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Alfredo’s Z33

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 1:02 am on April 13, 2014

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Alfredo D is a new customer that met us on the ZONC Canepa Design fun run in 2013. After visiting Z Car Garage he wanted to improve the fun factor on his Z33 roadster with bolt-ons. We gave him the ZCG essentials: Bassani exhaust, JWT POP charger, Eibach springs and control arms.

We know the OEM exhaust system on a 350z is mellifluous…few can mistake that undeniable VQ-burble. Why not accentuate that sound and gain a few hp in the process? The Bassani cat-back exhaust system is one of the best no-compromise setups available!

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The JWT intake helps with breathing and gives a nice growl under throttle:

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Firming up the Z’s handling are Eibach springs and SPC adjustable control arms. Full alignment follows.

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Enjoy the new sound as you carve through the twisties Alfredo!

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E is for Ethanol: Erik’s G35

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,g35,Maintenance,Performance
by Alvin G @ 12:10 am on April 1, 2014

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In 2012 Erik  M. came to Z Car Garage with his bonestock G35 Coupe. With 100k miles on the odometer Erik was confronted with every enthusiast’s  dilemma: sell it off or keep it? Z’s and G’s are hard to let go and Erik chose to modify his car so we gave him the ZCG essentials: JWT POP charger intake, Motordyne plenum spacer, Bassani cat-back exhaust system, JWT clutch/flywheel, Koni shocks, and Hotchkis sway bars:

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Here is the stock exhaust vs the sweet sounding Bassani system:

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JWT intake, JWT heavy duty clutch and flywheel (a prudent upgrade for future power mods!)

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Stock vs Koni dampers plus Hotchkis sways:

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We also performed full 90k services and Erik was off enjoying his G…until he came back for a Stoptech Sport Kit to improve braking. Early last year he stopped by ZCG to consult with Rob on Forced Induction…Erik wanted boost and it would be in the form of a Vortech V-3 supercharger kit!

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The build started in Fall ’13, with upgrades like an oil cooler, 900cc Bosch injectors, Aeromotive 340 fuel pump and everything powdercoated satin black-Erik wanted things low profile. This Vortech build was far from ordinary as we planned to run E85 (ethanol) to make more power. What’s the deal with E85?  Tuners have been using this “alternative” fuel for years  to extract power from forced induction setups. Specifically, E85 has an octane rating approaching 105; a significant jump from your typical 91-octane premium pump gas, but for about the same price. This higher octane rating allows wider tuning capabilities,  increasing power and reducing the chance of detonation with high compression or boosted applications.

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Here are few key benefits of E85:

  1. The higher autoignition temperature of Ethanol (689 degrees F, compared to gasoline’s 475 degrees F) enables E85 to be more knock-resistant and handle more boost or higher compression.
  2. E85 initiates a cooler intake charge, allowing for higher boost pressure.
  3. E85’s higher resistance to detonation (autoignition) allows tuners to implement more aggressive ignition timing, for improved combustion efficiency.
  4. E85 can actually be cheaper to run than gasoline, especially compared to high-octane race gas. As I write this, 100 octane is $7.65 and 91 octane is 4.09 compared to E85 which is 3.72.

 

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Running E85 is straightforward but critical components are needed as well as tuning. First, E85 requires larger injectors to compensate for 40-50% increase in fuel demand. Second, an aftermarket ECU allows tuning of fuel/timing maps. We used 900c injectors, a Haltech ECU and Flex Fuel Sensor from Zeitronix:

 

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Playing with ethanol-to-gasoline mixtures or periodically switching from gasoline to E85 requires changes in fuel pressures. Switching over isn’t a simple run-to-the-pump-and-fill scenario and that’s the beauty of the Haltech…Erik can run 91 octane, E85, E70, E30 etc. without worrying about manually adjusting timing and A/F!

Erik keeps tabs on engine and air/fuel vitals with a gauge display from Zeitronix. We mounted it stealthily in place of the OEM retractable unit:

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So does E85 really make a difference? The answer is a resounding YES! The G35 baseline dyno’d at 249hp/226tq and the Vortech helped increase power to 422hp/342tq to the wheels on 91 octane:

Erik Miller baseline and 91
 

 

With the Haltech and E85, were able to extract 30hp/26tq at the same boost level! Final numbers are 462hp/368tq:

Erik Miller 91 vs E85 haltech
 

We think Erik loves the newfound power…he already took his G35 to the Wednesday Night Fun Drags at Sears Point recently with great results.  Before and after the Vortech/E85.  Erik ran a 14.6@97mph vs 13.6@111mph:

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With some drag radials and urethane differential bushings Erik is hoping to cure wheel hop issues and dip into the 12’s! Maybe even lower as he plans to do a high compression built engine…of course using E85!

Enjoy the Ride Erik!




Greg’s 350z

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 11:24 pm on March 10, 2014

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Greg S came to Z Car Garage for some bolt-ons on his HR-powered 350z.  We installed JWT dual pop chargers and a Bassani cat-back exhaust:

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Intakes before/after:

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Bassani exhaust:

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Let’s take a look at what the bolt-ons do on the dyno. Starting with a baseline of 253hp/223tq the JWT intakes alone slightly increase peak hp/tq, with significant mid and upper rev range gains:

Greg S Baseline to JWT pops
 

Adding the Bassani exhaust yielded greater gains throughout the rev range, netting +8hp/6tq over baseline:

Greg S JWT pops and Exhaust
 

An UPREV tune further optimizes these bolt-ons. Look at the huge low to mid-range gains of over 20hp/20tq! Peak numbers are 264hp/246tw to the wheels, a +11hp/23tq improvement over baseline with more power everywhere!

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Enjoy the newfound power and sound Greg!




Tetsuya’s 350z

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 12:18 am on February 3, 2014

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Tetsuya is a long time customer and visited ZCG years ago for an UPREV tune and Bassani exhaust system on his pretty 2005 350z. He recently came back for some suspension upgrades and we happily obliged. We installed TEIN StreetFlex coilovers combined with their latest EDFCactive dampening controller:

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The StreetFlex dampeners are trick parts with pillowball mounts and 16-way adjustability. The
“active” EDFC offers two new features in addition to the totally redesigned interface. With the on-board accelerometer, dampening can be automatically adjusted based on g-loads and a GPS unit enables speed-sensitive adjustment!

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The EDFC unit was mounted neatly in the Z’s NAV/cubby:

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To handle braking duties we installed a Stoptech Big Brake Kit (332mm) finished in red up front and color matched the stock rear calipers on new Stoptech rotors. Everything is framed nicely behind the new Volk 57xtreme 19″ wheels:

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OEM vs Stoptech brakes:

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Tetsuya’s Z is now a well-rounded sports car that will surely bring more smiles on spirited drives!

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Sportier Crossover: Dannie’s FX35

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 11:52 am on December 22, 2013

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With 90k miles on the odometer Dannie P decided it was time to start modding his 2005 FX35. Infiniti’s sporty crossover luckily runs the familiar VQ35 as seen in the Z/G sportscars so similar bolt-on options are available. Dannie wasn’t impressed with the Kinetix intake plenum he had previously installed so we went back to the factory unit. Bassani makes a wonderful sounding dual-exhaust system for Z’s so modified one to fit on the FX–a ZCG first.

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Slightly larger tips look great in the factory exits:

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Big thanks to Christian at 034 Motorsport for letting us put the FX on their awd dyno for an UPREV tuning session. We started with a baseline of 177hp/191tq and finished with 209hp/205tq at the (4) wheels. Peak gains were +32hp/14tq!  Note the increased rev limit with power available all the way to 7krpm:

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To enjoy the extra power, suspension and braking upgrades are always smart . GTSPEC bracing reduces chassis flex and a Stoptech sport kit improves braking duties:

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The underbody bracing clears the Bassani exhaust:

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Enjoy The Ride Dannie!

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