still not warrantied if the cooler fails.

The oil cooler?
The car is still under warranty even with the oil cooler, the Nismo cooler has a separate limited warranty.

I would imagine that would depend on the dealer. Some are "mod friendly".... others, not so much.

They're R Nissan parts, so their use is not warrantied officially. I haven't seen anyone have success in getting them warrantied (in writing).

I dont understand? The Z is as fast or faster then 135i, 335i, Evo, STI/WRX, New Camaro, RX8. But it had to be knocked down to a lower class? What cars was it competing with? Enzos, Lambos, ZR1 Vettes????

Warranty is only effected if it was shown to cause damage/malfunction and even then only applies to the part directly related to cause said damage/malfunction. Applied correctly, an oil cooler shouldn't cause any problems. I have yet to see anyone on this forum denied warranty work because of an oil cooler. A few have come close, but in the end it was shown not to be the cause. I would have figured you of all people would know a thing or two about the Magnuson-Moss warranty act.

I don't get that either. My old RX-8 was far slower the 370. Maybe the guys driving the Z had fat chicks in the passenger seat.

No, it is several classes down from even base vettes. It cannot compete with the EVO/STI etc. Not sure why that is so hard for you to understand.


Magnuson-Moss is the most overstated act by people that have never made a warranty claim on a modded car.

Besides, my worry is issues caused by the cooler. A whole ton of people have blown fittings--it happens from time to time.

He's talking about SCCA classes for autox, you can see the list here:

http://www.scca.org/documents/Solo_R...solo_rules.pdf


agreed, I really hate having to add something like an oil cooler.

Well, on this issue, we agree. However, if you have a good dealer, (i know, hard to find but they're out there), then that does lower this particular risk somewhat.

I will be the first to say that on the Nismo esp and also the sport pkg Zs, an oil cooler should have at least been an optional "accessory" like the Nismo brake pads are. Still, not something that most folks won't need to add to any other car that sees hard track time and then you'd be in the same boat warrantee wise.

Evo X's with the DCT (or whatever they call their dual clutch manual) have trans overheating issues on track I've read and require a trans cooler for serious track use, that's going to be a warrantee nightmare if anything ever went wrong as well.

In this price bracket, there are going to be compromises, or you buy a higher class of car used for the same as a new Z, evo etc and hopefully it's going to last you and not have been beat to sh!t by the last owner.

SST... and yes, they have a lot of failures with their autos when getting near or a little over 400 whp.

I can't open that site, but is this for a stock car?

I have to add while i'm up and cannot sleep yet AGAIN... the Nismo is B class, and 370z is C, it doesn't specify "all" whereas the 350z does say "all".

IMHO the Nismo has been shown that it isn't much faster, if at all than a sport package Z... perhaps adding a better set of pads and oil cooler (as already stated) any 370 could or should be moved to B class.

People can say what they want, but coming from 2 Evo's (an 06 RS and 08 GSR) stock for stock the only thing that helps the average Evo driver vs the average 370z driver in the 08 and above is the VERY sophisticated Super all wheel control that can turn any average driver into a hero. The 03-06 still gets a lot of help from the AWD and it's a blast to drive as well don't get me wrong, but I think that the 370 has more ability than where it is "classed".

Red_Zed. You keep saying the Z can't compete with the Evo and STI. Both of those cars brake and handle better then a Z? O-60 and 1/4 mile times are better? They pull off better skid pad results? I'm pretty sure the Z was designed to compete with the cayman S. Which means the EVO and STI should be no prob. Not 2 mention your not touching a good evo or sti for lestt then 38-40K. My Z was 34

If you think you can beat them, get out there and do it.

You can comfortably pick up an Sti for 35k otd in va(3% tax). I know because I almost got one instead of the wrx.


Yes, it was designed with the Porsche as a benchmark-- and it benchmarks well against it...real numbers are less favorable, and the real dynamics are crap.

Reread my post about tires. Being able to go wider makes a ton of difference. The guys in nismos are out-tiring the nismos by 20mm (usually more). Even the regular z has a huge tire advantage over the rest of it's class

Blown fittings, as with any aftermarket part depends on the manufacturer and proper installation. I can only remeber one instance on this forum where someone had a blown hose. Hardly means every oil cooler is sure to fail.

Doesn't make it any less legal or effective. I'm not saying you don't have to jump through hoops, nothing with dealerships is ever easy.

Ever jumped through those hoops? You are talking 18+ months before you get your car running again (if you go through the courts). Precedent on MM is very thin too, so it is risky.

No I totally agree...and yes I have jump through those hoops. Not as far as legal proceesings, but very close. Not fun at all and I totally agree with that its a huge undertaking, time consuming endeavor. If anything, some nissan dealerships are more "mod friendly" than say Mitsubishi dealers. I've seen Evo owners red flagged for stuff like aftermarket intakes. I would bet if you had a Nissan dealer install a Nismo oil cooler, they would be more likely to work with you to find some kind of common ground should a problem arise.

This is also a bit off topic to the OP's question.

Yeah, I just wish they offered it as part of some package from the factory so I didn't have to worry about it. Not worth the stress IMO. I bought the car to have something fun with a warranty. I'd still have my s if I wanted to fix my own problems every weekend.

I think everyone on this forum has that request from Nissan. It's not like its an expensive part. I would have thought they would have at least come standard on the Nismo.

Well I know for a fact I'm faster then a 09 WRX Stage 2 (friends car) I'm not going to get into what kind of racing we did. Oh and I only had an intake at the time. As for turns, braking ETC, why would I have to go out and prove it? Are they better then the Z or not?

So you did a 50 pull? Not exactly a good way to judge a car.

The reason you would have to go out and prove it is the other cars embarrass the z in every event. Guys that slap 305 r comps on their nismos get beat by Evo's all the time on a real course. I put 1-2 seconds on a stock z in my wrx.

Here are some stats I found from Motor Trend


2011 WRX STI Sedan

Curb Weight-- 3262
0-60-- 5.0
1/4 Mile-- 13.8@97.6
Braking-- 60-0 113FT
Lateral Acceleration-- .93g
MT Figure Eight-- 25.5 sec @ 0.73 g (avg)


2011 Nissan 370Z Touring

CURB WEIGHT-- 3362 lb
0-60--4.9
QUARTER MILE--13.4@105.2
BRAKING--60-0 102 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION--1.01 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT 24.7 @ 0.76 g

Slower then a 50 pull, but funny you should say that. You sound like the typical Subby owner who only wants to run from like 20-100 LOL. I just gave you numbers from a mag that had pro drivers drive the car. Just cause you see an EVO kill a Z on a course does not mean its a better car, just means he might be a better driver. And you put 1-2 seconds on a stock Z huh? Guess then Z guy cant drive, dont get all hyped up over that 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds. CarAndDriver admitted that the only way to get those numbers was a drivetrain killing redline clutch dump.

Cool. Proves my point. The z is designed around benchmarks, so it looks "good" in magazine tests. The high G numbers are fundamentally flawed due to the poor handling characteristics (limiting understeer). It gives great LA numbers, and poor track times at the limit.


If you use magazine test numbers as anything but a ballpark estimate of performance, you are doing it wrong.

09 WRX 3:16.6
09 Nismo 3:12.0 (the one that had brake failure)
11 STI Sedan 3:13.8



Times from CarAndDrivers Lightning Lap at VIR


Dont come on this forum and talk stupid. I love the new STI sedan. If my Z got wrecked tomorrow I would get one in a heartbeat. I was going to get a 2010 WRX instead of my Z if the insurance on the Z was going to be to high. My mom has a XT Forester, I love Subbys and the EVO has been proclaimed to be one of the best modding car ever. But dont sit there and tell me the Z cant compete STOP IT!!!

I don't do straight line performance anymore. Had my time with that, you might say.

Pretty sure the z guy can drive, he is nationally competitive :facepalm:


I'm done arguing. When your knowledge is based on car and driver reviews and a street race with a friend, it's time to re-evaluate how much you know.

You put 1-2 seconds on a stock Z in your WRX? The WRX is not a very good handling car. No were near the old WRX. Yea I know its better the the 08 but its not going to out handle a Z. You need the STI for that and even that is hard pressed to do so from what I have shown you. So yea guess he cant drive. Can someone chime in and let me know I'm not crazy. A WRX not an STI is a better handling, braking etc car then a Z??

To add fuel to the fire, much like the GT-R, the Evo X also pretty much drives itself as well.

I can't back it with proof, but I do know a few STI guys who have owned WRX's as well. When I thought about getting the WRX after selling my Evo X. I knew I would suffer some handling loss, but asked how close it would be. I was simply told the only way to keep that kind of handling was with the STI. They are comparable in a 1/4 mile run, but when it comes to handling it's not quite there.

This is what I was TOLD, not what I have experienced first hand though.

You do realize that the WRX is a "D" stock car correct?

SCCA Solo Car Classifications: Stock by Class

That PDF page won't open for me so I had to go by this.

Its pointless to explain to him. According to him the Z can only compete with I guess Miatas, Civic SI, Sentra SpecV cars like that I guess.

well, i'm not trying to argue with anyone... it's a subject that has turned into a debate and gone way off topic... the point is that all we can do is go by numbers ... real numbers that have been done. Each magazine has numbers it posts, some may be bribed to give it better numbers for all we know... some may not. You have posted about pulling away from a car, he's posted about beating a Z by "1-2 seconds" in his WRX. The proof is always going to be in the numbers.

I have stated myself that as a former owner of 2 Evos that I feel the handling feels very good in comparison to them. The 06 RS was lighter and was fast, but I only had a TBE, Drop-in, and a LICP with no tune. The car was a lot of fun, but beat the absolute hell out of you and it felt a bit unstable at higher speeds... fast forward 2 years to the Evo X and the computer controls EVERYTHING and I do mean everything. It does the majority of the work, which gives you that little bit of extra confidence when taking turns and such. It was a very fun car. Both as I said though are cheap... the warranty... well, what warranty? It basically is voided the first time you fart in the car, but the drivetrain, the suspension, etc is what you pay for.

I can say all of that, but it doesn't amount to proof. The FACT is that the Nismo is in the B stock, the 370z is in C and the WRX is in fact in D, whether one driver can beat another out of any of those classes doesn't matter because that is what the facts say.

Yep, it is a tire limitation. With Sti width rims, you can run in b stock (and often win).

Methodical, the thing you need to understand is the tire width benefits we see a lot of times. The nismo has to run huge tires (most guys run 305s in front) to really compete with Sti's and Evo's running 275's at most.

The Stig says the Z is faster :p

The who?

I understand tires and a lot of things come into play when talking about this... however, i'm trying to compare on a stock vs stock basis though. We know the Z has HUGE tires on the car and more contact patch typically will mean more grip. The Z has the tire advantage stock, while the STI's or Evo's etc have the advantage of more torque due to turbocharging with A LOT of boost and in the Evos case computer controlled handling.

Right, but stock classing is based off of keeping stock rims, and shoving on a huge tire--no one does that. The wrx moves up favorably with more tire, which bumps it to decent b stock times. The nismo puts down similar times to a wrx running 265s while it is running 295+.