Question RE: Intake, Exhaust, Downpipes, Tune

[ill-legal?]

I recently purchased the CZP heat exchanger, I'm hoping to get their oil cooler soon as well to mitigate the triple digit heat here during the summertime...once I have those parts, the tentative plan is to go intakes (Z1 Carbon), exhaust (Stillen Comp or MBRP), possibly downpipes (not sure which ones yet), and tuning via SonicTuned or Racebox. Reliability and longevity of the motor are a top priority, but admittedly I'd like to get a little more performance out of the car, within reason. My questions are:

1.) What are the relative gains you can expect with tuning when doing just intakes/exhaust, versus intakes/exhaust/LDP?

2.) I know that the stock exhaust is small in diameter and this makes things more restrictive, but are the differences between an aftermarket 2.5" exhaust system and a 3" exhaust system significant? I was somewhat under the impression that you don't really need or benefit from a 3" system unless you do full upper and lower downpipes?

3.) Looking at the Z1 Carbon Intake system, with it being on sale it's not that much more than the Nismo or AMS options...with the modifications I'm considering, is there any reason to opt for the 80mm AMS instead? Is that also unnecessary unless you're doing the full catless DP route?

Anyone good or bad experiences with any of the specific parts I mentioned? Recommendations for LDP?

Thanks!!!

 

[traska_rz34]

For #1, I would expect marginal gains from intake and exhaust. I have the Nismo intakes with a Stillen comp exhaust. Did I gain some HP? Maybe. Is that why I did it? No. I'm not doing down pipes since the car would require a tune and it's not even a year old yet.

For #2, be rid of the stock exhaust. It sounds terrible on this car (if it makes a sound at all). I love my Stillen Comp exhaust. It's not super loud and I don't think it has a ton of drone either but there are a lot of good options in this space depending on what you're looking for.

For #3, I have heard Z1's intake option isn't great. I went Nismo and really like it but AMS or Boosted6 are good options too. I actually drilled out all of the little dimples in the Nismo air boxes to get spool sounds without being 100% exposed. Just prepare yourself for an install job with a lot of swearing. I believe the new 80mm AMS intake will also require a tune but I could be wrong.

CZP's heat exchanger is definitely on my buy list for 2026. I wish CZP made more for the Z honestly.

 

[IZUOKAY]

I am in the same boat as you. In the research phase and looking at adding some more oomph.

2) I went with 2.5" exhaust, I felt that 3" exhaust was overkill unless I was doing an all out build. I'll be honest and say I feel like I lost a little low end torque but picked up some mid range power.

I was looking into lower dp and narrowed it down to the catted HKS or the resonated CZP/PPE in hopes of picking up some more low end gains.

3) I feel like most when it comes to intakes. Minimal gains and a little noise unless you go with the open air element options. I personally went with Nismo intakes to keep it in the family and get audible wooshes from time to time, so can not complain.

I really like the price point and the quality of the CZP HE and will probably pull the trigger on that next year along with a tune. I've heard good things about both Sonic and Racebox.

If you don't mind me asking, what part of Phoenix are you located in? I'm in the Peoria area.

 

[ill-legal?]

I am in the same boat as you. In the research phase and looking at adding some more oomph.

2) I went with 2.5" exhaust, I felt that 3" exhaust was overkill unless I was doing an all out build. I'll be honest and say I feel like I lost a little low end torque but picked up some mid range power.

I was looking into lower dp and narrowed it down to the catted HKS or the resonated CZP/PPE in hopes of picking up some more low end gains.

3) I feel like most when it comes to intakes. Minimal gains and a little noise unless you go with the open air element options. I personally went with Nismo intakes to keep it in the family and get audible wooshes from time to time, so can not complain.

I really like the price point and the quality of the CZP HE and will probably pull the trigger on that next year along with a tune. I've heard good things about both Sonic and Racebox.

If you don't mind me asking, what part of Phoenix are you located in? I'm in the Peoria area.

Which exhaust did you end up choosing?

I was also looking at the CZP/PPE option for LDP, PPE is based out of Gilbert and a few years back I had a chance to tour their facility, they were well-regarded in the F-car community for their headers and valved exhaust options.

I'm in the east Valley (Tempe).

 

[IZUOKAY]

I went with the Tomei Y pipe and Type D exhaust. So far so good, I like the way it sounds!

 

[KrackaC8]

New owner here, but decades worth of experience modifying/tuning just about anything I can get my hands on.

After a lot of research over 6+ months, here's what I ended up with thus far:

• K&N intakes
• Mishimoto intercoolers
• Mishimoto heat exchanger
• Mishimoto undertray
• AWE touring exhaust
• Dorman aluminum oil pan
• Stillen swaybars
• Redline WaterWetter (both reservoirs)
• Redline MT-85 transmission fluid
• Redline 75W-90 GL5 differential fluid

Custom dyno tune (RaceBox here in Houston) & catless/resonated lower downpipes to come once I'm content with the above...

 

[Mizu500tt]

1) Gains (tune only vs adding LDPs):
Intakes + exhaust + tune: ~30–40 whp. Big drivability and thermal improvement, very safe.
Add LDPs: ~50–70 whp total. More midrange/top-end, but added heat and smell. Still reliable if tuned conservatively.

2) 2.5” vs 3” exhaust:
At this power level, 2.5” is absolutely sufficient and usually sounds better. A 3” system doesn’t really shine unless you’re doing full upper + lower downpipes and pushing boost. Performance difference right now is minimal.

3) Z1 Carbon vs AMS 80mm (given the price):
If the AMS 80mm is cheaper, it’s actually a very solid choice and not a downgrade. You won’t need the extra diameter yet, but it also won’t hurt reliability or drivability when tuned properly.

Z1 Carbon mainly brings aesthetics and slightly better heat shielding — not mandatory for your goals.

LDPs:
Z1, AMS are all proven. Fitment and heat management matter more than chasing a logo.

 

[FSUZ33]

To those familiar with the heat exchanger, did you have to remove the front fascia, etc...?
That hasn't been on my list because I thought I watched a video(s) where they removed the front fascia/bumper, bash bar and maybe other stuff to swap it out. I watched a show the other day about the Nissan Z Safari Rally tribute car build for NISMO (2025 SEMA?) and although they didn't show much of the heat exchanger install, what they did show made me think they swapped it out from above, through the radiator cover panel.

 

[ill-legal?]

To those familiar with the heat exchanger, did you have to remove the front fascia, etc...?

Yes, to my understanding, it is necessary to remove the front bumper to install the HX...I don't believe you'd be able to access everything with the bumper cover in the way.

 

[VR30Z6spd]

i have been through it all

NIsmo intakes closed
AMS intakes closed
AMS 80mm

without tune maybe 5rwhp

lower downpipe close to 9rwhp (plus sound)


the real gains are through a tune

the heat exchanger will give you consistancy and not power

 

[abdullah]

اشتريت مؤخرًا مبادل حراري من CZP، وأتمنى الحصول على مبرد الزيت الخاص بهم قريبًا للتخفيف من حرارة الصيف الشديدة هنا... بمجرد حصولي على هذه القطع، أخطط مبدئيًا لتركيب مداخل هواء (Z1 Carbon)، ونظام عادم (Stillen Comp أو MBRP)، وربما أنابيب عادم سفلية (لم أحدد النوع بعد)، وبرمجة السيارة باستخدام SonicTuned أو Racebox. موثوقية المحرك وطول عمره من أهم أولوياتي، ولكن بصراحة، أرغب في تحسين أداء السيارة قليلًا، ضمن حدود المعقول. أسئلتي هي:

1) ما هي المكاسب النسبية التي يمكنك توقعها من خلال التعديل عند القيام فقط بضبط مداخل الهواء/العادم، مقابل ضبط مداخل الهواء/العادم/نظام العادم منخفض الضغط؟

٢) أعلم أن نظام العادم الأصلي صغير القطر، مما يُعيق تدفق الهواء، ولكن هل هناك فرق كبير بين نظام عادم بديل بقطر ٢.٥ بوصة ونظام عادم بقطر ٣ بوصات؟ كنت أعتقد أنك لست بحاجة إلى نظام بقطر ٣ بوصات أو تستفيد منه إلا إذا قمت بتركيب أنابيب عادم علوية وسفلية كاملة.

٣) بالنظر إلى نظام سحب الهواء الكربوني Z1، وبما أنه معروض للبيع، فإن سعره ليس أعلى بكثير من خيارات Nismo أو AMS... مع التعديلات التي أفكر فيها، هل هناك أي سبب لاختيار نظام AMS بقطر ٨٠ مم بدلاً منه؟ وهل هو غير ضروري أيضاً إلا إذا كنت ستستخدم نظام عادم كامل بدون محول حفاز؟

هل لديكم تجارب جيدة أو سيئة مع أي من الأجزاء المحددة التي ذكرتها؟ هل لديكم توصيات بخصوص برنامج تطوير القيادة؟

شكرًا!!!
[/يقتبس]
يصعب تركيب مداخل هواء الكربون Z1 بشكل مثالي عند تثبيت الغطاء على الفلتر. ستكون هناك فتحات أسفل الغطاء، الذي يكون شكله مثلثًا تقريبًا. نظام AMS (نظام نقل الكتلة الأوتوماتيكي) أفضل لأن الفلتر يُركّب داخل نصف الغطاء، ثم يُثبّت الغطاء العلوي. برأيي، شراء نظام AMS أفضل. يوفر أنبوب العادم السفلي قوة حصانية أكبر ويجعل صوت التوربو أكثر وضوحًا. ستُسرّ بصوت صفير التوربو، الذي يُشبه صوت محرك نفاث.