raceboy

One thing I should have pointed out before when so many people were disappointed about the .88G number. Nissan really has no choice but to dial in understeer as do most car manufactures bringing cars into the U.S. for product liability reasons (Audi TT changed after a couple of high speed oversteer accidents in Germany,BMW M3/5). It's also a very easy and cheap thing to dial out with simple anti-rollbar changes. However the one thing you really need for a high G skidpad number is a neutral or really a power on oversteering car. It allows you to adjust the car's attitude with the throttle instead of just pushing wider on-throttle. Ask any oval track racer what is faster; mild oversteer or mild understeer and oversteer or slightly "loose" cars are faster every time. I believe that with simple air pressure adjustments and a softer front ARB that even with the RE040's you will see over .90G of skidpad grip.

fairladyZ in Japan

raceboy... could not agree with you more. I hope the final skidpad numbers are really better than 0.88 when the official reports come out on July 3...

However, from what I have read over here in Japan -- more understeer was dialed into the car ... hence the changes to front/rear weight ratios ...

However.. with better tires than the RE040's... and a better suspension added (ala NISMO)... should be able to up these numbers substantially. Even for normal driving, I like a harder, "on-a-rail-like" setup.

crayons

It is true that the skidpad rating can be upped with tires and antiroll bars, but to be honest (coming from a Supra TT with a stock, out-of-the-box skidpad rating of 0.98g) I was a little disappointed with the 0.88g skidpad rating .

It doesn't worry me too much though. If any of you are familiar with the Acura RSX TypeS, it pulls around a 0.88g skidpad rating stock. However, some magazine (I forgot if it was Car and Driver or Sport Compact Car) did a test on it with front and rear Progressive Anti-Roll bars, and they were able to eek out an impressive .99g skidpad. I know that in general and as a rule, anti-roll bars don't create THAT much of a difference (noticable, yes.. a increase in an entire 0.1g? ), but it was nice to read, and I'm sure wide tires and anti-roll bars will easily up the 350z into the 0.90's.

Pork Chop

I wouldn't read too deeply into the 0.88g. The skidpad numbers are highly dependent on track surface, temperature, etc. so what one magazine gets on one day will vary from what another magazine gets on another day. I don't think you can claim that car X handles "better" than car Y, because Road and Track got a 0.86g for car X and Car and Driver got a 0.85g for car Y.

Sooner or later, there will be some comparison test pitting the Z against comparable cars in its class. When all those cars are tested (on the same day, at the same track, with the same conditions), only then can you make any valid conclusions.