pretty much the same about the camber gain.... my nismo is dropped about 1.5 inches and and went from 1.4 to 2 deg of camber..

about the cooler.. well a kit would be really nice with a reasonable price :-)
so far I can't find anybody doing the job for less than 2K.. than honestly is a little too much for a pump, a cooler, some hose and some fittings.

 

I tend to agree. As long as an updated car model doesn't come up with drastic performance stats, it seems that the council generally grandfathers the new model in, like the 240Z-280Z series. As to reclassing, it took the council two years to decide that the S2000 was outclassing every other car in BS.
I guess as long as noone in a 370Z constantly beats the pants of the RX-8s, it will remain BS - even with coolers and LSD.

 

Fastrack

B Stock it is.

 

I just weighed my '04 with no spare/tools/jack and a 1/4 tank, it was 3140. Apparently nissan couldn't cut the weight quite as much as they claimed!

 

Here's hoping the 350Z/370Z numbers at Nats increase. I'd love to see a BS class this year that's similar in size to AS & SS.

 

Me too...unfortunately I don't know how good a performer the 370Z is going to be.

I have one right now that I'm reviewing for work, and I'm really very disappointed with it so far - I was looking forward to being totally jealous of the 370. Admittedly, the car I have is a non-sport with an automatic transmission (why, Nissan, why?), but it's not impressing me in any way beyond the fact that it's about 3x as nice a daily driver as the 350Z.

Without an LSD and a manual transmission, I'm not bothering to do serious performance testing, but even in a straight line it doesn't outrun an automatic 350Z below 80mph by much - a half a car, maybe a car length tops. And once you get the Sport package with the LSD and mandatory 19" wheels on there, the grip will likely overcome the LSD and mean what little power advantage it has is nullified.

The steering is slower and has even less feel, at least compared to my 03. And it's a good 150-200lb heavier than my 03, even in optimal race trim. So really, aside from the ability to run more tire, I don't see where the advantage is.

Camber is still limited in the front, plus the Nismo 350Z gets very similar-sized wheels and hasn't shown a major advantage, so I think the 370Z will be another very close competitor, but no overdog.

 

I couldn't agree more. Hopefully BS won't be such a spec class.

 

I'd like to see that, but as long as BS is perceived as "Spec RX-8" it's going to be tough to get anyone else out. BS went through the same thing when the S2000 was winning everything (before its move to AS).

I'm glad that Brian Heitkotter has brought out a turbo MR-2 and has shown that it is competitive.

I'm planning to be back again this year -- and I've now got more experience with the 285s (2007 Nationals was only the third time I'd had 285s on the car -- ever!).

 

doesnt really apply much to autox, but the 370 did outrun the Cayman S around a road course (maybe Willow?) on Road & Track by over a second I iirc. You really can't judge a car based on the limited stats you read on Edmunds or something.

 

And both cars come setup from the factory for so much understeer they're almost crippled. Thank the lawyers for that one.

Set them up right, and get them handling in a neutral manner, and things might change a bit. Mid-engine RWD is a fundamentally better solution than front-engine RWD, and Porsche knows a thing or two about chassis tuning. With the new LSD option on the Cayman S, I don't think the Z really has a chance at 250-300lb heavier and only 10-12hp more than the Porsche.

Also, comparing what I know about driving and what I know about the 370Z to what the hacks at the "major publications" have written, I have to wonder if they are 1) bought and paid for, 2) completely incompetent both behind the wheel and the keyboard, or 3) all of the above.

 

I might be right there with ya...

 

FYI 370Z owners...

 

Glenn, I think he's picked up an RX-8 ride and has started to get the hang of it (see SD tour results!!). I spoke to him at Nationals and he said that he was about 2 seconds faster in his RX-8 than he was in his MR2. Doesn't bode well for the the anti-spec class idea

Hell, I drove an RX8 at the Dixie tour and really found it to be very easy to drive fast. That being said, I still prefer the Z to drive everyday and would continue to campaign it if I didn't have an alternate ride.

P.S: Do you have a codriver for Packwood? Was considering flying out.

 

I think that Brian would be fast in almost anything. Certainly, if you know how to keep the momentum up, and are running on a speed-maintenance course, it then comes down to minimum distance -- which helps when the car is narrower (and you leave less space between the car and the cone).

Cars that are easy to drive fast will do well until someone figures out the faster car (example: AP1 S2000 in the "original" B Stock, or even the AP2 S2000 over the AP1 S2000 in A Stock).

I haven't even really started thinking about Packwood, other than remembering that it's almost a month earlier. Our season hasn't even really started yet (a local event two weekends ago was snowed out!).

 

Jason,

I remember speaking to Brian on the same subject at Nats, but he mentioned he was 1 second faster in the RX-8 than his MR2-T. However, the MR2-T would clearly be the better pro solo car, and I see he's registered in that for El Toro.

He could definitely raise the bar in the class. He took down the 4 time national champ by a solid time margin.
I was at the banquet @ Nats with Brian, and while he seemed "pleased" overall with his 3rd place finish, he did mention that he wasn't happy with his driving on Day 1.

Brian will definitely be one of the top dog @ Nats this Fall if he keeps driving like that!

 

I told him he should run the RX-8 at the pro, but he said he had unfinished business at El Toro with the MR2 - I am sure he is refereeing to coning away the win at the last two pros there.

Hopefully with a new set of tires on for the pro the results will look different than last week.

 

A 350 or 370 can outrun an RX-8, they are so similar in many way. I think the 06's are actually best setup for auto-x because of the extra RPM's.

I think a lot of people get it into their head that "Its the car its the car" when 99% of it is the driver.

 

Man, so what you are saying is that folks like Cavanaugh, Austin, and Myself just need to learn how to drive?

I just drove an RX8 at the last national tour and I can tell you that they do certain things better than my Z. At some point, it's not the car, it's not the driver, it's physics.

 

DAVIDS does not appear to be well informed about the fine art of autocross.He will be really disappointed to know that neither the BS Z's nor the RX8's can beat the CS Miata or Solstice cars.....more physics...autocross is more about small/light cars with just enough motor to get the job done.

 

And now with Beutzer getting a Solstice, it may really tip the scales in CS's favor. For the record Jim, I sent my letter in opposing the BS/CS merger also

On a lighter note, I'll see you guys in Lincoln it seems. I will be codriving an RX8 there as well, proving to Davids that it may well be the car :P