Do you guys think Nissan shoulld make 350Z AWD? I think they should it would improve the car's handling drasticly specialy during take off. Further more it will be great in the snow.

 

yeah but how much more weight would that add- maybe another 150-200 lbs - no thanks- the Z is heavy enough as is. And how much more would the car cost- maybe another grand or two....

I'll drive my maxima beater when it snows.

Ethan

 

If you want AWD, buy a WRX or any of many other AWD cars. If you're dying to have an AWD Nissan sports car and you have tons of money, wait for the GT-R...

 

the Nissan Z has always been RWD, why change it to AWD just because a couple people want it that way? The Z is a road car and a race car. if you want full-fledged AWD and everything that comes with it, get ur kicks from the new GT-R. twin turbo and AWD should satisfy you. But then again, i dont see how the 350Z doesnt already....

 

we all got sports cars thats why its not all wheel drive.

yes it sucks in the snow but it only snows what 6 or 7 times a year

 

a true sports car is actually rear wheel drive as you see the porshce 911 turbo is awd while the 911 gt2 is rwd

you can do more tricks with rwd

 

Im gonna have to agree with you, the Z should not be awd... yeah what awesome power youll have on the launch, perhaps you missed the memo, but dragsters are RWD, nascar rwd, indy rwd...ect....

only 4wd races are WRC. different league there. they have higher drivetrain losses while a good driver in a good car wont break traction because he spins his rear tires. he would do so by turning, and your front tires can corner better if they arent also pulling the car.

 

There is nothing wrong on improving a well mannered car. If it makes a better car perform better why not? Why does the Z have VDC, Anti lock braking system and TCS in the first place.? I am pretty confident that is to make the Z car handle better than other competitors. Having all the necesary arms at your disposal is not stupid either. Going to war with a BB gun is stupid.

 

actually... those 3 things slow the Z down. they are all there for peice of mind on the road, for the track, race cars do not include any of them, the concept of antilock brakes is on and off cause stupid people slam the brakes and lock the tires with no thought of static vs sliding friction. antilock brakes pump the brakes, but identical cars one with antilock the other without the latter would stop faster if done properly.

but thats not the point of the post I dont think. awd has its benifits, and its drawbacks, basicly it dumbs the car down, but there is nothing a rwd car cant do better than a AWD car if its in the right hands.

 

The Z definitely should not have all wheel drive. Adds too much weight, and changes the purpose and feel of the Z.

The GT-R definitley should have all wheel drive. It is a total supercar and has the power to handle the extra mass. Plus, it has always had AWD, so it's part of the tradition.

Antilock brakes are extremely useful for panic stops and wet weather. The benefits are huge and the weight difference is negligible. There is basically no reason not to have antilock brakes in a street car. VDC/TCS are basically ABS with additional programming and sensors. There is some cost added, some safety added, but not much weight, so it should be included as an option in pretty much all cars. With street car programming (or at least the way the Z is programmed), VDC/TCS do not improve performance on the track, just safety on the street or in inclement weather.

I think Nissan did it just right.

-D'oh!

 

Including the best race car drivers makes mistakes. There is no such thing as a perfect driver. Unfortunately not all of us can emulate the way they drive on the track. So the need for VDC, ABS and such equipments for incompetent drivers. The safety equipments are installed on the Z in case any adverse situation arises. They are there for your advantage in case any factors disrupts the cars vangaurd direction. By applying the correct and necesarry force to correct the car's projectile it helps the car perform better in unfortunate circumstances. In other words its safety equipments are integrated to the cars performance.

 

this is very true, but at some point you must draw the line at where the drawback for safety impedes performance too much; also this line depends on the car, a volvo is willing to sacrifice alot more performance than is a mclaren for instance. TCS is able to be turned off, and weighs next to nothing, so the answer is obvious. ABS is great because a perfect brake is near impossible, it is also very light, and doesnt degrade brake performance nearly as much as it can improve it.

but 4wd is not worth while for its weight and power loss for the gains it can provide in the snow, where a car should not be driven for speed in the first place.

 

Being able to drive the Z with an AWD system in the snow is just another added bonus. There are monumental advantages in having an AWD system. I will agree with you with that addition of unwanted mass can impede a cars performance. Both in handling and acceleration. Lets keep in mind that there are innumerable ways to make the Z even lighter. Further more a Twin turbo can compensate for the additional weight.

 

I have to agree, and correct me if I'm worng (no offence) but I have to assume you're probably around my age (I'm 21) and I'm a huge advocate of AWD. Even if they don't offer AWD on our car I plan to try and get my hands on the parts from the AWD G35, next year, and replace our drivetrain components (shouldn't be too difficult since they're both built on the same FM platform)... but I digress. I just think that some of the older guys on this forum are a little set in their ways and relly a little too much on tradition. I think an AWD "option" would be great for this car. There are both benefits and costs to AWD.

Yes the car would be heavier and would lack a little in the cornering and lose a little at top end.

But it would also launch a hell of alot better and have alot better traction for daily drivers.

Not to mention those of us who plan to mod the car with a turbo setup or the like could more than compensate for 150-200lbs. (for christs sake, that's a passenger)

Before any of you try to flame me, if I wanted an sti or an evo I would have bought one. I love our car and I love it the way it is now, but I think an AWD "option" would be an asset to the car, the company and to those who chose to purchase it for their specific needs.

 

My former car was a 2000 Subaru 2.5RS, relatively modded, heavily autocrossed. I have significant experience driving an all wheel drive car in good and bad weather as well as race conditions.

Let me tell you something, the most common misconception about AWD is that it is some miracle car performance enhancer, that anything with AWD is instantly a better car, a bigger performer or a safer car.

Rule #1: AWD only works when you are pressing the gas peddle.

The most common thing people do when they start to lose control?

- Get off the gas peddle and hit the brakes

AWD just won't help there... too many people think AWD is a miracle device. Granted, AWD is a very nice tool when used properly but it doesn't make bad drivers better. It also costs far more than a "little" top end, those extra parts put significant strain on the drivetrain and cost a lot more hp between the engine and the wheels.

Launches are not necessarily better in an AWD car either. There is a better chance that at least one wheel will have grip under heavy acceleration but a good driver shouldn't need AWD to get a good launch. AWD will certainly give bad drivers a better chance at a good standing start but it's not garaunteed to be a faster launch.

Does the "Z" need AWD? Not really. Would it make for an interesting vehicle? Definately. But on the same hand, it would make for a different vehicle as well. If AWD is your thing, I wonder why you bought a Z. There are a number of fabulous performing AWD cars in the same price range with similar power/handling.

 

Forget the f***ing AWD and learn how to drive.

joe

 

no, because they should stick to the Z heritage

 

How wpuld I light up the back tires with AWD? I prefer my sports cars in RWD.

 

I like RWD better than 4WD... and lots 4wd cars are converted to RWD for race use actually... including GT-R or even 911 Turbo GT2...