VQ37 Powered 370Z

2009 Nissan 370Z CBA-Z34 -- Pushing The Limits

This Soon To Be GT3 Killer Is Everything A New Z Owner Should Be Excited About. MCR Shows Us Why

By Taro Koki

Photography by Kyosyu Mizohata

VQ37 Powered 370Z

In the same way that Hattori Hanzo only makes his samurai swords with pride and without compromise, Shinichi Kobayashi of Matchless Crowd Racing (MCR) only builds cars, both for himself and customers, until he is completely satisfied. The master tuner’s philosophy is that his work must bring excitement, movement and dreams to his end users. Anything else is useless. I’ve seen him limping out of a car arriving to an event. I later heard that he wrecked the night before during a high speed “test”. He himself must experience the limit to truly know the car he’s building. Kobayashi is stoic to himself and equally strict to his staff. If he sees a mechanic cutting corners he won’t hesitate to smack him on the head. It’s possibly something that wouldn’t fly this side of the Pacific, but only with that type of attitude and atmosphere does the blistering fast crimson red MCR cars are born.

VQ37 Powered 370Z

MCR was founded in 1994 by Kobayashi. Since the beginning, Nissan cars and speed has been his focus. Since speed cannot be compromised, Kobayashi never even dabbled with drifting. Actually he dislikes drifting because he believes it’s a show and not a clear competition.

A couple years ago, a red MCR R34 GT-R was crowned the Touge Monster by Keiichi Tsuchiya, in a Hot Version DVD, and put Kobayashi and team on the map as one of the top Nissan tuners in Japan. So when the Nissan 370Z was launched in 2008, it was time to prove once again that MCR was on the forefront of Nissan tuning. When they got their hands on their Z34, Kobayashi drove it extensively to test the car. The first thing he noticed (like many of the Z owners) was that the cooling mechanism of the new Z could use some modifications. The VQ37VHR engine’s rev limiter starts kicking in at 5900rpm when the oil temp rises over 275F. With the engine oil temp hitting the roof every time he pushed the car, it was preventing MCR from developing other areas of the car. Kobayashi first called up his partners at ARC for a new aluminum oil cooler. He also flushed the factory engine oil for NISMO competition 0W-30 oil. Not only the engine but the rear differentials needed extra cooling as well, so an ARC differential oil cooler was called in along with Omega 75W-140 oil. Finally, for improved traction, a NISMO GT-Pro LSD was installed.

VQ37 Powered 370Z

With the cooling issue aside, Kobayashi was finally able to start working on the engine. But with limited time in tuning a 370Z, most of the mechanical fabrications were made to make noticeable strides in performance. The MCR SWAT ROM Version 3, which rids limiters, optimizes the electronic throttle mapping, variable valve timing and ignition/fuel timing. Kobayashi says, “air cleaners and exhausts tend to be the first thing to do to increase power but on NA cars, I like starting from the ECU to get instant drive feel results. The low- to mid-range torque increase is where the driver can really feel the response difference compared to the stock settings.” On the charts, horsepower is now rated at 299.7ps whereas the torque picked up to 35.5kgm. ECU and exhaust tuning also come hand-in-hand for MCR, so they added their own center pipe, Crimson muffler and a catalyzer from Sunline Racing to create a smoother flow contributing to the upped power.

VQ37 Powered 370Z

Another MCR partner, ZEAL, provided a set of coilovers to Kobayashi, which is set up with custom-valved MCR Function-A shocks. Many hours were put into building the bottom half of the car so he sweats confidence when explaining the suspension set up. Tires and wheels must not be forgotten when speaking of overall drive setup. Enkei and Yokohama have been a part of MCR’s repertoire for quite some time now; the Enkei wheels are hyper-silver 19-inch GTC01s and are designed to clear the oversized Endless rotors and calipers.

VQ37 Powered 370Z

The aggressive looks of the MCR Z34 is made up mostly by NISMO aero components; the front half spoiler, side steps and rear spoiler are all from the factory Nissan motorsports division. The black canards are the only original exterior part besides the MCR F1 marker harness kit for the back fog light. The headlights are Bellof Optimals that gives a silkier white than the stock lights. Also the position lights and license plate lights are Bellof Super Wide LED bulbs for the extra touch with brighter glow. Not that he needs any added attention to the license plate as he zips around the express highways of Tokyo. We’re sad to say the inside is mostly stock except for the Bride Euro II seats that keep him from flying out of his seat on the Shutoko highway and the Nardi Classic steering wheel.

VQ37 Powered 370Z

Next on the plate for this Z is definitely going to be engine development and MCR has taken apart the motor several times already so they can begin developing original parts. Ultimately the goal is to beat the Porsche GT3 on the track with this car, a battle we’d like to see someday if he can actually make it happen. So we won’t be seeing Kobayashi retiring and hiding in Okinawa behind a sushi bar like Hattori Hanzo did. No, you’ll find him right in his shop working away under the hood until the GT3 killer comes to life.

VQ37 Powered 370Z

Tuning Menu

2009 Nissan 370Z CBA-Z34 Owner matchless crowd racing (MCR)

Hometown saitama, japan

Occupation nissan tuning specialist

Engine 3.7L VQ37VHR; MCR center pipe and Crimson exhaust muffler; Sunline Racing GT-spec EX Sports catalytic converter

Driveline NISMO GT-Pro LSD

Engine Management MCR SWAT ROM version 3 ECU

Power 299.7ps at 7,358rpm; 35.5kgm at 4,351 rpm

Footwork & Chassis ZEAL front 14kg X-coilovers with MCR Function A shock absorbers; ZEAL rear X-coilovers 18kg with MCR Function A shock absorbers

Brakes Endless 6-piston Monocoque front calipers with 370mm rotors and rear pads

Wheels & Tires +42 19x9.5 and +22 19x10 Enkei GTC01 wheels; ADVAN Neova AD08 255/35R19 and 295/30R19 tires

Exterior MCR carbon canards, F1 marker harness kit and rear fog lamp; NISMO front half spoiler, side skirts and rear spoiler; Bellof Optimal headlights and Super White LED bulbs

Interior Nardi Classic steering wheel; Bride Euro II seats

WWW endlessusa.com (Endless/ZEAL), enkei.com, mcr-ltd.com, more-japan.com (Bride)

VQ37 Powered 370Z

How Do I Get There? For anyone visiting Japan, we know how tough it can be getting around when a car isn’t the best option. It’s even more difficult when you have to take a train, can’t read the signs or don’t have a native Japanese person with you to show you the ropes. So we did the next best thing: we asked our native Japanese expert (who just happened to go to high school in the States and now lives in Southern California) to help you with the process. Of course if you do have the luxury of having someone show you around, we highly recommend it, but for those of you who are making shop visits into your trip, you might want to keep these notes handy.

MCR Japan (directions from JR Akihabara Station to M.C.R):

• Take the “Tsukuba Express” towards Tsukuba and get off at YASHIO Station.

• Find the elevated Shutoko No 6 highway going parallel to the train you just got off.

• Take a left and walk underneath on Kendo #116 going back towards Akihabara.

• Keep on going until you arrive to Yashio Minami Ramp Crossing lights and take a right.

• Take a right on the first narrow street right before the “Avail Casual & Shoe” store.

• Take your first left and you should see the M.C.R shop on the right-hand side.

More pictures:

Source: 2009 Nissan 370Z CBA-Z34 -- Matchless Crowd Racing -- Super Street Magazine

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdY2Q5vryg4

Stillen VQ37 Supercharger

After more than a year of development and testing, STILLEN is proud to announce the release of the STILLEN supercharger for the Nissan VQ37 engine. STILLEN has assessed their ultimate goals and priorities during the development phase as they produced this supercharger kit. Some of the most important factors to the development team were hood clearance, expanding power later on, CARB legality, air to water intercooler, reliability, and obviously performance. STILLEN feels that they have met or exceeded each of their goals with their latest supercharger offering.

VQ37 Stillen Supercharger Rendering

Parts included in the kit:

• Vortech V-3 Series Compressor w/Pre-Assembled Laser-Cut Billet Aluminum Mounting Assembly

• (6) 600CC Fuel Injectors

• ECU Based Tuning Device

• High Output Fuel Pump

• Air-to-Water Intercooler System (Intercooler, Heat Exchanger, Pump, Hoses, Mounting Brackets)

• Polished Aluminum Intake Charge Pipe

• Cast Aluminum Intake Manifold

• Cold Air Intake Y-Pipe w/Draw Through MAF Sensor Bosses (as recommended by NISSAN)

• Genuine K&N Intake Filters

Recommended installation time of 10-12 hours.

Testing video out on here with this sweet video of a 370Z on the Dyno pushin’ 500 to the wheels.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsauua18oO0

As I was browsing forums today I came across this sweet G37 on Vossen’s and had to take the time to make it a feature. With rims as pretty as those, it deserves a feature! I will contact the owner to get a full list of mods and everything else and report back! Enough talk, on with the sex! Peep the specs.

Vossen CV-01
Matte silver w/ SS lip
+20 FRONT
+25 REAR
(running spacers +10 front, +20 rear)

I got this photo submission this afternoon from Pana from Panasview.com he said he had only 2 pics, and that he will get more later. I believe I’ve seen this G37 on G35NYC.com because those headlights scream Igor from 180 Custom. I’m going to do some searching and see if I can find the owner or find more pics and details of his ride for you all. I’ll update this post when I get new information. Enough talk, peep the illness!

Edit: 10 mins later I’ve located the owner and requested more pics and specs. Stay tuned!

It’s got a VQ37 in it…. That’s all you’re getting till I get the update from the owner, which should be within the next 24 hours.

Ok here we go with the first segment for Project White Dragon 370Z, built by GTM in Cali, and owned by Mike (bullitt5897).

Pioneer – The word itself conjures thoughts of everything from heroic settlers blazing trails into the unknown to brilliant engineers on the bleeding edge of technological wonders. We at GTM Performance Engineering consider ourselves one of the foremost Nissan VQ platform pioneers in the world. From our groundbreaking work on the VQ35DE that set the bar at 855 wheel horsepower and 820 wheel torque to being the very first to research, develop and manufacture internals, stroker kits and forced induction applications for the VQ37VHR, GTM Performance Engineering has paved the way for enthusiasts to ascertain performance products that are superior, cost effective, and most importantly – results driven.

Not one to rest on our laurels, we at GTM are moving into uncharted territory with what will be the very first four digit horsepower Nissan 370Z. Though this type of challenge may seem simple on the surface, this thought process belies the truth of the incredible amount of research, knowledge and dedication necessary for successful completion of such a massive undertaking. Changing the aspiration of an OEM car, while adding nearly four times the amount of horsepower, requires reverse engineering of nearly all systems on the vehicle and development of custom applications that will not only support the newfound power levels, but will also maintain similar characteristics and drivability of the original product.

One of the key aspects in an extraordinary build such as this is the Engine Management System. Absolutely nothing is more important than the safety and reliability of the power-plant that will be the heart of a 1000 plus horsepower beast. Chosen for this arduous task is the well known and proven HKS F-CON V Pro. To date, GTM Performance Engineering is the only organization to successfully tune the VQ37VHR with VVEL using this superb management system. Though the sheer magnitude of tuning such a complex build is daunting, the outcome will be the same as our previous endeavors – pure success.

After having decided upon what EMS to utilize for the safest and most reliable tune, we directed our attention towards the engine. Mating the EMS with the appropriate power-plant is of the utmost importance when considering all facets of an extremely high horsepower build. Our goals left us with only one choice – the GTM Performance Engineering VQ45VHR. Comprised of the GTM Hi-Rev 4340 chromoly high tensile steel alloy billet crankshaft with 96mm stroke, GTM spec Arias Stage 2 pistons, GTM billet rods and 100mm bore Darton MID sleeves, this 4.5 liter beast of an engine is still OEM enough to allow for the usage of the VVEL system. And when coupled with the GTM Stage 6 Twin Turbo kit, it exacts massive amounts of power.
Given our forward thinking at GTM Performance Engineering, one glaring hole was painfully obvious with this setup – 1000 plus horsepower in a Nissan 370Z will absolutely overpower any suspension and/or rubber available for it resulting in massive traction loss issues. As this project car will be street driven upon completion, lack of traction and usability were not options. Enter the GTM PNP Racelogic Traction Control system. Being that maximum acceleration is achieved by limiting the slip between the tire and the road, the Racelogic TC system works by monitoring the speed of all four wheels using the ABS system or specially fitted sensors. When wheel spin is detected the engine power is reduced, by cutting a single injector pulse or a spark, until grip is resumed. This occurs in a thousandth of a second, and appears to the driver as a slight miss-fire with no loss in acceleration. Utilization of this type of system gives the owner access to cutting edge technology designed specifically for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the extreme power derived from such an exceptional build.
We would like to thank Mike (bullitt5897) for allowing GTM Performance Engineering the opportunity to pioneer the first four digit build on the Nissan 370Z and VQ37VHR platform. Due to the bleeding edge aspect, this uncharted journey is bound to be fraught with many challenges and perils. We realize this and appreciate Mike’s trust in our capabilities, knowledge, research, development and engineering. Sit back, relax and enjoy as this build unfolds into epic proportions.

Featured components:

- GTM Stage 6 Twin Turbo kit with dual GT35R turbos
- GTM 4.5L stroker mid- sleeved block
- GTM Billet stroker crank with 96mm stroke
- GTM Arias extreme HD pistons
- GTM GTR intake manifold conversion
- GTM 3″ True Dual Exhaust
- L19 Head Studs
- Cometic Head Gaskets
- GTM Stage 1 Heads
- GTM springs and Titanium retainers
- GTM Stage 5 Return Fuel System
- Denso 1000cc primary and secondary injectors
- OS Giken Triple Disk Ceramic HR Clutch and Flywheel
- HKS F-Con V Pro
- HKS Knock Amplifier
- HKS EVC 6 Boost Controller
- Racelogic Traction Control system

__________________

The gulf is black with oil, the heat is rising, and it’s summer. Get out your fireworks, jump in the pool, drive around with the windows down and stereo cranked all the way up. This is the summer I know. This is just the time I thought would be perfect to launch yet another car blog. Now blogs can be boring, or blogs can be interesting, there is no grey matter. You either got it or you don’t!

Here on VQ37.com I am planning to bring you only the best of the best that is out there prowling the streets and the internet of the 370Z and G37. There are alot out there, some got a lot of awesome looks to them, some got a little of both. Show and go is always what we are going for, right?

Now I’m going to be doing features, features will be more in depth, and really giving the readers (YOU) a better in depth look at the vehicle, from who built it, to what it pushes to the crank, what have you.

It’s all about content, and I’m going to bring it to you. If you’re interested in submitting your ride, and if you think you got what it takes, send a email to submissions@vq37.com and I’ll get back to you asap.

Now, back to the internetz! It’s a big world out there, and I must find the info and photos we all yearn for!