For the sake of uniformity in this thread, use these goals:

500WHP
Pump gas
Autocross or drag strip racing two or three times a year
Daily driver with as near as possible OEM reliability and longevity
Maintain drive-ability

Assume an excellent TT install with a competent/premium tune and excellent quality engine building to racing specs using forged internals.

If you have engine AND FI expertise, do you think that these goals can be achieved with only a rebuilt short block or is a fully built long block necessary? If you think it will take a complete long block, what are the top-end issues you believe are necessary to address to achieve these goals?

 

Take a look at this site and the program that they pursue for modifying the G35. The car is not intended for doing quarter mile competitions, it is intended for road course running. With a few tweaks it can be better optimized for drifting, and a few others for autocross. But at its heart it is a road course car.

www.govrt.com

I have been running mine on road courses up and down the state of California and Nevada, and driving it to work, and it has been superb so far.

Everything with respect to a car involves compromises among comfort and street civility, handling, noise, etc. And you cannot have a car that optimizes road course while at the same time optimizing quarter mile performance while at the same time optimizing autocross performance, the three part directions at a certain level of performance. Put in the ability to carry cargo and pull heavy loads.....for example. At some point you have to choose. That does not mean it will not be respectable, but it will be less in one category or another as a result of a decision to enhance performance in some other place. So get real focused on what you are really wanting to do and make informed choices so you wind up with something that you really will be satisfied with, what you ultimately build. Good luck and have fun with the project.

 

Hope you are well.

Please PM with email and phone number and we can discuss.

Warmly

Michael
www.GoVRT.com

 

"...you cannot have a car that optimizes road course while at the same time optimizing quarter mile performance while at the same time optimizing autocross performance, ..."


Sorry for not being clear. What I meant was that the goal was a very driveable, reliable car that might or might not see racing, but if it did, it would probably be infrequent either for the strip or autocross.

For what it's worth, if the car would lean towards anything, it would be autocross, not the strip. While most anyone would want to know what kind of a quarter their car turns, drag racing as a regular diet has always struck me as a bit mindless, rather like the muscle cars of the '60's - fun and fast in a straight line, but you better not ask them to do anything you really need them to when they're moving in the three digit realm.

Autocross on the other hand, is more like what driving is really all about - handling, curves, control and learning how to get the car out of trouble if you cross over the line.

But back to the real question here, what engine work is necessary to handle that power level with reliability and longevity. I know that the G35 is not a "from the ground-up" tubo car, but if Mercedes and Porche can do it in daily-drivers, it can be done.

 

If you want to stay around the 500whp mark, ... forged pistons and rods are all you'll really need to do for the internals. If you are under 400whp/400ftlb tq, the stock motor should be ok with a Good tune.

Any of the popular turbo kits, with proper tune, required supporting mods (fuel return, etc) will get you there no problem.

Check out www.builtZmotors.com to give you an idea on what it will involve, or actually most major shops have "built short block" packages (Forged Internals, SGP Racing, etc). or if you haven't already, check out my350z.com forum for a variety of 'opinions'.