Valveman

Falken 452's.

These are perfect for both applications. They also give a superb ride, so much better than the RE40's and for about £480 a set (you may find them cheaper) I think they are excellent. I did 2 track days (well evenings actually) last year with 452's and the grip was very good. It's the suspension that limits the zed on the track not the tyres so the 452's will be ideal.

Please read my post above. The car will be traded on Wednesday whether someone buys it or not!

I have owned and sold cars since 1974, so I have a good experience of buying and selling. People buy cars on condition and mileage, and obviously price, not because of any dyno results. To be honest any extra performance is barely noticeable, however the driveablity of the car is transformed. It is a pitty Nissan could not have done this from the start.

If anyone does buy the car before Wednesday then they will get the published Dyno results together with all the other documentation. For information all the garages I took the 350Z too all said it was one of the best they had ever seen, hence I got offered a good trade in price for it.

I am selling a car here not posting dyno results. Car BHP figures are always quoted at the flywheel and not the hubs hence why I quoted what the flywheel results would be. What's wrong with sending me a PM instead of trying to rubbish my advert!

This car will be traded on Wednesday. Any one interested has until Wednesday 28th Sept.

Price Update as I have found my next car

£11500

2006 (56 Plate) UK 350Z with GT Pack in metallic gunmetal grey

NOW SOLD.

I doubt you will get winter tyres/all weather tyres in low profile sizes and even if you could they would be useless in this bad weather as they are too wide. You need thin narrow wheels and tyres for snow driving and then it is still very risky as other motorists can easily hit you. A 350Z or any high performance car with wide low profile tyres is a no go in any snow or similar winter conditions. Just leave the car in the garage or lock your keys away until the snow and bad weather clears.

I replaced a set of bridgestones with some Falken ZIEX ZE-912's.

 

I've not driven too much in them since fitting but they seem to hold much better in the wet and especially on those slippy first rainy days after a warm spell. I even had the unfortunate experience of using them in a couple of inches of snow which they weren't so great in (no suprises there!)

 

despite the fact that the bridgestones did need replacing I still found them awful in the wet and really struggled to put and power through the wheels. Interesting that the same brand albeit different size tyres on my Civic type R were also pathetic in the wet.

 

I bought them from the delticon site and had a whole set fitted for a pretty reasonable price. Quiet enough on the road. Interesting read this whole thread!

The 912's are not going to perform like 452's........

Just put falken 452 all round on standard car.

 

Changed from some cheap tyres on front and bridgestone 050A on the rear.

 

Tyre noise is much improved above 50 mph, its still quite noisy but I can live with it now. Previously I thought this was the worst aspect of the car.

 

Grip seems ok for the road, fine in wet conditions and dry. So for the price and road use I think these were a good buy. Certainly worth the extra over a budget tyre and the premium options don't seem to be so much better that they are worth the extra money.

 

So overall for all year road use and taking price into account they are very good.

Good too on the track - if only I can reduce that body roll.............

I've read through the whole thread and now I cant decide what tyre I want!!?! Fronts at the moment are useless in the wet (some budget dealer rubbish) and I defo need a good tyre in the wet!!

Had Eagle Asymmetrics on my ST and I loved them! No ones really commented if they are just as good on the zed??

I think its between the Asymmetrics, Toyo T1rs and FK 452s. For wet roads which are the best? I'm not to concerned with the best performance in the dry because thats such few days up here and I make use of the motorbike on those rarities!

The Michelins are more than double the price of say the T1R's and 452's. The Toyo T1Rs will be good as will the 452's. The ride quality of these tyres over the RE40's will be a significant improvement. My Z has about 330HP and I have no problems with grip in the wet with 452's. Ride is excellent too.

One thing to check which hasn't been mentioned on this thread is insurance. I have heard of insurance claims not being honoured if non standard or non manufacturers specified tyres are fitted. Don't forget that insurance companies are just looking for any excuses not to pay out if a claim is made and this is one of them.

I have a similar issue that's recently occurred. I went away for 2 weeks and when I came back the engine wouldn't run. It would fire up but die instantly. After about 5 goes at this I left it for a bit and came back. It started up but with the malfunction indicator on. I manually read the code which gave a 122 which is the Throttle Position Sensor (low). I reset the ECU and the car would start so I took it for a drive. About 5 miles in it went to limp mode. No error code this time so I restarted and since then (a week and a bit) it's been running without going to limp mode. HOWEVER, it's not running how it should. When warm the engine idles high at about 1100rpm. As other people have mentioned on here, when driving along when the accelerator is released it actually revs higher for a second before falling back and the fallback itself seems a bit lumpy. It did not do these things before I went on holiday. I'm relating this as some of the symptoms sound like other peoples (although obviously I've had an error code) so may have some relevance.

 

The car will most likely be going into Abbey soon for other work but before I take it I'm going to clean the TB as suggested above and see if it makes any difference. I'll report back if I find out anything....

Cleaning the TB won't make any difference. Best to take it to a Nissan garage or a 350Z specialist like Abbey Motorsport and get them to sort it out as there may be a chance some damage might be done to your engine if the fault is left unchecked. Engines today run withing very tight limits and if these are exceeded for extended periods potential damage may occur. At the very least you should get the throttle position sensor checked and adjusted if necessary.

If you have the 06 296 engine then you need the Uprev remap. With this low down torque and drive ability is simple not an issue over earlier models. It transforms this car into something even more special.

Regarding your initial comment about the Boxster/Cayman being a "poor mans 911" well both cars share many of the same parts, in fact I think many would be very surprised to learn how many parts are the same in both models. I read a test about a year ago where a Cayman S was timed against a 911 (997) C2 around a race track (I think it was Bedford Autodrome) and the Caymen S was quicker round the track than the 911 by about a second a lap. Having owned some pretty rare 911's over the years and driven some of the newer ones I can confirm that I would take a Cayman S over the 911 any day - its just more of a drivers car and it handles better too.

Just think of the servicing costs and replacement parts for the Porsche.

Yes do, every 20,000 miles or every 2 years. The only replacement parts you may need would be tyres and these are probably no different in price to your 370Z.

I drove a Cayman S (with ceramic brakes) round the new Porsche Test track at Silverstone and it was sublime. The lighter brakes made it handle even better than the standard car which is also excellent.

Absolute crap!

 

I've done 3 track days this year at Silverstone (the new GP circuit and the old old with Bridge corner) in my 350Z (with 452's), two in the dry and one starting dry then wet towards the end of the day. I've had the car sliding in all the corners with absolutely no problem with the tyres. The 350 tells you when things are getting out of hand so you have plenty of time to sort the car out on the track so you don't have an off!. I've also been out in the wet with no problems at all when others were going off - I was really surprised with the level of grip. Its not the grip that is the problem with the 350Z on the track (with 452's) - its the level of roll. I know this could be improved by stiffening the car up and possibly lowering it, maybe losing some weight but then it would make a @*!# car for the road.

 

Last track day out I had a pro driver with me and he said the same - the roll is the problem not the grip.

Suggest you get some tuition on your next track day.

 

Thanks for the erudite response Valveman.

 

I don't remember you being in my car when I've clocked up 150 laps at Castle Combe or the 3 sets of tuition I've had. Must be my age.

 

Ekona has very kindly already identified that he thinks using the D1 is not a good idea and as he seems to have a lot more track experience then me, I'll take his advice and turn it off.

 

However, I'm still unimpressed with the tyres and will be changing next time round.

What about tyre pressures - did you reduce them before going out on track because if you didn't this will have a huge impact on grip levels. My first track day about 10 years ago in 964 Carrera RS and I spun off on the warming up laps with an instructor leading us around just showing us the track. The tyre pressures were 32 psi before going on track but when I got back they had gone up to 45psi so I was only running on the centre of the tyre. I took me 3 sessions to get the pressures right so I had proper grip, and ended up with about 15-20psi coming out of the tyre....

Don't buy Falken 452 tyres.

 

This is what happens at low speeds on a (hardly) damp track doing 40ish and then accelerating hard.

 

Useless grip and could have been very costly. The tyres are only a few months old.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6J8hfNJeyw

 

Also, TCS is cutting in severely and much more often than used to happen with the origianl (so called crap) Bridgestones.

 

Won't be going near them again.

Absolute crap!

I've done 3 track days this year at Silverstone (the new GP circuit and the old old with Bridge corner) in my 350Z (with 452's), two in the dry and one starting dry then wet towards the end of the day. I've had the car sliding in all the corners with absolutely no problem with the tyres. The 350 tells you when things are getting out of hand so you have plenty of time to sort the car out on the track so you don't have an off!. I've also been out in the wet with no problems at all when others were going off - I was really surprised with the level of grip. Its not the grip that is the problem with the 350Z on the track (with 452's) - its the level of roll. I know this could be improved by stiffening the car up and possibly lowering it, maybe losing some weight but then it would make a @*!# car for the road.

Last track day out I had a pro driver with me and he said the same - the roll is the problem not the grip.

Suggest you get some tuition on your next track day.

Yeah i know what you mean about the different angles!

 

Drowns out my own thoughts girlf isn't impressed! :|

Sorry, but I think you have ruined the car with that exhaust. A Nismo or Motordyne that looks similar to the standard exhaust looks much better and probably performs better too. Why people want to turn a nice car like the 350Z into a Chav's wagon is beyond me....

Right guys been thinking about doing something with my suspension for a while now but always ended up spending my money in other area's of the car, which at the time i found more imperative!! I know alot will say suspension should always be first mind!

 

Now even though iv really spent my 'allowance' on the car already this year with all the bodywork alterations im thinking which route i should go with the suspension!

 

Now i know alot of you will just say go for the coilovers which id like to, just cant afford them at the moment so until i can is there any other areas i can improve my handling (bare in mind i have the car lowered around 15/20mm on springs) was wondering if anti roll bars or anything would help me in the mean time?????????

 

I had the car setup as im now running 295/30 19's on the rear and 245/35 19's on the front and the guys said that the camber was ok where it was at between plus 2.5 to 2.9 on the rear as the car had been lowered!

 

Just dont seem to have much feel through the steering wheel and a fair amount of body roll also when hitting high speeds the car can feel a little unsettled over small underlations in the road!!!

 

Was looking at the MeisterR coilovers as they seem a great price just want to make sure i keep the ride height below i already have as it sits perfect over the wheel so dont want it any higher but cant go any lower as i wont get over speed bumps and the tyres will rub on the bloody arches

 

All your ideas and advice more than welcome as i havent really a clue when it comes to the ARB's, drop links, A arms, bushes, camber kits, etc etc many thanks

Have you thought about contacting a specialist 350Z tuner and getting some proper advice on what will work on your car?

Not sure about any power gains from the y pipe as I only have the seat pants dyno to go on but can say for sure the y will unleash the v6 sound .

Try the Motodyne XYZ and you will be pleasantly surprised. It makes the car much more responsive and easier to drive fast.

http://www.motordyneengineering.com/index.php?cPath=2_9&osCsid=ba5d9e50cf143a2910f16a3740059a96

Thanks guys

 

Gain in power would be a bonus but it is mainly for sound/style, Y-pipe seems the way to go

Speak to Mark at Abbey. The Motodyne Y pipe is very good and not silly money either. Sports cats together with the Y pipe + remap will give you good gains without spending a fortune.

Unless you are going racing the manifolds will be a waste of money, also they can crack and become unreliable. One golden rule with regard to power gain figures quoted: ignore them as most are just bullshit. Speak to a proper experienced tuner who knows the 350Z well and can tell you what bits work and what doesn't.

Post the regs up then.

When you make any changes to a vehicle you have to declare these changes to the DVLA. See here http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/RegisteringAVehicle/DG_4022486

Depending on the severity changes the DVLA may request you to have the car inspected by VOSA at one of the VOSA test centres. It is almost 100% likely this will be the case if you are increasing the size/capacity of the engine and increasing the number of cylinders, as you would with an LS2 engine.

See section: Registering a radically altered vehicle

The reason for this is to make sure the work carried out on the vehicle meets with the DOT safety standards. A car can be submitted for testing by the Individual Vehicle Approval Scheme

You can use the IVA scheme if you: rebuild older cars with major changes

The IVA inspection checks that your vehicle is designed and constructed to meet modern safety and environmental standards for use on UK roads. Examiners from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency do inspections at approved sites in Great Britain.

You still won't need any test for that, just ask all the Elise guys who drop Audi and Honda lumps into their cars. Building a Cobra replica is completely different to an engine swap, which is again different to mass producing a car that needs to go through all the European safety regs.

I am not talking in respect to kit cars, but that I have seen and read the VOSA regs and take it from me you simply can't just put a different engine in a car without it going through the proper tests. Its OK for show cars or for race car use that won't be used on the road, but not for road cars where people’s safety is at risk. Regarding the Elise engine swaps - these are proper recognised and approved conversions that have TUV approval. If a conversion company goes to all the trouble and gets an approval for fitting a 1000HP LS2 engine in a Zed then this will not need VOSA test. VOSA are there to protect us (the public) from unsafe or dangerous engineering.

You won't need any kind of test for a simple engine swap.

It won't be just a simple engine swap will it, if someone puts an LS2 (supercharged or not) in a Zed. The gearbox and drive chain will need changing, and possibly the rear axle plus it will need uprated brakes. Add all this together and you effectively have changed the car from what it was to something completely different. Doing this sort of thing these days is very complicated - I looked into this a few years ago when I was considering a replica Cobra. The rules and legislation are now very tight. It is different if a company has gone to the trouble of offering a proper approved and certified conversion with certificates of safety compliance (i.e. Alpina and AMG etc) if not you can't do this sort of thing anymore unless its not going to run on the road. However tuning an original engine is a different matter.

Also don't forget that if you change the car too much from its original spec like changing to a different engine it may be liable for a full DOT VOSA test. If you do find an insurance company to insure a car like this then they also might insist the car has a VOSA test before they will insure it.

I have been looking at a 4th gen LS2 with centrifugal supercharging. Rumour has it that it could fit inside the engine bay and produce around 1k horses... As for the size of the wallet dent, I have absolutely no idea.

Then you have the issue of getting it insured. I doubt you would find a company that would insure such a car, and if you did it would probably cost as much as the conversion.