I read so much on here about people who get into trouble with their Zs because they don't know how to handle them. However, I think that having a Z can make you a better driver. Since I got my Z I find myself more alert to how fast I'm moving because all that power under the hood can quickly make you cop bait without your realizing it. I also feel that the car's handling characteristics give me better control and confidence on the open road. Highway driving is smoother. Changing elevations and winding roads are far more manageable than before. Engine power makes lane changes safer and quicker. I maintain a good distance from other cars for safety reasons but also because I don't want that smoothly sculptured front end chipped or scratched by rocks kicked up by other cars. In parking lots I drive more slowly and carefully because I don't want that Z body damaged by some idiot blindly backing out of a space.

Anybody else feel that owning a Z has made them a better driver?

 

riding motorcycles made me a much better and more aware driver...
and so did the ~$10,000 i invested in trackdays/schools/etc

 

+ one million

I was just going to say the same thing, and its totally true.

 

RWD with no TCS and no VDC has made me a little more aware of the car's natural slip angle when cornering and what not.

I've also become more receptive of body-roll and lean when driving other commuter cars or trucks so I tend not to push them hard anymore.

 

I think the Z definitely demands more driving attention than my mazda6 did. It is also very confidence-inspiring to drive. Now whenever I drive my girlfriend's Civic or some American-made rental boat the body roll and sidewall flex scares the crap out of me. I know those cars are made to just lumber down the road and absorb all of the bumps but it makes me feel numb and out of control.

 

Company has me rent cars from Budget for trips and it's usually a mustang (v6), they scare the crap out of me with all that body roll. I swear the wifes Matrix has less body roll than they do! Not mustang bashing, just stating a fact!

 

No...But its made me a better person. And the world a better place.

 

I don't believe it has. I've always been a very careful and attentive driver.

 

I don’t think I improved my driving skills. However, I wouldn’t consider myself as a good/fast driver but I never had an accident and I’m able to drive my Z on snow without feeling uncomfortable.

 

Exactly the opposite. I keep smashing into orange cones. What should I do?

 

I think they make an anti-orange-cone protective coating. Check the vendor classifieds.

 

same driver, new car :}


i've always been safe/good/aware driver.


although i like to speed every now and again :}

 

Motorcycles & trucks made me a good driver. The Z has been kind of a refresher course with MT & RWD.

 

Yep. I've never driven a car on hilly twisties that taught me anything about the effects of positive and negative vertical G forces and the effect they have on steering. Other than that it's taken time to work up to the Z's limits.

+1 on the value of motorcycle riding experience.

 

it's made me worse... I need to calm down!

 

word...i drove an f350 box truck(largest you can drive without CDL) filled with 12,000lbs of ice for 2 summers. that definitly teaches you patience. body roll FTL!


i dont know if the Z in particular has made me a better driver but if some **** went down on the road i wouldnt want to be in another car. I'm confident that with the braking, handling, acceleration, im in a better position to avoid an accident than most other people. And there's of course truth to that as it has gotten me out of a few hairy situations.

 

It made me realize summer tires dont work uphill on slushy snow. Other than that i tend to drive slower than i did in my 240, although i could go faster in the Z, generally what the OP feels

 

HA!

I got way more agressive with the Z. I never had a ticket untill I got the Z.

I have honed my driving skills. If you call that better driving.

 

Sportbike riding and racing helped a lot , so has Autocross and Performance driving schools.

 

lmao