2016 Nissan 370Z Active SQ Build...

[Chops]

I never intended to build a system for this car since I've gone through several vehicles in the past few years. I just got bored with them and decided to move on, so never wanted to invest money and time into a system. With this car, it's different. I think I'll be holding on to this one for quite some time, so much so that I've already done a bunch of performance and suspension mods to it within the first year of owning it. What can I say, I love this 370Z!

As for this particular system, I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants on this one. I know the "sound" that I want, and will ultimately end up with.That's not an issue. However, since I've been out of the scene for nearly 10 years, a lot has changed since the last time I designed and built a system. Brands that used to be good and desirable back then are not so much these days, and some aren't even around anymore. Some brands are just as good now as they were back then, some even better than ever. So I'm going through a bit of a learning curve as I go along.

The main thing that started this entire system build was the cheap stock head unit. It was stupid in the fact that it had BT calling but that was it. It didn't offer BT streaming. Just about every other stock head unit out there in the world with bluetooth offers both BT calling and streaming, but not Nissan. And since we're planning a trip up to the Watershed cabins in Bryston City, NC in Sept, I wanted to upgrade the stock unit before we went to make the trip a little more pleasant.

Enter the Pioneer AVH-X491BHS head unit. A brand new model for this year, and full of all the features I wanted. The only thing it doesn't have is NAV, but if I really wanted to, I could add it on for another $400. Maybe one day, but not now. Besides, we'll have an iPhone 6 Plus, an iPad 2 Mini, a Samsung Galaxy 5 Note and a Samsung Galaxy Tab A, so we're covered with navigation. Not to mention I can patch one of them in on the Pioneer if I want to.

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[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

What's the difference between 350Z and 370Z?

 

[Chops]

Speaking of learning curves, installing this head unit was a learning curve for me. The 370Z isn't the first car I've had with steering wheel controls or BT, but it IS the first one that I've decided to build a system in. Reading up on what needed to be purchased along with the head unit just to get it to work with the steering wheel and how to install it was all new to me.

The directions for the Axxess controller wasn't the clearest, not to mention Nissan decided to change wire colors and locations throughout the years, so the directions didn't even match up to my year at all. I had to do some digging on the 370Z forum and ask around until I got the answers I needed.

 

[Chops]

What's the difference between 350Z and 370Z?

Pretty much everything. Literally.

 

[Chops]

Of course, after upgrading the head unit, I instantly noticed how much better it made the stock speakers sound. Cleaner, clearer, better everything, punchier, tighter bass. It also showed how nasty those stock 2" cone tweeters up in the dash were. I had to address those ASAP.

One thing that I have never been a fan of is having mid-bass drivers down low in the doors and tweeters up high in the dash, A-pillars or window sails. With the high crossover frequencies that we're dealing typically with, there's just too much of a physical gap between the mid-bass and tweeter. Theoretically, tweeters should be no more than a max of about 6" or so from the other driver, and typically the closer the better. However, the lower you go in crossover frequency, the further you can successfully move the two drivers away from each other and still produce a "point source", cohesive sound.

I'm also not a fan of having nearly all of my vocals and instruments coming from my feet, giving me a sound stage in the middle of or below the dash. To solve both of these issues, I decided on a tweeter-less solution of replacing the stock 2" tweeter in the top of the dash with a wideband driver. This way, I can run a low crossover point without worry of damaging the small dash driver, raising the sound stage up to ear level by getting the majority of midrange and vocals up high, and not have the stock door speaker running so high up as it gets beamy and honky anywhere above 4 kHz.

The wideband driver of choice ended up being the Memphis Audio PRX27. It's a 2.75" driver and pretty much drops right into the stock location with no modifications needed, which is what I wanted. I have the crossover set at 1.25 kHz @ 6 dB, which is the lowest point I can go on the Pioneer head unit. The stock drivers in the doors are crossed over at 1.25 kHz @ 18 dB as well as 40 Hz @ 24 dB. This keeps the stock drivers playing nicely and clean with minimal stress to both themselves and the head unit's internal amp.

Oddly enough, the stock tweeter is supposed to be a 2" cone and the Memphis is supposed to be a 2.75" cone, yet they look pretty much the same exact size.

 

[Chops]

Since I'm just running under head unit power for the moment, I figured it would be best to do some sound dampening to the 370, especially considering that these cars came with just about no dampening at all from the factory. It was one of their ways of keeping the curb weight down on it.

With all of the vehicles and systems that I have done over the past 20 years, I never once used any dampening. Don't ask why, because I don't know.

Anyway, I ordered the Dynamat SuperLite Tri-Pack to do the trunk, and ordered the HushMat/Wave Breaker door kit for a 4-door car. I used up all of the Dynamat in the rear of the car, and only used one sheet of the HushMat on the doors so far. The way the doors are built on the inside, there's crash braces and a the window regulator right in the way. I was hoping to use one full sheet of HushMat inside the doors on the outer skin, but there's no way to really get in there just through the speaker opening. So it's just one sheet for now on the access panel.

The Wave Breaker, I had to cut into three strips in order to mount them in the doors behind the speakers, again, due to that bracing in there. Still, in doing so, it made a vast improvement in sound. Bass is deeper, tighter and louder, to the point that I had to EQ some bass out.

I would love to put those other two sheets of HushMat on the outer skins of the doors, but I'm not willing to remove the window and regulator to do so. The nice thing is, the regulator is bolted to the access panel, so if I were to remove the window, the entire regulator comes out in one piece, giving a huge, clean area to work in, but I digress.

I'll also eventually order more of that Dynamat SuperLite to line the door cards and more of the trunk area.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

dat double din doe....nice and bright. Makes HDTV's look like older technology lol

 

[Chops]

This leads up to today's activities.

When I first installed the Pioneer, I just grounded the parking brake wire to ground in hopes of it allowing me to get into all of the menu options and play DVD's. Well, it didn't work. Actually, I take that back, it partially worked. It let me get into most of the menu options but not all, and wouldn't allow DVD's to display though you could hear it playing. So I broke down and ordered the little e-brake bypass module.

I also ordered the iSimple IS335 to run a dedicated AUX jack, NOT in the center console. Though I am using the stock USB port in the center console via a 5 pin USB adapter to the stock cable into the back of the Pioneer.

Lastly, I have an Audyssey mic from my old TOTL Onkyo HT receiver from a couple years back. I decided to try it out on the Pioneer to run the Auto TA/EQ function. Since this mic is calibrated for the Onkyo receiver, I wasn't expecting miracles as far as EQ was concerned. I just wanted to see what it would do for TA. In the end, it was pretty close to my visual measurements, so either it's that bad or I'm that good. LOL

The EQ did help to a point in that it removed a "cupped" sound that I was having a devil of time removing on my own, though it reduced the levels of the mid-bass drivers all the way down to -16 and -17 for some strange reason. When I got it to have a listen, it was like listening to only tweeters. Yuck! Manually adjusting the levels back up and a couple other minor tweaks to EQ, and it's sounding pretty dang good now. Very impressed at the results thus far!

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Was out getting a bite to eat and on my way home a 350z zoomed by me. The funny part is he had a Domino's topper mounted on top of the roof lol 'Twas a newer model like yours.

 

[Chops]

Was out getting a bite to eat and on my way home a 350z zoomed by me. The funny part is he had a Domino's topper mounted on top of the roof lol 'Twas a newer model like yours.

Then it wasn't a 350Z. Or it was and you're just corn-fused. LOL

No food or drink has ever seen the interior of my Z, nor will it. Only the occasional bottle of water.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Then it wasn't a 350Z. Or it was and you're just corn-fused. LOL
No food or drink has ever seen the interior of my Z, nor will it. Only the occasional bottle of water.

Nope. It really was. I even looked,,,,,said 350Z on the left side, drivers side, on the rear. Would have taken a pic but I was driving. Imo, I would have used a clunker instead of a super nice sports car that dude is prob making 600 dollar payments/month on it.

 

[350zspl 10+ year member]

what have you done to the suspension ?

 

[Chops]

what have you done to the suspension ?

Ark GTS springs, SPL camber arms and toe bolts, and possibly a Hotchkis front sway, a really good street alignment, and of course, Nismo wheels with Continental Extreme Contact DW meat, 245/40-19 front and 285/35-19 rear. When the time comes for new tires, I'll probably move over to the Swift springs to regain a little altitude so I can up-size the tires. I want to run 285/35-19 front and 325/30-19 rear eventually for maximum meat. LOL

 

[350zspl 10+ year member]

Ark GTS springs, SPL camber arms and toe bolts, and possibly a Hotchkis front sway, a really good street alignment, and of course, Nismo wheels with Continental Extreme Contact DW meat, 245/40-19 front and 285/35-19 rear. When the time comes for new tires, I'll probably move over to the Swift springs to regain a little altitude so I can up-size the tires. I want to run 285/35-19 front and 325/30-19 rear eventually for maximum meat. LOL

Sounds like you have done quite a bit in a year , nice!

I am a suspension freak too : Stance True GR+ Coilovers, Hotchkis Front & Rear Sway Bars , SPL V3 Front Upper Control Arms, SPL V5 Front Outer Tie Rod Ends, SPL Front & Rear Sway Bar Endlinks, SPL Rear Camber Arms, SPL Eccentric Lock Out Kit,

SPL Solid Rear Differential Bushings, SPL Rear Traction Arms, SPL Rear Toe Links , Work VSXX 19" x 9.5" Fronts, 19" x 11" Rears , 235/35/19 Fronts & 255/35/19 Rears .

 

[Chops]

Got some goodies in today, and will be installing them tomorrow.