Japanese Performance Mag in the
UK reviews the APS Intercooled
Twin Turbo system for the 350z
But sounds are just part of the
new-found pleasure this kit delivers. The real
fun is in finding its phenomenal pace, which is
still as silky-smooth as the regular 350Z, but
offers one hell of a lot more. Put your foot down
in the first two gears and it snaps to the rev
limiter, fighting for traction. These gears get
your 1545kg shell moving but, in third, fourth,
fifth and sixth, with the mass of the 350Z now
on your side, acceleration is muscular in the
extreme.
With a phenomenal 420lb ft from 3250rpm, running
flat right to the peak power point over 5000rpm,
this is the sort of figure most drivers can only
dream of. A lot of that grunt is down to the massive
cubic capacity of the engine, which helps to get
the turbos on boost so quickly. Hence the responsiveness
at any revs.
Planting your foot in third gear, even as low
as 30mph, results in an instant push back into
your bucket seat. This builds rapidly into a firm
shove - and finishes off with a heady, exhilarating
pull to peak power just over 5500rpm. Going up
a gear at peak revs, and nailing it again, results
in a repeat action of horizon hauling. And it's
all so smooth and refined, quite unlike some turbo
cars.
You've really got a taste of everything there
- instant throttle response (rare with turbo cars),
a mental mid range (rare with normally-aspirated
cars) and a genuinely muscular pull at higher
revs. Torque is the 3502's main weapon - and it
has it by the shed-load.
And, thanks to the 3502's brilliant continuously
variable valve timing, there's no lumpy cam kick-in
point, just smooth power. The fact that this characteristic
is maintained is testament to the thorough development
- not just from APS, but also from G-Force on
its Dyno Dynamics rolling-
But this is the G-Force way, not
only bringing us Brits the best APS gear from
the Australian and American markets, but making
sure that the product is the very best it can
be on UK-spec cars before being released here.
And it is. In fact, G-Force could easily have
made the 350Z develop over 450bhp, but toned down
the boost to aid longevity and reliability.
A standard 3502 makes 280bhp (PS) at 5500rpm,
with 2671b ft available from 4800rpm. After the
APS twin-turbo conversion, it delivers 431 bhp
at 5500rpm and a thumping 420lb ft of torque –
from just 3250rpm right up to 5300rpm. That's
a rise of 155bhp and 1441b ft, the latter across
almost the whole rev range.
The price? The kit costs £7370 plus a further
£1762.50 to install it. That's still good
value when you consider what else you can get
that delivers this level of fabulous performance
and style.
As Joe Czarnecki of G-Force Motorsport explains:
'It may look like a lot of money on paper but,
when you drive the end result, it stands up really
well against some very serious, much more expensive
machinery. The transformation is phenomenal –
with instant pull in any gear, at any revs, and
a lot more to offer right across the board, while
still maintaining the 3502's smoothness.'
And it doesn't stop there, either. G-Force is
currently having uprated clutch and brake kits
developed, so as to offer customers an even higher
level of performance, although our test drive
didn't reveal any shortcomings in either area
for fast-road use.
G-Force has also enrolled race suspension experts,
Nitron, to help develop a range of coilover kits
for the 350Z (and for the Impreza, incidentally).
These are currently being; tested in Japan by
an ex-NJSMO works driver. Expect the build quality
to be race standard, with prices ranging from
around £1300 upwards.
No doubt, further down the line, there will be
a few nutters who will want to rip the big V6
engine to bits, stick in a load of forged goodies
and metal gaskets and wind some more boost through
the turbos – or even fit larger replacement versions.
Quite frankly, there's really no need, as it's
is so well rounded and so capable already. You'd
be better oft finding the extra pace by losing
weight from the 1545kg shell.
The standard 350Z is a cracking car, with fabulous
style, performance and handling characteristics.
Taking a 350Z to G-Force and having this wonderful
430bhp APS twin-turbo conversion installed simply
takes all those fabulous Z attributes to an altogether
higher level. Now all you need do is find a 350Z.The
rest is obvious..
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2004-2005 AutoTech Engineering