'm with Spooler 20-25
Gotta have a strong foundation,,,I only have exhaust,cai,helical diff locker w/new bearings & bushings,camber arms & tune....4500+ and i installed all the stuff -Dyno tune.
Do it right the 1st time....just be ready to turn those $$$$$ loose!

My cost were near about $17K for everything three years ago and I had a few discounts as well. If you are looking to flex fuel cost is going to be about $22K.

What are you guys who have to go through emissions doing to pass? I've posed this to AAM but haven't heard back yet. In my mind if I got the 3" true duals with test pipe sections I would think I could drop cats in (and a retune) at emissions time.

It depends on the state. Some states will be ok if you just don't have any CELs. Others make you jump through a lot of hoops. Maybe post that question in your local subforum?

Well I dropped my car off this morning at AAM for TT install, very excited needless to say. Likely be there about 2 weeks, their tuner is at SEMA which may add a few additional days. I've asked that they forward me some progress pics which I will share as they come to me.

Alan

Build List

TT Kit
Injectors
Fuel Pump
Oil, Coolant, AC recharge, alignment, Motul RBF 600
Comp Clutch 3 puck ceramic
3" true duals
Heavy Duty CSC

You're missing the flywheel, gauges, boost controller, oil cooler (if not part of the kit), radiator, and GTR plugs.

^ Don't see an LSD (Quaife, etc.) on your list. You will really need both back tires to get all that power to the road. That was the FIRST mod I did, along with a better clutch, before the TT.

--ZOM

Plus, you need to install the clutch before the kit, so it can be broken in before dyno tuning.

Also needed is a rear differential bushing kit and fuel return system. A LSD is not needed but will improve performance significantly.

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The things listed above are on your must have list in the very near future but at a minimum you need to talk to them about what boost controller they're familiar with and prefer and also get some aftermarket motormounts and a trans mount to them while the motor is out. If you don't have the ability then also take them some diff bushings since the car will be sitting anyway.

Thank you all for the additional comments. Yes, lightened flywheel and oil cooler are on the list. Since we're going into cooler weather I'm hoping to get away with stock radiator for a few months until spring. The electronics is another area I have no knowledge base on, for the time being I just want them to set it and forget it..in other words I don't want to tempted by a boost knob right away and do something stupid. Do I really need to have additional gauges, etc. right off the bat?

Whats needed for TT Install?
 

Absolutely. A boost and afr gauge are crucial to make sure your car is running right. And you might not make the power you're paying for without a boost controller.

And waiting to do the radiator just means you'll pay a good chunk of the labor twice. They have to take off most of the front end to install the kit, so the radiator is an easy add. Once everything is buttoned up, it's not so easy.