Would these be good mods to start with?
 

Just joined the Z fam recently, and want to get into some light mods to maximize performance. I have a 2016 Nismo with 7AT (don't kill me pls) and want add some bolt-ons. I'm pretty unexperienced with modding cars, so I just want to make sure the mods I want to get are going to be worthwhile. The main goal here is performance, but have to keep in mind I live in Portland and have to pass DEQ tests every time I renew.

Please let me know if these would be some good places to start:

• Z1 Cold Air Intakes
• Invidia Gemini Exhaust (Not trying to be loud with my exhaust)
• Possibly some headers
• Tune

I've also been eyeballing the the Z1 400hp kit. Like I said, performance is the goal here, just want to be a little quicker and faster(without sounding like a rice rocket), so any recommendations are welcome.

The list you have sounds like a good start. Since you have a newer model car and you need to pass emissions tests, I suggest going with intakes and exhaust like you said. Headers are not going to really give you much if you want to keep the stock catalysts in, so for the amount of effort i'd leave it alone. A tune is definitely worth it. I recommend Seb at Specialty-Z as he's really good to work with for remote tunes. With the intake, exhaust, and tune, I think you'll have what you want.

That's great to hear, thanks for looking it over. If I wanted to take it a step further and get some headers along with some HFC's, do you think I'll get some decent gains while still being able to pass emissions? I'll make sure to check out Specialty-Z for the tune

If your state does the actual particle test, don't expect it to pass. That's all I can say on that front.

Ah got it, I'll have to look into the specifics of the test, but for now I'll just hold off on those. Thanks for all the help

No problem. The most difference is in the tune. You're going to really enjoy the car!

A cold air intake and exhaust are easy obvious bolt-ons that will offer a bit of help; however the inflection point is what you want to do with the cats

On one side is what is affectionately called the “demon bolt” that is difficult to reach and remove. On top of that, the cats are what will give the most trouble emissions wise

After headers or high flow cats or test pipes, you run into a wall. You can get cams, ported manifolds, upgrade the fuel system, and aggressively tune, but that phase is VERY expensive and still wont result in much gain. I think even the most extensive builds have struggled to approach 400 wheel HP.

If power is your goal, forced induction is probably the better choice

I personally go with upgrading the clutch and flywheel. This doubles as a maintenance move since our cars have a clutch slave cylinder notorious for failure. Swapping in an upgraded unit from Z1 or zspeed while also grading the clutch and adding lighter flywheel will make a big difference; our stock units are heavy Af. You will notice an immediate improvement in revability and not worry about the slave cyl failing

After that, turn your money and time toward the suspension and brakes, and appropriate cooling

On my Z, I did basically the same thing as your have mentioned and then went suspension and brakes. I do have a test pipes, because emissions is not the problem where I am at.
I always thought after the tune I had, that the Z had enough power for what I wanted. Been completely happy with it that way for the past 5 years...
:driving:

Very interesting information here, I'm going to have to look into the clutch and flywheel more. Forgive my ignorance, but is the clutch something I need to worry about since I have the 7AT? As much as I would love to go forced induction, I don't think that's something I'll be able to do anytime soon, but definitely a goal of mine one day. Suspension is another thing I've been trying to learn about as well, thinking coilovers are what I would get when I figure out what would be a good fit for me.

Sorry if it sounds like I don't know what I'm doing lol, I'm trying to learn as much as possible but work doesn't give me much time these days. Thanks for for all the input!

That's awesome to hear, sounds like me and you were after the same kind of goal. What kind of suspension setup did you go with? That's one thing I still have to look into.

You don't have a clutch/flywheel on the automatic. I would keep it simple and enjoy driving the car a bit more before you decide to do more.

Oh, i missed that it was an AT

Ok cool, that's why I asked lol, just had to be sure. Not in the biggest rush to start installing all these mods, just been looking into it recently. 4 months in and this car still tons of fun :icon17:

I own a used 2010 AT 370Z. I have aftermarket coilover, exhaust, sway bar. Had an Uprev tune done, which gained 39HP. In addition I installed a Sprint Booster, which I found more useful than the tune. But my best upgrade was having Sparco racing seats installed (no sliders, so sit even lower). The racing seats make me feel that I'm in a performance car and not just driving a fast sporty coupe. Yes, I can take turns faster now, but the feel of sitting in racing seats makes a big difference. Racing seats make the 370Z look cool on the inside too. I'm 6'2" and it's not difficult getting in and out of the seat. The motion of my body getting in and out of racing seats actually enhancing the driving experience. With the 370Z stock seats getting in the car felt similar to getting in my SUV or other sedan. With the racing seats my 370Z really feels very different from ordinary appliance blob cars.

I'm going to chime in and highly recommend you don't get a sprint-booster. It just modifies the voltages sent to the ECU from the pedal. As mentioned above Seb uses ECUtek which is comprehensively better software for tuning the Z vs UpRev. There are plenty of threads on here about issues with the sprint-booster and UpRev vs ECUtek.