Hi All,

Newbie here.....Picked up an '08 350z NISMO about a month or so ago now.......picked it up in the states and brought it back to Calgary, AB.

Drove like 15 hours straight and was not cramped. Love this car.

So, being a NISMO, I figured I should see how it handled the track.

A few of us attended a race school for a day. Man, this car handles like a go-kart around the course. There was another first timer with a GTR in my group......we went at it a few times and I could get a few car lengths on him every lap.....he would get close down the straight, but not close enough. I loaded up with my buddy who is in the region of 250+ lbs and we went again. I could keep on him through the corners, but he pulled me in the straights too hard with that extra weight. Needless to I was very impressed with the car's handling.

Car is bone stock and had no real issues to speak of, it was 30 deg c out and the only real minor setback I had, after the 5th 20 min session, I was coming inot the last corner go to downshift and lost clutch pressure ( figure I heated the clutch fluid too much, it boiled and I had a small vap lock or something ). It went back to normal after I let it cool down some.

Have put like 500 miles on it since and no issues. All in all I just wanted to say how much fun this car was on a track in stock form, and how well it seemed to handle everything.

Now......I need boost

 

those gotta be some short straights for a GT-R not to overtake a 350z

 

Yeah it was almost pure corners with the exception of one huge straight....I'd top out at 210km/h down it and he said he was hitting 255 km/h.......

I am by no means saying the Z outperforms the GTR, just that through tight corners, it impressed the hell outta me ( and everyone else that was left behind haha )

K

Side note: nice ride man, looks real clean

 

Nice man any pics?

 

cool i didnt think you were saying that. i assumed the track as you said was lacking in straights.

thanks i love the nismo body kit too.

 

Pics sir!

 

Yeah get that clutch and brake fluid switched out with some Motul RBF 600 and you'll be good to go. I had mine do the same thing at my first track event last year. I've had a couple of instructors ride in the car with me and they were fairly impressed with the stock suspension of the Nismo, but yeah once you get some turbo power you'll be able to leave those smaller more agile cars in the dust

 

Thanks for the info guys.....I am planning a fluid swap this weekend.

Still trying to figure out how to upload the pics.....got it, should be some in profile

 

Post pics! Got to love a Nismo.
I can't wait to take my car out to the track.
Just waiting on a good set of used Brembo's.

 

You came that far to pick up a Nismo from Everett, WA Nissan Dealership? "WOW"

 

You betcha! It was a good 16 hour haul back home, but the savings makes it all worth it.

 

No need , just wider tires and learn to hold corner speed. Much cheaper that way, the Z already has plenty of power. A proper diff also helps.

 

Wow, what an unfortunate title.???lol

 

i like the title name lol

 

have fun on the track. got pics?

 

There are a few pics from pick up day on my prof....I still need to go out and do a proper photo shoot..........

Here is a vid from the track day......This run I had my buddy who is roughly 250lbs as a passenger......cant quite keep up to the GTR with the extra weight.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0zMG6eHu1E

 

I would hold off the boost....from what I hear overheating is a normal problem if your tracking

 

I haven't had any problems with my greedy tt setup and I'm not running an oil cooler either. I'm just doing the 4 20 min sessions for hpde's a day though

 

Didn't want to start a new thread about tracking the Nismo but after owning mine for a little over 2 years now, I'd like to take some time to talk about small upgrades that really shine on the track. Mostly because I am interested in making my first few modifications and am only interested in quality items. I would like to be able to say I've pushed the limits of the stock Nismo before I modified anything.

First and foremost is the stock VLSD and obviously it's pretty good for daily street driving but it could be better. I'm torn between choosing from Kaaz/Quaife/Cusco and choosing the Nismo GT PRO LSD. The ability to adjust the intial torque to 1 of 3 settings without even messing with the clutch plates is something I'm interested in. I also like Nismo parts as they're engineered around my car. However, I've always liked Cusco RS differentials and Kaaz always makes great setups as a good price. Even more exotic is Drexler and although I've never had first hand experience with it, I only hear great things.

Another potential weakness is the car's VDC/TSC system. I've looked into the Whiteline Black Box setup but haven't heard any feedback from the Z community. It looks like it works great and might work great at the track in conjunction with a differential cooler and finned differential cover. I haven't heard how it will work with an aftermarket LSD as I think the VLSD plays a role in the VDC/TSC system.

Weaknesses of the car in my eyes right now:
-VLSD is only good for a few laps before it starts to overheat
-Tires could use more meat, 265 on front and 285 on the rears?
-Traction control kills my fun. It is extremely abrupt compared to the more refined TSC in the 370Z

Strong points:
-Well balanced, neutral handling rewards controlled throttle inputs
-Brakes are amazing and with track-oriented pads, fade free.
-Heel and toe-ing feels so natural in this car; every perfectly rev-matched downshift brings a smile to my face.

 

probably you're going just plain slow and not stressing the car...
if you start pushing you'll have overheating all over the place, from the diff to the engine coolant and oil.