I cannot decide on which model to buy, local dealers do not stock Track Models because they claim they are slow sellers. I can order one and wait till October or buy something else now, say a base model. What should I do?

 

Depends on waht your lookin for. Id get the Enthus. model, has everything i need, and fits my budget.

 

I'd prefer to get a lower model and use the savings to buy some nice aftermarket rims.

 

unless you really want the Brembo brakes (aka u go to the track alot), the enthus model is hands down the best deal

 

I got the track model, but only cause I found a good deal on it.

The brembo's aren't as good as stoptechs

and the stock ray wheel sizes aren't very wide

The new track engine is better than the normal one, but it has stricter emissions standards in the ECU so mods might be harder to do.

The good news about the track model is you can take it to the track and not get fading and then later sell the brembos and rays wheels when the time comes to upgrade.

You probably wouldn't be able to easily sell the stock enthusiast wheels or brakes, and wouldn't get anything for them really

Otherwise the track model includes the aero package w/ diffusers and less sound deadening material than the others - as well as all the minor things like xenon lights, homelink mirror, LSD, aluminum pedals, etc

 

+1 Get yourself an Enthusiast and use the money you saved for upgrades to the brakes, suspension, and wheels

 

If you are planning to keep the car in good shape for a great resale value than wait and get the Track Model, but if you are a moddifier than the Enthu is the model to get.

 

+1

unless you aren't planning to do any mods, i would go with an enthus. otherwise
you are paying more for items that will most likely be removed anyway. based on
what i see here in the forums the wheels and tires are usually the first to go.

i wouldn't go base though since you will be giving up the lsd.

 

These are all track-exclusive? I was under the impression other trim levels came with the LSD, but I couldn't comment on the others.

 

+1

my enthus came with xenon lights, homelink mirror, LSD and aluminum pedals.

 

If your going to mod get the base not the enthus since the base is a good 150lbs lighter and you can add your own lsd rims and mods galore!

 

First of all go to the Nissan site & look at the features for each of the 5 trims.

The Enthusiast is the best buy. The Base is NOT a good buy because you lose HIDS, LSD, TCS, Homelink, cruise control, couple of other minor itms that come on the Enthusiast for under $2 grand more.

 

I said the track model includes those things, not that they're exlusive to the track model only

you can add the aero package to any Z, but comes included with the track model


it'll include ALL the features the other Z's have sans Bose stereo and heated leather seats with heated mirrors and heavier sound insulation


IMO, half of the "features" the track model has that the other models have I consider an annoyance.

The homelink mirror is neat for your garage door, but I don't like the autodim mirror. It's expensive and does nothing but add some minor weight and use power.

the xenon lights add weight to the front of the car and are expensive

I have no use for cruise control

I don't use VDC - mine is permanently disabled fully via the plug

the LSD i guess is better than no LSD at all.....but is still lacking for "track" driving



IMO, the track model should be lighter, faster, better LSD, better tires, wider wheels, oil cooler, stiffer sway bars, better suspension, etc. But it isn't. Nissan's vision of track driving is simply brembos and Rays wheels....and now the 2005 and onward have a slightly better, yet more hindered engine via the ECU

 

Weight weight and more weight. TCS, cruise control, homelink are not needed for modders/racers. HIDS arent needed but easily (and cheaply) addable. LSD stock is ok but any modder will throw it out sooner or later. So there you go, it all depends on your perspective. I personaly find HIDs to be a waste as they are the same to me just white versus yellow and are annoying to oncoming drivers.

 

That statement is simply incorrect. The Stoptechs after intense sets of 50-0 , 80-0 , 100-0 produced stopping 3-7 ft later than Brembos.

 

Get a touring

 

"Weight weight and more weight. TCS, cruise control, homelink are not needed for modders/racers. HIDS arent needed but easily (and cheaply) addable. LSD stock is ok but any modder will throw it out sooner or later. So there you go, it all depends on your perspective. I personaly find HIDs to be a waste as they are the same to me just white versus yellow and are annoying to oncoming drivers."

I don't disagree with gatti one iota if you do heavy moding. But for most of us who are average joe's in machanical ability who like driving a slick car the Enthusiast is the buy of the litter.

 

what's your source?

It seems unlikely due to stoptech's slotted rotor design and internally better airflow inside the rotor than the brembos, not to mention the rotors are quite a big bigger, which means more metal to heat up, and more surface area to cool.

Then the rears are a 4 piston caliper instead of the small 2.

A lot of pros say the stoptechs can't be beat. That they'll take abuse all day long.

I'm willing to bet the brembos lose 3-7 ft after numerous 50-0, 80-0, and 100-0 stops. I know mine got more spongy on the track when I go and I have race brake fluid and SS brake lines. Those were on the stock pads though, trying to use them up

 

Yep. What pads were used? What tires were used? Everyone knows those are the 2 major factors in to 0 braking tests. The simple advantages to the Stoptechs are repeatable breaking with good pedal feel and better resistance to brake fade over OEM.

 

I believe I have the source bookmarked at home. I think it may have been Performance Z Mag.

They demonstrated an Enthusiast - Track - Stoptech Euipped Z all other equipment remained the same.

I will get back with the details...as I remember they did:

50-0 - 10 times
80-0 - 10 times
100-0 - 5 times

The Enthusiast did well for a couple 80-0 runs but started to fall-off. The Stoptech Z and Brembo Z were within 2 ft everywhere until the last couple 100-0 stops where the Brembo pulled out ahead.