So a few months ago I bought a 370Z touring with sports package in 6 speed manual with the synchro-rev match of course. I opted for the yellow. I wanted something that would stand out from the crowd. Needless to say, it absolutely accomplishes this feat as it turns heads everytime I hit the push-button ignition and throttle out onto the blacktop. I also found out that a small tuner shop that builds racecars was looking for one too...

Upon purchasing my new 370Z, I knew that eventually I would end up adding modifications by way of bolt-on power parts and seeking out a quality tune. I was prepared for it. What I wasn't prepared for however, was just how capable a platform the 370 is for increasing performance with minimal parts.

That small tuner shop that builds racecars is called Technosquare and I gladly gave up my car for ECU beta testing on their dyno in order to produce one the first (if not the first) US spec custom reflashed ECU's for the 370Z. That and the rest, you can read about here. First and foremost, a special thank you goes out to Mike Kojima and 370z.com for featuring my car and putting in the work involved to bring you the best possible information on this great car.

First up, the baseline numbers on my Z...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OsDUcIwSfU

For the full writeup: http://www.370z.com/MagazineArticles/tabid/57/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/44/We-Dyno-The-370Z.aspx

Not bad numbers for a stock vehicle of this calibur and if you drive one, you know exactally what I mean BUT... if you're like me, you can always use a bit more. Keep reading...

Next up, the re-tuned ECU:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeESrf4kDGE&feature=channel

For the full article: http://www.370z.com/MagazineArticles/tabid/57/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/50/Technosquares-Nissan-370Z-Infiniti-G37-performance-ECU-Reflash-Released.aspx

Very impressive! More to come...

Next up was an oil cooler unit. As many of you have no doubt read about, this is a serious issue if you are into hard driving and/or track use as I am. This issue needed to be addressed and again, I have to thank Technosquare for their expertise in coming up with a top notch unit that seemingly has solved the issue of oil overheating and sending my Z into "limp mode". Ugh.. just saying that out loud is kinda embarrasing!

For the full article and build: http://www.370z.com/MagazineArticles/tabid/57/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/51/Technosqaures-370Z-oil-cooler-kit-solves-oil-temp-issues.aspx

I will say that since the unit has gone in, I have done a bit of different types of driving from freeway to stop-n-go traffic to all out throttle a$$kickery and the unit has the oil temps under good control. I haven't seen the temp rise up over the 220 mark yet. Cruising on the freeway or around town it usually sits around 180. It does fluctuate with different driving but stays within definite parameters. So far so good. More to come on this as continued testing occurs!

Stay tuned...

So next up was a short throw shifter from B&M. I was contacted to see if I would be willing to have my car used as the test mule for installation and product updates. I of course accepeted.

I met up with Kenji Takahashi of B&M Racing & Performance in Chattsworth for the install. Kenji is a super nice guy and with a bit of effort and elbow grease, he had the new shifter installed and ready to go! 

I have to say that this was a very worthwhile upgrade to my 370 as it got rid of the otherwise rubbery feeling stock stick and replaced it with a beefier, more resposive shifter. The stick makes no noise, LESS vibration than stock, a very short throw and a much more mechanical and steady feel while shifting through the gears. 

If you throw it hard enough towards 5th/reverse, it'll go past the reverse lockout so care is needed when flying through the gears however it's not really an issue since it happens sometimes while heading toward 5th which is in a different direction from reverse. It's just getting used to a very very short throw. I've never had it happen while shifting from 5th to 6th (which would be bad). In fact, with this shifter in the car it's actually easier into 6th from 5th than stock.

Overall I am very happy with this upgrade and if I were you, I would absolutely consider it! For more information please check out: http://www.bmracing.com/bmracing/default.html

Here comes the fun part...

The addition of high flow cats and a cat back exhaust really unleashes the beast with the 370Z. I had Technosquare install and test a set of Stillen HFC's and a Stillen CBE.  In the end, the Stillen HFC's didn't put out the power that the Berk's did, however it's a decent starting point.

First, the graph... power parts (black line) and then power parts with the tune (red line)...

Remember my base line? 261 whp on the Superflow dyno. With the addition of the HFC & CBE it jumps clear up to 301!! Add 11 more with the tune and 312 is what I'm left with. Wow!

reserved for info...

Great info, keep it comming!

So it would appear that I no longer have the "reverse lockout" on my car (6 spd mt). I can still push the stick down and feel the spring tension so I don't really know what the deal is. All in all, it's not really a big deal to me as far as shifting goes. 

Looking into this for further review.

[QUOTE]KillerBee370 wrote

Here comes the fun part...

The addition of high flow cats and a cat back exhaust really unleashes the beast with the 370Z. I had Technosquare install and test a set of Stillen HFC's and a Stillen CBE.  In the end, the Stillen HFC's didn't put out the power that the Berk's did, however it's a decent starting point.

First, the graph... power parts (black line) and then power parts with the tune (red line)...

Remember my base line? 261 whp on the Superflow dyno. With the addition of the HFC & CBE it jumps clear up to 301!! Add 11 more with the tune and 312 is what I'm left with. Wow!

[/QUOTE]

HOLY SH!*!!!! Am I reading this correctly???

Bone stock 370 + Stillen HFC + Stillen Catback = +40whp gain and +51whp with tune/reflash!?!?!?!  Thats unheard of!!!!  Can anyone else replicate these gains?  If this is correct the 370z OEM exhaust must be REALLY restrictive. 

Well ongoing testing has been underway with the B&M short throw shifter. Since being installed into the car I have lost the reverse lockout feature and as this doesn't bother me from a driving standpoint, it is an issue that needs to be addressed for the end user of this product. B&M is aware of the situation and the car is due to go back in this Friday for lock washers to go in on the plate to hopefully solve the issue.

I will update with pics after installation is complete.

Im really impressed with your mods so far, the video is cool showing that 1st gear takeoff...definitely a step up from my stock takeoff.....I know Technosquare is on the west coast but im wondering where are you having all this work done?  Does anyone have any suggestions for someone in the midwest, Michigan to be exact, to do high performance work like this.  I know bolt-ons arent rocket science but I dont know that I just trust this kind of thing to Joe blows auto shop either.  Anty guidance would be appreciated.   

Anyone heard anything about when NISMO upgrades for the 370 will be available?  Any thoughts on how the NISOM exaust upgrade might compare to the one shown here...better/worse?

Platinum370... thank you for the compliment.

It would seem that the Nismo version with ECU tune and custom exhaust is a nice upgrade over a standard factory Z however the total HP claim is 350. Compare that with the 332 HP that comes standard and you have 18 more HP. Now when you put it to the dyno one would assume that this number will hold true under load as well.

Let's break it down... My car made 261 stock WHP on the dyno with load. Add 18 for the Nismo... now we have 279 WHP. Not a bad number at all. NOW let's look at my car in it's current state with modifications and ECU tune. That number comes to 312 WHP! Even better.. So I don't know what the price difference will be between a stock 370Z and the Nismo version but if it's more than the cost of my power tune parts, then is it worth it? Only you can decide that. As far as the styling on the Nismo, I personally love it (except for the defanged front end) :(

So is one part "better" then another? I don't have that answer and I suspect we won't know until we get our hands on a Nismo.

As far as getting the work done in your area, I would reach out here in the regional section of the forum and inquire about that. I know that as far as the ECU tune goes, Technosquare simply requires that you ship them the ECU and they can tune it and ship it back. Bolt on power parts shouldn't be too difficult for most knowledgable tuner shops.

Good luck with whatever plans you have!

Went down to B&M last week to get the reverse lockout function worked out with my new short throw shift kit from B&M. As it turns out, the two plates (B&M's plate & the factory one) tend to slide on eachother a bit with existing hardware. This is due to the shifter hitting the plates continually while shifting as one would expect. The top plate had only moved just a bit, however it was enough to make useless the function of the reverse lockout mechanism on the stick which is only a small piece of metal hitting the plate anyway.

Well Kenji at B&M took apart the stick shift and got to the bottom of things. He added some lock-washers to the top plate assembly and removed an O-ring from the shifter itself in order to let the spring push the shifter to the uppermost position where it should be anyway. It seemed to do the trick. The lock washers will now be a part of the short shifter package when purchased from B&M and directions on O-ring removal will also be added to the assembly instructions. The O-ring is simply there to dampen noise when coming out of reverse when the stick is pushed back up to it's normal position. Now you know definively what positon the stick is in at all times. It's a big improvement over stock and I haven't had any problems with it since the fix.

Kenji wanted me to point out that if you already had purchased and installed this unit for your 370Z, the lock washers will be provided to you at no charge along with new installation instructions.

Link to product: http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Nissan/Precision-Sport-Shifter_5

Posted By KillerBee370 on 07 Jun 2009 03:57 PM
I have some VERY exciting news coming soon... Stay tuned...

Posted By KillerBee370 on 08 Jun 2009 09:35 PM
Haha... no rocket powa... that would be pretty cool though.
Let's just say that dsport magazine has the car now for a featured article... stay tuned for more updates!