New guy, moving from an S4 to 370z?

mr_sk

Hey,

I currently have a B6 S4 ('04) with slight mods (exhaust, ECU, etc) but I find reliability and costs a bit much for my tastes for that car. I'm wondering if a new 370z would be a better platform for me.

Ideally I was going to invest ~7.5K of performance mods in the S4, but after about 2k in performance mods I've paid twice that in maintenance and other issues. Overall, the car is really pricey to keep running. And, I'm having no luck finding a solid aftermarket warranty for it. Also, I have some electrical gremlins that 3x mechanics are unable to solve.

In '05 I bought an STi '04 and I loved it. Tuned it lightly to "stage 2", about 320whp dyno'd. Great car.

I'm wondering if the Z would be a solid platform for tuning. I havent' done a ton of research yet, so if you can point me to solid threads or urls, I'm more than happy to read them.

Some of the first things I'm looking for is the typical failure list and shopping list when buying a new Z. I'm also concerned with best bang for buck performance mods.

I saw this thread: FAQ: Please read this before asking a 370Z related question but it doesn't list the information I want to know ; typical failures, recalls, best tuning shops/on-line resources, etc.

I'm also looking at a new STi, but I'd like to try a Nissan as a GT-R is my longer term goal and this is as close as I can get for now, heh.

My other question is: Better to go w/the base model and tune it, or get the best model I can afford from the factory?

TIA.

buddahson

Welcome,
I'll try to help as best I can. There's not much concern for failures or recalls at this point. A very small number of Z's have oil consumption issues. Also, there are issues with oil temps. If you spend much time on the track or are in a hot environment look into an oil cooler. They are only about $600 on the high end.

Where tuning is concerned you have a lot of options with varying results. You can stick to an NA build for minimal cost without adding any reliability issues. Typical mods are Cold air intake, high flow cats, test pipes or long tube headers, and a cat back exhaust. Generally speaking the first of those mods will net you ~15hp and additional mods will net an additional 6hp each. An uprev tune will help you get the most out of it but all told you're probably looking at a gain of 30hp to the wheels.

The second option is go FI where you have several options. On paper I like the offerings from GTM which includes both stage 1 and 2 Twin Turbos or Supercharger. These require a few supporting mods and can be really expensive. They can also put you in the 500hp / 400tq range. Reliability with these has yet to be determined. There just isn't enough information from long term use.

There are also many exterior, suspension, brake, and wheel options to look into.

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Thanks for the sig EazyD.

mr_sk

Hey buddahson,

Thanks for all the feedback. So the NA route you can get roughly 30whp for what, I'm guessing those mods are about 5k?

The FI route, that's a thought. As this isn't my DD (NYC), I could go that route, I guess reliability and cost (and finding a good tuner in the NY area) would be major issues. Also, I'm assuming FI would totally render the warranty void.

My next question/thought is about the 40k 370z on the Nissan website, listed at 350hp with the 19" rims and all sorts of performance goodies. For about 7K over the base model, that seems like a really good deal (350hp, 19" rims, body styling, brakes, etc).

If I get a base model at 33k and put another 5k at 38k, I still don't have rims or upgraded brakes, etc, etc.

Thoughts?

ClemsonWill

If you are thinking about the Nismo and modding, it's probably only worth it if you like the styling significantly more than the base model. The base plus sport comes with 19" (although slightly smaller in width), upgraded brakes, upgraded diff, etc. With full bolts ons and tune you will be well over 350 hp even on a base. You should go test drive one and see if you like it.

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mr_sk

Hey ClemsonWill,

I'm heading over there tonight. I'm not sure if they have a Nismo though, they seemed to only have base model when I called.

Good points. Thanks.

ClemsonWill

Definitely let us know how you like it. Hopefully they have at least a sport for you to drive.

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fuct

dont get a nismo, they suck!

mr_sk

I don't think they have a sport either. That is what I originally requested. I think just base model (for the time being). Will be nice to drive one either way.

Heh, ok. One thing that does "suck" is that you don't get to control the tuning process as much if you go into the Nismo. Tuning to me, and the originality, is probably one of the best things about tuning cars. For sure, unless I happen to fall in love w/the Nismo, I wouldn't get it. The styling is OK, but it's not how I invision my 370z.

The Nismo does have a nice HP jump though over base and the rims and brakes are nice.

heheh. I want to drive on though!

mr_sk

So ...

After a bunch of back and forth emails, I show up and they have no Zs. They said they can't get them. Ha...so like why not tell me that over the phone. They said they had base models, but what they MEANT to say was, they can order me a base model.

Well, I'm not buying a car I can't at least drive. So, I'll have to look in the NY area for a forum member that wouldn't mind letting me have a ride in their Z.

Anways, I chatted with them for a bit. They can possibly order me a white or black manual transmission base model. No way to get the Sport or anything else.

They said, any aftermarket tuning will void the warranty - unless I get Nismo items and have them install it.

Overall, to be, this sounds like the wrong platform for me to be tuning. Why am I going to pay 35K for a car, dump a bunch of money into it only to lose my warranty...doesn't make sense.

Though, they said I can get rims. haha. Thanks guys.
So, overall, pretty shitty experience at the Nissan dealer.

They also tried the get it now before it's too late we can't find another Z tactic...

Justin1686

S4 is a great car, my friend has on 07, loooots of work done to it, and another friend who has a '10 rs4.

The Z is different. My friend with the S4 loves being in my car, we went to an audi meet in Baldwin one nite, and everyone was looking at my car, not my friends cars.

Back to your original question though. I'd easily recommend the Sport package. Base or Touring is up to you if you care about the other ammenities, but the Sport is easily worth the cash to me. I don't think the Nismo is worth it though.

As for mods, I agree with everyone else pretty much, NA, cold air intake, long tube headers or high flow cats, an exhaust, and a tune and you'd be good. for suspension, sways and either springs or coils, other mods depend on what you really want/need.

As for a tuner, Performance Motorsports, which if you look in the North East section on the forum, you'll see they are one of the top tuners in the country, there is also VinnyTen Racing.

Dealers, Koepel Nissan in Queens is/used to be a forum sponsor, you might want to search for them on the forum, or stop by there, i dont remember off the top of my head who you'd want to speak with.

Good Luck!

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2009 Touring & Sport Package || Platinum Graphite || 40% 3M Tint || Xpel Clear Bra || Berk CBE || Berk HFC || Stillen Sway Bar || H&R Spacers || Swift Springs || SPC Rear Camber Kit || Thanks to Savage Autosports, VTR, PM, and R.A.D.

mr_sk

Hey Justin,

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah S4 is great, and I'd love a new one, but at like 50k+ ... I can't see the sense in breaking the 50k wall for a car. At this point in my life, even if I could/can swing it. Anyways...

Yeah the mod list looks pretty good. I think I'm down with all of those.

The real question I have is, how are people handling warranties w/those mods? Judging by what the dealer said in Brooklyn, I don't see how anyone can mod a damn thing and still retain a warranty.

I just reached out to Koepel Nissan, thanks.

I'm going to continue searching around, thanks.

johnny_domino

Mr. sk,

That is very ironic that the first time I search for a 370z forum because I am considering buyng one, I find this. I too have a B6 S4 2004. I can agree with you 100% that it is a very pricey car to maintain, that is the main reason I want to dump mine. Not to mention the gas milage is horrendous.

I had a 350z before my S4, and it was an awesome car. I had all performance mods done to it, coil overs, intake, header, DPs, CB exhaust, upgraded plenum, UD pulley, 19" rays Nismos 5 spokes, and at the very end of it's life, 100 shot of nitrous. I would have to say, if the 350z was as good as it was, coming from an s4 to the upgrade version of it, it would be a good move. Maintenance was minimal compared to the S4. 60 per year for oil changes, and that's about it, compared to the S4s $120 10 quart oil changes 3 times a year.

My 350z kicked ***, that's why I am going back to the 370z.

P.S. - the only reason why I don't have the 350z is because someone hit me and totaled the car. RIP.

P.S.S. - I have been on car forums for every car that I have owned, and the people that belong to AudiZine all seem to be dickheads. My350z and this forum seem to be very humble, this thread is a good example.

mr_sk

Hey johnny_domino,

Small world man. Yeah I'm on AudiZine a lot and, maybe it's because the B6 has been around for while people get sick of hearing/reading the same questions over and over, or whatever the reason is, but yeah there is an undercurrent of outright rudeness on Audizine, which is a shame, because there are a number of awesome people as well on there.

When I used to own my STi, the iwsti forums were/are a great place. That's another pretty solid forum.

Anways, bummed to hear about your prior 350z ... better luck w/the new 370z. Your 350z sounded MEAN!

I mean, sure, maybe the 370 won't have the same subtle touches the B6 has in craftsmanship (Audi's do have some of the nicest interiors, IMO), but I don't care all that much. I just want something that looks cool (The 370 looks cool to me) and is a blast to drive, reliable, and a good tuning platform.

My big unknown is the entire warranty / moding conflict. I've still got to get a better understanding of if I have wiggle room on this or not.

Yeah, gas is awful on the V8 - I've got an APR tune, which made my has mileage even worse! heh.

PS: I also went ahead and reached out to VinnyTen to get an idea on mods and warranty. Hopefully (being not to far from me in NY) then can shed some light and if I end up getting a Z, I'll need a tuner...so might as well start the search now, heh.

Thanks for the feedback man, good luck on your Z search!

AlphaSnacks

Modding your 370Z will not void crap. Replacing the exhaust doesn't void anything. I believe even replacing the cats doesn't void the warranty. Plus, Magnusson-Moss act says that dealer has to prove that failure of the car was performed by the mods. It's only if you touch the motor or transmission, like turbo it, supercharge it, cams, clutch, flywheel, pulleys, etc. that you run a huge risk of warranty issues if the issue is mechanical.

Otherwise, general bolt-ons and a tune won't give you any troubles. You can easily gain 30-40WHP with just bolt ons, and no it won't cost you anywhere near $5K - more like ~$2K. $1000 for exhaust . $200-500 for cat delete (depending on test pipes, HFCs, or ART Pipes), $500 for complete dyno tune, and about $150-450 for intakes (which are worthless on our cars, IMO).

FL 4Motion

/\ your fear about warrantee issues, while def a valid one, is something that really will/can vary from dealership to dealership. I've got no issues at my dealership in FL that I go to and I've cultivated a very "cozy" relationship with the GM, mechanic, even got to know the owner a bit etc.

Just to give you an idea as far as modding potential, I baseline dynoed stock at 296 whp. After installing the long tube headers and exhaust (no tune or anything else) and redynoed a month or two later and got 326 whp. So +30 whp with full exhaust mods from the block back and total cost for parts was around $2900ish. I've since added drop ins and a tune but haven't had a chance to go redyno at the same place I always go (like to use the same dyno so the comparos are more valid).

I think the 370z is a very fun car with decent potential for mods and won't break the bank doing them either. It gets decent gas mileage and looks great.