370 vs 135
 

When they tested the 370 and 135 bmw, they were practically the same (0 to 60, quarter mile, braking and whatever else), you would think the 370 would do a little better due to having more hp than the 135. Is it the power to weight ratio or is it because the bimmer is turboed or does the bimmer get more power at lower rpm's or a combo of all of them?

My second question is, is it better to get more power in the lower rpm's or highter? What are the disadvantage and the advantage?
I asked this because the 370 needs to get really high in the rpm's to get the most power. Thanks.

Generally what you're looking for is a nice, broad power band with plenty down low. Peak power means nothing - you want the power spread out well throughout the WHOLE powerband, or a large chunk of it preferably. Peak power may sound cool because all you hear about is, "ZOMG I HIT 800 WHP TODAY" - nevermind the fact that at 5K RPM, it was making 200 WHP....5.5K RPM was 400 WHP...and 6K RPM was 700 WHP. Thats just an example really, and a typical power band you'd see in a BIG turbo car. The 370's powerband isnt bad, and i think with some tuning done to the VVTL system (getting it to open a bit sooner), it might spread that power out a bit better...

Anyway, I'd really have to see the power band, but its possible the 135 makes more power/torque down low, especially when the turbos kick in (which, being stockers, probably doesnt take too long...).

BTW, Im fairly sure the 370 won the fight in the handling department, hands down.

Sometimes we forget about
 

Torque. Torque is often described as the "seat of the pants feel" when accelerating. Small displacement engines are usually light on torque and need a lot of RPM's to obtain peak power at the highest RPM ranges. Larger engines feel the power when you punch it at lower RPM's. A phrase I heard once that makes sense is: Horsepower is how hard you hit the wall and Torque is how much of the wall you take with you....

I never heard this before. But I like it.

Anyway the 370z's torque is very low @ revs blow 5000 rpm,something like 363nm@5000rpm with shows that it needs revs to get going.

I don't think the answer to all this is a measly 30 ft/lbs of peak torque, when you could argue that the 370 has over 30 more HP up top, and seeing as as soon as you get going, the 370 would be living in its optimal power band the whole time its accelerating, giving it the overall nod. He said the 0-60 times were about the same if not identical (I cant remember off hand).

I think this really comes down to seeing the overall power bands on the 2 motors side-by-side. I'd be willing to bet the 370's low-end power is a bit of a handicap, but thats me. I think its holding the car back.

And there ya go. So, solve the low-end torque problem, and voila.

I have read two comparison tests. In both comparisons, the 370Z won -- but NOT on the performance criteria. In both tests, the 135 matched or exceeded the 370Z in performance in almost every parameter. If you went only by the clock, the 135 would have won both comparisons. But just barely.

Why did the 370Z win? In both cases, by purely subjective measures. Because the BMW is dog ugly. Because it is less fun (although, as fast or faster). Because it costs too much.

Well, based off the new numbers from the 7AT test (0-60 4.6 and 1/4 in 13.1), it is MUCH closer to the 135 and best it 0-60.

Also, the 135i NEVER had better handling numbers than the 370Z. ;)

When I wrote I was
 

speaking in general and not just about the 370Z and 135. When I think of larger torque numbers I think of the vette with over 400 ft.lbs.

The 135i is a good deal underrated. Dyno numbers will show the 135i putting out HP numbers that are similar to the 370Z. Oh and the 135i's torque curve is super flat with a large percentage of the torque coming on early in the powerband.

^ +1

The 135 will put out nearly 300 ft lb by 2000 rpm's. On the track it's not likely that you will be at 2000 rpm's.

If you want to bench race the two, the 135 and the 370Z have near identical acceleration times from 0-60, travel time to come to complete stop (the 135 has 6 piston brakes), and similar peak HP and TQ numbers.

However, the 370Z is said, according to several magazine reviews, to take the cake in skid pad tests and track times.

So lets compare the engines. The N54 is a beast of an engine. The stock power band on that engine is near linear. It responds very well to mods. For a twin turbo engine, its a doesn't have a problem with turbo lag and both turbos spool very quickly. Keep in mind, at stock settings the boost is only at 6psi which is fairly conservative for a twin turbo engine.

The VQ37HR is an NA engine. great power band as well. At this point it comes to drivers preference. Do you like the feel of a turbo car or NA. Rule of thumb goes that turbo cars have great high end power. If you take a look at some turbo dyno queens, the powerbands look like linear graphs. However, NA engines are known for having instantaneous power on tap. A well tuned NA car can do probably do circles around a typical "dyno queen" turbo engine powered car.

I've test drove both cars. You're not really gonna feel the difference comparing low ends of the car. If this is your daily driver, you don't want something that snaps your neck every time you accelerate from a stop light, or seem like its gonna launch into the car in front of you in stop and go traffic. Neither of these will do it.
My only gripe with the 135 was this: The 135 has a shorter wheel base than the 370. It also doesn't sit as low as the 370. This causes it to fall below in handling performance than the 370. Comparing the drive between the two, I personally enjoyed the ride in the 370. It felt more sports oriented, exhilarating, and more willing to slighshot around corners.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I hope this helps.

But on city driving,this will be much better.

Have you test driven the 335? If so, what do you think about the 335 compared to the 370

The 335 is heavy and more of a family oriented luxury sedan/coupe, with its 40K plus price tag is unfair to be comparing this car with the Z.

In the 135-Z comparison the price tag is similar, the performance is almost the same, the deciding factor comes up to the driver and if you have made some mods.

But again people can say that they are different cars since the Z is a 2 seater sports car, and the 135 is a true 4 seater luxury coupe. So it depends on what do you need.

As much as i love to drive my Genesis, a 135 with a simple Jb3 upgrade will kick my ***, but if I encounter a Z I may try to catch up and hope that it overheats :tup:

:bowrofl: :bowrofl:

The thing is that the torque curve is super flat from that point until almost close to redline.

Ok, that was pretty funny. :owned:

IMHO: Two completely different animals. The Z is a genuine sportscar, the 1 a genuine cut-price GT in subcompact format.

Your comparing a sports car to a sports coupe.

I drove both the 135i and 370Z extensively over a few weeks time.

I love both cars for various and different reasons.. I think they are BOTH a sound buy.

The biggest factors you need to think about are going to be:

-Do you need a back seat?

-Are you going to leave your cars stock? Lots of risk toying around with a Turbo vehicle (I've blown a few in my time)

-How important are looks to you? The BMW is very very low key.. it's got a look that says "I'm your average BMW, nothing more".. 370Z screams "I'm an attention whore, look at me!!"

-Do you value handling more straight line performance? 370Z will out handle the 135i in stock fashion all day long and every day.

-Options on the BMW will destroy all your hopes and dreams about keeping the cost down.. If you equip the 135i just like the STANDARD features of the 370Z.. it will end up costing you an extra 4 grand or more. However, I will say a fully loaded 135i is a bit nicer than a fully loaded Z sans the Navigation.. Nissan's Navi system is leaps and bounds better than BMWs iDrive + GPS system. BMW has a few options (which all cost extra) such as the electronic folding mirrors (god I loved these for parking in garages) and a telescopic steering wheel which is nice for various sized folks and don't forget the heated mirrors, windshield wipers and steering wheel if you please. So many awesome features at a HUGE premium.

-Mod for mod, 135i will out pace the Z, at a cost of reliability.. You'll contract "Boost fever" and risk blowing turbos and your engine.

On a personal note, the BMW was much nicer commuting in than the Z is... there's no blind spots like I have on the Z and it was overall a more lofty, floaty ride and the Z is rock-hard and you feel every bump in the road along the way.

The Z fits like a glove and the BMW felt a little less wrapped around my body..

Price kept me away from the 135i at the end when a fully equipped model was 46k and the Z was 37k. I couldn't deal with paying 9 thousand more dollars.. just didn't seem worth it.

-Div