Big power Z - worth it?

S

stuartinzg

Active member
I have been toying with the idea of what to do next with the car. Should I keep it totally standard and sell within a year or two, get something else, or upgrade certain parts which annoy me (needs an LSD, H&R springs, better pads/discs) and keep it long term.

I think if it's long term then I would like to use the car as a platform for modifications. I've hankered over an RB26 to play with for a long time, and the idea of 700 WHP in an R33 is very appealing, but the problem for me is that car and platform is now old, with all the downsides associated with that (crap interior, everything becomes worn out - resulting in a complete ground up restore plus engine build).

That is a bit too much for me to chew - so I was thinking, how car can the N54 platform be pushed?

Last year a team over in the states recorded a new N54 world record of 753 WHP with a 335i, that is almost 850 at the crank... on a stock motor, utterly bonkers. There's also another 335i in Brazil, again stock motor, nearly 900 WHP.. (can't imagine that lasting long).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rQOOOm3MMvI

Spec:

Custom Top Mount 6466 by John Donovan, Clutch Masters FX400 6 puc clutch, STOCK MOTOR, Dual CM10 Meth nossels, 100% meth
Gulf Mach 116 race fuel, 29 PSI of boost, Jb4 g5, BB Flash

The M3 boys have been supercharging their platform for a while, cranking out 625+ HP with the DCT, capable of supporting 700 nm of torque (516ft/lb). Therefore, 500-550 HP / 500 ft/lb on 98 pump fuel would seem to me to be perfectly possible on the Z platform without too much pain. A nice linear boost curve, with peak power near the top end, rather than instant torque (more like an NA engine) would be much better to drive, better traction and better on the gearbox too.

I'll continue to do more research over the next 9 months and make a decision next summer. Do I keep the Z and upgrade, or sell and buy another car to play with. There is a local shop close to me who are building Skylines from scratch for racing - they seem pretty capable whichever way I go.

8) There don't seem to be many high power Z's around !?

Anyone pushing 400+ ?
 
Keep the Z and tune the crap out of it. Fantastic looking car, modern, lovely interior. If you have the cash it's a perfect car to mod in my eyes.
 
Yorkie Z said:
Keep the Z and tune the crap out of it. Fantastic looking car, modern, lovely interior. If you have the cash it's a perfect car to mod in my eyes.
Click to expand...

Yep, I was looking at the R33 - but I just can't imagine what I would look like driving that around. A bit of a pleb... :rofl:

A sleeper Z4 with 550-600 hp seems more my style. :thumbsup:
 
markplant said:
Ask Stevie if he'll do another v10
Click to expand...

Considering the work required to get 550+ from the N54T, the idea of an engine swap is just way outside my interest. A nice idea but that's not what I'm aiming for... with nearly 1000 HP possible from the N54, it doesn't seem worth it. It's also nice to at the click of a button, bring it back to 340 stock HP if required (not that I would).

LSD, Turbos, FMIC, intake, downpipes, exhaust, software, perhaps injectors - $8000 in bits would built a good spec, with custom turbos (for example, Hexon RR550 or RBs). DCT upgraded clutch pack is around $1700 plus fitting if needed (would prefer not and keep it within the design limits of the box ).

£7k-£10k would be a useful budget - I think 550 whp is possible for that - but research has just begun, I might be totally wrong.

By the way, I have seen Burger Motorsports pushing 550 on a completely stock car, except for an upgraded fuel pump. I wouldn't be interested in that because it pushes many components past their limit - so it won't last long. The idea is to do it properly or not at all.
 
It would be interesting to see how the car would handle with that much power. The RB26 in my Avatar went in for an Engine 'refresh' last April doing 460 bhp and was returned in April this year with a complete rebuild at 700bhp kicking out 1.5 bar of boost and 11k lighter for it. It goes into what I can only describe as 'Hyper drive' and handles it very well but then as a 4WD car when it needs to be that's what's keeps it on the road.

I wouldn't fancy that much power in my E89...........unless it was going to be a track toy only.
 
Angie4m said:
It would be interesting to see how the car would handle with that much power. The RB26 in my Avatar went in for an Engine 'refresh' last April doing 460 bhp and was returned in April this year with a complete rebuild at 700bhp kicking out 1.5 bar of boost and 11k lighter for it. It goes into what I can only describe as 'Hyper drive' and handles it very well but then as a 4WD car when it needs to be that's what's keeps it on the road.

I wouldn't fancy that much power in my E89...........unless it was going to be a track toy only.
Click to expand...

Very nice and you have the grown up colour too - they can look good ... it's just rare, most look total cack (Skylines I mean)

The Z might be handful but there are 700 hp 335is that handle the power, you just have to be sensible I guess?

I would ideally go for a progressive map, so that it wasn't all torque at 1500 rpm, I think this would make it much more usable in the real world, with sticky rear 265's and an LSD I think 550-600 would be manageable... maybe :rofl:
 
stuartinzg said:
Anyone pushing 400+ ?
Click to expand...

We've been running the ESS stage 1 and 2 maps since June 2012. Stage 2 for most of the year and then stage 1 over winter when the traction is more limited. Quoted figures are 390 DIN HP with stock intercooler, there are quite a few US owners who've also upgraded other components, but for us the standard stage 2 map is more than enough for a rear wheel drive daily driver.

http://www.esstuning.com/products/ESS-E%252dFlash-N54-ECU-Performance-Software.html

Michelin Pilot Super Sports and Eibach progressive springs have also helped the handling and getting the power down.

Shifting the DCT to the left and running in sport mode with manual shifts is a lot of fun :D

I would definitely look at an LSD for any further tuning as the back end can get a bit out of shape if the road conditions are a bit damp.
 
Z4_35i said:
stuartinzg said:
Anyone pushing 400+ ?
Click to expand...

We've been running the ESS stage 1 and 2 maps since June 2012. Stage 2 for most of the year and then stage 1 over winter when the traction is more limited. Quoted figures are 390 DIN HP with stock intercooler, there are quite a few US owners who've also upgraded other components, but for us the standard stage 2 map is more than enough for a rear wheel drive daily driver.

http://www.esstuning.com/products/ESS-E%252dFlash-N54-ECU-Performance-Software.html

Michelin Pilot Super Sports and Eibach progressive springs have also helped the handling and getting the power down.

Shifting the DCT to the left and running in sport mode with manual shifts is a lot of fun :D

I would definitely look at an LSD for any further tuning as the back end can get a bit out of shape if the road conditions are a bit damp.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback - yep already have the BBS + Super Sport combo, killing those run flats (for the second time - E92 had them) was very satisfying!

Personally I wouldn't do any tuning without an LSD - even stock is edgy imho and not as controllable or confidence inspiring as it should be. I imagine 390 is a handful!

My first steps are looking like MFactory LSD (seems better manufacturing specs and cheaper than Quaife), upgraded suspension components which allow adjustable rear camber (will reduce to -1.5), H&R springs and rollbars, full laser geo alignment, performance pads, perhaps upgraded discs too as they will need doing at some point - then I will see how she behaves.

If it's still crap I'll scrap the idea of more power, but I expect this will make a big change.
 
Of course, plus https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mhd.flasher.n54&hl=en

The MHD N54 software and custom map
 
Yorkie Z said:
⏫⏫⏫⏫⏫⏫⏫⏫⏫⏫⏫⏫
Sounds good. You should start a new build thread if you go ahead with it mate.
Click to expand...

Will do - going to sort the suspension and power delivery to the wheels first - then if it's able to cope with that we'll take it to the next stage :thumbsup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom