Shaggy370Z's Magnetic Black 2014
 

So I have been lurking and reading up on the forums for a bit and figured it was time to make my first post. I purchased my 2014 Magnetic Black 370Z about 3 months ago. I absolutely love the car so far, its a blast to drive. I got a few things done to the car so far and today I put on the new rims and tires and figured I would post up some pics. I keep saying that I don't have plans to do more but that's usually how it all starts. lol I have been looking at Supercharger and turbo kits so its only a matter of time. :driving:


http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487022075

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487022075

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487022075



Thanks for looking!!!

-Shaggy

Last week I installed the Top Speed Pro-1 catback exhaust system, Top Speed Pro-1 Carbon Fiber (100% real carbon fiber piping) Short Ram Intakes, and a TollBoothWilley Aluminum Undertray.


The Aodhan's are 19 x 9.5" Front and 19 x 11" Rear +22 offset front/rear. Tire sizes are 255/40R19 front and 285/35R19 rear. I will eventually go with a wider rear tire in the future but for now I am happy with the 285's other than the tiny bit of stretch. I wanted to see how the Firestone FireHawk Indy500's ride and handle on the car and the maximum width in 19" was 285. So far I really like the tires. They ride and handle a lot better than the Michelin PS3's that were on the car when I got it, they actually have chunks missing in some of the middle treads.

Looking good man! Could use a bit more tire on those rears, but that's just me. Careful if you're on the path to forced induction don't get too far down the bolt on road. Much cheaper in the long run to ski most of the bolt ons if you are serious about FI except for the ones that will still work when the big swap comes in.

Keep it up :tup:

Looks good and the mods are nice. How do you like the short ram intakes? Take some pictures and post them up. :tup:

Congrats and welcome to the family!

Thanks for posting!! I agree, I am definitely going to go wider in the rear soon. I should have went with 305's for sure. Yeah so far I am not too far into bolt on mods only other thing I may do before pulling the trigger on FI is an ECUTek flash by SpecialyZ. Good thing is that wont be money wasted since its the best option for tuning for the Z so far.


So far they work great. I really like the fact that its real carbon fiber and they look great under the hood. Only thing I wasn't really happy with was the hoses for the PCV weren't anywhere close to being long enough so I had to rig up some hoses and connectors to make it work. I am going to either purchase a catch can setup, if I can find one that isn't $600, or find some silicon hose that will work. I will definitely take some pics and post them up soon.


Thanks for stopping in and posting!!! :hello::tiphat:

Good call on Ecutek

There are many catch cans around $100 or so

Yeah I have seen the universal ones but I am not a huge fan. I ran one on my Legacy GT for a short period of time and it didn't work so well. Ended up with a Crawford Performance catch can setup that was a bit expensive (Not $600) but it actually returned the oil to the motor and looked great as well. I am going to email Saikou Michi and see if they still offer a kit for the 370z.

What catch can setup are you running? I saw you started a thread on them but I didn't see where you said what setup you decided on.

How does a catch can return oil to the motor, doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose? The oil that gets collected is not pure oil by a long shot. Personally I wouldn't want it anywhere near my motor hence the catch can in the first place. Nearly all catch cans are universal, though the better ones will guarantee no unmetered air back into the engine.

https://conceptzperformance.com/p2m-...cc_p_23104.php

It has to do with the way they designed the catch can but it returns oil to the center of the block. Here is the link with their explanation of the design. The Original Air/Oil Separator – Crawford Performance . It worked well on my Subaru but I was also running a rotated mount GT35R setup so a catch can was required.

I like that one from ConceptZPerformance. That's most likely the ones I will go with. Thanks for the link!!

Couple of pics I took of the intakes a couple of weeks ago. The engine bay shot turned out crappy, ill get some better pics as soon as the weather clears up.


http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487448058


http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487448058



-Shaggy

Well I decided to go with UpRev for tuning since I got a really good deal on a new unit and I can do my own tuning (its the Tuner Version) since there are not any tuners for ECUTek or UpRev close by.

I also ordered some Z1 Motorsports intake breather hoses since the stock ones wouldn't work with my SRIs and the hoses they sent weren't even close to long enough. I got black since the red hose I am using now stands out like a sore thumb.

Next up will be an oil cooler setup to keep my oil temps down when it gets hot this summer.

No Z1 breather tubes yet but I did take some pics under the hood today.


http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487807117

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487807117

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487807117

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487807117

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1487807117

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Got my UpRev Tuner in today. Got the car flashed no problem. Also got the fuel dialed in pretty well so far and the car runs so much better than before the tune. It pulls hard up top where it felt flat too me, after data logging on the stock map I immediately saw the reason why. I need to get a knock headset setup and a couple others tools and I will start working on the timing maps. Definitely worth the money, might not be as good as ECUTek but atleast I can make adjustments myself.

Well after a lot of thought and attempts to make them work I have decided to pull the Top Speed intakes off and put my stock air boxes back on. I decided on this for a few reasons. I wasn't a huge fan of them being carbon fiber inside and out, the inside looked kind of rough so I wasn't really sure how well they would perform. I had no idea that they were made completely of carbon fiber I assumed they were aluminum tubing with carbon fiber layed on top, they also didn't show or describe the insides. They look good but will crack a lot easier than normal aluminum piping intakes. And I haven't found a way to set them up using the breathers which means spending more money on catch cans and hoses. I tried the Z1 hoses and that was an absolute waste of money because trimmed or untrimmed they don't work with these intakes.

I have been wanting to put the stock air boxes back on for awhile because when I had just the exhaust installed the car felt more alive. The hold up has been the fact that I made the mistake of cutting up the stock breather hose so I wasn't sure I could find a replacement without buying the intakes like everyone has posted. I did find a place that sells the breather hoses and parts separately so I ordered a new one and as soon as it arrives I will be reinstalling the air boxes for now.

I am still very happy with the Top Speed exhaust. Its loud when WOT but just cruising it is just slightly louder than stock and no drone on the highway.

Got the breather hose in today, super fast shipping from nissanpartsdeal.com. Stock air boxes are back on the car, atleast until I decide on what intake setup I want to run if any. Ive considered just getting the silicon post maf tubes and high flow panel filters.

Next mods will be a 24row oil cooler and ZSpeed's CSC elimination kit.

The car definitely has more torque with the stock air boxes. Definitely thinking the post maf hoses will allow it to breath a bit easier by eliminating the resonators on the stock hoses. Still not sure what filters, I was thinking AFE or HKS since both have good reviews.

Been thinking it may be a good idea to pick up some upgraded engine and tranny mounts because the stock ones seem too soft. I definitely don't want a lot of drivetrain vibration so I am open to suggestions on which mounts to get. The only ones I have seen since I have been looking are the Z1 adjustable mounts.

Should be ordering the ZSpeed CMAK elimination kit next week. I am also considering replacing the clutch while I am in there too. Been trying to decided between ZSpeed's Stage 2 Street HD Quiet and the Stage 3 Super Street clutch. I need something that can handle the power output of a supercharger kit (Either RJM or Stillen). I do not want to run a puck clutch disc unless its the only option.

You probably are better with the stock boxes in there than the shorty pipes. Like you said just go with a drop in filter for now and call it a day.

I think you're a ways off from needing motormounts - besides the more the solid they are the more vibrations etc will transfer, so I'm not sure you'd be doing yourself any favors.

Good call on the CMAK. If you're considering a streetable clutch that will holdout with Boost look at SouthBend stage 3 street.

Yeah I am happy with the stock air boxes being back on. Its obvious that there isn't much room for improvement and I am not big on having the filters up front or down low since it can rain a good bit here. That and the road here are dirty so I would be taking the bumper off once a month. lol

As for motor mounts I think you're right I believe what I am trying to eliminate would be accomplished with coil overs. I don't like the body lift on acceleration. I want to eliminate any weak points on the car so I am not so paranoid when driving it hard. Replacing the clutch and installing the CMAK will be a big relief for me.

Yeah I have looked at SouthBend clutches before. I like that with the ZSpeed Clutch kits they offer QUIET clutch options because even the stock clutch in the Z is loud in a bad way. lol Mine makes noise when the clutch is engaged and disengaged. That's what got me thinking that I better replace the clutch at the same time I remove the stupid CSC. There are definitely more reviews on the Southbend clutches so I may go that route.

So I decided against the HKS drop in filters after I read that they aren't meant for street use and don't filter well. I decided on the R2C Black Hex drop in filters. From what I have read they are one of the best. I looked at AFE, Cosworth, and K&N replacement fiters. The Cosworth filters looked like the OEM filters I have in the car now. AFE was my top choice until I found out that R2C still offers drop in filters for the 370. I didn't want K&N because of how much oil they come coated with.

Also ordered some Muteki SR35 lug nuts and a Tomei Oil Cap. Ill post pics of how the new lug nuts look. I am kind of curious to see how the neo chrome looks on the back rims. Ive got a couple sets of black lugs I have been running so I wanted to try something different.

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-153422919...544-370z-3.gif

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-1534229...2272_298249442

https://www.z1motorsports.com/images...lcappiston.jpg

So I ended up ordering a set of post maf silicon hoses from Concept Z Performance. I was going to wait and see how the filters did on their own but I knew I would have bought the hoses eventually anyways. I will post up pics when I get them installed, I ordered the black hoses as I am not a big fan of the red or blue. I've got t-bolt clamps in my tool box that will be going on with it as well.

Pretty sure I am done ordering parts until I am ready to order the clutch and ZSpeed CMAK kit. I have been trying to find a transmission mount and it looks like Z1 is the only one that offers a mount. Is there another company that also makes a transmission mount?


https://conceptzperformance.com/imag...ubes/img/1.jpg

Got the Muteki SR35 lug nuts in today and on the car. They look pretty good with my black wheels, can't wait to see them in the sun. Also got the Romeo oil cap in, it is very high quality and looks great in the engine bay. I will post the pictures I took with my Nikon tomorrow. Since I finally found my camera I am going to take some better pics of the car soon too.

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1490356163

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1490356163

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1490356163

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1490356163

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1490356163

I can't wait to get back into those kind of mods. :yup:

You need some VRT for those poor tires!

Adam's 16oz VRT Tire Dressing | Super VRT | Trim & Tire Shine

My general rule is tires must be darker than wheels no matter with, or at least strive for it when you've got uber black wheels like those. They look so dirty otherwise, even when they aren't necessarily.

I have been doing the small stuff to get my mod fix while I save up for the bigger parts. lol

Yeah they look a bit ruff. I sprayed the tires and cleaned the rims again after I took that pic. I didn't know they had water spots that bad or the tires looked dry until the cameras flash lit them up. lol

I may order some of that VRT though cause I don't mine having the tires shine as long as the stuff doesn't sling all over the side of my car or attract dirt. Most of the places here use some kind of grease crap that I hate, when I got the car it had the crap on the tires and I was constantly cleaning grease spots off the side.

I definitely need to find a good wheel cleaner product to use. I have been a bit leery since the OEM wheels that came on the car have what looks like the clear coat on the wheel flaking off. So I can only assume that at some point someone used a very aggressive cleaner on the wheels unless the flaking is normal for the wheels or I got a bad set.

Anyone have some suggestions? What about Ceramic coating?

Making progress. Nice

Thanks TerribleOne!! Appreciate you dropping by. Ive only had the car for about 5 months now so I am getting there. Hopefully I will have the supercharger setup on by the end of the year. That's the goal anyways.

Had a chance to actually push the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires today. They definitely grip a lot better than the tires the car came with (Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+). They handle curves better, they have a lot more grip, and they are ALOT quieter. I feel they would make a pretty decent auto-x tire.

Got the R2C filters in Friday and the CZP Silicon Post MAF hoses came in yesterday. The hoses are very high quality, definitely well worth the price. Main reason I went with CZP is because there are no logos printed on them. Install was a breeze, only challenge was getting the air box in since the hoses are so stiff they don't have much give. No modification or trimming required either. I will get some pics up soon, I need to wipe them down first.

So far I noticed right off the bat that my exhaust got quieter. I thought it was just me when I thought the stock hoses and air boxes made the exhaust louder. No noise from the intakes but the exhaust is definitely noticeably quieter. I still need to take it out on the highway to see how she does. I also need to datalog and readjust the tune.

It's amazing how little changes to the air intakes can affect the exhaust level. I was really surprised at that. Sounds like things are coming along nicely :tup:

Yeah it definitely made me wonder if it was just me until it changed again after adding the post MAF hoses. I need to get it out one night for some test runs too see what improvements I need to make to the tune. Thanks!!!

Its getting there slowly. lol I have to keep reminding myself I still have some things to improve on this car before I pull the trigger for the Supercharger kit. Ive been real close to buying the kit already when I come across a really good deal on it.

Got my detailing supplies from Chemical Guys in yesterday. Looking forward to using it on the Z to keep her looking like new for the next several years. Should be able to test it all out this weekend hopefully.



http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1491482469

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1491482469




I will be doing a lot of mods to the car this year. I've gotten a lot of job offers since selling my shop and the one I will probably accept will give me complete access to a shop and paint booth. :driving:

Well since the weather has been shitty here the past few days I haven't had a chance to wash the Z yet. I am going to put it on the lift today and put the stock Rays back on. I need to take the new wheels and tires to a shop and have them high speed balanced on a newer machine. Also need to take it to the dealership to have it aligned. Car tracks straight but the steering wheel is off and it bugs the hell out of me.

Well yesterday I had a chance to wash the car. I was able to try the VO7 Soap, VO7 Detail/Sealant spray, and the VRP. Car looks great after and super slick. Bugs got really bad so I didn't get a chance to try the Black Light polish yet, hopefully I will get a chance to apply it today.

Definitely going to pick up some of the items that Junkman recommends so I can get rid of the scratches from the previous owner.

Well this has been quite an interesting experience. So the local Nissan dealership is unable to do an alignment on my 370Z. Apparently they aren't set up for it. WTF?? Is this normal for all Nissan dealerships? I am not looking for custom specs as I am still on stock suspension. They have plenty of 370Z's for sale on the lot but they cant do a simple alignment.

With that being said, if that's their attitude, take it some where else. At this point, I would not trust them. :twocents:

One of the service reps who actually knew what they are talking about called me back. He said they definitely do alignments on the 370 and he doesn't know why no one else could confirm that. So I am scheduled for tomorrow morning to get it done. Its either them or the Porsche dealership which is very expensive. It will be great to have the steering wheel straight and hopefully it will eliminate some or all of the vibration I have been dealing with lately.

Got it done. Took them over 2 hours just to get to my car even though I had an appointment. Took the tech 30 minutes to align it. First experience with Nissan service wasn't very good. I will take a picture of the print out when I get a minute but it was definitely out. Passenger front and driver side rear were both pretty far out.


They did have 1 GTR (White/Black Auto) in the showroom that I got to check out. They look much better in person for sure and its definitely a badass car. The sticker on it was $109,xxx which is pretty crazy.