370Z Nismo Test Drive, Slightly Disappointed Coming From A 350

travisjb

I've had that feeling before... I remember going from my first gen rx7 to second gen... it was a better car, but i was just USED TO the old one... give it time - what you're describing is more related to what you are used to... you might even want to go out and drive some radically different feeling cars like a corvette, 911, etc... will help you put it all in perspective

At the end of the day, remember that a bone stock 370 gets around a typical track many seconds faster than a bone stock 350. It IS a better performing car whether it feels that way to you or not.

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

zilent_jay

Begin rant.

When I first got the car it didn't seem quite right, but I attributed it to the point you make.... being so used to the 350 (had it for 5 years)... I thought I just needed time to adjust. But as time has gone by (7,000 miles on the 370), I feel more and more disconnected. I'm really trying to like it, and there are definitely a lot of things I DO like... it's just weird. I really should like this car more than I do.

Stock for stock it's no doubt faster in the twisties. I'm not seeing a huge difference in straight line acceleration though, not the kind I would like to see at least. The flat torque curve is pretty impressive, it's as flat as kansas, but it's a double edged sword. It doesn't feel fast. You never feel a peak or a surge. To top it off, it really isn't all that fast. My base DE stock ran a 14.1@99mph. This car ran a 14.0@101.5 with a better 60ft. I got about 20 passes in. I was getting perturbed I couldn't justify the helmet I was wearing, so I started power shifting instead of speed shifting to no avail. Despite the fact I am at 1054ft altitude, and the ambient conditions were fairly different, to me it's pretty disappointing. After I dropped about 150lbs from my DE(which was already ligher to begin with), spent less than $400 in breathing mods, I was running 13.7 @ 104. In a stright line I surprised a lot of people. Modded it felt faster, and it definitely was (DA conversions applied). I was a little relieved that my butt dyno wasn't lying to me. On the road courses I passed up the HR's in the straights and out-braked them at the end. In the twisties it was mostly even to a slight disadvantage because my open end differential didn't allow me to power around-out of turns and they all had the VLSD's. I have yet to track the 370, but I'm curious how it will stand up on the same tracks compared to my slightly modded 350.

Speaking of VLSD, that brings me to another point. When is nissan going to offer up a model with a REAL LSD? Even the Nismo 370 gets the same glorified open end. What gives? Personally I almost assume not have a LSD at all unless it's a mechanical/clutch type, but that's just me.

The side view mirrors are an absolute design flaw. They are designed to where you cannot see your blind spots, which is the entire point of having side view mirrors. I don't need 3 mirrors to see behind me, then again, the rear view is pretty horrid too.

The gas lid. I hate having to push on the paint to get to the filler. Granted the latch on my 350z stuck all the time and I would pop the hatch and pull the lever (real easy since it was gutted), I'd rather they just improve the existing design. The location of the filler is also in a really dumb position. A lot of pumps practically rest on the exterior of the car... too close for comfort. Every time I get gas I feel like doing a face palm.

Handling? This car definitely grips harder, as long as the surface is smooth. When you are cornering at decent speeds and hit a significant bump... you go sailing, and the recovery process is not always a pleasant one. My 350z stayed MUCH more composed in these situations. I'm not sure if this is because of the reworked suspension, more unsprung weight, wider tires, or all of the above, but I don't like it.

The buick/boat like front to back weight transfer is also weird. I'm sure they did that to make the car faster from a standing start, I just don't see it as being necessary for this kind of car. It loses that flat go-kart-like feeling. On the bright side brake dive seems a bit improved.

The car also doesn't like to rotate, mainly due to wider tires. Once it does decide to rotate though, it comes around a lot faster, due to the shorter wheelbase. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a difference I have noticed. I guess it's a little less fun if you are trying to have some fun without going balls out.

The gauges are pretty retarded. In some conditions the gas/water temp gauges are impossible to read, and the gauge that only functions as a clock is absolutely useless. I'd rather have a meaningful gauge.

The stereo - I deleted the stereo from my 350 after it ate a CD. I never missed it because I'm not much of an audiophile. But jeebus, I must say, this stereo system sucks pretty bad. Granted it is a base model, and nissan always skimps the stereos in base model anythings.... having 4 front speakers, pathetic ones at that, and a head unit that seems as if it was from the 80's seems a bit ridiculous to me.

Seats? These seats are more tailored to the typical american fat-*** / meat head. The 350s seats hugged me and did a good job and keeping me in my seat when at the limits. These seats are designed to be more comfortable for bigger people at the expense of normal sized people. I don't feel sucked in. (the fact the seat clicks and moves side to side is another thread)

Overall, to me it feels like less of a drivers car and more bland... tailored for the masses... despite the looks and numbers on paper.

I think I will have to get bit by the mod bug before this car is going to grow on me.

travisjb

those are all fair points IMO... and no question this car was designed for the masses... check out my journal to see all the mods i'm doing to overcome these shortfalls... you can get a OSG or Carbonetic real diff for <$1,500. some lighter drivetrain parts and wheels tires to get engine responsiveness. stiffer suspension will help weight transfer. I'm putting in a spa water temp / oil pressure gauge in place of clock - not too much money. base model + $5,000 mods is money well spent. beyond that base model + $10,000-15,000 = legit race car...

The oft discussed counterpoint to this is, 'why didn't nissan just build it right to begin with?'... but of course this IS a mainstream car and all us performance junkies are going to either have to mod it or go buy a porsche or lotus or ...

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

mook

or 06/07 BMW M coupe? That's what I ended up with. 07 CPO with 4 years of warranty/100,000 miles (and they even pay for the oil changes) ran me 37k. 06 will run 32k about.

To me it was more fun than a Cayman S. May not beat the Z on the track (almost sure it won't), but it feels faster and is more fun for me than any other car I drove. The engine is bloody amazing! American mags didn't like it much, but the Brits love the thing. Check out this review that helped me make up my mind: BMW Z4 M Coupe vs Porsche Cayman S - Feeling the burn - Top Gear - right on the money
Oh, and the thing comes with a concierge button... wtf!

Sardis

I feel you on the Z4M. Driven it and loved it. Oddly, one of the best times I've had driving a car, was at the BMW Cancer Drive, when I was handed the keys to a simple Z4 3.0 with sports pack. I didn't expect much, but I bonded with that car. That M engine is a dream. The Z engine has all the tech, but the M engine has that and refinement.


To the op, I understand. It's hard coming from a 350, because the 370 is an evolution, the 350 sort of rocked the spot when it hit. I went to the Mitsu dealer to buy an EVO and they had a 350, drove it and bought it instantly.


My thinking is like this. The 350 may have more of an instant payoff, but the 370 is going to be even better when you start throwing some mods at it.

Everyone misses that torquey rush of the DE, but damn does it fall flat after that.

What I love about the 370 is you really get rewarded for some mods on it as evidenced on this forum. With the 350 DE you didn't get much for bolt ons, where as the 370 you can unlock its inner glory.

I agree on the seats, I loved the seats on the 350. They have certainly changed them for rotund Americans. I really wish they would throw some Recaros in there, like many other brands are doing.

For me the Z still represents an amazing bargain... A very focused performance car that can be unlocked for more and a great combination of many other cars in just the right package.

I am a bit puzzled by the times this car is putting out. I am reminded of the 97+ NSX with the 3.2 and 290 claimed hp. Multiple tests all had the car running around a 13 flat or even a 12.9 with very tight traps of 108-110. I know it weighs less, but you would think you would see the car falling off on the traps, but it doesn't.

Is it the tolerances, I would just expect this car to always nail a 106+. I know this is dangerous because of conditions etc, but I never had difficulty nailing the stock time in my Supra of 13.4 13-5 and 105 to 106.

Anyway this car is awesome, and I am very thankful to Nissan for producing it. We can say whatever want about the fine engineering over at Honda and Toyota, but they for the most part have abandoned their sports car efforts, whilst Nissan is still producing two high performance cars.

Forrest

i say this every time and nobody believes it.
my 05 350z had very hard suspension and it was stiff on bumps.
my 09 370z has a very soft and cushion suspension over bumps.

i Would guess a soft suspension over bumps is worse than a hard one?

My ideal suspension would NOT be lowered but stiffer like my 350z.

Pharmacist

Shouldn't the opposite be true? I'd imagine softer suspension would help keep the tire hugging the road even when the car rebounds upwards, while a harder suspension would make the tire and car bounce upwards after everybump, and reduce the contact patch of the tire with the ground.

travisjb

the bumpier the course/road the more compliance desired... but if you are on a track that has few bumps, you want a BRICK!

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2009 370Z #104
*For Sale*

xfrgtr

NIZMOZ

I disagree as I have tracked mine vs a normal 350z. It is not that small of gains as you may think. It is well balanced and really performs well on the track. On the street there is not much of a gain at all that you will notice.

Now the 370z NISMO has less stuff than the 350Z NISMO got that helps handling. So it's not as noticeable of a move as the 350z was to the NISMO.

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SOLD: 2007 NISMO 350Z #0044 Silver Alloy
New DD: 2010 Titan Pro4X CC

NIZMOZ

350z vs 370z model's yep. NISMO vs NISMO nope. It seems the 350z NISMO actually has been better in all the tests and it might be due to the seam welds.

__________________
SOLD: 2007 NISMO 350Z #0044 Silver Alloy
New DD: 2010 Titan Pro4X CC

xfrgtr

Could you show me the 350 vs 370 nismo test?
Because according to road and track the 370 nismo is faster than the 350 nismo(0 to 60,1/4 mile).

NIZMOZ

NISMO 350Z had higher slalom speeds in the test vs the 370z nismo tests from the same magazines as of recent. Please search. I wasn't talking about 0-60/1/4 either.

__________________
SOLD: 2007 NISMO 350Z #0044 Silver Alloy
New DD: 2010 Titan Pro4X CC

xfrgtr

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d...nda-Nissan.pdf
350 nismo Speed thru 700-ft slalom 69.4 mph

Road & Track Magazine - Road Test Update: 2010 Nismo 370Z (9/2009)
370 nismo Speed thru 700-ft slalom 69.9 mph

NIZMOZ

Yep and the NISMO did 71.X mph. Thank ya.

New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews and Pricing - Edmunds.com

I have also driven both cars, and sorry but the 370z doesn't handle like my car does and it's softer too.

__________________
SOLD: 2007 NISMO 350Z #0044 Silver Alloy
New DD: 2010 Titan Pro4X CC