New to the Nismo life
 

Hey everyone, been driving my 2014 Touring 6MT Pearl White for the last 3ish years. About to hit 100k miles (CA) so was curious and started looking at the market for the past few weeks.

Ended up running across a 2015 Magnetic Black Nismo 6MT with only 39k miles in Texas. Somehow got the deal done from 1300 miles away over phone and am making the drive late this next week. My bank did amazing work and even though the nismo was marketed about $8k more than what I bought my touring for 3 years ago, I'm gonna be paying about the same amount for the nismo.

Basically my questions are, my Touring is in excellent condition and I've taken absolutely pristine care of it. What kinds of things should I look out for with the nismo compared to mine? I haven't test driven a nismo yet so this will be the first time once I get out there. It only had 1 owner for a few years and they obviously didn't drive it too much with only 39k miles. Is the tranny/clutch just as clunky as the base models? Are the RPM's / gear ratios the same or similar? I believe the suspension is stiffer (I personally don't really care) but should I really be able to tell a different for driving around the streets? Just want to make sure I know exactly what to look for when I drive it so I don't end up finding something wrong on the 1300 mile trip back home. Appreciate any feedback!

-Will add pics asap

For starters - you'll be able to use the side rear/small windows to look out unlike (at least to me) the touring where the seat headrest gets in the way. I believe the gearing is different in the Nismo - 3.92:1 rear axle ratio (according to another thread).

Basically it'll be the same car (at least to me - came from a 2010 Sport to a 2017 Nismo) but the recaros are some of the best in my opinion as well as I love the bodykit compared to the current sport and base Zs. The interior has darker colored parts for the doors and what not, and the exhaust was slightly different sounding. Overall, if you love the Touring - I think you'll love the Nismo. The suspension is tighter when comparing stock Nismo to stock touring/sport Zs but if you are already used to your current Z - you'll be fine.

I'm sure I'm missing things that others will fill you in on - also - I would do a search to see what other people have to say etc. Where did you wind up buying it from? DFW area or more south like Austin or San Antonio?

Everything is pretty much the same, drivetrain wise, except for the 3.93 gear ratio and limited slip in the diff.
Transmission ratios are the same between models.


Kirk B.

Like the other 2 have said. Same issues as other Z's. Different gear ratio, the VLSD which is ok for a DD, the suspension is a bit stiffer, and the Recaro's.

Thanks for the reply! I'm getting it from a dealer just outside of Dallas.

I'm gonna be taking my Invidia catback off my Touring before I trade it in and putting the original back on, will it fit the 2015 nismo and is there any harm in doing so?

It will fit.

:iagree::iagree:

Thanks everyone, I'm stoked to be a part of the Nismo gang. Love these cars to death inside and out.

You definitely need to check out oil sains near the wheels and under the engine. Usually, car washers do not go that far to clean them up, and if there is wet dust in some places that mean the oil is leaking. Also, check out the smoke after you start a cooled engine ( if you see the black somek that means the engine is not ok )

Black smoke is a rich mixture.

Blue smoke is oil. From rings, valve guides and seal. If it smokes blue all the time. Most likely rings. If it smoke blue on start up, but goes away after being warmed up. Most likely valve guides and or seals. Engine clearances shrink when warmed up.

White smoke. Water/moisture. Smokes on start up, but goes away shortly afterwards. That's condensation burning off in the exhaust pipe. Normal. If it doesn't go away. Head gasket 99% of the time.

Have to add this. On old GM automatic trannys. There is a vacuum valve that controls kick down. With this went bad. It would suck tranny fluid up into the intake. And it would burn white.

Just a quick update, made the 21 hour drive, traded in the car, drove 5 hours and slave cylinder went out. Got stranded in Texas for 3 days waiting for fix, my original dealer paid for everything and made it home. Shes a beauty and I love every inch of the car.

Already put my Invidia Gemini back on that was on my original Z, and just installed my Takeda long tube CAI ( was a pain in the *** but made it work ) and boy does she sound beastly when you step on it. It has a few extra rattles and funny noises inside the car that I'm not used to, but nothing too crazy. I actually think the Nismo rides smoother than my Touring (possibly the nice Michelin's) and the suspension difference is definitely noticeable in turns and bumpy roads.

Also noticed that this car has the same "issue" or whatever you want to call it that my Touring had with it's clutch. After some driving (few hours or so, or every few days) it seems that the clutch gets "loose" and it gets very jittery when leaving from a stop without doing anything differently. It progressively gets worse to where I can hardly take off without feeling like the car is jerking back and forth taking off. However, if I do any kind of clutch burning (small peel out or burnout or w/e) to the point where I can smell the clutch, it feels tight and good as new and the process repeats. Does anyone have any clue what this might be? This is my 2nd Z in a row that does this. I will say the clutch in the nismo is not as dramatic and it takes longer for it to get as bad, but i still notice the same pattern. I don't mind it that much, but it can definitely get annoying in traffic or parking lots and such as it looks like i have no idea what im doing jerking around in first gear but then i can burn the clutch a little and it feels like a brand new car for a while.

The nismo and base have the same drivetrain, other than 2015+ having lower gearing

Your first mod should be a slave cyl fix and clutch/flywheel upgrade. And rjm clutch pedal

Considering the dealer just replaced a brand new slave cyl and clutch kit I think I'm gonna wait to do those, but will the RJM assembly possibly fix this problem or make it smoother? I don't really mind but it can get somewhat irritating on longer days of driving around town etc.

If they put the OEM slave back in there, then you should still go ahead and replace it with a ZSpeed product. OEM slaves have been known to fail while literally driving a new car away from the dealer lot.

The RJM pedal gets rid of the stupid hinge in the OEM pedal. So you get a linear pedal travel that is much smoother and easier to modulate.