This was not my Z, but a friend of mine who had a 04 Touring. I'm not going to give out his name. While on 635, he lost control of his Z and hydroplaned into a concrete wall at 60. He stepped out of the vehicle with a stumped toe. Thats it. I was amazed when i heard about it. I'm just glad he's ok and one more testimony for superior Japanese engineering. the Z is proving to be one of the safest cars on the street. here are a few pics from his wreck.

 

More proof that the tires that come on this car SUCK.

People were having the same problems with the maxima's...and they're running Bridgestone Potenzas (Blowtenzas as they say).

 

I'm glad that your friend is ok.

I would argue though that despite the reputably poor wet-weather performance of the stock tires, common sense should kick in when the rain starts coming down and you should SLOW DOWN. This is a light-weight vehicle with a large contact patch to distribute weight onto. OF COURSE it's going to leave the ground more quickly than your average sedan or SUV.

It's not like these kinds of accidents aren't preventable. I for one would like to thank your friend for contributing to the cause of high insurance rates for sports cars.

Again, I'm glad he's ok, but I'm decidedly short on sympathy for the damage to his car. That's just me.

 

i dont know about light weight, but everyone slow down! these pics tear me up inside seeing a Z like that.

 

I'm sure glad your friend didn't get hurt or hurt anyone else when he lost control of his Z. I haven't been keeping a tally but there seems to be a very high incidence of these single car accidents involving the 350 Z. I don't want to be too quick to blame the drivers but Kcobean has a point. The 350 Z is a powerful, relatively light, rear wheel drive car. It requires much more attention on the part of the driver to operate it safely, especially in poor road conditions due to weather or other stuff on the road (oil, gravel etc).

 

true, but the poor choice by Nissan on tires sure isnt helping either. and i dont know what you guys are taking about high insurance. i am 17 and i drive a 98 GMC Sierra with a 5.7L v8. not exactly the weakest engine in the world. i've already talked with my insurance agent about the price increase of insurance when i get the Z. she said with my current record (1 wreck 3 weeks after i started driving) my insurance will be $80 more every 6 MONTHS than it is right now. now, i dont know about you, but thats isnt an insane amount. with my parents being preferred clients with State Farm, im sure that that helps. but still, just b/c a handful of people have had accidents in the rain doesnt mean that they have personally caused YOUR insurance to go up. thanks. Chris a very responsible driver. if ur insurance is so high, maybe u need to look into a different company with lower price options.

 

If Nissan had chosen a good all-weather tire, they would have gotten blasted for not putting high-performance tires on the car (and probably not have sold as many, either). They had to make a decision between cost, safety and performance, and in that respect, the RE040's were an OK choice because they provide a marginal level of each. They hit the "center of the triangle" so to speak.

Blaming Nissan for (or accusing them of contributing to) a hydroplaning accident makes about as much sense as blaming them for your choosing to drink and drive. Drinking and driving, and driving at freeway speeds in standing water are both unsafe behaviors that the DRIVER is accountable for, not the manufacturer.

I'm not trying to be an @$$, I just think despite the banged up car and the bruised pride, accountability needs to be taken by those who are accountable.

 

Hey guys, it isn't the tires!

My potenzas on my base model keep me planted in wet conditions in excess of 80mph around curves. Hydroplaning was one thing I was worried about when getting this car, and my car has turned out to be very comforting on wet pavement. I have no complaints with the stock tires.

You guys want to know what is causing it? A combination of LSD and an inexperienced driver. You guys with LSD need to realize your rear end will break loose very easily on wet pavement reguardless of your tires. If you aren't paying attention and ready to quickly correct your error, say hello to spinout. It's one of the downsides to a more aggressive differential.

I guess fewer people own the base model, but notice these hydroplaning incidents mostly happen to LSD equipped models.

 

Another thing I might add. When you do lose the rear end around a turn, if you know you've lost it and you can't possibly correct it, it's best to not even try to correct until you come around(if you haven't hit anything yet that is). It's hard for an inexperienced driver to think, "WOW I'm spinning around, I'm not going to do anything just yet!" If you don't know what you're doing, trying to steer out of a spin that is a lost cause will only perpetuate the spin and make it worse. Just a little FYI.

 

Are these accidents happing with VDC on or what? I think it may help a little, but hydroplaning is pretty nasty and doesnt matter what kinda transmission you have. Aircraft hydroplane also, and they have no transmission for the wheels (the wheels are free-axle). Thats why aircraft have systems called antiskid, which acts like VDC on the Z. So maybe it could help a bit?

 

I couldn't agree more. Blaming the manufacturer for hydroplaning into a wall because of "poor tire" choice is like blaming the beer company when you end up with a fat chick. The person driving this car should realize its potential dangers. Gotta be careful in the rain in any car no matter what type of tires you have.

And I hope I am not alone on this one, posting the pictures of a wrecked Z is just heart breaking. But I am glad to hear that those who have wrecked there cars end up being able to walk away from the accident.

 

"hydroplaning is pretty nasty and doesnt matter what kinda transmission you have."

You quoted me, but where did I say anything about transmissions? Compare the differences between a limited slip differential and an open end differential, and let me know what you find out. You do know what a differential is, right?

VDC and TCS will help, but they are not substitutes for driving ability.

"Blaming Nissan for (or accusing them of contributing to) a hydroplaning accident makes about as much sense as blaming them for your choosing to drink and drive."

I agree too. Blaming nissan for a non existant problem would be pretty damn silly if you ask me.

 

Umm, yes. All these wrecks WILL make MY/YOUR insurance go up. When something is initially priced, you don't have a lot of data to go by. So, you make a few guesses here and there. Eventually, the experience data emerges and you re-evaluate the decisions you made earlier. If we keep wrecking our cars, then YES our insurance will go up.

Remember, the pool of Z drivers is fairly small. So, a few wrecks here and there could adversely affect this small pool much more than some car that sells in the volume of 100,000.

Cheever

 

It kills me to see the Z like that, that is very unfortunate for your friend but I am glad to hear he is okay

 

That SUUUCKS! I had the exact same thing happen to me last weekend. I know how you feel. Your damage is a bit worse than mine was as the rear of my z was involved, not the front.

 

those pics are painful. Glad he is ok.

 

Maybe the "bad" tires saved his life. Counter-intuitive. Better tires -> drive faster. We seem to have drivers who like to take things to the edge. Faster spinout -> more dangerous.

Glad your friend is OK. Glad he didn't hurt any innocent people in other cars, too.

 

please do not tell me you have somehow installed an XBOX like that into your Z. ahha that's awesome.

 

nasty pictures , glad he's ok , but people really should slow down when it rains...