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.

You don't want this mod if you can't do the install. Why? Because in order for you to do the regular maintanence on these filters you have to remove the front bumper to get to the filters; the same as you would do for the install. So unless you plan to get rapped by the dealer everytime you need a filter cleaning I would say don't do this mod.

I wish we had more dealers like you around here in Houston :)

I don't...lol:rofl2:

Filters don't need maintanence until 50,000 miles.

Filter maintenance should be a non-issue. As well protected as the filters are behind the bumper, I'd wager they'll be just fine for a WHILE unless you drive around in the dust a lot.

Typically, you can't really FEEL a hp gain until its 7hp. Butt dyno won't detect any difference unless you gain at least 7hp. I'm sure you'll be able to feel 20hp. Just sayin...

Late,
Trav

I'm sure 20 hp will be noticeable.

I think that some people forget $200 dollars isn't the same to everyone :)

$200 dollars to me may be like $5 dollars to someone else.


Personally, I would do the install myself instead of spending 200 bucks...but I have friends who would gladly pay $200 dollars just not to get their hands dirty.

They say 10 hp is where you can feel a HP increase. I don't know where these guys had their asses calibrated, but I can't feel anything under 20.

Check the oil cooler thread, there was a lot of discussion (mostly from me) to where the Magnuson-Moss Act was suggested, specificaly where adding mods won't violate any warranty unless they can prove that the mods did the damage.

Also, something else - some dealers won't touch aftermarket parts. Mine, for example.

I'll have to find a mechanic that'll do it - I'm sure I can find one - when I had to have my truck worked on, I called a place and they said "bring us the parts, we'll put 'em on" :)

They got beat out by price by another guy...

"They" are trying to make money in an otherwise sh*tty economy. Research a bit more on this and other forums. Not only are there great DIY sections that will help out a tool challenged individual as yourself but there is also more accurate numbers concerning this particular addition.

Good luck and be smart.

I received an email directly from nissan advertising a few things. In that advertisement it included a link directly to Stillen with a picture of a 370Z.

Just put it in homey. My dealership honors warranty with intake and exhaust. Headers. Has to be done by them. As long as it bolts on. Most warranties can't void. But I just remembered the stage 3 intake involves cutting in an area u don't normally deal with when installing an intake. But I would just get it in there. Honestly if u spend 200 smacks on a chic u don't even kno to get laid at the end of the night.
Then I wouldn't se a problem spending the cash.
U can also get an ase certified mechanic of your own to do the job for 60 bucks as a side job. Then have him sign off on it with his ase#. And they would have to honor it.
The dealer can't force u 2 use there mechanic. The only law in warranty that work must be done by ase certified mechanics. That's it. Turbos superchargers and certain parts relating to these always void warranty for sure.

Click deeper into the price at Stillen, the Stillen Gen 3 is $421.85.

That is interesting, details pls?

Pm'd

Have you played with legos when you were young? Have you owned any cars before this? Can you assemble a chair following instructions?

If you answered yes to all three questions -then the install should be straight forward. As far as 200$ comment, it may be true, but you aren't quite a millionaire if you are 200 bucks short, are you?