Tips for a new 370Z owner?
 

Hey guys. I bought my 370Z a few days ago, and I was wondering if anyone has any tips or advise. I am looking around the forum for useful info. Thanks.

yes, dont crash it...., I just drove it today for the first time, and I was blown away by the power, this car would get me in trouble if I owned it. I hope getting it in a year when I finish college....

http://www.the370z.com/wheels-tires/...-pressure.html



Breaking in your tires
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=5&

- Pay attention to your oil temps. Let it cool down if it goes over 230 - 240 F. The motor oil on our car tends to get hot. Many recommend oil coolers. Normal cruising should be around 220F.

- Use either the Nissan Ester Oil or a Group 5 synthetic like Redline, Motul. Although, there is a lot of debate over whether the Nissan Ester is necessary, my friend also has the 370Z and when he changed the oil using a non-Ester, it made a lot of noise which I heard firsthand. Sounds way worse than mine (note- exact same car). He also mentioned the noise wasn't there until the change to a non-Ester. Nissan highly recommends its Ester based 5W-30 oil which is sold in its parts dept for anywhere from $9 - 20/quart.

- use a sunshade when parking the car. One person had his door split / crack open from the heat. Cheap plastic.

- If you have a 6MT, your first gear will sound loud, as will any clutch disengagement coming out of that gear. Nothing much you can do about it, its just the way it was built.

- Watch out going over speed bumps and into / out of parking lots. The little black piece of plastic coming from under the front bumper is very low and scratches easily even at the slightest of inclines.

Don't listen to people complaining about oil temps. The 300F "limit" is there to protect the bearings which are more prone to damage if they get over 300F. Car goes into limp-mode to protect the bearings if you get around 280F. I'ev NEVER gone over 260F, and I tried for an hour (in 100+ temp) doing things that if a LEO was watching, would have given me a *few* citations for.

As for the oil itself, look on Mobil1's website, they say their oil is fine up to 400F...I suspect many others that meet the API-SM specification...

THis isn't you're "old oil" - it's not crisco...it's oil designed around the fact that today's engines run hotter and need more protection due to tighter tolerances and pressures...anyhow.


Also, you don't have to use a Group-V oil. Just because it's "Group V" doesn't mean it's any better than a Group IV for street use. I think there's a lot of hype surrounding oil and what's best for your car, etc...

Most important thing about the oil you use is that you change it when you should and use the correct viscosity. Outside of that..you could get the cheapest crap oil and filter and put it in, and your car will do just fine. API-SM / 5W-30...

YES!!! >>> A clear bra.

Do it right away. So you don't get chips in the lower front bumper when you drive highway miles.

Watch changing lanes to fast.......until you get used to your blind spot.

CONGRATS! on your new Z......enjoy her!

Thanks for the tip guys.

Well, I live in Canada so we use Celsius degree. I noticed that the first day I drove the car, the Oil Pressure was at around 110C, but currently, it always seems to be around 85C to 95C. I'm not sure if that is good or not though.

Also, I was thinking about getting a Clear Bra, but I went to a Nissan dealership, and the "Business Manager" or w/e, told me about something else that is similar to a clear bra. I'm not sure if it has the same quality, but he said it was around $375 CND. I looked at it on an Altima, and it looked pretty good.

Drive that bish like it's meant to be driven!!!..........after break-in that is. Enjoy!

Start off in 2nd gear and avoid that construction malfunction altogether. :)

Congrats on your Z! :hello: Here's my list. Hope you find it useful:

* Check tire pressures. Many have found theirs over-inflated from the dealer
* Are you gonna drive that sucker in the winter in Canada? Whew! You're gonna want a set of 18" winter wheels with 225 section dedicated snows, & maybe studs.
* A net for the back is helpful. I remember the first time coming back from the grocery store (any excuse to drive the Z, right?) and finding my groceries heavily rearranged
* Don't worry about engine oil temps unless you are consistently over 240. These things are designed to run hot. If you track it, get an oil cooler and a differential cooler if you have the limited slip rear (recommended for winter use)
* If you don't have the factory limited slip, replace the stock differential with a Quaife like some of the 350Z owners are using. Makes a world of difference in winter
* Put Rain-X on the rear window. Helps visibility in the rain without the ugly wiper from the 350.
* Wax your wheels. Makes it much easier to rinse/wipe off brake dust. The sport wheels are a pain to clean otherwise.
* Put a decent set of tools in the trunk, if you know what to do with them. I got a nice tool bag, which fits perfectly in the cut-out next to the spare.
* Get a larger oil filter and Nissan ester oil (or equiv). Change the oil after you finish your break-in period (first 1,200 miles)
* Do you need a front plate in Canada? Look for an aftermarket mount that doesn't require you to drill holes in the bumper. There are several US alternatives, one of which might work for you
* Replace the butt-hole reflector with a European fog light (if your car doesn't come with it). Saw some at thezstore.com

That's all I can think of at the moment.

Hope this helps!

HJM

Here is a link to a posting I made concerning the oil temp issues that folks are talking about.

http://www.the370z.com/track-autocro...mode-temp.html

Look under ZKindaGuy for the post which should provide some info about the normal v. hot oil temperature ranges and the average number of miles the engine will last given the average oil temperatures experienced for both NON-SYNTH and SYNTH kinds of oil.

Welcome to the site and congrats on your new ride.. Read and search thru the site, you'll find a lot of useful tips and advice.

Which oil filter do you recommend that would fit our engine? Also, why the need for a larger oil filter?

Well, thankfully, fog lights are not illegal here, so we get the actual fog light in the rear bumper and not that crappy black plastic cover.

Studs are probably too extreme. Roads get cleaned frequently. I'd say just normal winter tires are fine.

Rayoush, where you at in richmond hill? I live in markham. If you've seen a yellow z with sport package driving around in that area, chances are its me. lol. BTW how much did you get yours for?

Crappy? The real cover looks pretty much identical to the "crappy" one with the execption of the translucense so how is it "crappy"?

Its not about the flash point of the oil at 400F. When oil gets hot, the bearings are subject to being damaged. I havent gone over 260 either, but many people do just driving on the highway.

:iagree:

Thanks for the tips man :)

- I haven't checked the tire pressure, but I will be sure to do so.

- Nah, I'm going to be driving it for another month or two, then it will be stored in the garage until January.

- That is a very good idea, but where can I buy one?

- Do you mean 240C? That seems really hot, lol.

- I have the fully loaded model, so I think the LSD comes with it.

- Hmm, what exactly is that and where can I buy one?

- Haha, that's a good idea. You can see so much dirt on the wheels.

- Okay, I will look into it.

- I will be sure to do that. My Z has around 400 KM on it right now.

- Well, this was very important for me. But then, I saw the car at the dealership and it already had a black thing on both, the front and back bumpers. I think it's already drilled (which I hate so much), because there are two holes. My plate is on top of the black rectangle.

- My Z came with an actual fog light.

Hey man.

My name is actually "Daryoush" or just David for short lol. I live on Yonge and Major Mackenzie, where in Markham are you at? I've only seen one 370Z and it was a white one, near where I live. But, I don't think the guy lives there, so I haven't seen it for about 2 or 3 weeks now. My Z was about 55k out the door, what about you?

Trunk Net (don't know if they ship to Canada)

Nope, Fahrenheit.

Rain-X (don't know if it's available in Canada)

Regular size K&N filter
Larger size K&N filter

There's no real "need" for a larger oil filter - many just want a little extra filtering capacity.

Cool thanks. I might buy the Trunk net as well as Rain-X if I can find it in an auto store. And as for the Oil Filter, is that one of the best types or any type will do? I also have a question in regards to the plastic underneath the front bumper. Is there any way to protect it from getting scratched due to the pavement?

since we're giving away tips, anyone can give me tips on how to switch off that 'beep' if you use the fob to unlock yr car??

Oops, sorry! Is that a farsi name? I live at kennedy and hwy 7. I've only ever seen 3 z's, two black and one white. They aren't all that common here.

55k? Wow, that's expensive. So you must have sport and navigation packages then. Did you pay sticker? I got mine for 44500 + 399 for nitrogen and ID etching + 13% tax. So about 50600. I have sport but no nav.

Haha, yeah it is. How did you know? My Z is fully loaded, and I paid MSRP for it, plus $2.3k for Extended Warranty. But, I got around $1500 off on the entire deal.

Ha, you've opened up a can of worms - you'll get tons of opinions on this topic! IMO, K&N filters have a very good reputation, as does the Purolator Pure One, and Amsoil filters. If you get any of these, you'll be fine.

Not really, but you can minimize the damages by going slow over speed bumps and out of driveways.

i guessed. it sounds persian. i'm arab from egypt, so i know a bit

Well, I have been trying to do, but I would still like some sort of method to protect the plastic.

Ah cool. I'm trying to find any 350/370z Toronto meetings or if anyone is interested in creating one for a weekend.