VaGentleman

slay2k
350z Newbie

Registered: Dec 2002
Location: NJ, USA
Posts: 26 Points: 3726

WHY is the 350z so damn WEAK ?
Okay guys, PLEASE hear me out



ermmm..cuz you don't know how to drive it??

Just a thought.

VG

Radek_x

Perhaps I'm missing something in that original post (and some of the subsequent ones), but I don't have to floor the gas pedal in order to get enough power to pin me back in the seat. I noticed that most of the time, I barely touch the gas pedal to get enough power to flow with the traffic. If you floor it in the 3rd gear at 5,000 RPMs, the car leaps forward and drives like a bat out of hell.
A couple of nights ago, I raced a Boxter S-type from a complete stop at 3 in the morning, and he never had a chance.


Now, I recently drove a 2003 BMW M3, and there is no comparison - the car is undoubtedly better than the 350 Z. But at $60,000, it has to be, and I don't get people who say that they are undecided between the two vehicles. If you're looking to spend that kind of money, I don't even think that you're seriously considering the 350 Z

rai

Riddle me this how come you have a yellow and red card and yet you only have 13 posts?

CrazyBosnian

SInce you are so upset my friend, to make u feel better, if you ever come my way, i'll let u test drive my car, it does put you back in the seat, so much that you will want to puke...

nbdyfcnsqnc

I don't think slay2k is off base at all. My Dad's 2000 M jumps when I hit the gas, and that's got less HP than the Z. The Z just pulls. That's what it feels like, at least. Jump vs. pull. The M is a bit lighter and a half-second faster in 0-60. They both keep delivering power as long as you hold down the pedal. So I'm not saying there's much of a *real* difference, but there are two very different feels.

I think the most significant reason the Z feels slower is that you're sitting up higher. You know how things that are farther away seem to move slower when you're driving, such as a tree or mountain? Well, you're head is farther from the ground in the Z because you're sitting pretty high, unlike any other sportscar I've driven. Theoretically, try leaving your door open and stick your head out next to the road. You'll think you're doing warp speed.

Some of the reason is that the M has a smoother I-6 engine, and the Z has a pretty chunky V-6 that feels almost like a V-8 truck! The M doesn't seem to struggle as much to do what it does, so it makes me more likely to push it. The Z makes more of a production out of it, and it worries me about attracting attention from others, and especially cops.

Let's say the light turns green, and there's a mini-van and Honda Accord on either side of me. Just to keep up with them, and go normal speeds, my engine will be about twice as loud as both, and it will seem almost like I'm racing, even though I'm not. But if I did push it, I'd fly effortlessly by them (to the next red light, yay!).

TJZ

all exhausts sound different, some are just louder than others. It doesnt mean the engine is struggling.

nbdyfcnsqnc

Of course, an engine cannot struggle outside of an anthropomorphization such as this. My points is, with the Z, you're much more conscious of the sound of the engine even you're not really working it that hard. The M's engine is much smoother, even though it produces a similar amount of power and the stick vibrates exactly like the Z's. The car just jumps forward before you even notice the engine "struggling" to deliver that power. All engines struggle in the sense I mean. You just can't always feel it as in the Z.