I would rather get the Enthusiast myself and do my own mods to it. You can get Big Brake kits from a couple different companies which are larger than the Brembos. Get some Rims and tires from any tire store and you have a customized Track package. To me working on my car is fun, so I would rather do it myself rather than have Nissan do it for me.

 

This is a good point. Why have the same rays that all the other tracks have... rims are meant for "customizing" YOUR car to YOUR personal style/taste.
OEM chin spoiler is useless IMO. I like the one extra underbody diffuser, and the rear spoiler is nice.
Brakes... if you are really that serious about the track there's "endless" 6-piston calipers out there.

I would've gotten a track if there was more power... but there isn't.

And I've been hearing that the cloth seats have had issues with fraying in heavy wear areas... especially if you like to wear jeans.

 

At first, I wanted a black touring model with 6-speed MT and aero pkg. But, the track was the only one that I could find with those options for retail price. I didn't really like the Rays wheels when I saw them in a book, but still, it made more sense to pay $38k for soemthing that came with everything than $40k for a touring that didn't even have the navigation system (highway robbery, man!). When I saw the car in person, the wheels looked better to me than the ragular 17" ones, and the Brembos were awesome. Glad I got the track afterall.

 

I turned down an offer from my local dealer to get a touring model at msrp in the color i like. I want to pic my own wheels and stereo. I cannot justify the 5-6k over the enthusist. Yes, leather is nice but not my priority, otherwise, i can just get a maxima. it is performance that i got a Z so my money will go in that direction

 

I was meaning that the auto stick is an option with the base, performance, and touring. Am I mistaken? Is touring the only way to get an autostick?

 

That would be nice. Does anyone know why they do it this way? Is it cheaper for them to just do it with the packages this way?

 

I know what you meant. Yes, i believe in the base, performance, and track models there is no option for auto.

 

I went with the Track model because I plan NOT to modify this car (well, maybe I will if they come out with a hot chip for the ECU).

I have modded every car I have ever owned, and while it is fun, the quality just never seems to match what the factory can do.

And, when its time to sell or trade, and sell or trade we will. From my experience people do not want to purchase modded cars.

CS Track due 11-20

 

hmmm... well that's cool

 

I agree with the assessment of aftermarket parts. From my experience also, they haven't been so great. Now that it is so much more common, people are becoming more used to the idea of buying a used car with mods. The seller won't get any money for the mods he has put into the car, though.

 

I don't think that brakes in the future for the 350Z will be too expensive since according to the book, the 350Z Track and R34 GTR share the same Brembo brakes, which I guess means making existing GTR brake components compatible with the 350 a lot easier. Also, I don't think the Rays wheels are worth it as an option since I personally think they're only average looking, and the weight reduction of (correct me if I'm wrong) 18 pounds overall is not worth the price.

Notwithstanding price concerns, having the Brembos would actually be kind of overkill for the braking needs of most Z owners. Unless you plan on constantly mashing the brakes as you would need to on a technical track course, Brembos won't offer a significant performance advantage over the stock brakes since the only noticable difference between the two would probably be fading. I could be wrong here, but this was pretty much the case with the IS300; the stock IS can hang with the world's top performance vehicles in 60-0 trials (third or fourth place I believe) but fades a lot quicker than than let's say, the 360's Brembos.

 

Track because I like the looks and increased aero qualities at high speed. Plus, it doesn't cost me THAT much more anyway and I got a great deal up front.

 

I bought the Touring for the leather. A good sports car just doesnt seem right unless your wrapped in leather. Thats just my opinion.

 

I bought the Touring for the leather, 6cd player, heated power seats, 17" 7 spoke wheels and standard 5AT. I added the aero pkg and side airbags. Its Brickyard w/Frost leather and is stunning. Love everthing about it, except the OE tires and those go this week. I was sick of MTs, nothing wrong w/them, just boring and my wife can't drive a stick for ortho reasons. If I had it to do over, I would have changed out the tires before I took delivery of a Touring. I won't mod it, unless a hotter ECU is available.

The only other model I considered was the Enthusiast, because its the best bang for the buck, in my opinion. The Base was too lean. The Performance offered the 18" wheels and tires and VDC; I don't like the stock 18"ers and VDC is overkill, even if you can turn it off. The Track was never considered because I have no intention of racing or autoxing and it would be a waste of good features intended for those activities.

I bought exactly what I wanted and I am enjoying it a lot. Oh, the Bose. They'll get it fixed and it sounds very good on cds anyway, even if they never get the radio right. I rarely listen to radio much anymore because of the endless commercials, so its a non-issue.

Touring vs. Track, why?

Boomer--use it or lose it, I don't care.

 

I was going to get the Performance for mainly the VDC. After hydroplaning a car at 70mph and spinning a couple of circles, I figured, hey, it's only a bit more and the 18"s look nice

That was, until I got a good deal on the Touring.

Isn't it funny how some of these threads rise from the dead?

 

Now you stated the VDC was overkill. I've never driven a car with any sort of VDC system (or the likes there of), so i guess i wouldnt know what im missing. But from those with experiance, is the VDC 'worth' it? I know this is a touring vs. track thread, but the VDC comment sparked my interest. I was looking at the Performance because of the VDC (and the tire pressure system is just WAY cool). Another thought was the ability to add the Nav. system. But that just drives up the cost even more, thus making the car even more expensive. The more i think about it, the more i think i should look at the Enthusiast. But the 'cool' side of me wants to fill the hole in the dash with the Nav system, thus forcing me into a Performance. AAARRRGGG!!!!

Anyways, back to my question is/was the VDC 'worth' it to you? Ya know, if i would just win the lotto i wouldnt have to worry about all of these questions....

-DrCold

 

Yeah, deja vu. Your hydoplaning reminded me of the Mark 1 MR2. My colleague owned one and described it to me when he hit a big puddle of water on the road, snap oversteer, no hope of catching it. He said it did a 360 ended up going the right way, scared him speechless but he survived, like you. Lucky. I don't know if VDC would catch that or not.

 

I don't know either, but if it gives me a bit of a shot, its better than nothing. It might have helped me catch it before hitting the rail, because I almost had it there at the end on the second spin

I was on a newly paved interstate, and ran into a sudden storm. You know, the kind you just run into where one minute, dark overcast and no rain, the next, quarter sized rain drops are pelting you? They were still working on paving, and the asphault had a bit of a drop off from the concrete bridge. When the back end dropped off, it just kicked out and away she went.

 

how about finishing the story??

"So how in the world can big, sticky, R-compound tires and giant brakes add up to longer stopping distances? One word: camber. When we lowered the car, we ended up with several degrees of camber front and rear.

That camber did wonders for our handling, ensuring that with body roll and tire carcass flex, the entire contact patch would be put to good use. In a straight line, though, the tilted tire simply meant that only the inner half of the tread was touching the ground. We proved this with our big, smoky burnouts. After six or seven monster displays of our collective manhood, the inner tread blocks were gone, with a scant few molecular layers of rubber protecting steel belts from our prying eyes. The outer tread blocks, on the other hand, were literally untouched. The front tires were tilted in exactly the same way.

Before releasing this brake kit, of course, Stoptech has planned its full barrage of fade and brake balance tests, all with alignment specs that will allow the brakes to work to their maximum effect. They also plan to offer larger diameter upgrades for those less intent on small wheels."

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/te...ash/index.html

besides brakes like this is to reduce fade on the track....which should be the main reason anyone puts down several thousand dollars for a new brake system.