2003 Nissan 350Z Tuning - Z Thrash - Tech Feature

With the first attempt at building a 350Z exhaust, we learned that Nissan's exhaust was pretty good. In fact, we lost a few horses. The second attempt, for JIC, will be a new titanium muffler designed specifically for the Z's unique packaging and flow requirements.

With the first attempt at building a 350Z exhaust, we learned that Nissan's exhaust was pr

Before releasing this brake kit, of course, Stoptech has planned its full barrage of fade and brake balance tests, all with alignment specs that will allow the brakes to work to their maximum effect. They also plan to offer larger diameter upgrades for those less intent on small wheels.

Exhaust
With no cars in the country and no useful dirt on any Nissan executives, we weren't able to plan ahead on the exhaust. Instead, we found a well-qualified volunteer willing to fabricate one while we installed the suspension, brakes, wheels and tires. That volunteer was Jon K. of JIC USA, who also leant us his shop.

As the U.S. importer and R&D man for Japan's JIC, the plan was to fabricate a true dual exhaust using JIC's new oval can titanium mufflers and stainless-steel mandrel bends. Then, if the design proved effective, to use it as a starting point for a production JIC exhaust made entirely from titanium.

That plan evaporated the instant we got the car on the lift. Thanks to an uncooperative rear anti-roll bar, there's no room to get two exhaust pipes past the rear diff. The space we intended to use for the passenger's side muffler also turned out to be full of evaporative emissions control hardware. That forced us to mimic the stock muffler-in-the-middle layout.

Thinking quickly, Jon grabbed two of the polished stainless-steel mufflers he usually uses on Porsches. These mufflers use a perforated core flow-through design that happens to make a u-turn and exit on the same side the exhaust enters. Butting two of these mufflers up against each other, Jon, Yas Uchida and Michi Kawamoto managed, in a few short hours, to fabricate a beautiful, mandrel-bent exhaust that fit perfectly and sounded incredible.

Look past the exquisite, aluminum subframe, the expensive aluminum control arms, and the enormous rear diff and you'll see the problem that faced our dual exhaust. The rear anti-roll bar cut straight across our path (to the right of the diff) leaving only the stock exhaust path available.

Look past the exquisite, aluminum subframe, the expensive aluminum control arms, and the e

As for power, despite a slight increase in diameter from 60mm to 65mm where the exhaust was still a single pipe, the car lost 3 hp with the exhaust. This is, unfortunately, how exhausts are developed. Trial and error. This will surely not be the last 350Z exhaust to meet the junk pile in a search for the right balance of power, weight, looks and cost. With the unique demands of the Z's packaging, Jon expects JIC will end up with a new titanium muffler designed specifically for the Z.

At The Strip
With a few missing horses and tires cambered for the skidpad, was the Z doomed at the strip? Hardly. Luckily, our tire choice saved the day. The effectively shorter gearing from our shorter tires made up for the lost power and grip at the launch and the 60 mph mark. It also proved to be enough of an advantage at the end of the quarter mile to knock a tenth of a second off the time and add 1.1 mph. Final score for the quarter: 13.9 at 100.3 mph. Our egos needed that.

And that was it. This modified 350Z prowled the streets of Los Angeles for only 26 hours but, in that time, taught us a lot. We know now, for example, that Nissan has delivered a piece of hardware that can easily be made into a giant-killing track machine. We also learned they didn't screw around with the engine. The simple stuff, like the muffler and intake, were pretty well done from the factory. There will be gains to be had there, but nothing huge. Simple tricks with ignition timing probably won't yield much either, as this car appeared to be visiting the knock sensor even in stock tune. Handling is easy and stopping shouldn't be much work.

OK, tuners. Get to work under the hood.