if your baby doesn't feel fast enough in the straight, whip it around some tight dry corners. you will smile again and you don't need a mod for it!!

 

Well put. The 350Z's smooth power delivery is =very= deceiving. There are times when my 2000 turbo Beetle 'feels faster' as the turbo spools up, but it can't keep up with the Z under any circumstances -- especially around the turns.

For me, it took a day on the track (the Z's native environment, after all) to fully appreciate its power. It pulls hard out of turns at all speeds -- something the 400+ bhp TTs I ran with couldn't match. Of course, they'd take me on the long straights, but drag racing doesn't do much for me. I'll take a lonely mountain road any day.

And here's the best part: The Z's enviable torque curve makes it as formidable on the track as it is tractable and fun on the freeway and around town. You'll have a hard time finding a better switch hitter at anywhere near the price.

Finally, my 2¢ regarding the usual mods: After you ground the engine, the added bang for the buck becomes very small. You'll spend $1,000+ to pick up each subsequent 3-5 bhp or lb-ft gain (if you're lucky). You're not likely to feel that kind of bump, although you might think you do. Of course, you'll easily feel cumulative gains on the order to 10-20 bhp or lb-ft, but by then, your wallet will be feeling them a whole lot more.

It's kind of counterintuitive, but my day on the track made crystal clear what my next big mod should be -- better brakes to allow me to apply the Z's existing power to greater effect.

Happy Zing!

 

lol, be careful. A select few of those cars are serious sleepers...I ounce saw a Ford Pinto with a V-6 engine conversion that was completely insane....The dude had the "never been washed" look that made it look REALLY slow but it could beat a stock Z in the 1/4 LOL.....ah man, just htinking about it makes me laugh...

 

I'm commenting on the Chevy Rental...Are those wannabe rims or hubcaps 10inches? They look like 10s from my angle. LOL, anyone see the Coca-cola commerical in movie theaters about this white boy, "Deluxe" put baby spinners on his hatchback.

[hr]I'm not starting a flame or feeding trolls, sorry about your accident man. I feel your pain, even though I don't own a Z.

 

my Z was feeling slow last week so i took my celica up to gainseville for the weekend and left teh Z at home, my celica is modded and all but its pushing like 130whp at best, when i got home i installed the kinetix plenum on the Z and took it for a spin again and holy crap! it felt like a whole new beast

 

You can get used to the Z's power very easily and start thinking it's slow. The car I drive daily is an '02 Maxima SE which has been modded. When I do get in my Z, I still notice how much faster the Z is--- the Maxima is a smooth fast whereas the Z is more brute force fast...

 

I cant wait till I get my Z... i've been driving my g-friends c280 for 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks ( currently driving it ) of driving my fathers 99 stratus 4 cyl... I should be in for a ride

 

I was thinking that I was getting used to mine as well, I'm gettting used to the power. On the flipside, when I drive my 99 dakota v-6 with 118,000 miles I always think there is something wrong with in now. It's really really slow.

 

You are so right! It's amazing how much good strong brakes give you the confidence to push the car to its handling limits.

My first couple of track events (early-mid 2003) were on the stock Brembo pads, which are very good (made by Ferodo). I was able to brake later and harder than the Tourings around me, giving me a definite edge, and at the end of the weekend my brakes were still in great shape. The Tourings on the other hand all had brake failures by the end of the weekend.

I have since graduated to Carbotech track pads for track events and they are great leaps beyond the stock pads. The stopping power is a bit addicting; I hate to take them out after the event! At Tail of the Dragon, I really surprised some people with how fast I was able to negotiate the curves, including one GSX-R sports bike that showed real frustration when he couldn't quite seem to shake me off his tail!

 

I don't buy all that garbage that I'm "used" to my Z. OK, well maybe some of it is true. Speed is relative, I agree. When I drove my Blazer around all winter and then finally took out my Z, it felt like a rocket. HOWEVER, just like ch@mp said, my Z feels dog slow sometimes, and really peppy sometimes. How can everyone's argument that i'm "used" to my Z apply here?

Exactly, it doesn't. I know speed is relative, but that is not what I'm referring to, nor do I think that's what ch@mp was referring to either. I know when the engine is cold, the Z idles higher, and feels way more peppy. This is mostly due to less heat soak in the engine. It's obviously bad to rev the car when the engine is cold, so the advantage of a cold engine is effectively destroyed. I wonder if a slight timing advance might change anything?

 

ha! I upgraded from a honda civic dx hatchback with 98,000 miles on it....no air conditioning....

Anytime I feel like my Z doesn't grab the pavement like a beast...I just reflect back on those days...crawling around in that sluggish tired commuter sweating like a sow!!!

 

ok, borrowed the parents 99' nissan quest to move. Getting onto the freeway on ramp, i floored it and floored it some more and nothing. Got back into the Z later that evening and floo-ooooooooorred it. i'm smiling now. But (phile) understands what i'm trying to say and maybe his theory is right. All i can say is 4th gear on the freeway feels so damn sweet!

 

phile, you're right on the $$$

Hard to use relative comparisons ("oh, you're just used to it") if it is the ONLY car I drive, and I happen to notice good days and bad days.

Those cooling fans... how much power do you guys think those take away?

 

I wonder if Fighter Pilots have the inability to be impressed by car performance because of this relativity. Especially when it comes to road holding since they can pull some crazy Gs.

 

Third on the freeway feels better

On my test drive I downshifted to third on the freeway on a used Z. Scared the sh*t out of the sales person. Made HIM want to buy the car ......

 

Get rid of that rental, it's embarrassing the rest of the Z owners

 

You should try driving a big truck all day. That will make your car seem like an Enzo

When I was in college I drove a trash truck (my community had their own trash service) all day and when I'd get done and jump into my '92 Beretta GTZ, it would feel like I was driving a 911 Turbo

 

Thought I'd chime in here,

The Z has linear acceleration. As much as I love its looks, I actually wish it DID surge... because I don't drive this car at a track daily, I drive it on the street.

Drove an E36 M3 before I bought the Z. Almost picked the M3, because the acceleration was unbelievable compared the Z. Sure, they both run low 14's, but my god did that M feel faster. Finally I snapped out of it after realizing that the E36 looks like a washing machine on wheels.

And of course getting "used to" the speed doesn't help either. I mean, according to my ET times and trap speeds, online calculators estimate my 0-60 right now around 3.9, and while I'm not quite used to the turbos yet, I think it's natural to always want to go faster. I mean, the only way I would stop trying to go faster would be if my car was a f'in rocket that made me go "Oh my god, that's just undrivable on the street."