350Z vs. Mazda RX-8
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
From: MD
Originally Posted by Faboo
glad to see some people here know what they are talking about....
most dont though...
since when has power = better??
the fact that a 220hp car is even close to a 300hp car says something right there...
most of the people here are making themselves look like idiots
most dont though...
since when has power = better??
the fact that a 220hp car is even close to a 300hp car says something right there...
most of the people here are making themselves look like idiots
..dude, your soo right I just vomited in my mouth, swallowed it and vomited it back up. ...Your wrong. No comparison.
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Ottawa, Canada
Originally Posted by daryl.blas
..dude, your soo right I just vomited in my mouth, swallowed it and vomited it back up. ...Your wrong. No comparison.
Does anyone else see the irony in this post being made by a person who's sig says "..to each - their own."?
Frankly, the cars are both enjoyable, but they're so different that they're guaranteed to appeal to different people. It seems there are relatively few of us who truly appreciate both for what they are. I'm glad I got my RX-8, and I'm equally glad to be in a position soon to swap it for a Z.
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Earth
Originally Posted by Arnold K.
Weight: Unless RX8s weigh 2800lbs, the weight difference is about 200lbs. I know the earliest base RX8s dipped just below 3000lbs, but the average RX8 weighs over 3000lbs. 350Z Coupes range between 3150-3250lb in weight (pending on trim).
Handling: It takes practically nothing for a Z to handle like an RX8. The RX8 is a bit tighter, but nothing that a $100 set of Hotchkis don't fix.
Ride: Objective.
Seating: I intentionally bought a 2-seater car. Most of us did. This is simply not something many, if any, of us care about. If we wanted 4 seats, we'd have gotten a G35 coupe or a sedan. Many of us also have secondary cars for that purpose.
Storage: The Z holds enough as is. I've fit luggage, carts of groceries, shopping bag, etc no issues. Unless you take frequent trips to the airport to pick up friends or family, or transport large cargo...this is a non-issue. Again, it's something we consciously choose to live with, we don't see it as a fault.
Interior: No argument there.
Insurance: Negligible difference, was quoted $10 difference every 6 months between RX8 and 350Z last year.
As you can see, I'm not telling you you're wrong - just correcting/informing you here and there.
I personally look for power, agility, and looks out of a sportscar. Everything else is just gravy - that's why I bought a Z. I don't care for cargo space, or rear seats. An interior is important, but thankfully the Zs interior isn't disastrous. My other choices were E46 M3 (too expensive to maintain, insure, mod), and 6.0L GTO (doesn't look special, handle as well).
Handling: It takes practically nothing for a Z to handle like an RX8. The RX8 is a bit tighter, but nothing that a $100 set of Hotchkis don't fix.
Ride: Objective.
Seating: I intentionally bought a 2-seater car. Most of us did. This is simply not something many, if any, of us care about. If we wanted 4 seats, we'd have gotten a G35 coupe or a sedan. Many of us also have secondary cars for that purpose.
Storage: The Z holds enough as is. I've fit luggage, carts of groceries, shopping bag, etc no issues. Unless you take frequent trips to the airport to pick up friends or family, or transport large cargo...this is a non-issue. Again, it's something we consciously choose to live with, we don't see it as a fault.
Interior: No argument there.
Insurance: Negligible difference, was quoted $10 difference every 6 months between RX8 and 350Z last year.
As you can see, I'm not telling you you're wrong - just correcting/informing you here and there.
I personally look for power, agility, and looks out of a sportscar. Everything else is just gravy - that's why I bought a Z. I don't care for cargo space, or rear seats. An interior is important, but thankfully the Zs interior isn't disastrous. My other choices were E46 M3 (too expensive to maintain, insure, mod), and 6.0L GTO (doesn't look special, handle as well).
Handling: ...and particularly nothing for a RX-8 to handle even better. This is tuner logic, one could say a quick turbo and the RX is faster. Autocross results have pretty much settled this debate.
Ride: Objective maybe, but it is the verdict of every major car mag that compaired them that the RX-8 is the superior ride and handler. This seems like pretty good supporting evidence.
Seating: You point here is understandable. For those who do want a sports car with daily usabliity this is a "can't be beat" feature especially if you have kids. It was a big selling point to many RX owners. If I didn't have kids I might be in a Z now.
Truck: Why accept limitation if your already paying for it with increased weight. I've take my son, his friend and camping equipment for a 3 day weekend with my RX. Yet the car still looks like a 2 seater.
Interior: As said the recent make-over was a big move up for the Z.
Insurance: I was quoted over $400/yr more and have heard from others with similar rate quotes +/-$100.
I always like to hear both sides of the story and have countered some of your claims with a little more information and/or perspective. For me I really liked both cars but the limitations that came with the Z made it a non-option for me. With the RX I get a true sports car with the usability of a small family car. I believe ones needs and desires play a big part in which car is selected.
Originally Posted by RX8Guy
Weight: Not according to Consumer Reports who weighed both cars in 03 or 04 results were RX-8 3,085 lbs for the top trim level, lowest trim is just under 3,000 lbs. 350Z was 3,345 for a Touring trim and Nissan's specs says the current top trim level (Grand) is 3,381 lbs so 300 lbs difference seems the number.
Originally Posted by RX8Guy
Handling: ...and particularly nothing for a RX-8 to handle even better. This is tuner logic, one could say a quick turbo and the RX is faster. Autocross results have pretty much settled this debate.
Check out posts 33 and 34 in the thread below.
https://my350z.com/forum/autocross-r...ire-class.html
Also check out my post #199 in this thread.
Last edited by Z1NONLY; Aug 13, 2008 at 02:55 PM.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 630
Likes: 0
From: Buena Park
Originally Posted by Z1NONLY
My base 05' tipped the scales at < 3200lbs 3180, IIRC. (At Moroso, FL)
why do we keep seeing these low weights but nissan/official wieghts are about 150-250 pounds heavier...
how much fuel did u have....and does anyone know how much fuel is in cars when mags weigh then
Originally Posted by Faboo
by that logic the mustang is the best sports car ever made than
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 630
Likes: 0
From: Buena Park
Originally Posted by DavesZ#3
Difference markets. The Rustang is an american muscle car, not a sports car. The RX-8 and 350Z are import sports cars. They compete in the same market segment.
and tell me how 2 vehicles that have the same layout, power output, target buyer, price point are in different markets
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 630
Likes: 0
From: Buena Park
I cant speak for louisiana..but in OC there are alot of different people...from around the world...personally in high school (graduated 03) an asian guy(majority of school were asian) had a mustang gt on a 75 shot along with breather mods...and another had a ws6 with some mods too...
along with all the other beemers/infiniti's and lexus's of course
u see alot of diff things when people mix as much as they do here...
for instance i have seen a car crew in los angeles of about 8 black guys all with imported r34's.....dont really expect it..but thats how it is
and my asian friend works for JIC, has an imported s15, has had multiple sponsored drift cars.....also has a imported TVR griffith 500...and he is 23...dont really expect that either
so yea personal tastes aside..they are made to go after the same market segment
along with all the other beemers/infiniti's and lexus's of course
u see alot of diff things when people mix as much as they do here...
for instance i have seen a car crew in los angeles of about 8 black guys all with imported r34's.....dont really expect it..but thats how it is
and my asian friend works for JIC, has an imported s15, has had multiple sponsored drift cars.....also has a imported TVR griffith 500...and he is 23...dont really expect that either
so yea personal tastes aside..they are made to go after the same market segment
Last edited by Faboo; Aug 13, 2008 at 03:53 PM.
Originally Posted by Faboo
once again i am suprised to hear this....i was just talking to a 07 base driver that weighed in at 3170 i think...
why do we keep seeing these low weights but nissan/official wieghts are about 150-250 pounds heavier...
how much fuel did u have....and does anyone know how much fuel is in cars when mags weigh then
why do we keep seeing these low weights but nissan/official wieghts are about 150-250 pounds heavier...
how much fuel did u have....and does anyone know how much fuel is in cars when mags weigh then
I don't remember how much gas I had but I had to drive from the west coast to the east coast for the event, and probably started with a full tank. So I will guess about 1/2 tank.
this thread needs to dies the rx8 is a different car than the 350z it should be 350z vs mustang and rx8 vs s2k ... 350z is muscle, tourque and more tourque and rx8 is your ideal japanese sports car, high rpm and great at handeling the road
Originally Posted by RX8Guy
Weight: Not according to Consumer Reports who weighed both cars in 03 or 04 results were RX-8 3,085 lbs for the top trim level, lowest trim is just under 3,000 lbs. 350Z was 3,345 for a Touring trim and Nissan's specs says the current top trim level (Grand) is 3,381 lbs so 300 lbs difference seems the number.
Handling: ...and particularly nothing for a RX-8 to handle even better. This is tuner logic, one could say a quick turbo and the RX is faster. Autocross results have pretty much settled this debate.
Ride: Objective maybe, but it is the verdict of every major car mag that compaired them that the RX-8 is the superior ride and handler. This seems like pretty good supporting evidence.
Truck: Why accept limitation if your already paying for it with increased weight. I've take my son, his friend and camping equipment for a 3 day weekend with my RX. Yet the car still looks like a 2 seater.
Z:
http://www.automotive.com/2003/12/ni...sts/index.html
RX8:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/sa...zda&model=RX-8
Last edited by SniperHunter; Aug 13, 2008 at 08:31 PM.
Originally Posted by marcus_GTS
Thanks for the tip. I've read elsewhere about the square setup helping, so it's good to see someone on this board confirm it. I'm hoping that a beefier rear sway bar + the square setup would balance the car properly, but I need to do more research to confirm. Next step would be adjustable A-arms to get the camber adjustability. I'd prefer not to have to touch the springs and shocks, in order to keep some ride comfort. I'm not looking for the ultimate handling (not yet, at least...), I'm just trying to achieve that balanced feeling.
By the way, it's interesting you refer to road courses, since that's actually the main reason I'm looking at this car. I don't do autocross, but I do a fair bit of HPDEs, and the lack of torque/power in the RX is frustrating on those long straights.
By the way, it's interesting you refer to road courses, since that's actually the main reason I'm looking at this car. I don't do autocross, but I do a fair bit of HPDEs, and the lack of torque/power in the RX is frustrating on those long straights.
I've pretty much maxed out the suspension mods on my Z and it drives like it's on rails. In addition to what I mentioned above, I've installed chassis bracing from front to back (GTSPEC braces) to stiffen it even more.
When you get a chance, go to the Autocross sub-forum and you'll learn more how some of us hard-core autocross/road course drivers have done to the Z. It is simply amazing what this car can do on the track with the proper mods.
Originally Posted by DavesZ#3
If someday I see a young, oriental male driving a Cumstang, then I'll concede to you the point that it has the same target buyer as the RX-8 or 350Z.