Just got the ATI Procharger SC Kit.

[GUnit]

So exicted. Should be a monster. Other than that my coupe is stock except for sway bar. What else should I do/get before the kit gets here in two weeks. What will yield me the most gains?

[Eagle1]

I have 19,000 miles on my ATI Procharger and have been very pleased with it. That includes 8 full day outings on tracks (Laguna Seca twice, Sears Point, California Speedway twice, Willow Springs and Buttonwillow twice). At 17,000 miles it shredded the small cog belt, apparently as a result of some wear on the pulleys, and no questions asked ATI replaced the belts and pulleys on warranty. Lots of people can get bent about things with their aftermarket suppliers, some of it very unfairly, but I have to tell you that my experience with the company has been straight up and solid. The unit itself has been outstanding in performance. The only thing that has been a pain has been the screen on the intake, which keeps getting loose. Another is having to siphon out the oil on the supercharger unit because you cannot access the drain plug. Pretty minor thing, but I am scraping for anything. Other folks have had other experiences. Rouxroux on this board is another ATI modder, and more expert than I, but he also has to my knowledge been satisfied.

On the mods, you have the intake taken care of with the blower, so what you have to think about is the "exhale" side....headers, cats, and catback. The catback and high flow cats will probably give you another 15hp. The headers give you the classic growl, but probably not much more power, maybe 2-4hp after the others, and it is a beast of an install. You can also do the ECU reflash, but unless you are going aggressive, that also you can pass on. That about does it for power.

The key to the ATI is being careful and conservative with the tuning. Use the 7lb pulley, and be aware that if you EVER do anything to the intake/exhaust, you have to retune to make sure you do not get too lean on the air/fuel mixture..or you can risk pre-ignition/early detonation. If you boost more than 7lbs you have to seriously think about rebuilding the internals, and you may have some problems with how far you can go before your compression rates require more exotic fuel additives and streetability and emissions issues arise. But for a daily driver that lays down a solid 350-360rwhp and 325-330lbft of torque...your stock set up will be just dandy. Use a tuner that knows his stuff. This is NOT a set up for somebody to be learning on. There are plenty of stories of folks that got goofy ideas or rushed too quickly, and blew their motors. So take your time and pick your crew carefully.

For going fast, and I have said this before, this car has plenty of grunt in stock NA form. But if you want it to DRIVE fast, the money should go into the handling. That is your suspension, brakes, wheels and tires. If you have the Brembos, and you are not going to track it, stick with those. They are great. You can consider some different pads, but the brakes are great. If you do upgrade, I like the StopTech 14 inch BBK. Fronts only are sufficient, but you can go four wheels if you have the scratch to spend. You need 18" wheels to clear the hats, and not all 18's will clear, so be careful with your measurements. I like the 245F/275R widths on the rubber on my car. With lightweight 18lb Nismo wheels you drop about 6.5 pounds a wheel in weight. Go with a lightweight compound tire, like pilot sport 2 michelins, or toyo proxes TS-1 as well, and the turn in will be incredibly better. You already did the sways, which are the best bang for the buck on handling upgrade. Some coilovers will also be a big benefit if you want to be able to toss it around.

The next area is in your drivetrain: the clutch, flywheel and differential. Again, if you keep it on the street you don't have to mess with the diff. If you do take it to the track, get the LSD and I would recommend the middle setting. It is still streetable, but man will it grab in the turns! The stock clutch and flywheel will handle the ATI fine. But if you want improved performance, you can go with a lightweight unit. The JWT if you are aggressive, the Nismo if you are moderately aggressive. If you are a wildman...you can go for a Tilton. But check that last one out VERY carefully.

There are some other items that you can do if you are going to make it a monster with horns. Bigger capacity radiator, and oil pan, adjustable suspension, some engine management upgrades etc etc, but that is getting into where I live and drive.....and that is politely..."not normal". You can PM me about other stuff if you really think you want to go there. I would only advise take it slow and get there in stages, not all at once.

Get some face cream.
Otherwise the grin on your face will put permanent crinkles in your cheeks once you get used to driving it. I almost never put the window up because I just love the shriek when you let the beast out.

And be safe. If you are going to push it, take it to the track. It is safe, and you can get a lot of good advice from knowledgeable folks about how to handle all that power.
Cheers, Ed.

[GUnit]

Thanks for the write up and advice. Excellent almost blueprint for a G35. I actually want to take it to the track so most of your advise will be taken. I have the Tein H.Tech springs for the 350z sitting in my living room and need to get them installed. Do you think that will be good enough or should I return them for some Tein Basic coilovers.

Also, the high flow cats and headers make the car so loud that if it only nets you 15 hp, it may not be worth it for me. Does the kit come with a 6lb pulley and you have to buy the 7lb? I can't imagine I would ever need to upgrade the brembos. I would like to go to an occasional track day but it's not a race car. If I got new pads and possibly some drilled rotors would that be sufficient?

Eventually I will do the clutch and flywheel. Have you seen the JUN one? Looks pretty nice and about the same aggressiveness as the JWT.

Those wheels are a good choice, I actully tried to buy some Nismos off ebay and got ripped off for 1k. Oh well live and learn.

Your right about the tune though. The local place that does installs has done a ton of supercharger kits. Mostly domestic but it's the same principle as far as the tune is concerned. He's done 4 350s as well. He is going to tune it after he installs it for me.

What do you think about the Greddy front facia or the Top Secret one? Will that help the intercooler or is it primarily for looks?

[Riffster]

GUnit -

Aside from the technical aspects of the installation (which Eagle1 has more than capably addressed) I would alert you to NOT make race-only mods (high-flow cats, headers) to your coupe if it is a daily driver. Besides the effect it may have on you or any passengers, you could also be ticketed for noise violations. If it is a weekend or evenings car you might get away with it, but as a daily driver you are likely to sooner or later run into a law enforcement officer who recognizes the sound of such mods and may well pull you over and ticket you.

As to a front fascia - either the GReddy or the Top Secret seems to do the job of allowing air flow to the intercooler. The GReddy is a bit more to my liking in styling and it's priced cheaper as well.

What I don't know about these fascia is whether they are made of polyurethane or are they constructed of fiberglass? My tuner tells me that all fiberglass body kits, especially those on the front, are really only 'rented' since they are bound to crack on cars that are low (or lowered) like our coupes! http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

About your misfortune with Ebay - be careful with some of the internet tuner shops out there - do research on them before giving them big bucks!

Good luck on your mods.

- Riff

[Eagle1]

Thanks for the write up and advice. Excellent almost blueprint for a G35. I actually want to take it to the track so most of your advise will be taken. I have the Tein H.Tech springs for the 350z sitting in my living room and need to get them installed. Do you think that will be good enough or should I return them for some Tein Basic coilovers.

Also, the high flow cats and headers make the car so loud that if it only nets you 15 hp, it may not be worth it for me. Does the kit come with a 6lb pulley and you have to buy the 7lb? I can't imagine I would ever need to upgrade the brembos. I would like to go to an occasional track day but it's not a race car. If I got new pads and possibly some drilled rotors would that be sufficient?

Eventually I will do the clutch and flywheel. Have you seen the JUN one? Looks pretty nice and about the same aggressiveness as the JWT.

Those wheels are a good choice, I actully tried to buy some Nismos off ebay and got ripped off for 1k. Oh well live and learn.

Your right about the tune though. The local place that does installs has done a ton of supercharger kits. Mostly domestic but it's the same principle as far as the tune is concerned. He's done 4 350s as well. He is going to tune it after he installs it for me.

What do you think about the Greddy front facia or the Top Secret one? Will that help the intercooler or is it primarily for looks?



If you are going to run it on the track with any frequency (more than two or three times a year) then you may want to look into the Tein Flex Coilover, with the EDFC. This allows you to select up to 32 different settings for the front, and independently also for the rear. That lets you dial up the stiffness for the track, and dial down for softness on the street. You also can balance the damping stiffness a bit. In addition, if you are going to hit the track frequently, try the adjustable front upper control arms, because you can put shims in and out quickly to throw more aggressive negative camber into the front wheels and it helps quite a bit.

The stock ATI kit is with a 7lb pulley.

Do not drill the rotors, that is mostly for looks now. Slots are fine, but don't drill them.

go with any facia you want. Stock is fine and the unit gets plenty of air with it.

I have not ridden in a car with a JUN flywheel, nor the EVO. They both look pretty good, but I have no personal first hand experience with either. Definitely, whenever you can manage it, search out someone with a mod on their car that you are thinking about, and get a ride or at least a listen. There is no substitute for that. If your tuner has done 4 ATI installs on the VQ35DE motor then you are fine. If those were all Stillen (Roots/Eaton) type positive displacement blowers....different animal and fuel management system. It sounds like he is a well experienced guy, but centrifugals work differently and they tune differently on the dyno. Just be sure. The fact that he has done some work on this motor is very encouraging so you should be ok.

Have fun with it. I just washed my baby and am going to head out for a little Sunday drive in the sparkling sunshine.

[GrafxWerks]

As to a front fascia - either the GReddy or the Top Secret seems to do the job of allowing air flow to the intercooler. The GReddy is a bit more to my liking in styling and it's priced cheaper as well.


The Impul looks great (expensive too!), and it would probably give great airflow.


- Ryan