Road & Track gets it wrong

Zpil0t6 · 03-06-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

^LOL. Whatever works for you, dude. I'm pretty much the opposite. I read about cars that I'd never want to buy, just for the sake of reading about cars. When I think I might want to buy a certain car, I start reading through all the reviews as part of my preliminary research. I'd never make a final purchasing decision based on reviews alone, mind you. Really I'm just looking for preliminary red flags. If I see a red flag, then I know not to waste my time with a test drive and dealing with salespeople. I'll give you an example. I was actually considering the G8 GXP as well as the 370Z. Then I read that the G8 has the annoying skip-shift feature that GM puts in so many of its cars. That right there told me I needn't bother with a test drive, because that's one 'feature' I wouldn't tolerate.

But like I said, whatever works for you. Different strokes, different folks.

Wow feel sorry for you....a tuner can take 50 buck and 5 minute to program that out or you can just rev past 3001 rpm and it will got to second or third..

The GXP is an extrordinary 4 door beast. with handling and braking to outdo the M3 the current M3 not the 335 turbo like m3..

A real car guy would know the skip shift hardly interferes....its for put puting around.. so you save gas..if you even 1/3 into the throttle it doesn't even activate.

I know GM's and the LSx 1-4 skip shift is more miniscul than the guage comment. of the 370Z

Zpil0t6 · 03-06-2009, 11:24 AM

ya know they even make a inline harness to wire it out for a few dollars less.

this skipshift allowed many GM' big HP cars to aviod the gas guzzler tax in 6 speed form.

however i think it did't matter on the GXp 415crank HP. big car, big engine ..ok gas milage.

Price is what kept me away....a GT with 6.0 liter can be had for 28 otd and the 6.2 enhanhed brake and suspension goes for 10k more.....hell any car guy can do better than that... i could surpass/match the GXp in every category and have 4 grand left over for
other hobbies.

BanningZ · 03-06-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zpil0t6

Wow feel sorry for you....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zpil0t6

A real car guy would know...

That was unnecessary. This is not a flame board. Check yourself.

MightyBobo · 03-06-2009, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanningZ

That was unnecessary. This is not a flame board. Check yourself.

While I think his choice of words may have been a bit out of line, he is correct: the skip shift "feature" has been around for years on GM manuals. It took a $25 resistor kit from SLP, 5 minutes of work, and blam - no more skip shift. 2 minutes of googling could have solved his conundrum.

Not everyone knows this, but it pays to actually RESEARCH a car before you draw conclusions. I think a perfect example of this, is saying the 370Z is a track star right from the factory because it pulls .98g on the skid and has good power/big brakes. But, oh, theres that pesky overheating problem after 10-20 minutes of HPDE...well, guess I shouldn't get the 370Z!

BanningZ · 03-06-2009, 12:47 PM

^While I absolutely am a +1 for research, I think that was an absolutely unnecessary choice of words. Not only that but Semtex said

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

^LOL. Whatever works for you, dude. I'm pretty much the opposite. I read about cars that I'd never want to buy, just for the sake of reading about cars. When I think I might want to buy a certain car, I start reading through all the reviews as part of my preliminary research. I'd never make a final purchasing decision based on reviews alone, mind you. Really I'm just looking for preliminary red flags. If I see a red flag, then I know not to waste my time with a test drive and dealing with salespeople. I'll give you an example. I was actually considering the G8 GXP as well as the 370Z. Then I read that the G8 has the annoying skip-shift feature that GM puts in so many of its cars. That right there told me I needn't bother with a test drive, because that's one 'feature' I wouldn't tolerate.

But like I said, whatever works for you. Different strokes, different folks.

and this is not a Pontiac forum. I didn't know about the skip shift feature on the G8 GXP because I don't have much of a taste for GM products.While the 370Z may have issues such as a needed oil cooler (devils advocate), I can see the rational of Semtex by not wanting to have to mod a car straight out of the factory because of a stock transmission issue, despite how easy that mod may be. Not to mention this thread is about R&T writing about a pre-production cluster gauge.

Now back on topic.

MightyBobo · 03-06-2009, 12:58 PM

Good point.

Stupid pre-production gauges! DAMN YOU ROAD AND TRACK! *shakes fist*

semtex · 03-06-2009, 04:47 PM

I'm just getting caught up with this thread. Regarding how easy it is to by-pass the skip-shift feature on GMs, I don't mind if you Pontiac guys want to flame me for not knowing how easy it is to bypass the thing. Because this actually goes to support the point I was trying to make, which is that magazines can unduly influence a person's purchasing decision by publishing half-baked information. Be it by printing a picture of a pre-prod gauge cluster, or by making a huge deal out of something that is easily bypassed (and not telling readers that it's simple to bypass), these magazine writers do us all a disservice. We need to take what we read in these car mags with a grain of salt -- myself included -- that's all I'm trying to say.

MightyBobo · 03-06-2009, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

I'm just getting caught up with this thread. Regarding how easy it is to by-pass the skip-shift feature on GMs, I don't mind if you Pontiac guys want to flame me for not knowing how easy it is to bypass the thing. Because this actually goes to support the point I was trying to make, which is that magazines can unduly influence a person's purchasing decision by publishing half-baked information. Be it by printing a picture of a pre-prod gauge cluster, or by making a huge deal out of something that is easily bypassed (and not telling readers that it's simple to bypass), these magazine writers do us all a disservice. We need to take what we read in these car mags with a grain of salt -- myself included -- that's all I'm trying to say.

And you sir, are very correct on that. I think this is the perfect time to note that doing even more research on your own can find out a lot more on your own sometimes, than relying on some magazine author who, really is more than likely an amateur himself who just happens to be able to write well

.

BTW, my research comment wasnt directed at you, FWIW - it was more a blanket statement. EVERYONE should research ANY vehicle they're interested in purchasing, and others too, when they go shopping. Just more ammo to use in the haggling game.

Zpil0t6 · 03-07-2009, 08:48 AM

Yo! i wasn't faming. i was giving you the facts. One test drive of the GXp( which is a great car by the way) and you'd know its not a nuisance.

Granted on the magazine report. But it was to show GM got around the gas guzzler tax.

and the skipshift is not just a pontiac, its on my Vette and my GTO and my sold SS.
and on the Cts-v.

semtex · 03-07-2009, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zpil0t6

Yo! i wasn't faming. i was giving you the facts. One test drive of the GXp( which is a great car by the way) and you'd know its not a nuisance.

Granted on the magazine report. But it was to show GM got around the gas guzzler tax.

and the skipshift is not just a pontiac, its on my Vette and my GTO and my sold SS.
and on the Cts-v.

Yep, I know it's on other GMs, and I agree with your point. I could've test driven the car and my reservations would have been laid to rest. But here's the thing -- I LOVE cars, which means a LOT of cars interest me. I just don't have the time to test drive every car that grabs my attention. Plus, I hate dealing with car salespeople.

Hence I try to do a preliminary 'weeding out' via magazine write-ups. I'm kinda presuming that most people are like me, but maybe I'm way off-base on that. Maybe most people do in fact take the time to test drive a dozen different cars before making a decision. Of course, now that I think about it, I am kinda impatient when it comes to major purchases. Take my house for instance. It was only the second house my realtor took my wife and me to. She showed us around, was only 5 minutes into her tour, and we said 'blah blah blah, okay enough already, we'll take it. We have places to be'. Pretty bad, huh?

Zpil0t6 · 03-08-2009, 11:24 AM

No...lol ..i'm the same way

exactly..actually...i fretted about the 1-4 thing.
but eventually i was in a position to drive one...and what did i know..even if you put put....you just have to put in second a second time...since if your put-putting your not in a hurry ..no issue.

still though i tuned it out...lol.

i tell you this...on the low low....i was back at the dealer.....just to shoot the breeze .The GM has a Blue Zo6 like me (we met at the tuner)so we talk. i wonder i always get a jealous vibe...he has one of the fastest Zo6 in town.. Young black overachiever.
the next president probably.
back on track.

And they are selling 3 Nismo' 350's for 29,500.......i took a test drive....had too.( black/ silver and white...the black looked awesome.)

pretty fricking close. you feel a shade slower....but you can run it wot until 100 feet b4 the turn...and its neutral handling and brakes....omg.. i was thinking with all the aftermarket for the 350 already out there test pipe, stillen long tube dual intake...and the nismo catback..( already on) and your 370Z speed.... and they don't look overdone.
in person.. i almost was second guessing myself.....until i got back in my 370 and the syncrev remided me...this is a better car to start with.

Now if you were me....what above would bother you?

the salemen drove the Nismo cold like he stole it..he drove it wot to 100 ft b4 the turn....this engine isn't even broken in.

makes you wonder.... when i test drove the Zo6...with a C5 as a trade....he wouldn't let me go past 5k.

Arcangel · 03-08-2009, 11:34 AM

Thats lame because they do shite like this always

semtex · 05-02-2009, 05:15 PM

Well well well . . . check out what's in the new issue of R&T (which I just got in my mailbox today). Now if only we could get Nissan to be as responsive about the oil temp issue!

frost · 05-02-2009, 05:37 PM

well done sir.

Pushing_Tin · 05-02-2009, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

Well well well . . . check out what's in the new issue of R&T (which I just got in my mailbox today). Now if only we could get Nissan to be as responsive about the oil temp issue!

LOL awesome! Did they publish your letter?

03-06-2009, 04:47 PM	#37 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 54 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	I'm just getting caught up with this thread. Regarding how easy it is to by-pass the skip-shift feature on GMs, I don't mind if you Pontiac guys want to flame me for not knowing how easy it is to bypass the thing. Because this actually goes to support the point I was trying to make, which is that magazines can unduly influence a person's purchasing decision by publishing half-baked information. Be it by printing a picture of a pre-prod gauge cluster, or by making a huge deal out of something that is easily bypassed (and not telling readers that it's simple to bypass), these magazine writers do us all a disservice. We need to take what we read in these car mags with a grain of salt -- myself included -- that's all I'm trying to say. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

03-08-2009, 11:24 AM	#41 (permalink)
Zpil0t6 Base Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 52 Drives: 07 Zo6,06 GTO,05Busa Rep Power: 16	No...lol ..i'm the same way exactly..actually...i fretted about the 1-4 thing. but eventually i was in a position to drive one...and what did i know..even if you put put....you just have to put in second a second time...since if your put-putting your not in a hurry ..no issue. still though i tuned it out...lol. i tell you this...on the low low....i was back at the dealer.....just to shoot the breeze .The GM has a Blue Zo6 like me (we met at the tuner)so we talk. i wonder i always get a jealous vibe...he has one of the fastest Zo6 in town.. Young black overachiever. the next president probably. back on track. And they are selling 3 Nismo' 350's for 29,500.......i took a test drive....had too.( black/ silver and white...the black looked awesome.) pretty fricking close. you feel a shade slower....but you can run it wot until 100 feet b4 the turn...and its neutral handling and brakes....omg.. i was thinking with all the aftermarket for the 350 already out there test pipe, stillen long tube dual intake...and the nismo catback..( already on) and your 370Z speed.... and they don't look overdone. in person.. i almost was second guessing myself.....until i got back in my 370 and the syncrev remided me...this is a better car to start with. Now if you were me....what above would bother you? the salemen drove the Nismo cold like he stole it..he drove it wot to 100 ft b4 the turn....this engine isn't even broken in. makes you wonder.... when i test drove the Zo6...with a C5 as a trade....he wouldn't let me go past 5k. Last edited by Zpil0t6; 03-08-2009 at 11:35 AM.

03-08-2009, 11:34 AM	#42 (permalink)
Arcangel Base Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Manalapan NJ Posts: 98 Drives: Blk 07 Cobalt SS/SC Rep Power: 188	Thats lame because they do shite like this always __________________ God has given us two hands -- one to receive with, and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.

05-02-2009, 05:15 PM	#43 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 54 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	Well well well . . . check out what's in the new issue of R&T (which I just got in my mailbox today). Now if only we could get Nissan to be as responsive about the oil temp issue! __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Road & Track: 370Z vs Cayman S	hey32g	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	33	03-18-2009 11:57 AM
Road and Track tests 370Z (no 56K)	Namir	Nissan 370Z Photos / Spyshots / Video / Media Gallery	20	02-23-2009 10:50 AM
ROAD & TRACK Video - Full Test: 2009 Nissan 370Z	sbsmoov	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	4	12-02-2008 12:05 AM
Road and Track: Top 5 Twisty-Road Tamers, Nissan 370Z	AK370Z	Nissan 370Z Photos / Spyshots / Video / Media Gallery	2	11-28-2008 04:51 PM
Road and Track Magazine recent news on the 370Z	admin	Nissan 370Z Photos / Spyshots / Video / Media Gallery	0	09-26-2008 04:55 AM

03-06-2009, 11:24 AM	#32 (permalink)
Zpil0t6 Base Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 52 Drives: 07 Zo6,06 GTO,05Busa Rep Power: 16	ya know they even make a inline harness to wire it out for a few dollars less. this skipshift allowed many GM' big HP cars to aviod the gas guzzler tax in 6 speed form. however i think it did't matter on the GXp 415crank HP. big car, big engine ..ok gas milage. Price is what kept me away....a GT with 6.0 liter can be had for 28 otd and the 6.2 enhanhed brake and suspension goes for 10k more.....hell any car guy can do better than that... i could surpass/match the GXp in every category and have 4 grand left over for other hobbies.

03-06-2009, 12:58 PM	#36 (permalink)
MightyBobo A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 8,465 Drives: No cars; only bikes Rep Power: 52	Good point. Stupid pre-production gauges! DAMN YOU ROAD AND TRACK! shakes fist

03-07-2009, 08:48 AM	#39 (permalink)
Zpil0t6 Base Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 52 Drives: 07 Zo6,06 GTO,05Busa Rep Power: 16	Yo! i wasn't faming. i was giving you the facts. One test drive of the GXp( which is a great car by the way) and you'd know its not a nuisance. Granted on the magazine report. But it was to show GM got around the gas guzzler tax. and the skipshift is not just a pontiac, its on my Vette and my GTO and my sold SS. and on the Cts-v.

05-02-2009, 05:37 PM	#44 (permalink)
frost Retired admin Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Winterfell Posts: 106,613 Drives: Your Wife Crazy Rep Power: 0	well done sir.