I think ive learned to deal with the freakin hot Titanium shift ***. I just try to shift rather quickly. Now with 100 degree weather and after market headers, my engine bay is a freakin oven!

 

I have "my spot" at work which is in the shade under a tree. I used to park in the sun when i first got the z cuz i was so **** about stuff falling on it. however, once i started parking in my spot i noticed i no longer start sweating when i get in like when i would when in the sun all day, that to me, is worth the doo doo stain that i can clean off right when i get home.

 

try 117 deg here in phoenix no matter what you do you are fked

 

You can make a rear window sunshade from an inexpensive cardboard accordion-type sunshade. Just cut to fit. Place sunshade on top of strut brace. Shut hatch slowly. With a combination of front and rear sunshade the inside of the Z is 90 percent protected from the sun.

 

I tend to park in the sun because most the trees around here are(Bay Area) dirty/sappy. As far as the color question. I have a Black 94 Honda Civic and my Z is Pikes Peak White. Both have black interiors(cloth), tinted windows and I always use a sunshade for both as well. I can definitely tell you that the black car is twice as hot as the white one...waaaay hotter. Black cars DEFINITELY get a lot hotter because they absorb the heat while white and silver tend to reflect it.

 

Get a custom car cover... rolls over the top, hooks onto the side mirrors... very easy to put on and take off. Best thing you can do to save the paint from the sun.

 

1) Garage

2) Not a myth. This topic was covered in school.

 

I'm in Tucson so I can almost relate to the guy in Phoenix. I normally park in the sun rather than under a tree. My car is silver alloy and the surface doesn't get all that hot. If my car is clean I always park it in the sun, however if it's dirty (which is rare) I'll park it under a tree for shade since I'll probably be washing it soon anyway.

I do use the custom nissan car cover sometimes...just depends on where I am. I don't like the looks people give me when I'm putting it on or removing it. They give that "your car isn't a ferrari look." Yesterday I put the cover on after my work lunch-break and it turned out to be a good thing since a huge monsoon rolled-in about an hour after. Everybody's car got slammed except mine which stayed nice a clean except for the small exposed portion of the rims under the cover.

 

On a related heat matter. I have gotten into the habit of propping the hood open after I get home and pull in the garage. To me it doesn't make sense to let all the components cook under the hood unnecessarily.From what I understand an engine is at it's hottest right after shut down with no oil or water circulation.

 

So does leaving your car out in the sun for extended periods of time make your paint fade prematurely?

 

This is exactly what I do on most hot days. Maryland has been freakin hot lately.

 

I have the NISMO shiftknob, which is nice and hot in warm/hot weather after baking in the sun. I just put a napkin over it to keep it cool, and when I park I put the car in 2nd gear. Due to where I park I can leave the parking garage and make it down to the light I have to wait in line for all in second gear (and thats without revving the hell out of it) and by then the **** is cool enough to shift without burning your hand.

Anyone ever used those "kozie" things to keep your beers cool for the shift ****? I am thinking that I might work well.

 

Well, I wish I had a garage at work.

When I was looking for a Z, I thought Black looked the coolest and most masculine and I didn't think about the heat factor. Its ironic that white, which I considerded a "girl" color is "cooler" in the heat.

 

If you have leather like myself, you know the worst part is getting in you car, turning the air on, and still sweating 30 minutes later because your leather seats are still 90 degrees. One thing I noticed that seems to help is park the back of the car towards where the sun is. This may or may not apply to you depending when you leave for work, how long you car sits somewhere, etc. For myself, though, it seems to help a lot.

Justin

 

Paint color really does affect the ambient heat absorbed. Try washing a dark colored car as opposed to a lighter color and the difference is definitely noticeable, at least out here in the Arizona Sun. When I wash my gf car and I can hardly get around to drying it before the water evaporates off as opposed to my CS Z.

 

[QUOTE=sq40]I have just learned why some folks shy away from an Aluminum Shift **** this summer... HOT!
[QUOTE]

Hell yah.. I have a stock shifter and the little aluminium part in the middle burns like hell.

 

My White G35 Sedan with beige interior would get hot but not to bad and it only took the AC a min or two to cool off the car... With my black 350z with black interior the car feels like a freakin oven when I get in it and it takes a good 8-10 mins for the AC to cool off the car.

 

a couple weeks ago i left a lighter in my car... upon returning 2 hours later i discovered it had exploded. crazy huh?

 

(Thread officially reopened!)
Recently, in the MYTHBUSTERS show, they actually proved that darker colors do absorb
more AND KEEP heat longer. Also, keeping it in the shade does help. In my case, when-
ever a bird does its thing on my car, the very same day, I rinse it with plenty water & scrub
the stubborn remains with a microfiber cloth. I dunno 'bout Texas, but the sunlight's UV light in the Caribbean are scorchers that give the paintjob "pitted scars" (i.e. a porous surface)---if you will; far worse than bird dropping stains.

 

Yup, that made me laugh. AC full blast on the floor lol.

As far as the myth being busted, duh. I learned that with crayons, sunlight and metal tins in 4th grade