raceboy

LOL, the title was meant to get you into this thread, kinda like calling Marty McFly "Chicken!"

But seriously, I am beginning to wonder. I just read the Z is the most popular sportscar currently being sold. It has single handedly accounted for 60% of all sportscar sales this year, THAT IS ALL SPORTSCAR SALES PEOPLE!!! So where are you guys at track days??

There are less S2K's than Z's on the road and I see plenty of Stooks on track. The Stook and the Z are similarly priced. So the only thing I can think of is that the Z really does appeal to a different demographic. Am I driving the poor man's Vette?? Wait, no, I see plenty of Vettes at the track and I thought that was supposed to be the middle aged man's mid life crisis mobile?? It really hits home for me because I am in SoCal and there have to be more Z's here than anywhere.

We get threads here a mile long about what performance mods will net you minimal gains, what big brake kit should I get, blah blah blah. What is everyone buying these parts for, because it certainly isn't for taking their cars to the track???

Ok, my flame suit is now on. Keep in mind that this is about 50% tongue in cheek, but it's also 50% serious as I really wonder what the deal is??

If anyone is interested there is a great track day coming up at a perfect beginners track on August 2nd and 3rd with Speedventures if you are in the SoCal area. It would be great to see a growing Z contingent there, or at least more than just 1 or 2.

MODS: Please do not bury this thread in the racing forum. It really belongs here so people can actually read it. Thank you!!

ddtreadway

I am not a track person. Never have been.

I got my car to enjoy going back and forth to work, and on road trips when the weather is nice. If a friend of mine was going to the track and wanted me to come along, I would probably do it, but I don't have any friends that are into that either.

I'd probably be afraid I was going to wreck due to my own inexperience anyway.

westpak

iTrader: (19)

I completely agree with you, it seems the people buying the Z are just not the same crowd buying the other sports car, it is the new hip car to get, the other cars seems to be bought with a purpose and by people that want to do with the car what it was meant for. The Z on the other hand like I said is being bought as the latest new toy and by people that just want to say they have a new Z.

Also people seem to have this notion that they are going to damage their car, well I am a first timer with the track, never had thought of it before and have now been out there for 5 track days and it is just unbelievable, you are not fender to fender, it is not racing. And the biggest impact on the car is brakes, just get used to the fact that brakes are expendable wear items and learn how to replace them and cost wont be that bad, tires don't suffer as much as I thought.

So people please buy a helmet and get out there, see what you can actually do with the car instead of racing morons from light to light, and see what your big brake kits, suspensions mods and performance mods actually do rather than letting you take the off ramp faster.

alphaz

I track my Z whenever I can. I have been to Little Talledega once and will be there this coming Friday. I will probably do Road Atlanta in the fall. I have also done several Auto-x's this year. This car was made to put on the track.

D'oh

I think a big reason the Z is selling so well is not because there are all of a sudden a huge new group of enthusiasts out there. Instead, it's because the Z is very well rounded. It is an excellent daily driver, is solid, has good torque, but is also a good track car. Also, it is a revival of one of Japan's legendary cars that many new drivers remember but were not old enough to experience. It has style to spare, and will have a huge aftermarket for both performance as well as non-performance parts.

Therefore, the people that are buying the Z are a much more diverse group than the S2000 crowd. I think that it is much easier for the average driver to appreciate the Z than it would be for them to appreciate the S2000. Which means the S2000 group will have a higher percentage of enthusiasts than the Z crowd. I'm guessing that in a year, there will be many more Z's out there.

I've actually seen as many Z's as S2000's at one of the AutoX's I've attended, but only recently. It just takes time, man!

One of these days I'll get back to Laguna Seca, there will be at least one more Z out there.

-D'oh!

Silver Bullit II

Like you stole it.

JMS in TX

s9am_me

iTrader: (1)

not only will I track my Z... i want to go sideways in it. When i get a set of beater tires/rims and more mileage on my car... i'm gonna let it rip. only have a meazly 4,000 miles on it since December

350zroadster

iTrader: (1)

I haven't track, plan to, and don't have 350Z yet.

But I wouldn't track a brand new car, unless I'm being sponsored to do so, and driving a company car.

If I want to track this year, I would probably buy a beatup miata and drop a turbo in.

ares

iTrader: (2)

I have done drag racing, and I want to autocross, but basicly Im afraid, not of hurting the car, you cant do too much damage on an autocross. but because Ive never done it before, Ill do it eventually.

also, I cant afford tires... the tires on my car cost 800$ a set, when I can even get them. I cant replace them, they arent long life tires to begin with...

and no real track, because the cardinal rule, never track your only form of transportation. I crash, no insurance on the track, 30,000$ car.... well theres a word for me starts with F ends in ucked.

cwerdna

I have no Z yet, but I've taken my 02 Maxima drag racing to the track 4 times. I've done lapping twice at the same track, but you have to take an advanced driving class there first before you can go lapping. Luckily, my work paid for the driving class as a sort of reward, otherwise it'd have been $350-450 for the class.

Lapping is kinda expensive, costs $150 for the day, and even more if you wanna hire a private instructor for the day. I can see how cost can be a prob for people. It's also WAY more dangerous than drag racing. I do need to hire an instructor for some more advice/tips. Driving at at track is really different than normal driving on the road. There are a lot of things you might instinctively do that could get you into trouble on the track.

Drag racing on the other hand IS WAY safer and cheaper. When importmix.com used to have events there, it was $10 for as many runs as you could get in a day (usually like 4 pm till 9 or 10). You just go straight for 1/4 mile, slow down, turn off the track, and line back up. Since the lanes are so wide and it's just straight, you or the other driver would practically need to be a moron to have any impact.

If I get a Z, I have no qualms about taking it drag racing. About lapping, I might, but I'd even more worried about wrecking it than my Max. Either way would SUCK though! As for autocross, I've spectated before and it looks very safe (at least in dry weather) due to the lack of obstacles and low speeds.

I go to Pacific Raceways/Seattle International Raceway for drag and lapping. I do wish there was some oval track around here were I could test out the top speed of my car.

raceboy

Yeah, but what is it about Z drivers that makes them so much more scared about crashing on a track than an S2K driver?? The cars cost about the same, so it's not the price. Tires?? You will barely even wear them down until you really learn how to drive and why are people driving $30-$35K cars if they can't afford the tires??

As far as crashing goes. You gotta do something real dumb to crash on the track. In other words, if you don't have the common sense to slowly work you way up to a comfortable limit on track, then you probably don't have the common sense to drive AT ALL!! And once again the myth that insurance will not cover you on track. Your insurance company might drop afterwards, but unless it's a competitive event (lapping days are NOT competitive events), then you will be covered.

What I really find funny is that people want to mag race cars to death. When people compare the Z to an Audi TT, people get their panties all in a bunch about how the TT is not a real sportscar. That they bought the Z because it's a true RWD sportscar. Well what does it matter? The reality is is that these cars get bought for the exact same reason. Style. How is that any different than all the women driving around in VW Bugs because they are "cute?"

nwind21

ImportRiders (lyndon) tracks with NASA's HPDE group 1-3.

I recently signed up with NASA and hopefully will track with HPDE later this year ( I gotta get a helmet + $$$ )

I might take some race courses before too... so yes... I do plan to track the Z.

Eventually though I'd like to build up a 240 or 280 to race instead of the Z cause I won't have to worry about damagin a 35K car and then relegate my Z to become a street machine.

bhobson333

As often as possible, I'm at the track!

I don't get to go as often as I'd like, though. I'll probably only do it once or twice a year. We had a really good time at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) a few months ago, and I definitely intend to to it again. It ended up being a little expensive, all things considered, and, well, I'm "married with children" and I'd like to keep it that way!

Here are a couple of links you might enjoy:

https://my350z.com/forum/motorsports/25980-350z-s-at-vir-road-course-in-va-video-inside.html

Go further in the thread for smaller video clips in this next one; the first I posted were way too big!

https://my350z.com/forum/motorsports/28519-video-from-vir-north-5-4-2003-a.html

importriders

Its funny but the track events I've done (NASA and TCRA) I have yet to see an S2000. But my cousin(S2k owner) you runs with the Speeedventure guys says that there are a bunch of S2k's running with them. So that could be a part of it. Seems like the S2k's run with Speedventures and the Z guys are all spread out. I know allot of people on this board are running with NASA cause I see allot of HPDE threads on this board. And last time I ran with TCRA there was another Z running with me. So that could be a reason why you don't see to many Z's tracking with you Raceboy. I plan to run with Speedventures one day. But their Socal track days always seem to be so far apart and on weekdays.

In any case, I've been pushing the same plug to all the Socal peeps when I attend some of the meets. Looks like I sparked the interest of a couple of people so we should be seeing more Z's out on the Socal tracks soon.

2003z

iTrader: (7)

You might want to ask a local atlanta member about that. He's on his way to get his replacement car right now. His insurance paid for totalling at Road A.

ares

iTrader: (2)

I heard about him, but havent followed up on what happened, guess there goes that idea.

S2000s really have ummm *dodges flames* a very specific purpose. I dont think its any secret that the S2000 was built for the track, not the open road. if you wanted a daily driver sports car, the S2000 is not likely it... could go as far as to say more S2000 owners have a second car that they drive daily. leaving them with the second car that they can risk tracking.

even if I did race, crashed and insurance replaced it, Id be screwed untill it was replaced, which is no overnight process.

Eric1h

maybe youre going to the wrong track events, or maybe its you

The last track event Bhobson333 and I did there were 4 or 5 350Z's and not a single S2k.

Maybe its just the people in your area. I plan to track mine often and hard.

mrice

Raceboy says>>>> Wait, no, I see plenty of Vettes at the track and I thought that was supposed to be the middle aged man's mid life crisis mobile??

The Z is my midlife crisis car, vette is too cliche! Makeway youngsters!!!

EnthuZ

iTrader: (2)

I've done 4 track events so far, and I plan on doing many more. Driving flat out on a challenging road coarse is just TOO MUCH FUN!

My only "problem" has been the R040's falling apart! But this was expected. Still debating what to do for streetable track tires.

If anyone is interested, there is a 2 day track event at Road America September 27 & 28. For those that just want to feel out what driving on a road course is like, they are offering "Touring" sessions, where helmets are not required.

Here is a shot of my track feathered tires:

drivesolo

iTrader: (6)

I've been waiting for someone to post this issue, cuz it's a question that's been on my mind for a while now. I can't really say that I take my Z "to the track" I have done that once at Pacific Raceways near Seattle, but I do run autocross every chance that I get, pretty much every other weekend. Autocross has got to be the safest form of autosports around, yet aside from 2 other guys in the greater Seattle area, I haven't seen any other 350Z's. I've been following the results on the SCCA-NWR and the WWSCC series and not including myself only 3 other guys here in the entire Puget Sound (greater Seattle area) have even brough their Z's to an event and out of them only one does it regularly. For the most part there hasn't been any 350Z's. Kinda upsetting since this car can really hold it's own in it's class even with the stock tires.

Last month I was chatting with the sales manager at the dealership and asked how many they've sold so far. He said not much only about 40. I figure if you take the number as a conservative average and multiply it by the amount of dealers in the area, there's got to be hundreds of 350Z's here. And only 4 of them have been to a local autocross?