Hello all, I recently purchased an 03 coupe and it came with an aftermarket intake. I believe it's a nismo cold air intake, the previous owner said he "modified it as a short ram intake? any thoughts? I took it off and went back to stock because I prefer a stock car for now, should I put the aftermarket intake back on or just try an get a few dollars for it? Any thoughts?

 

HP wise they really dont make much of a difference. the only determining factor is if you like how it looks.

 

Alright I figured it wouldn't make a huge difference in actual power, like most Bolt ons, I just didn't know if what he did was really okay by "modifying" it as a short ram air, I may end up throwing it back on, just for looks

 

the nismo intake comes in a couple of pieces and it looks like he just fit the air filter on the piece that connects to the throttle body. as long as the filter fits snug you should have no problems.

 

ah okay then, for now I think I'll just leave it as is, maybe in the future I'll bolt it on again once I start the mods

 

Just put it up for sale, you might get around $150 or more for it I beleive. Use that money to buy a K&N Filter and Z-Tube and enjoy the nice sound you'll get from that setup. Or if you don't like stock JWT or Stillen setups would be another great choice.

 

OK. selling it was my original plan, is the zTube a different intake? I was thinking maybe a plenum spacer soon as well

 

A plenum spacer is a great first mod to do as well.

Z-Tube is the 350z stock intake that replaces our stock G-tube w/ resonator, giving our car a nicer sound.

Z-Tube on the left G-tube on the right

 

ah I see, thanks for clarifying, I've seen the zTube mentioned often but never completely understood it, in your opinion do you think it's worth it to also swap out the rear differential? I was thinking 4.0X or so on my 6MT

 

ok the z-tube is the stock tubing on the 350Z. it doesnt have the resonator like the stock g intake. it doesnt suffer from heat soak because its made of plastic. but the MSRP on the stillen intake (which includes the z-tube) is like 250. so i am not sure if its worth selling your and buying a different one.

 

getting a bigger final drive will give you more acceleration but will also make you rev higher. so you use more gas.

 

i would just do your bolt ons first and see how you feel about that and make your decision from there.

 

okay, I understand the final drive ratio and all that, but not to sound like a know it all, don't bolt ons cost a lot for the amount of power you actually gain? whereas final drive atleast gives the butt dyno a good run? or am I missing something?

 

it does. and would prob be cheaper, but then you have to find a shop to do it. all the bolt ons you can do in your garage with a small set of tools. there is definitely more than one way to reach the same goal. it how you want to build your car.

 

I suppose your right, I can't exactly swap my final drive in my garage. but in terms of bolt ons are you implying the typical plenum spacer/intake exhaust like that sort of thing? or are there specific mods that yield the best gains? sorry for the questions. I'm new to the infinity world, was a total Mustang nerd before I bought the G