Bah, jokes on me then.

Steve didnt win anything. He can convince himself i am avoiding him or whatever but i already stated my opinion about 100 times in this thread. Not sure what else he wants me to explain that i didnt already do repeatedly on many occasions. Maybe he should clarify his question instead of posting nonsense about dancing or stuff like that.

hes just sad he sold his Z and drives a ford now..

Why would I be sad about that?

Because it is a tough life having a fast car

I'm not really sure where you answered it, but the response was a given anyways... so it doesn't really matter.

I just find it interesting that you've been quite opinionated about matters of handling for almost as long as I've known you on these forums... and only now do I find out that the 370Z is the only RWD car you've ever driven in your life. I guess it just puts things in perspective for myself and others... for better or worse.

Anyways, props to you for honesty. And for helping to keep things interesting. ;)

I guess. Power on demand makes it really difficult to drive... :rolleyes:

It's much more difficult to control on the street :icon17:

:tup:

This was my experience with GS, Z06, and ZR1's that I have driven. At the limit, you get VERY PREDICTABLE under-steer with a lot of feed back from a good tire like the PS2, that is mitigated with a laying off of the gas-pedal or light application of the brake. The car is as docile as you let it be with no Jekyll and Hyde tendencies. I just wanted to inquire if the 370Z had any due to the shorter wheel-base and different suspension design. I am not familiar with the 370Z except for test drives that obviously did not involve the limit.

The 911 was famous for unintentional throttle lift snap oversteer. As in, the driver enters the corner, the front-end gives some feedback, the driver lifts on the throttle to shift weight forward, and that pendulum of an arse steps out in an instant. I have never driven a 911, but I understand the physics of it and can easily see how that would happen.

There is a difference between bad balance for a road course and a horrible abomination of engineering.

Thanks! Even the best of us can make split-second stupid decisions, though. I try not to leave my house thinking "I'm too sensible to screw up". I just don't like painting myself in the "Won't happen to me!" picture.

Which is why I keep my G20. It actually is kindof fun in the corners, too, if I respect its limits. No bad tendencies with it. Very predictable. Great in the snow (unless ground-clearance becomes an issue). Last time it snowed here it did just fine.

+1, it's slow and predictable in 40mph traffic in my hands. The power is very linear until about 4K rpm or so. Very tractable. I would pick the 370Z in snow/rain, though due to more weight being applied over a smaller area increasing the PSI of the contact patch on the snow, but that's neither here nor there, lol

When I am behind the wheel of a sports car, I have adopted the Ron Jeremy philosophy on the accelerator.

"I only pull out enough to win [accomplish the task at hand]"

Just because I have 505bhp, doesn't mean I use them all, all the time.

Same will hold true for the 370Z...I'll just pull it out a bit further :P

:bowrofl::roflpuke2:
Not even sure what your question was, but I believe I already stated my opinion in full detail. I don't believe there's anything more I can say without ending up repeating myself. Rather suprised to hear that considering that every review of the corvettes handling state that they tend to oversteer a lot with even a bit of throttle application. Well, if you find a corvette predictable, easy, and understeers, you'll have an easier time with a 370z. The Z does have a shorter wheelbase, but the suspension is quite soft (unless you go with the harder Nismo version which I havent driven), the engine is less powerful, and the suspension is set up from the factory with a bit of understeer. There's nothing unpredictable at all. Of course if you do something stupid like floor it in the middle of a right angle turn in 1st gear, yeah, you'll find yourself facing backwards in a flash. But other than that it's easy to drive.

Of course if you do plan on driving it on snow or on near freezing temperatures, definitely get snow tires. The stock tires are summer only and would not work at all in the winter.

After the next snow I'm going to drive up your way in an SRT-10 to buy you a beer. ;)

Ironically enough, since I crashed my z in an accident I'm actually pondering doing the opposite move to ImporConvert and buying a z06. I was quite surprise to find used 2008 models in the low to mid 50k dollars, which is quite cheap. I'm a bit iffy about it though. mainly i'm uncertain if that crappy plastic interior will hold up or break apart, whether the cheapo plastic body panels wound break/crack/leak, any reliability issues with the engine or drivetrain or electronics, how comfortable it is to drive daily on bumpy roads with its stiff suspension, how it handles on rainy days. Probably won't be good on the snow so i'll probably have to have a winter beater. Also have there been any significant performance or reliability upgrades since 2008 or is it just the same car they're making today? ImportConvert if you have any info can you PM me?

Just let me know before hand when you will be coming, so I can get my *** off the road and hide in a far away place in case you spin out and crash :p

Lots of threads to discuss other vehicles. This doesn't need to be a corvette/mustang/whatever else thread.

I'm not applying the throttle when entering a corner. That comes after the apex when I am straightening the wheel and exiting the corner, and it happens smoothly and results in a gentle weight-shift to the rear as the wheel straightens and the car happily lunges out of the corner with very little drama.

I am glad to hear of the 370Z's nature. Frustrated I don't have one yet, not because I don't love my Z06, but because I have made up my mind, and once I make up my mind on something, I want it. Then. However, patience is a virtue, so I console myself with this thread and others. :driving:

:bowrofl:

370Z is definitely a fun car. Way different when you are comparing it to a Z06. If I were in your shoes I definitely couldn't make the jump simply because the power hit would be too big for me to overcome... but I don't doubt that you will have fun with it.

I understand, but like you said...I'm not using that 505bhp all the time. Where I am moving to, it "has no place" because of all the mountain roads, etc. with sharp corners and whatnot. I would only use 2-300whp of it for the most part during my "spirited" drives, so then it comes to a point that I am paying for things I am not using.

It's flat here where I live now, except for on/off ramps. Power is all that matters for the most part here. Not so much where I am going (Fayettville, AR).

Then I have the other issue...what next? A SRT-10? I mean, I can't keep living in the 6-7#/bhp range on my income and still expect to buy the 30-50 acres and house I want. Compromises must be made. There will be a time to be a dirty old man in a car too fast for him later on in life. The Z06 was a "I want to do it once, and to insure this, I will do it now!" type thing. Love it, but it's time to move on from this, too.

I don't know if that makes sense to you or you agree with it, but it's clear to me?

You've definitely got to find a happy medium based on who you are as a driver (and where you are in life)... some people could push a Z06 pretty hard on the street (probably a bit dangerous) while some might not even be able to push a Miata hard on the street... so what's right for one driver isn't always right for another.

It's down to personal preference. And I think I speak for most of the car guys here when I say it's almost impossible to truly be happy with any one car given how demanding we are about performance and also because we tend to be very curious about cars we haven't yet owned. We end up jumping around to a lot of different cars. We have fun with them and then move on to the next adventure. Some of us just do it more frequently than others. ;)

definitely. and if you drive the same car every day, you will make that jump faster because you will get sick of it faster. The parts you like about it for fun, (loud, stiff, fast) will start to bother you when you need it as your DD and it quickly turns into (noisy, uncomfortable, poor gas mileage).

that being said, i'd rather DD a fun car than a POS, if i could only have one. :p

Well, the Z06 is stiff and loud, but not too loud, and the gas mileage is killer. I get about 26 on the freeway. I don't tool around town in it, so I'm at a loss, there, but my DIC says the average over the life of the car has been 18-19mpg or so, last I cleared it out.

I do not feel I am getting my money out of my Z06 because I don't track it, and I don't feel safe on the street pushing the car like that. The street has hazards that a track doesn't, and it's not wise. I feel I would get my money out of the 370Z much moreso. Hence my trade when "my" car is available in the US.

i thikn you should still trade cars with someone for a week before making the switch. i'm sure you'd have no problem finding someone who would be willing to let you drive their Z for a week in exchange for your Z06 for a week. lets face it, none of us really NEED anything over 200hp to get from a-b... the rest is just how much fun you can have :driving:

You're right... but we all need at least 9lb/HP or better! :p

How crazy would it be to DD and ariel atom? :p

fixed

truly fixed

Pfft 0 lb/hp or bust. Light speed!

you can't. not street legal in US or Canada. You can in Europe though, and some people do drive them on the road. I actually thought about getting one as a track toy, but not being street legal and a very hefty 70k purchase price quickly made me look elsewhere.

pretty easy to register as a kit car, at least in the states.

That would make it even crazier to do :icon17:

I thought they were more like $40k. There's one for sale on eBay for like $50k.

Also you can actually have a track session with an ariel atom at VIR. It's like $500 for 3 x 15 minute sessions on the short course or $1600 4 x 20 minute sessions on the long course. Very tempting, I would MUCH rather do this than get an oil cooler and track my car. Though with an oil cooler I can go to multiple track days.

Base price is $49k for an aerial atom, that is bare bones with a 4 banger honda motor (forget which one).

k20. it is the civic si motor

Oh so they went with some POS. :stirthepot:
Just went to the website, looks like they have a V8 Atom now also, not sure I would want to drive that one.

Yep, we have a guy that drives his Atom around all over the place here.

Well the V8 one is like $150-200k :p

Why not... it'd be fun!

It has a 1.1 sec lead on top of the Top Gear Power Lap Board if that means anything. That thing is just insane, close to a street legal race car.

Meh, it's just money.

I agree, but would scare the piss out of me on the first launch.