Will an extra 20HP make the car "feel" different?
 

The guys at the local Nissan dealership said that, as long as they do the install, they could think of one engine boost that wouldn't violate the warranty... the Stillen Stage 3 intake. They said it was close to a 20HP gain for around $750 installed.

My question is how much of a difference this would make in the "feel" of the car. Back in the day, I had an old Porsche that was boosted from 140HP to 210HP (let's just say that the guy who built it was gifted beyond belief) and the 70HP gain turned it into a different car. However, that was a gain of 50%, so you'd expect it to make a difference. If my math is correct, I'd only be looking at a boost of about 6% on the 370Z.

Is this enough of a boost to at least throw me back in the seat a little more? I'm not expecting this to increase the 0-60 by half a second or anything, but it would be nice to feel a bit of a difference when I floor it from a dead stop.

You'll feel a bit, but $750 installed is a ripoff. DIY.

It's $550 list price according to Stillen's website, so there would be $100 an hour labor fees, which are pretty standard for authorized dealerships to the best of my knowledge.

I literally know nothing about engine work other than checking all of the fluids and belts and stuff after filling every tank, and DIY would violate my warranty. The $200 I save could quickly turn into a $2,000 repair if stuff goes south.

The short answer is yes, you'll notice it.

It will sound different, too. Louder. A little more racey. It won't be a "whole new car", though, so don't set your expectations too high. The engine won't feel as flat from 6,500 to 7,500 rpm.... it keeps pulling.

Do you guys think I should get something in writing from Nissan stating that my warranty isn't violated, or is this pretty standard?

get it in writing ^^ why take a chance..not all dealerships do this

20 rhp gain seat of the pants experience
 

I don't think 20 rwhp will be typically noticable in daily driving. It depends on increase in rwhp over the specific powerband that you may notice it IMHO and experience.

the sound is what you will really notice & for some, that's worth it alone

I keep hearing this more and more that the dealer will honor warranty with Stillen parts.... is this on a dealer by dealer basis or what?

Dealerships rip you off with adding modifications so I found out with my celica, (I had the 'hook ups' with the dealership so I seen what I would of got charged)

wow $200 to install?
just do it yourself ..i did
they should honor your warranty as long as it has nothing to do with the intake

Thanks for looking out for my wallet, but I seriously have no mechanical skills.

But for that $200, they'll honor the warranty even if it has to do with the intake. As I mentioned before, I'm not even close to a mechanic, but there are a lot of things that Nissan could claim were "caused" by an intake, aren't there?

Anyways, $200 isn't a huge amount when we're talking about a $40k+ car. Call it a one month insurance payment;).

From a price point perspective it is kind of over priced. A gain of 1 horsepower should average about $25 to $30 per horse. You would be paying approximately $37.50 per horse for this particular mod.

Some folks might not consider that to be too outragious but it is 20% above the average of what you should have to pay. As for the gain...it would be noticeable but not earthshaking. The mod would however prepare the way for doing a complete exhaust makeover.

Dealer by Dealer case. It really depends if your company wants to deal with aftermarket parts and installation; presonally I love it. Plus it can't void warranty unless it is a direct result of the installation of that part. Also, depends on how good of a relationship you have with Nissan and what business you send them, that will determine what goodwill Nissan will do for you. Hope that makes sense. I'm tired.