I finally got a chance to pull my scales out and put the Z on them. I have a Touring model, 6MT, aero package, no side air bags. The car was weighed with everything in place and a full fuel tank minus a couple gallons. Weights and percentages are as follows.

First, without me....
Total: 3304 lbs.
F/R Dist: 54.3%/45.7%
Cross weight, LF-RR/RF-LR: 50.4%/49.6%

Next, with me (@ 200 lbs.)...
Total: 3504 lbs.
F/R Dist: 53.8%/46.2%
Cross weight, LF-RR/RF-LR: 50.6%/49.4%


I was a little dissappointed with the total weight and front/rear distribution. Of course, this is the heaviest model, and with nearly a full fuel tank. The problem is, weight distribution will get worse with less fuel in there. Cross weights are decent, so handling will be close when turning in either direction.

They don't build 'em like they used to....a "modernized" 240z with the VQ35 powerplant would kick ***....

 

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=34645

 

Ahah! Great minds think alike

 

I think they claim 3250 for that model... not bad 50lbs off, could be alot of things causing the difference, perhaps they weighed with half tank? gas is 8lbs a gallon.

do you have floor mats?

are your glove box and everything else empty?

 

oh and gas tank is a new saddle back design right behind the seats, it probably wont throw the front back weight off too bad, alot of cars put it behind the rear axle.

 

I did have the floor mats in, also no Nav system. I didn't have anything extra in the car besides a few cds and small items in the center console.

The fuel tank location is better than at the extreme rear, but it will still make a pretty big difference when it is closer to empty. At least when its full, it keeps the polar moment of inertia low compared to those cars with the tank behind the axle.

Its hard to say how they come up with the advertised weights. It can vary a lot with options even within the same model, and of course the amount of fuel like you said. I guess with all things considered, a tad over 3300 isn't too bad.

 

yeah I THINK weights are sposed to be "wet" meaning full tank of gas(and all other fluids), or so I thought. never heard the rules for this, if they even exist.

 

Mannnn...Zs are heavy for being two seaters.

 

before or after lunch......J/K.......those numbers aren't too bad...

 

The weight is sure higher than Nissan claims.I own a Track Z and Nissan claims I believe(3227?).I wonder where the almost 100lbs comes from.Imagine this car at 3000 lbs?

 

Thanks for the #'s!

F/R Dist: 53.8%/46.2%


I can see that any suspension mods will NOT correct the weight imbalance, SO, we are stuck with a stable/safe understeering car.

What fun is that?

 

They did build them like they used to in the Cali bay area. They were called SCARABs and they had a Chevy 327 V8 w/4 speed Hurst manual with a body kit on the 240 to accomodate larger wheels, tires and whatnot, including custom interior. They were as fast as the exotics at the time and you might be surprised how many clubs there are now for 240, 260, 280 V8 conversions. Some folks are still doing conversions, but the Scarabs were the first in the late 70s, early 80s. They were not overweight either, the 6 and the 8 were close to the same, the body kit and wheels/tires pumped it up some, but not bad.

 

I'm not sure that I've ever heard of those Scarab conversions, but I am a big fan of engine swaps. I know there are a lot of old z cars running around with small blocks though. I tried to talk my friend into doing it with his 280z at some point. And I have another friend that is planning an LT1 or LS1 transplant into his 300zx.

To be honest, I think the VQ35 isn't quite enough motor for the 350z in terms of displacement. But in a lightweight car, it would be great. At the risk of offending the purists, I've already had thoughts of an LS1 powered 350z, although it looks like it wouldn't fit the engine bay by just eyeballing it. I just like the possibilities of combining two great cars to end up with what I'd consider a better car. I was considering a 3rd gen RX7 powered by an LS1, but I just don't have the time to mess with right now.

 

I guess that explains why the car feels better to me at auto-cross with a full tank of gas and when I leave the spare and jack in the car instead of removing them.


As for the Scarab, The engine was placed too far forward in the car and it was pretty nose heavy. There is a different design for engine mounts for a 350ci engine transplant that puts the V-8 farther back, and with an aluminum head engine, is just about the same weight as the original. www.hybridz.org

 

Great link! Thanks. I thought they were better balanced than that, but sometimes memory fails.

 

I don't think the last part is true. In stories I've seen on TV and the net where they say that the Ford Crown Vic (and its close cousins like the Lincoln Town Car) along w/the Ford Mustang are supposedly the only major cars now sold which have a gas tank behind the rear axle.

It's gained controversy because it's a dangerous location.

See http://www.crownvictoriasafetyalert....gnproblem.html and http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?did=519&scid=96.

 

Yes I think Ford would have learned from the spontaneously exploding Pintos. :-)

 

I think you are only partially correct on this.

As you say, you may not be able to get rid of the front heavy nature of the car with suspension mods, but you can definitely get rid of the understeer.

It sounds like just adding new anti-roll bar kits can do a very good job of eliminating the understeer, so the wieght distribution isn't too critical in this case.

I've read that the EVO and STI exhibit little understeer, and those cars are typically 60/40 or worse in their weight distribution, so it can be done.

For the record, my Performance model weighed 3400 lbs with me (170lbs) and about 12 gallons of gas (measured at the scale at our local dump).


-D'oh!

 

I posted MANY moons ago...

My car in AUTOX trim... no spare, etc... and half a tank of gas, WITHOUT me weighed in at 3188.

Nothing to complain about IMHO.

 

Physics is Physics. I have F & R Cusco anti-roll bars, and they reduced the understeer, but on a race track, it still plows like an.......OX

And the EVO & the STI happen to be AWD.


I hope I'm wrong, and that there is a cure, but fo now, I'm going to tweek the aero package. MORE FRONT DOWNFORCE

I'll be testing in a couple days......I'll let you know how it turns out.