Semtex's Monterey Blue 370Z

semtex · 06-19-2009, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MightyBobo

He's waiting to trade the car in on a new Nismo - the true sports car for hardcore track addicts.

LOL. *cough**cough* Someone's trying to stir the pot! *cough**cough*

gatorfast · 06-19-2009, 08:39 AM

Man, bobo really hates the nismo lol

MightyBobo · 06-19-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Man, bobo really hates the nismo lol

Hardly, why would I hate it? I think its a solid car. I just don't see it as being worth the extra cash.

gatorfast · 06-19-2009, 12:12 PM

Was just joking around since I saw all your posts in the nismo thread playing devils advocate to the nismo.

MightyBobo · 06-19-2009, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Was just joking around since I saw all your posts in the nismo thread playing devils advocate to the nismo.

Gotcha lol. Some people (read: people who intend to purchase it) just cant stomach the fact that not everyone is going to see it as being worth it, and this offends them.

semtex · 06-19-2009, 12:32 PM

The only thing that might make it worth it, IMHO, is the added stiffness from the special weld process. That is not something those of us with the non-Nismo models can add.

MightyBobo · 06-19-2009, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

The only thing that might make it worth it, IMHO, is the added stiffness from the special weld process. That is not something those of us with the non-Nismo models can add.

Ahh, but, only one problem - according to the review, they didn't do any welding on this chassis - just mucked with the suspension.

2009 Nissan Nismo 370Z First Drive and Video on Inside Line

Quote:

Though the body of the 2007 Nissan Nismo 350Z was seam-welded like that of a racing car, the 370's only additional structural enhancement is a different front strut-tower brace. "This car's stock body is stiff enough to meet the additional demands placed on it by the Nismo hardware," says Nathaniel Mason, senior manager of product planning in Nissan's Specialty Vehicles division.

semtex · 06-19-2009, 12:43 PM

Hmm...interesting. I could've sworn they previously said it was seam-welded on the assembly line. If it isn't, then yeah I agree. Not worth it.

semtex · 06-19-2009, 12:46 PM

Dude, they did a ninja edit on their article! I wasn't imagining things. This is the article where I read about the seam welds.

2009 Nissan Nismo 370Z - 2009 New York Auto Show

And this is a quote from their original article:

Quote:

Underneath its showy aero bits, the 2009 Nismo 370Z is no less hard-core than the 350Z Nismo. Autech still takes the standard Z-car chassis off the assembly line and welds the seams of the unit body by hand — a labor-intensive process that increases structural rigidity beyond that of a normal, spot-welded unibody. Mass dampers are then fitted between the unibody's left and right frame members to control the extra vibration inherent in a seam-welded chassis.

Which they now edited to read:

Quote:

Underneath its showy aero bits, the 2009 Nismo 370Z is a pretty hard-core machine. It's not seam-welded like the 350Z Nismo, but its chassis has been stiffened to the point that mass dampers have been fitted to control vibration.

Check out this sticky. The full original article is quoted in the sticky. 2009 NISMO 370z Pictures from Edmunds 04.07.09

MightyBobo · 06-19-2009, 01:15 PM

Thats what they get for simply assuming. Then they probably found out the truth lol.

Proof that magazine reviews are full o' crap, eh?

ZKindaGuy · 08-06-2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

Update: Since this was originally posted, Nissan now has proper locks for the Z in the same shape/size as the stock lug nuts. I recommend getting those instead of the 21153s pictured above.

WARNING: The wheel locks being sold by Nissan for the 370Z are NOT the correct wheel locks. I had these very same locks on my 370Z Rays and after one month of driving with them the locks began to show signs of stress fractures around the locking pattern. One wheel lock completely sheared of from the pattern to a 1/4 inch down the lock shaft itself.

I took it over to the Nissan dealer and they indicated the locks that are required are shank-style and the ones being sold by Nissan as the wheel locks for a 370Z are not shanks and they need to be......and they should NOT have the beveled tips but rather instead be straight shaft shanks.

In fact they showed me that these "Nissan 370Z wheel locks" don't even screw on far enough to make contact with the wheel to create locking pressure on the wheel. These wheel locks are they said in plain words the wrong wheel locks to use on the 19" Sport Rays application.

They told me that I have been driving around for a month in essence with just 4 lug nut on and that any cornering in the past month I was doing was putting severe stress on the "Nissan 370Z wheel locks" which was what was causing the wheel locks to fracture.

They indicated the correct wheel lock for the 370Z Rays is the McGard
#21153 wheel locks as these are the correct shank length and shape in that they are straight shafts.

Fortunately no damage was done to the Rays while driving for the past month with the wrong wheel locks being sold by Nissan .

semtex · 08-07-2009, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZKindaGuy

WARNING: The wheel locks being sold by Nissan for the 370Z are NOT the correct wheel locks. I had these very same locks on my 370Z Rays and after one month of driving with them the locks began to show signs of stress fractures around the locking pattern. One wheel lock completely sheared of from the pattern to a 1/4 inch down the lock shaft itself.

I took it over to the Nissan dealer and they indicated the locks that are required are shank-style and the ones being sold by Nissan as the wheel locks for a 370Z are not shanks and they need to be......and they should NOT have the beveled tips but rather instead be straight shaft shanks.

In fact they showed me that these "Nissan 370Z wheel locks" don't even screw on far enough to make contact with the wheel to create locking pressure on the wheel. These wheel locks are they said in plain words the wrong wheel locks to use on the 19" Sport Rays application.

They told me that I have been driving around for a month in essence with just 4 lug nut on and that any cornering in the past month I was doing was putting severe stress on the "Nissan 370Z wheel locks" which was what was causing the wheel locks to fracture.

They indicated the correct wheel lock for the 370Z Rays is the McGard
#21153 wheel locks as these are the correct shank length and shape in that they are straight shafts.

Fortunately no damage was done to the Rays while driving for the past month with the wrong wheel locks being sold by Nissan .

This isn't quite correct. I think there's some confusion on the part of your dealer. I recommend you review this thread, where this topic has been thoroughly covered: Broken wheel stud and lug nut.

But I'll give you the Cliff Notes real quick. When the 370Z was first released, they did not have wheel locks. Dealers started just throwing on the standard wheel locks that fit all Nissans, not realizing that the Z's wheels were different. This picture here shows one of the lug nuts from a 19" Rays Sport wheel on the left, and one of the 'standard' Nissan locks that the dealers were putting on:

This was a colossal fail on the part of the dealers, and these standard locks started fracturing, as shown on the far right of the above pic.

Since then, they have finally gotten with the program and now have locks that are correct for our wheels. This is what they look like:

These are the ones you want. Notice that they're exactly the same dimensions as the stock lug nuts. So your blanket statement that "The wheel locks being sold by Nissan for the 370Z are NOT the correct wheel locks" isn't quite accurate. It depends on which locks your dealership is selling. If a dealership is selling the 'standard' Nissan locks for the 370Z, then yes, those are the wrong ones and they need to come off asap. But if they're selling the ones pictured above, those absolutely are the correct ones and there's nothing wrong with them.

The McGard 21153s I put on my car are also compatible, but understand that I put them on my car as an interim measure. In other words, I ordered them before Nissan caught up and released the correct locks. Now that the correct ones are out, there's really no reason to go with the 21153s. Btw, just as a side note, the Nissan locks are also McGards (i.e., McGard makes them). In fact, I have since swapped out the 21153s for the 'correct' locks from Nissan.

Hope that clears things up.

semtex · 09-16-2009, 07:49 AM

A sad thing happened this morning. I was on my way to gym at 5am and, upon exiting off of the highway, discovered a dead body laying in the middle of the exit ramp. I'm glad the 370Z handles so well, because I had to swerve hard to avoid hitting him. And with how low the Z is, the body would have caught the front and dragged. Anyway, it was a gruesome scene. I pulled over, and the poor guy's legs were crushed, as was his head. There were skull fragments and bits of brain laying all over the place. Some of those fragments must've been on the main highway, because as cars drove past, I could hear the sound of them cracking. I had to go home afterwards, I just couldn't work out at the gym. I still don't feel quite right. I've seen worse on the internet, but something about seeing this up close and personal is just different. Thumbnail below. I took pics with my BlackBerry in case the police need them for evidence (it was starting to rain just as the cops arrived). Don't open it if you're squeamish. It's really blurry and not all that graphic as a result, but still. May the poor guy rest in peace.

dainedazz · 09-16-2009, 08:25 AM

^^ wow omg. that is sad. i wonder whats the story behind that.

M.Bonanni · 09-16-2009, 11:23 AM

oh damn, not a pleasant way to start your day for sure.

06-19-2009, 12:32 PM	#96 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 53 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	The only thing that might make it worth it, IMHO, is the added stiffness from the special weld process. That is not something those of us with the non-Nismo models can add. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

06-19-2009, 12:43 PM	#98 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 53 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	Hmm...interesting. I could've sworn they previously said it was seam-welded on the assembly line. If it isn't, then yeah I agree. Not worth it. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

06-19-2009, 01:15 PM	#100 (permalink)
MightyBobo A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 8,465 Drives: No cars; only bikes Rep Power: 52	Thats what they get for simply assuming. Then they probably found out the truth lol. Proof that magazine reviews are full o' crap, eh? __________________ I don't own a car anymore.

09-16-2009, 08:25 AM	#104 (permalink)
dainedazz A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NY, NJ, Philippines Posts: 1,325 Drives: 09' SR 6MT Z34 Rep Power: 293	^^ wow omg. that is sad. i wonder whats the story behind that. __________________ DaineZ' Rosalena \| Kenwood \| Pioneer \| 3M \| 180 Custom \| Stillen \| Z1 \| Fast Intentions \| Setrab \| Eibach \| Varis \| UpRev \| TEIN \| UAM \| Amuse \| Bride \| Southbend \| WORK \| TWM \| BFGoodrich \| Robispec \| TAKATA \| GTSPEC \| *Instagram* @johndainez

09-16-2009, 11:23 AM	#105 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1320	oh damn, not a pleasant way to start your day for sure. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

06-19-2009, 08:39 AM	#92 (permalink)
gatorfast Base Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: SoFla Posts: 120 Drives: Z4 M Coupe Rep Power: 289	Man, bobo really hates the nismo lol

06-19-2009, 12:12 PM	#94 (permalink)
gatorfast Base Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: SoFla Posts: 120 Drives: Z4 M Coupe Rep Power: 289	Was just joking around since I saw all your posts in the nismo thread playing devils advocate to the nismo.

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