Why can't very capeable people do what Ford can ....

UNKNOWN_370

In other words... it took way more money to make a GT-R faster than a mustang shelby.
the culture of the mustang is a V8 standard vehicle built up to sports car status and succeeded incredibly.
The Z was built as a sports car from the ground up with different characteristics that set it apart from standard cars in its character, performance and behavior. The Z is not designed to be in NASCAR. that's why there's is no NASCAR Z.

This is amazing. you guys want the Z to be everything for under $50k. Handle like the cayman. beat the mustang and have the interior quality of BMW. I think you guys should be looking at ferrari and not Z. Unless you want the Z to cost more than the GT-R. its not feasible at sub 50k with everything the Z offers.

AND THIS IS NOT OUR DOMESTIC. It's JAPAN'S interpretation of a sports car.
Do you go to a french restaurant and tell them I want the frog legs but with gator meat? While going faster and innovation is somethiong we all want. Lets keep it in perspective to Japans vision of the Z. I personally dont need a mustang transplant in the Z. That's why ford throws R&D money on the stang to be what it is...

There's other ways for the Z to be fast aside from it copying muscle-car culture... The Z isn't a muscle car.

wolf370z

I think the problem boils down to the Z getting beat at it's own game. It's not much of a sports car if it loses to muscle cars on the track

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Good drivers just drive.

Davey

It is kind of disappointing that the turns vs. straights breakdown doesn't show that the Mustang is losing in the corners and then making up time on the straights due to the HP advantage.

wolf370z

I agree. It kind of is. Even worse when you start to think about the performance of the two vehicles after doing some basic mods. The Mustang GT just keeps getting further and further ahead. The 370z, without any sort of FI or similar displacement in its NA form just loses harder and harder. That is, assuming, both cars spend the exact same amount of $ in mods.

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Good drivers just drive.

Davey

A far as making more power, sure, but you're talking about a 5-liter motor making 85 hp/liter (which is great for an American V8) versus a V6 making 90 hp/liter with a valvetrain that no one knows how to really manipulate yet.

Handling-wise I would honestly expect, outside of the fact that import parts are more expensive, similar modifications would provide comparable improvements. Of course, you can throws $$$$ worth of parts at something and ruin the handling, too, so having the right parts available and choosing wisely is important.

And I'll tell you this, as much as I can see a guy trading a Z in on a Mustang GT since it's such a great performance bang for the buck, I can definitely see that guy missing the feel of how the Z drove, even though it was slower.

b1adesofcha0s

Exactly! Back in 2009-2010 the Z was better and faster than the Mustang V8 and it was winning all of the comparisons with similarly priced cars. This is no longer the case.

Also the GT-R didn't start at $100k. When it came out in 2009 it was sold at $70k MSRP. The reason it shot up is because it outperformed all those cars that were way above it. They made performance improvements every year so it stayed competitive and the price rose with them every year. Even though it's price kept going up, the GT-R still can't be beat performance wise at it's price point and that is why it is still doing well. This is not the case for the Z. It can and is beat at its own game for the same cost if not even a tiny bit cheaper. The GT-R is Nissan's halo car and their most expensive one so it doesn't have a price ceiling. The Z may go up in price, but they do have to somewhat keep it in check based on their competition.

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UNKNOWN_370

But you do realize that if the quarter mile was stretched further the Z would lose torque and fall back to the 08 stang. And you also realize that both cars with full bolt ons the Z was the loser. The Z true victory was on the complex track over the 08 stang. though it could beat the 08 stang stock. other factors under modification took it away.
the z being faster than the stang was coincidence. nissan was tryimng to make it rival a cayman, not beat a stang.... hmmmm????

the 08 stang though was just a horrible car. everything was beating it. pontiac had em destroyed with the gto.

ZMan8

I'm not sure why everyone has this need to compare to a stang. I love the 5.0 GT and really like what ford has done.
However, these comparisons must stop. Do we compare the Mustang GT to Genesis 5.0 R-Spec (only comes in sedan form)?? because in essence that's what it's like comparing the 370 to the mustang.

370Z = V-6, 2 seater, sports car with short wheel base and wide track. Underlying focus on cornerning and agility, not speed. Especially once you take into consideration the short gearing.

Mustang GT = V-8, high displacement, Sporty Coupe, long wheel base, Stronger focus on straight line speed, but does well in the corners as well.

they are different cars, just like the wrx/evo are different cars than the Z. I have said this before and will say it again. If we look at similar cars (2 seats, rwd, around 3000-3400 lbs on average) you get Cayman S, bmw Z4, Audi TT. Why should Nissan look to beat the Stang? They want to make a Japanese version of a Porsche Cayman S or R.

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kenchan

well said, mr.zman.



/THREAD

UNKNOWN_370

repped... thats basically what i beren saying but more cut and dry.

whoady4shoady

You just shut the thread down!

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