Miata vs 370Z

Pearl zed

50/50 weight distribution front to rear

Z1NONLY

There are a couple different things people could be talking about when they use the term "Balanced" to describe a car.

The F/R weight distribution is one.

Another is the mixture of all the "ingredients" that people want in their cars. Power/handling/looks/efficiency/cost of ownership etc.

At the track, "balanced" is usually used to describe a car's behavior at the limit. -Usually oversteer vs understeer specifically.

The static weight distribution mentioned above is a major factor in how a car behaves at the limit, but suspension setup, wheel/tire selection, and even something as simple as an alignment can get cars with less-than-perfect static weight distributions to be well balanced. Likewise, a 50/50 weight distribution can be (usually unintentionally) made to handle like crap.

The Nismo 370 has excellent balance at the limit. When you turn off the nannies, it does everything you tell it to do when you tell it to....even the stupid stuff.

I have not driven the latest Miata at the limit yet, but I can't recall driving any stock Miata with bad balance. They are great cars.