[QUOTE=Flick Montana;9877743]
Some people put an unfair stigma on the convertible, though. Like it's not hardcore or something. Those people tend to run into telephone poles on Thanksgiving.[/QUOTE


Those people are generally mental children who think that because they like something it's automatically better than everything else. They also tend to favor ricer body kits, LEDs, and ridiculous drops that make the car effectively unusable on many roads.

There is really NO perceptible perfomance difference between the vert and the coupe. Suspensions and drivetrains are identical, except for the vert having the rigid crossbar. The whole MT vs AT debate is a total freakin' joke to anyone who knows squat about cars. Both were available on either type, and someone who knows how to actually drive the manumatic (and has swapped the rear so they will have the same final ratios) can easily run with any manual. Plus, if you have to deal with traffic, you'll realize why in reality a manual is archaic technology. suitable for a 1950's car, but not the best choice for a street-driven vehicle (why do you think most Porsches are now automatics with a manual shift option --- just like the set up that Nissan used except for the shifter location. And nobody who seriously drag races would even consider using a manual transmission anymore). Now yes, if you are wanting to seriously boost, then you need a valve body upgrade if you are running an auto. But so what? If you are going to go spend $6,000+ on a good TT setup spending $800 for the valve body upgrade is nothing! To dis a roadster based on performance is to illuminate ones own ignorance of the car. Now I have to agree, the roadster with the top up is not particularly appealing, but who buys a vert and drives around with the top up? The ONLY time my top comes up is if I have to park somewhere and leave it alone for a while (like when I'm at the grocery store), otherwise the top stays down. With the top down the roadster is WAY better looking than the coupe, imho --- but to each his own.
If a coupe floats your boat, then you should be driving a coupe (especially if you plan on racing it because most tracks won't even let you run a roadster without an approved cage). Ditto for if you prefer a vert. They are effectively identical perfomance-wise (especially once you start modifying things) so it's just a question of which you like best. Personally, to me there are very few cars out there that look anywhere near as good as a 350ZR with a Nismo V2 body kit and a slight (1" or slightly less) drop --- and I have thought that for several years before finally buying a 350Z, so that is exactly what I am building.




SparkleCityHop --- You still have a custom cage that allows use of the top??? I might possibly be interested in that if you are wanting to sell it!! Got any pics??

 

IMHO, convertible Z's look like chit...

When I lived in CA, I had a convertible fox body 5.0 and a Mercedes SL and loved having them. Now that I'm in WA, there'd be no point in having one, but I do miss cruising with the top down.

 

I guess I just don't think that cutting checks to a shop/GTM is "living and breathing a car".

And when giving advice about the differences in a coupe and convertible - anyone that defines the convertible as:

And the coupe as:

That's a person that doesn't understand that the transmission selection when buying a car has nothing to do with whether or not the car is a coupe or convertible. It would be just as ludicrous as saying that all 350Z's have a single throttle body whereas the 370Z has dual. Nope, that's a VQ35DE vs VQ35HR difference.

I think that "abundantly quicker" is not very accurate either when you're talking about approximately a 10% weight difference equal to a fat guy in the passenger seat, but I'll let you keep that one - even though roadsters are in the top drag strip times list at a higher ratio than percentage sold (or percentage of members): https://my350z.com/forum/drag/233840-top-25-1-4-mile-times-for-tt-st-supercharger-nitrous-bolt-ons-stock.html

 

I was always working in the downtown business districts of each town. In comparing DFW and SA, I think the buildings in DFW just trap all of the heat (no where near as bad as the Houston concrete jungle effect). It seemed to me that SA was spread out enough and had the nice river walk and some actual trees, etc. to make it more bearable than DFW.

Austin has hot freaks that are a lot of fun ("Keep Austin Weird"), but I still maintain that DFW has more of the "beautiful, leggy blondes" when you're walking around downtown at lunch. And not that I know from experience , but my vote would be that Austin has the hottest strippers (I'm sorry - dancers) outside of Vegas.

 

Duplicate

 

The girls also love my god awful grandma car.

Never heard a chick complement that nasty box designed rear of a nismo though...

 

I haven't cut any checks to shop/GTM...(yet). And every part I have on the car now has been installed by me.

I have noticed that everyone taking exception to my opinion owns a convertible though. Also, I'm not interested in quarter mile/ drag times. If I wanted a car to go fast in a straight line I would have went with another car.

 

SMH, now we're down to semantics… cut a check to National Speed for the GTM parts. Sorry, I was speaking in generalities.

I realize that I came on pretty strong with my response, but that's because you stated those other items as if they were fact. I think that I made my point. Sorry if I came across as a dik in the process. I was just wanting to correct the misinformation.

 

That's because they've never seen it, bro. They are use to sirlion. Give em a taste a filet mignon and they will never go back. I haven't ever met a chick who hasn't complimented my car. But in the end, I'm not driving a car based on what a woman thinks about it.

 

You said that the coupe is "abundantly faster". Are you saying that the weight difference is going to have a significant impact upon track times or driving on the road when it doesn't even have a significant impact at a drag strip?

I'm obviously wasting my breath here. You have your opinions and you're not going to change your mind even when confronted with facts/data/information.

 

The parts I have now: coilovers, rotors, brake pads, brake fluid, stainless steel brake lines, front and rear camber and toe, sways, exhaust, etc I have installed myself. That's more than the avg person will do. And as for National Speed I have cut no check (yet) to them. But when I do it will be for a dyno and tuning, something I wouldn't be able to do myself. So what is your rebuttle. I'm trying to find your arguing point, bro.

 

My arguing point is that this comparison of the advantages of a coupe over a convertible is flawed and lacks any basic understanding of the models and features of the two vehicles:

Items that are misinformation have been highlighted in bold.

Any normal person would assume that you know nothing about the cars if that's how you explained the differences between the two vehicles.

 

Ok. Never knew auto convertibles raced in any of the road course series before. I must have been misinformed.

I'm sorry but your not persuading me that a convertible auto 300+ lb heavier car is anywhere equal to the performance of a manual coupe stock from Nissan.. Track or drag strip.

 

Why do you keep associating an automatic transmission with the convertible and a manual with the coupe? That is the whole point of this argument.

The thread is about convertible vs coupe…. not automatic vs manual.

 

Or manual convertible

 

^ LOL @ dense-ness (or does "density" make sense in this instance as well?) the past few posts.

Motorsport-wise, the convertible will be slower than a coupe due to the extra weight, but for most people, the difference will be negligible.

Sorry, but hot in Canada isn't even on the same level as hot in TX. You put the top down and you'll be sun burned in no time here. I'm sure many other southerners can agree. Too hot and too cold both pose a problem for the convert, imho.
If you're comparing strictly downtowns, then maybe, because Dallas does have taller buildings and more of them. Overall, though, SA will be hotter and more humid (and dirty and just shady). Haven't been to other TX major cities in a while but none of them were anything special, except maybe Austin.

As for strippers, TX does have hotter ones than most other states that I've been to, but I've also been to a lot more in TX so I might be biased.
So, basic bolt-ons = living and breathing a car..?

 

No, it doesn't.

 

Not sure if dense, as 350 pointed out or just a troll. Either way, you made an *** out of yourself. And of course someone who probably doesnt get compliments from women, would say that a woman's opinion doesn't matter.

Go back and read everything Sparkle has written, and consider yourself enlightened.

/thread

 

The amount of assumption in this community is unbelievable.

OP asked for peoples opinions. I gave mine.

 

Bold: Lol the issues you have is that you have to keep driving til you get to an overpass.

What do you want for the cage?