The first modification for me was an oil cooler. Without one I could barely make it home spiritedly.

On what do you base the claim of consistency?

Weather conditions alone vary dramatically, and each car gets tested on a unique day.

Once i broke 5k miles and added a high quality synthetic... i can drive very spirited for close to 30 min before getting close to limp mode on hot days. On cooler days i can go much longer. a i think some of the oil temp issue is contributed to improper break-in, and poor choice of oil and premature flogging of the Z.
not saying all cases, but alot of them.

in my 2012 I have not had an oil temp problem, I have done 2 autocross events in 90+ heat, where we did 4-5 runs.
I think it hit 210 on a drive from Ft. Bragg, NC to Atlanta GA in 100 degree heat.

I think you have an oil cooler stock. I have a 2009.

The 2012's have the oil/water cooler dealy-bob thingy.

My 2012 has had no oil temp or brake problems. Re break-in, it makes no sense to use synthetic in the first few thousand miles. You WANT the engine to wear a little bit and achieve proper tolerances. Then you can switch to synthetic to preserve the proper state. Overall, I think the break-in is much exaggerated with modern engines. It's not like the old days. They take brand-new cars out and run them on the track--for example, the GT-R. And the engine in the Z is one of the most highly developed, tweaked, and improved engines ever made. So some auto techies complain about high RPM rough sounds? Who cares?

I am buying an evo or brz....

k

And selling the Z?

I know about your fuel starvation. Have you had oil temp issues as well?

I was only kidding about that. From the sound of car and driver, it sounds like the car is going to blow up anyday and I will buy an EVO to satisfy the trollsters

Common sense tells me that I should as it is too expensive for what I use it for, but I am having a tough time pulling the trigger. What other car can I buy for the money that can deliver the same performance? I guess the Mustang, but they are too darn ugly to me. (no offense to all the 5.0 lovers)

I have had an oil cooler on the car since my first oil change. Never really had a problem with it.

My 2012 was running 210 - 220 degrees with 50 miles on it in stop and go traffic, in over 100 degree temps the day I bought it, shifting under 4K RPM. Felt a little heat-soaked, too, but it went away as soon as I got out of the creep-and-shift stuff.

I can't wait to see how it does in more normal temps and once it's had a proper break-in.

I get the same thing in traffic, unless the AC is on, which keeps the temps at a steady 200.

A tune (with fan control altered to come on earlier on), according to many guys who've had it done, keeps the temps between 180-200 at all times.

If you're gonna ride her like a cheap carnival pony (because you should :)), then an aftermarket proper oil-cooler setup seems to be a must.

That will be my last mod before I track the car. Got quiet a bit to outfit her with first.

220F average for me which is more than normal even during the hot summer this year. absolutely no issue.

only magazine spec racers and true track folks need oil coolers imho.

Exactly. That is also where I average on my 09. In the high 80s, low 90s with horrible humidity, Ive seen 205-225 as a temperature range. The highest oil temp I saw is 230 and it was 95 degrees out and it was a spirited drive. Ive noticed the Z really heats up the oil when the rpms are over 4K for a while (downshifting/high revs, acceleration).

Ok, first, obviously we all have different ideas of "spirited driving"

BUT

If you've got an '09-11 and you go to the track, you probably will have oil temp issues. Anyone who is serious about tracking spends 500 bucks on an oil cooler - problem fixed. You will also bake the stock braking fluid. It is not meant to handle that kind of abuse. Replace it with higher tolerance braking fluid - problem mostly solved.

Fuel starve is the only track issue that has been largely unaddressed, but it looks like phunk is coming up with an ample solution.


For day to day driving, most of these issues shouldn't arise, unless you're really goosing it. Only time I experienced brake fade was after an 11 hr drive, on stock brake fluid.

:iagree:, but worth noting that pads will need to be swapped as well for any sort of track use.

Well to me there is a difference between spirited driving on the streets and track driving. I was specifically commenting on spirited driving on the street as was Kenchan. Im no fool, I know it isnt going to be worth anything on a track without an oil cooler unless Im running 1/8th and 1/4 mile runs.

Again, there are different ideas for spirited driving.

Also, on a hot enough day, you can overheat the oil just by sitting in stop/go traffic.

But mostly, I agree.

Guess Ill experience the stop and go on a hot day in traffic sometime. I hope not to lol. Does it really get that bad in stop/go?

The temp rises because you're not pushing fresh air through. I never had it go so bad that it hit limp mode, but I've hit 240-250 when sitting in traffic in the summer time.

Me too. I have NEVER hit limp mode and I drive pretty fvcking hard. I really want an oil cooler though.

as much as i hate bimmer drivers. May i strongly recommend test driving a 135i or 1M. they are awesome. my favorite non Z cars for performance are
these two in the price range...
Right under that would be a vette.. if you are going to get stang bruh? make it count... BOSS 302 no hesitation on the BOSS. GT???? :ugh2:

no offense...

Yeah, I've even noticed it will get hotter at speed on the highway if you're following too close, like when some clown doing 58 in the left lane. I try not to tailgate but just following maybe 1 car length behind another car will reduce the air flow and the temp will go up if it's hot.

Gotta keep the air moving into the radiator. Of course when it's 100 degrees out it's just going to feel laggy if you sit for long at all.

come on now last place on the fun to drive list..........i call BS

370Z not even in the mix... FRS wins.. thats a bummer
Brand new Top Gear mag - out now! - BBC Top Gear

Honestly though, if you drove a car into a wall on a test ride would you call it the most fun to drive car to???? I mean the Z does have qualities that are better than the rest but from a test drive point of view where theres multiple cars in the equation and only one of them nearly killed you....How would you rate it in your personal opinion?????

If I get rid of my Z and no other Z satisfy my needs I'll go with an M3. It has always been one of my dreams cars since I had a brand new 318i in Germany back in 1995.

People can't talk all they want about BMW but those cars are Quality. I had mine for 5 years and love it.

In response to the Mustang not being a pig, I feel it's a horse with the two hind legs cut off! :happydance:

But seriously, lets cut the crap about Mustang vs. Z. Get two COMPETENT every day (for the sake of reality, none of us are the Stig...) drivers with stock or relatively stock cars and romp them on the track to see who performs better.

Yep, good point.

As an FYI (not wanting to start an oil debate) my oil temps dropped 5-10 degrees with the switch to Valvoline full synthetic. Even if you average 230 daily it's fine and nothing to worry about.

Yes I added the 24 row cooler and can drive it like a madman in 99-100 temps with the ac on and never get above 210 degrees on my 35 mile trip to work and back daily. Setrab. Depending on the incline of the mountain it can overheat most cars. Turbos or superchargers are best in mountains climbs.

:stirthepot:

because they are only looking at "The 25 most inspiring performance vehicles of the past 12 months assembled at the Top Gear track for two days of ‘scientific' evaluation..."

This would make the most awesomest show on SPEED. :tup:

There was something similar on Discovery HD Theatre called "Motorsport Ranch." It was a great concept, but didn't have that polish of shows like Top Gear. I guess the closet thing would be Pinks, but drag racing gets boring pretty quick. I also hated how that show had a commercial every five minutes, :wtf:.

evo

We're talkin about real sports cars here :stirthepot:



i kid

Do real sports cars lose in handlin to a grocery getter, and a MUSTANG with a solid rear axle? Because if that is a real sports car, I don't want one.

Yeah, you are right, for an average to poor driver, the EVO wins because the car drives itself.

You mean how the EVO put down a slower lap time than the Z, with or without the straights? :ugh2:

now you're just troll'n, lol.