So I drove a 370Z today...
05-11-2013, 03:21 PM
#1
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So I drove a 370Z today...
Was taking my 2006 350Z 6MT Touring convertible in for an oil change. Has 51K miles. I walk in from the service writers area into the show room.
See this Nismo. Didn't drive it, because I'd like to keep the navi and power leather seats. Drove a red base stick shift and a blue Touring 7AT.
Amazing machines. Wow
See this Nismo. Didn't drive it, because I'd like to keep the navi and power leather seats. Drove a red base stick shift and a blue Touring 7AT.
Amazing machines. Wow
Last edited by Slyguy_38; 05-11-2013 at 03:30 PM.
05-11-2013, 03:32 PM
#2
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I had a similar experience but had the GF murano in…I took a non-nismo…I wasnt overly impressed. It had good power but it felt heavy and bigger than expected…I had it for maybe 30minutes and it was fun but I still prefer my 350.
05-11-2013, 06:07 PM
#3
I have driven different versions on the track.
The 370 generally performs better than the 350 but the difference never "blew me away". (until the Nismo 370Z)
The Nismo 370 was/is awesome. I have driven all the different HP versions of the 350/370 and the Nismo 370 was the first time the gas pedal really got my attention over previous Z's.
And then there's the handling of the 370Z. I still can't believe that Nissan's lawyers let that think leave the factory with that setup. (virtually no understeer) Stock, out of the box, the Nismo 370 turns NOW, like right now.
My only gripe about the "regular" 370 is that it seems to need an oil cooler for extended hard driving and that would bump me way out of stock class.
The 370 generally performs better than the 350 but the difference never "blew me away". (until the Nismo 370Z)
The Nismo 370 was/is awesome. I have driven all the different HP versions of the 350/370 and the Nismo 370 was the first time the gas pedal really got my attention over previous Z's.
And then there's the handling of the 370Z. I still can't believe that Nissan's lawyers let that think leave the factory with that setup. (virtually no understeer) Stock, out of the box, the Nismo 370 turns NOW, like right now.
My only gripe about the "regular" 370 is that it seems to need an oil cooler for extended hard driving and that would bump me way out of stock class.
05-11-2013, 06:36 PM
#4
Sat in one is all Ive brought myself to;theyre just uggz as fuggz...ruined all the lines, and at 6'3"s Im cool w not taking the near 2"s off the headroom. But, not a hater, just def not my cup of tea...however, this alleged new format 4cyl they were kicking around sounds either horrible or bizarrely intriguing
05-14-2013, 06:26 AM
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ugly? you guys are nuts lol Over the past 3 years I had a daytona blue 05, then a magnetic black 06, and last week I bought a Monterey Blue 09 Touring Sport with Nav/door sills, etc. I'm absolutely in love. The car feels more refined, interior is worlds better, power is incredibly smooth, and definitely way quicker than my 05 and 06. Stock exhaust sounds worse than the previous but once I pick up a Motordyne I'll be happy again. I lowered it this past weekend as well. I love this car.
My new 370 after lowering with H&R compared to my black 06 which was on Tanabes (wish i it were the passenger side, but i mirrored it to match them up)
My new 370 after lowering with H&R compared to my black 06 which was on Tanabes (wish i it were the passenger side, but i mirrored it to match them up)
Last edited by BrandonSS; 05-14-2013 at 06:49 AM.
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05-14-2013, 11:01 PM
#8
What I notice whenever I sit inside the 370Z is the agressive, buldgy lines from the hood and the rear fenders (when veiwing from side mirrors). Pretty cool.
Power-wise, they're pretty much like the HR powered Z's.
Handling, there's slight improvement on the feel - like it's more responsive and more direct steering.
Interior is nicer though.
Still not enough to make me switch from the Z33
Z1NONLY, how does the Z34 Nismo compare to Z33 V3?
Power-wise, they're pretty much like the HR powered Z's.
Handling, there's slight improvement on the feel - like it's more responsive and more direct steering.
Interior is nicer though.
Still not enough to make me switch from the Z33
Z1NONLY, how does the Z34 Nismo compare to Z33 V3?
Last edited by 350Zdj; 05-14-2013 at 11:02 PM.
05-14-2013, 11:32 PM
#9
the quality of the 370z interior is much better than the 350z.. but when u drive a 350z u really feel u r driving a race car. but when u drive a 370z its just dont give u that feel.
HR FTMFW
HR FTMFW
05-15-2013, 10:02 PM
#10
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my brother has a 370 touring, definitely more of a touring feel. power it self has no "snap", it is smooth though. as far as it being faster, i beat him multiple times on rolls and at the 1/4 mile. and hes been driving manual longer than i have. the steering is better, but partly due to shorter sidewall tires.
the lines are more aggressive and looks good. and the wheels are nice.
biggest thing is NO headroom. im 6'2" with a longer torso, i have maybe 3/4" of room above the top of my head. which mean i cant wear a helmet and autocross it unless i get some aftermarket seats.
the lines are more aggressive and looks good. and the wheels are nice.
biggest thing is NO headroom. im 6'2" with a longer torso, i have maybe 3/4" of room above the top of my head. which mean i cant wear a helmet and autocross it unless i get some aftermarket seats.
05-16-2013, 06:20 AM
#11
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my brother has a 370 touring, definitely more of a touring feel. power it self has no "snap", it is smooth though. as far as it being faster, i beat him multiple times on rolls and at the 1/4 mile. and hes been driving manual longer than i have. the steering is better, but partly due to shorter sidewall tires.
the lines are more aggressive and looks good. and the wheels are nice.
biggest thing is NO headroom. im 6'2" with a longer torso, i have maybe 3/4" of room above the top of my head. which mean i cant wear a helmet and autocross it unless i get some aftermarket seats.
the lines are more aggressive and looks good. and the wheels are nice.
biggest thing is NO headroom. im 6'2" with a longer torso, i have maybe 3/4" of room above the top of my head. which mean i cant wear a helmet and autocross it unless i get some aftermarket seats.
As for the headroom... I'm 6'1 and I have plenty of room, maybe you should recline the seat a little?
Last edited by BrandonSS; 05-16-2013 at 06:22 AM.
05-16-2013, 09:27 AM
#12
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i dont ride "douche bag" style with the seat leaned back and one hand on top of the steering wheel. now, if one of these days nissan gets there head out there *** and puts telescoping steering wheels, that would be great and i would be able to lean the seat back a click or two. (this is not a crack at you, just general)
as for the my brothers excuses, hes saying the tires are no good, but they are stock 275 with tires with 50% thread. im running cheap nitto 555 in the rear. (imo, best tire for the money)
as for the my brothers excuses, hes saying the tires are no good, but they are stock 275 with tires with 50% thread. im running cheap nitto 555 in the rear. (imo, best tire for the money)
05-16-2013, 04:32 PM
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I think it’s just personal preference and the cars are pretty dang similar in terms of overall design. I prefer the 350Z early 2003/2004 would top my list because I think it’s a great bargain and I like the overall feel of the car better but its personal opinion. The major difference I have noticed between the two in terms of doing setup and driving them are the following.
The 370Z was built to be more nimble then the 350Z and the way they went about doing this was they decreased the wheelbase by 4 inches. Then on the front suspension Nissan used a few other tricks to change the feel of the car like decreasing the amount of caster from 7.6 to 8.9 degrees to 4.4 to 5.9 degrees for the 370z. This change in Caster reduces steering effort along with the reduced wheelbase makes for a car that feels far more nimble and is likely is a bit more nimble. However, to do this they had to increase the SAI from 4.3 to 5.8 degrees on the 350z to 6.9 to 8.4 degrees since caster will help promote camber gain during cornering. The 370Zs increase in SAI is a more mechanical change to how fast the suspension increases camber as it really is the measurement between the long arm and short arm in the suspension. In a 350Z the top arm is longer so it has less SAI vs the shorter top arm of the 370Z that allows for faster camber gain during compression.
I think this is the major difference in the car the 370Z feels light and nimble. The 350Z feels a bit more heavy but more stable. I think both setups have their ups and downs depending on what type of corner you are approaching.
In terms of power I think it all depends on the car (mods/weight/etc/driver) the 370z seems to be consistently the fastest in terms of numbers but doesn’t mean some of the slower 370’s are faster then the faster 350’s. I mean a quick look at the 1/4mile times list will give you that information.
Regardless, the argument will continue for another day and as I said originally comes down to personal preference.
The 370Z was built to be more nimble then the 350Z and the way they went about doing this was they decreased the wheelbase by 4 inches. Then on the front suspension Nissan used a few other tricks to change the feel of the car like decreasing the amount of caster from 7.6 to 8.9 degrees to 4.4 to 5.9 degrees for the 370z. This change in Caster reduces steering effort along with the reduced wheelbase makes for a car that feels far more nimble and is likely is a bit more nimble. However, to do this they had to increase the SAI from 4.3 to 5.8 degrees on the 350z to 6.9 to 8.4 degrees since caster will help promote camber gain during cornering. The 370Zs increase in SAI is a more mechanical change to how fast the suspension increases camber as it really is the measurement between the long arm and short arm in the suspension. In a 350Z the top arm is longer so it has less SAI vs the shorter top arm of the 370Z that allows for faster camber gain during compression.
I think this is the major difference in the car the 370Z feels light and nimble. The 350Z feels a bit more heavy but more stable. I think both setups have their ups and downs depending on what type of corner you are approaching.
In terms of power I think it all depends on the car (mods/weight/etc/driver) the 370z seems to be consistently the fastest in terms of numbers but doesn’t mean some of the slower 370’s are faster then the faster 350’s. I mean a quick look at the 1/4mile times list will give you that information.
Regardless, the argument will continue for another day and as I said originally comes down to personal preference.
05-17-2013, 11:57 AM
#14
I'm a suspension fan and appreciate what you wrote here, makes me want to think about taking one for a test drive, the farthest I've been is sitting in one, its undeniable the 370 has less head room but far more attractive interior (but the "buziness" and attraction I guess is subjective) still they are less expensive now and I may consider since mine is paid off, it can become my new daily driver, who knows. I agree on the stability though, 135mph is pretty smooth in my 04
I think it’s just personal preference and the cars are pretty dang similar in terms of overall design. I prefer the 350Z early 2003/2004 would top my list because I think it’s a great bargain and I like the overall feel of the car better but its personal opinion. The major difference I have noticed between the two in terms of doing setup and driving them are the following.
The 370Z was built to be more nimble then the 350Z and the way they went about doing this was they decreased the wheelbase by 4 inches. Then on the front suspension Nissan used a few other tricks to change the feel of the car like decreasing the amount of caster from 7.6 to 8.9 degrees to 4.4 to 5.9 degrees for the 370z. This change in Caster reduces steering effort along with the reduced wheelbase makes for a car that feels far more nimble and is likely is a bit more nimble. However, to do this they had to increase the SAI from 4.3 to 5.8 degrees on the 350z to 6.9 to 8.4 degrees since caster will help promote camber gain during cornering. The 370Zs increase in SAI is a more mechanical change to how fast the suspension increases camber as it really is the measurement between the long arm and short arm in the suspension. In a 350Z the top arm is longer so it has less SAI vs the shorter top arm of the 370Z that allows for faster camber gain during compression.
I think this is the major difference in the car the 370Z feels light and nimble. The 350Z feels a bit more heavy but more stable. I think both setups have their ups and downs depending on what type of corner you are approaching.
In terms of power I think it all depends on the car (mods/weight/etc/driver) the 370z seems to be consistently the fastest in terms of numbers but doesn’t mean some of the slower 370’s are faster then the faster 350’s. I mean a quick look at the 1/4mile times list will give you that information.
Regardless, the argument will continue for another day and as I said originally comes down to personal preference.
The 370Z was built to be more nimble then the 350Z and the way they went about doing this was they decreased the wheelbase by 4 inches. Then on the front suspension Nissan used a few other tricks to change the feel of the car like decreasing the amount of caster from 7.6 to 8.9 degrees to 4.4 to 5.9 degrees for the 370z. This change in Caster reduces steering effort along with the reduced wheelbase makes for a car that feels far more nimble and is likely is a bit more nimble. However, to do this they had to increase the SAI from 4.3 to 5.8 degrees on the 350z to 6.9 to 8.4 degrees since caster will help promote camber gain during cornering. The 370Zs increase in SAI is a more mechanical change to how fast the suspension increases camber as it really is the measurement between the long arm and short arm in the suspension. In a 350Z the top arm is longer so it has less SAI vs the shorter top arm of the 370Z that allows for faster camber gain during compression.
I think this is the major difference in the car the 370Z feels light and nimble. The 350Z feels a bit more heavy but more stable. I think both setups have their ups and downs depending on what type of corner you are approaching.
In terms of power I think it all depends on the car (mods/weight/etc/driver) the 370z seems to be consistently the fastest in terms of numbers but doesn’t mean some of the slower 370’s are faster then the faster 350’s. I mean a quick look at the 1/4mile times list will give you that information.
Regardless, the argument will continue for another day and as I said originally comes down to personal preference.
07-10-2013, 12:34 PM
#16
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Agreed. When I was shopping for a Z back 10 months ago, I happened to test drive at Cerritos Nissan. Aside from the redesign look, the car wasn't all that impressive. Biggest turn off to me was the auto Rev Match.
07-10-2013, 01:01 PM
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I went from an '04 350 to an '11 370 and it was a big improvement. A lot more top end power, nicer interior, no giant rear strut tower bar. Just better in every way. I'm a satisfied customer so far.
07-10-2013, 06:40 PM
#19
I do like the Nismo 370, i think any other 370 model looks blobby and weird, especially the convertible! If they could incorporate some more of the aspects of the Nismo 350 into the 370 I'd really love it - i.e. more angular body kit, contrasting skirts (similar to 2014 model but they didn't quite get it right), and firmer track-style suspension.
