"The Z just doesn't FEEL fast..."

I've heard that said from a lot of posters (not necessarily on this site). This is why/how they justify purchasing other vehicles that "feel faster" (like 'stangs or goats, etc).

Driving down the I-5 today, in 6th, I was pondering this very claim. The cabin was quiet, the steering was solid and sure, no rattles or jolts, the picture of serenity with just a hint of wind rushing over and the soft, low humming of the VQ. I sure did feel like I was driving "slow"...until I looked at the speedo...

95mph

Ooops. Eased off the gas and let her slow to 70-75.

So I guess they're right. The car doesn't "feel fast" but IS fast (thanks to a well-designed cabin/car). Has this ever happened to anyone else? I keep losing track of my groundspeed because I'm going faster than I think I am.

 

Yup, it happens all the time to me.

 

Well in my opinion just because youre going fast doesnt mean the car is fast. I think that most people think of fast as getting your car up to speed quicker. So you probably crept up to 95 when most people want to get up to 95 as fast as possible.

 

me too, and i have like 10 speeding tickets to prove it.

 

The Z is just about as fast as those V8 monsters. What we are really talking about here is a quick car. You know, a heavy car like a GTO or my Firebird feels quicker than a lighter car with less HP even though it might be just as quick. You need more torque to push more weight so feeling is different. I do get more of a power thrill out of my Firebird because of the low end torque. However, when the Z turns on in the upper Rpms it feels almost as good.

Example, you get hit with a twig at a fast speed it stings. You get hit with a log at that same speed it hurts right. It is because it has some weight behind it. Roughy the same idea using AJPhysics

I actually bought the Z to keep me out of tickets. I doesn't make me want to punch the gas like the Firebird. But, if I want to go, I stomp it and I'm gone .......

So, I understand this feeling all too well.

I feel a lot more comfortable in my Z as a daily driver. I am not on edge as I am when I drive my Firebird. It's a great little car which is almost as quick as that big V8 car. It really is hard to believe this power comes out of a 3.5 liter V6 vs a 5.7 liter V8.

I love both cars and don't think I will ever get rid of either one. Unless of course I can afford a AWD GTR and it has more power than a Corvette Z06. Then I might trade the Z for it.

 

Due to the nature of the relatively flat power curve of the motor, it would be very easy for someone to confuse the 350 Z as not being "fast". I think what most people mean by "fast" is actually quick. When power comes on equally throughout the power band, you don’t have much of a surge anywhere, which is common amongst most cars. Generally speaking, it’s this sudden surge that gives most people the feeling of the car being “fast” or quick.

 

I think this is what a lot of them are getting at, the feeling of rapid acceleration. I don't have a basis of comparison (as I don't own anything faster than my Z), so all I can say is that the Z accelerates a hell of a lot quicker than my beater '94 Integra or my wife's '04 TL.

At steady speeds, however, going 75-80mph in the Integra felt lmore like zooming at 110mph because of the engine and wind noise and the steering wheel vibration, whereas 95mph in the rock-solid Z felt like 65mph.

 

Another good point! The torque curve on the 350Z is smooth. On one of those V8's it starts off heavy and eases off a bit. It also doesn't rev out as much. So getting to speed is more violent.

A lot of people thought my 300ZXT was quicker or faster than my 350Z. It was just that the turbo kick in with such authority after it spooled. They didn't know exactly when I kicked the power but could hear the spool and the kick which also made you think it was quicker. Granted it was at 11psi. But that car would only produce ~200rwhp but kicked like a mule. Best track was 14.8 with DR's. My 350Z will pull a 13.5 with DR's or better under the same conditions. That's a nice difference. A Firebird or GTO will pull a good solid 13.3 in the quarter. If it set up with a couple of cheap bolt-ons and DR's you can get them into mid 12's like mine. I figure DR's are good for .3 in the quarter mile for these cars.

 

thank god, I though this was going to be another one of those threads - "I am dissapointed after a test drive, I thought it would be faster than my celica, I want my body to get tossed around in the car." And we keep telling them, this car doesn't feel fast but rather is fast. Other cars feel fast, but aren't fast. Too many girly boys trying to drive the z.

 

good cars can make you feel slow when they are actually fast. not like honda civic etc, you thought it's fast when you drive it, but lots cars are passing you..

 

Power /Torque curve... enough said....

 

I had the same feeling racing a g35c on the highway, i glanced down as i saw the rev light blinking and realized i was already in 6th and looked at the speedo and it was at 145+ mph, oh crap, i hit the brakes and slowed down since i had already won. oops lol

 

Stock (n/a) Z's are not that fast. Compared to my 98 protege that I drive in the winter they are. Relatively speaking though, the Z in close to stock setup isn't really all that fast. The feeling of fast is a good selling point of a car. As a Z owner, it took a couple turbos to get my Z to feel fast.

out of box, and I hate to say this, as I am a Z owner, the Z is the weak sauce; extra mild. Don't get me wrong, I love the car, but owning and knowing the car, you can't pull the wool over my eyes. Out of box, the Z is a dissapointment in my opinion, but has great potential. The Z's selling point, and IMO, it's weakness, is the fact that it's the jack of all trades and the master of none.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zivman

Stock (n/a) Z's are not that fast. Compared to my 98 protege that I drive in the winter they are. Relatively speaking though, the Z in close to stock setup isn't really all that fast. The feeling of fast is a good selling point of a car. As a Z owner, it took a couple turbos to get my Z to feel fast.

out of box, and I hate to say this, as I am a Z owner, the Z is the weak sauce; extra mild. Don't get me wrong, I love the car, but owning and knowing the car, you can't pull the wool over my eyes. Out of box, the Z is a dissapointment in my opinion, but has great potential. The Z's selling point, and IMO, it's weakness, is the fact that it's the jack of all trades and the master of none.

Obviously the Z is a "compromised" vehicle. It was designed with a certain budget in mind. A fully built TT Z can be a $90,000 vehicle. However, for a $35,000 vehicle, it is tough to beat.

And to say it is the "jack of all trades and the master of none" is not entirely a bad thing in an automobile. A good car has all its parameters nicely balanced, as does a stock Z. If you put a monster "master" engine into the car, and didn't upgrade everything else to go with it, you'd have a car with horrible driving dynamics. If you did upgrade everything to go with the engine.......well......you'd be back in the $90,000 price range again!!!!

The Z is the best combination of power, handling, feel, ride, looks FOR THE MONEY.

 

0-60 in 5 seconds?
give me a break
it doesnt have the surge of brutal power as in turbo cars
but as an n/a machine that cost 30 grand?
almost 300bhp for 30 grand?
i'd take that anyday
comparatively speaking if u spend 80 grand on the base 911 u r getting about 20 more horses...

 

You think the Z is a weak performance car in stock form? A dissapointment? I have a hard time believing you got your Z and drove off the lot thinking wow, this thing is "the weak sauce" Perhaps now you're just so used to the turbos that you couldn't ever think of going back.
I'm sure different people will have different opinions of what 'fast' is. Since I can't think of another car for around 26-28k that people would say is a vastly superior in terms of performance.
Also what do you mean jack of all trades ziv? It's a 2-seat impractical sports car that heavily favors performance over luxury imo...or maybe you meant something else?

 

"The Z just doesn't FEEL fast..."

is one of many ambiguous areas of 350Z discussion. Other completely arbitrary subjects include:

“I installed the such-and-such and FEEL like I lost low end torque.”

My exhaust sounds more powerful than brand X.”

“Brand X tires have STIFF sidewalls.”

“Brand X intake really sucks a lot of air I can HEAR it.”

 

 

everything is the same
so have the freedom to do whatever you want
if u like the Z buy it
if u hate it then f*ck it buy something else
dont u hate those ambiguous parts?
i mean every car is the same... but u know some are more prominently shown than othres... the s2000 for example most ppl go comptech everything... or Js racing...
we have too many choices and choices = too much for ppl to handle

 

My 337 GTI seems like it was faster from 0-60, which was in the high 6's or something. I know the Z does it faster but it does not feel like it. Even stock this car has more than enough power for having fun around town. I can only imagine what a TT Z would feel like.