bluesmoke Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hi folks, I have just registered on here as I am trying to work out where I go next with my car choice, and the 350Z is on my short list. I'm currently driving an MR2 Turbo, running around 285BHP. I need a car that's at least as much fun to drive, and so I believe I'd be looking to get a Z upto 300BHP. Basically, I'd like to know what's needed to reach such a figure, whether there are any common issues to look out for, etc. The car purchase budget will likely be around £6k, possibly upto £7.5k depending on circumstances at the beginning of 2012, when I'd be looking to change. Is there anything i need to know with regards common faults, or engine problems etc? I understand there will be info that's searchable, but on first visit to a forum it can be difficult to know exactly what to search for! Many thanks for any help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hello! Loads on info on here about what you need... A pre 06 model (in your price range) is about 276ish standard. With a plenum spacer and a remap... you can get circa 300bhp out of a pre 06 pretty easily. Any more and you will have to go FI.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Look for the "bulge" in the bonnet. No bulge is either 276 (Pre Facelift, pre 2006) or 296(Post face lift, post 2006) 309bhp HAS a bulge... i.e. Dave talking about an advert for a 2005 car (pre bulge AND pre facelift) claiming it has 300bhp The HR engine (313PS) won't fit under that pre-facelift bonnet..................... The advert is probably wrong, at that age it should be a 280bhp, and the 296bhp came out in 2005 as the GT4, and then all models from 2006. The 313ps (309bhp) came out in 2007, and can be identified from the bonnet bulge (although people put these bonnets on earlier cars) and more importantly the twin intakes on the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesmoke Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thanks guys, great info right there What are the differences between the later, more powerful engines and the early ones? Are there interchangeable parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thanks guys, great info right there What are the differences between the later, more powerful engines and the early ones? Are there interchangeable parts? From what I can tell (Mine is 03) the major difference is the interior... As well as the few BHP extra (and smoother/more lbs through the range) Plus the HUGE difference in Road Tax!!! Pre 06 is around £260 a year.... post 06 is over £450!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 The facelift has a much more desirable interior and 300ps as standard but has the high tax band. Breaking the 300bhp Mark can be expensive. If you think about the car at 7.5k, standard 276bhp. The cars very rarely dyno what they are supposed to have . Some have dyno'd even as low as 230ish. A plenum spacer plus fitting will set you back £180ish + an hour or 2 labour if youre not handy with a spanner. Decent air filter will be about 35quid. Decats/hfc £140ish-400 plus labour, decent exhaust(cheapest I'd recommend is scorpion) around £385, decent y-pipe £200ish + labour. Even after all of this you will not see any power gains without a remap using uprev(on standard ecu) or a standalone ecu -420ish +fuel So all on you'll be about £1600-£2000 to get anywhere near 300bhp and even then you might not achieve it. The 350z is also a fuel guzzler if you drive it hard. Right now I'm only seeing around 200miles out a tank of £100 of v-power. The lowest I've seen on mpg is 6mpg and the most I've seen in 23mpg, I average 16mpg usually on a tank of mixed driving. If you drive softly you will see more but who buys a 300hp to drive softly. Just thought I'd share the info to give you an insight to what to expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 So all on you'll be about £1600-£2000 to get anywhere near 300bhp and even then you might not achieve it. With a plenum spacer and a remap... you can get circa 300bhp out of a pre 06 pretty easily. NeilP just proved that I know NOTHING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 So all on you'll be about £1600-£2000 to get anywhere near 300bhp and even then you might not achieve it. With a plenum spacer and a remap... you can get circa 300bhp out of a pre 06 pretty easily. NeilP just proved that I know NOTHING Lol going through the dyno threads I've rarely seen a 276 model make 300bhp. I only seen 305.5 on a hot run with alot more stuff done on my 300ps model. That's why I've now invested in nitrous as i can't be bothered spending any more large amounts of cash chasing 5 or 6bhp. That is the stop gap until I can afford to go FI. To be honest all the mods done don't really make the car feel faster they change the way the engine runs and car drives which IMO is much more important than scraping a few bhp here and there which is barely noticeable, especially, in a car that weighs around 1.6 tons. The best thing to do with the zed is get it on a diet and lose some pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordGrover Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 The best thing to do with the zed is get it on a diet and lose some pounds. This is the truth of it. I've just come from a TVR Griffith with c. 270BHP. However, it weighed 1,050 kgs so was significantly faster than my zed which is supposed to have a few more ponies under the bonnet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordGrover Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Oops! Forgot - welcome bluesmoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesmoke Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 I don't care about the fuel, my commute is only 6 miles each way So what are the engine differences between the 276, 296 and 300+? What's required to crack 5 secs 0-60 (as I want the same sort of acceleration as my MR" if possible). As far as weight saving goes, I'd be interested in a carbon fibre bonnet, depending on the car's colour and lightweight alloys. Possibly lightweight seats too, but they'd have to be usable on long journeys, not buckets that ruin your back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 What's required to crack 5 secs 0-60 (as I want the same sort of acceleration as my MR" if possible). this... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=141 Being serious... to crack 5 seconds, you are probably looking at the wrong car... OR, you need to TRIPLE your budget. This car is a Grand Tourer... not a speed/racing machine. They are notoriously slow of the line due to their weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesmoke Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Well, if it's a nice drive and once up and running can display good in-gear acceleration, I could live witht hat. I think it would definitely be a case of having to drive one nearer the time and see how it feels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 What's required to crack 5 secs 0-60 (as I want the same sort of acceleration as my MR" if possible). this... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=141 Being serious... to crack 5 seconds, you are probably looking at the wrong car... OR, you need to TRIPLE your budget. This car is a Grand Tourer... not a speed/racing machine. They are notoriously slow of the line due to their weight. +1000000000000000 to crack 5 secs you're looking at around 400bhp + as a guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hi & to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choptop Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony420z Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hello and Welcome I would say Neil is giving you good advice, If you want quick 0-60 times the Zed is a heavy beast to get moving! If you want speed it can be done but as they say "Speed costs how fast do you want to go?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Mcgoo Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Welcome to the club. I very much doubt your gonna get a Zed that's as fast as you want it on anywhere near your budget I'm afraid. It is a very nice/fun car to drive and handles very well and predictably, but due to its size, weight and the linear way it delivers it's power, it will never 'feel' fast. Not like your turbo probably does. I'm running circa 420hp with a Supercharger and although it IS very fast, it doesn't 'feel' as fast as my 375bhp TT Supra did, although I'm sure it is. It will cost you many £k's to get a fast 350z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesmoke Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thanks everybody. I'm still very keen on one to be honest. I could get a Supra, or get something else like an R32 GTR, but I think the main thing is I want something with reasonable pace, that's a lot easier to slide around than a mid engined car like the MR2, and that I can spend money on mods when I want to, but don't have to constantly replace things/worry about putting miles on an old car and so on. Realistically, what kind of power can I get a pre 2005 car upto without spending astronomical money, and how would it feel for acceleration once up and running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordGrover Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 IMO unless you have a carefully calibrated arse/seat interface, until you go FI or NOS you aren't even going to notice the extra 10-30 BHP you can expect from bolt-on goodies. Save up for super/turbo charger(s) or just enjoy the ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 No matter what, you will enjoy a Z, especially on a long 2+ hour drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu350z Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Welcome to the forum. Earlier 350's will have similar hp to what you are driving now, main thing being, more torque than that what you are used to and no turbo lag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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