Nissan 350z Tuning Tips

"The "Z" is presumably for Zoom."

A stunning piece of machinery from the Nissan Stable the 350z represents the cutting edge of the everyday sports coupe.

The 350z is certainly well endowed from the factory with power and excellent handling characteristics.

The facelift model left much untouched but tweaks were made to the engine giving a much wider power band - answering a criticism of the original. True to the Z heritage the 350z has become a cult car in it's own time.

Looking at what NISMO have done to their 350z you can see the awesome tuning potential of these cars. Popular with drifters, track day enthusiasts alike the car has much to offer the enthusiastic tuner. Our members will certainly not shy away from perfecting this awesome car so lets have a peek at some of the 350z tuning options out there.

Nissan 350z Tuning modifications.

By raising peak power you maintain economy and reliability. A fast road cam will be one of the best power mod you can do mechanically to your engine. You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will need to uprate the fuelling. You can get a more snappy acceleration by fitting a fuel pressure boost valve. Uprated injectors will enable you to supply sufficient fuel to the engine. When increasing your fuelling you will also need to get a bigger fuel pump to supply it.

Nissan 350z Intake and Exhaust.

Breathing mods are usually next up. Maximum power gains come from a full induction kit. Sports exhausts balance the flow of air throughout the engine it would also be worth getting a sports catalyst as well. If your exhaust is too large (over 2.7 inches bore) you will lose back pressure on most engines.

A good fast road power clutch will help to keep that power going where it should. Never skimp or expect a standard clutch to cope. 

A remapped turbo engine will give phenomenal power gains. Adding a larger turbo or changing the internals of the turbo will allow big increases in boost. When increasing your boost you may also require a lower compression ratio or water injection to compensate for knock.

Nissan 350z Wheel modifications.

The benefits of alloy wheels include a lower unsprung weight and more efficient brake cooling. Large 350z alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio. Although some people have gone larger we would stick to a 17 or 18 inch rim size as the maximum on the 350's. Try to keep the overall rotational diameter the same as the standard wheels.

Please join us in our forum to discuss the 350z options in more detail with our 350z owners. It would also be worth reading our 350z tuning articles to get a full grasp of the pros and cons of each type of modification.