Now in a Stingray, Z end of an Era

Spooler

If could have got an allocation for a ZR1 that is what I would be in today instead of dumping what I did in my Z. Old farts and douche bags got them. LOL
The C7 drives like a Z. That is why I like it. The older Corvettes drove like crap. Not impressed at all.

ImportConvert

Say what? My Z drove like an oversprung Altima. My C6 Z06 drove like a sports car.

Spooler

Everybody's tastes are different. Corvette's prior to the C7 sucked.

ImportConvert

I get that taste varies, but when the car just can't stay planted because it lacks any semblance of rebound control, it's more objective than subjective.

Spooler

What did you have? The Covered Wagon 370z. LOL

ImportConvert

2012 Touring with Sport package. Every time you hit an expansion joint or anything in a corner (such as on a bridge), the back end would dance around, scoot sideways a few inches. My Dad hated riding with me, and I found it rather odd, as none of my other cars from my 1988 GT to my 2011 Z06 did it, and my Jeep and CX5 (both of them) afterward didn't do it. For 2013 they supposedly fixed the Z's suspension with better shocks/struts though, so I dunno if later years had this under-damping issue. All I know is that it was the worst "behaved" car I've owned since my 1988 GT (which had some nasty habits with a huge cam, max power at 6K+, and 4.10's out back with a 3.27 first and factory width rims, lol!)

Anyway, I remember the steering input on my 370Z being similar to the CX5 I have now. Sharp, but not "razor". My Z06 was razor. You ask it to do something, it did it THEN! Not when the body stopped the tiny bit of roll induced by the quick turn. THEN. No waiting. As firm as the Z06 was though, it handled bumps way better than the 370Z. I lived in Shreveport, LA at the time, and the roads were terrible. The Z06, I could hit a bump on the highway and it would just soak it up. The 370Z, if I hit the same bump (before you ask, go to that shithole and drive around. The roads are concrete and done in "sections" to account for expansion...well it didn't. So they ground them down, and the result is a very "wavy" highway with some serious "rolls" in it) at the same or even lower speeds, I would lose traction and get a TSC light flicker out of it. This also translated t o bumps mid-corner, like expansion joints, etc. They upset t he 370 greatly. The Z06, you knew they were there, but it didn't lift the tires and skip. In short, the 370Z seemed like how a child thought a suspension should be "Make it stiff! Springs springs springs!!!" The Z06 and almost every other performance vehicle and even my CX5s have been much more mature, in the sense that if they were sprung forcefully, they were also VERY well damped. You didn't have a "jittery" suspension that had what felt like a very small range of motion. You had a very taut suspension that felt like it articulated a lot, and shocks and struts that damped that motion so as to prevent the car from "bouncing all over". On a perfect surface like a skidpad or a test track or auto X, the issues don't show up. Daily driving, they were and are very apparent. It was also readily apparent cresting hills at high speeds or dips. The 370Z gets really light on its feet after the suspension compression if you don't properly brake to damp it. Other vehicles, much less so.

Spooler

That explains it. Shreveport, Louisiana. Louisiana roads are horrible.

UNKNOWN_370

My thing with the 370z was taking corners... I fixed it's shortcomings with the koni shocks n swift spec R springs and the eibach sways set in the middle setting. That pretty muchbsorted out all its problems for about $2k. Stoptech used to sell a brake upgrade kit for the Z. Which improved my brake modulation coming in and out of a corner.
As far as steering. The Z in my opinion was TELEPATHIC. Not almost, not kinda. Very telepathic. The only car I've driven with better steering was the giulia and the Mercedes amg gts. Im even gonna go as far as to stay The Z steering feel is better than a 911.

Im in a camaro 2ss with MRC which is the grand sport corvette suspension. The 1LE widens the tires stiffened the springs and lowers the car by an inch, getting 1.2g vs the 1.1g I pull in my car.
The SS and stringray was designed to benchmark the 1LE and Z06 of last generation while the Z06 and 1LE surpass the performance of the MRC SS and stingray... The z06 and 1LE of last gen was already destroying most of what was out there for the 1st time in a while... And it's gotten better now. These cars are great. And obviously are going to eclipse a Z... But that said. A Z with those minimalistic mods I mentioned and with its short wheelbase and size? It's hard to beat as an overall drivers car feel!! I mean yeah. It needs an exhaust to give it life for your senses. But it's overall drive and steering feel is way above its weight class. And the New Nismos are really well sorted out. Nissan has made a more refined Z even though they haven't given updates you can see... They've added finesse to the handling. Maybe you guys just really weren't built for the Z or didn't understand the Z. I'll admit though. You have to mod the Z slightly to be optimum. But even stock it was well sorted. It feels so good you don't mind performing small mods for big gains in handling enhancement. The Z is a canvas to a true enthusiast.

__________________
Favorite Quote.
"I'm not gonna kill you... I'm just gonna Bash Your Face In" Jack Nicholson-"The Shining". 1980

Spooler

LOL, I didn't sell my Nismo. Not gonna either. The C7 Corvette handles more like a Z. The stock C7 Grand Sport suspension is better than a stock Nismo. Mine has been modded though.

ImportConvert

Eh, my Z was far from telepathic or well sorted. Like my cx5 better in thebhandling dept, even if the narrow tires give obviouslwer limits, its better behaved and more intuitive. Im thinking your opinion comes from your mods, which sound rather likely to have fixed the issues I had with it.

UNKNOWN_370

I drove my Z 6 months b4 I modded it...
It drove better than all the muscle cars of last generation. Better than the Audi TT and BMW Z4. It was only overshadowed by the Porsche Cayman. At the time I hadn't driven a 911. Modding it only made it better. Maybe you had a defective car? I don't know...

But I'm still perplexed you're comparing a Mazda to a Z.. It's just so friggin apples to oranges it's ridiculous. Put 332 hp in your cx5 n see how uncontrolled and lacking poise it has. It's easy to feel sorted with 180hp. It's n I t hard to get great handling in a 4 banger. I've driven Kia Rio's with great performance vigor on mountain roads? Does that make it in the same class as a Z? Smh...

You're pretty delusional right now my man. I mean really... I'm glad you're enjoying life and enjoying your batcave lifestyle. And being the former owner of an FD RX7 I know Mazda is amazing with handling. I'm sure your CUV feels great for what it is... But it's nowhere near the same as a Z. The powertrain pushes the wrong end. You're not gonna take curvy roads in the triple digits comfortably. It's not that type of vehicle... And you're not gonna convince anyone that a cx5 is comparable to a Z.

__________________
Favorite Quote.
"I'm not gonna kill you... I'm just gonna Bash Your Face In" Jack Nicholson-"The Shining". 1980

ImportConvert

Hrmm...my CX5 has 250hp/310tq and is AWD. Where did you get your specs from?

The only way I'll own a vehicle anymore is if it's "pushed" from both ends. AWD is superior, IMO, especially in inclement weather, etc.

That said, it's more composed and better sorted than the 370Z ever dreamed of being (mine, anyways, 2012 Sport/Touring). That does not mean it was objectively faster, just that it was much better executed, and doesn't skitter and dance and break loose and bounce around like a pogo-stick when you encounter irregularities like the Z does. A vehicle doesn't have to turn better lap times, etc. to be better sorted. The Z is definitely faster, its suspension is just woefully underdamped compared to every other vehicle I've owned, including my CX5. I can upset a 370Z without even applying the gas beyond maintaining speed. Just give it a dip or irregularity and watch it step sideways/lose traction. My Dad hated going out to supper with me if we took the Z because it did it on overpasses just cruising at the speed limit. Unnerving.

As to the triple digits and curvy roads...well, depends on the road and all that, pretty subjective, your statement there.

My advice is go to a dealer and drive a CX5 GTR/Sg model. It won't surprise you with the speed with only 250bhp but the suspension might make you take notice, and 310# of torque at 2000rpm sure is nice.

Cyber370

Wow, we now are comparing CX5's to a Z. So, it wasn't an April fools joke after all. I don't even have words.

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"That’s when you know you’ve found somebody special. When you can just shut the f*ck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.”-Mia (Pulp Fiction)

Spooler

I guess so. Like comparing an 84K Vette GS to a 38k 370z. LOL it is truly comical.

FPenvy

...........i wasn't gonna jump into this thread. However, did you really compare a CX5 to a Z and go even further to say it has better handling? i think it may have been in need of a driver mod if thats your findings

what in the actual fuck i hope you're just trolling.

if serious.

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