I'm fully aware that a statement like this can start a war. There are going to be many people who will say I am full of *!@/!. The reality is that I feel that NA is a better way to go on the Z for the overall driving experience.

I had an FI system on my car that I ended up removing (long and irrelavant story). No doubt, the stratospheric amounts of torque and accompanying raw acceleration produced by boosted motors will put a huge grin on any car enthusiast's face. However, power is nothing without control, and this is where I feel that boosted Z's fail miserably. High horsepower and high amounts of torque, more specifically, in a rear wheel drive car, are hard to control. You can do it, but it takes a delicate foot to do so. Hitting the throttle in a corner, and even getting a clean launch in the straight line can be very difficult. It is so much power, that is so on-the-edge, even with fat rubber, that part of the driving fun is lost to having to be much gentler to control the car.

No question that the NA motor can use some tweaking and better breathing in the upper rev range, but with those few tweaks and the usual 245/275 tire upgrades, You can slam into any gear, floor it out of any corner, do a drop clutch full throttle launch, and you will go smoothly and predictably every time. And...it's not like the car is really that slow to begin with. It is, in the end, a more enjoyable driving experience in my opinion because of what you can do as a driver.

As some of you know, my previous vehicle was an Audi S4 in which I was running 25lbs of boost. Over 500lb-ft or torque. But....that car was all-wheel drive and that makes all the difference. It was an acceleration MONSTER, but also had some degree of control, although I could still cut all four tires loose on a hard launch. For the less-muscled, but more athletic RWD 350Z, however, I think I'll do without the steroids. I really do enjoy it better that way.

 

In a way, I understand where you're coming from. Power without traction or predictability does kind of suck. Suspension is the next box on my list

G

 

NA is great for the track of autocrossing

especially if you went crazy NA like ITB's, high compression pistons etc etc

the car would REACT to you.
Not Floor the pedal ...... BOOST!!!

also less heating issues, less weight in the front

there's exceptions though. Many high end cars like the Noble cars and Ford GT are awesome track cars and have FI

 

Love to have seen you drive my 600 hp r2.I can see what you are getting at but many will say you need a few driving lessons to fully enjoy high hp rwd cars.

 

for me the biggest concern is reliability. plain and simple i cannot and will not afford anything that has a better than not chance of blowing up my car. i hear ya, buddy

Harv

 

I don't think 400 RWHP is that hard to handle it just takes some getting used to on how to drive it, the ones that will definelty have an issue are the rebuilding guys getting up to 550+ then you really have traction issues.

 

It sure is going to be fun getting used to my car once I get it back though

 

yeah, powering out of a turn and losing traction has gotta be the worse thing that can happen on a road coarse. Cause what do you do? Brake and start spinning?

You just gotta be extra careful on turns. You'll dominate on the straights assuming your brakes are up to the task of repeatedly stopping the car lap after lap traveling at that high of a speed. Otherwise if you don't upgrade the brakes in a major way like 6 piston brakes up front and at least 4 in the rear, you'll have a pretty kick *** car for 10 laps, then have to stop in the pit to cool the brakes and maybe even the turbos/engine if not all the precautions are properly set up

FI is awesome for drag racing though, no question.

personally, I'm really leaning heavily towards major NA build up. I have all the bolt on crap right now. All the cool NA stuff like ITB's are on the horizon. Can also do a big nitrous shot (with built high compression engine) for drag racing

 

i'm STARTING to get "used" to my car...
i do have to feather 1st-3rd gear... but, when done properly, i can maintain traction and when 3rd/4th gear comes around--- oooooooh!!!!

i had no clue what this type of power would feel like--but i love it!

 

Wow, the Ford Gt is FI? That's pretty neat. If only they sold them for around 30K :P

Hey Sentry, I hate to keep bringing this up, but I actually saw a Lotus in person an an auto-cross course. Talk to the guy for a few, he was a good driver. Such a sweet car. I want one

two words. Ridiculously smooth. It darted around corners effortlessly.

 

The Ford GT uses a roots eaton supercharger so the powerband is pretty linear much like the stillen on the Z




yeah, the elise is an awesome car

i'll get one someday though - probably an exige

 

The Ford GT also has the weight of the engine over the drive wheels, and 345 width rubber.

 

Yeah, the power is awesome to be sure, but the next time I go back to that level of power (and I will at some point), I'll go back to AWD.

 

Like I said, you can handle it, but for me, part of the fun of the car is the DRIVER INPUT into the car, as well as what the car gives you back. With that much power, you driver inputs really have to be turned down a notch without all-wheel drive.

 

You don't need AWD, just get a car where the weight of the engine is over the drive wheels

 

All wheel drive is a no brainer, you can smash the pedal and not worry about it, part of driving is knowing how to handle the car and what you can and can't do.

 

One thing I don't like about AWD (and keep in mind I have little experience with it), is that it's harder to find the limits. And once you do, it's scary.

One thing I do like is that it's ALOT easier to drive on an auto-x course, or anywhere for that matter.

 

I guess thats why I like the stillen. It might be a little lower power, but the linearity of the torque makes it awesome at both autocross and on the track.

 

I think this thread has helped me decide to never add FI to my Z. I will just wait until some company comes out with a REAL engine management solution, that keeps the ECU from controlling emissions. After that, i'm sure there will be all kinds of HP to be found. I love the kick of turbo, but I don't see that as an asset on a track.

 

Sentry,

Tell us more about ITB's please.

Thanks
AZ350Z