Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Air Power System is an Australian company that export more turbos overseas then it sells here in OZ.

Is anyone using them on the V35 or 350Z.

Their Turbos are kick ass bad.

Has our forum try to build a relationship with APS?

Single turbo will increase power by 35%

Twin turbo can get your HP into the 400 plus range.

Cheers,

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/181959-aps/
Share on other sites

For Aussies they won't sell the kit but insist on fitting at their workshop meaning you have to ship your car to Melbourne and back.

Not worth the $17k all up cost IMHO

+400hp would be the limit as efficient NA engines have lightweight components that shouldn't be boosted too much

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/181959-aps/#findComment-3304269
Share on other sites

I spoke to APS just before my car landed and the short of it was that they're not interested in the V35 market in Australia.

I mentioned that the cars are gaining in popularity every day, and more and more are coming in, and again, not interested.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/181959-aps/#findComment-3304728
Share on other sites

I spoke to APS just before my car landed and the short of it was that they're not interested in the V35 market in Australia.

I mentioned that the cars are gaining in popularity every day, and more and more are coming in, and again, not interested.

Yes they're Di#kheads.

Quite happy to sell kits to the US where they tell me mechanics are not as good as here but not prepared to sell kits here as they prefer to rip their own Aussies off

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/181959-aps/#findComment-3307069
Share on other sites

Has our forum try to build a relationship with APS?

I insulted Peter Luxon (well, not Peter directly but one of his employes and his company) once on another forum, does that count?

But, in seriousness, Peter isn't all that bad in person. The biggest problem is that he's got a low tolerance to bullshit coupled with a strong belief in his own product (neither thing being inherently wrong, in my opinion) so he comes across as arrogant, especially when it comes to the retail side of things.

If it wasn't for the American market, there wouldn't be an APS twin turbo kit available for our cars. When he developed the kit, the car was new. Australia's market for the 350Z wasn't that big, certainly not enough to justify the R&D costs involved in making a product as polished as the APS TT. Not even the Japanese market would have been enough to cover the costs and make it profitable, since those guys tend to have the same Not Made Here mentality for their domestic product that the US have for theirs. Being that two cars (the Z33 and V35) could run practically the same kit also made it viable to develop for the US market.

Also, quite a few people buying a AUD$65K car in this country don't really want to sink another $15K into mods. Its gotten better now, and with the price of Z33s and V35s dropping there might be a market for it. People buying a car that expensive also tend to want it done right; sell the kit to let any grease monkey install it and f**k it up still reflects badly on the kit, even though its an installer problem. In the US the Z33 starts at USD$20K and tops out at $35K (+ options), so its a lot more "affordable" over there and the owners tend to be younger and more willing to do those kinds of mods. Given how expensive labour is (a dude got charged USD$100 to swap out a set of brake pads, and thought that was cheap!) the DIY culture is also a lot bigger in the US than Australia, which is also why they'll sell the product in kit form rather than through an agent like they do down here.

However, because of the aforementioned "bullshit tolerance" APS has pretty much dropped out of retail work. I heard, from Peter, about his last retail customer that just frustrated him enough to give up on dealing direct to the public and it made me glad I don't do retail work anymore. Its a sad state of affairs, but if we're going to act like pricks then expect some people to take their bat and ball and just not want to deal with the great unwashed.

You can still get their kits fitted by their agents, but since they don't cover the entire country it means some Australians have to ship their cars to Sydney or Melbourne to get the job done. However, it is the only kit that will easily pass an engineer's cert, and the cost on the quote is all you have to pay as the kit is "complete". If you have your own mechanic that you trust to do an install as major as the TT kit, and you don't want to go through APS' agent, its actually cheaper to buy the kit from the US and just ship it back down here. The only thing you need to do is get custom exhaust manifolds, or try securing a set of APS RHD manifolds somehow.

I don't work for APS either but I've had a couple of long chats with Peter Luxon, back when he was a lot more interested in the 350Z market (he's gone off it now, pretty much, so I haven't spoken to him in the last year or two), and heard his side of the story.

Edited by scathing
Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/181959-aps/#findComment-3310914
Share on other sites

why not get a single garret turbo.. rated at 700hp and increase by alot?

The power delivery with the TT is also amazingly smooth. To drive, it feels like a stock S15 or RB25DET. There's a small swell from under 3000RPM and the power comes on gradually. It just feels like you're driving a big NA engine.

The light-switch ramp of a boosted car does feel pretty cool, but the APS kit feels like it could be OEM (aside from the flutter). Depending on your desires, you may prefer that.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/181959-aps/#findComment-3310922
Share on other sites

I don't APS exhaust sound. Haven't heard anything that fascinating and raving about APS turbo system either. I think its a reliable option from what I've heard.

Its reliable, streetable and complete. And pretty much ADR compliant, so it'll pass engineering without your installer needing to "tweak" it.

If you wanted an OEM TT car, the APS is the best option. Aside from the flutter, it sounds like it rolled off the factory production line.

Its also pretty scalable. Its barely working the turbos and pipework at 280rwkW (although it does max out the fuel system and internals), so with an uprated fuel system and internals you could easily see more than 300rwkW without having to replace stuff in the kit that you already paid good money for.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/181959-aps/#findComment-3322550
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

A guy i know recently had the TT kit put onto his 350Z. We both work around the corner from APS.

Yes they are difficult to deal with, but only if you dont look like your made of money. I dont have a car that looks worthy of their kit so the guy i spoke to (i think Peter) wasnt interested. Mainly as it's for a VQ30det that i'm going to be putting into a track gazelle and I was only after components within the kit, rather than the kit it'self to make a VQ30dett.

They guy i know however came in, 2 weeks later dropped his 350 off, and a week later picked it up. I'm not sure on the end price, but i'd say it would be in the $10-15k category. He's now needing to upgrade brakes as a result :whistling: It's definately a pro install and that's why i wanted the components! Oh well. Looks like HKS will be getting my money instead.

It's amazing what can happen if you give off the odor of $$$$$$$$$

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/181959-aps/#findComment-3938353
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Latest Posts

    • Place the new daughterboard in the case and mount it using the 3 small black rivets provided, and reconnect the 3 factory ribbon cables to the new board Then, use the 3 piggyback cables from the daughterboard into the factory board on top (there are stand offs in the case to keep them apart. and remember to reconnect the antenna and rear cover fan wires. 1 screw to hold the motherboard in place. Before closing the case, make a hole in the sticker covering a hole in the case and run the cable for the android unit into the plug there. The video forgot this step, so did I, so will you probably. Then redo the 4 screws on back, 2 each top and bottom, 3 each side and put the 2 brackets back on.....all ready to go and not that tricky really.      
    • Onto the android unit. You need to remove the top screen because there is a daughterboard to put inside the case. Each side vent pops out from clips; start at the bottom and carefully remove upwards (use a trim remover tool to avoid breaking anything). Then the lower screen and controls come out, 4 screws, a couple of clips (including 3 flimsy ones at the top) and 3 plugs on the rear. Then the upper screen, 4 screws and a bunch of plugs and she is out. From there, remove the mounting brackets (2 screws each), 4 screws on the rear, 2 screws top and bottom and 3 screws holding in the small plates on each side. When you remove the back cover (tight fit), watch out for the power cable for the fan, I removed it so I could put the back aside. The mainboard is held in by 1 screw in the middle, 1 aerial at the top and 3 ribbon cables. If you've ever done any laptop stuff the ribbon cables are OK to work with, just pop up the retainer and they slide out. If you are not familiar just grab a 12 year old from an iphone factory, they will know how it works The case should now look like this:
    • Switching the console was tricky. First there were 6 screws to remove, and also the little adapter loom and its screws had to come out. Also don't forget to remove the 2 screws holding the central locking receiver. Then there are 4 clips on either side....these were very tight in this case and needed careful persuading with a long flat screw driver....some force required but not enough to break them...this was probably the fiddliest part of the whole job. In my case I needed both the wiring loom and the central locking receiver module to swap across to the new one. That was it for the console, so "assembly is the reverse of disassembly"
    • But first....while I was there, I also swapped across the centre console box for the other style where the AV inputs don't intrude into the (very limited !) space.  Part# was 96926-4GA0A, 284H3-4GA0B, 284H3-4GA0A. (I've already swapped the top 12v socket for a USB bulkhead in this pic, it fit the hole without modification:) Comparison of the 2: Basically to do the console you need to remove the DS and PS side console trim (they slide up and back, held in by clips only) Then remove the back half of the console top trim with the cupholders, pops up, all clips again but be careful at the front as it is pretty flimsy. Then slide the shifter boot down, remove the spring clip, loose it forever somewhere in the car the pull the shift knob off. Remove the tiny plastic piece on DS near "P" and use something thin and long (most screwdrivers won't fit) to push down the interlock and put the shifter down in D for space. There is one screw at the front, then the shifter surround and ashtray lift up. There are 3 or 4 plugs underneath and it is off. Next is the rear cover of the centre console; you need to open the console lid, pop off the trim covering the lid hinge and undo the 2rd screw from the driver's side (the rest all need to come out later so you can do them all now and remove the lid) Then the rear cover unclips (6 clips), start at the top with a trim tool pulling backwards. Once it is off there are 2 screws facing rearwards to remove (need a short phillips for these) and you are done with the rear of the console. There are 4 plugs at the A/V box to unclip Then there are 2 screws at the front of the console, and 2 clips (pull up and back) and the console will come out.
    • So, a bit of a side trip, but one that might be interesting for people with JDM cars and japanese head units. I know @Pac previously posted about a carplay/android auto adapter he installed which used the AUX input, and @V35_Paul put in one of the Tesla style units that replace both screens. The option I went with was a Lsait LLT-YF-VER5.87_2 (https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Lsailt-8GB-Android-Multimedia-Interface-for_1601187633672.html). Price was $1,150 for a single unit although they are much cheaper if you are willing to buy 2....$857ea. Make you you get the version 2 not version 1, it is faster and has a better UI - this is the manufacturer listing: http://www.lsailt.com/product/348.html. BTW if you've never bought from Alibaba before, don't be concerned....these guys can't stay in business unless they are responsive, ship fast etc, they were excellent (probably faster shipping than most local places) So, this was my task for a lazy Sat afternoon....looks complex but was all done in a few hours (it probably helps that I had some of it apart before so it was a bit familiar). I also decided to add a HD USB drive recorded at the same time and the unit also supports an aftermarket reverse cam (if you don't want to retain factory) and also AV in and HDMI out It looks much worse than it is, in fact in was genuinely all plug and play (no custom wiring at all). This video was pretty good (skipped a few steps), unfortunately they are an Aussie seller but no longer sell this unit (I guess Carplay/AA adapters are easier to install and much cheaper) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5hJfYOB8Dg
×
×
  • Create New...