R&T Long Term Test Update
 

Perhaps this was posted, but I haven't seen it anyplace but on their site so far. So, here you go.

My take:
The reviewers are slowly changing their songs. First the biggest gripe was NVH. Now they say they like the engine noise or can't hear it enough. On the flip side, they said the car's handling was top notch. Now they claim that the steering feel is too heavy and deadens the experience.

My take after 7500 miles:
1)The NVH is a non-issue. I agree with those who say any 'raucousness' of the engine adds to the raw experience of the Z sports car experience.
2) The stock exhaust is too tame, but this is quickly fixed with almost any of the aftermarket exhaust options.
3) The 6MT is great and driving the car smoothly is not a problem once you are familiar with it. One review I just read said that you have to shift slowly when going slow and quickly when going fast to get smooth shifts. There is some truth in this.
4) As Consumer Reports will tell you, reliability is top notch so far. Aside from some small issues like the stuck hatch (fix it with the penny trick), the car has been rather flawless.
5) Who simultaneously brakes and accelerates leading to throttle cutout (per this long term review)? Anyone who can explain why I'd want to brake while trying to accelerate, please enlighten me so I can appreciate this driving style.

the steering is fine, luv the gearing.

the factory sound is good. it's much quieter than my stock G35C as far as intake and exhaust, but it's still entertaining and yet does not attract unnecessary attention.

not sure about the ester oil thing. im using some cheezo off the shelf dino oil to
top off on occasion. going to use M1 starting the first change next season.

Ive got 8K miles on mine now and only had it about 4 months. Did a few inter state trips and I like to drive and listen to music to relax some. But I think the steering is very good, and the handling is good. I would say the only negative thing so far for me is the NVH. Compared to my other cars its very noticeable. A friend is coming from a Scion and he thinks the Z has less NVH, so its all about what your used to in that area. I get looks all the time with the Z and when I start the car and they hear the exhaust roar to life, heads really turn to see.

I always try to heel-toe when braking and shifting into lower gear. Maybe that's what they meant about "braking and accelerating."

you buy a good car and you use cheezo oil? you with us man?

i heel and toe all the time, never get throttle cut off. if anything, i sometimes overrev the engine.

That's RIGHT! Recognize! PW in thu heezy! :rofl2:

i couldn't find any super duper extra special dino oil to top off the factory stuff at the autoparts store... that's all. :ugh2:

i'm using Mobil 1 so i'm using a high quality oil that readily available. no reason to use OReilly brand :shakes head:

so you mixed M1 in your initial oil that the car came with from the factory?

i was thinking about doing that too because i have stock of the M1 silver cap which i use on my other cars, but i thought you were suppose to use dino oil until your first change. so that's why i went out of my way to get the 1qt of dino oil. hahaha. :icon17:

i did a complete oil change at 3250 (a lil late) and added a drain plug and filtermag.

well then, im not there yet so that's why im using dino oil (valvoline or something). my car has like 1300miles and its hibernating.

next summer im going to use my usual silver cap M1.

im feelin noobish so ima ask what NVH stands for?

Noise Vibration and Harshness

In certain cases a little throttle-on is needed to keep a car stable under braking. These are mostly in racing applications, though, where brake biases and differential settings are very aggressive.

There isn't really any need to do this with a stock Z. I could think of maybe some situations where you might need a dab of brake to help set the nose, keeping the throttle on to avoid unsettling the rear wheels, or just to keep engine momentum up. But on the street, it's doubtful you will run into any of those situations... especially any extreme enough to cause cut-off.

Maybe they were running into throttle cut-off issues with heel-toe driving... but it seems like most here aren't running into that issue. I'm thinking if there's a cutoff it is probably only enabled when the car is in gear. I suppose one of us should apply a little throttle under braking while in gear and see what happens... then try to brake while applying throttle...