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Old 05-10-2012, 11:12 AM   #92 (permalink)
SeattleLion
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This is all very interesting. There is no doubt that fuel starvation is an issue for the car. Like the oil overheating (not the same thing but similar in the design issues) it is something that a manufacturer who expects the car to be tracked should handle before making the car.

There are "sporty" looking cars like the Eclipse that are not really meant to track. But since 1969 Z's have been on tracks. It's unbelievable that Nissan engineering was unaware of this problem. Nissan tracks prototypes extensively to shake out any design flaws. So how do we end up with cars that overheat oil, experience brake fade due to heat, and suffer fuel starvation under track conditions?

I think the answer is that in their minds the Nissan engineers assumed that anyone who has track ambitions for a Z will buy the Nismo. I don't know if the Nismo has the fuel starvation issue (I bet it does), but it has always come with an oil cooler and better ventilation for the brakes.

I agree that the problems above did not prevent me from buying and loving my car. It did cost me some money to get an oil cooler, better brake lines and fluid, and better brake pads. In my mind, at least, I can imagine the Nissan engineering team being beaten up by marketing who wanted to hit that under $40k price point. It's a neat trick to build a mid range sports car that can compete with cars costing twice as much. It just seems odd to me that now almost four years after the 370 was introduced, only the oil temp issue has been addressed.
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