Introduction
While the exterior looks of the 350Z are pretty important, the interior is the place you spend the most time in.
In this article you’ll learn how to really make the inside of your Z your own with some personal touches and modifications that not only look great, but can be extremely helpful and important as well.
Oh and don’t worry, most of these modifications shouldn’t break the bank and you may be able to do them yourself!
Bucket Seats
If you want to enhance your driving experience and make it more sporty, bucket seats are a good option.
Bucket seats keep you locked firmly in place when taking the corners, reducing the sensation of body roll and making it much comfier if you are doing some spirited driving or on the track.
This isn’t a mod that is suitable for everyone, especially someone who may use their 350Z as their daily driver and racks up a lot of miles. While they keep you planted in your seat, they lack padding and normally won’t be as comfy as the standard seats that come in the Z.
With bucket seats, you can choose from a range of colors and styles, so you can customize your car’s interior to suit your personal tastes.
Seat Covers
If you are looking to upgrade the look of your 350Z’s seats without swapping them for another pair, then seat covers are a perfect solution.
You can find a variety of made-to-fit covers specifically for the Z that can really transform your interior.
This is a great option if you are wanting to change the color or pattern of your seat to match other interior elements or even match the body paint of your car.
CarID offer a variety of seat covers in different styles that would suit almost any interior look that you’re going for.
Interior Lighting Mods
This is a cheap mod that you may be able to install yourself and you can choose from a variety of colors to match your taste and the interior coloring of your 350Z.
The most common place to put aftermarket interior lights on the Z is in the footwell. Perhaps your car has a red theme on the exterior and you want to add a bit of zest to the inside to match it. Interior footwell lighting is the perfect solution.
You could also get creative and add some additional lighting to other areas of your interior as well. Just ensure they won’t be a distraction whilst driving. Subtle is often best when it comes to interior lighting.
Short-shifter
This mod is only applicable for those that have a manual gearbox in their 350Z.
A short shifter kits reduces the travel length between the gears when you shift. This makes gear changing more seamless, faster and definitely more fun!
This subtle mod can drastically improve your driving experience, especially on full throttle when rowing through the gears. With a short shifter, the travel of the gearstick tends to become a lot smoother meaning less chance of grinding gears or missing a gear when shifting fast.
A short shifter will let you drive more quickly—and as a bonus, you’ll probably feel more confident behind the wheel.
Short shifter kits for the 350Z don’t tend to be overly expensive, and are a great addition that you will regret not having done sooner.
Coolerworx have a fantastic short shifter for the 350Z that offers up to 40% throw reduction in shifts and bolts onto the standard shifter platform.
Coolerworx Short Shifter
For the Nissan 350Z
Steering Wheel Upgrade
Depending on how you use your Z, you may want to opt for an aftermarket steering wheel.
You may want something that is better for track days/drifting, or one that is simply a little smaller.
The standard steering wheel in the 350Z measures in at around 370mm, with some owners opting for an aftermarket wheel that is on the smaller side.
For a sporty aftermarket wheel, you may want to look at wheels like the MOMO wheel. These are often the choice for drifters or those who do a lot of track time. Many drivers who go for a MOMO steering wheel prefer the feel and grip of the wheel, which helps inspire confidence when driving hard.
When looking at aftermarket wheels, be sure to check the compatibility of them to see if they work with your Z’s airbags.
If you don’t want to swap your wheel but want to customize it a little more, then steering wheel covers are an option which are also cheap.
These can add some color to your wheel to match the rest of your interior while also providing some additional grip.
Carbon Fibre Trim Elements
Wrapping some of your interior panels in carbon fibre is a great way to make your car look like it’s ready for the red carpet.
Carbon fibre is shiny and smooth, so it looks great when wrapped around interior panels or dashboards on your 350Z.
Be sure to consider the rest of your interior when looking at carbon fibre elements. Carbon fibre can look great and slick when combined with a dark black interior as it blends in nicely and accentuates certain areas of the interior.
However having some carbon fibre elements on a beige suede interior might not look the part.
There are various trim elements of the interior which you can have wrapped in carbon fibre.
Subtle elements can include the door handles and vent holders, and you can even wrap the entire centre console if you wanted.
You can buy pre made carbon fibre trim elements for your Z, or you can have a go at wrapping them yourself with a carbon fibre styled wrap. This is obviously the cheaper option, but may require a little practice.
You can buy some high quality carbon fibre wrap online here on eBay.
Gauge Overlays
This is a neat little mod that can really modernize the gauge cluster in your 350Z.
If you are looking for something that is eye catching and different, then definitely give this mod some thought.
This product here is an overlay for the Z’s standard gauge cluster, which looks excellent when driving at night time.
There is also the option to adjust the brightness if it gets a bit much when driving in the dark.
Another option is the 3D gauge overlay which you can check out at the bottom of this section.
This is a more expensive mod which produces an elegant 3D display overlaying the stock gauges. It comes in the color schemes of white, blue, red and orange to help match any other common color scheme you may have going on in your interior.
3D Gauge Overlay
For the Nissan 350Z
Aftermarket Pedals
What if you could add aftermarket pedals to your car that would improve your experience with this beloved vehicle?
We’re here to tell you, you can!
An often overlooked and subtle modification, aftermarket pedals can really enhance your driving.
The options you decide to go for will depend on your budget, preferences and how you drive the car.
You could opt for something as simple as aftermarket pedal covers which simply slot over the current ones. These can sometimes provide some additional grip and are mainly a cosmetic mod.
If you are looking at aftermarket pedals to improve your driving experience, you can choose to go for a whole new pedal assembly. This could be for just one pedal or it could be for all 2 or 3.
Aftermarket pedals can also alter the movement and feel of the pedals, allowing for less or increased travel. This can be useful for sporty driving where you want to shift fast or want to get more feedback response through the pedals.
If you are into track driving or drifting, aftermarket pedals also allow for greater control over throttle and brake balancing as well as better positioning for heel-toe downshifts.
Conclusion
The 350z is a great car, but it’s even greater when you’ve got some nice interior upgrades that really make it your own.
Interior mods don’t need to be drastic or expensive, and it can be as simple as installing some coloured lighting at the footwell to match the colour scheme of your car. Or perhaps some subtle carbon fibre touches to different elements like door handles that you can wrap yourself.
Whatever mods you decide to go for, we hope that this article has inspired you to get out there and add some personality and flair to the inside of your Z.
Happy modding!
