Feb issue always comes end of December. Most magazines are that way.

So it was the 350Z owners' fault. :shakes head: Brake dust over performance. :shakes head:

Name one other car right down to the cheapest ones in the test that had a problem with brakes. Did any of them have the word "track"? Were they viewed as track ready? What is your point?

I want to believe! But why don't you say that about the GTI? Or the Genesis? Or......:ugh2:

This was a really big article in the past by Car and Driver. The car they had was the Infiniti FX50 which runs the same brakes as our Sport and Nismos. Same exact thing happened. They had a whole data chart with it as well. After about 5 stops from 100, the brakes gave up on the FX. Stopping distances went off the chart. I just signed up for 2 track events at Road America this upcoming year. I'm not too happy I have to buy all of this stuff in a car that was advertised as a sports car. I know, we've been here and done that already, but my brother's Jeep SRT8 is more track capable than my Z. It's kind of pathetic. BTW, I think Infiniti FX50 owners could go back to the dealership and get performance pads fitted for no charge. Nice, huh?

:rolleyes:

Do any of the have the power the Z has, which requires it to stop from a higher MPH?
I am not saying either is to blame, but Nissan has done everything fine in advertising this car (370z). The magazines, public view, etc. have put it on the track because the Z comes from a heritage of being a track oriented car, but this is a street car first. Nothing wrong with that, but when it comes down to it there are going to be sacrifices.

According to the article, the Nismo finished mid-pack in just about every area of the track. I don't see where it was pushing a higher MPH anywhere. I love my Z, I'm very disappointed it's performance vs every other vehicle in this test, that's all.

Seriously?

RCZ, are there seriously people who try to go out on OEM pads instead of just getting proper brake pads and doing a fluid swap like they should for SAFETY'S sake??? Its barely over $300 for a GOOD set of pads!

What I am saying is that the Z can reach a higher MPH and must brake from a higher MPH than other cars. It might have lost in other situations on the track which contributed to the slower time, like hitting a wall.

I am not overly disappointed in its results, it seems like the driver attempted to push the car, but in the end we see what really happened. He crashed it for whatever reason.

C&D did. And so will the other magazines.

It's to be expected that brake fade will occur on stock hardware after a few laps (or even runs on, say -Tail of The Dragon etc.) , but again - my concern (and C&Ds) is that for the 370z exclusively the fade is almost non-existent and rapidly becomes failure.

I'm not saying one shouldn't have to expect to upgrade pads for serious track or mountain driving. but I am saying a dramatic failure like this that can suddenly create a very dangerous situation on OEM hardware has to be considered poor engineering.

Oh, I know Magazines will always test OEM hardware. But anyone in their right mind going out to do an HPDE (Weatherman in particular) should invest some money in a good brake pad setup, too. Thats just dumb to think you'll do fine on a track with a 100% stock car.

:iagree:

From Car & Driver September Edition (is this even the same car?)

When the road starts turning and twisting, the steering wheel, while heavy in the hands, relays with precision what the Yokohama Advan Sports are doing.

From Car & Driver Feb 2010 Edition:

Even with enormous grip from its Yokohama Advan Sports, the Z feels uncomfortable and slightly disconnected when pressed.

:icon14:

Well, because everything else on the Z is MUCH better suited for the track than the everything else on those cars. The GTI is waaaay too soft both in chassis and transmission and then the Genesis...well...I would not feel safe in one of those on the track without MAJOR upgrades.

Well, I have done it twice. Its not really about the cost either. The first time I went out, I couldnt even run into that problem because the car would overheat before the brakes did (sad) and then the second time its when I experienced brake failure...twice. The first time it happened there was no real warning, I was coming down a long straight and braking for a hairpin and half way into braking it felt like someone put marbles under the tires and off I went. In the following sessions, I ran slower and tried putting less heat into the brakes. This time I did feel them slowly going away, more with each stop and then finally braking for the same corner (with lots of room this time) I gave them a nice stomp and there I went on the marbles again, but this time I had a lot of time to stop. Had to drive the car at 80% the rest of the day so I could enjoy my trackday and live to tell about it.

Its dumb to think you can do fine on the track with a 100% stock car that costs $35k. All the folks in porsches and z06's that I know do just fine on the stock tires and brakes. Some of you guys that get upset about brakes fading on the track, I think you are ridiculous...its a relatively inexpensive car and there HAVE to be compromises. Its not a race car, its a 30k street car. Be happy that everything else works as well as it does and if you are going to get on the track, then get some pads and an oil cooler. Its not that Nissan couldnt do it, its that they couldnt do it on that budget.

That sir is why Car and Driver is not a good source on information. About anything.

I have to disagree, I took my stock S2000 to the track and it performed great. Like anything it could improve in certain areas, but for the most part it was a great experience.

I think for $30000 the 370 is an amazing car right out of the box. The Nismo 370Z however, is marketed as "race proven" on Nissan's own website.
To me, race proven should mean that a car can run a few laps without overheating or losing its braking ability.
While the regular 370Z is probably fine for 99% of street use, the Nismo "race proven" 370 should have an oil cooler and upgraded brakes from the factory.
If this were to add 1 or 2 thousand dollars to the price I think most Nismo buyers probably would accept this as reasonable.

:iagree:

the brakes were supposed to be "Brembo-equivalent" and if all they are lacking is pads then okay.

an oil cooler just seems way too obvious to be looked over, but i'll be getting my own also :shakes head:

Give me ANY OEM braking system out there and I bet can create a situation of total brake failure in 5 angry laps at a track that is heavy on braking.

If Nissan installed a more aggressive pad from the start, then everyone would complain they are too noisy and dusty. Been there and done that with the 350Z.

The guys at CD arent you average drivers....they are pros trying to brake stuff and go insane with the cars they test, and should have known better, plain and simple.

bet you they didn't take out the front spring spacers

:icon18::roflpuke2::bowrofl::rofl2::inoutroflpuke:

i think that logic only works if multiple cars had similar problems
no other car had any type of mechanical failure

[
Its dumb to think you can do fine on the track with a 100% stock car that costs $35k. All the folks in porsches and z06's that I know do just fine on the stock tires and brakes. Some of you guys that get upset about brakes fading on the track, I think you are ridiculous...its a relatively inexpensive car and there HAVE to be compromises. Its not a race car, its a 30k street car. Be happy that everything else works as well as it does and if you are going to get on the track, then get some pads and an oil cooler. Its not that Nissan couldnt do it, its that they couldnt do it on that budget.



That sir is why Car and Driver is not a good source on information. About anything.[/QUOTE]

How many of you would have paid an extra 1G to not have these issues? 1G is a weeks pay for most of us, right? If you could not afford an extra 1G then should you really be owning such an "expensive" car?

Caliper good, rotor good,. brake pad,..."NO GOOD!!"

Stopping requires friction and either the rotor or pad gotta go,..seems the pad is too soft for the rotor which should be eating away...Id get beefier pads before tracking the car and switch them out for daily driving...

Actually the braking issue has little to do with price, it has to do with owners of previous models of Nissan/Infiniti products wining about brake dust. They went to a different composition to cure that but created a new problem of very low temperature handling. It's not the only car to have this issue, the new Audi A4 suffers a similar problem. Fortunately the solution is simple and cheap, buy $300 worth of pads.

something like 28 lbs per rotor if memory serves

Maybe I should rephrase that as, "EVERY 100% stock car" - not all cars are made equal.

Umm I said inexpensive if your comment is directed at me....also I think I've spent a good bit over 1k in mods already ;)

Whether this was a driver error, mechanical problem, or some combination of the two; Nissan should be taking notes.

When the new M3 was released for "magazine/press testing" the E92 M3 was pre-fitted with "track pads," specifically because BMW already knew the car would be driven hard around a track, consistently. Watch the Top Gear video, they note this specifically. Logically, it'd seem like common sense to equip a magazine test car with better pads; especially if you already know the car will be tested repeatidly on the track, not the street.

I'm curious to know why the Nismo doesn't have brakes unique to the Nismo. That aside, if the brakes aren't really adequate for track use, fine, but why make the Nismo out to be born from racing heritage and knowledge... only to give it a "Brembo-like" braking, but not really?

The Oil Temp debate is sad: spend $40k on a 370z then go home and spend $800 more for an oil cooler....cool story- :ugh2:

Carve that in stone. Good points. But dammit mine cost $35K not $30K and it's Japanese and it should work perfectly just like a Lexus or a BMW or my wife's goddamn Benz SUV

omg :roflpuke2::roflpuke2::roflpuke2::roflpuke2:

+1 rep :tiphat:

Exactly. This is what I'm saying. Nisssan Marketing Dept appears to be run by complete morons WTF? :eekdance:

:stirthepot:

Yes Bobo. Yes. There are a lot of people who do. I know you have a lot of pride in your car and this model, but for some of us, this is unacceptable. I went to the Chrysler SRT driving school at Road America. Those were all stock vehicles running all day. Go to an Audi event. Most of the folks here in Wisconsin running all day at Road America are stock as well. Completely. No pads, no fluid, no cooler. Mustang, Corvette, and "Camero" events. Porsche. Mostly stock on all. I've been to them. I've seen it first hand. Talked to the guys. To go play with a bunch of cars that are even cheaper than mine, I have to go buy $2,000 more worth of stuff? You're forgetting the labor costs. I think this is going to be my last Nissan or Infiniti. I've had it with the excuses from them. I'd like to see the base Z out there with the smaller brakes. That's the only one that has only a window sticker below $30K. Those brakes would fry. I bought a $3,000 sport package to eliminate this. Just like you can buy a similar "Track package" on a Mustang. There's no sport in this.

You also picked out the parts you didn't like about my last post, but never focused on the points you thought were strange. Tell me, why are new pads being put on Infiniti FX50's for free, via customer request? Why is my brother's Jeep more track capable than my Z? That's completely stock. Why can my friends Mustang go out and run all day at Road America without the track package and I can't?

Nissan duped me into buying a car that I thought I could play with my friends. Most of their cars are even cheaper than my Z, brand new. The Jeep SRT is more expensive since he has Nav, seat heaters, 425HP, all wheel drive, a trailer hitch, Boston Acoustics stereo, MyGig, remote start, and power seats. If I was able to get all of this on my Z, mine would be a more expensive car than his. Look at a touring w/ sport. I got less than what I payed for. Go ahead and flame me all you want. When it comes to my next car, especially sports car, I can't believe I'm about to say this... I'm going American. They put out what they advertise. A sports car. (I still couldn't do a Camaro though.)

I am speechless.

I bought a base package so I could spend the extra $$ upgrading to every part that was to my spec and what I wanted. When I bought my 370 I knew there were going to be parts that were not up to track duty so I decided to save cash and spend it on the things that were going to make my car great at the track as well as SAFE.

From all my reading here and all the input from guys who have tracked the cars, anyone on this forum has access to the info and knowledge needed to make their car safe and track ready. To all the people complaining about Nissans marketing approach, I have never seen an add or article direct from Nissan stating that it was a "track" car.

Really? :icon14: From a Nismo catalog, not very hard to find:

NISMO is world-renowned as the premier source for extreme Nissan performance. From Japanese GT racers to Dakar Rally trucks, to the wildest
versions of the Skyline GT-R, NISMO gives you an all-access pass to genuine factory-engineered, dyno-tested, racetrack-proven performance.
And as you’d expect from the same engineers who design Sports Prototypes to run at full sprint for 24 grueling hours, NISMO components are built to last.

Support from the factory means that every NISMO component is thoroughly engineered and rigorously tested to ensure a seamless fit and
outstanding performance mile after mile. Whether you’re a Z driver aiming to outrun Porsches around a track or an Altima driver who wants to sharpen its street-ready edge, NISMO stands ready to take your Nissan to the next level.

False advertising FTL- :ugh2:

Personally, at the end of the day, I'd still take a 370Z Sport over a Jeep STR, or Mustang, even with having to fork out $1000 for track prepping the car.

Although this is a product marketing snafu by Nissan, It doesn't change the way I feel about my car :yum:

I'm still failing to see where it exactly words the Nismo 370Z is a Track car.