Road & Track: 370Z vs Cayman S

Lug · 02-27-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !xoible

arent the numbers under 5 when the car is rolling?

Not with most. The best is a 4.7 but only Motor Trend got that. Car and Driver just got a 4.8 here Nissan 370Z vs. BMW 135i, Mazda RX-8 R3, and Pontiac Solstice GXP. Edmunds and Motorweek both got a 5.1 but they tend to be about .2 slower than everyone else on almost all cars. Road and Track originally got a 5.1 but blamed elevation for at least .1 of that and have gotten a smidge slower here. I just don't recall number varying this widely on most cars. Best example would be something like a Mustang usually which stays between 5.1 and 5.3 on everybody's reviews. We seem to have a full 1/2 second swing with the nissan. Makes me wonder if it might be overly temp or elevation sensitive. But another problem in this article is that they have a 3530 curb weight, the heaviest I've ever seen for a 370Z.

klubbheads · 02-27-2009, 12:39 PM

^every NA car is elevation sensative.

Lug · 02-27-2009, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klubbheads

^every NA car is elevation sensative.

hence the term "overly"

!xoible · 02-27-2009, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lug

Not with most. The best is a 4.7 but only Motor Trend got that. Car and Driver just got a 4.8 here Nissan 370Z vs. BMW 135i, Mazda RX-8 R3, and Pontiac Solstice GXP. Edmunds and Motorweek both got a 5.1 but they tend to be about .2 slower than everyone else on almost all cars. Road and Track originally got a 5.1 but blamed elevation for at least .1 of that and have gotten a smidge slower here. I just don't recall number varying this widely on most cars. Best example would be something like a Mustang usually which stays between 5.1 and 5.3 on everybody's reviews. We seem to have a full 1/2 second swing with the nissan. Makes me wonder if it might be overly temp or elevation sensitive.

wow 4.7! my car doesnt even get a 4.7 lol so how do they get a 4.7 then 1/4 mile in high 13's? they're either lying about the 4.7, or what ^^ says above that 3-up gears are too long.

klubbheads · 02-27-2009, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lug

hence the term "overly"

My g35 made 0.6 second difference in 1/4 mile in 2500 elevation difference with very similar weather conditions.

So i guess overly is the right term.

FairmanZ · 02-27-2009, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !xoible

wow 4.7! my car doesnt even get a 4.7 lol so how do they get a 4.7 then 1/4 mile in high 13's? they're either lying about the 4.7, or what ^^ says above that 3-up gears are too long.

MT got 4.7 and their 1/4 mile was not high 13's, it was 13.3 secs. C&D got 4.8 and their 1/4 mile, if you download the test sheet, was 13.4.

The others who got low 5's 0-60 were the ones with higher ~13.7 sec 1/4 miles. In this Road&Track test they specifically say the 90 degree heat was an issue that hurt the VQ's performance, which may explain the relatively poor 0-60 in 5.2 secs.

sbkim · 02-27-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Endgame

O.K. So.... The Z did 4.7 0-60 in MotorTrend. It is still within spitting distance.

You clearly missed my point - all I am saying is that 2009 cayman would have performed even better than 2008. 0.2 secs could mean one or two car lengths, perhaps even more by the time they hit 100mph. BTW, I am NOT a fan of cayman.

FairmanZ · 02-27-2009, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LSUTurboTiger

or people can just add the oil cooler if they want to track the car. thats what I would do.

True, but at least Nissan via NISMO should make these coolers available for sale. Otherwise there's always the potential for some dealer to give you hassles on warranty.

OTOH, the Z is marketed as serious sports car. This heat issue is a weak spot that Nissan knows about. Having the car go into limp mode and lowering the rev limit to 6500 is Nissan's fix, but it cripples the car's performance. You don't need to add oil & diff coolers to most other cars if you want to track your car.

!xoible · 02-27-2009, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairmanZ

MT got 4.7 and their 1/4 mile was not high 13's, it was 13.3 secs. C&D got 4.8 and their 1/4 mile, if you download the test sheet, was 13.4.

The others who got low 5's 0-60 were the ones with higher ~13.7 sec 1/4 miles. In this Road&Track test they specifically say the 90 degree heat was an issue that hurt the VQ's performance, which may explain the relatively poor 0-60 in 5.2 secs.

oh okay. my bad. i read so many numbers i cant even remember.

Lug · 02-27-2009, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairmanZ

MT got 4.7 and their 1/4 mile was not high 13's, it was 13.3 secs. C&D got 4.8 and their 1/4 mile, if you download the test sheet, was 13.4.

The others who got low 5's 0-60 were the ones with higher ~13.7 sec 1/4 miles. In this Road&Track test they specifically say the 90 degree heat was an issue that hurt the VQ's performance, which may explain the relatively poor 0-60 in 5.2 secs.

I live south of Houston, Texas.

Lug · 02-27-2009, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !xoible

wow 4.7! my car doesnt even get a 4.7 lol so how do they get a 4.7 then 1/4 mile in high 13's? they're either lying about the 4.7, or what ^^ says above that 3-up gears are too long.

Motor Trend got a 4.3 and a 12.7 Q/M out of your car.

2008 BMW M3 vs. 2008 Lexus IS F vs. 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG - Specifications - Comparison - Motor Trend

Endgame · 02-27-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lug

But another problem in this article is that they have a 3530 curb weight, the heaviest I've ever seen for a 370Z.

This does not bother me much as it seems to remind me of the articles that painted the 350z as being 3600 pounds. I SERIOUSLY doubt this car is as heavy as a Maxima...

I, for one, believe Nissan's numbers from the factory with the addition of the Sports pack (being about 50 pounds)....

FairmanZ · 02-27-2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lug

But another problem in this article is that they have a 3530 curb weight, the heaviest I've ever seen for a 370Z.

The curb weight is listed as 3360 lbs, about the same as in the MT & C&D tests. It's the test weight that is shown as 3530, but that includes the driver weight. R&T always includes the weight of their drivers in the "test" weight.

Lug · 02-27-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairmanZ

The curb weight is listed as 3360 lbs, about the same as in the MT & C&D tests. It's the test weight that is shown as 3530, but that includes the driver weight. R&T always includes the weight of their drivers in the "test" weight.

Then they need to start using jockeys or MiniMe as test drivers!

tvfreakazoid · 03-02-2009, 06:13 PM

Well when they test the new 09 cayman i'm pretty sure it will out perform the 370z. If I could afford the 09 cayman I would probably get it, but then again I I would spend an extra 10k or so to get the GTR.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCZ

I am rather happy with the results. I still think the Z is the better choice regardless of price. The Cayman is too bland...it handles well and looks good, but its too mainstream and the interior isn't exactly astonishing. Porsche needs a serious update to their interiors...the flat pannel isnt cutting it.

I think the Z is a lot more fun around a track AND around town. Its more special too.

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02-27-2009, 12:39 PM	#17 (permalink)
klubbheads Base Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: North Hollywood, CA Posts: 221 Drives: Very slow Nismo 370 Rep Power: 16	^every NA car is elevation sensative.