Originally Posted by Armonster (Post 1335219)

I'm with IC on this one. It's not as if the Z has set the benchmark for a perfectly balanced car in the first place. It's only when all the competition has over 400 hp that people will start saying "oh yeah, well the Z is more balanced!" That's just another way of saying underpowered. Think of it this way: if the suspension/brakes/chassis of the Z are great, then the car could handle 400 hp and still be "balanced." To say that the car wouldn't be balanced with that much hp is just saying that the rest of the car is not up to the task. It just doesn't seem like a winning proposition either way.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Z - that's why I don't want to see it fall behind.

Originally Posted by Red__Zed (Post 1335204)

Chris, thats probably true--if you can use both cars to the full potential, the z has more grip. Unfortunately, there are a lot of factors that prevent that a lot of the time. The z often doesn't have enough power to balance out coming through a dramatic decreasing radius, or any turn that has a high speed exit but requires a low speed entry. Even when you're able to get things to line up, it often requires juggling gears unnecessarily to get the car back in the powerband- which is fine if you're just looking for one hot lap, but tough if you're trying to compete. On a related note, aggressive trail braking is incredibly dangerous in a stock z as a result, since you often can't get on the gas enough to balance the car.

Of course, like I said before...this is all moot in a modded z. The nice thing about the z is it picks up a ton of time from little things...swapping the rear sway, front camber arms, and snagging beefier front tires makes it an entirely different animal.

Originally Posted by Cmike2780 (Post 1335251)

Dude, I never said "oh yeah, well the Z is more balanced!"

I meant that even though it's certainly not lacking in the "balanced" department, it make for a better sports car if they focus improving that aspect instead of just dumping a turbo or supercharger. Nissan needs to make the Z truly lighter (closer to 3k lbs) & bump up the torque and hp without going FI.

Cars like the Elise/Exige, though not particularly powerfull when you just look at the engine spec., are quick when you see the whole package. That's kind of where I want Nissan to go with the next Z. It's certainly feasable considering how the 370 evolved from the 350. If you only look at the power bump, it's only a 26hp increase. We all know by now, how much faster the 370 is, so logic would tell you its not just more power.

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks (Post 1335258)

I tracked the car stock with just sway bars and didn't really find that to be an issue. Some tracks the gearing just seems to be wrong but that can happen at any track with any car, on the most part I find the gear spacing pretty good. I would never complain about a little more power, mostly the area under the curve (wider power/torque band) is what would make the car easier to drive fast.

Originally Posted by shadoquad (Post 1335359)

From a driver perspective, I don't think this car needs more power, really, to be an enjoyable car to drive. I love everything about the Z owner, Z driver experience.

From a marketing perspective, I agree with most everyone here that Nissan has to do something for the Z to survive (unless they just keep it like a phantom limb like the RX8).

It doesn't have to be more power or better handling, either. It could be something tech savvy or aesthetically pleasing. They just can't rest on their laurels anymore. It doesn't best its rivals at the track and has only two seats.

Originally Posted by partsguy (Post 1335398)

I agree to a point... most people, buy the Z to drive (not to race). So saying it loses at the track is a moot point, really. But Nissan does need to do a little more tech-savy "stuff" to the ride to catch up with competitors.

Originally Posted by b1adesofcha0s (Post 1335428)

Yes but a lot of people buy it because of its performance. If it's performance can not match up with it's competitors then it will lose a lot of sales because it it. Not saying everyone is like that, but a lot of people look at that when deciding what car to buy.

Originally Posted by partsguy (Post 1335432)

Agreed.... BUT.... dollar for dollar(?) The Z has great value.

Originally Posted by ImportConvert (Post 1335647)

The V6 mustang matches most of it's performance numbers on the track, or comes very close. That's not okay.

Originally Posted by ImportConvert (Post 1335647)

The V6 mustang matches most of it's performance numbers on the track, or comes very close. That's not okay.

Originally Posted by ImportConvert (Post 1335647)

The V6 mustang matches most of it's performance numbers on the track, or comes very close. That's not okay.

Originally Posted by Red__Zed (Post 1335663)

Telling them that doesn't go over well here:icon17:

Originally Posted by Alchemy (Post 1335668)

That might be true but in order to drive a mustang w a v6 you need breasts and some other female specific parts.