Zcarboy

I am just wondering since some of you have driven or even own both of these cars 300ZX and 350Z which one you like best and why?

Egbert Souse

I own an '03 350Z Track (N/A heavily modded). I have driven a stock 300 ZX TT, and have been on the racetrack with seriously modded 300 ZX TT.

The go fast mod potential of the 300TT is WAY BETTER than the 350Z. I know one guy who has built up his TT to 507 rwhp!!!

350Z is more modern, better looking, and it is NEW. So it should hold up better than a 10-year-old TT that has been thrashed all that time.

One final word. Those modded 300ZX TTs are FAST. There is a video going around on the internet of a guy with a camera inside his new G35 Coupe with Vortech SC. He passes every imaginable opponent at Willow Springs Raceway, until he comes upon a 300ZX TT. He just couldn't muster the acceleration in the straights to pass the TT, in several laps.

Just my $0.02.

BlkTN04Z

The other night a 300zxtt wanted to play so I went for it and belive it or not I got him off the line and was ahead till he hit his nitrous and then he went bye bye
We were on I-75 doing about 120 or so.
I guess I its the 6th gear that helps out the most. Just my story to share with you.

RedX

I was driving my cousin's TL-S the other day, and a 300ZX TT wanted to race with us. So, we just went ahead and beat the Z. BUt I can tell that Z didn't sound too healthy

bimmer10

iTrader: (1)

My 91 TTzx was great! Power with just simple bolt ons and boost was easy to produce. As for styling and handling the 350z wins hands down and as already mentioned, 350 is a newer car compared to 10 yrs of living for a 300zx.

ZxRage

If there is one thing that I miss most about my 300ZX, it would be not having the T-tops in the 350Z.

puckhead

Interior fit and finish is much better in my 90 300ZX NA. Handling is also better in the 90-96 300ZX. They were more sophisticated cars and more expensive, even 10 years ago. Used ones are a great value. I love my 350, but they simply are not engineered and built as well as the 300's.

dczoner

iTrader: (1)

I agree the interior was better in the the 300zx.

But the handling is dramatically better in the 350. Hands down.

puckhead

Well, I don't have any hard data but I drive both cars regularly, and aggressively. Without the aid of traction control, I know my 300 can out-corner my 350.

ethan84ae

In terms of performance, the 350Z blows the doors off of my '84 300ZX Turbo.

goodstuff86

ewww the interior of the 300zx was hideous that phone esspecially i cant stand how long the inside was. looks and inside id take my 350z over the 300zx anyday as for power never drove the tt model so i couldnt tell ya

DaChoZn1

What engine did the 300ZX TT come with? Inline 6 or V6? Do you think it is a better engine than the VQ?

CelticPride2

The 300zx TT had a V-6. If memory serves me, Nissan made the switch from inline sixes to V-6 when they introduced the 280zx. I've never driven a 300zx myself, so I can't make any judgments on which sixer is better. Anyone out there who can offer a comparo?

kovalf

I've owned a '96 300ZX TT and currently own a 2004 ZR. I think that the current engine is a better engine. The 3L TT had very little low end torque, and made its power with the turbos. It was a monster over 3000 RPM, but in agreement with an earlier post, until the turbos get spun up, the current 3.5L has better pull off the line. I'm sure the 300 would pull away eventually, assuming the 300 was in proper working order. The 3.5L would probably be a real killer with TTs. For a daily driver around town, I kind of like having the low end torque that I was missing, but the jury is still out on reliability. My 300 was bulletproof for as long as I owned it.

Just to put my 2 cents in on handling, the TT had the super hicas rear wheel steering, so I don't know how much difference there was compared to the NA models, but the 300 had more grip than I had guts. It cornered like it was on rails. Although the weight of the ZX and ZR is about exactly the same, the ZR feels heavier in the turns. The '96 TT was a $45K car in 1996, so the difference between it and today's Z has to be somewhere. Of course the price is what eventually killed it.

eazy

The '96 300zx weighed 3518 pounds! Talk about a boat! The 350z is smaller, lighter, has more displacement, has a better power/weight ratio even being NA, has a better weight distribution, and also has a slightly better coeffient of drag.

Don't get me wrong, I've never driven the 300zx so I don't know. The above are just stats on paper. I just can't imagine the 300zx blowing away the 350z at handling. What makes some of you guys say that? The 350z handles like a champ. The 300zx must be godlike.

CelticPride2

I'm sure the HICAS steering option provided a fair amount of compensation for the extra weight. Of course, there's probably several other factors at work too.

qirex

HICAS was a gimmick borne of the 80s.
If it was SUCH a *great* idea, Porsche and ferrari would have it. Actually, for you porscheophiles out there - you will know that Porsche DID develop a sort of 4WS - known as the Weissach rear axle. It allowed some degree of translationol movement. It was featured on the 928GTS - a car that pretty much epitomizes the 80s.

As you well know, Honda had 4WS in the G4 prelude, which gave way to ATTS in the G5.

Basically, engineers try different things - only time is the true judge. Based on the variety of manuf. that *tried 4Ws and the complete LACK of that technology today - I feel comfortable saying that 4WS was a great idea - on paper, that cant make up the difference of 400extra lbs (interia, momentum, mass effects on handling) and great chassis rigidity.

Now that I have proper tires (Mich pilot sports) on my Z - I really have no complaints regarding this great car. That is..except for how many of them i see.

AMV8 where are you?

fowlman01

iTrader: (1)

I thought HICAS was more of a steering thing (back wheels moved) to help you park. In 240sx's it shut off at 35 mph. AsI recall, but that was in 91 and I have lost a lot of brain cells since then.

The pilot sports are awesome. the hotter they get the better they stick!!

Supernatural

I dont' know about HICAS or any other 4WS system but my 97 3000GT VR-4 had the system that only worked in high speed (45mph or above). It was not designed to help parking the car. I never liked the system and many of the 3SI owners actually removed to save the weight.

Michael-Dallas

IMO:

The 300ZX TT feels heavier than the 350z around corners. The 350z has a more modern interior, but the 300ZX interior is higher quality. I loved my 400hp TT, but I love driving my 350z.

There are 2 flavors of HICAS: HICAS and Super-HICAS. The 300ZX TT has Super-HICAS. 90-93 models used a hydraulic system and 94+ used an electric-motor system. In Super-HICAS, the rear wheels steer out of a turn at medium speeds and steer into a turn at high speeds.

Michael.