I found this on wikipedia

How much a car understeers can be measured in the number of degrees more the steering wheel have to be turned per G of lateral acceleration. Here are the measured linear range values for some cars.[1] The higher the number the more the car understeers.

Car model Understeer value
Nissan 350Z 19
Mazda MX-5 21
Nissan 350Z Roadster 21
Ford Mustang GT 22
Renault Megane Sport 22
Maserati Gran Sport 23
Mini Cooper S 23
BMW 330i 25
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA 27
Corvette C6 27
Corvette Z06 28
Lotus Elise 111R 28
Porsche 997 Carrera S 28
Saab 9-3 Aero combi 28
Škoda Octavia RS 28
Porsche 997 Carrera 29
Porsche Cayman S 29
VW Golf GTI 29
Porsche 987 Boxster S 31
BMW M6 32
Range Rover Sport Supertech 32
Ford Focus ST 33
Mitsubishi Lancer EVO8 34
Porsche 968CS 34
Audi RS4 35
BMW M5 35
BMW Z4 Roadster M 35
BMW M3 Comp Package 36
Opel Astra OPC 36
BMW Z4 3.0i 37
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 37
Subaru Legacy 3.0 aut 38
Volvo V70 T5 39
Audi A4 2.0 T Q 41
Mercedes E55 AMG 42
Audi A4 V6 3.2 Q Avant 43
Porsche Cayenne Turbo 45
Smart ForFour Brabus 45
Mercedes SLK 350 47
TVR Tuscan 49
Alfa Romeo 159 2.2 JTS 51
Morgan Roadster V6 71

looks taht the Z does pretty good.
[edit] Notes

 

how about S2k?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understeer

here is the link...cause the verbage seems to be misleading...not sure what they mean by

"How much a car understeers can be measured in the number of degrees more the steering wheel have to be turned per G of lateral acceleration. Here are the measured linear range values for some cars.[1] The higher the number the more the car understeers."

that sounds a lot more like steering ratio...but not really...either way a well setup Z can understeer, be neutral, or oversteer because the wieght is 50/50...basically depends on how you want to race it.

 

They did not accurately list the source of this information; they just provided a link to a German Automobile news website. I don't really believe it

 

After 2006, the Zs had speed sensitive steering. I would think this would change the understeer tendencies at different speeds compared to other cars. Maybe not. Maybe just the effort necessary to control it.

Interesting information though.

 

so is understeer good. Does Z having a low number mean a good thing?

 

It depends on what you want. Understeer is the car wanting to go straight when you turn the wheel, instead of turning. (in the extreme) Oversteer is when the car turns more than you ask it to, like doing a 180 when you just wanted to turn 90 degrees onto a side street. (again, in the extreme)

I am guessing that "0" would be neutral for this story so I like the Z's "19" better than, say, the "45" the Porsche Cayenne Turbo got.

I don't know that I trust the numbers though because cars tend to have different balance under different conditions.

 

No it doesnt change the sensitivity of the steering. It just makes it more rigid. So during street driving, it is easier to turn. But when u go fast, it becomes harder to steer. like at 110mph... it is very stiff.. it helps you keep going straight and reduce dangerous steering at higher speed. But the turning ratio is the same regardless of the speed.

 

Somehow, I find the results hard to believe. I'd believe it more if the lower number meant it understeered more.

I've run across a lot of those cars in autocross events and seeing how they handle and in talking to the other drivers, I can't believe they have worse understeer than the Z.

 

i think it all depends on the front wheel tire. I know the stock Z got a ****ty *** rear tire so u can make it oversteer pretty damn easy. the front wheel prolly have some magic power... iono ...

 

Actually, the stock tires on the Z have very good dry traction. I'm pretty certain that would have been the conditions that they were measuring under.

 

u sure abuot that dave? almost every1 in my area who has a 350z changed their tire the first few months of driving it cause it keeps sliding.

 

i dont care for the stock tires. I put potenza re01-r's on the front in a 245 on all four corners now and the understeer is very minimal. And when you hit a bump it doesnt shake the wheel like it used to. i dont like staggered setups on sportscars.

 

I know the Z is unlikely to understeer based on my own experience, but these numbers can't be right.

You have to link to a CREDIBLE SOURCE for this to mean anything. Wikipedia, which I absolutely love for general info, is not a credible source.

 

For the novice drivers, lack of understeer can be a bad thing... If the numbers are true, wonder if it has any correlation to the number of accidents involving Z's?

 

Interesting numbers. Are the cars running the same tires on the same surface on the same day?

 

Very sure. I autocrossed on the stock tires for almost two years and did surprising well on them. Sure, everybody changes them for something better (I did this year), but as far as OEM tires are considered, they hold their own.

 

It's actually a Swedish website - and we know how famous the Swedes are for their sports cars. I'd feel better about it if it was a German magazine.

 

I hated the stock tires...have the RE050 now...but would have liked the RE01R...these tires have unbelievable grip...and they gel so nice when you push them too far...

 

well the first mistake is quoting wikipedia..... it its truly a hit or miss web site for information