09 370z w/ sport package vs. Modded 05 Sti
 

Hey guys, at the end of this month i will be purchasing a 09 370z with the sport package. I am coming from a bolt on 05 STi with a full suspension and was wondering how the change will be. Obviously it will be different coming from a boosted, awd sedan to a n/a V6 two seater, but as far as acceleration, interior, and overall driving dynamics what should i expect?

Im just looking for some advice or opinions from anyone who cares to share, or maybe from some one who has made a similar switch, thanks guys!

Pretty much everything will feel different. How much power were you laying with the STI?

hmmm not sure if thats a bad thing or a good thing lol


around 325awhp and 340awtq


Im not expecting the 370 to be as fast as the sti, but i never for a sec think that it would be "slow". Also i know not to expect the gains from bolt ons for the 370 seeing as they max out around 300rwhp (correct me if im wrong) with bolt ons. TT would def be a step for me in the not so distant future.

I have both a 370Z and an 03' EVO with 370awhp and 340 awtq. Coming from a modded AWD turbo car you'll miss the midrange torque as the Z requires more rpm to extract power. Once above 5K rpm the car pulls nicely and would be able to hang with a 300+awhp EVO/STi at highway speed.
The interior is a much nicer place to be, though the overall visibility is not as good as in a 4 door sedan. The Z has a good road feel and a quick steering rack (not as sharp as an EVO but probably quicker than a STi steering.)
The Z is a fun car to drive, although the only few things you'll miss will be the turbo torque, the modability, the awd traction, and the practicality of a sedan. ;)

you will NOT miss the STi interior. I test drove the new STi before I bought my Z 4 months ago. It was horrid!

A CBE will get you to about 300, another 15-18 for a CAI, tune another 7-10. There are more than a few guys with 325-340 with just a tune and a few bolt ons. Then you have to remember the weight savings over the STi.

Lol what? I've got pretty much everything but FI and I'm putting down 315 rwhp. Show me these people please.

Also how much does an STI weigh? I came from an 06 stage 1 Evo and I don't know that my Z currently at 3500 lbs with me in the car is neccissarily a huge weight savings.

Edit: unless of course you are getting numbers from a dynapak type of dyno with absolutely no load whatsoever. I think I hit like 340 or something on one of those but that's not a streetable number.

:iagree: pretty much sums up everything. You'll love the sports car steering coming from a STi

i've driven 2 turbo cars before that belong to my friends, one of them being an sti. i definitely feel a bigger mid rpm punch with the turbo compared to the n/a z. i feel like my z is slow anytime i drive a boosted car lol.
turbo... need one of those eventually

I can't speak specifically for the Subaru, but I came from a Mazdaspeed3 and I can definitely say that I miss boost. Driving turbo cars is just fun.
I don't miss trying to get all that power down through the front wheels, though! I also don't miss having a car that screamed boy-racer or Fast & Furious.

With the Z, the interior is much nicer and feels like a sports car rather than a fast econobox. The power goes to the correct axle. The lines of the car are classic and sexy and in its stock form, represent an adult sports car. That works great for me.

Of course, there are a lot of ways that you can personalize your Z to make your own statement.
The conclusion? They're really two completely different kinds of cars you're talking about. Very hard to make anything that isn't an apples to oranges comparison.
I miss certain things about my Mazdaspeed3, but I wouldn't go back.

welcome
 

sounds like you haven't driven a Z yet

you want to do that first :driving:

sounds like the Z is slower than your current ride

I want faster

remember pics if it happens :pics:

I had a 375 whp WRX with complete track set-up and I don't miss it at all. The size of the turbo on the 2L didnt hit full spool until 4500 rpm but man was it a beast from 4500 to 7500. It was a ton of fun but I like my Z better. I will eventually graduate to a GT-R, which has the best of all worlds. AMS Alpha 9 GT-R ran 9.9 @ 141 on pump gas.

Dude AMS is working on an Alpha 11/12 (I forget which one) package for the GT-R. That thing was putting down so much power, it was getting wheelspin on the dyno :eek:

I made the exact same switch as OP and I have no regrets. I had my STi for about 4 years and was ready for something different. Still loved the car but wanted a real sports car. I much prefer the interior, exterior, and driving position of the Z. The STi power plant is what I really miss about the STi. As you noted, you'll have to work much harder to extract power out of the Z. FI is really the only way to go in my opinion.

I'd say the fun factor is completely different between the cars but still a wash. Each one is a blast to drive but with completely different feels. I use to track my STi and was always blown away with the caliber of cars I could run down, although it wasn't always smooth sailing. I've yet to track the Z so can't comment on how it compares.

In summary, I say go for it as long as you can live with the NA power delivery and limitations or are willing to shell out the cash for FI.

315rwhp with a **FULL** bolt on Z?!! what is your mod list!? I made 307rwhp with JUST dropins testpipes and Y on a dynojet Sae corrected....and there are plenty of people in 320-340 range on here

ive not driven a modded STI, but i test drove the 09 STI (new at the time) when i was looking around for a new dd. everything was good other than the first ~4k rpm. there's just no significant torque down low vs the 370Z. :)

but other then that the car was real smooth and buttery. i might get the 2011 WRX hatch later on as my dd.... not sure yet though.

Ding ding ding! Dynojet

Now do it on a dyno dynamics or mustang dyno where there's actual load on the dyno..

Thanks everyone for the responses, i think that the Z will suit me just fine for now. I'll be limited to slight bolt ons in the beginning because i'll be out of work for 6 months while attending the police academy. But after that id love to make a mini GTR (minus the AWD and electronics of course) and twin turbo the Z, that would give me the power im looking for.

Im the kind of person who loves the visceral emotion you can get from a car, the exhaust, driving stick, feeling the car as it progresses around corners and over bumps. So i really feel that with the interior being such a nice place to be, and the overall driving dynamics from the Z itself, i wont miss the STi.

Then again the STi was my first "performance" car...might be kind of first love kinda thing...and you know nothings better than your first love lol.

STI is definitely a performance car, but a different breed. 370Z's are more raw. STI seems more contained and better behaved (smoother). well, that's how i felt. :)

:icon18:


I hope your joking.

The STI makes way more power down low than the Z.

hey, how do i put you on my ignore list again? :tup:

Also i'll have to get used to the gearing lol, my sti went something like this

1-32
2-58
3-83
4-98
5-125


I read that the gearing for the Z is something like

1-45
2-67
3-98
4-1XX
5-155

lol coming from an STi those are some long *** gears haha

Yeah, the Z is really a different animal. It's geared more as a cruiser than a sports car to be honest. The gears are at least a little shorter than the 350, but it would have been nice to at least have an option for shorter gears. I'm hoping to eventually swap some 4.08's in to help things out a bit.

The WRX I have is geared much taller than the STI's are, and it still feels much better than the Z does at low RPM's.

The tall gearing is nice when you're cruising though, and even though the Z isn't exactly a torque monster, it will pull through despite the tall gears.

you must be driving some other STI and 370Z cause i feel the exact opposite when i drove stock vs stock.

anyway, im done talking subaru's. :D

Good to hear that it will still pull, at least theres no turbo lag.....yet lol

It's going to feel a lot slower to you though. The power delivery is much smoother than the STi. You won't get that neck snapping acceleration. The Z is still quick, it just doesn't feel that quick.

The bottom line is that coming from a boosted car myself, when I test drove the Z and the rep said to cut it loose... I was left a bit dissapointed AT FIRST because of the obvious lack of that boost but with the right mods it can feel pretty quick. Plus you'll be stepping into a car that is more refined and you won't always feel as if you're heading to the prom as my wife always told me about my Evo. ;)

These threads always seem to deteriorate into flamefests.

yep, sad really.

Who asked you you you... poopoo head!

Who is flaming?

you sure sounded like you had some flammage up your arse earlier. :D

You put it there though:rofl2:

wth, i was minding my own biz and posted my comment from my actual test drive of the 09 STI and you HAD to come in and start farting up a storm.

no one asked you, the hell's your problem, young one who cant even pay off 2 cars? :icon17:

:icon18:

:tup:

Wow easy guys, dont want this place to start looking like NASIOC lol. In a sense i'll be glad that im moving away from the "boy racer" image and hopefully i wont have every mustang, evo, srt4, trying to race me at every light. It will be nice to drive a more refined and mature car, even if i dont have that neck snapping acceleration....the Z has to have its good points right? lol

who the hell are you? :gtfo2:

just kidding. :D hahaha.

Dont talk to me like that before i beat your ***...
That would be the typical NASIOC response haha...wonder who all will notice this =))))

You'll still get the boy racers, maybe even more of them.

No chance this place will turn into nasioc, at least not until the z comes way down in price... Nasioc is the worst part about owning a subie.