BOtis528

I'm not a 350Z owner as of yet, however I am in the process of deciphering between a z and wrx sti. I very much prefer the Z, but the only reocurring problem is the oversteer obviously not present in the sti due to its all wheel drive. Nearly every testdrive I've taken in a z has resulted in an instance or two when the rear becomes flat out sloppy and slips away during instances when I'd prefer it to stick. I'm just not completely comfortable on fast sweeping turns when I drive it. I've searched the threads, but can't find the EASIEST/SIMPLEST method for quickly correcting the stock oversteer. Somebody PLEASE convince me that this problem is easily correctable!

twenzel

iTrader: (27)

Oversteer? This car is notorious for chronic understeer. Unless you are absolutley flooring it in every corner this car doesnt over steer. Try some throttle modulation next time you drive it. If you really want to kill it completely, a larger front sway bar will help out. A better LSD will help too during full throttle turns.

Me... I am trying to find out how to make it oversteer easier.

ReavTek

iTrader: (1)

^ Agreed. This car suffers from understeer at the limit. Nissan is notorious for understeer in many of its cars: S13, S14, Z32, Z31 all suffer from understeer at the limit. The car seems to dive into turns and drag forward, most likely due to its front heft. My guess is you are giving too much gas through the turns or are riding on crap tires. Could also be that the showroom cars are kept with very little fuel in em so there is no weight to keep the rear planted. I am trying to get more natural oversteer. Right now if I dont do perfect braking to transfer the weight, I get nasty understeer that I get rid of with heavy gas. The car then slides but snaps really hard back the oppposite direction when I countersteer. It's pretty jerky and I want a more smooth drift.

KY350

As others have pointed out, the Z is an understeerer at the limit. However, what you have probably experienced is power oversteer out of slow 2nd gear corners. This is not a problem with the car, but a problem with the driver - please don;t take this statement personally as I also induce power oversteer and I have 2 years experience with the Z. That is, you are not modulating the throttle on exit and instead you are burrying the throttle into the firewall, inducing power oversteer.
BTW, if you like the STi, you can take the same slow 2nd gear corner and may get away with burying the throttle as the AWD will tend to help pull the front out of the corner. Still in extereme circumstances, even the STi will understeer out of the corner. The STi is an inherently poor understeerer.
Most people find understeer easier to deal with, cause you just have to back off the throttle to straighten the car back onto it's intended line and this is why manufacturers dial in understeer at the limits of their cars handling. On the otherhand, oversteer requires some opposite lock while staying on the throttle a little to correct the line and most people find this action too intimidating as corrective action when the car just getting out of control.
BTW, if you want to make the Z more neutral at the limit, just put the same size wheels / tyres on the front as the rear and this will reduce the understeer. To dial out power oversteer from the Z, simply be more judicious with your throttle application.
Choose whichever car you feel most comfortable with. Both Z and STi are good performance vehicles.

Nitrouz

iTrader: (27)

I was also test driving the Z and STi, and also the S2000, before I ordered my Z. The STi is a beast off the line and into corners due to it's AWD, that's for sure, but personally, I want a car that DOES make mistakes due to driver input. This makes me improve on my driving skills as well as feeling "at one" with the car. The STi is great, but to break its limit is not as easy as RWD cars. So it was between the Z and the S2000. I wanted a coupe, and also a more daily drivable car, so I went with the Z.

But it's all up to you cuz its your car that you're trying to decide on.

Alex

BOtis528

I completely apologize for my mistake. Ha, that's what I get for putting up a thread late at night...Understeer not oversteer, sorry for the mistake, but thanks for the input!

daveh

iTrader: (9)

simpleset fixes are sway bars and / or same sized wheels all around.

del105

iTrader: (4)

simplest fix is 1/4 toe in in the rear.

ReavTek

iTrader: (1)

Sport Compact Car took a 350Z awhile back and tried to get it to be more neutral. It was a very good project and I'm kicking myself for losing it. :/ However, this month (Lotus Elise on the cover) they went over suspension setups and other ways of affecting handling. It was another excellent writeup. I think you can still find the first article online. I remember they changed to BBS wheels same size all around with sticky rubber (same size all around again), then I think they put a 1.5way LSD... I forgot the rest but it was a great article.