Chromatic

Hold you horses guys! lol.. This did NOT go quickly.. I got in there and started working with him.. This took 5 Hours! I'll go ahead and put the Video's up first for you guys... you were asking for them.. I know it's not top notch quality but I was busy working most of the time,.. there is NO WAY in hell I could have done this at home without an Acetylene Torch,.. and considering I've never used one, nor have one.. I would have certainly caused a mess with this project. The Car Up on the Lift,.. let the fun begin. Mechanic probably wondering why I'm videoing him lol.. But this is about 1 hour into the first "demon Bolt" on Driver side,.. And out comes the Acetylene Torch.

I'm at the exhaust shop.. It's literally called "The Exhaust Shop" lol.. Guy has my car on the rack right now.. I sprayed the bolts last night (jacked the car up got under there and coated them with PB Blaster and the O2 Sensors (just the nut ) ) -- So maybe they will come off with ease. (Knock on wood). He started about now.. a buddy of his just walked in so he's literally right in front of me on the phone cheking on a part for his buddy (or customers 98 BMW) nice guy.. we just chatted about his BMW M3.. Now the guy is also mentioning his Ducatti (He's 65 lol).. and making it's exhaust louder (this mechanic builds custom exhaust primarily..).. Very cool.. anyways... So I'll update on how quick or slow this becomes.. I may be able to get some pics of the car on the rack.. but it's nothing special.. Just my 08 350 lifted up lol.. Now the customer headed out and he's back to it.. I'll definitely get some sound video of how these Berk HFC's change the sound.

haha.. Yup,.. just a picture, and hype. Although they do have Dyno graphs and an inhouse Dyno they use on their products.. I'm sure they got these numbers off some beast built 350/370.. def. not a Stock NA. I'm doing this for 99% engine dress, and 1% air flow and air temp improvement.. I doubt the horsepower is measurable on a Dyno.. The hp increase is one that occurs as you would be 'before the addition" losing MORE hp from less dense air coming in from temps.. and the SLIGHT effect of the larger and non corrugated piping vs. stock -- These under hot ambient temps and load will keep the temps a few degree's F lower.. and air flow has less resistance and turbulence .. but, def. not something someone needs to ever think is going to make any measurable hp/torque gains lol. +1, and note it says "Max" gains for both rather than Min! I don't think they flat out lied -- but as I said above.. I'm sure the fact it was on a 550+ hp 350/370 was conveniently left out.. But back to my question(s) -- Colour thoughts? And Colour thoughts for ease of matching when hand painting other parts?

Did about an Hour of reading/research on this comment.. and you are right. It is, of course, a highly debated topic whether oil changes actually cause considerable (or any) damage to an engine if done too "frequently".. ie: every 3k miles. But, it is very , very much accepted by those in the know (which , sadly, aren't most people because most people don't know much about mechanics, engines, cars, etc.. and those who know a bit about cars.. even less know about oil HOA's. )..that Oil changes can go MUCH longer than the vast majority of your oil change/service centers and ever dealership recommends with their stickers placed on the window. Which here in the US is 3,000 miles/3months -- UK I'm not sure what those types of places place in Km.. but I imagine it's a similar "problem" where they give much too early change intervals that people follow not knowing any better -- And figuring changing it "too often" = better than not often enough. And.. the latter logic still applies technically. I would say changing oil ever 3,000 miles is better than changing it every 30,000 miles for example.. (More damage would occur at going with 30,000 mile intervals than the too "frequent" 3,000 mile intervals) .. Anyhow.. Here's a decent, non technical read: http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/stop-changing-your-oil.html And.. I'm glad you brought this up because I've been wondering about this myself. I also was wondering about the "Shelf life" so to speak, of oil. As I tend to put 6-7k miles or so on my car a year.. half or less the typical mileage average per year. So.. With this Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 5w-30, with "high Performance" K&N oil filter -- I think I'm going to put my oil intervals at 7500 Miles/1 Year. Whichever comes first. I was wondering if 1 year was too long to keep oil before changing,.. but I've since talked with Blackstone and they essentially told me Oil has no shelf life.. and said I could have the oil in the car for 3 years if necessary.. that I should only rate my oil usage by Miles (Km's), or in the case of other engines "hours", etc.. I plan on doing at least one Sample for an HOA -- I may take this oil that is a Synthetic Blend done at Nissan that the prev. owner had done every 3k at Nissan and send it off just for a 'baseline'.. but I won't be changing this oil out for another year likely.. but will certainly do an HOA at that point. Or, if I get antsy I may change it at 5k miles and get an HOA done just to see how the Mobil 1 full synthetic performed and the wear characteristics of the engine to feel 100% comfortable with longer mileage changes. When you change the oil, esp. oil type -- in an engine.. you don't get ALL of the oil out of course in an oil change. Some is going to remain in the engine (thankfully) .. and the new oil will mix with it.. though I'm sure it's just 1-2 percent at best of the "old" oil type.. So 1-2 cycles/changes would be needed to have the oil completely shifted out. Though thankfully there is no issue with Dino, Blend, or Synthetic all being mixed with one another. You could technically make your own oil Blend with say some 5w-30 Dino, 5w-30 Synthetic.. and mix them at a 50/50 ratio (or whatever you wanted).. But, with the low mileage I put on this 350.. I'm more than willing to pay the $40 for 6 quarts of the Full Synthetic instead of trying to save a few pennies mixing it up That's just a "theory" anyways.. I'm curious at our Oil filter life/efficiency over time. I am running a better than OEM filter -- or if being conservative at least as good as the Nissan OEM filter with this K&N High. Perf. Oil Filter: K&N HP-1008 That stats for it are : Oil Filter Style Canister Height (in) 2.910 in. Outside Diameter (in) 2.656 in. Filter Bypass Relief Valve Yes Relief Valve Open (psi) 11-17 psi Anti-Drainback Valve Yes Smallest Particle Filtered 10 microns Maximum Burst Pressure (psi) 550 psi Quantity Sold individually. Thread Size 20mm x 1.5 Height 2.91in Outside Diameter 2.656in Anyone know much about Oil "filters" and their life? - I have a hunch the Synthetic Oil will outperform the filter? Is the filter safe for 7.5k Miles (not km's).. 10k miles? less , more? Thanks,

** First I know, and apologize, that this is the 370 section, but engine dressing is engine dressing and not incredibly model specific in essence, especially when coming to color/colour schemes and painting.*** Resurrecting this thread that is now a year old (time flies) .. But.. I'm about to start Dressing my engine.. haven't ordered the first piece yet, but my first two "performance" pieces are going to be a pair of "Z-tubes" (Larger diameter, smoother non "accordian style" for airflow, and 3-5 ply Silicone to keep air temps down) That will either be Blue , Black or Red.. Shown here: Z-Tubes (Post MAF Air Intake Dual Tubes) Blue: Black: Red: At the same time I'm getting an Air Diversion Plate.. either in Red, Blue, or (silver?): Air Diversion Plate: Then I'll grab a Hose Kit in Red, Blue (and Black is obviously Available) Red Hose Kit: Black Hose Kit: Blue Hose Kit: And that will be the start.. Before I start painting stuff myself. Your engine bay looks sweet.. and I'm sure others have done their own dressing, and painting. I'm curious with my silver 2008 VQ35HR 350 shown here: What color I should go with, Red or Blue ? Once I pick one I'll be sticking to that. Black stuff will always be an option no matter what as it goes with anything of course.. which I'm likely getting my Diversion Plate in black for that reason. But, also,.. the rest will be going Red or Blue -- I have 2 votes from my own thread for Red.. but I also would like to know what color would be more "friendly" for when I do my own pulling and painting of other parts of the engine.. ie: Engine Cover, Sway/Strut Bar,.. Dip Stick,.. Maybe the Battery and Brake covers (I've noticed those don't look too good (to me) painted) -- so that's why the "maybe" is there. Thanks

Noper.. not "yet". I'm bringing it in first thing Tues Morning to this guy.. and if for whatever reason he can't get to it tomorrow.. I'll be grabbing some extensions, breaker bar, and other such to prepare myself to do it myself if the bolts actually break free for me.. Who knows they might actually break free first try for me .. you never know.. it's possible (knock on wood) I did spray the two bolts I could see from the top of the engine (which I assume are the main two bolts that are such a pain to break free) with PB Blaster 2 days ago.. So they at least have some Penetrating oil from PB Blaster thoroughly soaked in.. I'll probably go spray them again in a bit as I didn't even have to jack up the car.. just put an extension on the PB Blaster sprayer and could cover them fairly easily. I have some "liquid wrench" as well.. which is probably the same stuff.. but I will add that in the mix as well.. Giving this guy/mechanic a better shot of them coming free easier than if I didn't put any penetrating product on them. He told me last week he would put me in for "Tuesday" .. and I told him I could only get a ride for Monday but not Tuesday, so I'd have to stand around Tuesday while he did it.. I said I'd help him with it if he wanted.. (an extra set of hands never hurts).. and it helps me keep a good eye on what's being done. All in all it's 12 bolts total,.. with 2 more bolts on the flanges that give additional support from the car underbody to the Cats (the Berk's were designed with additional CNC machined welded on brackets to fit those support brackets as well..) -- So it's really straight forward in what to do.. the time is all on how easy or difficult the forward 6 bolts are to remove. The rear bolts (from Cats to my new exhaust) will come off first time as I just put that on.. brand new hardware etc. If the forward bolts come off pretty easily.. then this is about an hour job .. thus $60.. which is more than fair to me. If they give some trouble it's 2-3 hours.. Probably closer to 2 hours.. $120 which is still fair to me,.. passing 3 hours is where I would become a little irrate with him. As he's been doing custom exhaust work for as long as I've been alive.. So he should know the "Torch trick" to use if the bolts won't break free.. To heat and thus allow the expansion to let the bolt come free.. usually (if done right) rather easily. This car has never seen Salted roads, etc.. So the rust is minimal and just from rain on the roads rusting bolts that aren't stainless .. It's 27k miles now as well, so if there was an 'easier' 2008 350 to work with , this would be it theoretically.. the cat-back certainly leaned that direction.. bolts all came off with zero difficulty. I'm not sure why the manufacturer doesn't use some higher quality finished bolts for this type of stuff that wouldn't rust at all.. I guess they don't care about people removing Exhaust components though.. that's not in their "interests" I suppose thus cheaper bolts = money saved.

Carbon Fiber is too expensive for to justify the extra cost (to me).. It looks great, but it just doesn't pop much... and for the cost of it I only justify it for replacement of heavy things.. ie: Hood, etc.. to be somewhat functional. Still though -- Red or Blue? For my whole theme here.. ?

Thanks guys! More input please... Good point on the "blank canvas".. You guy think the Red looks "nicer" or Classier (less cheap) than having blue hoses? I do think the Air Diversion Plate needs to *not* be Blue (or red... not that I"ve seen a red one).. I'm going to go with a Mitshimoto (sp?) Black one.. Which I'll have to cut up with my dremel to fit.. but that's the only choice really. Basically these are my colour options: Which would you choose for this silver car? Again, I'm thinking Black.. ESPECIALLY if I'm going to take the advice so far and go Red with everything,.. Black blends well with Red, I could grab a Nice "red" sticker of say Berk or Invidia, Or Mitshimoto, etc (any of the brands of perf. parts I've put on) and put it on the Black panel cover to the right and it would blend in a bit better.. ) -- I'm not a huge fan of stickers, but one or two tastefully put in the right spots can look good, esp. if it's really a brand in/on your car. I plan on doing the Engine all the way over time -- Grabing ALL the hoses in Red (if I go red..) Then getting a complete bolt kit in Red (which is like $80-$100) not cheap at all! Getting the grounding wire kit, and so on. I don't think I'm going to spray paint my Brake and Battery covers though.. I don't think those look good when painted like that.. looks a little cheap to me,.. Only ones I think look classy are the Carbon fiber covers,.. but man it's expensive for something that has absolutely no performance or even really function lol. (It does do a good job of keeping the battery terminals from corroding.). So Red or Blue?

Hey guys -- I'm having a difficult time deciding on what colour to go with for my 2008 Silver 350Z. This is the car: If it were red, I'd go with red hoses, plates, and engine dressing.. If it were blue I'd go with blue... But it's silver -- and the colours that are commonly available for all the engine dressing parts are Red and Blue (some things have Black). So if I want to keep with a single "theme" I pretty much have to pick between red or blue. What do you think looks better in an engine bay on a car this colour out of Red and Blue for the hoses, wiring, and other engine dressing parts (some functional some not) ? I'm about to order my first engine "dressing" piece and from that piece I'm going to follow it's colour to keep a nice uniform theme .. I don't want to repaint every piece I pay $100+ for, and lose the label on it,.. etc. I'm leaning toward Blue for some reason.. but what do you think? I really don't see any silver cars like mine with the engine bay opened and full dressing to compare visually. Thanks for your opinions,

Good info -- Thanks! So to the Crux of the question,.. This job is do-able with just the front off the ground correct? And,.. while I don't see how I'd get it off the ramps, but keep it on ramps, and have stands (+ I'll have wheel chucks on the rears) for safety. Peanuts? Cheap you mean? The O2 removal "spanner" was $10-$20 locally.. not that bad in and of itself, but adding let's see.. 3 x 1ft Extensions = $35 (including tax) O2 Spanner = $10 (the cheapest not including tax) May need a Swivel/U-joint or other misc. tools to get to the bolts (I'll figure that out when I put PB Blaster on) so I'll add another $20 there.. ---------------- $55 or so.. give or take. (All of these I'll need in the future (perhaps not the O2 removal spanner) but the other stuff I can use. (I'm slowly building my tool collection up.. it was pityful 6 months ago.. it's getting better, still need quite a bit more though.. Tools are not cheap,.. but more tools = No overpriced mechanics. Speaking of which,.. There's a guy in town local who does Z's only -- And I phoned him,.. He said he was $110 an hour, and for this HFC install it would be $380 + tax. I laughed (couldn't stop myself..) And told him thanks, bye. I'm sorry just because you specialize in a certain line of cars does not make you suddenly worth 50-100% more than the other mechanics per hour. If he worked on Ferrari's or Lambo's.. Ok, $200+ an hour sounds about right.. but come on guy.. Oh man.. I love power tools -- I've been working with manuals until quite recently.. just grabbed some really nice 20v Cordless Impact Driver, Impact Wrench, and the best Cordless 20v "driver" (Drill/whatever socket/bit you have goes in it..) -- Using them makes me smile everytime,.. Spinning off 14 12mm bolts in under 2 minutes in a spot that just a few months ago took me quite a while with my ratchet makes me think.. What was I thinking not having this stuff around before? But, for some things, you just can't beat the "touch/feel" of the manual tools -- IE: messing with the intake plenums, tubing, clamps, interior work,.. and other such I won't use a power tool ever because it's just too fast and strong for that work.. although setting my new 20v "driver" (not an impact) clutch really low works well.. as the clutch will kick in at like 5-10lb's or less of torque and saves time,.. but I only pull it out if it's something like say removing that plastic panel that covers the bottom of the engine for an oil change, etc. (An excessive amount of nuts/bolts/screws that not using a cordless gun just = more time and a tired wrist/arm) My point on the Impact vs. Breaker was more of which was more likely to strip the bolt head -- Both can technically do it when you are behind 3feet/1meter of extensions and your "feel" is gone due to that anyway. Thanks for the direct answers to my questions!

Meh.. I tend to write.. sue me -- If you don't want to read it, this isn't required Summer reading for University Further it's morphed into one of the tougher installation jobs people do (Testpipes or High Flow Cats) on the 350/370's.. I even include your TL;DR's .. come on.

TL;DR -- See Below for some questions I have on doing it myself (if I do) You want pics? hehe.. If this guy does it I'm not getting any install pics -- It's a drop off, pick up deal with him. If I do it myself,.. I'll snap some shots, especially if the bolts come off lol. Now "video" for sound.. I'll certainly do that -- I think I may can buy myself a little time of putting this off by doing the oil change, and I got the complete set of Drilled Billet Aluminum "race" pedals that come on the Nismo that may take me an hour or two to install (The gas pedal I have to basically re-do,.. with specific additions of bushings and such so the Pedal will fit like it did from the factory). -- And I'll probably go grab a $100 Sony Camcorder from Walmart here so my Video will have GOOD sound of the exhaust note, and I'll record my current setup with the Invidia gemini with driveby's and stuff,.. Then Be able to record the difference between (Invidia Gemini Catback only) vs (Invidia Gemini Catback + Berk HFCats) properly, No I can't wait! In so much that I'm still reading install posts and debating trying to put this thing on jackstands and try it myself this weekend. Problem is if I screw up a nut, or bolt.. or worse one of the welded studs on the header side.. I may make this a quite expensive installation for a mechanic to then get the old cats off after I bunged up the bolts/nuts/stud(s)... It's really.. it seems.. just One bolt on each Cat on the header flange that you access from the Driver and Passenger side (from engine top) that are the main issue with this removal.. you get those you should be able to get the other stuff. I DO have a 400ft-lb Corded Impact 1/2" Wrench that is a beast.. But, Berk recommends NOT to use impact tools as they can possibly damage the heating element sensors in the headers themselves.. But a mechanic is going to use an impact gun themselves.. hrmm. You have a better chance of screwing up a bolt/nut with a breaker bar than an impact wrench. Especially with 3 Feet (1 meter) of extensions (generally 3+ extensions) connected together, onto your socket, onto your ratchet, going in from the top of the engine down to the cat/header flange bolt.. -- So you probably don't have the easiest time getting that socket on there.. then have to keep a meter of extensions on it , blind,.. then have a breaker bar up top and then put some serious force on it. This = easy chance to have the socket slip around down there with 100's of pounds of force by you up top. Where connect my impact gun to it.. = more precision here.. and impact hits/clicks to break that nut/bolt loose. There's a really good Youtube video on doing this install.. but the guy makes it look SO easy,.. deceptively easy where I bet a few people have gotten themselves into trouble after watching it and thinking.. hey that's simple, I can do that no problem! Also, I'm curious about removal of the O2 sensors,.. They have the wire permanently attached to them.. So a standard deep well socket isn't going to work (without screwing it up).. So there goes more money to buy a specific Socket (or O2 wrench). I suppose I could always remove the O2 sensors when the cats came out,.. which makes that part much "safer" working with it with room,.. maybe some vice grips or something would work with the cats off. Really would have been good if this guy was able to do it tomorrow lol.. So it's do I go for it? Or do I wait? I almost want to do it myself because of the damage that can be done to the O2 sensors and the Sensor Banks inside the headers themselves when someone besides yourself is working on just "some" car. I don't want to go in telling the mechanic how to do his job.. but a Berk Technician specifically told me to tell whomever installed them this: So I'm going to hand him a printed piece of paper with that on it if I don't end up doing it myself.. TL;DR Start Here: If I do , do it myself.. few questions if it were you. 1) Would it "help" to go ahead and spray PB Blaster (the stuff that soaks in and loosens nuts/bolts) tomorrow and let it soak for 24+ hours before I get to it? Or is that stuff more a spray on wait 30 minutes and work type of thing where the longer doesn't = better 2) Can I use just Ramps and have the front of the car in the air? -- As I just have 2 jack stands,.. if that's not ok, I'll need to buy 2 more jack stands (more $$). (to have the car on 4 stands) 3) O2 Sensors? Better safe than sorry and buy a proper tool to remove them? If so,.. what tool do you recommend? (pics/links) 4) Getting those two "demon" bolts from the engine bay -- Risk using Breaker Bar or would you use a/an 1/2" Impact Wrench? (The one I have is 400 ft/lbs in reverse,.. so that still may not be enough.. but I figure it may be a situation where I let it "impact" for 1-2+ minutes and it finally breaks it.) And any other "tips" if you've done this.. has anyone done this btw? lol.. I don't think I've seen anyone post about their experience doing this themselves (as when I was asking if I should do my Cat-back everyone said take it to a shop, .. but it ended up being very easy for some reason.. so just curious.) Tres Bien,

Yup, new to me. I believe I can fill it quarter to half way and still put it on in it's location without it spilling out.. Some is better than none I suppose. Our filters are Sideways,.. Do you change your own oil? (Don't care if you do or don't.. just curious as your answer just begs the question is all ).. Our filter.. (I think this is correct) All my track bikes had their filters fitted like this, if you 1/4 fill it you should get it on ok without spilling too much Yeah, haven't looked at it in person "yet" -- Will likely be doing Oil change tomorrow (Or maybe trying to put on HFC's myself.. and tackle the so called "Demon Bolts") -- Wish there was a Ramp system that pulled all 4 wheels of the car up off the ground,.. I've thought about using 4 sets of Ramps.. HAH,.. but without even eyeballing the ramps at the wheels I know that's a bad idea... no to mention putting ramps in FRONT of the rear wheels could prove .. well.. impossible? I'll put just a little oil in the filter as it looks like it not only goes in sideways but angles downward a bit as well,.. so even a little oil will come spilling out if you aren't fast with it. I know I've done my fair share of oil changes and never put oil IN the oil filter and never had an issue.. that doesn't mean people haven't had issues with "Air lock" or whatever can occur without oil in the filters. I do know at all the "Express" oil change in 10 mins or less (stay in your car) places around here they don't put oil in the filters. If it was a common issue I'm sure that would have cropped up with them. I'm tempted to bring my car in to one of those places just because I'm sure the guy in the pit LOVES cars with a dozen bolts holding a piece of plastic on that keeps him (or her) from accessing the filter/drain plug. But, that'd mean I would have to pay someone to do a less than optimal hurried oil change for $50 for Dino and closer to $100+ for Synthetic. No Thanks, I bought Ramps, Wheel chucks, an oil filter removal toil, Case of Mobil 1 Synthetic 5w-30, 2 - K&N perf. oil filters (got an extra due to sale), new magnetic shiney Crimson red drain plug with new Crush washer, nice funnel to keep it clean, and uhh.. I think that's all for less than what it would cost for an oil change with Synthetic at a shop here. Pricing it out seems like Synthetic changes are going to cost me about $40 for oil + filter from here on out.. Considerably higher than Dino, but I think the Zed deserves it, ya?

Yup, new to me. I believe I can fill it quarter to half way and still put it on in it's location without it spilling out.. Some is better than none I suppose. Our filters are Sideways,.. Do you change your own oil? (Don't care if you do or don't.. just curious as your answer just begs the question is all ).. Our filter.. (I think this is correct)

Oh I'm not installing.. talked to the mechanic with the $60 an hour (cheap as hell rates).. and He can do it Monday.. So that's when it shall be done. Expect it to be 2 hours.. I'm self employed computer network engineer/systems designer.. so I'm able to post at all times due to working from home or office constantly.. Just because I'm posting doesn't mean I'm not making money But, the demon bolts + lack of 4 jacks stands (have 2) .. and extensions needed.. are leading me to just let the Pro do it. This guy has been doing exhausts for 25 years.. and he mostly designs them and builds.. (IE: makes the exhausts custom, and mandrel bends, welds, etc based on the car and wants of the customer. ) So I trust him on putting on a few bolt on cats

I've always done it on my cars and track bikes, helps prevent air lock Roger... I guess I'll just put like Half in there.. So it won't spill out tilting it sideways screwing it on

On the subject.. I've heard some people talking about putting some oil IN the new filter when installing it to help the engine on it's first start post oil and filter change. Think that's necessary? I've never done it.. Always just lube the gasket with some oil and put it on dry.

Hah.. My palms are pretty big.. Fingers just average. But , yeah, if that was a normal size filter I'd be a damn giant lol. Yeah? You implying there is a considerably larger filter that will fit the 350 and ideally do a better job? With a filter this size.. I'm definitely not going to let it go past 3k on oil changes .. regardless of oil HOA's.. I suppose you could swap filters and do changes at longer intervals (swapping filters midway).. but meh..

Holy shite! Just received my K&N Perf. Oil filter in the mail as I'm switching to Full on Synthetics with my first oil change on the Zed,.. And I can't believe this thing can filter this 3.5 liter Engine adequately! Wow! Maybe it's normal for the Z's.. but I've never seen an Oil Filter that small for a Car, much less one with this size engine. Actually looks bigger in that picture than it really is. I'm sure most of you know what your oil filter looks like.. so sorry for the .. "No shite sherlock" thread..

Will do.. You just reminded me I need to find that reasonably priced Video Recorder I think Sony put out recently that blows everything else away to get proper video quality and more importantly REAL sound of the low tones my Iphone cuts off completely. Hrmm.. I don't think I bookmarked it.. this is going to be hard to find again. :/ Btw,.. delZ,.. I see you had a DE and now HR -- Without offending anyone.. ( ) -- Considering the HR is 80% different in design than the DE, higher redline (500rpm to 1000rpm higher depending on which year exactly you had ) ,..higher block deck height, longer connecting Rods, Dual Intakes, Revised Cylinder Heads, Variable Valve timing that operates over a broader range, Higher compression Ratio, and Stronger Cast aluminum Engine and Oil pain (covers), More horsepower over a larger power band (increased primarily in mid range),.. and a touch more horsepower at the sacrifice of a bit of torque (That's all I know of the actually differences in engines).... What is the real world difference between driving the two?

Btw: I was wondering -- What is this Bolt for? -- I know the other end is for the O2 sensors.. but what the heck is this Bolt that comes off to an empty hole for? Are there two more ground wires that go on these bolts? Or can you take that bolt off for increased noise? What's up with it?

lol.. You guys have AA too http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/ Well.. AAA, makes you sound like your "special" .. Aaa..aaa....aaa..aaa... Or Laugh like Jimmy Carr .. one or the other Coked up! lol.. Your HFC's need to go to AA for their Cocaine habit? tsk tsk.. No wonder it isn't performing properly. Yeah, all Cat's get clogged up.. stock or HFC's -- but a few months, they should be fairly pristine unless you are leaking oil or something from the engine into the exhaust .. I'd check that out -- HFC's and Testpipes do have a tendency to crack/break or develop a leak sometimes -- Might be worth a visual inspection, the sound shouldn't have gotten quieter in a few months for sure! But.. Man they charge a premium for what you get. I mean it's great quality Steel, CNC machined parts,.. nice Welds.. but it's not $450-$600 nice! lol. I mean look at the inside of the HFC's.. Yeah,.. that's about 1/4 Dollar, $0.25 worth of Cardboard in there.. lol! I guess it's the best thing? Seems like for all the trouble they go to welding those things shut to put that inside, they would be using something else... but who knows. rofl! Yah.. That's a HUGE difference man! You could run the cheapest exhaust, and testpipes and still be quieter than what you had going. You definitely need some Berk's.. Or even Testpipes if you wanted to go that route. If you did go Testpipes, I wouldn't put anything but Motordyne ART V3 testpipes on though... only Testpipes worthy imho.

LOL -- Yah.. We have AA over here too (I assume you mean Alcoholics Anonymous (which now branches to anyone with an addiction of any kind) ) -- I think I may need ZA,.. Zed's Anonymous.. -- But our AAA is The American Automobile Association.. Basically a "club" where you pay a monthly or yearly due and in turn get a card with a number and if you get stranded on the road (ie: Flat tire and don't have the know how or ability to fix it,.. dead battery, engine blows up.. whatever.. ) They come and fix it if they can (ie: Tire, battery..) or Tow you and get you back to where you need to be. Now that I mention it, it's really something I think I'll subscribe to .. $35 a year is less than $3 a month.. I think that's fair for a rare occasion the Zed or more likely I am in someone else's car and it breaks down beyond repair.... That's what I want to hear. I love the sound of my Invidia Gemini's.. but they sort of Cut off at 3k in the car.. they have this lovely super deep (almost more than V6 deep) tone that resonates from Idle to 3k (prominent from 2k-3k) then that just vanishes post 3k.. (now what is sounds like outside 50 meters away.. I don't know) -- but with the windows down it doesn't sound like above 3k is very loud. Point being,.. I'd like the Berk's to pick up where the Gemini's stop.. and give 3k and up some boost.. but not overdo the "loudness" of the already fairly loud 2-3k band. (Probably asking for too much for the HFC's to keep idle to 3k the same, yet magically start their noise at 3k.. But, sounds like I will start hearing some 3k+ tones.. which is great. I will say in "my" car.. the 2-3k is quite loud in the cabin.. it's not an abrasive sound, it's a drone of sorts.. sort of like when you hear a Mustang V8 with exhaust go by.. very very deep.. and well, really what you would call droning (what people want to avoid)... I have to put my sound system up fairly high to drown out that 2-3k (if I'm not listening to the music of the exhaust itself, alone.. ). We shall see. You sound like me a few weeks ago after installing my Invidia Gemini,.. I immediately wanted more lol. I was a bit surprised as well.. especially the first day after I put it on. I can tell you this.. it will get louder quite quickly.. give it 100 miles or so .. you should notice.. and it continues to get slightly louder and more resonate for a few hundred more miles as it "breaks in" and carbon builds up (and any other theories out there of why it gets louder ) But if yours is anything like mine.. you should notice that between 2,000 and 3,000 RPM there is this really deep sound our exhausts give out.. then past the 3k mark it really drops off. It can't just be my Invidia Gemini .. we all have the same Cars.. and many the same exhaust lol. But, EVERYONE has said HFC's will undoubtedly increase the exhaust note/noise level -- Now by "how much" is really impossible to quantify -- while we can put dB meters on them.. If I told you say... Your Invidia was 91dB and the HFC's would make it 96dB .. You wouldn't get much from that, .. so it's really just something you and I have to take a chance on. I decided test pipes would be too loud for sure,.. and too raspy most likely,.. even though they would give a bit more horsepower. So the quietest GOOD quality solution is Berk HFC's. When anyone who knows much about 350's or 370's talks about High Flow Cat's .. they will tell you Berk Technology make the best quality HFC's.. Best Horsepower and sound (lack of too much Rasp.. and not Testpipe loud.) I have been told removing the stock Cats and putting ANYTHING in their place is going to introduce some slight rasp.. there is no avoiding that. However, while people debate that fact,.. I believe the consensus is it introduces just a tiny bit of rasp that is just "right" .. A little rasp sounds good. When you hear a Ferrari or Lambo, etc go by.. That supercar exhaust note is partially due to a little Rasp (And a 50-300k engine ) Thanks. I don't believe I'll be doing it myself (although I've said that about every single thing so far, and have ended up installing it all myself to date..) -- But seriously, this time,.. I've just read too much about the "demon bolts" to really feel confident in this install. I am a little leary of a shop doing it because of the warning a Berk Tech gave me.. of: "Impact guns and air chisels have been known to break the heating element inside the bank 1, sensor 1 and bank 2, sensor 1 that is mounted inside the header. The manufacturer asserts that impact tools should not be used to break loose stubborn bolts on the forward most catalytic converter flange on the 350Z & 370Z equipped with the VQ35HR & VQ37VHR engine".

My Berk HFC's finally Arrived! This is the Proper way to hold your baby,.. -- Still in the plastic, Hopefully the weather holds out and I can put these on tomorrow. The other thread was getting muddled... These things are killing me arriving late, begging me to put them on.. But, I know better than to try to break the header bolts myself -- Not to mention I don't have the extensions to get to them from the engine bay. These are heavy, but lighter than I anticipated. They are definitely lighter than stock,.. but the insides aren't the same at all.. otherwise they would be pointless. But, they save a considerable amount of weight. Stock Cats are 46 lbs (20.8 Kg).. ( http://www.350z-tech.com/wiki/index.php?title=Exhaust_system_overview ) These Berk HFC's are 7lbs (3Kg) a piece.. 14 lbs (6.3 Kg).. So doing a little math -- 46 - 14 = 32lbs (14.5 Kg) saving(s)! Add in the Invidia Gemini Exhaust I put on.. which is 70lbs (31.7 Kg) vs the Stock (Cat-Back) which is 92lbs (41.7 Kg) .. Thus 22lbs (10Kg) Saving(s). So combine the two and my Zed is 54lbs (24.5 Kg's) Lighter as an added bonus, nice. Doing some number crunching,..my 2008 M/T 350 is 3919 Pound from factory,. so the rough power to weight ratio is about 0.08. That means for every 12 lbs (5.4Kg) we remove from the car we gain 1hp. So,.. 54lbs lighter = 4.5hp gain .. Nothing phenomenal.. But, hey,.. HP isn't easy to get on this car. I'll take it lol. If I really wanted to reduce some weight.. I could pull the Spare tire 35lbs + Jack kit (7lbs) -- For another 42lbs. So roughly 100lbs out of the car.. and roughly 10hp gain. But that's all hypothetical,.. I'm not going to remove the Spare tire and jack,.. for what 4-5hp? Much more important to me to be able to get back on the road again with a blowout/flat than using a Can of Fix-A-Flat or Paying and waiting on AAA (and auto service here that many people subscribe to that will come and tow your car, and/or fix it on the side of the road in such cases... maybe you guys have it, or something similar.) -- AAA is not bad to have.. it's cheap .. $35 a year,.. I may buy a year of it just to for that double protection,.. never know when you'll need a Tow, (and it covers any persons car you happen to be in.. ) But I digress.. I think the rule of thumb is .10th of a second per 100lbs in the quarter mile. Shrug. But back to the topic.. My Berk HFC's finally Arrived! This is the Proper way to hold your baby,.. -- Still in the plastic, Hopefully the weather holds out and I can put these on tomorrow.

This is true of failing Hatch Struts -- However, you can remedy this by purchasing new hatch struts (I recommend NON OEM .. but aftermarket struts) -- You can find them for $50-$80, shop around. Installation if you buy the ones that include the mounting hardware is about 5 minutes (10 minutes if you take your time). And your "boot" will stay open on the coldest of days and your girlfriend will thank you. The Zed's hatch struts fail "early" in every single one that I know of,.. Eventually your boot lid should stop staying up even on warmer days. It's one of the best "mods" I've done to my Z. Absolutely!