Carlos S visited Z Car Garage to supercharge his 2014 Nismo 370z.  At his request, we installed a Stillen supercharger kit with the larger intercooler (frozenboost) and full PLX Devices gauge package. After driving the Z for some time Carlos came back yearning for more power and inquired about a new air-to-air intercooler setup that was all the rage on the forums at the time. Keeping forced-induction limits and CARB status in mind with the 370z we started discussing the prospect of GT-Rs.

 

Within days Carlos was actively searching for R35s. After our buddy Lou S came down to the shop and demo’d his black 2014 GT-R Track Edition…Carlos knew he had to have one and became the owner of a 2015 R35 in Vibrant Red. In addition to being a cool dude Carlos also has a very supportive girlfriend, Amy, and two French bulldogs. And we all know that frenchies are the bee’s knees 🙂

 

Carlos couldn’t wait to start modifying the car and to keep him happy we installed a Boost Logic cat-back exhaust system and 90mm Quadzilla mid-pipe:

 
Our plan for more power included a complete flex-fuel setup for E85 tuning. Shown below are 1300cc Injector Dynamics injectors, DW300 drop-in fuel pumps,  SpecialtyZ 3″ Intakes,  SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel Set up and AMS Downpipes

 

When increasing boost levels it is wise to upgrade the factory, non-adjustable by-pass or blow-off valve (BOV). Here we used new, adjustable BOVs from Turbosmart:

 

Before/after shots of the new intakes and BOVs:

  

 

Installing the SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel sensor kit. This key component monitors the ethanol content of fuel for running different octane gas/ethanol blends. Also shown are the ID 1300cc injectors and dual DW300 fuel pumps:

 

Using EcuTek software and help from our good friend Sebastian at SpecialtyZ we tuned the GT-R on 91 octane and ethanol/E85.  On 91 octane we saw gains of 50hp and 62tq above stock for a total of 542hp/507tq at the wheels:

On E85, the GT-R made 632hp/612tq to the wheels. This is a significant increase of 94hp/105tq over the 91 octane tune and a whopping 144hp/167tq at the wheels over stock output!

 

Carlos is extremely happy with his 600whp Nissan GT-R and he has already ordered a Stage 2 kit from Spray Racing with upgraded turbos…to be continued but for now Enjoy The Ride!

 

 

The Nissan R35 GT-R like any high performance vehicle, requires regular maintenance to ensure the car is performing its best and is well protected. Here at Z Car Garage we are not only interested in carrying out performance conversions, but can take care of all your Nissan R35 GT-R routine servicing. Enrique G came to us for 36k services on his Solid Red 2012 GT-R. He loves driving and you might recognize his car from our last fun run to Canepa Cars & Coffee:

 

While servicing the Nissan GT-R we only use genuine Nissan parts and oil that is recommended or exceeds the manufacturers standards. For example, the GT-R’s VR38 engine with its plasma-sprayed bores has been developed to run on Mobil 1 (0W-40) fully synthetic high performance engine oil.  As such ZCG carries this oil specifically for GT-R servicing.

  

For those doing track days, we can tailor your service to include any extras you may need such as additional transmission fluid changes, alignment and dyno tuning. Give us a call to discuss your next pre or post track day service.

Enjoy The Ride, Enrique!

 

 

 

 

Dan J is the owner of this gorgeous 2015 GT-R. The numbers are impressive: Zero to 60 mph in under three seconds; a top speed of 196 mph; 545 horsepower courtesy of a hand-built 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 assembled in a clean room so high-tech that those fleeing scientists on the silver screen would kill to have one. This beast has also been finished in premium Regal Red paint embedded with 24-karat gold flakes! We think it is mesmerizing under varying light conditions:

 

Combined with an Ivory interior this R35 exudes a level of refinement and luxury not typically seen on earlier models:

 

Sidenote: I met Dan in December ’14 while helping his neighbor with a Datsun Roadster. Dan kindly let me park the 510 next his GT-R and I might have mentioned how we love them at ZCG 🙂

 

So what does one do with such a beautiful sportscar? Add more power, of course! Dan came to us for a full AMS Alpha 7 package installation.

 

The package includes:

• ALPHA front mount intercooler
• COBB big SF intake pipe
• Alpha 90mm Mid-pipe
• Alpha 90mm Downpipes
• HKS Legamax Exhaust System
• Injector Dynamics 1000CC Injectors
• Cobb AccessPORT V3

Let’s start with the exhaust and a closer look at the new mid-pipes and down pipes:

 

OEM vs Alpha downpipes:

 

Mid-pipe:

 

Completing the system is the HKS Legamax exhaust. Fresh from the box, compared to the OEM system:

 

Great, OEM-like fit with factory underbody Aero:

 

Looks fantastic here and sounds even better!

 

Underhood, better breathing is achieved through larger intakes and K&N air filters. Stealth black tubing is nice touch:

 

Rounding out intake mods is a larger Alpha front mount intercooler. It boasts 75% more internal flow area over stock and direct bolt-in/no cutting fitment! It doesn’t hurt to have the “Alpha” logo peeking through the front bumper too:

 

Fueling demands are met by larger 1000cc injectors:

 

How do all these mods add up to increase power? To find out we strapped the red beauty to the dyno:

 

Utilizing the CobbAccessPORT V3 for tuning we saw peak gains of 80hp/86tq for a total of 577hp/562tq to the wheels. The dyno plot reveals tremendous gains from 2500rpm to redline. For example at 4000rpm the GT-R is now making 560tq vs 460tq stock!

 

Dan’s GT-R was already blindingly quick from the factory and now it has even more power to enjoy while maintaining its Regal composure. Thank you for bringing your R35 to Z Car Garage! More pictures to enjoy in the gallery below.

…[read more]

As if the last 2 posts about GT-Rs didn’t get your juices flowing…This silver beauty belongs to Jay E. He found out about ZCarGarage through one of the most popular GT-R forums on the web: The North American GT-R Owners Club, or “nagtroc”. This is the place to be for all things R35-related!
Jay made the trip to ZCG from SF to have some new, aggressively sized wheels/tires and springs installed. Here are a few shots with the OEM rolling stock:

Jay chose wheels from ADV.1, specifically their ADV5.1 model. This is a lightweight forged monoblock wheel with a simple, yet clean look. You can find more info on ADV.1 wheels HERE

The thin-spoke design really let’s those gigantic rotors and Brembos pop. Wheels are 20×11 up front with a 295/30 tire and 20×12 in back with a massive 335/30 tire! The rear wheel also has a subtle concave spoke design that looks killer from a rear 3/4 view. ZCG’s Fred M installed the Eibach Pro-Kit springs to complement the larger wheel/tire package.


With the 2012 GT-R just coming out we are seeing more and more R35 owners modifying and driving their cars!
Plenty more shots in the gallery, enjoy!
…[read more]

With the release of the 370z just a couple of weeks away at the LA International Auto Show everyone is out to get the first hands on experience with the new Z.  Z Car Garage will have your fix on the 21st of November with the coming of Nissan’s official “Follow the Z” tour!

There will be TWO pre-production 370Zs on show at Z Car Garage on November 21st from 3-7pm.  Other attractions include gaming stations staring the newest installment of EA Games’ feature “Need For Speed: Undercover” which stars the 370z!  Sponsors will be supplying the show with a DJ, giveaways, free food, and other attractions.  There will also be a chance to win a trip to the next Tokyo Auto Salon!  Who wouldn’t love to be in Japan for that?

SPEED tv is also rumored to be following the tour across the country to make some sort of a show out of the whole deal.  There will also be celebrity appearances such as race car driver Tanner Foust to add to the entire driving experience.

Of the 15 stops on the tour, Z Car Garage is the only Z ONLY shop to be included!   We will be going all our to prepare the shop and all of our best cars for this very important event;  AND YOU BETTER BELIEVE THAT THE ZCG R35 GT-R WILL BE HERE!!

If you live near the shop make sure you take the time to check this event out.  It is going to be amazing!  More info to come as soon as I get it.

Check the link below for the official tour site.  I will be adding more links to sponsors as I receive the information.

Official site of the tour:    www.followthenissanz.com