Originally Posted by chii370

ok, im sure you have all read the billions of sites that have done the infamous 370z nismo reviews. You have probably all also been keen enough to notice they all "cleverly" pit it against its base/sport/touring brethren. Im by no means a professional car reviewer, but i know what im talkin about. The main problem with these stupid reviews is one key element, they have the car for about 1-3 days, track it, run the standard gauntlet of 0-60, handling, braking, blah blah blah we all know...... and they move on to the next car. I have been the fortunate owner of all but the touring model of the 370z. thats right, i started with a PG 2009 6MT base, then "upgraded" to a black 2009 6MT sport, and now the car i have is the red 2009 6MT Nismo.

first thing i would like to put to rest is this ******** rumor that the base and sport can romp the nismo both on a circuit and in a straight line. having owned all 3 cars for around 6k miles on each respectively...... no they do not. and trust me, by no means am i justifying my purchase of the nismo, since im just as quick to pick out its obvious flaws.

obviously, being 25, one of the first things i did was take the car to the track after they got some miles on them "4k or so". Im not a professional race car driver, so i cant consistently run +-.05 seconds of the same time every time, but i have a general idea of each car after the sum of each runs average.

The base and sport ran about the same, felt EXACTLY the same except for hte launch. sport seemed to actually start to move instead of sit and spin. but they consistently ran 13.6 average over and over again with a few shitty runs of about 13.8.

This is where im surprised every time by reviewers. I ether A: have a freak nismo, or B: actually know how to drive...... because the nismo gets 13.4s on average if i get a good launch. 2 problems i noticed, you CAN NOT launch the cars the same, the nismo will not squat down, transfer weight and dig in unless you really heated the tires OR your running softer ones "im running
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A * Rear: 285/35R19
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: (99Y)Load Index 99 = 1709lbs (775kg) per tire
Speed Rating "(Y)" = 186+mph (300kph)
UTQG: Treadwear: 140
Traction: A
Temperature: A
140 A A
which is not stock, but is also not a whole lot different ether. but if you dump it in the 4800-5k range like the sport of base you will just sit still and spin...... FOREVER. and you will destroy your run. But if you ease off the line "looks lame BTW" and then just power out, it goes. trust me. The nismo is a lot more responsive with the throttle more "snappy" is a good way to put it. my old sport and base had this weird lag time when you smashed it to the floor, but the nismo does not.

As far as the circuit track goes? honestly i think its all down to driving style. you cant be *** aggressive with a car that has such a stiff suspension and weighs 3400lbs, this isnt a lotus exige its got a fat ***. so honestly? its ability to lean and sway more with the loose "er" suspension on the base and sport is an advantage IF YOUR TRYING TO DRIVE THEM THE SAME WAY. you cant get in a corvette and take a corner expecting it to handle like your WRX, ok so thats a big difference. but a difference is a difference, and to accurately say one is better then the other you have to first drive them correctly or at least take the time to learn the car. And thats something these reviews have not done, 3 days and your still learning to shift it right....... thats a far jump off from "knowing" the car.

I hate my suspension on every day road driving, and sometimes find myself wishing i could go back. But thats pretty much the only thing about it i dont like. Every other aspect has been an improvement. And i think once time wears on and more people just get there own damn car, instead of listening to some over paid twat on motor trend to tell them a car is good or not, i believe the nismo will start to shine more.

ok, so you dont get all the bells and whistles of the others in the nismo.... but what do you want? a nicer looking car with slightly higher performance? or a comfort mobile? personal :P being 25 i choose the first lol, but not everyone likes that so maybe a nice touring model is for you. there all beautiful cars, and im not real sure why its competing against itself lol. so can we just all get along? hop in our Z, and go chase down some lame mustangs, camaros, and challengers?

like i said, non professional review/opinion from a non professional owner of all 3 cars.