370z forced induction questions(Sales)

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I work for a Nissan dealer (see Username), and i had a revelation.

When the 300zx went out of production and the 350z rolled out nissan saw a relatively sharp decline in Z car sales and that trend continues into the 370z. Several of my coworkers and myself have a theory.

Is it because Forced Induction was no longer an option at time of purchase?

We believe it to be the reason.

Now i have made this topic in hope for feedback so i can push towards changing that!

How would ya'll feel about a dealer offering 370z's brand new off the lot either Supercharged or Turbocharged?

I talked to the gemtleman who authorizes warranty work on our cars.
He said Specifically "I will not warranty any force induction on any nissan that uses the CVT" i asked him about the juke as a counter point and he said thats factory so thats different. BUT i then asked about a Z, his reply. "I see no issue with a Stillen Supercharger or a Greedy Turbo kit. so long as it is done before the vehicle is sold"

With that being said, Would ya'll be more inclined to buy a Z that is Forced inducted and is still under warranty?
And do you believe it would possibly drive up sales?


jerryd1987
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both the 350 and 370 make more power without it due to advanced design and larger displacement. overall creating a better platform should a user add FI, the only real drawbacks of either is the weak rods which when considering some of the other vehicles/engines out there and their drawbacks is really a minor issue. for example my built 3.5L with 67mm turbo makes a rb26 with the same turbo look pitiful when it comes to powerband while supporting similar power levels as a rb26 with n1 block and revving to the moon.

also stillen already backs factory warranty with their kit

the downside to your attempt is your going to have to add significantly to the cost of the vehicle which will further drive up costs as well as the fact the vq37vhr is a poor engine to add FI to since it has issues with oil temps bone stock you wont see any real improvement to sales.
honestly the decrease in sales is much more likely due to the fact the economy was already beginning to decline, today it still isnt that hot and people are more concerned with the whole myth of global warming and gas mileage. when combined with the vast improvements domestics have made in recent years its hard to justify a 40k Z over say a 40k mustang or camaro that can handle similarly and will soon be roughly the same weight with the new generations coming out.

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audtatious
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The issue with the Z today is it's relatively heavy for it's size and underpowered in comparison to other higher-hp "pony cars" which are cheaper in most cases.

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RicerX
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jerryd1987 wrote:the downside to your attempt is your going to have to add significantly to the cost of the vehicle which will further drive up costs as well as the fact the vq37vhr is a poor engine to add FI to since it has issues with oil temps bone stock you wont see any real improvement to sales.
honestly the decrease in sales is much more likely due to the fact the economy was already beginning to decline, today it still isnt that hot and people are more concerned with the whole myth of global warming and gas mileage. when combined with the vast improvements domestics have made in recent years its hard to justify a 40k Z over say a 40k mustang or camaro that can handle similarly and will soon be roughly the same weight with the new generations coming out.
I would have to say that the VQ37 handles boost very well if you have a proper oil cooling system. It's not a "poor" engine to add boost to. The VQ37 has a shallow oil pan (the valve train design has very tiny clearances that heat the oil and it never cycles far enough away from that source to cool before it cycles back in) and many N/A guys have averted high oil temps by adding a deeper pan or a spacer to the factory one.

My only other argument to your post is if a twin turbo Z could be had for $40k at a dealer... I don't see how a 5.0 Mustang or a Camaro SS would be more enticing for anything other than the obvious brand loyalist argument. The Fast Intentions twin turbo kit, for example, makes for a 500hp Z. You'd have to get a ZL1 or a GT500 to exceed that and it would cost you $10k more.

Other than that, the whole point you make with the economy's effect on Z sales is dead nuts on point.

jerryd1987
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ive still seen plenty with oil heating problems, needing massive oil coolers to bandaid it to the point alot of people who build the engine have been swapping standard HR heads on.

a dealer would have a significantly hard time trying to offer even the base model boosted for 40k
30 base price, $6300 for a stillen and you still need wheels and tires to actually be able to hook reasonably well and not have a liability issue on your hands(there is a reason most dealers dont do this, cadillac dealer i worked at got sued after dude wrecked his car when we installed simple slp bolt ons) plus labor, the techs arnt working for free and thats base model.

the fast intentions kit is even more at $8800 for the tuner kit $10k for the complete kit, even at 500 whp its still going to be a bit behind the zl1/gt500 due to both making more, and the way they deliver the power. then you still are behind in options such as magnaride in the camaro, available seca leguna suspension in the mustang, lsd unless you invest even more. the Z really isnt meant to compete with those two cars it is more in line to compete with the likes of porsche caymen at a lower price point. nissan has really just slacked in the z department, will see what happens with the next gen but right now the best you can buy is still a 350z and use the extra cash saved from a 370z to build it.

jerryd1987
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btw while i have built any vhr's myself yet i have known a few with built all of them are constantly worried about oil temps or dont push the car hard, to the point one of them went to suburu after wrecking his instead of getting another.

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BusyBadger
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I've seen more than a few limp mode 370's on drives in my area on roads that shall remain nameless. Granted, these were 8/10 's - 9 /10 's excursions (hence the nameless roads!) but the oiling system seems to be the 370's weak point.

And then there's the whole price thing...

Even avoiding a new Camaro or GT500, a low mileage C5 Z06 can new had for under 30k, think about what a little cash injection in that thing would turn it into.

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Drove a 370Z Roadster yesterday. Looks nice, but not just not my cup of tea.

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BusyBadger
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Because it was a roadster or because you didn't like the new Z?

Just curious about what you didn't like, I've been considering trading in Ole Yeller on a newer model.

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PalmerWMD
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fellas , no one tried to actually answer the gents question? :blush:

jerryd1987
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actually it was answered in that its not feasible.

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SX APPEAL
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I currenty work in the parts department at an Infiniti dealership, so I feel I can weigh in a bit on some of the difficulties of what what your proposing (And no I'm not just going to repeat what everyone else already said)

For one, even if Stillen will back up Nissan's factory warranty (which I'm not sure they do) that by no means is any indication that NISSAN will honor their own warranty if the vehicle has aftermarket componants on it. For those of you who don't know how the warranty process works, a service department can agree to do work on a customer's car under warranty, the customer can walk out with no bill and a repaired car no questions asked. But then the service department has to submit a warranty claim to get paid back from Nissan/Infiniti for the work they just did. Until that money comes in, the dealership, NOT Nissan, is eating the cost of the repairs. I can only imagine the look on the waranty claims officer's face when a claim comes in to replace and engine in a 2014 370Z with a dealer installed turbo kit. HA! No chance in hell! So then I ask you, what dealership would install parts on a vehicle KNOWING FULL WELL that if the customer has any problems down the road, THEY'LL be the ones covering the cost of repairs?

So if your customer is ok with buying a brand new $45K-$50 vehicle with absolutely no warranty whatsoever, then yeah dealer installed turbo kits would be fine. This has not however, been my experience...

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RicerX
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With warranty being a concern, the only route to go with this is to install a Stillen supercharger at the dealer. If stillen authorizes your dealership to be an certified installer, then Stillen picks up the powertrain warranty for the Z, and the rest of it is still covered by Nissan. The details for the warranty are available here: http://www.stillen.com/products/superch ... tem-99946/

Bottom line is, with that route, the customer is covered in a warranty situation. The only thing is, the powertrain warranty is cut in half with this piece of it. You lose out on extended warranty sales, etc.

I could see building a one-off car to gauge interest and going from there. You might get someone who is interested and has cash, as the extra pricing likely won't allow for 100% financing of the vehicle price as you're looking at an extra $8k minimum.

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SX APPEAL
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I'd call it more like an extra 15K, once you mark up the price of the kit and other related componants and pay the tech to install everything...

Thanks for the clarification on the Stillen warranty thing, I wasn't sure exactly how that worked. I just know how much of a fight it is to get paid back (as the dealer who did the work) from Nissan/Infiniti for work we've done under warranty.

jerryd1987
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SX APPEAL wrote:I currenty work in the parts department at an Infiniti dealership, so I feel I can weigh in a bit on some of the difficulties of what what your proposing (And no I'm not just going to repeat what everyone else already said)

For one, even if Stillen will back up Nissan's factory warranty (which I'm not sure they do) that by no means is any indication that NISSAN will honor their own warranty if the vehicle has aftermarket componants on it. For those of you who don't know how the warranty process works, a service department can agree to do work on a customer's car under warranty, the customer can walk out with no bill and a repaired car no questions asked. But then the service department has to submit a warranty claim to get paid back from Nissan/Infiniti for the work they just did. Until that money comes in, the dealership, NOT Nissan, is eating the cost of the repairs. I can only imagine the look on the waranty claims officer's face when a claim comes in to replace and engine in a 2014 370Z with a dealer installed turbo kit. HA! No chance in hell! So then I ask you, what dealership would install parts on a vehicle KNOWING FULL WELL that if the customer has any problems down the road, THEY'LL be the ones covering the cost of repairs?

So if your customer is ok with buying a brand new $45K-$50 vehicle with absolutely no warranty whatsoever, then yeah dealer installed turbo kits would be fine. This has not however, been my experience...
nissan wont warrenty its a program stillen themselves offer and has been used alot especially on the 370z's due the the vq37hrs blowing up on stillens own tune. The catch is the kit must be purchased and installed by a stillen authorized shop.

not only that one of the dealerships i worked at was sued for installing SLP parts(which you used to be able to buy "slp camaros" or "slp firebirds" from the dealer and was sued when the owner got into a wreck with the parts(was a GTO) so much grey area with stuff in the aftermarket and oem dealers. not to mention the news has been circulating the next gen will have a choice of either a turbo 4 or turbo 6 both from mercedes and it has been met with disdain. at the end of the day its not turbo or not turbo that has led to the decline, its a matter of less discretionary spending money, as well as an aging engine platform which when released was capable of keeping up with muscle cars of the time without modification and out handling them and now falls behind on power and is only barely a match in handling(not counting the charger/challanger dodge just cant really get anything right, even the new hell cat is most powerful v8 from the big auto manufacturers but its still slower then the mustang)


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