New Car and Driver review of the 370z... oil temp fail!

dirtrat · 09-03-2011, 01:21 PM

To me it comes down to three things. The Mustang is made by Ford, the Mustang doesn't look as good as my 370Z and the Mustangs are a dime a dozen and everyone has one! With that being said I recognize the new GT's are a huge improvement for Mustangs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red370

Why so much hate on the Mustang? I traded my 370 in for one. While it doesnt "feel" like it handles better, the Brembo equipped 5.0 handles just as good, if not better than a 370, ask M1AMustang, he has one. I still miss my Z every now and then, loved the car, but leave the biased comments out of it, having owned my Z for a year and now the Mustang for a year, the car is faster, handles like a champ, is FAR cheaper to modify and can make more power for less. I had the oil temp problem with my Z, which is why I traded up. And for good measure, look up "Boss Mustang beats Audi R8", watch a "supercar" get owned by a $42k weekend warrior.

BrickyardZ · 09-03-2011, 01:39 PM

Interesting that Road & Track does a much better job driving and reviewing the Z. Perhaps the folks at Car and Driver simply don't have their $#!t together.

Rone · 09-03-2011, 01:42 PM

When the ZL1 comes out, it's gonna blow the mustang and 370Z out of the water. You guys are gonna hang your heads in shame when you pull up next to one on the street.

lol

XwChriswX · 09-03-2011, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Endgame

There are few car mags I pay attention to and C&D is NOT one. My Z is proving to be one of the funniest cars I have driven (Vettes, Stangs, 135i, RX8, full tuned 240sx).

The brakes are not THAT bad. This article is not a fail on the Z as much as it is a fail on C&D again. They are biased against the Z.

Of this list, I would pick up the Z all over again, and mod it almost exactly as I have my car set up now.

Even though you never come out and let us see any of your cool mods... :P

Endgame · 09-03-2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XwChriswX

Even though you never come out and let us see any of your cool mods... :P

DUOHH!! I swear I am trying... The guys at Intense and my brother in laws say the same thing... "You never come out!"

One of these days man........

kent370 · 09-03-2011, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Endgame

There are few car mags I pay attention to and C&D is NOT one. My Z is proving to be one of the funniest cars I have driven (Vettes, Stangs, 135i, RX8, full tuned 240sx).

The brakes are not THAT bad. This article is not a fail on the Z as much as it is a fail on C&D again. They are biased against the Z.

Of this list, I would pick up the Z all over again, and mod it almost exactly as I have my car set up now.

C&D certainly can be biased in some cases, but this story of theirs really doesn't state any 370z weaknesses that haven't been discussed before on this forum and elsewhere, so it's tough to make the 'bias' charge stick in this instance.

I knew about the oil temp issue before I purchased, and it didn't stop me from deciding on the Z. But, that doesn't mean it isn't a problem. Myself and many others here have experienced it first-hand, and not just on the track. I run synthetic oil to help mitigate, but I know the real solution is to add a cooler. It's just irritating that a car of this class with an optional "sport" package, doesn't include one, despite years of evidence showing a propensity for high oil temps.

Cheers,
Kent

spearfish25 · 09-03-2011, 03:42 PM

Look at the sidebar comments.

"There's a lot of grip from the tires, but I'm not getting feedback from the contact patches."

"The 370Z handles pretty well. It's just not a very good car."

"Brakes are working without providing any real feedback beyond smell."

They just don't like the Z. It's like they all had Japanese girlfriends that dumped them in the past.

Red__Zed · 09-03-2011, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spearfish25

Look at the sidebar comments.

"There's a lot of grip from the tires, but I'm not getting feedback from the contact patches."

"The 370Z handles pretty well. It's just not a very good car."

"Brakes are working without providing any real feedback beyond smell."

They just don't like the Z. It's like they all had Japanese girlfriends that dumped them in the past.

The Z is kind of a love or hate kinda car anyways. People put way too much sway into mag reviews. If you like your car, enjoy it. Who cares if other people like it? I don't think anybody on the Mustang forums loses any sleep over the fact that most people here think the car is too common...we shouldn't let stuff like that get to us either.

If you have brake/oil/etc issues and like the car, they are easy fixes (though admittedly, the cooler can be be a PITA). If you don't have them, don't fret that they saw them, unless you plan on tracking your car in the future.

11Thumper · 09-03-2011, 04:28 PM

You need the right tool for the mission. Did Nissan cut corners on the Z? Yes and no...

It's a sports car, yes. Nissan designed it with excellent capabilities. If you intend to track the car often...add the necessary upgrades. The % of Z owners who actually track their cars seems rather low compared to those who drive them on the street and do some spirited driving now and then. From a product development standpoint it doesn't make sense to add parts to a car that won't see this level of high performance driving from most customers.

However, where Nissan did fail is with the lack of an oil cooler on the Sport Package and the Nismo as OEM items. Although there are customers who would want this package just for looks, they put an LSD on the car so why not an oil cooler? It's an extra cost to get the package so wrap the oil cooler cost into that. As for the brake pads, it seems fine to me that they would have that as an option for the Sport Package. However, I thought they came on the Nismo so I'm surprised to hear those brake pads are not on that car from the factory.

Red__Zed · 09-03-2011, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 11Thumper

You need the right tool for the mission. Did Nissan cut corners on the Z? Yes and no...

It's a sports car, yes. Nissan designed it with excellent capabilities. If you intend to track the car often...add the necessary upgrades. The % of Z owners who actually track their cars seems rather low compared to those who drive them on the street and do some spirited driving now and then. From a product development standpoint it doesn't make sense to add parts to a car that won't see this level of high performance driving from most customers.

However, where Nissan did fail is with the lack of an oil cooler on the Sport Package and the Nismo as OEM items. Although there are customers who would want this package just for looks, they put an LSD on the car so why not an oil cooler? It's an extra cost to get the package so wrap the oil cooler cost into that. As for the brake pads, it seems fine to me that they would have that as an option for the Sport Package. However, I thought they came on the Nismo so I'm surprised to hear those brake pads are not on that car from the factory.

Brake pads aren't on the car from the factory because anyone that tracks their car changes pads at the track. Low dust brake pads make the most sense for everyone.

The LSD is actually another area they cut cost. The VLSD is not really for serious use--it is more for the cred of saying that there is a limited slip on the car. Anyone that actually tracks the car will swap for a Torsen.

11Thumper · 09-03-2011, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red__Zed

Brake pads aren't on the car from the factory because anyone that tracks their car changes pads at the track. Low dust brake pads make the most sense for everyone.

The LSD is actually another area they cut cost. The VLSD is not really for serious use--it is more for the cred of saying that there is a limited slip on the car. Anyone that actually tracks the car will swap for a Torsen.

No argument here. For cars (and bikes) I've tracked I always upgraded the brake fluid/rotors/pads before even going out. As for an oil cooler, I've only installed on one car because I added FI. I do think the Z is a little weak in this area, but it's easy to remedy...just not warranty friendly it seems.

I'm not too informed about the specifics of the LSD on the Z. I suppose it's nice to have but I don't intend on tracking this car ever.

smokejr · 09-03-2011, 04:44 PM

If someone would have put a BMW emblem on the car they would have loved it.

Red__Zed · 09-03-2011, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 11Thumper

No argument here. For cars (and bikes) I've tracked I always upgraded the brake fluid/rotors/pads before even going out. As for an oil cooler, I've only installed on one car because I added FI. I do think the Z is a little weak in this area, but it's easy to remedy...just not warranty friendly it seems.

I'm not too informed about the specifics of the LSD on the Z. I suppose it's nice to have but I don't intend on tracking this car ever.

The brakes thing is such a sore sport for me because C&D (and other mags) test cars with stock brake pads/fluid, which is absolutely pointless, and encourages companies to put aggressive pads on their cars which drive most owners nuts.

For the LSD, viscous diffs are slower to react, and less effective at locking under acceleration. Your S2000 has a torsen diff--I imagine you've felt the difference between the two.

The VLSD in the Z is also pretty prone to overheating (most viscous diffs are), and it basically functions as an open diff at that point.

Lug · 09-03-2011, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rone

When the ZL1 comes out, it's gonna blow the mustang and 370Z out of the water. You guys are gonna hang your heads in shame when you pull up next to one on the street.

lol

giggles

LT419 · 09-03-2011, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spearfish25

"The 370Z handles pretty well. It's just not a very good car."

What the...

At the very least, they could hire consistent writers.

From a few of their online articles on the 370Z:

"Although we would never call an automatic and one of our favorite sports cars a match made in heaven ..."

"The new Z is a great little car: powerful, riotously fun to drive, affordable, and flat-out gorgeous."

"Do we love the 370Z? It might now be instructive for the reader to review the text and take a census of superlatives."

"With cars like the Z within reach, do adolescents still aspire to Mustangs?"

"Other automakers should take note of this success."

Now it's not a very good car? I'm confused.

09-03-2011, 03:42 PM	#37 (permalink)
spearfish25 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 4,117 Drives: to work Rep Power: 1856	Look at the sidebar comments. "There's a lot of grip from the tires, but I'm not getting feedback from the contact patches." "The 370Z handles pretty well. It's just not a very good car." "Brakes are working without providing any real feedback beyond smell." They just don't like the Z. It's like they all had Japanese girlfriends that dumped them in the past. __________________ 2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

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09-03-2011, 01:39 PM	#32 (permalink)
BrickyardZ Base Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 123 Drives: 2010 40th Anniv Rep Power: 14	Interesting that Road & Track does a much better job driving and reviewing the Z. Perhaps the folks at Car and Driver simply don't have their $#!t together.

09-03-2011, 01:42 PM	#33 (permalink)
Rone Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 326 Drives: PW Sport/Touring 6MT Rep Power: 14	When the ZL1 comes out, it's gonna blow the mustang and 370Z out of the water. You guys are gonna hang your heads in shame when you pull up next to one on the street. lol

09-03-2011, 04:28 PM	#39 (permalink)
11Thumper Track Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 754 Drives: '11 370Z, '01 S2k Rep Power: 17	You need the right tool for the mission. Did Nissan cut corners on the Z? Yes and no... It's a sports car, yes. Nissan designed it with excellent capabilities. If you intend to track the car often...add the necessary upgrades. The % of Z owners who actually track their cars seems rather low compared to those who drive them on the street and do some spirited driving now and then. From a product development standpoint it doesn't make sense to add parts to a car that won't see this level of high performance driving from most customers. However, where Nissan did fail is with the lack of an oil cooler on the Sport Package and the Nismo as OEM items. Although there are customers who would want this package just for looks, they put an LSD on the car so why not an oil cooler? It's an extra cost to get the package so wrap the oil cooler cost into that. As for the brake pads, it seems fine to me that they would have that as an option for the Sport Package. However, I thought they came on the Nismo so I'm surprised to hear those brake pads are not on that car from the factory.

09-03-2011, 04:44 PM	#42 (permalink)
smokejr Base Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 64 Drives: mb mt Rep Power: 14	If someone would have put a BMW emblem on the car they would have loved it.