370z Mods Guide: Top Upgrades for Performance & Appearance

When it comes to “affordable performance”, it’s hard to disagree with Nissan’s 350z package. It always had a special place in the minds of car enthusiasts.

The Nissan 370z is a classic example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. All it needed was an upgrade to the VQ35DE/HR engine and subtle cosmetic changes.

Soon enough, the 370z became the go-to car in the JDM aftermarket community. Manufacturers did what they do best and created performance parts that can take your 370z to the next level.

If you’ve been toying with the idea of purchasing 370z upgrades or if you already have some in place and want more, this article is for you.

In this guide, we’ll take you through a comprehensive list of the best 370z mods along with some tips on how to go about your build.

Handling Upgrades for Your 370z

No matter how much power your 370z makes, it needs to be able to hold traction while putting that power down. It also needs the right suspension setup to stay balanced through corners.

Combine that with good driving skills and you’ll have a 370z that can handle whatever you throw at it. Handling upgrades always hold the first priority when it comes to modifying your 370z.

Suspension

The way your 370z drives and steers has a lot to do with how its suspension is tuned. With the right setup, you’ll be able to go faster even without any 370z engine mods.

A lower height, stiffer ride and precise cornering is what you can expect from suspension upgrades.

Coilovers

Coilovers consist of a damper with a spring wound around it as an integrated unit. They’re among the best 370z mods when it comes to handling.

The main purpose of upgrading to coilovers is to lower your ride height and improve handling at the same time, by adjusting your suspension’s roll center.

Lowering your 370z makes it sit closer to the ground which reduces its center of gravity. Doing this allows better weight transfer, reducing body roll and maximum traction.

Here’s a list of the best Nissan 370z coilovers on the market:

Lowering Springs

After coilovers, lowering springs are the next best thing. If you’re on a budget and want the functionality of coilovers, lowering springs are a good option.

The only downside with these is the absence of adjustment levels and tunability. If you only use your 370z on the street and don’t want to fine-tune your ride height, lowering springs will be more than adequate.

Lowered Nissan 370z — Even an aggressive height like this can be achieved using lowering springs. Photo: Amuse 370z, adaptation by Low Offset, original by Arturo Hurtado, CC BY 2.0

Air Suspension

An air suspension system consists of a tank that holds pressurized air, a pump, height control sensors, and a bag on the strut that can inflate or deflate.

Air suspension kits, also called “bags” are very popular among show cars and racers alike. If you spot a 370z that’s “laying frame” (lowered to the ground), it’s definitely on bags.

This type of suspension setup lets you adjust the ride height and stiffness of your 370z at the push of a button. Technology like this opens up a whole new level of tunability.

Here are our top recommendations:

Sway Bars

We love how effective and cheap sway bars are. Upgrading these seemingly insignificant bars can instantly make your 370z handle a lot sharper through corners.

You can choose to get either a full set (front and rear) or just one, depending on your driving style. Sway bars are cheap 370z mods and they’ll make a great addition to your list of handling upgrades:

Stillen
Whiteline
Hotchkis
Progress

Strut Brace

Strut bars connect your strut towers horizontally in order to increase the lateral stiffness of your chassis. The benefit from strut bars is most noticeable if you’re pushing your 370z hard on the race track.

The OEM strut brace on your 370z does the job well. However, if you really value aesthetics and weight reduction, these units are worth looking at:

Zele
Top Secret

Neither are priced for a budget conscious buyer though, these are upgrades for passionate enthusiasts only!

Top Secret's Titanium Strut Bar for the Nissan 370z (Z34)

Camber Kits & Upper Arms

When lowering your Z34 or turning your suspension, you will probably run into a limit to the adjustment that is available.

Camber kits and upper arms work really well with coilovers and other aftermarket suspension parts as the give your car a much wider range of adjustment compared to the OEM arms.

This can help you to avoid excessive camber and the tire wear that comes with it. In many cases that are also lighter or more durable when compared to your OEM setup.

Nissan 370z camber adjustment — If you want full control over your 370z’s camber, you need to consider some adjustable upper arms.

Our favourite 370z upper arms and camber kits include:

Front

Megan Racing
SPC Adjustable
SPC Performance
SPL Pro
Voodoo13

Rear

GKTech
TruHart
KSP
SPL
Megan Racing
ISR Performance

Wheels

The type of wheels on your car don’t directly impact handling. Instead, your wheel size and type dictates what kind of tyres, brakes and suspension setup will fit your 370z.

A good set of wheels will add a lot of character to your 370z and will make it stand out. The best thing you can do is to plan your wheel purchase along with your brakes and suspension upgrades. That way you wont run into compatibility issues.

370z Wheel Fitment

For many owners, “fitment” is the most important aspect when it comes to upgrading the wheels on your Nissan 370z. If you want them to look exactly like what you have in mind, the fitment has to be perfect.

However, wheel fitment is always a personal decision. As long as you stay within the recommended size limit and order the right bolt pattern, you shouldn’t have any issues.

Here’s the recommended wheel fitment range for your 370z:

Bolt Pattern: 5×114.3mm (5×4.5″)

Diameter: 17 to 20 inches
Width: 7.5 to 9 inches
Offset: +35 to +25

However, this size range is very conservative. If you want a more aggressive wheel setup, we recommend:

Diameter: 18 (track), 19 (street) or 20 (show) inches
Width: 9 to 10.5 inches
Offset: +25 to +15

It’s difficult to give an exact size that will work for everyone’s needs. That said, the following is a good place for most people to start with for Nissan 370z wheel fitment:

Front: 19×9.5 +22
Rear: 19×10.5 +22

Enkei RPF1
SSR Type F
SSR SP3
Volk TE37
Konig Hypergram

Aggressive Nissan 370z wheel fitment. Photo: Menacing, adaptation by Low Offset, original by Arturo Hurtado, CC BY 2.0

Tires

Tires are among the most underrated 370z upgrades out there. Having the right set of tires will make all the difference.

Tires are the only link between your car and the road. Good quality tires are among the best 370z mods for safety. Considering that, it is extremely important to choose the right tires for your modded 370z.

Here are our top recommendations:

Brakes

Good brakes don’t just help you stop quicker, they also allow you to brake late. And braking late equals faster corners.

Simply upgrading your brake pads, rotors and fluids can make a night and day difference to the way your 370z stops.

Here’s a list that’ll help you transform your braking system:

Pads

Brake pads are the most vulnerable part of your braking system. They constantly see high levels of friction and wear. That said, finding the right brake pads is vital.

Your choice will depend on your driving style and the type of rotors you have. Brake pads are inexpensive and very easy to replace.

Even if you aren’t planning on doing much to your braking system, we recommend switching to a pair of high-performance brake pads like these:

Hawk HP Plus (Front | Rear)
Hawk HPS (Front | Rear)
EBC Redstuff (Front | Rear)
EBC Yellowstuff (Front | Rear)
Project Mu B-Force (Front | Rear)
Project Mu Type-NS
Akebono ACT905 (Kit)

Rotors

Aftermarket rotors go really well with high performance brake pads. If you want an almost-complete braking system upgrade, matching aftermarket rotors with brake pads is your best option.

Rotors are available in various styles like drilled, slotted and drilled + slotted. Drilled rotors are better at dissipating heat while slotted rotors have more “bite”.

Also, aftermarket rotors will look great through your rims. You can choose between black and silver — depending on the color scheme you’re going for.

These are our favorite Nissan 370z rotors:

EBC GD Sport Series Drilled
EBC Ultimax USR Slotted
P2M Slotted/Cross Drilled
Stoptech Premium
Detroit Axle (Kit)
R1 Concepts (Kit)

Fluids

Fluids make a massive difference to your overall braking performance. In high speed scenarios, your braking system experiences a lot more heat than what it normally would.

Your OEM brake fluid isn’t designed to handle very high levels of heat. It is likely to degrade faster, causing irregularities and air bubbles in your brake lines. This can be dangerous at times as it will interfere with your much needed braking performance.

For consistent performance, we recommend that you consider replacing your brake fluid with one of these:

Big Brake Kits

Big brake kits consist of the rotor, caliper, brake pads and all the necessary hardware required for installation. Big brake kits are the holy grail of braking system upgrades.

If you’re someone who loves braking late before every corner, big brake kits are for you. They’re a must-have if your 370z makes anything more than 450whp. They look mean as well!

Here are some of your best options:

Akebono BBK
Brembo Gran Turismo
Stoptech

Nissan 370z Performance Mods

Being able to go faster is not the only reason why enthusiasts spend countless hours building their cars. For many of us, it’s a hobby and for some, it’s an art form.

The feeling you get when your modded 370z outperforms some of the fastest supercars is second to none. Whether you’re building a drift missile, street daily, track monster or a hard parker, this list of 370z performance upgrades will definitely help you out.

Intake

Increasing the quantity and quality air that your engine draws will significantly improve its performance. This can be achieved with the help of a cold air intake system and plenum upgrades.

However, intake modifications alone will only improve throttle response and sound. For the best results, these need to be paired with an upgraded exhaust system and forced induction.

Cold Air Intake

Cold air intakes are a popular “gateway” mod. For many enthusiasts, it all starts with a simple CAI install. Next thing you know, you’re going all out.

Cold air intake systems have a very simple function. They relocate your air intake filter to a cooler, better-ventilated spot, away from the engine. Doing this allows your engine to draw a larger amount of air that also has more oxygen.

While performance gains are minimal without supporting upgrades, most people install a cold air or short ram intake for better sound and a nicer looking engine bay. These are some of our favorites:

Stillen Gen 2 Short Tube
Stillen Gen 3 Long Tube
AEM
K&N
Jim Wolf Technology
aFe Takeda Short Ram

Plenum Upgrades

The pressurized chamber in your intake manifold is called a “plenum”. It’s like an air passage that connects your engine to the intake.

The main goal of intake related upgrades is to push more air into the engine. Apart from relocating your air filter (CAI system), you can also increase the amount of air that your plenum chamber can hold.

This can be done with the help of aftermarket plenums that are modified to hold more volume of air. Ideally, plenum spacers would be the best thing to use in this scenario. They’re gasket-like metal structures that are used to increase the size of your plenum chamber.

However, plenum spacers are very rare 370z mods. Here are some alternative plenum upgrades for your 370z:

Forced Induction

Forced induction is one of the best 370z mods for performance. When it comes to numbers and real-world power, bolt-on upgrades don’t come anywhere close to turbo kits and superchargers.

You can literally double your engine’s power with the help of forced induction. And the best part is that you can control how much power you want to make.

The main gripe that some enthusiasts have with forced induction is reduced engine reliability. It’s difficult to disagree with this when you consider that the engine is working twice as hard as it’s designed for.

However, you’ll be happy to know that your Nissan VQ37VHR engine is one of the most versatile and turbo-friendly naturally aspirated engines ever made.

Get your FI kit installed by the right people, go easy on the boost, add supporting modifications and you will be good to go.

Turbo Kits

Both turbos and superchargers are used to force pressurized air into your engine. That’s why they’re called “forced induction” systems. Burning more air and more fuel allows your engine to work a lot harder, creating more power.

To do this, turbo kits make use of turbines that run off your 370z’s exhaust system. Exhaust gases are released with pressure which is used by the turbines to get spooled up.

Once the turbines have spooled up, enough air pressure is created and the air is pushed into the engine.

There are some great 370z turbo kits on the market. Here are some of the best options:

Superchargers

Superchargers do the same thing that turbochargers do, they just do it differently.

Unlike turbochargers that rely on your engine’s exhaust gas pressure, superchargers are connected directly to your engine’s crankshaft for generating power.

Because there are no turbines in this system, you don’t have to wait for them to spool up. Which means, no lag.

Turbocharged 370zs take some time to deliver the boost, once you’re on the throttle. Supercharged 370zs on the other hand, deliver boost instantly, throughout the rev range.

If supercharging is your thing, here are a few options worth checking out:

Stillen
GT Motorsports

Exhaust

The main goal of your exhaust system is to get rid of all the waste exhaust gases, as quickly as it possibly can. The faster your exhaust gases leave, the more efficient your engine will be when it comes to making power.

Exhaust system upgrades are a must-have if you’ve installed forced induction on your Nissan 370z.

Your exhaust system has many components. You can either choose to upgrade all of them or only those that matter to you.

Headers

Your exhaust manifold, or headers are the first set of tubing that your exhaust gases pass through when they leave the engine.

The length and pipe diameter of your headers determine how efficient the exhaust release will be and how loud/soft it’ll sound.

Aftermarket units work really well with intake and plenum upgrades. Here are some of the best headers for your 370z:

Fast Intentions
Megan Racing
Motordyne
PPE Engineering

High-Flow Cats

Catalytic converters are the most restrictive part of your exhaust system assembly. Their main goal is to rid the exhaust gases of harmful pollutants and to reduce sound.

It is mandated by law to have catalytic converters installed in your 370z for it to be street-legal. Removing your catalytic converters will significantly free up exhaust flow and make your 370z sound a lot better.

If you want to remove your stock catalytic converters, you have two options — high flow catalytic converters and test pipes.

High flow catalytic converters won’t put you on the wrong side of the law. They’re just like your stock cats but they allow more airflow and are designed for performance.

Berk
Fast Intentions
ISR Performance

Test Pipes

370z test pipes are straight pipes that completely replace your stock catalytic converters. They have no sound muffling and they send exhaust gases straight from your y-pipe into the rest of the exhaust system.

However, test pipes are great 370z mods for improving exhaust sound. If exhaust note is very important for you, consider straight pipes.

Nissan 370z with test pipes shooting flames

In most states, it is illegal to replace your stock catalytic converters with test pipes. If you live in a place where emissions testing isn’t an issue or if your 370z is a track-only car, these are your best options:

Berk
AAM Competition
Invidia
Tomei Ti
Motordyne ART

Y-Pipes

The stock y-pipe on your 370z is known to be heavy and prone to leaks as it gets old.

Aftermarket y-pipes weigh a lot less than what the 370z comes with. They’re built using stainless steel and popular manufacturing techniques like mandrel bending and TIG welding.

The most notable benefits of aftermarket y-pipes include reduced exhaust scavenging and better exhaust note. Here are some of the best 370z y-pipes you can buy:

ISR Performance
Motordyne
Megan Racing

Cat-Back Exhaust

Cat-back exhausts are the ultimate 370z exhaust system upgrade. If you’re really into exhaust sounds and want to turn heads at every car meet, you must get a 370z cat-back exhaust system.

As the name suggests, a cat-back exhaust system replaces everything beyond your catalytic converter.

Pro tip: Headers + Y-Pipe + High Flow Cats + Cat Back Exhaust = The best 370z exhaust system.

Here are our favorite 370z cat-back exhausts on the market:

Cooling

It’s no news that aftermarket performance upgrades increase your 370z’s power output. However, with more power comes more heat; and more heat calls for a better cooling system.

A better cooling system allows you to make use of your hard-earned performance upgrades for a longer time by making them more durable.

Cooling system upgrades also reduce the chances of power fading due to excessive heat — ideal for someone who lives in a place that sees a lot of heat throughout the year.

High-Performance Radiators

Regardless of your performance goal, unless your car is brand new, it’s a great idea to get your radiator checked. If you notice any signs of discoloration on the radiator end tanks, it’s time to get a new one.

High-performance radiators are lighter, thinner and have more cooling capacity compared to what the 370z comes with. This upgrade is a must-have if you’re getting into 370z performance mods.

Mishimoto
Koyo Hyper-V Core
CSF Racing

Oil Cooler Kits

The construction of oil cooler kits is very similar to that of radiators. Their main function is to keep your engine oil cool.

Engine oil degrades a lot faster than what it normally would when exposed to extreme levels of heat. When this happens, the friction in your engine increases and causes premature wear.

Oil cooler kits maintain the lubrication quality of your engine oil by keeping it cool and protected. The best oil coolers for your 370z are from:

AAM Competition
ISR Performance
Greddy
Hayden Automotive
Mishimoto
Stillen Setrab

370z Cosmetic Mods

No build is complete without some cosmetic mods — unless you’re building a sleeper car.

It’s no news that Nissan’s Z34 is a fantastic looking car. However, if you want to make it your own, these 370z exterior mods might be worth checking out.

Rear Wing

There’s a blurry line between functional and aesthetic aero. Some enthusiasts claim that with a big rear wing, their cars are more stable at high speeds than at low speeds, thanks to the downforce.

Street Faction Nissan 370z chassis mount wing — Chassis mount wings like this one can give the 370z a very aggressive look. Photo: @gionismoz

While this doesn’t always work, it is clear that rear wings done well can look amazing. So if you want one for your 370z, don’t let social pressure bog you down. It’s your car and you can do whatever you want with it.

Here are some great options:

Street Faction Chassis Mounted Wing
Vicrez Ducktail
Extreme Dimensions Duraflex M Spec

Front Splitter & Rear Diffuser

With subtle visual mods like a front splitter and rear diffuser, you can enhance the aggressive character of your Nissan 370z.

Pair these visual upgrades tastefully and you’ll have one gorgeous looking car to drive around everyday!

Check out our favorite splitters and diffusers:

The Best 370z Mods: What to Upgrade First

Not many of us have the luxury of being able to spend five digits on a project car overnight. You’re going to want to prioritize some upgrades over others in order to make the best use of your money.

If you’re on a limited budget but want all the 370z mods featured on this list, here’s the best order to follow.

Step 1: Handling

Getting your handling upgrades sorted before jumping into performance territory always pays off. Doing this prepares your modded 370z for the additional power that it is about to gain.

We recommend improving your car’s handling in this order:

Coilovers/lowering springs
Sway bars
Wheels
Tires
Brakes

Step 2: Performance

Make the most of your VQ37VHR engine with 370z performance upgrades in this order:

Intake
Exhaust
Intake manifold upgrades
370z tuning (plugin in chip or dyno)
Forced induction/engine swap or rebuild

Step 3: Cosmetic Mods

Though it is the most exciting part for many car enthusiasts, it’s one that is best left to last. You want your car to be fast before it looks fast!

Front splitter
Lip wing
Interior tweaks to make your car more personal
Aftermarket lights and modules
Custom paint or vinyl wrap

With all of this said, keep in mind that modifications will affect your Nissan 370z’s insurance policy. Remember to phone your insurer and have them adjust your policy to reflect the modifications you’ve made.

What’s on your 370z modifications list? If you had to choose between a turbo kit and all the handling mods mentioned in this guide, what would you pick?