So i just researched this tidbit of info... Thanks. You're absolutely right. But I would like to say this... Nissan throws around that 50/50 weight distribution thing around because of PORSCHE. They copy everything Porsche does. They are the ones who began the 50/50 weight thing. Now I don't know if Porsche was scamming or not? But I clearly remember them selling cars off of this theory.

ANYONE remember th3 advertisements for the 1987 & 1988 Porsche 928 S4?
Well, Porsche had a beautiful picture of the porsche on a green mountain road, possibly the autobahn or a section of the Nurbergrhing or however its spelled. The writing boasted the 928 S4 as the fastest automatic transmission production car in the world. 0-60 in 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 171mph. They boasted high end blaupunkt stereos and features that you didn't see on cars till the year 2001. but the hook of that add was the 928 s4's perfect 51/49 weight distribution. lol. Or 50/50 in the earliest adds.

nope it is BMW. Porsche is famous for their 911, not 924 or 928...

GM is currently the king of 50/50 weight distribution in their Corvette line up, IMO. When I weighed mine, it was within about 0.25% of that ideal, IIRC. Variable with driver/fuel. It handled great, as well. 50/50 is definitely easier for me to drive in the corners than my 370Z's mustang-like weight distribution. Yeah, I did buy into the marketing, until my first few corners. Then I wondered...wtf are they smoking!?

BRZ's

*rimshot*


:roflpuke2:

The handling came from you spending $60K on the car......

4. Myth: The "ideal" weight distribution is 50/50: The vehicle has the same weight on both the front and rear axles.

Truth: While most sport-oriented cars do have weight distributions close to 50/50, there's much more to proper handling than just distribution. A car with 50/50 weight distribution would handle poorly if most of the weight was at the ends of the car (i.e., ahead of the front axle and behind the rear axle).

Far more important than weight distribution is the location of the center of gravity and polar moment of inertia. (The center of gravity is where a giant could balance the car on one finger. Polar moment of inertia refers to whether the vehicle's weight is concentrated in one location — which makes for a responsive car — or spread throughout the vehicle.) Something else against 50/50 being the ideal weight distribution: Most open-wheel Formula-style racecars, which many people would hold up as being the best-handling type of racecars, have 60 percent or more of their weight on the rear tires.

Source: Edmunds

My Z06 did have a lot more of its weight close to the center. That helped a lot, I think. The 370Z just scares you to push it on long sweeping corners. The Z06 bred confidence. On tight corners, the 370Z feels like a pig to me, although it is easier to park because of the tighter turning radius and the driver's position in the vehicle.

Definitely true there is a lot that comes into play. I'm pretty sure my mustang has weight distribution that is about as bad as the Z, but steady state balance is much better.

I'm not a 10/10ths driver, so I feel very comfortable turning in the Z. I don't know how it is when it approaches its limits, as I don't drive it at its limits. For as fast as I've ever needed to go, the car handles amazingly. I've taken many corners very quickly.

Now, plenty of folks have noted how the car is scary at 10/10ths. I'll find that out, I'm sure, as I start hitting the tracks, which will happen soon. But as you folks pick the Z apart for its handling, realize that most people don't push it hard enough to make it an issue.

Not being a fanboy. Just an honest perspective from someone who probably doesn't drive as fast as the rest of you.

Once again, 60K vs 30K, you can add a whole lot of confidence for $30K. Weight distribution is one of many factors, i.e suspension tuning, overall weight, tires, etc.

The car really isn't bad to drive at the limit. It is way easier than the C6 Corvette I had. Heck the Corvette was so hard to drive that I got rid of it because I don't trust myself with it at the track. One thing I learned is that the faster the car, the farther you are going to fly off the track if anything were to happen. The Z car is a cakewalk compare to that. I spun 3-4 times in the Corvette and had 2 off track over 2 years. I have one spin and no off track in 3 years on the 370. It's really that much easier to drive.

The Z is easy. Unless you do something stupid, you know it is going to push. It takes serious hamfisting to unglue the rear end.

agree. 350 would kick the back end as you roll back into the gas pedal. 370 would just spin the one tire and go straight. It is easy to drive, probably too boring

Back on topic of 2013 Mustangs, you can get a Base GT with Track Pkg (brembo brakes, torsen lsd) and Cloth Recaro seats at Koons in Sterling VA for 30,400. That's a whole lot of performance for the dollar.

*deleted my post a minute ago because I had the wrong info

This might be true regarding throttle application or entering the corner at the wrong speed, but to maintain speed through the corner you do one of two things:

-Go slow
-Apply throttle to balance the car through the corner optimally

These result in:

-Going slow
-risking accelerating beyond the lateral adhesion limit of the tires before the end of the corner, and then being at the point where if you lift, you lose it when the weight shifts back forward.

Maybe I've got it wrong, though.

My 370 will slide the whole back end if you get aggressive with it on corner exit. What was wrong with the one you drove?

You can also wonder about fuel starve with option b.


Throwing more tire up front is helpful, but not enough. I tried playing with sways, and I could never get the car neutral without making it unpredictable.

I don't have the OEM tires, my tires actually grip and doesn't break loose at every throttle input.

http://youtu.be/5bQUZqT9Kkk

I've seen these 2013 GT's at the stealerships and the brembos are pretty massive, can't wait until winter time when people start unloading theirs because of lost interest or the "gotta have it" factor wears out. But I'm not so sure i can hold out for that long! :eekdance:

I don't do HPDE's, so some of my observations are irrelevant to you. On the street, I can tell you the 370Z is not nearly as livable as my Z06 was in the corners specifically due to weight management.

We are just telling you while it might be part of the equation, it is not the only factor. The Z06 comes with way superior tires, there is no comparison to the RE050a. My Prius with the slicks felt stickier than my RE050a on the Z. Stock to stock I can toss the backend just as easy as the 370z too

I personally wasn't impressed with the Goodyear's on my Z06. I don't know how they stack up to my stock 370Z tires at the ragged edge, though.

U from the misc brah?

They are better than the RE050a for sure. I won a Redline Time Attack with them (helps that I did have the fastest car)