Chris M came to ZCG with only an aftermarket intake system on his 370z. With UPREV tuning the VQ37 now makes 305hp/254tq to the wheels:

If you have intake/exhaust modifications to your Z consider an UPREV tune to realize their full potential!

We had a magnificent track day experience at Laguna Seca on Sunday with City Tech. Big thanks to Patrick Chio for hosting a top-notch event. If you are looking for a safe, affordable trackday with maximum track time then check out their event schedule for 2013.
Datsun Roadsters Rule!

 

Rob and I were completely stoked at the idea of driving our roadsters together through the world famous corkscrew at ‘Seca…this track is incredible and Doing It In A Datsun makes it even better!  We gathered several ZCG cars and friends to come out and enjoy the opportunity. The group was quite diverse: Josh-’72 VW, Walt-GTR, Jeff V-Mustang GT, Wade-Lemons 240z, Glynn-Porsche 993, Scott B-G35 sedan, Allen B-Vortech Z33, and Ken in his newly Stoptech bbk’d WRX:

 

When we arrived early Sunday am the track was wet from fog and drizzle.  Despite the conditions we removed our tops and drove to our heart’s content. Eventually the grey sky turned blue around noon and the track dried out for plenty of grip.

 

Words can’t describe how much fun driving Laguna Seca is. I could wax poetic for days.  First timers Jeff (Mustang) and Ken (WRX) are hooked:

 

You just need to come out with us next time and see for yourself!

 

Josh, Rob and I wanted to capture our vintage cars running the track so we all mounted GoPro cameras from different vantage points. You can see how we had a blast staying together and mixing it up(there might be an impromptu drag race in there). The trunk mounted/rear facing camera on Sora Blue really gives you a perspective of the elevation drop through the corkscrew…make sure you select the “1080p HD” option, crank up the volume and enjoy!

 

 

Another fun part of track days are ride-alongs. Walt geve me a ride in his GT-R and I was blown away by it’s acceleration and grip coming out of turns. Look for in-car video soon! As with all track days cruising the paddock reveals some high dollar and very cool machinery. It is always neat to see driver’s clever attempts of evading the sound station 🙂 Here are some highlights, including several Z’s, a F20C-powered AE86, and lots of S2ks, more pictures in the gallery of course:

So thus ends the epic track day at Laguna Seca. Thank you to everyone that joined us and caravanned down from the shop. Another thank you to Patrick at City Tech. We look forward to more track days!

Check the gallery for more great pictures!

…[read more]

David D came to ZCG for several upgrades on his Nismo 370z. The car already had a GTM Supercharger and VOLK CE28N wheels finished in Mag. Blue.

A full Berk cat-back exhaust was installed. Here are the mufflers, mid-pipes and crossover:

Installed:

The Z got a new clutch and Z Speed T/O bearing:

Finally, Hotchkis sway bars front and rear:

I love the CE28Ns on the Z34!

 

Grant K. is the owner if this beautiful Magnetic Black Nismo 370z, affectionately named “Shamu”. Grant has a serious need for speed and he came to ZCG for some forced induction. The Z already had full suspension, Brembo BBK, and a host of upgrades to make it track-worthy like a roll bar from TC Design, Wedsport wheels and Recaro seats:

Grant wanted more power so he went with Stillen supercharger kit as its CARB certification was very appealing. Follow the dyno plots below on Shamu’s quest for boost:

The Nismo put down 287.73hp/241.92tq to the wheels in stock trim. ZCG bolt-ons alone gained almost +30hp/19tq for a total of 316.61hp/260.97tq.  Unfortunately we were not impressed with the numbers out of the box with the Stillen supercharger/tune: 349.83hp/272.88tq …

ZCG worked with Grant to ensure his power needs were satisfied so we called up Stillen. With their re-tune we saw a modest increase in power: 368.36hp/279.22tq.  Rob then worked his tuning magic and Shamu now moves to the tune of  403hp/299tq to the wheels!

 The best part about Grant and Shamu: They are Driven!  Here is Grant at a local autocross…Oh, and did I mention that I LOVE the way this Nismo 370z looks?

Shamu enjoyed chasing GT2 and GT3 Porsches and put up comparable lap times, Go Shamu Go!

Our good friend Forbes brought this to our attention…Could the next Nissan Z be powered by a 4-cylinder instead of 6? Read the scoop over on AUTOBLOG. A lighter and smaller Z is a step in the right direction but how will Z fans respond to motivation from a four-banger? This isn’t a new concept as folks have replaced their vintage inline-6 240z’s and current VQ-based V6 drivetrains with four-cylinder SR20DET powerplants. Fuel efficiency or not, I can’t think of any four cylinder that can replace the mellifluous, exotic exhaust note of a Nissan 6-cylinder engine. What do you think?