I was at West Covina Nissan yesterday getting my car inspected, while waiting i test drove an 07 Z enthusiest w/ nismo CAI and exhaust. The car is indeed fast, faster then any Z i have driven (minus FI Zs) but the steering and clutch somehow seem watered down, too soft.

What is everyone elses take on this, those of you who own 07s and those who have test driven them?

 

To be honest with you, I think the steering on Nissan cars in general is too tight and hard compared to other manufacturers. I've owned this Z and the 200SX SE-R back in the days and one big thing I have noticed is Toyota's, Lexus, Honda's all have very different power steering(?) compared to Nissan's and the ease of turning the steering wheel is far easier than on a Nissan. the Nissan steering just seems tight and you have to force a turn, while on the flip side I could use an index finger to turn the steering wheel of my IS350 when I had it.

 

I can agree with you on that part. However, is this 07 your first Z? If it is not then comparison wise I am talking about steeting and clutch feel between
30-05 and 07. Hard to notice the change in feel if 07 Z is first Z for owners.

 

The 07 and 06s I beleive have variable steering, gets tighter at speed and looser when slow. No qualms on mine, very precise. Its certainly heavier than any non-sports car I have but that is expected. I like it a little tighter myself, goes where you point it. I wouldn't say my clutch is soft, if anything, its a little tough, had to get used to its heaviness compared to other sticks I've owned. I absolutley love the car, need to get the Nismo exhaust for sure to beef up the exhaust tone as soon as I can get the scrap together.

DId you like the tone of the Nismo? was it alot louder than the stock. Stock seems pretty quiet if you ask me.

Sarg

 

I was gearing towards the HKS Ti Hi Power but when i heard the nismo for myself, WOW is all i can say. Now i am going to get the nismo for sure. i would strongly suggest you for it also.

 

wheres the link for the CAI??

 

throw a car in some hard turns and then tell me how much you like soft steering.
I honestly have driven many cars and owned many cars. I can honstly say I think the steering is perfect.
The clutch takes some getting used to. I still do not care for the engagement, but it could be my driving style. I am a harsh driver, so feathering and driving normal is not my thing in a sports car.

Also have someone drive your car for you and listen to it outside the car. Its much louder. i got an exhaust clip of my stocker the other day and I was surprised as heck

 

My mistake, i forgot that NISMO didn't make a dual intake for the HRs yet. It only had an exhaust system. Bada$$ none the less.

 

+1000

i have the nismo exhaust and i absolutely love it, i was afraid it wouldn;t be loud enough, but its perfect and never raspy

 

lol. And I had thought my 04 was to soft! I like it really tight.

 

Yeah, my new Enthus 07 has a much softer clutch and the engine, from take off, isn't nearly as grunty. The shifter seems the same, maybe a little less vibration. I miss the Nismo exhaust on my 03. The new car just doesn't sound as good.

Still breaking mine in, so I'm not sure I can say if the power is better. Seems similar, just not as jerky from the first gear.

 

yes we all like it tight.

 

Indeed

 

It's not hard for peeps here to get any sexual reference at all.

 

I thought sportscars that had that capability had loose steering at high speed and tighter when slow. This makes sense since you'd need tighter steering for slower corners and less steering input at high speed.

 

For daily drivers in mind.. much easier to drive around at low speed. Tighter steering for better overall control at high speed driving. Also loose steering responds works great on taking corners such as auto-X event.

 

i had the same thought in mind at C4t. but your explanation of why the steering imput is the way it is for the 07 makes sense jongsang.

 

Does the '07 have the same steering as the '06? I went from a '05 to an '06 and didn't really notice a difference in steering. Most of the reviews on the '06 and newer cars also don't mention a difference in steering.

The '03-05 350Zs had engine speed sensitive steering.
The '06 and I believe the '07 has vehicle speed sensitive steering.

For either one, the steering is basically more indirect at speed. This allows for more stability and a stable steering response at high speed.

 

This may be a case of semantics, as you guys are pretty much saying the same thing. You are correct when you say that less steering input is needed or wanted at high speed.

At low speed, you would want the vehicle to respond quicker to steering input. At high speed, the same steering would result in a somewhat "twitchy" car and could be dangerous. Say you're traveling at 100+, you wouldn't want the car to overreact to the slightest turns of the steering wheel.

 

i would think that at higher speeds the steering would be much tighter for safety concerns. i mean you would want to be going fast and making a turn too easily and end up spinning out or even worse, flipping.