Sway’s Journal - Hitomi

Sway · 03-21-2019, 05:45 PM

I’ve had the car for a while, but figured I’d go back and make a log. I’ll update it in different posts when I have time/feel like it until I get current.

I bought my 2011 Pearl White 6mt sport in Houston on January 29th 2017. (At about noon

) from a lovely lady named Kelly who traded up for a black GTR.

I came from a black G37 sport coupe (hit a deer

) so I already had some vq parts from it. The Z was pretty much stock aside from an Invidia exhaust, a short ram intake, and a 12” alpine type R in a zenclosures box.

Almost immediately I put on a Stillen Gen 3 and a GTHaus axel back exhaust. The midpipe from the G wouldn’t fit, so I had to order another one. Then I moved over my motordyne m370 intake manifold. Then last thing from the G, I moved over my diff with white line bushings and 4.08 gears. And there she stayed for a bit.

Here’s a photo from the day I picked her up:

Current Mods:(as up to date as the journal is)

Performance:
Stillen Gen 3 intakes (Wrapped in EDI heat reflective gold tape)
Motordyne M370 manifold (ported after purchase) - Sold
GTHaus axleback with motordyne burned tips
GTHaus midpipe
GTHaus Y pipe
4.08 rear gears
TWM short throw shifter
GTR spark plugs
ECUTEK dyno tuned by Moncef @ Admin Tuning
Michelin Pilot Super Sports 255/305
Motordyne ART test pipes
TWM short throw shifter
Southbend stage 2 clutch - quiet disk
Southbend 19 lb lightweight flywheel
Zspeed heavy duty csc
Z1 stainless Insulated clutch line
RJM adjustable clutch pedal assembly
Z1 2 Piece Sprinkle slotted rotors (Front and Rear)
Dual Baffled oil catch cans
Motul fluids
Synolimit 63mm throttle bodies
Air Functional Fang mod
Z1 intake manifold
ZSpeed black undershroud
EPS Tuning PCV delete

Suspension/Bushings:
KWv3 coil overs
SPC front and rear camber arms with toe bolts
Z1 polyurethane engine mounts
Z1 polyurethane transmission mount
Whiteline differential bushings

Cooling:
Stillen 25 row oil cooler w/thermostatic plate
PasswordJDM Carbon fiber cooling plate
Z1 19.9lb release pressure Radiator cap
Peak antifreeze 50/50 blend + water wetter

Exterior:
Blacked out center of front bumper
35% Window tint on sides, 15% on rears
Smoked rear 4th brake light
LED DRL’s
Volk Racing TE37SL double pressed black 19x9.5 +22, 19x10.5 +12
Black lightweight lug nuts (lol)
Motordyne Burnt Titanium exhaust tips
Stillen license rear plate frame
iJDM side mounted front license plate bracket
Lisence plate LEDs
Diode Dynamics extreme bright reverse lights
Backup camera
Z1 magnetic oil pan drain plug
Chrome bulbs turn signals front and rear
6000k Diode Dynamics headlight bulbs
PasswordJDM Carbon Fiber cooling plate
Tomei piston style oil cap

Interior:
Evo R CF door trim pieces
Evo R CF radio trim piece
Evo R CF shifter trim piece
Evo R CF triple gauge pod covers
Evo R CF speedometer side covers
Tommy Kaira Hebi Bebi shift knob
Red GTR button with custom leds
GTR clear maplight covers
Interior Diode Dynamics led conversion
Passport radar detector
Curious Model Carbon Fiber Door sills

Audio:
Kenwood dnx537s double din deck
JL Audio 10w7 in a ported box
JL Audio series 1 500/1 monoblock amp (bridged)
JL Audio C2 interior speakers
Upgraded speaker wiring
Dynamat (Trunk, hatch, doors, wheel wells, center console)

Current Tire Set Up: (thanks to jchammond!)
Front: Michelin Pilot Super Sport 255/35/19 - 35 psi
Rear: Michelin Pilot Super Sport 305/30/19 - 32 psi

Weight Modification:

Dead:
Trunk weight -2.5 lbs
Spare tire/tools -40.6 lbs
bose sub -8 lbs
Coilovers -7.2 lbs
Art pipes -6.5 lbs
Poly engine mounts -2 lbs
Poly trans mount -1 lb
Fuyao windshield -5 lbs
Pcv delete -1.5 lbs

Rotating:
Lug nuts -1.5 lbs
Z1 rotors -30 lbs
Wheels -11.6 lbs
Fly wheel -12 lbs

Added weight:
Sub set up + 53.2 lbs
Dynamat + approx 10 lbs

Approximate Static Net:
- 66.2 lbs

Room for improvement:
Battery -21 lbs
Seats - 44 lbs
Tomei - 60 lbs
Titanium y pipe - 15 lbs
Titanium test pipes - 19 lbs

Purchased but not Installed:
Amuse front bumper with Carbon Fiber accent
Amuse sideskirts
Amuse rear bumper with Carbon Fiber accent
Amuse rear spoiler with Carbon Fiber accent
Z1 rear subframe bushings
Tomei Titanium catback
Thai Titanium echo DR y pipe
????? - Secret

Future plans:(feedback and suggestions welcome)
Staying N/A because the Z is a daily plus $$$

Echo DR dual resonated Titanium y pipe
Echo DR dual resonated Titanium DE flanged test pipes
Z1 headers
Z1 ported lower intake manifold
JWT C2 cams
Import Parts Pro stage 2 Heads
Boundary engineering oil pump gears
Hotchkis front and rear sway bars
Aftermarket front and rear end links
Ams GT hood
Black housing headlights
8k redline with retune
Maybe switching to Tomei exhaust? How does an amuse bumper look with a single exit?

Sway · 03-24-2019, 08:17 PM

On February 2nd I painted the middle section of my bumper black in plastidip to see if I liked the look. I thought it looked good! So I’ve redone it nicer and have kept it until current. Also included is a picture I took when installing the manifold and cleaning my throttlebodies.

Motordyne M370 review:
Install was pretty easy, the hose merger isn’t the cleanest looking but it’s not bad. You can definitely feel more pick up in the mid range, but I’m not sure if it’s any better or any worse than the Z1. For the price, if I did it again I’d probably go for the Z1 manifold.

Sway · 03-24-2019, 08:27 PM

Next on February 6th were a few small cosmetic mods here and there. I installed some carbon fiber interior pieces from EvoR and changed all my lights for leds by Diode Dynamics. (Map lights, visor lights, drl’s, lisence plate lights, reverse lights and trunk light.) I also replaced the map light covers with GTR covers. I recommend that for every 370Z! It’s cheap and actually makes a big difference as far as updating the interior.

Evo R review:
I know a lot of ppl have had issues with them, but luckily I did not. And the CF products I’ve gotten from them are all great fits, 9/10. And it’s a real cf overlay, not just a sticker. Would but again.

Diode Dynamics review:
I’ve ordered from them on 4 different vehicles now. Every once in a while I get an led that prematurely dies or starts to flicker, but their customer service is great and they always send out a replacement, and quickly. Their leds are bright, and the color is spot on 6000k. Almost white but a hint of light blue, easy color on the eyes with a higher class look. Would recommend.

Sway · 03-24-2019, 08:38 PM

Next was on February 25th, they day the towed my poor G away... bye bye Isabella! Was also the same day I got in my GT Haus midpipe, and bought a different GT Haus axle back as the g37 one was slightly different and I had a buyer for the one I had already.

Sway · 03-24-2019, 08:59 PM

On April 1st I installed my GTR push start button with custom LEDs. START/STOP is white, Lock is red, Acc is amber, and On is green.

Sway · 03-24-2019, 10:46 PM

On March 22nd (my birthday!) I had received the new GTHaus axleback which had motordyne burnt tips on it. So I installed that, and the GTHaus midpipe on April 3rd.

Here’s a video of the first start up.

https://youtu.be/KNjwgawHRfQ

And here’s a video of the first drive.

https://youtu.be/lVMOcsFHkf4

And lastly here’s a video I tried to show how bright the reverse lights are, but you can get a good feel for the exhaust.

https://youtu.be/5pdzpxZ5-Fo

GTHaus review:
This exhaust is simply amazing. The quality and welds are insane and beautiful. The sound is unique and decently quiet until you floor it, then it is loud! An exotic sounding monster. I get compliments on it everywhere. Almost no rasp, and 0 drone. I love this exhaust. I honestly think this and the Tomei are only way to go. Only cons are the price and it’s a little heavy. There is a full titanium version, but that’s even pricier. But even still, I love it.

Edit: Shown in the picture are GTHaus Titanium tips and arms which I actually never installed, and still have. Which are for sale. Just fyi lol

Sway · 03-25-2019, 06:24 PM

Next was a good week for upgrades, first week of July I upgraded my stock transmission mount for a Z1 poly mount, installed a TWM shortshifter, 2 more pieces of Evo R CF trim (radio surround and shifter surround) added a Kenwood double din with nav (dnx573s), changed out all the audio wiring for upgraded wires and changed all interior speakers for JL Audio C2 speakers. (Tweeters, Doors, and rears) added a rear view camera, and I topped it all off with a genuine Tommy Kaira Hebi Bebi shift knob.

Z1 Poly Trans Mount review:
I love this mod! Added little to no NVH, as far as vibration. The shifter does vibrate just a little more in neutral. Not a lot though, could just be in my head.It did add an aggressive growl under acceleration though. That’s the only way I can describe it. I love the sound but some may not. However I got used to it in just a couple of days and don’t really notice it anymore. The tranny shifts are so much smoother now! Highly recommend this mod. Cheap and easy to install.

TWM Short Throw Shifter review
This part I actually had on the G without a trans mount. Makes shifts much shorter, and the bearings give the shifts a nice crisp feel. Best short shifter I’ve had in any car. Previously I’ve had both DC and B&M. The TWM is just lore solid and more predictable.

Kenwood dnx573s review:
Sound quality is good, features are great and abundant, more than I use. I chose this model as it was a little cheaper and had a volume knob instead of buttons, and thought I would prefer the knob over the slightly bigger screen. I think I would prefer the bigger screen looking back... also the contrast/backlight isn’t that great in the sunlight. It’s a little harder to see at times than I’d like. Maybe if I had darker tint and an eyebrow on the car that would help. Still a really good deck though, that’s the only draw back... Oh, that and the stupid pop up you have to click okay on while you’re driving that warns you not to press buttons while driving.

JL Audio C2 Speaker review:
So clean! So crisp! The vocals on these speakers are so clear! I’ve usually gone with Rockford Fosgate punch series before but these blow those speakers away! They’re also louder than I really could want. So no need to upgrade. Super happy with the sound quality of these speakers.

Rear View Camera review:
I was super skeptical because this camera was so cheap and thought it was going to be crap. But the G has me spoiled and I had to have one. So I figured screw it, I’ll take a chance. Man was I surprised, it’s not quite as good at night as oem, but definitely usable and not as bad as I thought it would be. And during the day I swear it’s more clear than oem. The only thing is the driving lines don’t turn with the wheel, but hell, this thing was CHEAP.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J2..._t1_B06XQ1VBSL - Only $13 bucks!

Tommy Kaira Hebi Bebi Shift Knob review:
Best shift knob hands down. Period. Weight makes shifting even easier, perfect size and shape. And it is beautiful. And yes, I did get the turtle straight

Sway · 03-26-2019, 08:22 PM

2nd week of July, the 9th. My Volk racing TE37SL double pressed black wheels arrived! 19x9 in the front, 19x10.5 in the back. I immediately had them paint corrected, polished, and ceramic coated before even putting them on the car. They came out amazing, they still look wet to this day, almost 2 years later.
Keep in mind in these videos, the wheels are dry, that’s just how glossy they are after paint correction and ceramic coating.

Paint Correction being done:
https://youtu.be/2JwpICjfeXI

Ceramic coat being added:
https://youtu.be/d9ltmi1yTdg

Ceramic Coating review:
I honestly am so impressed with ceramic coating. I want to do my entire car! It adds so much depth to the gloss, tons. It makes them stay cleaner longer, and when you do clean them, a simple wipe down or spray with water and they’re clean. Maintenance is so easy! Love love love the stuff!

Sway · 03-27-2019, 08:20 AM

Next was Hurricane Harvey... no damage to the Z luckily, but my backyard fence was gone, shed was gone, got a big hole in my roof, some water damage... sucked but at least the Z was safely tucked away in the garage. However later the first weekend of September, THIS appeared. (See attached photo) They look like water spots on my tach. They won’t go away! They’re still there! Any ideas or help on this would be much appreciated. Idk how it happened, or what caused it.

By this point somewhere in there I got ECUTEK and E-Tuning by Seb @ Specialty Z. It was pulling timing due to a little knock being detected sometimes and we were trying to figure out if it was false knock or not.

So I did some maintenance done on my car. Inspection, oil change, etc. I also changed the spark plugs out for colder GTR plugs, topped off all her fluids, motul diff fluid, mobile1 5w30 full synthetic oil, added water wetter to the 50/50 antifreeze in the radiator to help keep temps down and added the Z1 magnetic oil pan drain plug. I also went through and checked all connections and panels in the engine bay replacing any missing clips and/or bolts, and also stabilized my gen 3 intakes to make sure nothing was hitting or knocking.

Here she is at the inspection place:

Sway · 03-27-2019, 08:46 AM

October 21st was another big day for Hitomi in my opinion. She got some new shoes, the Volks now being wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sports, 255 in the front and 305 in the rear. Welcome to the fat tire club! I really needed the extra rubber with those rear gears and touchier throttle response from the tune. And earlier that morning a friend and I installed a pair of Motordyne ART test pipes. Man does she purr and roar now... it’s insane. Maybe it’s even a little too loud.

And to top off the day, I changed out the front and rear turn signal bulbs with chrome covered bulbs for a cleaner look in the head and tail lights. I also switched out the headlight bulbs for 6000k bulbs from Diode Dynamics for imho a cleaner classier look.

Sway · 03-27-2019, 09:16 AM

A month later on November 21st it’s time for another major upgrade! This time a South Bend stage 2 daily quiet disk option clutch, southbend 19lb lightweight flywheel, insulated clutch hose, Zspeed heavy duty csc slave cylinder, new oem master cylinder, and RJM fully adjustable clutch pedal assembly. My friend owns a shop with a lift and gave me a great deal on labor, so this set of mods I actually did not install myself.

Reviews to come later

Sway · 03-27-2019, 09:31 AM

Next on November 26th, I put in new brake pads and upgraded to Z1 lightweight 2 piece sprinkle slotted rotors, both front and rear. Just in time for a promo video and shoot for a local detailing business!

Here’s a link to the video on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/s1CLnV2ndLI

And here’s the shot they ended up using for the ad.

Hitomi’s famous!

Sway · 03-27-2019, 09:49 AM

Next up is for Christmas I got a set of CF carbon fiber door seals (will upload pic later) to add a nice touch when opening the door! Great gift from Japan! Then for my birthday in mid March I finally received my full amuse body kit with carbon fiber accents! Not installed, but I did get it in the mail after a long wait... pictured is my dad in the car with the spoiler haha.

My father owns a mechanic/speed shop in Colorado and while he was in town he installed my Z1 poly engine mounts for free as a birthday gift! He said they were actually a real PITA haha so I’m glad I put them off so long and didn’t have to do it.

I also installed a baffled oil catch can around this point as I was still getting a some timing pulled from the knock sensor. My tuner thought maybe I was getting a little oil mixed with my fuel and lowering my octane levels. So we tried this out. It was actually a really cheap catch can, I think it was $36? But it is actually good quality and works, so I’m happy with it! Plus it has a little screw in dipstick!

Sway · 03-27-2019, 10:13 AM

Then on a sad note, I went through a really tough and depressing time. Had some really bad things happen... so I didn’t order or work on or do anything to the Z for nearly 6 months... not even wash the poor girl. See photo below. THEN to top it all off, a month after that, now in November 2018, a security guard hit my rear bumper and messed it up in my work parking lot, and long story short I basically got screwed and so it’s still not fixed to this day. Though I’m really just waiting on painting and putting on the amuse rear bumper I suppose.

Pic of the rear bumper before and after I did what I could to fix it. I’ve dabbed it with some touch up paint since then so it looks a little better but that’s really a relative term at this point... ending on a good note though, my catch can seems to be working!

Sway · 03-28-2019, 05:51 PM

Early last month I wetsanded and cleaned up my headlights, then apppied a good sealant to them... they weren’t horrible, but they were getting unattractive. My friend saw and wanted me to do his 350z headlights. He paid me with a roll of EDI gold heat wrap tape. I don’t have a before and after if mine, here’s a before and after of his headlights though.

03-21-2019, 05:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
Sway Track Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: TX Posts: 697 Drives: 2018 GTR Rep Power: 37871	Sway’s Journal - Hitomi I’ve had the car for a while, but figured I’d go back and make a log. I’ll update it in different posts when I have time/feel like it until I get current. I bought my 2011 Pearl White 6mt sport in Houston on January 29th 2017. (At about noon ) from a lovely lady named Kelly who traded up for a black GTR. I came from a black G37 sport coupe (hit a deer ) so I already had some vq parts from it. The Z was pretty much stock aside from an Invidia exhaust, a short ram intake, and a 12” alpine type R in a zenclosures box. Almost immediately I put on a Stillen Gen 3 and a GTHaus axel back exhaust. The midpipe from the G wouldn’t fit, so I had to order another one. Then I moved over my motordyne m370 intake manifold. Then last thing from the G, I moved over my diff with white line bushings and 4.08 gears. And there she stayed for a bit. Here’s a photo from the day I picked her up: Current Mods:(as up to date as the journal is) Performance: Stillen Gen 3 intakes (Wrapped in EDI heat reflective gold tape) Motordyne M370 manifold (ported after purchase) - Sold GTHaus axleback with motordyne burned tips GTHaus midpipe GTHaus Y pipe 4.08 rear gears TWM short throw shifter GTR spark plugs ECUTEK dyno tuned by Moncef @ Admin Tuning Michelin Pilot Super Sports 255/305 Motordyne ART test pipes TWM short throw shifter Southbend stage 2 clutch - quiet disk Southbend 19 lb lightweight flywheel Zspeed heavy duty csc Z1 stainless Insulated clutch line RJM adjustable clutch pedal assembly Z1 2 Piece Sprinkle slotted rotors (Front and Rear) Dual Baffled oil catch cans Motul fluids Synolimit 63mm throttle bodies Air Functional Fang mod Z1 intake manifold ZSpeed black undershroud EPS Tuning PCV delete Suspension/Bushings: KWv3 coil overs SPC front and rear camber arms with toe bolts Z1 polyurethane engine mounts Z1 polyurethane transmission mount Whiteline differential bushings Cooling: Stillen 25 row oil cooler w/thermostatic plate PasswordJDM Carbon fiber cooling plate Z1 19.9lb release pressure Radiator cap Peak antifreeze 50/50 blend + water wetter Exterior: Blacked out center of front bumper 35% Window tint on sides, 15% on rears Smoked rear 4th brake light LED DRL’s Volk Racing TE37SL double pressed black 19x9.5 +22, 19x10.5 +12 Black lightweight lug nuts (lol) Motordyne Burnt Titanium exhaust tips Stillen license rear plate frame iJDM side mounted front license plate bracket Lisence plate LEDs Diode Dynamics extreme bright reverse lights Backup camera Z1 magnetic oil pan drain plug Chrome bulbs turn signals front and rear 6000k Diode Dynamics headlight bulbs PasswordJDM Carbon Fiber cooling plate Tomei piston style oil cap Interior: Evo R CF door trim pieces Evo R CF radio trim piece Evo R CF shifter trim piece Evo R CF triple gauge pod covers Evo R CF speedometer side covers Tommy Kaira Hebi Bebi shift knob Red GTR button with custom leds GTR clear maplight covers Interior Diode Dynamics led conversion Passport radar detector Curious Model Carbon Fiber Door sills Audio: Kenwood dnx537s double din deck JL Audio 10w7 in a ported box JL Audio series 1 500/1 monoblock amp (bridged) JL Audio C2 interior speakers Upgraded speaker wiring Dynamat (Trunk, hatch, doors, wheel wells, center console) Current Tire Set Up: (thanks to jchammond!) Front: Michelin Pilot Super Sport 255/35/19 - 35 psi Rear: Michelin Pilot Super Sport 305/30/19 - 32 psi Weight Modification: Dead: Trunk weight -2.5 lbs Spare tire/tools -40.6 lbs bose sub -8 lbs Coilovers -7.2 lbs Art pipes -6.5 lbs Poly engine mounts -2 lbs Poly trans mount -1 lb Fuyao windshield -5 lbs Pcv delete -1.5 lbs Rotating: Lug nuts -1.5 lbs Z1 rotors -30 lbs Wheels -11.6 lbs Fly wheel -12 lbs Added weight: Sub set up + 53.2 lbs Dynamat + approx 10 lbs Approximate Static Net: - 66.2 lbs Room for improvement: Battery -21 lbs Seats - 44 lbs Tomei - 60 lbs Titanium y pipe - 15 lbs Titanium test pipes - 19 lbs Purchased but not Installed: Amuse front bumper with Carbon Fiber accent Amuse sideskirts Amuse rear bumper with Carbon Fiber accent Amuse rear spoiler with Carbon Fiber accent Z1 rear subframe bushings Tomei Titanium catback Thai Titanium echo DR y pipe ????? - Secret Future plans:(feedback and suggestions welcome) Staying N/A because the Z is a daily plus $$$ Echo DR dual resonated Titanium y pipe Echo DR dual resonated Titanium DE flanged test pipes Z1 headers Z1 ported lower intake manifold JWT C2 cams Import Parts Pro stage 2 Heads Boundary engineering oil pump gears Hotchkis front and rear sway bars Aftermarket front and rear end links Ams GT hood Black housing headlights 8k redline with retune Maybe switching to Tomei exhaust? How does an amuse bumper look with a single exit? Mr&Mrs, gbrettin, Hotrodz and 5 others like this. __________________ - White 2018 GTR FBO+E85 - Check out my old build thread: Sway’s Journal-Hitomi ~Live and let live!~ Last edited by Sway; 07-21-2019 at 09:41 PM.

03-27-2019, 09:31 AM	#12 (permalink)
Sway Track Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: TX Posts: 697 Drives: 2018 GTR Rep Power: 37871	Next on November 26th, I put in new brake pads and upgraded to Z1 lightweight 2 piece sprinkle slotted rotors, both front and rear. Just in time for a promo video and shoot for a local detailing business! Here’s a link to the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s1CLnV2ndLI And here’s the shot they ended up using for the ad. Hitomi’s famous! wideglideleon and ZontheRocks like this. __________________ - White 2018 GTR FBO+E85 - Check out my old build thread: Sway’s Journal-Hitomi ~Live and let live!~ Last edited by Sway; 03-27-2019 at 10:00 AM.

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