Engine harshness

Originally Posted by bvl

I think you need to step back and more clearly ask your questions

Harshness and noise are very subjective.

I am in the camp of the OEM exhaust sound is under tuned: many ways to fix this (I went with a NISMO, which still is a bit understated but a step up). Example: The OEM G37 exhaust is more aggressive then a Z, which is unacceptable

The second part of the engine sound equation is intake, which IMHO is actually quite good in the Z. Its got a good growl without sounding obnoxious.

Coming from the honda world, then into a Miata (I known them inside and out, having driven NA/NB/NC, and owned a FM II NA6 for 12 years) the NA/NB engines were very harsh compared to a Honda engine...but I learned to live with it just fine. I think that quite a few Z owners are in that camp too.

Mazda spent a lot of R&D on the exhaust tune of the Miata, its one of the defining characteristics of the car.

NVH often is a function of chassis and tires. We own a 2010 roadster (which basically replaced my FM II Miata), and I can tell you road noise in the car is because of those enormous tires, but compared to the NA6 miata, the Z is quieter in every respect. Even with those big donuts, road noise is subdued compared to running 15" Kumho V700's on my old Integra...tires matter

The Z has a much stronger chassis with almost no bump shake, quieter top (layered cloth vs. 1 piece vinyl), and less wind noise at speed.

Subjective still, but if you actually measured things with a sound meter I would bet you will show lower readings. If you are not happy with how the Z feels then don't compromise on such a thing: continue to drive a MX5 or whatever ride makes you smile the most.

When we went to replace the miata, we had a list of must haves...we didn't sway from that list. Somehow, we ended up on the Z. Is it perfect? Hell no. But for the money, we thought it was a fantastic package for what we were looking for.

My top 3 wishes would be:

A real exhaust note from the factory
smooth out the valve train above 5000
Can a brother get a clutch that doesn't clunk at low speed please

- b

Originally Posted by nicknick

I really do think i have made myself perfectly clear. IT IS JUST THE QUALITY OF ENGINE NOISE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT. I DO NOT MIND THE ROAD NOISE OR LACK OF EXHAUST NOISE. TOO MANY PEOPLE HERE GO OFF HALF COCKED. I THINK THE CAR IS GREAT JUST NOT THE ENGINE TONE, IT IS HARSH AND THRASHY, VERY UNBECOMING OF A CAR WITH THE zED'S PEDIGREE. Some guys on here say a CAI fixes that, really?? I believe there is more to it than putting on a CAI, i can not see how that would "fix" the top end thrash/harshness.

Originally Posted by bvl

Hmm...I don't think you really have seen just how half cocked some responses can get on the inter tubes. Folks are kind here so far

Your chief complaint is something quite subjective. How do you quantify quality of a sound?

IMHO I think the engine sounds well matched below 5K. This is mostly from the dual OEM intakes and engineering involved. To my ears, its a sports car growl of its own identity. V6's don't tend to be the easiest engines to tune for sound from my experience. The 3.7 is quite different then the 3.5 in our 06 G35 for example. Very similar engines with significantly different engineering.

Changing the intakes to CAIs and such will remove any of the OEM engineering used to quash various frequencies and resonance that will change the sound without a doubt. Will you like it? Depends what you like, but you will need to hear it first and only you can be the judge.

If the only black mark on the Z is the sound from your perspective, then only you can decide if the entire package which includes the tactile responses, looks, and feel is enough to overcome the aural short comings from your perspective.



- b

Originally Posted by bvl

Your chief complaint is something quite subjective. How do you quantify quality of a sound?

Originally Posted by akong51

To the OP, please do us all a favor and DON'T buy a 370Z. Thanks.