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Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z
Very interesting.
But those are all very small changes that very few (if any) drivers will notice when behind the wheel. There haven't been any changes made over the years that have actually had a substantial effect on performance. Nothing that I would say makes any particular year better than another. YMMV
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These silent changes would have an effect though on long term reliability. I talked about sheet metal and high strengh steel. How about the numereous o-rings, gaskets and other seals within the engine for example?
It is very likely that the suppliers have changed the formulations for these components in the last decade, especially to meet the demands of new high compression and forced induction engines. The suppliers even for a car that debuted in 2009, are going to be using 2020 production methods even for a part that is Z specific, with only the molds and tooling being the same, while pouring in the same uprated resin formulation needed for more modern 2020 vehicles that exceeds Nissan's original 2009 requirements. The suppliers would never bother making a batch of resin just for the small run of 370Z that just meets the requirements from a decade ago, that's not cost effective.
While the late model years of the Z are not a different car, they are a more refined car. It's a decade old car, that should, at least in theory if my engineering experience is anything to go by, have partially benefited by 2020 production methods.
Remember, a vehicle is the sum of its parts; I would fully expect all things being equal from new (same climate, driving habits, no collisions, same oil and fluid changes and interval etc...) a 2019 or 2020 model to be a more reliable and 'tighter feeling' vehicle at 100,000... 200,000... etc... miles than a earlier run of the car.