I had a great Z experience this weekend. I was going from Irvine to San Diego down the coast when I spotted a SL roadster. I have a PPW roadster. Well for about 70 miles down the coast we zoomed a lil bit in and out of cars and just cruised. He was an older guy, and when he initially pulled up he gave me a thumbs up and the fun was on. I've gotten tons of comments on my Z, but this was just plain cool to experience. I can't recall the last time someone in a Tundra came up to me and just cruised when I am in my truck ( uhhh never). Going down the coast at 85-90 with the temp at 75-80 outside. That my friends is why the convertible will always be better than the coupe!

 

Amen !!! from a 67 yr old geezer.

 

I may be wrong but aren't convertibles slower because of the extra weight?

 

You had to kill the mojo.

According to some magazine it is faster in the 0-60 and trust me everything on the internet is correct.

 

But...the roadster looks like it's going faster because it's just that sexy!

 

Whats that have to do with crusing? Almost 200 lbs, I would think it is a tad slower, maybe less than .01-.02 secs.

 

Damm right!!!

 

0-60 in my ZR GT Redline before I can catch my breath. Guessing 5.7 but anything under 6 is fun as hell. Top down, VDC off and let her rip. . .

 

I agree that the Z roadster gets as many looks as the SL. The Z is more of a sports car, but the SL has a bit more effortless kick between say 60-90. You can also actually get two sets of golf clubs into an SL . With the top down and the windscreen up there is absolutely no air stream on your head in the SL, unlike the Z. As far as handling, the Z wins.

Of course, in Irvine, a Mercedes is like a Chevy.

 

My ZR has a pretty effortless kick from 60-90, the only problem is reigning her in at 90. I looked getting a used 600SL but decided on the Z, mainly because of the 6 speed manual.

There is nothing like a boosted roadster, 0-60 in damn that was quick!

 

Its the two half ***** in the back that makes the car look exotic!

 

WRONG!!!!! Although one might think so in theory, in reality every published road test puts them equal. The span of 0-60 times for the track coupe is 5.4-5.8 seconds. The span of 0-60 times for the touring roadster is 5.5-5.7 seconds. While there is 180lbs more in the roadster, the gearing is slightly lower and the 180lbs is rearward helping traction at launch.

The ZR does lose a bit to the coupe in 1/4mile as aerodynamic drag starts to become a factor, but surprising, only by 0.1-0.2 seconds.

 

SL is for Sunset Lemans. I wouldn't be as cool of a story if it was a mercedes I was running with. Roadster with the top down is just so much fun.

 

.01 or .02 slower is a nice tradeoff compared to all the fun I'm having with the roadster

 

Funny that you should mention that. I have the Stillen catalogue sitting on my desk, but I am concerned about the appearance of the Stillen hood and the loss of the cross brace with a Stillen. Any advice about the Stillen stage 2?

 

I have some mixed feelings on modding the ZR, I guess a lot of it depends on what you are looking for.

Stillen makes a cross brace, it's about $200 and is similar to the JWT strut bar.

The supercharger is great, it really turns the Z into a different animal. The low end torque is incredible and the Z behaves like a V8 corvette in terms of acceleration. It is also the quietest of the SC's, when you are not on boost the SC doesn't make any noise at all and the gas mileage is the same.

I would not bother with the stage 2 and the warranty (it's what I got). Go with stage 3, they have not blown any engines and the warranty isn't worth the paper it is printed on.

Where is have some issues is that once you start modding the car it adds up to a ton of money. For the same price as a ZR, Stillen SC, new wheels and tires, Nismo S-tune suspension, aftemarket exhaust, and big brake kit you could have a used 2004 viper. If you are going to be happy with just the extra from the SC, then it is great. If you are considering turning it into a serious beast, then other avenues may be better.

I don't have any pics, but I plan on taking a few, I will post when I do.

BTW, a lot of people have liked the hood, I like it. There have been a lot of people who commented that they did not like it from pictures but in person it looks pretty good.

 

imo i think the roadster only looks good in optimal situations. there has to be some sort of sunlight with the top down cruising. the roadster doens't look good with the top up. very awkward looking like somethings missing in the back.

 

Who cares? I do love the look top down but it's just not for me. The wind noise muffles my stereo .

 

If this doesn't look good, then nothing does...

 

It's ok. Top up, the coupe looks better imo. Top down they are equally sexy.