370z vs 335i Coupe

BLM

So then a sports car needs to be less than 3000 lbs? A sport base Z weights 40 pounds more than a Porsche gt2. Miata's, elise's, and s2k's are nice and light and that makes them easier to drive and handle better. I think it's philosophical semantics.

__________________
K&N // GTM // BERK

theDreamer

Hey, she has big thighs, why you hatin?

__________________
theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN
theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY
Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Red__Zed

If you're going to call it a pure sports car, I expect 10lbs/horse, and no unnecessary things like AC.

Red__Zed

I lub da curves, she's just not cut out as a supermodel

BLM

Ok then. So every Porsche except a GT3RS is not a pure sports car. Got it...

I think youre confusing a pure sports car with a track prepped race car. Anyone who seriously races a car will remove the AC, power steering, ABS, etc. But you can do that to any race prepped track car and call it race ready. Doesn't make it a sports car.

__________________
K&N // GTM // BERK

Red__Zed

Nope. A sports car can still have things like a full interior.


You can keep believing your nissan is a purebred sports car if you want. The S2000 came a whole lot closer to being a real sports car than this Z ever will, and I still wouldn't call it a pure sports car.

Push370zzz

And the guy with a budget sport coupe is? A sports car it is, but a "pure sports car" it is not. A GT3/GT2 and/or the RS variants, F430, 458 Italia, Viper ACR-X, GT-R, etc... would be a pure sports car in my opinion. What do these all have in common? They aren't $29,000.

The Z can't even last on a race track more than a few laps without putting on an oil cooler and upgraded brake pads! Even my pathetic little girly 1 series lasted for a good 25 minutes on the track with stock everything...and an extra 80 hp meaning additional heat everywhere.

So you tell me, does a "purebred sports car in every sense of the word" not come with adequate cooling and stopping components from the factory? Or does that just mean that Nissan doesn't believe it is, either?

That being said, I still love the 370z. It is a great package for the money, and I'd say the best thing under Cayman S prices if you're looking for an attractive, quick, and reasonably comfortable sports car.

__________________
Range Rover Sport Supercharged
Nissan 370z Touring + Sport

AlphaSnacks

Don't turbo 1/3/5 series overheat if pushed hard, too?

Not arguing, just asking.

shumby

yes and go into limp mode. C&D had it happen testing the 2 on the track. I think it was the G not the Z though

__________________
Originally Posted by SAM@GTM
Engine detonation is not normal and it should never never happen, and whoever told that need to do something else for living .
Sam

Push370zzz

I ran my 135 at my track on Friday with stock everything (including engine oil, brake fluid, etc...) except my piggyback tune which adds around 80 hp. I did 25 minutes at a time out there, pushing the car the entire time. The brakes did not fade and the motor stayed at around 280 degrees (340 is limp mode on these cars) the entire time. This was about 15-20 laps each session, maybe 20 minutes between sessions, 4 times. I couldn't honestly lay down 5 continuous hard laps with the Z without some major brake fade or my clutch overheating pretty bad.

I put my setups and lap times here too:

Car / Anticipated Crank HP / Modifications / Best Lap / Top Track Speed:
370z / 332 bhp / R-Comps, HP+ pads / 1:50.7 / 119 mph
370z / ~355 bhp / hotchkis sways, R-Comps, HP+ pads, high flow cats, stillen exhaust / 1:46.5 / 124 mph

135i / 300 bhp (Probably more like 250) / M3 front sway / 1:57.4 / 114 mph
135i / ~370 bhp (Probably more like 320) / JB4 map 5, M3 front sway / 1:53.1 / 122 mph

The above laps by the 1 had some serious heat soak. I also only had access to 91 octane, with 100 octane it can run more boost and the hp goes up to about 400 bhp. The car pulls much harder on the street than the 370 did, which was confirmed by some DynoMaster for Android runs showing sub 10 second 0-100 times, where the Z could do around 12 seconds. Unfortunately, it does need some sort of intake temp cooling to hold the higher HP on the track. No problem on the street when you only do bursts of acceleration, but on the track the intake temps really hurt the FI engine (just power wise). This did not seriously affect the driveability of the car, but it did have a very noticeable loss in power. Luckily, my methanol injection kit will not only dramatically reduce intake temps, but will effectively give 105+ octane gas as well, allowing for much more boost. I hope to find a 370z to race on the track once I get my R-Comps and meth kit installed, it should be a pretty close race if he has the same setup I used to have on my old Zizzle

__________________
Range Rover Sport Supercharged
Nissan 370z Touring + Sport

BLM

I'm not going to argue with you man. If you think price is what determines a pure sports car that's fine. Anyone taking any car on a track that doesn't come standard with drilled/slotted rotors is still going to upgrade the lines, fluids, and cooling system. And even still, with pads, stainless lines, and an oil cooler, you're tacking a grand total of $1000 onto the price of the car. Why didn't Nissan add an OEM oil cooler to the Z? I really don't know. All I do know is that I bought my car from the largest volume Nissan dealer in PA and even they had trouble locating a hard-top, manual model for me. Why? Because they were getting flooded with people (lots of women) looking for automatic convertible models, and that's what the factory was pumping out. I have yet to see a female in a 370Z, but that's what they were telling me. So if you're never pushing the car and just using it as a cheap roadster, you can get away without an oil cooler. Why the Nismo didn't have one, that I can't explain at all. It should have at least been available as a dealer option.

I do agree that all the cars you mentioned are pure sports cars. But I also think this has taken such a ridiculous turn in terms of semantics. The 370Z is a sports car. The Lotus elise is certainly more "pure" in the sense that it is stripped down and has no real interior. So is the GT2/GT3/RS models.

Oh and Red Zed...you say the s2k is more of a pure sports car? Why would anyone build a "sports car" with the only model being a convertible. You're automatically weaking the chassis by doing that, and if you choose to add chassis re-inforcement under the car, you're adding weight. So, just because the s2k is small, light, and makes 120 hp/liter, I would contest that the fact it is only offered as a convertible kind of kills it as a pure sports car.

Cars like the Porsche 918 and Audi R8 spyder's have extra chassis re-inforcement but it adds weight. They can obviously make up for the power:weight ratio by offering well over 500 bhp. And if a pure sports car belongs on a track, why then would it be a convertible (more drag, less chassis rigidity, less safety). Of course adding a roll cage makes this a moot point, but last time I checked the s2k doesn't come with a cage as a factory option. And the aforementioned supercar sypders were actually designed in wind tunnels to incorporate the structure into the aerodynamics. I just don't know who would want to have the wind whipping around them going 140 mph.

__________________
K&N // GTM // BERK

b1adesofcha0s

So what the hell is the definition of a "pure" sports car? Small, light, stripped out, high hp?

__________________
Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) | Uprev Tune by AAM Competition | Berk Exhaust
Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) | Corsa Xtreme Exhaust

Push370zzz

The point is, the 370z is just a budget sports car. You called it a "pure sports car in every sense of the word", to which we were just pointing out that it's not in any way a pure sports car. Nissan had a chance to make the Nismo a real track/sports car, but instead added a marginal power increase, barely stiffer suspension, and a weird body kit. That says to me that Nissan really is just catering to the masses (namely women, just like the 1 series ) with the 370 and the looks of the car are the most important part. I love the looks of the 370 and it has a real presence on the road, but Nissan clearly doesn't feel that it is a car that is supposed to be on the racetrack (if at all) more than the street.

__________________
Range Rover Sport Supercharged
Nissan 370z Touring + Sport

theDreamer

__________________
theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN
theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY
Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Red__Zed

The s handles and feels more like a pure sports car. Some people will argue that a car must be a roadster to qualify as a sports car, asl well.

If you agree the lotus is more pure, I think we are done here. I was just responding to your "pure sports car in every sense" comment.