VikesFan 300ZX TT Update Thread

[BigTDogg (MA)]

Oh and what is the deal with Ultimate Z?

I've heard many bad reviews on TT.net. People being led on about their parts, waiting weeks, months and eventually canceling the order

[BigTDogg (MA)]

BigTDogg Thanks for all the pointers. Those will help a lot. The only thing about the exhaust manifold is the motor has to be pulled and I would like to stay away from that if possible.

When you do pull the motor, get the MSP manifolds. You will NOT be disappointed. I have Sport500s with MSP manifolds and the 3" expansions, and I have to try not to boost. Pretty much anything above 2500 brings the gauge right to 0 and I build boost from there, regardless of gear.

[vikesfankevin1986]

Ewww well I guess I can stay away from Ultimate Z then. Importpartspro has been amazing for me. I get everything in like 3 days with normal shipping. Hmmm maybe I will look at the manifolds a little more. I will see how I am doing on cash next summer. I will get that 7,500 dollar bonus that I plan on using. If I have left over cash I will give it a look. What hurts the most is I will have to pay labor for most of this stuff...I don't know how long it takes to pull a motor but I'm sure it isn't cheap...

[vulcanrush]

from my personal experience buying stuff from them, specialty-z is pretty cool.

they're knowledgeable, smart, and just all-around nice guys.

they're not condescending and don't act like they're all that.

kyle over at ipp is pretty cool too.

[vikesfankevin1986]

from my personal experience buying stuff from them, specialty-z is pretty cool.

they're knowledgeable, smart, and just all-around nice guys.

they're not condescending and don't act like they're all that.

kyle over at ipp is pretty cool too.

Yea I have email Seb at Specialty Z. He has helped out a lot. He may get me a deal on some 3" down to 2.5" test pipes. I will for sure let him know when I order those.

[BigTDogg (MA)]

Ewww well I guess I can stay away from Ultimate Z then. Importpartspro has been amazing for me. I get everything in like 3 days with normal shipping. Hmmm maybe I will look at the manifolds a little more. I will see how I am doing on cash next summer. I will get that 7,500 dollar bonus that I plan on using. If I have left over cash I will give it a look. What hurts the most is I will have to pay labor for most of this stuff...I don't know how long it takes to pull a motor but I'm sure it isn't cheap...

Do you not have the space to DIY? It's not terribly difficult, and it's a great learning experience. Takes about 4-5 hours your first time.

Also, I forgot to add, get a new EFI harness when you (or your mechanic) does pull the motor.

from my personal experience buying stuff from them, specialty-z is pretty cool.
they're knowledgeable, smart, and just all-around nice guys.
they're not condescending and don't act like they're all that.
kyle over at ipp is pretty cool too.

2nd on both vendors, been excellent to deal with.

[vikesfankevin1986]

Awesome thanks for the harness advice. I will get that for sure. The car does idle weird at times. I would love to learn to do it myself but I have no room, no tools and no clue. Read my other recent post.

[vulcanrush]

Kevin, i was just teasing you about the brakes vs breaks, please don't take offense.

i think your money is better spent on mike smith performance exhaust manifolds vs the 2.5'' intercoolers piping's and upgraded intercoolers...especially with stock turbo's.

they are pricey, and i'd like to run better turbo's so i'd figured get them all at once, you know?

but they're pricey and your money is better spent on those mike smith performance manifolds, the 120k pack, gaskets perhaps, or instead of aluminum exhausts, get the stainless steel ones.

7,500 is a lot of money, but you can spend it fast on this car.

those 2.5'' piping's and ducts are 2k already!!! a boost controller and radiator/oil cooler and you spent half your money. this is just parts, not including getting somebody to install it for you.

[vikesfankevin1986]

The only thing about the manifolds that I was worried about is pulling the motor. I want to do that for sure but I don't know the cost of a motor pull. At least with the intercooler stuff you only have to remove the bumper. Everything I have read has said upgraded intercoolers. Stock piping would work but 2.5" piping and throttle bodies will show significant performance. Also I think I need upgraded intercooler pipes to run water injection. I know it cost a lot. The intercooler stuff seems to be the most expensive part of the car but I think it is needed. As far as radiator and oil cooler, they are a little farther down on the list. I live in MN...we don't get crazy heat. I want to try and get all the stuff that requires a tune done at the same time. Also remember it is my goal to hit 400rwhp with stock turbos. I will need everything to be great to reach that and if I have everything great a turbo upgrade would be easy as pie.

[vulcanrush]

The only thing about the manifolds that I was worried about is pulling the motor. I want to do that for sure but I don't know the cost of a motor pull. At least with the intercooler stuff you only have to remove the bumper. Everything I have read has said upgraded intercoolers. Stock piping would work but 2.5" piping and throttle bodies will show significant performance. Also I think I need upgraded intercooler pipes to run water injection. I know it cost a lot. The intercooler stuff seems to be the most expensive part of the car but I think it is needed. As far as radiator and oil cooler, they are a little farther down on the list. I live in MN...we don't get crazy heat. I want to try and get all the stuff that requires a tune done at the same time. Also remember it is my goal to hit 400rwhp with stock turbos. I will need everything to be great to reach that and if I have everything great a turbo upgrade would be easy as pie.

i don't know what you've read, but i don't think you need upgraded intercoolers and piping's for stock turbo's, for upgraded turbo's, sure. for stock turbo's, z1 intercoolers would more than do the job, for example. as far as "significant performance", Kevin, for upgraded turbo's. also, to get the z1 tb's in, you're gonna do a plenum pull to do grind the upper plenum so the tb's fit.

on a dollar-for-hp basis, for stock turbo's, you're better off spending your money on msp's, etc. i'm not saying the intercoolers and piping's aren't good, just that you can better spend your money elsewhere.

i'm not the most knowledgeable person, but i think it's more than just removing the bumper for the intercooler piping's, since they go to the back. and a turbo upgrade is anything but easy as pie, but again, just for an amateur like myself.

also, just because the heat isn't bad in MN, that's a minor factor, you're pushing the stock turbo's pretty hard, it's gonna generate heat.

i also don't think you NEED upgraded intercoolers and piping's to run water injection, the water/methanol is injected into the intake manifolds, if i'm not mistaken. snow would limit their their market audience if you HAD to have 2.5'' piping's and upgraded intercoolers, don't you think?

[vikesfankevin1986]

Well I do have a year before I can do it all anyways. I will keep doing my research. When I was emailing Seb at Specialty Z he mentioned some experiences people had with water injection. I guess I would rather be safe than sorry. I appreciate your input and will take into consideration. Maybe I can save some money by not doing the full intercooler upgrade. Either way I do agree that a radiator and oil cooler upgrade is important. The first time I read about the MSP exhaust manifolds I wanted them. I am just trying to spend my money the best I can.

[Rager]

sorry this doesn't have anything to do with anything and I know i have a rep on here already but I need to rant. I am furious and of course my wife thinks I'm over reacting. Ok so I'm trying to spend time with her before she goes to work. There are 4 different things on that I want to watch but I decide to watch what she wants to to be nice. So we watched Law and Order SVU. The last time I watched this show I got pissed but thought I would stick it out.
Ok real brief overview of the episode.
1 girl claims she got raped.
2 guy claims it was rough sex
SVU is devided on who was telling the truth.
Key points of her
1 She goes over to her teachers place to talk about her project wearing sexy clothes.
2 Has several glasses of wine and kisses him.
3 After the rape she throws a wine bottle at the taxi window.
4 Forgets to mention she has sex with her b/f on a regular basis.
5 Accuses the cop with a flawless 12 year record of working with rape victims of touching her Inappropriately because he gave her a ride home and helped her up the stairs but she fell backwards and he caught her.
6 They find her in her tube passed out from a pill overdose.
7 She did have marks on her neck and arm

Points about the guy
1 He claims she wanted it rough.
2 He does not have a violent past.
3 He admits he made a bad decision but broke no laws.
4 His wife is suing him for full custody of the kid, he loses his job, loses his home, life ruined.
So the case goes to trial and here is how it ends

In the case of blah blah blah we fine the defendant...END OF SHOW
WTF!?!?! Why would you making a f*** show with no f*** ending? My wife is trying to tell me they are making a point. Yea they are making a point....THERE IS NOT NEED TO WATCH THIS SHOW. An hour of my life gone. If they wern't going to make an ending why not just end the show 5 minutes in? What if we are all tied up on pass time and the show ended just before the last race crosses the finish line? What if during the World Series of p0ker they just ended it on the river card on the final hand. What if we ended the Super Bowl with 1 second to go, all tied up, team kicking a field goal? This is the worst ending to anything I have seen since the third matrix movie. At least by the end of the matrix I wasn't excited to see how it end. WTF do not watch this show.

what about the final episode of the Saprano's? that s*** was retarted... just ending with a black screan , not to mention the whole season was really all bad

[serg-z32]

Also 1 more question...I don't know if you can tell by looking at it, but are these stock? are they normally red? If they aren't stock, can anyone give me any info on them?

i just saw this post. um, yea they are stock. i have them red too... lol
... check it out..

[vikesfankevin1986]

I see. All I know is people always ask about my brake calipers and I don't know anything about them...I assumed they were stock but I kept getting questions so I wondered.

[serg-z32]

oh yea...ive been asked too.

i spent around 2 hrs and a twelve pack tracing out the "NISSAN" part out of it...lol

[vikesfankevin1986]

Meh whatever, just so people like it lol

[vikesfankevin1986]

To be honest I am totally pumped on the weight reduction thing. I found an awesome guide. If I hit some weight reduction I will suprise my friend and other people. My friend with the mustang always asks about hp but with u/d pulley, o/d pulley, light weight flywheel, Aluminum drive shaft and other minor things he will be asking "how the hell"

[vulcanrush]

Kevin, did you ever do the 120k pack maintenance? i would do that before any upgrades.

[BigTDogg (MA)]

oh yea...ive been asked too.

i spent around 2 hrs and a twelve pack tracing out the "NISSAN" part out of it...lol

You know you can just paint the whole thing and sand the NISSAN clean right?

Also, Kevin has the 93+ iron calipers, Serg has the 90-92 aluminum calipers.

[serg-z32]

yea, but i didnt have any. lol.

plus i couldnt drive...

[legion]

To be honest I am totally pumped on the weight reduction thing. I found an awesome guide. If I hit some weight reduction I will suprise my friend and other people. My friend with the mustang always asks about hp but with u/d pulley, o/d pulley, light weight flywheel, Aluminum drive shaft and other minor things he will be asking "how the hell"

which weight reduction guide are you following?

[BigTDogg (MA)]

yea, but i didnt have any. lol.

plus i couldnt drive...

At least you realized you couldn't drive at that point +2

[serg-z32]

yea, the calipers was the last thing we did on the car that, so we had a couple already in the belly. lol. im a big believer in not drinking and drinving. and staying alive...plus how can i even think about risking that beauty of a car?...

anyways, i dont think they came out half bad. but now that you mentioned, i might go over it with the sandpaper sometime soon...

[vikesfankevin1986]

http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/f ... asics.html


http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/f ... contd.html

weight-reductions-101-part-iii-t383960. ... ightweight rims performance

Yea I do plan on doing at least some of the 120,000 mile kit. For got to mention that. When my buddy is digging around I am gonna have him check things out. From what I can tell the car has been very well maintained so I'm not sure if everything needs to be replaced. I know I do have an oil leak tho. It only leaks sometimes tho. It can go a week without a drop and then the next day I have a bunch of oil. I think it leaks when I get on it. I did buy a rear main seal but it sounds like my buddy doesnt want to deal with that...

[BigTDogg (MA)]

anyways, i dont think they came out half bad. but now that you mentioned, i might go over it with the sandpaper sometime soon...

No, quite the contrary, they look great! I was just mentioning an easier route for others. Let the paint dry overnight, then sand it off. Using a block with the paper stapled/adhered to it works best. Paint must be dry, or else it gets real messy.

[vikesfankevin1986]

Ok so I have been inspired to look into the weight reduction thing. I would like to get the car at 3,000 lbs without me in it. Here is the plan...
RWA=Rear Weight Area
FWA=Front Weight Area

Spare tire and accessories -38lbs RWA -Done
Cargo Cover -5.4lbs RWA -Done
Rear Hatch Weight -3.8lbs RWA -Done
Rear Wiper Assembly -4.3lbs RWA -Done
Rear Antenna Assembly -2.5lbs RWA
Cruise Control System -2.6lbs FWA
Rear Tow Hooks -4.3lbs RWA
Front Tow Hooks -3.6lbs FWA
Battery Relocation light weight battery can save 10-20 lbs and puts weight in the back
Battery Tray and Alarm Horn -7.8lbs FAW
Carbon Canister Bypass -6.9lbs FAW
SZ Down pipes and Test pipes over stock -22lbs RWA
PRVR System -2.1lbs FWA
EGR System -4.3lbs FWA
Foglight removal -6.7lbs FWA
After Market TT Wing -8lbs RWA
Rear Hatch -48.2lbs RWA
Light Weight Flywheel (Fidanza) -11.5lbs Center
Light Weight Single Piece Aluminum Drive Shaft -17.4lbs Center
4 piece UD Pulley set and OD Water Pump Pulley (I can't remember the stock weight of the pulleys or find my source so this is my best guess) -22lbs FWA
Light Weight Rotors -20lbs Center
Racing Seats -88lbs Center
Sound Deadening -33lbs Center -Not totally sure on this
AC/Heat removal 103.7lbs FWA
Airbag removal/Steering Wheel -28.3lbs FWA
Light Weight Wheels (not sure of the weight...if you know please let me know. I weighed the front wheel and tire at 38.4lbs and the rear at 43lbs. Light Weight Wheels can weigh as little as 18lbs for 18 inch rims) lets say -20lbs Center
Take my damn T-Tops off... -29.2lbs Center

That is 553.6lbs if I do all of that...SEXY

[BigTDogg (MA)]

Ok so I have been inspired to look into the weight reduction thing. I would like to get the car at 3,000 lbs without me in it. Here is the plan...
RWA=Rear Weight Area
FWA=Front Weight Area

Spare tire and accessories -38lbs RWA -Done
Cargo Cover -5.4lbs RWA -Done
Rear Hatch Weight -3.8lbs RWA -Done
Rear Wiper Assembly -4.3lbs RWA -Done
Rear Antenna Assembly -2.5lbs RWA
Cruise Control System -2.6lbs FWA
Rear Tow Hooks -4.3lbs RWA
Front Tow Hooks -3.6lbs FWA
Battery Relocation light weight battery can save 10-20 lbs and puts weight in the back
Battery Tray and Alarm Horn -7.8lbs FAW
Carbon Canister Bypass -6.9lbs FAW
SZ Down pipes and Test pipes over stock -22lbs RWA
PRVR System -2.1lbs FWA
EGR System -4.3lbs FWA
Foglight removal -6.7lbs FWA
After Market TT Wing -8lbs RWA
Rear Hatch -48.2lbs RWA
Light Weight Flywheel (Fidanza) -11.5lbs Center
Light Weight Single Piece Aluminum Drive Shaft -17.4lbs Center
4 piece UD Pulley set and OD Water Pump Pulley (I can't remember the stock weight of the pulleys or find my source so this is my best guess) -22lbs FWA
Light Weight Rotors -20lbs Center
Racing Seats -88lbs Center
Sound Deadening -33lbs Center -Not totally sure on this
AC/Heat removal 103.7lbs FWA
Airbag removal/Steering Wheel -28.3lbs FWA
Light Weight Wheels (not sure of the weight...if you know please let me know. I weighed the front wheel and tire at 38.4lbs and the rear at 43lbs. Light Weight Wheels can weigh as little as 18lbs for 18 inch rims) lets say -20lbs Center
Take my damn T-Tops off... -29.2lbs Center

That is 553.6lbs if I do all of that...SEXY

Are you making a dedicated track car? Because some of that just isn't realistic for a street car.

And lightweight 18" 255/35/18s weigh in at 23lbs.

[vulcanrush]

Nissan Lover
Since day one with my B14 coupe, I've been in love with the Nissan 200SX SE-R. I have dreamt about modifying this beauty, but have no clue where to start. Should I get the 2.0L SR20DE bored out to 2.2 liters, gut the interior to drop weight, and build it all-motor? Should I add a Jim Wolf Technology turbo kit? Or maybe just swap it for an SR20DET? I'm a big Nissan fan and would love to really do justice to this car by doing things right the first time.
-Nicolas
via importtuner.com

Since I have no idea what your budget is, I'm not really sure which route you should go. I can tell you that removing interior parts is generally one of the last things I do, because there really is very little gain for the inconvenience of removing comfort out of a street car. Something I do recommend is sticking to a company that is knowledgeable about your particular car. That company, in the case of the SE-R, would definitely be Jim Wolf Technology. Their SE-R turbo system is great and their ECU mapping always does the job reliably. And with the stock DE engine, you won't have to sweat the off-chance that it could be viewed as stolen or illegally imported. If you have the budget, just go straight for the Jim Wolf turbo.

[vulcanrush]

Kevin, i'm not greg or seb by any means, but for a turbo system, the exhaust manifolds are more important than the the intercoolers and piping's, imo --- as it's the exhaust gases that spin the turbo's, please correct me if i'm wrong.

going with the 2.5'' stuff and upgraded intercoolers, but stock exhaust manifolds (which are pretty crappy) will restrict any/a lot of the gains you'll see.

also, you wanna get an upgraded thermostat, but no upgraded radiator/oil cooler yet?

pushing 400rwhp is maybe 480hp to the crank? that's an unrealistic goal for stock turbo's, sure you might get a few dyno runs of 400rwhp, but how reliable is it?

[vikesfankevin1986]

Kevin, i'm not greg or seb by any means, but for a turbo system, the exhaust manifolds are more important than the the intercoolers and piping's, imo --- as it's the exhaust gases that spin the turbo's, please correct me if i'm wrong.

going with the 2.5'' stuff and upgraded intercoolers, but stock exhaust manifolds (which are pretty crappy) will restrict any/a lot of the gains you'll see.

also, you wanna get an upgraded thermostat, but no upgraded radiator/oil cooler yet.

pushing 400rwhp is maybe 480hp to the crank? that's an unrealistic goal for stock turbo's, sure you might get a few dyno runs of 400rwhp, but how reliable is it?

Ok I'm convinced on the exhaust manifolds. I would still like to do intercooler in the future but maybe I will hold off.
Read this http://specialtyz.com/blog/?p=56

Yes I know they are on high octane fuel but 450rwhp? I can't imagine these cars wouldnt get close to 400rwhp on pump gas. I know it isn't easy to get 400rwhp. That is why the call it the holy grail for stock turbos but if I do everything except turbos, including the intercoolers and stuff I see no reason it is possible. My car got dyno'd at 305rwhp and that is with just catback exhaust, JWT ECU and Popcharger. I will know more when I dyno it after the next set of upgrades.