ZKid101

I recently picked up a 1988 300ZX shiro special that is for the most part stock that i wanna make a fun daily driver.
If anyone knows of any ways for some cheap horsepower that'd be great if you could post em.
This is what I've started looking at getting so far.

I'm hoping to achieve around 280-300HP



GReddy Exhaust System: ~ $400 US 14HP gain
K&N Filtercharger (Cone): ~$ 120 7HP gain
GReddy Boost Controller: ~$250 US 30HP gain
*With the boost controller i'll run around 12psi for starters*
I also wanted to know if these are semi accurate HP Gain estimates
I was also thinkin' about stroking the engine...(good idea? bad idea?)

entropy31

first off, are you sure it's a Shiro?

stroking the engine is great if you have an extra $10k sitting around that you don't need.

AZ-ZBum

read: http://z31.com/mods/tfaq/ Good luck with that.GReddy doesn't make a full exhaust system. It's http://www.cmperformanceexhaust.com or it's crap. Well. zcarparts.com is making an exhaust now that's pretty good. http://z31.com/mods/kn.shtml HP gains will be determined by the amount of boost you choose to run.Not for long you won't. The 88 and 89 turbos are smaller and don't handle that boost level well. At least, not without an intercooler.Not even close. That page is so old and outdated it's sad. It should have been deleted when the new page was created.And how much money do you think this will run you? I'm going to guess you've never tried pricing a stroker kit.

ZKid101

Supra intercoolers can be had for $100-200 and are readily available on ebay or the mkiv.com mailing list. To clarify, only the mkiv supra(93 and up) intercoolers are any good, the mk3 units are complete garbage.

Is this still valid. and are the prices still the same? cause if they are i think thats what im going to go for next. I just don't have the coin for the spearco kit. Also how long will my new intercooler last me?

duowing

11-12psi would be acceptable on an 84-87 300ZXT as they use the T3 vs. the T25 like bum said. I don't know much about the later models, I'd say you'd be on the right track if you had the T3. As it's a pretty similar path as the L28ET.

AZ-ZBum

That's still valid. Used prices fluctuate tremendously. Hard to say if the prices will be the same or not as the supply of these ICs is starting to dry up. There are a few reputable e-bay IC suppliers. Intercoolers last as long as they don't have holes in them. There are no moving parts, so they should theoretically last forever.

If you don't have the coin for a spearco kit, you definitely don't have the coin for a stroker kit.

ZKid101

Hey, i just wanted to post s pic of it.
I also registered it a while back.
[url]http://www.az-zbum.com/cgi-bin/z31history.pl
so yes entropy, it is a shiro :P
I also just checked out the supra intercooler, the price has changed but its still affordable.

thxone

I'd say....plug or modify the emergency pop valve, get a boost controller, adjust timing, run 91+ octane gas, get an intercooler, aluminum flywheel, set boost to 10psi, 2 1/2" - 3" mandrel bent exhaust, Test pipe, maybe a JWT ECU, 170* thermostat, get a new O2 sensor and DO A TUNE UP!!

should be around 230-240whp. If this doesn't launch you fast enough then up the gear ratio in the rearend.

duowing

Would the small T25 turbo support 10psi? I thought the T3 was already beginning to lose efficiency around 12-13psi, so I can't see a T25 being able to run 10, but again I don't know.

AZ-ZBum

That's an aftermarket kit, not the MKIV IC. Not the same thing. That page was referring to the stock IC that came with the MKIV Supra.

thxone

10psi is prolly pushing it but it should hit 10psi...maybe 8 is more realistic.

ZKid101

Hmmm... i searched for 93-98 Supra MKIV intercooler and all it gave me was that. so they must not have any on ebay right now, for the time being Ill look elsewhere.

ZKid101

what will an aluminum flywheel do for me? same for the test pipe?
and how much boost can i run normally on the streets? would i have to keep it at the stock level since the 88's turbo is really small? Also what are your opinions on BOV's Good,Bad,Ugly?

AZ-ZBum

Aluminum Flywheel: Worry about it much later in the build. Spend the money elsewhere first.
Test Pipe: Where are you located? It won't get you much, and is illegal on the street.
Boost levels: Entirely up to you. If you don't mind running super unleaded all the time, higher boost isn't a problem.
BOVs: Personal opinion is they're a waste for anything less than 15psi.

thxone

Not to argue with AZ, The Aluminum flywheel is much lighter than the stock flywheel...less rotating mass = less power wasted to spin the rotating assembly = more power to the tires. But it is usually an expensive item so like AZ said, worry about it later.

The test pipe, replaces the catalytic converter with a length of pipe, provides (usually) a free flowing exhaust. If where you live requires you to pass emissions testing then you can look for a free-er flowing high performance cat, also expensive.

I just wanted to make sure your questions were answered.

ZKid101

I'm located in the corner of washington,the southeast corner.

Gas prices as cheap as they are right now I'll run airplane fuel.haha
no but really, I had no problem running super unleaded at 4 bucks a gallon as long as it keeps my baby runnin' right.

ZKid101

so the test pipe is gonna get me the gains of just taking off the cats?
That will be pretty loud... have you ever heard of anyone gettin caught for not havin cats. other than in the state of california.lol

Thanks

thxone

Well you should still run a muffler. A test pipe literally goes where the cat was, it takes its place. As for the not running cats, yeah back when we had testing here they would look for them and if you didn't have them then you didn't get to re-register your car and you didn't get to drive it if they looked under the car and they weren't there they didn't even do the test. My buddy and I took his cats off his '79 Camaro, used a torch and a long metal rod and busted out the guts of the cats. We then repainted them and went to the exhaust shop. The guy that worked there was a buddy of ours and he put them in some boxes. We left and came back the next day and had them put on the Camaro as "new cats" with Flowmasters and 2 1/2"i.d. aluminum exhaust with long tube headers. Running a single 600cfm 4bbl carb we passed the emissions test with flying colors and the car sounded kick *** to boot.

duowing

I haven't personally tried it, but the previous owner of my Z31 gave me the cat he hollowed out after he put a new cat on the car for emissions. He claimed that it definitely made a noticeable difference in power when he had the hollowed out cat on. Maybe come the warm weather when the Z31 comes back out I'll toss it on and see how it is. Again though it wouldn't surprise me as it's been dyno proven to add up to 20hp on an L28ET by just going to a larger exhaust.

reddzx

Hey Tri Cities. I'm in tacoma. Good luck on your build.

hoov100

overall your in thinking in the right area, just need to do some reading to get the facts strait.

AZ-ZBum

He did. That's why he has those numbers. They're outdated though.