hi friends, I just bought a 05 z33 6mt base. it has 66k miles and I paid 11k for it. Hope it is a good price.

I had a s13 with sr20det, moved on to g37 coupe sport and now a 350z.

I am not looking for "speed" upgrade but I am looking forward to enhance my driving experience.

obviously I have no vlsd/tcs/vdc and I am interested in the following mod, keep in mind that I will not get any engine mod, including bolt ons.

I was wondering if they are overkill for bone stock engine, just wanna hear what you guys think.

-jwt cluth/flywheel
-vlsd
-brembo brakes
-tires without upgrading the wheel either hankook Ventus R-S3 or Potenza S-04 225/45-17 235/45-17

thanks for your advice in advance.

2 problem noticed:
1) I noticed that my clutch has a rubbing noise... whenever I let go of my clutch in 1st gear. What does that mean?

2) I like to down shift, brake, gas through turns but when I down shift at about 40mph the car shift tails. This was a bit unexpected. Do you think the tire/vlsd upgrade will resolve this issue?

thanks for reading!

The clutch and flywheel will make the ride more sporty, but will also make it a bit harder to drive, and can be annoying as a daily. Lightweight flywheels drop revs a lot faster, so it's harder to downshift, or shift in general. Also less rotational mass on the engine means less inertia, and more likely to stall from a stop.

VLSD is a beautiful thing. If you don't have it, you should. Everyone should. We should make a law that says every car needs VLSD because it's that good. But only when driving at the limits of traction. Day to day driving, you'll never notice it. So ask yourself how much you're gonna be going that fast and decide if it's worth the coin.

Braking, yes. My favorite mod listed. BBK is a great thing. You literally have to re-learn how to brake after installing it or you'll end up through the windshield.

Tires are also great. I love potenzas. I have RE-11's on my TT and they're awesome. I've also heard great things about the Ventus R-S3 and the Potenza S-04. Tires are great, but I'd just as soon wait for my current set to wear out (unless I had an upcoming track day or something...)

As far as downshifting at 40, from what gear to what gear? Straight line or in a curve? If you're not heel-toe braking and trying to drive hard, that's the torque of the engine (yes engines can have reverse torque) overcoming your traction limit. VLSD could help fix this, but better solution is to practice better shifting and clutch control while braking.

it seems like the fish tail issue is that there were a 2 inch "free play" on the clutch pedal and that the z33 has a lower engagement point.

when I rev match I had the wrong engagement.

I played with the adjustment screw and eliminated the free play and now the car feels like something else entirely

I see why people love this car now, even with the open diff and crappy brake, I can communicate much better with this car as opposed to my g37

I've had my 03 Track model since new, and I still love the car very much. What the 240Z was to the sports car world many years ago, the 350Z is to the sports car world of today. Nissan got so many things right on this car. Up until just recently, my car was untouched except for tires, brake fluid and brake pads. I would have a blast running with guys in Porsche Carreras of the same vintage at track days - they had more power and so would be ultimately quicker, but it was close enough to be fun. As far as upgrades:

- Tires...yes. I am a big fan of the newer Potenzas; they are grippy and have reasonable tire life. If you want the OMG factor, find a set of Hoosiers. In stock form, the 350Z can use them pretty well!

- Brakes...yes. I have always had Brembos (Track model) and they have never let me down. My 350Z friends with the small brakes have had more problems with wear and performance. The 350Z is a relatively heavy sports car, and so bigger brakes will certainly help. If the price of Brembos is a bit high, Stoptech makes a great kit for a bit less $$$. I believe all 350Z models have ABS, so with a set of big brakes, you will look like a hero going into the turn because these cars are incredibly stable in braking.

- LSD...yeah. A limited slip will certainly increase the fun factor, but for the money, not as big a difference as the first two. The VQ35 is not a power monster like a Vette, so you'll really see drastic improvement only in tight, lower-speed corners or corners with lots of elevation change. With that said, now that my LSD is getting weak from years of abuse with sticky tires, I miss it tremendously.

- Clutches/flywheels/etc...not really. I just installed an Exedy clutch and flywheel kit. It is definitely more grabby and DEFINITELY louder than stock. I did it mostly because I had everything apart anyway and bumped the power up a bit, otherwise I had no complaints with stock.

- Suspension upgrades will help, but probably makes sense only if you're on the track. I do find the stock suspension right at the limit of tolerable on long trips, so I think it will be relegated to shorter trips now that I have new dampers, springs and roll bars. I will probably swap the stock system back in when I decide to cross my California trip off the bucket list.

Welcome to the Z club! I hope it provides you with as much enjoyment as mine as given me!

I don't know how many times I have to post this...

Big Brakes DO NOT MAKE YOUR CAR STOP FASTER.

Tires stop your car, not the brakes...for shorter stopping get better tires. A car cannot stop faster than the tires will let it. Bigger brakes, ie: rotors, pads, multiple pistons are better for multiple repeated stops, but on a single stop, all other things being equal, a standard brake setup will perform as well as a big brake setup.

Zeckhausen 350Z Brake Test

There's only five feet stopping distance between the stock 350Z brakes and a StopTech setup on the 60-0 stop, and less than two feet when you look at the stock brakes versus the track model Brembos. Not the whiplash inducing numbers most people expect from a big brake setup. Where you do see a difference is in the rotor temperatures. Lower temperatures leads to less heat soak and your end result is less brake fade that leads to better repeated stops.


Welcome to the Z family.

More reading: Car & Driver - The Power to Stop

BusyBadger wrote:
Big Brakes DO NOT MAKE YOUR CAR STOP FASTER.

Tires stop your car, not the brakes...

thank you!

Big Brakes DO NOT MAKE YOUR CAR STOP FASTER.

Very good point, guys. If you're simply looking to make the car stop faster, bigger brakes will likely not do it for you. I would like to expound on your point and say that the contact patch determines the braking effectiveness: You can have big, sticky, wide tires, but if the suspension geometry doesn't allow you to use all of that patch area, then you're wasting money and probably making it worse with additional weight. This is why some cars with similar tires, weight, etc. will have shorter stopping distances than others.

A quick point on multi-piston brakes: Anything more than 4 on a street car is going to be a waste of money. Multi-piston setups are a way to deal with the longer brake pads by dispersing the forces across the entire pad more evenly and consistently. All other things being equal, having 4 vs 12 pistons will do nothing more for you than just a tiny bit more even pad wear.

I should also point out that multi-piston, fixed-caliper setups (such as Brembos and Stoptechs) will exhibit 'pad knockback' when driven hard in the 350Z. This can create a brown stain in the shorts of those that experience it for the first time. I, personally, don't mind it but some may find it objectionable.

I would say that if you're regularly using the car above 7/10ths of its limit (i.e. frequently spending the weekend on clear twisty roads or HDPEs), then you can benefit from bigger brakes on the 350Z, otherwise just save that money for gas.