joeshow750

I spin the rear tires coming out of 1st and 2nd gear corners every chance I get (when there's nobody around). I've never lost control though *knocking on wood*. This car seems pretty easy to control the line during the spin. This is the first rwd drive I've had though, so I can't really compare it to anything. I never slid my Talon much. The only other vehicle I've spun alot on corner exits is my bike, but only on the track.

digerydingo

The larger tires are one thing but I can get a 100hp FF to slide on 8' slicks, trust me you can slip the tail out with 287hp at whim. All you need to do is carry more speed into the corner. I don't recommend anyone trying to do this unless they are in a controlled evironment, reason I stress a traction circle so much is that it's great to feel where the limits of your tires are and how slow/fast the breakaway point it, so that if and when it happens on the street you don't clinch up and freak out and that's where the mistakes are made.

breakerboy

Basically If you are taking a turn in 2nd, and you gas it your back will swing out. Im not sure about vdc and tcs and all that stuff, but with my base whenever I want I can make the back loose traction.
An example of this is if Im stopped at a stop sign to make a left, in first I take it to about 4-5k rpm, then right as Im about to take the turn i pop it into 2nd, gas it and the back slides as far as I want it to until i Let go of the gas.

Monkey Man

I'm reading "Secrets of SOLO racing" right now. It is pretty straightforward, and has some good pointers. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to push their car to the limit.

-Jeremy

jackwhale

Suggestion: If you can't get the rear end to break loose, try to find a good instructor who will give honest suggestions and feedback.
I have to keep telling myself that it takes time and patience to learn to drive these cars rapidly. Most of us tell ourselves that we are pretty competent drivers....at least until we show up at the track or autocross. The really good drivers are easy to spot there. I have enjoyed reading the Secrets of Solo Racing book. Contains good advice....a major point is to practice and then keep on practicing. I suppose even M Schumaker takes a 'lesson' now and again.
We have found a few empty parking lots which are great on the weekends to get to know the limits of the car and me. The learning curve is much faster than taking corners at the limit on public roads.
Autocrossing, tracks, and instructors...can't get too much of these. I can hardly wait until the stock tires wear out.

zland

Hmm, maybe i need to put the stock wheels on it and really bun them up to learn the charactoristics of the car? Right now, i am still trying to keep the rpm to 4k max until 1200 miles (I got 900 now) so maybe it is because I am not pushing high rpm's? Does the car feel a lot more powwful over 4k rpm? I have not reved it and drop the clutch at2-2.5 k to lunch yet either. Do you guys think i will feel differnetly about the power of the car when I am able to run it harder or am I seeing most of the power already? I keep dreaming of a SC or TT. I want power.

D'oh

If you are staying under 4K then you are not feeling all the power. Be patient and you will soon see what the Z has to offer.

Practice is definitely key. I still can't slide right at all. I always overcorrect and jerk back into the line, which is quite upsetting when trying to go fast.

I've always liked racing games, but the games that have been the most fun for me have been the Carmageddon series on the PC. Those games have the most dynamic physics and best modeled vehicles than any other games I've played. The cars may not have realistic performance (for example they fly like a bird when going off jumps), but they definitely have realistic breakaway, drift, CG, friction, and dynamic modeling. It's one of the few games I've played where you can feel the difference between the different vehicles, you can feel when the back end starts to come around, and you can tell when you are driving a porsche VS a pickup. And this is without any type of Force Feedback or steering wheel. Plus the fact that you can drive anywhere on the map and run over pedestrians, animals, buildings, and other cars makes it great fun!

It's not racing simulation by any means, but it definitely is a DRIVING simulation.

-D'oh!

Merli

All you guys who are experiencing unwanted oversteer (or "fishtailing") around corners whilst booting it in 1st or 2nd gear, have you ever driven a RWD sports car before?

I'm just trying to figure out whether this is due to driver inexperience or bad standard suspension setup.

jackwhale

Hello to Australia from California. I just finished watching the Grand Prix on Speed Channel.
I don't think that the 350 oversteers. If driven fast in a casual kind of way, it has built in understeer. However the car can easily be thrown thrown into a manageable oversteer. I have never owned a car with as much power and I often exaggerate the oversteer accellerating out of a corner.but this isn't the 'unwanted oversteer' that you mention.
I read alot about the 350 before buying. The reports were nearly unanimous in praising the handling of the car. I'd trust their opinion more than mine.

BROKE

I am not an overly aggressive driver but I have also managed to to cause the "slip" light on my dashboard to ignite when under acceleration in lower gears. This usually happens when rounding a corner from a green light. 287 horsepower can be decieving and cause problems. Is this car a fun ride or what?

Merli

What a great race So much carnage... BWAHAHAHAHA Indy Cars and F1 cars always seem to have a huge attrition rate when they come over here

All the reports I have heard about the 350z have all praised the handling, even more than the S15 Silvia, which handles AMAZINGLY... This is why I was so surprised at this thread, full of people complaining about how easily it oversteers.

I think you have to remember that you're driving a 280hp RWD sports car, and that you can't just floor it in 1st gear around corners.

I drive a 600hp Skyline and let me tell you, although it handles beautifully, you have to respect what you have under your right foot, otherwise you're going to spin the car VERY VERY quickly.

steve c

A couple things to think about.

1. Traction control systems are not miracle workers -- if you do stupid things eventually you will pay the price. It is important to first understand the physics of driving before pushing the envelope. The few cases described in this thread indicate that driver error and inexperience was the root cause of all issues. Flying into a corner and lifting off the gas is a big no-no -- as is cranking the wheel, nailing the gas and expecting traction to remain constant...

2. Get some training. Attend some classes at your local road course -- or if you have to auto-x seminar. (I'm no really against auto-x, I just think it's a boring waste of time given that your average run is around a minute) Learn to control your vehicle within the confines of this somewhat controlled environment -- and never drive as you do on the track on public roads.

That is a great book -- as is his second book inner speed secrets. I am fortunate enough not only to have met Ross, but to have recieved instruction from him (for a pretty penny). He is one of the nicest people out there and a great, great teacher on the track. Patience for miles and miles.

All of this said -- I have a couple of cars that are high horsepower rear wheel drive setups -- and in both cases I never --- ever leave the traction control on. I feel the car is more dangerous with some system trying to work in concert with me to control the car. However, when my wife drives them, they remain on.

Slexis200

I've got a base model, and have driven on snow without a problem with the original tires, so I've been wondering if VDC does something that makes the car LESS stable. Or maybe I'm just more aware of the limitations since I always drive manually, and therefore I'm not surprised by exceeding the limits of a system I don't have. [/QUOTE]


I cannot possibly beleive you drove your base in the snow and had no problem, even if your mario andretti...... I have a base and when driving hard, the car will fish tail alot, in thge dry. In the wet you must drive very carefully with a base, and in the snow, its complete mayhem!!!!!! Its fun in a way, but i could never lie and say it has no problem, or that its close to safe. The stock tires are beyond terrible in the cold....... I will say, whenever i did skid, fishtail etc.... it was always controlled, i knew it would happen (meaning pressing on the gas hard) and went back in a straight line right away....... BUuuuut...... in the snow, its not possible to control it!!! If you can even get her moving, than your already possing a risk, because she stops even worse! And you end up driving sideways. Unless you drive under 15mph, and even then its dangerous, it skids!

Im not sorry i didnt get the systems, because i cant afford them right now, but i can say i know they are very helpful, because i have a G35 sedan with all them, and it drives 10X better in the wet, and snow....... But id still rather take the Z out any day of the week!! (the G35 is my dad's)

jackwhale

Merli: Do you have pictures of your GTR to post.


We plan to import a Skyline engine and put it in a 260Z that has been sitting in my friend's barn gathering bird droppings. We haven't been expecting to get 600 hp...100 hp/cylinder!

chahny

iTrader: (1)

Forget about the horsepower for a second. This car also has a very healthy dose of torque, especially around the 4k - 5k torque peak! This is partially why the car is so much fun to drive.

I know the stock tires are the butt of many jokes, but that does not make Nissan responsible for the driver overstepping the tire's capabilities.

I can't wait to find out how good/bad these tires really are when it gets warm. It's 10 F in Michigan right now.

jackwhale

I grew up in the U.P. and Ann Arbor and even tho I've been long gone, still consider it home.

I know that you Michigan guys are stuck in the middle of winter. I can't imagine the car is much fun, but if you wait until those really crisp clear Spring days begin......I can imagine getting in the Z; windows down; heater on full; driving along one of my favorite roads along the Huron River toward Dexter, Pinkney and all those little towns outside of Ann Arbor.....and neither the stock tires nor the VDC will get in the way at all.

chahny

iTrader: (1)

jackwhale, I know exactly the road you're talking about. Used to run the river with a bunch of bikers, what a blast.

Sorry to go off topic, but this road is really the only exciting road around here.

klee.007

Doesn't the 350Z has TCS anyhow? What is the diff between TCS and VDC? I test drove a touring model and shut off the VDC... I didn't see a button for TCS tho.. did I miss something? Shouldn't TCS prevent slippage anyways?

Merli

I actually have a Skyline GTS-t... I prefer RWD, although the lack of traction does get annoying sometimes.

Your friend shouldn't have any trouble getting 600hp out of the RB26DETT, but the limit of the standard turbos is about 420hp, so you'll need a turbo upgrade to get any more than that...

joeshow750

SWEET SKYLINE!!!