Engine harshness
 

Well, I am so pissed off at Nissan! I have owned and loved a nicely modified 240Z that my friends still speak of today. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER SOLD THAT CAR!! Anyway i went to my nissan dealer ready to do a deal, I was going to trade my MX5 in on a 370Z. I love the look of the Z, i sat in it and it was nice, i liked it. I then asked the salesman to test drive one. He said of course. So off I went to test drive an auto version. Well let me tell you everything wqas good about the car except 2 things...ENGINE HARSHNESS AND QUALITY OF NOISE IT EMITS. YUK. This is/was a major turn off for me. I had driven it before and noticed to a lesser degree the noise but now that i was serious i guess i was taking more notice of it.

WTF was Nissan thinking releasing such a good sports car with such a debilitating issue. They really missed the boat on this one. I don't mind noise the MX5 is not a quiet car either but at least the engine/exhaust have a relatively pleasant noise. The Z engine noise and noise quality reminded me of my first car, a 1980 GM Holden Commodore with an auto and as 3.3 litre OHV pushrod motor that was designed in the 50's, which developed approx 60 KW.

As much as i have been looking at this car, the Z now since its 2009 intro, i have made up my mind that this noise and noise quality have turned me off the car. Really annoying cause every other aspect is ok. I must say the manual i drove in 2009 "felt better" maybe i should test drive a manaul again but wouldn't the noise be the same. Another thing i did not like was when i was going around a corner with the auto in auto mode, i did not like the feel of the transmission in the way it was delivering the power to the rear wheels it seemed loose and not too connected. The link between accelerator position, transmission shift speed and quality, to rear wheel connection seemed off.

A real shame, cause i so wanted to like this car, i guess i will still hover around this forum and see what the nest incarnation of Z may be like. In the meantime, I will keep my MX5 and possibly look into trading for a boxster or z4. I hear the engine noise in thosethings is good too and everything else is pretty much lineball with the Z.

Nissan you have pissed me off with this. Sorry guys if i have offended you, THAT WAS NOT MY INTENTION. I just needed to express my dissatisfaction with Nissan dropping the ball on this one.

As has been noted repeatedly in almost every test or review of the 370Z that I read, the engine does tend toward the harsh side at higher revs. It also tends toward the loud side for road noise. After driving the car, I found both issues to be far smaller deal than I was anticipating, having read those articles.

Each to their own. The car has exceeded my expectations, but everyone has different thresholds of irritation. I don't find it debilitating in the slightest. Personally, I'd be more inclined to label it as a "quirk".

The road noise doesn't bother me. They could have done better on exhaust sound and engine harshness. I am used to the engine harshness now though and I will rev right up near the red-line feeling like this:

http://murkcity.com/wp-content/uploa...om-400x542.jpg

:iagree:

I don't have a problem with the engine harshness or noise. The engine noise is something you can easily fix aftermarket, too.

want something quiet and less harsh? get an old person's car like a buick lol

What noise?

God, I hate it when you and I agree on things :tup:

I actually like the way it sounds now. I admit, at first I thought it sounded like a tractor motor being pushed 2,000 rpm past redline.

Now, I think it sounds like it just means business. A no-frills, *** kicking sports car sound (aftermarket exhaust helps too :tup:)

I didnt like the stock exhaust noise/harshness, but let me tell you, after putting the nismo s-tune exhaust on, totally different story, the noise/feel is total beast mode now.

true story.

Dude, don't buy it then. You seem to get pissed off quickly over stupid stuff. Perhaps you should remind Nissan that they work for you ONLY. :rolleyes:

wow, the trolls seem to be out in full force today don't they....

Sounds like this is not the car for you. Besides, the seats are terrible.

Want some cheese to go with your whine?

Looks like you made your point! Hooroo :hello:

:iagree:

:inoutroflpuke:

No not a troll! I don't like cheese and wine. I do not gravitate towards European cars cause i think they are woefully overpriced for what you get but when left with little or no option?? Maybe i need to consider an aftermarket exhaust or something. Does this change the engine sound in your experience. As i said it is not the volume that peeves me off, it is the quality of the noise. Maybe I need to stick to roadster 370Z coming from an MX5?

As i said please do not get defensive or offended.

Huh, did someone say something? Can't hear a thing over this engine noise. :icon17:

I would recommend meeting with some locals with aftermarket exhaust to give you an idea what direction or loudness to switch to in event you do decide to buy one. The exhaust note does mask some of the road noise from the soft tire that tend to pick up every pebble you go over. Good luck and strongly advise to give the Z a chance and not magnify the small issues that are prone with the Z. Most owners have gotten past those small issues and enjoy the feel and looks and the rarity of it. no offense taken :tiphat:

The road noise is bad, I don't mind the engine "harshness" at all. You could buy one and spend $800 on a professional dynomat install and fix the noise problem, a much better investment that an exhaust in my op. Or you could spend 50% more money and get a Cayman S. The Cayman is a great car, but I prefer the Z with it's faults and especially for the price. If you go Z instead of Cayman, you could buy a Ducati 1198S with the money you save, or two 4 week driving trips through Europe. You make your choice, and gets what you pay for. Good luck.

I'd be willing to bet that part of the "harshness" that you speak of is due to the fact that it is a V6 and you're comparing to 4 cylinder cars. A 6 will never be as smooth as a 4 or 8. That's just basic physics.

the road noise is not a deal breaker if you really won't the 370. if you know what your buying you learn to live with it.........

i will say the exhaust note of the 350 does sound better....

but imho the 370 makes the 350 look like a girls ride.. flame away......

The road noise i do not mind. i do mind the engine noise quality, not the volume of the engine noise. I do not see how an exhaust though is going to improve the "texture" of the engine noise, the exhaust note yes that will change. Nissan should have spent a little more time "tuning" the engine noise. I bet you Nissan will address this issue in the future year 370z or the next model.

OP,

If you ever consider buying a sport bike... don't. Just don't.

:roflpuke2:

I agree about the road noise, but completely disagree about the engine noise. I love the way the Z's engine sounds when I hit the gas!

The road noise is actually quieter than my last vehicle (with the exception of the pinging pebbles) and I LOVE the engine "noise" (insert "notes" here). I would like to have more exhaust notes, so I'll def be upgrading.... Perhaps Fast Intentions??:tup:

You could always upgrade the doors to Miata (aka mx-5)doors... I hear that fixes every problem the car has... Maybe a Miata (aka mx-5)exhaust while you are at it for good measure... :stirthepot: Deja Vu anyone?

Well,6 cylinders are mostly smoother than most 4 cylinders,it is only our V6,maybe the capacity is too big[maybe piston too big]+high revs=harshness..& for V8 it is the most balance engine,so smoothness is there.

I didn't really like the engine noise either until I got a CBE :D Now its harmony with the exhaust tone and engine grunt

Considered a G37 instead maybe?

Yeah very clever. Do you do any other tricks?

I was and am serious about my post, so please no more troll/mx5 doors crap.
ok some people here obviously do not mind the engine noise quality. i am simply one of those that do. Every one is different so no need to deride.

cheese with ecu whine... :shakes head:

OK, you posted only to express your dissatisfaction with Nissan's implementation of the Z. Mission accomplished, and your observations drew a totally predictable response. Obviously, you're in a distinct minority here. So...unless you're just in it for the trolling, time for you to leave, doncha think?

^ouch..... Unnecessary douchebaggery IMO. forums are for stating opinions as necessary to garner feedback. :)

He's just dragging it out, Richard.

That may be so... I'm just sayin'.:ugh2:

:iagree: that his post garnered an extremely predictable response though and I was just about to say as much.

OK, nearly 400 posts in this forum, you are not a troll.
On the other hand, nearly 400 posts in this forum and you just now sat in one for the 1st time? WTF have you been posting about? I know, I could go look... but life is too short.

It's funny, though.. in 2003, the VQ35 was acclaimed around the world as the best, most refined V6 engine in production, by any manufacturer. Really! So, Nissan adds another 1k or so RPM headroom, and suddenly the engine is sh!t.

So, did the rest of the world really get that much better in the last 8 years??

Search you tube for my videos, Nitek09z. And then tell me the car sounds bad.. It sounds like sex once you aftermarket the exhaust. GL :tup:

i think stock the engine is little harsh sounding from the inside. from the 2 times i have driven a 370z. but with a CAI, and exhaust i think it sounds really good.

There's a lot of people on these forums who should seriously consider whether the 370 is the right choice. With the constant b1tching about this and that, it would seem to an outsider that this is the worst car ever made. I really get sick of reading all the negativity.

I'm probably not alone...

I love my 370 the exhaust could be a little louder. So I bought some test pipes to fix that issue. I receive compliment after compliment on my car. I think you should just buy yourself a Mustang or a Camaro like everyone else. Don't join a forum just to bash a passion that everyone of us on this forum enjoy and love. Ya big girly man!!!