Are subtle upgrades such as lighter tires and exhaust worth the money?

TheFinalBoss

Good afternoon everyone. New member here looking for some advice. Let me start of by saying I currently drive a G37 Sedan. I really wanted a Z, but I needed passenger seats and a bigger trunk so I ended up purchasing the next closest thing. I finally paid off the car and have some money laying around to customize my car and make it more unique or a little bit better than the rest of the crowd. I was planning on getting some 17 inch Enkei RPF1s in black for my first upgrade. I read that they are lightweight and have the ability to make the car perform better and get a bit better fuel mileage. I also love the looks of the RPF1s compared to the rest of the Enkei line up. My next upgrade would be exhaust. I really want the HKS exhaust because I read it will also reduce weight and improve the flow which would give better performance. I also read they are not too loud, and has a smoother sounds. I was thinking of getting CAI later on and maybe a light weight battery. I also live in sunny California, and was thinking of trying out some summer or sticky tires instead of my all season Yokohamas. Do you all think these upgrades are worth the money? The rims and the exhaust itself will be at least 2k. Thank you all for your time, and I am looking forward to your replies.

Thesmoke90

Exhaust upgrade is great for getting the sound you want from the car. Performance wise, bolt-ons don't seem to help this car very much as far as HP/torque are concerned. I would definitely recommend summer tires. I am in SoCal too, and unlike most people, we can get away with driving on summer tires all year long. (Or even being able to drive a Z/G37 year long for that matter)

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Ventruck

Short answer no.

To elaborate:
The mods you're listing and reading into their benefits is technically true, but the scale of measure isn't what you think it is. Almost everyone early falls for that, then does it and keeps telling themselves it's legit. 7 stages of denial, etc.

Shave a few pounds here. Lets say 10lb from the exhaust, maybe 20lb the wheels. The G37 is 3500+lbs. You add a CAI and CBE, maybe get another 20hp, and that's probably only proper with a tune. You're a few thousand dollars deep now, especially if you paid for labor (which sometimes is the right thing to do). At most you dropped 1-2% weight, and gained 6% of power. RPF1's aren't exactly a rare thing either.

If anyone were to air their back road driving laundry here with these kinds of mods, I think most including myself will tell you, that is not doing much.

Only real gain is you have a better feeling, more responsive, and perhaps better sounding car. If that battery sucks at holding charge, that was just a waste. I understand you've had the car for a while, and you want to do some things, and there is still merit to doing these mods, but I think you need to make sure you level your expectations.

I'm not saying this to insult you. Like I said, a lot of people start with this mindset, and the result is literally what it is.

To really take a car to another considerable level, is to take the mods to another level. But that can also create new problems.

Rusty

Stick with the oem style battery. Save yourself the headache later on.

Read some of the build threads to give yourself an idea before pulling the trigger on any buys. Once you start to mod the car. You're going down the rabbit hole. If you decide to sell the car later on. Know the you won't get your money back on what you bought.

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SouthArk370Z

Bolt-ons aren't going to give you much - Nissan has already picked all the low-hanging fruit. You can get a noticeable improvement with intake and exhaust mods plus a tune. For any real gains, you need to go boosted.
YMMV

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TheFinalBoss

Thank you all for the replies. I like the straight forward honesty. There is no need to sugar coat anything. I read similar opinions in other threads. I estimated I would spend around $3500 for those minor upgrades. I would rather put the money in the bank and maybe decide later on if I truly want a real performance upgrade (forced induction). I think I will plasti dip my rims for now and add more affordable cosmetic upgrades.

madwi

Your ~halfway to a BP kit with the $3500.

babyzilla

Just my opinion...do what makes you happy. Basically don't get too focused on the #s. If you have the money and it's something you want to do, go for it! I'm sure putting an exhaust and some nice wheels like the RPF1s will bring a huge grin to your face when you look at your car. That's all that matters. I would suggest dropping the car a bit if you plan on swapping tires/wheels.

Shotta

I can say with experience that the lighter brakes (2 piece rotors) lighter wheels and lighter tires feel like I freed up some pep and agility in the car. I dont know that it was "worth the money" but its just a hobby so I wasnt thinking about that.

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OptionZero

Whats "worth" it is going to entirely be up to you, your values, and your goals.

You need to understand what the Z is and think about where you want to be.

It can be an awesome platform to build a hot hardparking toy
It can be a capable track weapon
It can be a highway car

But to get there you probably need to commit some cash and effort

******* around with bolt ons and crap aren't going to leave you with much of a different car, but if you're ok with with that, thats what YOU want, then cool

But don't cheap out and by crappy knockoff parts or you'll end up doing stuff twice

but be honest with yourself about what you want the car to be

There's alot of knowledge on the forum. Use it. Read before you spend money.

as an example, take the lightweight battery

What is the point of lightweight battery? To save weight and also relocate weight for better performance. Who needs that sort of thing though? What are the drawbacks? Well, a ******* track car that is fighting for tenths of a second absolutely could use that, cost and effort be damned. For a dude bumming around town, the lost power and cost is basically setting money on fire.

What is the lesson?

Don't set money on fire. Give it to me instead.

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Zyonara91

This. Right here.

Though I run stock electronics and nothing to crazy, I have a Costco Kirkland Battery. If it goes to doo doo land I'll just go back to OEM.

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alcheng

The weight you save from a lighter wheels and exhaust will not make your car goes 2s faster from 0-60mph nor reach that fat-donald drive-through faster than that pick-up truck.


however, from my experience, it will slightly improve the handling.

when I changed from Vossen to Works, I do feel the Z response to turn-in and cornering a bit better, same thing when I did the cat-back.


So the answer to your question is 1) Yes, it will improve the handling slightly AND 2) No, don't expect it can make a night&day difference


CAD$0.02

TheFinalBoss

Thanks again for the responses. My car is pretty much my Jack of all trades. It is my daily commuter to work and for daily errands. I use it on long road trips and travel. And on some occasions I do take it on California back roads and drive pretty spirited. After doing more research and taking some advice with the lightweight rims, I some what narrowed down my choices to get more affordable good looking rims in Gun metal grey and maybe a set of sway bars. I seen some pretty good looking rims for around $150 each, and I believe the sways are not that expensive. I just want to make my car less "vanilla." I mean it is bad enough that I don't have sport package and I blend in with the G crowd. Everyone has a G37 now in Cali since prices dropped, and people are crazy shopping for cars. I will do more reading and hopefully update you guys when I make a firm decision.

OptionZero

For the love of god please don’t buy wheels before reading this
Wheel Fitment 101: START HERE

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cv129

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