2023 Nissan Z’s First Official Nismo Accessory Is This Beautiful $2,200 Exhaust
The part is confirmed to go on sale in the US later this year.
I think I speak for most of the car-loving community when I say the stoke is extremely strong for the 2023 Nissan Z to drop — production delays be damned. What we're really waiting on are driving impressions. The Drive's own Kristen Lee is ripping a new Z this very week, but meanwhile, my fellow tuner fans should appreciate this update to Nismo's catalog of cool and shiny parts for the next-gen Z.
Nismo (the name's derived from "Nissan Motorsport") is Nissan's in-house performance sub-brand that's been offering piecemeal upgrade parts and top-tier driver-spec trim levels of Nissan vehicles for years. Thus, it's no surprise that there will be a Nismo exhaust for the new Z. In fact, it seems likely we'll get a full-on Z Nismo with a unique loadout of aero pieces, wheels, and other fun stuff within the next few years.
For now, it looks like the Nismo catalog for the new Z includes brake pads and this exhaust element. According to an official release from Nismo Japan, translated by Google, a "sports muffler" made of stainless steel will soon be available for the new RZ34 chassis-code Nissan Z. After Motor1 shared the release, I dropped a note to Nissan here in the U.S. and got confirmation from a company rep that this exhaust will indeed be available stateside, but was denied any further details whatsoever.
It's hard to tell exactly how much of the stock piping this system will replace — it's a bit longer than a simple axle-back muffler but doesn't look quite as long as a full cat-back exhaust. The system's weight was not listed, nor was its sound output in decibels or expected power yield, but it looks like the pipe diameter is 60.5mm (2.38 inches) with 110mm (4.33-inch) tips.
The Japanese release included a list price of ¥280,000 ($2,200.38 per Google-reported exchange rates at the time of writing) which is about what I'd expect to pay if you're hoping to order this from a Nissan dealer when the new Z comes out. For context, I found a Nismo exhaust for the outgoing 370Z at $1,534.00 on nissanpartsdeal.com and $1,638.95 from nissanraceshop.com. It's no longer available from Nissan directly, but the part number for the 370Z Nismo exhaust is B0100-1EA25 if you're trying to sniff one out.
If you really want to flex, see if you can get your hands on the Nismo exhaust part number 20000-RSZ42 — that boy's titanium and lists for $5,782.00 if you can find one. Titanium is a god-tier exhaust material for its remarkably impressive combo of being very light and very strong. Plus it can burn to a cool blue tinge when it gets hot.
As for the brake pads I mentioned — they're not as sexy as a shiny length of exhaust piping but are still very important. High-quality performance brake pads can increase your stopping power, ideally, without sacrificing service life or noise too much. Nissan's part numbers for those are D1060-RNZ45 and D4060-RNZ45. Here's the spiel on those from Nismo, as translated from Japanese by Google:
"Aiming to obtain linear and accurate controllability in a wide range from minute braking G to high braking G, it is a brake pad for streets that uses copper-free low steel material originally developed for [racing]. It has both stable effectiveness from normal temperature range to [high-temperature] range and interlocking with ABS system."
Pretty sure we can take that to mean "better extreme-use performance without sacrificing daily drivability," which makes sense for an OEM-endorsed sporty brake pad.
Anyway, when the new Z does come out and folks will be able to order this muffler, I don't think anybody should expect eye-popping power gains. However, I'm sure the sound, built quality, and durability will be excellent.
Regardless of what you drive, I always recommend saving up and getting the best-quality exhaust you can afford from a reputable outfit, rather than whatever's biggest and cheapest if you're going to bother upgrading. A high-end exhaust will fit better, sound better, and last longer than an eBay special. And of course, something from an OEM-endorsed label like Nismo is always going to be among the best options for compatibility with an otherwise-stock vehicle.
That doesn't mean I'm not excited to see just how extreme people go when modding the new Z. Hell, I can't wait to start seeing dyno sheets once a few of these get into the wild with enormous exhaust systems and big honking turbos.
But while we're waiting for that, if you're looking to kill some more time thinking about Nissans, check out this fun interactive Nismo parts catalog I found on the company's Japanese site.
