Hey all! I bought a 06 5AT with only 83k miles on it (in Houston that's really low mileage). I've driven it for a few months now and I really think it could use some more power. What are some good internal mods that I can do to it that would put me in a good place to start a larger project such as a Vortech supercharger or a twin-turbo kit? I've been looking into a plenum spacer and an UpRev tune for it. I should also note that I plan on running e85 on a flex fuel system.

Thanks for any suggestions y'all may have!

 

Before going forced induction I recommend you upgrade all of the other aspects of the vehicle as well. Suspension, brakes, tires, all these things become even more important the faster the vehicle potentially is.

 

Do all your maintenance first before any upgrades. Always best to know that the stuff that will keep your car running long, well and reliably was done and with quality fluids and replacement parts.

 

Do you have a $15000 budget on a $7000 car? If so, TT is in your future.

 

I actually bought it from an Infinity dealer who changed all the fluids and did a full workup on it, so it is 100% good to go in that regards (thank god).

I saw that 350z owners typically take care of the bushings throughout (I think they use poly bushings), is this what I should do as well? Brakes also need to be worked on. While they do stop well they aren't Brembos. I'm guessing a "sport" brake upgrade isn't too difficult??? Sorry for all the questions lol I've done my research but I thought I'd ask people with experience.

 

Bushings are usually toast at 100k miles. Would highly recommend looking into them.

 

Yeah, the 350z/G35 has a lot of bushings, if one of them starts to fail it'll throw off your alignment and you'll handle worse and eat tires. When you do your brakes, I would do all bushings at the same time. On a budget, I believe picking up a used set of 03-04 coupe Brembos would be your best bet for good brakes.

Another bushing you should keep in mind is the rear differential bushings, Google it and you'll get lots of info. If they fail the car feels "loose" in the rear, shifter, and clutch, and you'll get clunks on acceleration and gear changes. These are a ROYAL PITA to replace on jack stands, look up what it takes (unless you go buying specialized tools, then it's straightforward)

It sounds like you have a lot of money to throw at this car. If I were you, I'd throw it at a 6MT, or at least plan a manual swap.

 

Mods depend on your budget and if this is your only car or not.

Staying N/A and going the bolt-on route will cost several thousands with marginal gain. But, reliability will not be an issue with regular maintenance.

Even with a good tune, turbos can be a ticking time bomb on a stock DE. Twin turbo setups are a PITA to work with since there's barely any room in the engine bay as it is. There are some good single turbo kits available too. None of the available kits have all of the supporting mods required so expect to spend extra, especially with a 5AT.

I always recommend superchargers for those who do not want to build the block since they produce less torque and are safer for the engine, if tuned properly.

E85 is practically useless on an N/A setup. Its mainly used on FI builds since it allows for a good increase in power.