Hi guys,

I recently had a test drive of the 350Z and thought it was great but I have a few questions

1. Is golf clubs easily stored away in the trunk and can you get more than one set in?
   
2. Can you get a snowboard in?
   
3. Are there many aftermarket modifications that you can do to the 350Z. I understand that NISMO do a lot of parts for the Skyline but what about the 350Z?
   
4. Whats peoples comments on the cars performance on a track day ? (I currently have a 360bhp Prodrive Subaru)
   
5. How tunable is the 350Z?
   
6. Is there any rumours about a turbo version?
   
7. Is the engine bullit proof? ie tough?

Thanks very much,
Kev
(Scotland )

 

Golf Clubs: Nissan says you can fit two sets, and the inside of the trunk lid has a diagram showing you how to do it.

Snowboard: There was a recent thread talking about people getting 6' long surfboards into their Z's, so yeah, I'd imagine a snowboard would fit.

Aftermarket parts/mods: Yes, there are many aftermarket options for everything from F/I kits to exhaust to engine internals to wheels/brakes/suspension. The cost of *effective* power-making mods is quite high though, so you're looking at thousands of dollars (like 8-ish) to get the the BHP that your Subaru is making. Modding is still fun though.

Tune-ability: The Z isn't *real* tuneable. There are aftermarket ECU products, but for an N/A car, I believe the gains from this are minimal. Maybe some people who have this can correct me if I'm wrong.

Rumors about Turbo: There's always rumors about stuff like that, but at this point, they're only rumors. Nobody with any "official" knowledge has come forward with information indicating that Nissan is planning for a Turbo kit in the near future.

Is the engine bullet-proof: Yeah, I think the consensus here on this forum is that the VQ35 is a pretty solid powerplant. The transmission is the Z's weak link.

Hope this helps.

 

That helps alot. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

You mention that the transmission is a weak link. Is there problems with the gearbox?

 

Nissan has replaced quite a few transmissions under warranty for both the '03 and '04 MY cars. The problems seem to be related to the syncros (and maybe other parts related to gear transitions).

 

Also, take note that not all the Z's are having tranny problems. My Z is an '03 model. Out of the whole one year I've owned it, I've only grinded once or twice, but that was stupidity on my part. Hope this helps.

 

Does anyone think that the tranny problems are the results of frequent downshiftings and wearing down synchros? Because since I got my car I almost never downshift and I always double clutch but lately I've tried downshifting a couple times and then it seems like the transmission got sorta weakish. Anybody downshift frequently and dont have tranny probs?

 

I frequently downshift, but I always rev-match, so my syncros aren't being stressed by doing this. Many people have had problems simply upshifting, especially into 3rd and 5th gear, and many people developed tranny problems serious enough to warrant replacement far sooner than "normal wear and tear" would dictate, even with continually 'spirited' driving.