Boarding Flight 350

Text by: Angela Bish
Photos by: Jon Domingo

July 2007 Issue of Turbo Magazine

Since the return of the Z in 2003, the car has attracted many tuners and an array of aftermarket parts. With an ultra smooth bodyline, the new generation Z almost resembles a small two-seater jet. Although it may be missing the twin turbos from the previous generation, the new VQ35DE motor creates a great platform for modification. Based on its aesthetic appeal and versatility, the 350Z was well matched with Ginash George’s exclusive goal of producing horsepower.

With a strong appreciation of the 350Z’s stock appearance, Ginash chose to be modest with exterior modifications. It is easy to make assumptions based on appearances and in this case Ginash wanted to make an impression with performance. He combined three types of body kits in order to enhance the body style and give the car a more unique look.  An Aerosync front bumper and black grill were added to create the front lip and to cloak the intercooler for a sleeper look.  He added Central 20 side skirts and a custom molded Ings +1 rear apron to finish off the kit, all painted to match the Nissan Silverstone color. The car comes together seamlessly as if it were manufactured that way. 

Although his original intentions were to keep the wheels stock, Ginash decided he needed something more original. After 2 sets of wheels, Racing Hart J8’s and a set of Volk GTM’s, he is finally satisfied with his new set of Iforged Flux in Hypergunmetal color. Being a daily driven car, the main reasons for choosing Iforged were for the looks and because of the poor road conditions in Chicago. Iforged has a quality and strength that is sure to withstand the city roads. 19x9 in the front and 19x10.5 sitting wide in the rear, these Iforged are wrapped with Toyo TR1's 255/35/19 in the front and a massive 285/35/19 in the rear to make sure that traction is never an issue. Iforged even had a custom offset made for him so that the wheels are perfectly flush with the body.

Now to help the wheels sit closer to the body, Ginash swapped out the stock suspension with Tein S-Tech Springs and Tokio D-specs Adjustable Shocks. Hotchkis adjustable sway bars and an APS Tough-Boy strut brace were added to keep the car uniform during hard cornering on track days or for the occasional street shenanigans. For resistance power, Carbotech Bobcats brake pads are used inside factory Brembo calipers allowing this car stop on a dime.

An unassuming onlooker might wonder why someone would want so much rubber on the rear wheels. One thing is for sure, it’s not for looks. Underneath this hood is a fully upgraded motor. While the stock is good to hold a certain amount of horsepower, Ginash wanted to make sure that hitting his 500whp mark would not be an issue. Genesis Racing and Development took the stock motor and pretty much rebuilt it to withstand any kind of abuse it was given. Using Wiseco Pistons 8:5:1, Customs Forged Rods (rated to 2200 hp), CNC cylinders, 5-angle valve job, Rev up oil pump, and few other custom parts from GRD, Ginash now has the motor to support more then 500whp

Once he had the foundation it was time to add on some crazy power. After months of research Ginash decided to use an APS turbo system. Going for the single turbo setup, APS supplied him with a Garrett twin-ball bearing turbocharger.

Why go with a single turbo? Ginash says, “Many APS single turbo owners buy the kit for a few reasons, one its affordability, and secondly they assume they will be satisfied with the amount of power it will generate. But as we all know, boost is addicting! Not only is it wise to upgrade your internals for safety and longevity, but it can also allow one to increase the boost safely for added power. Obviously there is a limit to the Garrett turbo, but hopefully my project can give insight to consumers who are debating on which kit to go with, or currently own a single turbo system and desire more power. The key is know your long term HP goals and build to that goal.”

Setup to push 500whp @ 15psi this turbo sits underneath the engine keeping it hidden when looking down into the engine bay. To help cool off all the hot air, Ginash is using an APS FMIC that is secretly tucked behind the front bumper. After the air has been chilled it heads to a custom polished APS Tall-Boy Inlet Plenum. A CJ Motorsports Stage 2 fuel system with DeatschWerks 650cc injectors helps the motor get the right amount of fuel and air mixture and uses a TurboXS Utec for engine management. Lets not forget the best part of having boost, an APS twin vent blow off valve is used to vent during shifts. As for the drive train to support the ponies, Ginash is using a Spec +2 clutch system.

From a stand still the 350Z responds very well to the boost that the Garrett turbo is feeding. As the car climbs the power band, a rotational tone serenades your eardrums. Like jets turning on afterburners during takeoff, this 350Z can create full spool at 15 pounds of boost, just shy of 2550 RPM, creating some astounding takeoffs. Although flames would not be seen exiting out the exhaust, a deep low frequency roar is belted out from an APS True Dual 2.5" High Energy Sports Exhaust System.

As with the exterior mods, the interior mods were kept clean and tasteful. Making sure that he’s headed toward the right direction, Ginash upgraded his OEM Navigation system to a 6.4 version. He also replaced the stock gauges with three Saga gauges. Saga boost, oil pressure, and oil temperature keeps him informed while driving. Saga gauges can be set to see peek value, which is a nice feature during test and tuning. Across the steering wheel is an Innovate wideband gauge to let him know if the car is running rich or lean. While keeping the rest of the cockpit OEM he swapped the black leather seats for Katzkin orange leather seats, this gives the car a more balanced look by matching the color of the Brembo calipers. 

There are a lot of people and time involved when creating something so magnificent and flawless. Ginash would like to return the favor by saying thanks to Car Medics Auto Body for all the bodywork, Elusive FX Wheels for setting him up with Iforged, ChicagoZ.com, and CJ Motorsports for the fuel system. He also thanks Genesis Racing and Development for the sponsorship and many thanks to Irshad and Tuan (co-owners of GRD) for being an essential part of the entire project.