350Z vs S2000
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From: Oz
Could i get your thoughts on the transition from the S2K to the Zed, since you have had both? Fors and againsts would be great?
Hey Chuckie, I've propably jotted them down already as I've been 'reporting' on the car here since I got it in the 1st place. I'm always comparing it to the S2000 so here's a couple good threads that I posted my thought in and you'll be able to see what I thought:
When the car had about 30km on it: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....0&pagenumber=2 (llok at my posts here and a lot of them draw comaprisions with the S2000)
When the car had just over 1000km: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ighlight=S2000 (you'll find my 1st impression of the Hi-tech exhaust as I had it fitted during this thread).
1st time out at DECA: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....highlight=DECA (there's pics and videos of the Zed in action).
1st time out at Winton: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=74076
Do you miss the convertible?
At the moment, certainly now ;-) In the summer I loved the convertible top, and I do miss it when the weather is really good. Though, for me the 'convertible' is a bonus, and not a priority. I like convertibles, but not at a cost of any sacrifices in terms of perfromance.
Hey Chuckie, I've propably jotted them down already as I've been 'reporting' on the car here since I got it in the 1st place. I'm always comparing it to the S2000 so here's a couple good threads that I posted my thought in and you'll be able to see what I thought:
When the car had about 30km on it: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....0&pagenumber=2 (llok at my posts here and a lot of them draw comaprisions with the S2000)
When the car had just over 1000km: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ighlight=S2000 (you'll find my 1st impression of the Hi-tech exhaust as I had it fitted during this thread).
1st time out at DECA: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....highlight=DECA (there's pics and videos of the Zed in action).
1st time out at Winton: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=74076
Do you miss the convertible?
At the moment, certainly now ;-) In the summer I loved the convertible top, and I do miss it when the weather is really good. Though, for me the 'convertible' is a bonus, and not a priority. I like convertibles, but not at a cost of any sacrifices in terms of perfromance.
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From: Syd Australia
Thanks David
Seems like you were not overly impressed in the early days.
Now you are used to the car & it is run in what are your thoughts?
Does the Zed feel a lot faster in a straight line? With all the torque I imagine it would feel very different to the S2k.
What about everyday comfort?car easier to live with?
Seems like you were not overly impressed in the early days.
Now you are used to the car & it is run in what are your thoughts?
Does the Zed feel a lot faster in a straight line? With all the torque I imagine it would feel very different to the S2k.
What about everyday comfort?car easier to live with?
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From: Oz
Seems like you were not overly impressed in the early days.
That's right. The first time I drove the car, I was suprised that I was not impressed with the engine. The right word would have been 'underwhelmed' ... I was expecting the engine to feel more like something between an S2000 and a 5.7L HSV (ie. the 3.2L in the Boxster S), but it was neither. Neither the low-end rush of the HSV, nor the top-end rush of the S2000, nor the balance of both in the Boxster S. It kinda felt 'flat' to me.
I instantly liked the handling, and feel of the chasis and steering ... but not the engine. It was not until I was taken for a spin with a hi-tech exhaust equiped car, that I was 'sold' on the car. Then I knew that my engine 'issue' was easily resolved with the exhaust, and even though I was not 100% sure how the car would handle on the limit, I was confident enough that it was very good already, and that it can be tailored to my liking with basic tyre/suspension mods. So I bought it with the intention to change the exhaust, and 'tweak' the suspension if needed be. Well maybe the seats as well, as IMHO they do not offer good enough grip at the track, but I got kinda used to them so I'm not sure if I ever will replace the seats. Not that I think they are great in terms of grip, but I did find a position that is satisfactory, and I'm not sure if I want to put money into making the seats better.
Now you are used to the car & it is run in what are your thoughts?
My thought are still the same as you have read in the DECA and Winton threads as those were both run over the last 3 months, and were (for me) true tests for the car. I am still happy with the engine performance, and the feel/handnding of the car is great. For me, it needs 245 tyres all around (which I already have), as that made the car a lot more 'neutral' for me. It's about 95% there as I have it right now, but I still want more front end-grip and for that I probably will need more front camber. Hopefully, I'll have that over the next month or two, so we'll see. Still, I'd say that my Zed is now more balanced right now than the S2000 was out of the box, as the S2000 naturally did not have enough grip at the back (ie. reverse of 350Z).
Does the Zed feel a lot faster in a straight line? With all the torque I imagine it would feel very different to the S2k.
Best comarision (for me) in terms of acceleration feel would be at the start of this '350Z vs S2000' thread as that is when I went out of my way to compare the two engines and their feel. The 350Z feels a lot happier in the low to mid revs than the S2000 even has. That is expected with all that torque. So in day to day driving I'm more than happy to keep the car between 2000 and 4000rpm and still have tons of power. Taking off the lights in the Zed gives you a lot more acceleration as the power is there from the start of the rev-range (unlike the S2000). So in day-to-day driving the Zed is a lot quicker than the S2000.
Under all out acceleration, the car is now happy to use all of it's rev-range, and I find myself often hitting the limiter. At full song, it does not 'feel' much different to the S2000 in the first 2 gears, but in 3rd gear and above the Zed 'feels' quicker. At 180kph+ it is 'feels' noticably quicker. Still, that is just the 'feel', as it actually is now quicker than the S2000 in every respect as it will pull away at any revs/speeds. Speed that I can reach on the main-straigh at Winton speaks volumes.
What about everyday comfort?car easier to live with?
It's more comfortable that the S2000 even though the ride might not be. The cruise-control makes it an easier car on longer trips and also it is a quieter experience. The Zed's handling is not 'fidgety' (and nimble) as the S2000 and therefore it does not seem to require as much driver effort/attention in normal driving.
As far as visiblity goes, it's not much better than the S2000 with the roof up. The boot-space in some ways is smaller that the S2000s despite it looking bigged. The S2000 boot seemed to be a lot more useful than the Zed's shallow and long boot space.
Fuel consumption is bigger for the Zed as I'm needing (on average) 1L more fuel for every 100km ... though, you do not need to fill up as often due to the Zed's large fuel tank.
That's right. The first time I drove the car, I was suprised that I was not impressed with the engine. The right word would have been 'underwhelmed' ... I was expecting the engine to feel more like something between an S2000 and a 5.7L HSV (ie. the 3.2L in the Boxster S), but it was neither. Neither the low-end rush of the HSV, nor the top-end rush of the S2000, nor the balance of both in the Boxster S. It kinda felt 'flat' to me.
I instantly liked the handling, and feel of the chasis and steering ... but not the engine. It was not until I was taken for a spin with a hi-tech exhaust equiped car, that I was 'sold' on the car. Then I knew that my engine 'issue' was easily resolved with the exhaust, and even though I was not 100% sure how the car would handle on the limit, I was confident enough that it was very good already, and that it can be tailored to my liking with basic tyre/suspension mods. So I bought it with the intention to change the exhaust, and 'tweak' the suspension if needed be. Well maybe the seats as well, as IMHO they do not offer good enough grip at the track, but I got kinda used to them so I'm not sure if I ever will replace the seats. Not that I think they are great in terms of grip, but I did find a position that is satisfactory, and I'm not sure if I want to put money into making the seats better.
Now you are used to the car & it is run in what are your thoughts?
My thought are still the same as you have read in the DECA and Winton threads as those were both run over the last 3 months, and were (for me) true tests for the car. I am still happy with the engine performance, and the feel/handnding of the car is great. For me, it needs 245 tyres all around (which I already have), as that made the car a lot more 'neutral' for me. It's about 95% there as I have it right now, but I still want more front end-grip and for that I probably will need more front camber. Hopefully, I'll have that over the next month or two, so we'll see. Still, I'd say that my Zed is now more balanced right now than the S2000 was out of the box, as the S2000 naturally did not have enough grip at the back (ie. reverse of 350Z).
Does the Zed feel a lot faster in a straight line? With all the torque I imagine it would feel very different to the S2k.
Best comarision (for me) in terms of acceleration feel would be at the start of this '350Z vs S2000' thread as that is when I went out of my way to compare the two engines and their feel. The 350Z feels a lot happier in the low to mid revs than the S2000 even has. That is expected with all that torque. So in day to day driving I'm more than happy to keep the car between 2000 and 4000rpm and still have tons of power. Taking off the lights in the Zed gives you a lot more acceleration as the power is there from the start of the rev-range (unlike the S2000). So in day-to-day driving the Zed is a lot quicker than the S2000.
Under all out acceleration, the car is now happy to use all of it's rev-range, and I find myself often hitting the limiter. At full song, it does not 'feel' much different to the S2000 in the first 2 gears, but in 3rd gear and above the Zed 'feels' quicker. At 180kph+ it is 'feels' noticably quicker. Still, that is just the 'feel', as it actually is now quicker than the S2000 in every respect as it will pull away at any revs/speeds. Speed that I can reach on the main-straigh at Winton speaks volumes.
What about everyday comfort?car easier to live with?
It's more comfortable that the S2000 even though the ride might not be. The cruise-control makes it an easier car on longer trips and also it is a quieter experience. The Zed's handling is not 'fidgety' (and nimble) as the S2000 and therefore it does not seem to require as much driver effort/attention in normal driving.
As far as visiblity goes, it's not much better than the S2000 with the roof up. The boot-space in some ways is smaller that the S2000s despite it looking bigged. The S2000 boot seemed to be a lot more useful than the Zed's shallow and long boot space.
Fuel consumption is bigger for the Zed as I'm needing (on average) 1L more fuel for every 100km ... though, you do not need to fill up as often due to the Zed's large fuel tank.
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From: Melbourne
Totally agree with David analysis. The Zed is more for a comfortable GT. Specially the Roadster. For me, it doesn't feel like driving a race car at all. If you want the racing feeling of driving, get yourself a GTR and you can feel the power. But I feel GTR have more lag in the rpm, the power come in at 4000rpm or so. And you just see the rpm go up very quick to 8500rpm, than change to other gear. And I also feel the GTR gearbox is much stronger, specially i can feel it when I downshift from 3rd to 2rd.
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From: Syd Australia
Thanks David
You have been great. I have been tossing up getting rid of the S2K (99 model) and getting something newer for over a year now.
Just not sure what. I luv the Zed and RX8 and theres nothing else in the sub $75k price range that grabs me.
A couple of guys here bought Zeds, and one took me for a spin. Like you said i was expecting something between a 5.7 HSV & the 3.2 Boxter S. It wasnt anything like it. He did have the traction control on, so I am wondering if that made a great difference.
You have been great. I have been tossing up getting rid of the S2K (99 model) and getting something newer for over a year now.
Just not sure what. I luv the Zed and RX8 and theres nothing else in the sub $75k price range that grabs me.
A couple of guys here bought Zeds, and one took me for a spin. Like you said i was expecting something between a 5.7 HSV & the 3.2 Boxter S. It wasnt anything like it. He did have the traction control on, so I am wondering if that made a great difference.
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From: Oz
Thanks David. You have been great.
np.
Like you said i was expecting something between a 5.7 HSV & the 3.2 Boxter S. It wasnt anything like it. He did have the traction control on, so I am wondering if that made a great difference.
T/C will not hamper the acceleration unless you dupmp the cluth off the line, or you make a really quick gear-change. Though, once moving and in-gear, it will not interfere at all under full throttle (that is when dry).
I'd say what you felt is what the 350Z engine feels like without any mods.
np.
Like you said i was expecting something between a 5.7 HSV & the 3.2 Boxter S. It wasnt anything like it. He did have the traction control on, so I am wondering if that made a great difference.
T/C will not hamper the acceleration unless you dupmp the cluth off the line, or you make a really quick gear-change. Though, once moving and in-gear, it will not interfere at all under full throttle (that is when dry).
I'd say what you felt is what the 350Z engine feels like without any mods.
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From: Oz
So David how much difference will the Hi Tech make? I thought APS had proved that the gains weren't as great as the original claims.
Chuckie, stop careing about what the dyno says. I've heard of stock S2000's dynoed at 165kW. Does that mean than my Zed has less power than an S2000? Certainly not, just that diffewrent dynos show different results/readings.
Though, compare it with the other dyno readings from APS (even though even that will not give you a definate answer). If you look at my dyno reading and compare it to the dyno (from APS) for an STi, then you'll see that my car shows ~30kW more than the STi. Compare it to the APS dyno of a 5.7L 220kW Commodore, and you'll see that I dynoed about 5kW more.
Do I have more/less power than these cars? ... I don't really care. Look at the tests that I posited you before where I lined up the same cars/drivers right before the Hi-tech and then right after ... that shows you exactly what difference the exhaust makes:
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=52921
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=53187
I've posinted you to them beofre, byt no matter how you look at it, the Hi-tech exhaust 'gained' me about 2 car-lengths over a stock 350Z before 100kph, and then another 2 car-lengths before 160kph. That is what difference it makes.
Also the extra 'pull' that the car has is immediatelly noticable ... I'd say it feels very different to the stock car. It now feels very much like the BoxsterS 3.2L engine.
ps. Go for a spin with somone who has the Hi-tech exhaust fitted and jodge for yourself ... if you come down to Melbourne, I'll be more than happy to take you for a spin myself.
Chuckie, stop careing about what the dyno says. I've heard of stock S2000's dynoed at 165kW. Does that mean than my Zed has less power than an S2000? Certainly not, just that diffewrent dynos show different results/readings.
Though, compare it with the other dyno readings from APS (even though even that will not give you a definate answer). If you look at my dyno reading and compare it to the dyno (from APS) for an STi, then you'll see that my car shows ~30kW more than the STi. Compare it to the APS dyno of a 5.7L 220kW Commodore, and you'll see that I dynoed about 5kW more.
Do I have more/less power than these cars? ... I don't really care. Look at the tests that I posited you before where I lined up the same cars/drivers right before the Hi-tech and then right after ... that shows you exactly what difference the exhaust makes:
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=52921
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=53187
I've posinted you to them beofre, byt no matter how you look at it, the Hi-tech exhaust 'gained' me about 2 car-lengths over a stock 350Z before 100kph, and then another 2 car-lengths before 160kph. That is what difference it makes.
Also the extra 'pull' that the car has is immediatelly noticable ... I'd say it feels very different to the stock car. It now feels very much like the BoxsterS 3.2L engine.
ps. Go for a spin with somone who has the Hi-tech exhaust fitted and jodge for yourself ... if you come down to Melbourne, I'll be more than happy to take you for a spin myself.
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