+1. No doubt!! LOL!! The arithmetic balances some but you're using imaginary #'s and left out some pretty serious ones as well. Run for Governor dude. J/k

 

Now that the numbers are in it looks like I was off by 12 hp (<4%) which we will disregard because of wind resistance, mavericky dust clouds and Ronald Reagan. However, I was pretty darn close on the power to weight ratio.

If elected governor or chairman of the Federal Reserve I will require re-post identification proficiency tests for all members of this website, and psychological evaluations for all Z owners that put autozone parts on their vehicles. Finally, a bailout package will be released for all obese drivers in the form of a cold air intake, carbon fiber stickers, and a spare tire removal kit to lighten the load.

 

My guess...

Power: 335hp & 269tq
Weight: 3,100lbs

P/W of 9.2lbs per hp


I don't see why everyone is so rabid over this thing competing with the new muscle cars. This is an import. We're going to have a Z that's faster and lighter than the previous model, that's a lot better than what Mitsu gave to the Evo guys who were so excited about the X only to have a heavier car that gained like what? 5hp?

So what we might lose drag races to the Challenger SRT-8 and Camaro SS both boasting over 400hp. We aren't supposed to be chasing those, they're big American muscle cars. We should be more concerned with the STi's and Evo's, or the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe coming out. Sure the STi and Evo are little awd turbo sedans, but they're from Japan and I think all the kids that went through high school driving civics and 240s line up for the imports before even looking at American Steel.

Let the GT-R take care of the Vette, I'm gonna stick to beating my buddy's Evo X showing up in a 370z at the track.

 

From the little he could tell us, some Nissan Marketing guy at ZDayz 08 said it would be lighter than the current Z. He wouldn't say much, but he said it will definitely be shorter WB and lighter weight.

 

$$$

The 'Vette has always been a price point above the Z, except for the old TT Zs.

 

A little birdie told me...


338hp
270tq

3144 pounds

Price at $29,500 for the base.

If indeed true, 350Z who? [i keed]

 

Those specs looks extremely logical. We already know that the initial price was set at 29,500 on 08.21.08. But my concern is that maybe Nissan want to bump that due to higher production cost. The VQ37VHR outputs 330 HP, so I can def see the Z getting 8 more ( even though I personally thought it'll be 336 HP) and 270 tq is already there on the engine untouched. I wouldn't be surprised if those are the final specs.

 

Hmmm 3144lbs doesnt exactly fit the "200 lb lighter" rumor we've been seeing thrown about for some time now...The hp/tq specs sound plausible indeed.

 

I wonder who that little birdie was..

 

Will the official specs be revealed at the LA Auto show this month or will they just have the production model on display?

 

Supposedly specs will be revealed at LA. I'm not surprised on the weight, as no reasonable person would be.

How can you make a car so much lighter, by only shortening it 5 inches and adding aluminum doors and hatch? You still have to add more weight for upgraded interior materials, bigger brakes, and a heavier engine.

Seems like this happened with the original 350Z. Everybody was saying how it was going to be so much lighter than the G35 it was based upon, but it came out, and there was only a couple of hundred pounds difference, when people were expecting ~400.

At this price point, Nissan can't be expected to start using a lot of exotic (and expensive) materials to lighten the weight. Nissan came back from the brink of bankruptcy (remember) by cutting costs and sharing platforms, and this is a logical consequence.

 

If that is indeed true, then it will sell like hotcakes.

 

3144 pounds might not be the rumored 200 pounds less than the 350Z but while other brands are gaining weight as well as horsepower, the Z manages to gain horsepower and lose weight - a rare feat these days.

 

You are quite right. I just wonder if the 200lb less rumor was calculated from full optioned Touring/GT trim. Obviously it wasnt from the base 350z because Ive seen some guys state they weight around 3160lbs. So a 3144lb fully loaded Z would be technically 200lbs less then the equivalent 350z. I know Im over thinking here. Regardless like you said its still going to be a lighter Z with more performance..Win win situation

 

3144 is 197 lbs less than the official weight. so pretty darn close to the 200 lbs.

 

Well, pretty close. I'm sure that's a base weight, and the 2008 base comes in at 3320... so that's 176 pounds. But it definitely isn't the 3000 pound arena like many think (pipe dream).

I would want an optioned out (Grand Touring) model... so I expect another 60 pounds, which means it might just make my desired 3200 pound weight cutoff, if these rumors are true.

As for power (at this weight), they don't need to add any more power for initial product launch. For the money, it's already blowing away everything else around. Sure, other cars (Camaro, G8 GXP, Challenger, etc.) have more power, but they weigh considerably more as well, so the Z will still be competitive. Especially if it gets twisty.

Remember, it's a business. We get 338 HP at launch, maybe 345 next year to keep it interesting... etc. We know the engine is capable of more performance, but with the state of the auto industry, Nissan wants to keep that additional "bonus" power for later use in case things get worse. Same with DCT. And maybe after a couple of years, a slight refresh with direct injection. The only other thing that would be on my wish list as an option, would be electronically adjustable suspension.

Standard Operating Procedure...

Maybe we see DCT debut for the NISMO version after a year or so, then it's introduced as an option for other models afterward. Then a year or so later, same with direct injection with a mid-cycle refresh...

year 1: 370Z debuts with 338 HP to widespread accolades
year 2: 370Z 40th anniversary (special floormats), convertible, 350HP NISMO debuts
year 3: 370Z gets bumped to 345HP... NISMO gets DCT
year 4: 370Z refresh, NISMO gets direct injection, kicks even more butt
year 5: 370Z gets direct injection, convertible and NISMO get refresh
year 6: last year of the Z, special colors and keychains offered
year 7: FINALLY! Nissan builds a 4.5 liter V6, and the FARKING 450Z debuts!
year 8: Complete absence of "When will Nissan make the 450Z?" threads.
year 9: Proliferation of "When will Nissan make the V8 500Z?" threads.
year 10: I win lottery, and jump ship from my450Z forums to pimpmylearjet forums.

 

Doing a little internet research, here is a quick chart of some contenders for our performance dollars;

 

Very interesting.....Nice comparo so folks can see the 370z has no chance against the C6 lol. This should put that to rest....Very competative with anything in its class though...I think it will be killing our 4banger turbo 4 door import rivals on the straights and twisties especially after seeing them perform on VIR in the last lightening lap...Pure speculation obviously on my part.

Its interesting that Nissans official base weight is over 100lbs off what guys are seeing when they weigh at the track....I see your point as Nissan states 3320 as the official weigh which makes me wonder. Over rate the weight so the next gen would look substantially lighter? Thats my contribution to conspiracy theories for the year Im sure Im wrong...

 

An official weight is helpful for comparison purposes, not real world weights.

Official weights use all fluids topped off, stock parts, etc. The guys that go to the track may have gotten lighter wheels, dropped 30 pounds off with a factory exhaust, removed the spare, etc.

The 20 gallon gas tank alone is over 120 pounds when filled up... so a half a tank could drop you 60 pounds all by itself.

It's not conspiracy marketing by Nissan; it's denial by existing owners. The 350Z is a good car, but a bit of a pig. Hence, the weight reduction for the 370Z.

Just like a 370Z with an official weight of 3144 might very well weigh in at 3080 pounds at the track, with half a tank, etc.

 

1000000000000+

Finally someone who understands how to compare weight figures.

The "some guy weighed in at 3xxx" figures are completely useless for comparison since there isn't a real world standard for weighing them like manufactures have set.