Greddy 350Z Tuner Turbo Kits

Looks like Greddy has recently released a new and improved version of there already successful Twin Turbo Kit for the Nissan 350z. The previous kit was initially only designed for the the VQ35DE motor that came in 2003-2006 Z cars. This latest kit now has an application for the VQ35HR motors that come in the 07-08 models. They have also added additional things to the kit here and there and taken away some as well. I love that they have upgraded to 20g turbos from the 18gs that were in the older kits.

There is currently a promotion being ran with this kit. If you purchase any one of the new kits before October 31st, 2008 you will receive a free Greddy Ti-C Exhaust and a free case of GR-1 Full Synthetic Oil. Give us a shout if you would like to order one of these kits for your 350z.

Click the link below to view the press release.

Greddy 350z Tuner Turbo Kit

This looks like one fun G35…

I jacked these pictures from Shaun’s photo album a minute ago and I felt like posting them up today. Shaun was the one who took these pictures as far as I know, but that is about all the information I have on this G35. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. This thing looks serious business!

Massa, Massa, Mamma Mia!

Felipe Massa was spotted leaving the Singapore GP.  I thought these guys made serious money, but good to see he’s still grounded and rocking a solid American pickup

Poor Ferrari – not exactly their best showing today

R.I.P Paul Newman

While in the shower this morning I heard the radio report that Paul Newman passed away after battling this year with cancer.  Many might wonder why we would dedicate a place on a car blog towards remembering one of the world’s finest actors.  The reason is simple – he also was an avid gearhead like the rest of us.  Of particular interest to everyone here at Z1, he was also very involved in the early Datsun/Nissan racing program.  He was one of Bob Bondurant’s earliest driving school clients, and competed in various 510’s and Z cars over the years, most notably for Bob Sharp’s legenday Connecticut based team.  He also competed in various Porsche race cars as well, and even took 2nd spot at LeMans in 1979 in a 935.  Later he formed his own race team, first competing in Can-Am racing, and eventually moving to open wheel competition with the formation of Newman/Haas Racing.   A GT class team he was part of won the 24 Hour of Daytona race in 1995. The last time I can remember watching him drive was at the Daytona 24 Hour test session in 2005 behind the wheel of a Porsche powered Daytona Prototype.  Some might remember the voiceover work he did in the Pixar movie “Cars”

Here are some pictures of a few Newman-piloted cars from over the years

Silver Streak

The other day I received an email from Saher, a good customer of ours from Saudi Arabia, showing me the status of his Evo project. Saher is one of those in charge of Ferrari sales for all of Saudi Arabia (and sales of exotics are booming over there), but by day, he likes to kick back JDM style with his awesome rally rocket. We sent a ton of parts to him a few months ago, and now that installation is complete, we’re happy to show it off!

Smile for the Camera!

Modifications reads like a who’s who of JDM goodness including:

INTAKE:

Cusco Suction Kit.GruppeM Ram Air System.HKS Super SQV blow off valve

COOLING: 

ARC All Aluminum Radiator SMC Prestige-R.

 

HKS Type R Intercooler Kit. 

HKS Oil Cooler Kit.

Ralliart Radiator cap.

Ralliart water thermostat.

Ralliart silicone water hoses.

Thermo-Tec insulation wraps.

Tomei oil cap.

Tomei oil thermostat eliminator.

Varis dry carbon cooling plate.

Varis dry carbon plug cover.

EXHAUST:

JSpeed wastegate.

JUN exhaust manifold.

Mine’s Titanium center pipe.

Powerhouse Amuse R1 Titan catback.

Thermo-Tec insulation wraps.

Tomei Extreme turbo elbow.

Tomei Extreme down pipe.

IGNITION:

Spark lightweight battery.

HKS Circle Earthing System.

Denso IW31 Spark plugs.

Ralliart Sports spark plug cable kit.

 

 

FUEL & OIL DELIVERY:

ARC Oil catch tank.

HKS fuel rail.

LAP 255l/h fuel pump.

LAP fuel pump harness kit.

Sard fuel pressure regulator.

Trust 720 cc/min injectors.

 

CAMSHAFTS & VALVE TIMING:

Tomei procam 270 camshafts.

Tomei adjustable camshaft pulleys.

Zaklee transparent pulley cover.

 

CLUTCH:

Exedy Hyper Series D-Core twin plate carbon unit (including flywheel).

 

ELECTRONICS:

A’PEXi Power FC ECU.

A’PEXi Commander.

A’PEXi AVC-R boost controller.

Apexi Turbo Timer with harness Evo. VIII (Black)

A’PEXi EL System Meter II.

A’PEXi fuel pressure gauge.

A’PEXi oil pressure gauge.

A’PEXi oil temperature gauge.

Zeitronix ZT-2 wideband & EGT Controller.

 

HANDLING AND BRAKES:

 

Brembo Big Brake Kits for Evo. VIII MR. (6-Piston Front, 4-Piston Rear) “Calipers in Silver Color”

O.Z.Racing 8X18’’ UltraLeggera Wheels (Black Finish)

Cusco Zero-2 Suspension Kit

Cusco Power Braces Kit Which include the following:

Front side member

Floor-Front center

Floor center

Rear trunk (boot)

BODY WORK AND STYLE:

 

Gialla Evo IX Style Front Bumper

Carbign Craft Carbon Fiber Exhaust Shield Evo. VIII MR

Two Tone Exterior Color in Matt Finish ( Silver and Black)

INTERIOR:

Full Alcantara Interior

Four Carbon Fiber Racing Seats

Racing suits material in all Doors and Seats inserts

Quick Release Steering Wheel

Gear Knob and Hand Brake Handle in Aluminum & Carbon Fiber

And that list just got bigger, as we’ve sent over a set of JDM Evo VIII MR headlights and tail lights too!

Rumor has it that there are some other JDM Monsters making there way to Saudi Arabia soon. Could it be a Godzilla spotting in the desert? Stay tuned!

Endless Swivel Steel brake lines are now available for the R35 GTR!

Endless Swivel Steel brake lines - R35 GTR

Endless brake lines are steel braided and feature a carbon casing to protect against debris. Swivel heads help to prevent binding and aid installation.

All Endless brake lines are in compliance with JIS standards.

View our contact information at the link above to inquire about pricing or to place your order.

Zealous

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word zealous as “filled with or characterized by zeal : marked by fervent partisanship for a person, a cause, or an ideal.”

Now I look at the word zealous and for some strange reason I see a portmanteau. I see the two words zeal and jealous being combined to make up the word zealous. Therefore my personal definition of zealous would be to be jealous of one’s Zeals. Maybe its because jealousy is the first emotion that I feel when I see someone with a new set of Zeal coilovers and hence I am zealous by my own definition of the word. Yup! I think that explains it.

Well the reason why I am feeling “zealous” today is because one of our good customers, Larry, just received his set of Zeal Function A coilovers that we set him up with for his 350z and they look amazing. Good luck Larry and enjoy! These coilovers are so fly!

Here are Larry’s first impressions of the coilovers…

After examining them I can say that they are noticeably different in construction that any other coilover I have seen for the Z. The spring is not mounted to the top of the shock. It is remote mounted, and there is no rubber bushing between the shock and the mount, It has a spherical bearing. The adjustment knobs have windows so you can see what setting you are using. The rears have aluminum lower mounts, but the fronts have steel. The brake line brackets, and the ABS wheel speed sensor mounting brakets are welded on and not an afterthought or left off completely. The dust boots are also safety wired on liek they should be so no dirt actually gets in there. The shocks were dyno’d and the graphs look very nice!

Are You Well Adjusted?

By now many 350Z/G35 owners know how poor the stock endlinks deal with stiffer than stock swaybars.  We’ve even seen customer cars where the stock endlinks have bent, and/or the bushings have worn when using only stock sways.  When you start hearing creaking over small bumps, popping noises, etc, that’s usually a surefire sign that the endlinks are shot.   I was among the first to report this issue on my own Z, and  started development work on our own links in 2007.  In doing the research, I acquired all the known aftermarket endlinks that I could find from Whiteline, SPL, as well as few units made by independant suspensions shops on their own.  While each design was certainly beefier than stock, it was clear that they all were going to eventually wear and make noise due to the type of design they were using.  We had used similarly designed links on other cars before, and knew there had to be a better way.  One of the links we acquired as part of our research came out of a small company in Michigan called Powergrid.  The owner had a long standing reputation in suspension engineering for such prominent firms as Roush Racing, and had come up with a design that combined OEM reliability, with full adjustability.  They were nothing short of amazing.  I used these on my own car for about 6 months before deciding to offer them to our client base.  Now we’re the exclusive dealer for the Z/G application.

Powergrid Endlinks 350Z/G35 - Click for More Info!

These links use a genuine THK ball link end joing. Each THK Ball Link is composed of a high-precision ball bearing, a die-cast holder, and a shank connected to the ball by a special welding method. Through a unique production process, the mirror surface of the ball bearing is copied onto the inner mounting surface for perfect contact between them, achieving outstanding wear resistance, exceedingly smooth motion, and high strength.

Unlike the other, more common heim joint style units, these are fully sealed, never require greasing, and are completely water tight and dust tight. In addition, you never have to worry about these links developing noise issues down the road due to the design of their ball joint ends. The dual lock nuts on either end of the link means that the length of the link will not change over time, which can happen on other style endlinks which only use 1 lock nut. In addition, the other style links on the market are not sealed units, so dust, grime, sand, and moisture is ever present, and leads to increased NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and limited articulation.

Since introducing these to the 350Z/G35 market, they have fast become the endlink to have for street and track use.  However, it doesn’t stop there.  Powergrids Porsche endlinks are now widely used throughout the PCA, as well as SCCA.  GM’s Chevy Cobalt SS Teams have dominated the ST2 class using these links, and they have been prominently used throughout NASA, and other series. 

Any questions, drop us a line at z1sales@z1auto.com, or on AIM (z1auto, kwamez1auto) and we’ll be happy to assist you!  We can offer a wide range of links from Audi to Volkswagon, and we’re always interested in developing more applications!

Rally On!

With the winter months fast approaching, there is no better time to get that AWD car out in the snow and play.  But with so much salt, ice, rocks on the road during this time, it can quickly do a number on your paint.  Have no fear, RallyArmor is here!

Our buddies at RallyArmor make the finest bolt on heavy duty mudflaps on the market.  The most popular applications are the 02-07 WRX/STi, 03 + Evo, ’93-’01 Impreza/2.5RS.  Other applications include the Forrester, Legacy, Lancer, and even the new ’08 + STi and Evo X

RallyArmor Mudflaps Come in a Variety of Colors

Owners will find the “flex factor” of the “UR’s” to be advantageous as the material is resilient and very flexible despite extreme temperature variations. Rally Armor mud flaps are the ideal rally mud flap choice for lowered vehicles, competition, rally vehicles as well as daily driver set ups. They provide exceptional coverage without sacrificing the look and finish of your performance car! Each kit comes with all mounting hardware and full instructions.  Check them out on a few cars:

RallyArmor Installed on 2002-2007 WRX/STi - Click for More Info!

RallyArmor Installed on Evo X - Click for More Info

RallyArmor Installed on Evo 8 MR - Click for Info

 

So if you’ve got an Evo, WRX/STi, Impreza, Legacy, Forrester, Lancer, etc. and you want a set of these awesome flaps, give us a shout!

Adam – z1sales@z1auto.com AIM: z1auto

Kwame – kwame@z1auto.com AIM: kwamez1auto

Jonathan – jonathan@z1auto.com AIM: jonz1auto

Red Heads are Sexy

Any car guy who lives and breathes loves a Ferrari. But what do you do when a rare, specialized sports car isn’t enough? Modding Ferrari’s isn’t exactly easy business. While there are a handful of “tuners” out there for these fine machines, how many of them have real racing credentials to back up the changes they propose? By now we’ve all seen the Garage Saurus twin turbo 550 Maranello on the internet, in various blogs and forums. This was a customer car built for a well-to-do client from the far east. A very impressive machine. But to say that it is JDM is a bit of a stretch IMHO, as it clearly draws inspiration from real racing use. Here we’ll look at a version of the 550 that I am sure was squarely in Garage Saurus’s sites when they were doing their Ferrari build. Has a very similar “feel” to the exterior.

The 550LM was originally conceived by Care Racing and ES Motorsport to commemorate their GTS class victory in 2003. The car was developed in conjunction with Prodrive (yep, that Prodrive) who I guess had done all they could do with the Subaru’s and were looking for a new challenge (and a new client).

The road car was developed based directly on the R&D done on the racing version. This is something you often see as part of marketing hype, but in this case, the hyper was well deserved. Upgrades included a 52hp bump courtesty of ecu and exhaust mods, full carbon fiber body, revised suspension, OZ wheels, LM derived aero kit, carbon/leather adjustable seats, and various other bits. This was designed to bring true LeMans feel to the road going 550. 0-60 clocked in at 3.9 seconds, and the car weighed a mere 3086 – not too shabby for a V12 powered GT machine (my Z is jealous and needs Trim Spa). In full race trim, the car checked in at just 2400 lbs- simple amazing!

Here are some shots of the race spec version that I’ve found. This car has been campainged since 2002 in various configuration. It even has competed in the US in the ALMS series a few times. Among the drivers – Danica Patrick. At LeMans the car was driven by such legendary drivers as the late, great Colin McCrae. Pretty elite pedigree.

Colin McRae at Lemans:

I think you’ll agree, there is just something about a redhead. Ferrari thought so highly of this effort that they eventually developed their own version – the 575GTC. I’ll do a separate post on that machine, since I have a ton of pics and video saved.

Chuckin the deuce…

Adam sent me this video last week and all I could think about is how disgustingly quick the GTR is on the straight aways. I know it would be much faster in the turns too but the driver obviously isn’t pushing it, neither is the driver of the STi which is in pursuit.

The GTR driver might as well have thrown up the deuce as he was outtie 5000 on that STI.

Drift Emporium’s G35 Supercharged Titan V8 Drift Car…

This thing is pretty cool…

They don’t go into any detail, but there are some more pics of the build on their webpage…

Build-Up Photos

Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day

personalities that they bring to the table when executing the build on a project.  I can honestly say one of the nicest guys I’ve met in the 17 years I’ve been involved in this scene is Cheston Chiu.  While we’ve never formally met in person, we’ve spent countless hours back and forth over the phone and IM, pm’s on the message boards, etc.  He’s one of those guys who is no stranger to the game, which makes him easy to work with.  He also is smart enough to know when to ask questions, resourceful enough to know how to discover the right answers.   We’ve featured his car on our site before, and we’re proud to have been involved.  What a pleasant surprise to find that not only was Cheston’s car entered into the Sport Compact Car Ultimate Street Car Challenge, but that he would be one of the featured cover cars!  Congratulations are definitely in order to Cheston – a class act all the way, and someone we’re proud to be involved with.  The car you see is the result of many long hours, many paychecks, and alot of love, dedication, blood sweat and tears.

Sport Compact Car November 2008 Cover

 

My favorite thing about the car is it’s ever evolving.  We’ve know him since 2003.  Since that time, we’ve seen alot of Z owners come and go.  Cheston has stuck through it, and the net result is a very well executed, thoughtfully prepared machine that is balanced – something I can appreciate since it’s how I like to approach projects as well.

Congrats one again Cheston and to all parties involved in the project!

Rear 3/4 View Courtesy of Import Tuner (March 2008)

Moonface Racing Roll Center Adjuster

 

Moonface Racing just released a Roll Center Adjuster for the Z33, so I thought I would take the time to explain what a roll center adjuster does and plug a new product…

Three things happen when you lower your ride (other than it looking much better 🙂 ). You will:

• Lower the center of gravity.  
• Change the suspension geometry that countless Japanese engineers (who also happen to be much smarter than you) had created for the car when it leaves the factory.
• Lower the roll center that again, came preset by factory 

When you lower a car, the distance between the center of gravity and the roll center increases, causing the roll stiffness to decrease, and voila you ended up inducing something you thought you were correcting – body roll.  Sure you can mask this with stiffer springs and stiffer sway bars, but this is only a band-aid.  If this is on your street car, stiffer springs also means a harsher ride.

The Moonface Roll Center Adjuster will raise the roll center up (without affecting the ride height) and bring the suspension geometry back into factory spec.  This decreases the distance between the center of gravity and the roll center and as a result, drum roll please … less body roll.

Another byproduct of correcting the suspension geometry, is that you will increase turn-in speeds and reduce bumpsteer. Which if you don’t know … are good things.

Wow that sounds great, Shaun – where can I buy it? Good question reader, right here 

Combat Ready Engine Hoses…

Are your engine hoses ready for battle?

Well now with Samco’s help they will be, literally. This is Samco’s newest color, called “Camo.” It’s interesting to say the least. It’s currently available so if you are looking to pick up a set for your application, let us know (Adam – z1sales@z1auto.com, Kwame – Kwame@z1auto.com or Jonathan – Jonathan@z1auto.com).

Leave your comments on what you think about this new color.