This is a little different kind of topic but I thought where else could I get good advice and information than from owners and enthusiasts of the Nissan 350Z!

A little background...I'm a police officer (yeah...I know...one of the bad guys) investigating a serious crash involving a 2004 Nissan 350Z (not sure of the level yet) and wanted to see if anyone out there knows of any charts/info of the performance specs for the car. I know I can get a quarter mile speed and time in a Car & Driver or other car publications/mfg specs....but specifically I need the acceleration factor broken down down in time, distance, and speed for the 1st eight of a mile (660 feet) or a little more.
I need to know how fast the car could be going at 100 feet, 200 feet, 300 feet, 400...et cetera, et cetera to about 800 feet. Basically I'm looking to see if my speed estimates could be correct for a vehicle accelerating quickly, losing control and then crashing.

I also need to know if the Traction Control System's default setting is to be ON when you turn on the car. Would you have to press a button to turn it off EVERY time or is there a way you can program your car to keep this off?

I appreciate any information the 350Z enthusiasts out there can provide...and I'm not trying to put blame on any Z driver out there...just trying to see if I can figure out what went wrong.

 

No clue on acceleration rates but the TCS/VDC defaults to the ON position every time the car is started. There is no way, barring special mods, to program it to be off when the car is started.

 

What estimates for what range are you currently estimating?

If it's under an 8th of a mile, and these cars run a quarter in about 14 seconds give or take a little at about 100 mph, then you could rule out certain extreme values at least...

It would need to be over 50mph and under 7 seconds since we accelerate at a decreasing rate...

 

Masterfulks...not really at extreme speeds...but extreme for the road the driver was on...Not sure if anyone out there knows about accident/speed analysis but here is what I have....I have a critical speed scuff (yaw mark) where I measured a chord of 30 feet and middle ordinate of 4.5"....with a low coefficient of friction range where drag factor (f)=.60 on travelled asphalt I am getting a speed of 51 MPH (There is practically no measurable elevation or superelevation so no need to take that into account). With the high range of the drag factor where f=.8 I am getting a speed of 59 MPH.
We could not conduct test skids at the scene due to safety concerns and we did not have a drag sled available so I needed to use drag factor ranges.

The vehicle allegedly accelerates from a stop sign and travels approximately 800 feet (could be as short as 690 feet) where it starts to lose control. I am pretty sure the 350Z (no matter what level trim/engine) is capable of reaching the 51 MPH and possibly the 59 MPH mark. There could have been a rolling start at the stop sign where a 5-15 MPH head start could have been obtained.

 

Thanks Brickyard Rat!

 

4511.21... not sure if this helps, but a stock Z is easily capable of a 9-second 1/8 mile @ 75-80mph

1/8 of mile = 660'. So, I would think yes, from standstill or a roll, the car could be doing easily in excess of 50mph in the distances you quoted.

 

4511.21,
That person probably ran the stop sign, braked/reduced speed as it lost control.

/dang batteries in the crystal ball died

 

What if the fuse is pulled? That dis-engages the TCS/VDC, ABS and something else...

 

I don't know if this will help you but here are the specs for the Infiniti G35 Coupe. The G35C is very similar to the 350Z. It has the same engine, same stability control, same tires and similar dynamics. It is slightly slower heavier and larger than the 350Z and the suspension is a little softer but not by much.

2003 Inifiniti G35 Coupe Specs


According to the specs, the G35C will be doing slightly over 70MPH@500' and approximately 85MPH@900' from a dead stop. A street start of 5-60MPH@6.4sec would probably put the car between 300' to 400'. A 0-60MPH@5.8sec will put the car at about 300'. You probably can do a better job of exptrapolating a graph with the information provided.

Stability Control on the 350Z is on by default when the car is started but, like it's been mentioned before, a driver can modify the system to be off by default or pull the fuse to totally disable it.

Like I said I'm not sure you can use this info for the 350Z but I hope it helps. Good luck.

 

Here are some numbers for a stock 350Z roadster taken at the track:

330' in 6.2sec
1/8 mi 9.5 sec @ 74.1mph
990' in 12.3 sec
1/4 mi 14.7 sec @ 93mph

The stick 350Z coupe a raced against had similar numbers

 

hmm I didn't know pulling the VDC plug also disabled ABS, hmm I'll have to see if I can get ABS to engage after work today...

 

I agree. And I think the Z redlines just under 60mph in 2nd gear so perhaps they gunned it from the stop sign and lost control shifting from 2nd-3rd.

 

4511,

Do you know if the 350 is bone stock and the condition of the tires?

Also, TCS is not the same as VDC, which is yaw control. TCS is a subset of VDC. VDC is yaw control and will try (it's not completely idiot proof) to keep a vehicle on it's intended path by applying TCS and/or braking the wheels individually.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the 350z has a 20 gallon fuel cell between the driver and rear axle. It's a night/day difference between a full tank and an empty tank... at least, this is from my track experience. My Z feels more balanced w/ a full tank and feels loose w/ an empty one.

I hope you find the truth and thanks for keeping the citizens safe.

Michael.

 

4511.21, very creative screen name. Made me do a Google . . .

http://www.painesvillemunicipalcourt.org/schedule.html

 

Thanks for the great response...all of you have been a great help.

...and a little follow-up information. It was an Enthusiast level with a little over 6000 miles on OEM tires, no performance mods, no fuses missing with about half a tank of gas, manual tranny. The traction control was turned off...and it was NOT equipped with the stability control. This is a case where the VDC may have made a difference...we'll never know.

Yep...it looks like the car could have easily obtained speeds in excess of 50 even at less than full throttle. Thanks for the info!

 

What can I say...I like speed (4511.21) just as much as the rest of you (in my 2005 Mustang GT)...Ford Interceptor Crown Vics are dogs!

 

What's that link all about? Just appears to be a list of traffic violations and stuff. And something about a "Dog at large"?

 

The link refers to 4511.21 somewhere in there. Basically 4511.21 is the Ohio Revised Code for Speeding...so that's what the PO writes on the ticket.

 

Gotcha...

 

Here is a photo of the crashed 2004 Enthusiast...speed was definitely a factor but other than that we will never know WHY the driver lost control...just want to let your know what could happen in a split second...everyone be careful out there!