New Owner, questions for the experts.

[HoneybadgerPSZ]

Hello everyone. New to the forum and Z ownership. I picked up a used 2025 Z performance 6 speed yesterday with just 1700 miles on it. I had low balled an offer about three weeks ago which they did not accept but I kept watching and on Tuesday I made one last offer for $42K and they accepted it. I feel like I got a really good deal and as a bonus the first owner, which was a ~70 year old man, put Borla S-Type exhaust on it. In any case I got the car back home and I am an older guy myself (55), that has been hot rodding and racing and building cars all my life. But this platform is new to me, hence the post and call for advice. I'm just looking to add 100 ish FWHP which seems doable but if I can safely take it farther I will.

The modifications I have in mind to further compliment the exhaust (which I think sounds great) are as follows;

1. - down pipes. I'm in Florida so I can go cat-less but what are the drawbacks? I've been looking at multiple AMS products. What do I need to match up to the Borla S-type system? Suggestions

2. Intake - again looked at two on AMS. The 80mm which they say is the highest flow and the cold air.

3. is the next progression the tune? If so from who? custom of just an ECU tuner that will compliment my upgrades?

4. Heat exchanger or Intercooler upgrade? Here is where things getting unclear for me as I haven't modified a turbo car. Any advice or help appreciate.

5. I plan to get Eibach lowering springs all the way around. Seems straightforward.

I think that is my first questions and thank you all in advance for the feedback. Car is really fun so far but I want a bit more.

 

[haohmaru]

Congrats! And dude, that garage...

 

[Tranzor Z]

Stillen TruControl, lower down pipes, Z1 drop in filters and a full catback should get you to 500 crank HP. That's what I have. I just pulled away from a coyote yesterday easily. This is your most affordable option.

I'm also running an e85 and 93 splash gas blend to make about 95 octane.

 

[Bumflik]

Enjoy your legendary Z! Tires matter! Suspension upgrades matter big time to dial it in for a real sports car feels mitigating the boat like bobble. Cooling to reduce heat soak! And then power mods bolt ons and if you want to go for Tune for more power.upgrade fuel system then re Tune for even more power. Z1 has 3 big turbos that bolt on 60,70, and 80. That will take you 600HP and 700HP bang!

 

[KrackaC8]

AMS makes great products, but you are paying a markup for their name. Regardless, their products do perform from legit R&D and true track-testing to back it up.


Downpipes: https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/downpipes-best-practices.1827/
Long thread, but a lot of great info. For your Borla, which is 2.5" piping, I'd look for a downpipe diameter to match. Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/186957296649?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=777008&algo=PERSONAL.TOPIC&ao=1&asc=20250417133020&meid=c5deae106c14481d914cadf869f3fc53&pid=102726&rk=1&rkt=1&itm=186957296649&pmt=1&noa=1&pg=4375194&algv=RecentlyViewedItemsV2DWebWithPSItemDRV2_BP&_trksid=p4375194.c102726.m162918
On stock turbos, no reason to go with full downpipes so I'd say just focus on the lower downpipes. The upper downpipes have monitored 600-cell cats while the lower downpipes have unmonitored 400-cell cats.

Intakes: In the Florida heat you are absolutely going to watch something with an airbox to keep the intake air cooler. I'm here in Houston and went with K&N's offering and still think its the best option on the market. The AMS w/airbox is good, and so is Mishimoto's convertible design.

Tuning: Get your tuning done after your build is complete to avoid having to have it continually redone. I went with a custom dyno tune from RaceBox since they're local here in Houston. For remote tuning, you have them, Sonictuned, and AMS as what I'd consider the big 3 (plenty of others though, no disprect meant towards any of them). There are a few members in Florida who can point you towards the local dyno tuner in that area.

IC/HX: If you plan to do both a heat exchanger and intercoolers, do them at the same time so you only have to vacuum-bleed the coolant once. The heat exchanger is like a radiator for the intercoolers. The intercoolers use that coolant to reduce the charge air temps so you want it as close to ambient as possible. AMS makes both...but you have a few choices. I personally went for the Mishimoto intercoolers since they fit underneath the stock plastic engine cover. Here's a great thread on heat exchangers: https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/ams-v-z1-heat-exchangers.9147/

Suspension: Springs are a very personal choice based on the owner and intended usage. If I were to do springs, it would be Eibachs as well. You should also look into swaybars; I personally went with Stillen as they're a great option for street cars as they retain the stock mounts/bushings/links. I also added some Z1 chassis braces to tighten things up a bit more.

 

[Bumflik]

To make the Z really dialed in get ready to spend $$$. Its gonna be overwhelming but we all know what we got into with a sports car . Maintenance matters. Oil brand and viscosity is religion/politics lol as we know but we all here agree that frequent oil change intervals really matter for long term health of rod, bearings, rings, cylinders and turbos. Also, if you want to go deep in the rabbit hole. Be aware there is a potential fail point on the oil Solenoid. Just do a search here and Q50 redsport forums about that, plenty of how to nullify prevent a fail point there. Welcome to the forum . We are all enjoying sharing our journey with everyone.

 

[KrackaC8]

On the topic of oil... Get your break-in oil change and differential fluid change done. You're at just about the perfect mileage for it. After that, keep engine oil fresh with much more frequent oil changes than Nissan's official 10k mile/1 year interval schedule.

Considering adding an aluminum oil pan to replace the factory plastic one. Better heat dissipation, stronger, increased capacity, and complete drains (stock plastic pan leaves 0.8 qts residual on the bottom during oil changes).

Oil filters: only run OEM as they're the only ones with the correct bypass pressure. These are the only two currently available on the market; period:

• 15208-65F1B (Japan)
• 15208-65F1E (Mexico)

 

[HoneybadgerPSZ]

AMS makes great products, but you are paying a markup for their name. Regardless, their products do perform from legit R&D and true track-testing to back it up.


Downpipes: https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/downpipes-best-practices.1827/
Long thread, but a lot of great info. For your Borla, which is 2.5" piping, I'd look for a downpipe diameter to match. Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/186957296649?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=777008&algo=PERSONAL.TOPIC&ao=1&asc=20250417133020&meid=c5deae106c14481d914cadf869f3fc53&pid=102726&rk=1&rkt=1&itm=186957296649&pmt=1&noa=1&pg=4375194&algv=RecentlyViewedItemsV2DWebWithPSItemDRV2_BP&_trksid=p4375194.c102726.m162918
On stock turbos, no reason to go with full downpipes so I'd say just focus on the lower downpipes. The upper downpipes have monitored 600-cell cats while the lower downpipes have unmonitored 400-cell cats.

Intakes: In the Florida heat you are absolutely going to watch something with an airbox to keep the intake air cooler. I'm here in Houston and went with K&N's offering and still think its the best option on the market. The AMS w/airbox is good, and so is Mishimoto's convertible design.

Tuning: Get your tuning done after your build is complete to avoid having to have it continually redone. I went with a custom dyno tune from RaceBox since they're local here in Houston. For remote tuning, you have them, Sonictuned, and AMS as what I'd consider the big 3 (plenty of others though, no disprect meant towards any of them). There are a few members in Florida who can point you towards the local dyno tuner in that area.

IC/HX: If you plan to do both a heat exchanger and intercoolers, do them at the same time so you only have to vacuum-bleed the coolant once. The heat exchanger is like a radiator for the intercoolers. The intercoolers use that coolant to reduce the charge air temps so you want it as close to ambient as possible. AMS makes both...but you have a few choices. I personally went for the Mishimoto intercoolers since they fit underneath the stock plastic engine cover. Here's a great thread on heat exchangers: https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/ams-v-z1-heat-exchangers.9147/

Suspension: Springs are a very personal choice based on the owner and intended usage. If I were to do springs, it would be Eibachs as well. You should also look into swaybars; I personally went with Stillen as they're a great option for street cars as they retain the stock mounts/bushings/links. I also added some Z1 chassis braces to tighten things up a bit more.

Really great info here. Thank you and I will start to do my homework.

 

[HoneybadgerPSZ]

To make the Z really dialed in get ready to spend $$$. Its gonna be overwhelming but we all know what we got into with a sports car . Maintenance matters. Oil brand and viscosity is religion/politics lol as we know but we all here agree that frequent oil change intervals really matter for long term health of rod, bearings, rings, cylinders and turbos. Also, if you want to go deep in the rabbit hole. Be aware there is a potential fail point on the oil Solenoid. Just do a search here and Q50 redsport forums about that, plenty of how to nullify prevent a fail point there. Welcome to the forum . We are all enjoying sharing our journey with everyone.

I was spending a grand every other week to get an extra few .10's out of my 600HP 66 Mustang Coupe back 23 ish years ago. I do know what I have gotten myself into. And the day I bought the Z, yesterday, my Land Cruiser was at the dealership getting 35's put on it. They actually both match with the pearl paint.

 

[HoneybadgerPSZ]

On the topic of oil... Get your break-in oil change and differential fluid change done. You're at just about the perfect mileage for it. After that, keep engine oil fresh with much more frequent oil changes than Nissan's official 10k mile/1 year interval schedule.

Considering adding an aluminum oil pan to replace the factory plastic one. Better heat dissipation, stronger, increased capacity, and complete drains (stock plastic pan leaves 0.8 qts residual on the bottom during oil changes).

Oil filters: only run OEM as they're the only ones with the correct bypass pressure. These are the only two currently available on the market; period:

• 15208-65F1B (Japan)
• 15208-65F1E (Mexico)

Jesus, now I want to go check my oil filter. They changed it at the Audi dealer where I bought it but I'll take a look anyway.

 

[KrackaC8]

I was spending a grand every other week to get an extra few .10's out of my 600HP 66 Mustang Coupe back 23 ish years ago. I do know what I have gotten myself into. And the day I bought the Z, yesterday, my Land Cruiser was at the dealership getting 35's put on it. They actually both match with the pearl paint.

Very nice! We did 35's on my wife's Wrangler (white).

 

[KrackaC8]

Jesus, now I want to go check my oil filter. They changed it at the Audi dealer where I bought it but I'll take a look anyway.

Hate to say it...but I'd guarantee you its the wrong filter
I technically bought mine used @ 500 miles and it was some crappy CarQuest generic junk spun barely hand-tight on there...

At least its fresh oil; easy enough to spin a new filter on (available from any Nissan dealership, but make sure its the correct part # because mine tried giving me the wrong one at first). The back of the plastic engine under panel has an access flap that's only 4 bolts or so to change the oil. Also note my comment above regarding oil pans (edited in after the fact).
https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/aluminum-oil-pans-z1-vs-czp.6038/page-4#post-164393

Two more posts to reference:
https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/z-oil-filter-japan-made.7336/page-3#post-146109
https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/z-oil-filter-japan-made.7336/page-3#post-148596

 

[FSUZ33]

Oil filters: only run OEM as they're the only ones with the correct bypass pressure. These are the only two currently available on the market; period:

• 15208-65F1B (Japan)
• 15208-65F1E (Mexico)

How quickly will the crap hit the fan if a 15208-65F1F shows up?!

 

[KrackaC8]

How quickly will the crap hit the fan if a 15208-65F1F shows up?!

LOL it's only a matter of time... These Mexican ones seem good, but a lot of oil filters are coming out of Brazil and South Korea now as well, in addition to China & Taiwan. Fram's US factory is dead & gone effective April 30th (Honda filters were the last to roll off that line).

 

[SleepyD7]

Another FL man here: I've been haunting this forum for a minute and researching aftermarket parts for about a year. (I just nabbed a 2024 Performance myself.) Here's a summary of what I've learned here.

1. Down pipes: Big HP/TQ/DB gains. Your RZ34 has Upper and Lower down pipes each with a set of cats. Most power is made with the highly restrictive LDP's. UDP's are infamous for being crazy difficult to remove; UDP's will net you both a bit more power and some stinky black smoke on cold starts and pulls.

Your S-Type Borla is marketed as one of the quietest offerings on the market. Sounds like that 70 yr old man disagreed. All AMS/Fast Intentions/MAP/Boosted6/Etc DP's are compatible with your Borla catback. Get em' catted or run dem dawgs. (Hey it's FL!)

2. Intake: Small HP gains here. RZ34 Intakes run straight down into your turbo's so there's some things to consider. Avoid oiled intakes like K&N. Open box designs make the most power (AMS 80mm and Boosted6) and offer up some awesome turbo swooshes when under load. Closed box designs don't get the swoosh (unless you open the tops) but many report the open/ram air designs cause rough idling and can proc codes as the MAF sensor is exposed to both fly by debris and errant vibrations. Closed box intakes make: bit less power/MAF happier/dampens turbo sounds. Why buy an RZ34 intake at all? The sound bra cuz the butt dino calls BS.

3. Tune: (1) Best case IMO: Find a reputable local Nissan Motorsports shop with a dyno. There are many in FL. (2) If you want the convenience of a remote tuner then go Sonic. (3) I don't love Z1 but I'm sure their tuner work is fine. (4) Check out a Hot Box if you want fast/cheap power with the convenience of super fast install/removal if you like your new car warranty. (Your new car warranty is awful btw and Nissan dealership's are... well... if you dunno... you'll see.)

4. (a) Heat exchanger: The best mod for your turbo car. Get it. Many say "the cheaper the better." I personally like Mishimoto because you retain the stock rock guard and lifetime warranty covers physical damage. (Yes really!) AMS is always primo but I have it on good authority that it's the same as the PLM for twice the price. (Those welds look sloppy on the PLM's but I dunno...)

4. (b) Air-to-water Intercooler upgrades: A very nice mod for higher HP cars. Mishimoto has a medium size pair for $1.8K and AMS has a bigger set for $2.4K. Both are very well reviewed products. Z1 has a fancy air-to-air intercooler if you don't mind cutting your subframe and replacing a state of the art cooling system with a 1992 ram air solution.

5. I've had a bad experience with my old 370z running just lowering springs. Many advise coils. RZ34 has divorced springs and struts in the rear so that's possibly a fail worth fixing. I want air. Interestingly, many DD's report not loving coilovers on the RZ34 platform... Can't speak to it yet. I honestly like the floaty stock ride. Almost seems like bushings and sways may be the way to go.