Please read the specifics as they obtain to my car carefully before telling me to do a search and quit clogging up the forum with the same stuff. Ok, so I did a search and either it's not here or I didn't look hard enough but here is my question:

I have a Racing Beat catback exhaust. I have driven 300ZXs that have full systems on them and although my FD will get up and leave them when I hit 3rd gear, it seems to me that my FD is lagging a bit in 1st and 2nd gear. It feels as though the airflow is really restricted. There is a pic of my engine bay below. My questions...should I scratch the RB catback and go with a full system? If I want to eliminated the cat, can I piece together a full system with my current RB dual-tip catback? Will it all bolt up the same? Thanks

 

Yeah you can get a midpipe if you want to but youll blow your engine.

 

Confused A lot of people on here have told me to get a midpipe and a downpipe. As you can see I'm a newbie, so why will a midpipe blow my engine? Should I just stay with the RB catback and get a HKS downpipe and be done with it. Nopi.com is selling the HKS downpipe right now for $217.00. Need help with this one.

 

Keep the RB catback. Most people dont buy their exhaust as a full system, but rather piece together a catback, midpipe/hi flow cat, downpipe. Also, a full exhaust isnt going to help you get off the line faster. So yes, a midpipe or hiflow cat, would bolt right up to your catback.

If you have the stock ECU with a catback/midpipe/downpipe, you will most likely get boost creep. This cant be controlled with a boost controller, but can be solved by porting your wastegate. If you get a high enough boost creep you could blow your engine. Search "boost creep" and dont get it confused with "boost spike" because they are two different terms.

Just get a downpipe and see how you like that. A hi-flow cat is also an option if you want to replace your cat instead of getting a midpipe.

 

From your engine bay pic, you've got an intake, and obviously the exhaust. Next thing I'd look into is either a boost controller or a PowerFC computer.

USCmatt is close - adding a downpipe will VERY likely give you boost creep problems, but they're not due to an inadequate wastegate, they're due to the stock ECU's boost control. It has a set map that doesn't react to mods, so when you make the car breathe easier, you get boost spikes and creep. A boost controller can fix that.

PowerFC's are DIRT cheap nowadays. Hit up Ebay - Jap Parts Specialist is selling them brand new with commander for about $700-750. That's a STEAL. It will give you basic boost control, make the car run and drive better, and give you the flexibility to do whatever mods you'd like to do with the car.

Anyhow, get your boost under control with either a boost controller or a PowerFC, then put on the downpipe. Then, say bye-bye to your buddy in the Z .

Dale

 

The guy I bought the car from called me the day after and said he forgot to give me the car cover and the new aftermarket computer that he says will add 50 to 60hp. He also said that this computer ran him about $600. I'm supposed to pick it up from him tomorrow. So if I get this computer and a downpipe, should I be good to go?

What about the HKS Intercooler Pipe Kits? Would the pipe kit alone be a good option to have and help performance or are they a waste of money and I should just save up for the entire HKS Intercooler that includes the HKS Pipe kit?

Also, what gauges do you recommend? What I have now is just a Pettit Racing Boost Gauge.

Thanks for your help.

 

Are you boosting properly? You should not be losing to a 300ZX in any gear, unless they are modified...and if they are, well what do you expect???

All modding info is in the FAQ or in several good threads here....and full exhausts have been discussed at least 3 times this week already....

 

Yes, that computer is a great addition if it's a PFC. But you will need to get it tuned to see that gain, and it must be tuned by a person *with experience tuning THIS car and PFCs*. Anyone else is liable to blow up the engine. A downpipe, cat-back, and PFC are a very nice combination. Run a search on 'boost creep' to learn the issues of installing a midpipe. Basically, running a full exhaust without some other adjustments in the system will result in out-of-control boost.

Rynberg is starting at the correct place - you need to know if you're getting full boost (10psi) before deciding what mods to do. 300zx's are not that quick stock and run out of power at the high end, so this indicates you aren't even getting good boost. Regardless of if you choose to install the mods or not, it's vital to know the boost before and after every flow mod.

Dave