First Trackday Impressions

RCZ

Hi everyone,

Well, I am home safe with the Z after a beautiful day at the track. I purposely left the car completely stock for this first track event so I could get a good feeling for how the car behaves. The only thing I did have to change was the brake fluid, for safety reasons. I used the one thing my mechanic had available. Super BLUE, which isn't bad actually. I will divide the review into different sections to make it easier to read. As a disclaimer here, all my "ratings" are comparing the Z to other track worthy cars I've driven or been in around the track. (GT-R, GT3, STi, 350Z, etc...so a wide range.) I have a feeling some of you will find it a bit harsh, but then again, it is stock and the competition is rough.

Engine:

The engine in this car is a little hard to describe. Its not bad and its not weak, but it is a little lazy and it lacks punch in the bottom end. It vibrates a LOT at higher RPMs and it just doesn't feel all that refined. The exhaust is too quiet as well. I have to say I was racing in Advanced and everyone there had very fast cars with racing compounds; so I felt very slow today. I just need more power and more responsiveness from the engine. Definitely had to use all those revs to keep it in the power band. The fact that I didn't want to rev past 6k didn't help me much either (break in? lol) I didn't want to put 100% of the engine today, I'd say I used about 90% of it. So what it needs is a lighter flywheel, intake, exhaust and a supercharger. The other biggie was of course...engine oil temperature... what a pain in the ***, I didnt get more than 10 minutes into any of my 25 minute sessions because of overheating. I just took it back in and let it cool down, after all its still breaking in right? One thing that I think helped was to turn the heat on full blast... that apparently circulates the coolant through another radiator. I think it may have helped a bit, but it only delayed the inevitable. Oil cooler is going to be a huge mod for the 09 version of the car, maybe they will fix this ridiculous issue for '10. On the positive side...the engine is well matched to the transmission and it makes some nice power when it gets into the powerband at higher RPM. If you somehow manage to forget the vibration, it is a smooth engine. It delivers the power predictably and smoothly.
Rating 6/10.

Brakes:
OK, this one is going to help the overall average. The brakes on this car are much much better than I expected. As I said, the only thing I changed was the brake fluid so the setup was completely stock. There was no fading at all in any of the sessions. I could actually brake pretty late and the pedal was solid. The rotors held up and the brake pads were very good for stock street pads. Good job Nissan on this part. I am only going to change the pads and the brake lines here.
Rating 9/10

Tranmission:
The SRM system is very very very good. Made me feel as if i were driving sequential when downshifting. Just banging gears in and worrying more about the driving and my line. If you get this car in manual, get the sports package.
Now the gearbox is a slightly different story. The gates need to be better defined..I threw it into 2nd instead of 4th a couple times and lets just say the SRM didn't like that much. It just needs some shifter bushings to make it feel more precise and that should be the end of that issue. 5th to 4th wasn't as fun as it should be. I got stock in the space between 4th and 6th a couple times while trying to come from 5th to 4th. Again, bushings will help and a nice shorter throw lever would be nice...take note of that sponsors. Some transmission seat bushings would be nice to get rid of the play in the shifter once its in gear. The gear selection needs to be more defined and positive. In the grand scheme of things it isn't bad, but it could be better where it counts.
Rating 7.5/10

Suspension:
I could spend hours telling you about what needs to be done here, however I'm just going to keep it short and simple. It isn't bad, but those who are serious about the track are definitely going to have to start looking for aftermarket alternatives. There isn't much lean, but the dampening should be a little stiffer. It felt as if the car was wandering a bit and I could never get a real exact feeling of the steering. It felt a little floaty and inaccurate up front. It just needs a bit more oomph if you are into racing of any kind. The car did dive a bit under braking, but I did not experience any more unsettling weight transfers. In fact I did some abrupt weight shifting with the brakes and it still held on just fine. I just didn't feel as confident or connected as I want to feel. It needs to be a bit stiffer and more aggressive. They didnt feel bad though. It is pretty good for a stock car though I must say. I will definitely purchase coilovers/swaybars/control arms/race tires and whatever else is available for the car.
Rating 7/10

Steering/Alignment:
Steering is a bit "lost"... it didnt feel quite direct enough, but this is due to the entirely stock alignment. The alignment and the stiffer suspension will definitely liven up the car a bit and help it feel more responsive.
Rating 7/10

Overall:

I was relatively happy with the way the car performed today. There were a few aspects where I thought Nissan could have done a better job like the oil cooler and the damn engine vibration. It just felt like I was really straining the motor just by going up the revs. It seems to just beg you to shift to the next gear before it spins itself into pieces. Who knows, it may not be an engine issue, but rather a transmission issue. My next few mods oil cooler, power and coilovers. Obviously a nice alignment will come with the coils and any other changes I do. I feel like stiffening the suspension will really make this car a joy to drive. I was able to drift my way out of just about every corner...I mean the car allowed me to make it a fun slide or a nice soft four wheel drift into the edge of the track. It was actually controllable and fun to play around with on the edge. Enthusiasts will certainly like that aspect of the car.

The car got a good bit of attention, even with a caged, twin turbo 350Z next to it. I was surprised to get compliments like "gorgeous and beautiful" from Porsche owners and corvette owners alike. Other than the overheating, the car didn't complain at all. It is still tracking straight and with only a slight vibration on the highway, but that was due to race rubber all over my tires. Eventually it went away or I got used to it.

The tires are actually not all that bad. They let go pretty predictably and don't make much of a fuzz even when you have them lighting up on corner exit. If you don't want to spin them, a little less lock or fun-pedal and they hold pretty good. The stock setup is pretty neutral, with a tendency to oversteer when you really push it. It actually felt better in that regard than my STI did. The Z just wants to do what you tell it. The rev matching is glorious and works with the engine and the brakes beautifully. When you guys run it, leave just a little more tire pressure up front because the tires like to roll a little bit with the soft suspension.

Overall rating as a stock package.. 7.5/10. No thats not with a calculator, all the parts just added together to make a pretty well balanced, well sorted car. It needs to lose some weight, add some power and stiffen up a little bit. Some bits were a little frustrating, but overall the experience was very fun and very satisfying. This review shouldn't turn anyone of from buying the Z. As many of you know by now, I am a pretty harsh critic and I have high standards when it comes to this type of thing. There will be many for whom the stock performance is enough, for the rest of us, this is an AMAZING platform from which to start. Get modding.

I think that for the average folks all you're really going to need is a nice alignment, sway bars, camber control arms and some better suited springs. For the more track oriented folks, Coilovers, swaybars, camber control arms, corner balancing and a more aggressive alignment.

Oh yeah and one last thing, the diff is crap. I'm buying the first OS Giken diff that comes out.

Please ask me questions, there are a lot of other things to talk about and many many things I probably missed.

EDIT: The more time that goes by, the more I'm digesting the experience.. the review will probably change a bit over time.

RCZ

JeepGuy

Thanks for sharing your experience, the car looks gorgeous in those shots. Do you have any from the track?

LiquidZ

I haven't heard about the engine vibration issue before.

Good post!

Now I'm a little worried if the car will be as good as I thought it was for track use.

MikeGTO

Great pics, really shows off how the PG color varies in different light!

Can you be more detailed about your "stock diff is crap" remark? I'm actually thinking about buying a non-sport-pak car, without the diff. On a scale of 0-10, where "0" is "open diff" and "10" is "best LSD ever", how well does the VLSD work? Would it be good on the street even if it's not great on the track?

RCZ

I'd say its like a 3-4. This LSD is great on the street. It doesn't make noise and its quite smooth. If I had to rate it for street everyday driving then I'd say its a 7-8. However, on the track its a different story. There were so many times where I wish I had more control over when it was going to lock. It was a little frustrating that sometimes I could rotate the car using power to line it up on exit and then other times it just wouldn't lock. I just want more predictability you know. I made friends with a very very very fast professional driver and we were chatting about the whole VLSD thing and he agreed with me and told me he had recently done a side by side diff test and the OS Giken clutch type LSD is the winner for track performance. For autox and street, the Quaife seems to be a good choice. He was in a 996 GT2 absolutely eating up everything in his path. Very nicely done GT2 with Moton Suspension and, you guessed it, an OS Giken Diff.

par4bmw

Nice pics and excellent review. I particularly look forward to hearing how the engine feel changes as you go through your mods.

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RCZ

Definitely, I am going to give everyone updates on how mods change the feel of the car.

Josh@STILLEN

For what it's worth.. as simple as that photography is.. those are some of the best shots of the new Z I think I've seen. Very purposeful, and something we'll see a lot more of.. a Z in a pit stall waiting to hit the track. Very nice!

As with the other exploits we're seeing on the track with the 3.7L.. cooling is an issue, which we and others will definitely help to combat, we have something beefy in the works which should make your playtime a lot more fun.

If there is interest, hit me up, we're happy to work with folks willing to test and take things to the track. I know from what we're working on your described goals seem to fit in nicely with our plans with the 370Z.

Thanks for giving real-world feedback from a track perspective on the new Z.

drmike

Great post that's 100% honest, and 0% fanboy. I'll be watching you, RCZ.

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M.Bonanni

Nice review RCZ! Very honest, and pretty much what I expected in stock form. Saves me from keeping my car stock for my first track event to see how it does.

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Sharif@Forged

What oils temps were you seeing after 10 mins of hot laps? Nissan really needs to work on cooling issues with these cars, especially since they are SPORTS cars, that destined to be tracked and beaten up. The 350z cooks oil too.

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SoCal 370Z

Truly an excellent write-up and photo essay; a pleasure to read and view. Thank you very much.

Rep. points submitted. Thumbs-up...way up!

RCZ

Yeah I am interested and would be glad to test something out. I'll shoot you a PM.

You know, I was afraid people would get mad because I was being negative, but it seems that people can appreciate objectivity and that is very important.

Yeah haha, very true. I hope I've been able to help out.

I am posting HD videos of 4 of my runs yesterday and you can see the temperature gauge in all of them, you will see it go up. After 10 minutes I'd be around 280 degrees. It sucks, I'm really in need of a cooler.

Thanks man, much appreciated.

FairmanZ

Great write up and really nice pics. Thanks for sharing!

Based on your own review, I think your subjective overall score of 8/10 is way too generous. Maybe because you highlighted the car's issues more than the strengths, but the impression I got reading your review wasn't so positive. And that's taking the over heating issue aside, which in itself is a major major issue.

I do appreciate your honest review, terrific post.