Originally Posted by vifferman

For me, aside from the cost of the Sport Pkg., I actually like the base 18-inch wheels more than the 19-inch "Ray" wheels (most will no doubt disagree), and there's a ride-comfort/handling trade off to boot. That said, I've yet to test-drive, so I maintain an open mind.

Going back to my original post...no one answered my question #2 - "Why did Nissan choose not to insulate the underside of the hood (as is the practice on most modern cars)?" One of the few review criticisms I've read for the new Z is that the engine sound is a bit raucous. An industry-typical layer of under-hood, sound-deadening material would likely fix this at little cost and/or weight compromise. Anyone have an opinion as to why Nissan chose to ignore this?