Aftermarket vs. Nismo vs. Stock

[Negreac]

Ok so I've been looking into a number of aftermarket components lately and there's so many choices it's making it really hard to choose. For the most part I've been trying to stick with nismo parts since they are gauranteed quality and officially backed by Nissan, but it's really wearing on my budget not to mention only so much is available here. The other concern is that Nismo isn't the best choice. I've been doing alot of research and it seems that Nismo parts are more for mild racing than anything serious. For example they're flywheel is 14lbs. in comparison to the 11lb. flywheels offered by competitors, their shifter doesn't have a shorter throw, and all of their performance bushing kits (motormounts, tie rods, etc.) are all harderl rubber(I think 30% stiffer) vs. the polyurethane kits offered by the competition. I just wanted to find out if anyone else has noticed this and whether or not they like nismo products or dislike nismo products for any other reasons. I also haven't installed a number of my nismo components yet and am wondering whether the difference in performance will be very noticable since these are more mild parts. I'm really trying to build a quality street machine more than a full out race bucket so even if Nismo is a bit milder I'm not at all concerned, especially about the bushings since I do care about ride quality.

[Dousan_PG]

to me
nismo is upgraded OEM

but i like the true aftermarket..more 'hardcore' setup
also nismo is quite expensive at times.

the only real nismo product (performance wise) on my car is the Nismo SSS 2 way LSD.

[Negreac]

So far from Nismo I have:

Motor/tranny mounts
Solid shifter
Tension rods
S13 Powerbrace
Cluth fork pivot
SR 3 puck clutch kit (Pressure plate, 14lb. flywheel, and clutch disc)
Clutch slave cylinder
SS clutch line
Horn button
Liscense plate frame (adds 15hp)
GT shift knob

Future Nismo parts include:
SSS 2 way LSD
Metal head gasket
Rocker stoppers
Spark Plugs
Full bushing replacement
Strut bars
2 4-point buckle-type harnesses
Oil cap
Possibly an exhaust system
Possibly buckskin steering wheel

[Dousan_PG]

THIS IS MY OPINION OF NISMO PARTS

dont take anything personally please, since you posted, im just replying my opinions on it..

honestly you wasted a lot of money on a upgraded OEM peice
example: tc rods..are they adjustable? i think not with just a stiffer bushing. money better spent on most that with just whiteline setup on all bushings

the clutch parts, what makes NISMO better then OEM Nissan?


the flywheel as you mentioned, that's a buyer's pick some people dotn want a full lightned or a stock wheel but something in the middle

spark plugs..waste of money.
oil cap waste of money
RAS..how much? tomei/hks/jun/etc are of top quality as welll
exhaust..ridiculously overpriced on the few ive seen

strut bars from nismo..too expenisve. you get the same high quality and construction with JIC/Cusco/etc



and so forth..nismo...a name brand that's overpriced. to me that is

THIS IS MY OPINION OF NISMO PARTS

all in all, you should look into other brands before going with nismo..there are LOTs that fit just as well, and are more worth the money to handling/setup cost

[FRpilot]

im with dousan on this one. nismo doesn't really offer many great parts. some of their products are for performance, but most of them are more aestetic and their stuff is way overpriced like jic.

off the top of my head, only nismo SSS clutch type lsd and the powerbrace are prodcuts i would get for performance. with nismo shock and strut setup, i would rather get coilovers.

I just hate the riceboys who think nismo is god and the only company that makes things for nissan. 'are you going to get nismo stuff. make your car go hella fast' im like. 'no, there's nothing i really want that they make.' (doh, get a clue )



from your list, i would consider getting the following items.

Motor/tranny mounts
-stiffer than stock, good upgrade for the price.

S13 Powerbrace
-no other bar i can think of comes close to stiffening the lower front end than this piece. maybe custom? definitely stiffer than the cusco/kazama front tension rod bars.

Cluth fork pivot
-upgraded piece. dont know any other company who offers this, but its pricey.

Clutch slave cylinder
-i dont know anyone other aftermaket company who offers this slave cylinder, but its not worth it. it has a bigger piston than oem, but not that much bigger. i bought my oem replacement from kragens for about $10. the nismo piece is $160+. for a few mm bigger piston. thats a 1000% price difference.

Horn button
-looks nice. lol.

SSS 2 way LSD
-this lsd has 20 plates iirc. and used by some of the top drifters in the japan and us. famous drifters like kogochi and dousan swear by this lsd. LoL.

Full bushing replacement
-there are alternativse like whiteline. but the nismo bushing are stiff also and about the same price i think.

4-point buckle-type harnesses
-im thinking about getting these also. they just look sick. lol. overpriced though, but i dont know what other harness to get.




below, i put some of my comments/opinions and better alternatives on the other nismo items you wanted.

Solid shifter
-b&m or mr Cs. shorter throws and solid. but if you just want a more solid feel, nismo is an alternative, but why pay $200 for a solid throw?

Tension rods
-they are stock w/ stiffer bushinglike dousan mentioned.

SR 3 puck clutch kit (Pressure plate, 14lb. flywheel, and clutch disc)
-act, spec, or jdm clutch kit? whats the point of having a 14lb flywheel? why not just get lighter if you're goin to get a leignted flywheel? 11lbs should be adequate for street. 9lbs is kinda too light for street and should be a race application imo.

SS clutch line
-overpriced. you can get an rx-7 one or a custom one made. i bought mine off a site (i dont remember it) for $25.

Liscense plate frame (adds 15hp)
-better off getting those chrome license plates.

GT shift knob
-nice looking shiftknobs but expensive. i might get one though. but there are many alternatives when it comes to shift knobs. just for the jdm bling i guess. lol

Metal head gasket
-many other companies offer head gaskets from 1.1mm - almost 2mm, and they are cheaper too.

Rocker stoppers
-hks and tomei should work just as good and they go for ~$100

Spark Plugs
-probably overpriced too b/c they are nismo. splitfire, blitz colder spark plugs for turbo applications should be considered.

Strut bars
-way overpriced and ugly imo. $300 for a bar! just get cusco, quality construction and half the price. and its cusco. its jdm also. lol.

Oil cap
-nice piece, just overpriced. i might get it though.

Possibly an exhaust system
-does nismo make an exhaust system? with exhaust systems, there are many choices out there. like dousan says, their exhaust system probably wont be true performance, but just upgraded oem. kinda like trd exhaust for celica. but the trd piece is actually nice and have comparable gains as other aftermarket exhaust.

Possibly buckskin steering wheel
-i wanted a nismo steering wheel at one time. its too big though. i want 300mm. plus, i hate leather, it eventually wears down. i want a carbon fiber one.

[Negreac]

I'll admit that one of the factors besides quality in my choice in going with Nismo is the fact that I like knowing that the majority of my mods have the nismo name on it. I'll agree with you guys that Nismo is way overpriced on a number of their items but hopefully the prices will start coming down since Nismo just launched their US line even though it is pretty lousy as it stands right now. I started with some of the easy choices such as the power brace, motor mounts, and liscense plate frame , but as I started to buy things like the tension rods and clutch kits I started to become weary of Nismo since the competition was offering adjustable tension rods and similair clutch kits for cheaper prices. I'm willing to give up a bit of extra money for the Nismo name and gaurantee, but if I'm going to be giving up extra money I still expect the performance to be just as good if not better than the competition. One place I'm drawing the line is Nismo's suspension line up. If you ask me it's crap compared to what the competitors offer for similair prices. I plan to go w/ flex types and an EDFC which I'm sure some of you might consider crap too but remember I'm tryting to build a street monster not a track dog, comfort is an issue.


BTW in support of the clutch parts
"what makes NISMO better then OEM Nissan"

The clutch kit is rated to handle over 400rwhp, the fork pivot is less prone to wear(a good idea for stronger clutches) and I believe adjusts the geometry a bit so you have a little less work to do. The concept behind the SS line and the slave cylinder is the same.

[Dousan_PG]

Originally posted by Negreac

BTW in support of the clutch parts
"what makes NISMO better then OEM Nissan"

The clutch kit is rated to handle over 400rwhp, the fork pivot is less prone to wear(a good idea for stronger clutches) and I believe adjusts the geometry a bit so you have a little less work to do. The concept behind the SS line and the slave cylinder is the same.

that's GREAT! but you siad your building a street car so is that 400rwhp parts really necessary? i seriously doubt you'll run a +/- 400rwhp street

[Fastback180]

Yeah dousan's right about most of that stuff. I got my nismo motor mounts cause mine were shot...Plus I had the hook up and they were only $67 a piece. So it was an offer I coun't refuse. The only other things I would get that Nismo are...

Shocks
2 way LSD
Power brace
shift knob
and maybe a used steering wheel

That's it. I would never pay like $50 for a nismo radiator cap. Pointless.
Nismo does make exhaust systems and their nice. Not too much more for them. Just depends on where you go to get the parts. The Nissan dealership here has like a 20% markup. While the Nissan dealership that I go to about 30mins away has everything for good prices. Plus 15% off all Nismo parts and 20% off all OEM.

[crazyikimasho]

man.... this thread makes me feel great since I just placed my order with Courtesy for my Nismo clutch disc

[Negreac]

Originally posted by Fastback180
Yeah dousan's right about most of that stuff. I got my nismo motor mounts cause mine were shot...Plus I had the hook up and they were only $67 a piece. So it was an offer I coun't refuse. The only other things I would get that Nismo are...

Shocks
2 way LSD
Power brace
shift knob
and maybe a used steering wheel

That's it. I would never pay like $50 for a nismo radiator cap. Pointless.
Nismo does make exhaust systems and their nice. Not too much more for them. Just depends on where you go to get the parts. The Nissan dealership here has like a 20% markup. While the Nissan dealership that I go to about 30mins away has everything for good prices. Plus 15% off all Nismo parts and 20% off all OEM.

I get a 40% discount off all nissan/nismo parts from a local dealer but the selection so far sucks.

[Negreac]

Originally posted by dousan36
that's GREAT! but you siad your building a street car so is that 400rwhp parts really necessary? i seriously doubt you'll run a +/- 400rwhp street

I'm planning on running about 350rwhp when I'm done. If anything I wanted to go overkill on the clutch. This thing is still going to be a weekend racer, and I don't want the clutch slipping on me. I've heard of aftermarket clutchesd rated for 500hp slipping at under 450 at the wheels.

Originally posted by justified2.4
man.... this thread makes me feel great since I just placed my order with Courtesy for my Nismo clutch disc

I'm pretty sure courtesy doesn't offer the 3 puck sprung disc. Nismo makes a number of different clutches, you chould check to see what yours is rated at. Check out japanparts.com they sell at least 6 different types.

[transient]

I've heard of aftermarket clutchesd rated for 500hp slipping at under 450 at the wheels.

Ok, I have to point something out here. Clutches are NOT rated for horsepower; they are rated for torque. There's a huge difference there. The amount of horsepower your car's engine is putting out really doesn't matter at all to the clutch.

[Negreac]

Originally posted by transient
Ok, I have to point something out here. Clutches are NOT rated for horsepower; they are rated for torque. There's a huge difference there. The amount of horsepower your car's engine is putting out really doesn't matter at all to the clutch.

For the most part when you buy a clutch they advertise it as handling so much HP. Chances are your TQ is in the same ball park range of the HP.

[Dousan_PG]

Originally posted by Negreac
For the most part when you buy a clutch they advertise it as handling so much HP. Chances are your TQ is in the same ball park range of the HP.

no....not always.

[nightwalker]

I've noticd something since of late...NISMO, and TRD... seem to be taking part in the capitalizing of the sport compact movement in the U.S. and the quality of parts have gone down. Anyone seen the TRD wheels that look just like the cheapo ADR wheels, but have a little red indention that say "TRD"... hehehe you pay like a grand extra for the little red TRD indention. And the wheels are for a corolla. MUGEN... is a whole 'nother story though. Have you seen the quality of MUGEN parts

[Negreac]

Yeah, Mugen does have some really awesome quality parts, but what else should you expect from an OEM backed tuner. The only thing I don't like about Mugen is their small product line. Compared to Nismo, Mugen is fairly small.

[sykikchimp]

Nismo makes parts for Street performance. If you want track performance, look elsewhere. From my experience with their parts, they are excellent for the street, and always very high quality.

[transient]

Advertised for a certain horsepower level... yes, I would believe that because advertisements are ridiculously stupid and sometimes nearly malicious when it comes to stealing peoples money. The fact still remains, though, that horsepower has little effect on your clutch. It's all about the torque.

Think of a domestic which has a redline of 4500. They will never see horsepower as high as their torque level (torque and horsepower cross at 5252rpm). Another scenario: A honda with a flat torque curve (impossible, I know, but for simplicity's sake, just imagine it). The horsepower that honda is making at 7500rpm is going to be WAY over what it makes for torque. In both these cases, there's no way that the torque and the horsepower are near each other. It just isn't happening. What do these people do when buying a clutch?