Is the Z faster then it's given credit for?
 

I thought this would be an interesting conversation. Sadly I have to sell my Z because my Fiancee and I are buying a house, so we need the extra payment money... BUT it will always be a car I fondly remember.

However, you watch videos on you tube and such and it always seems like our cars are losing lol. Obviously when you have Evo's Sti's etc or other cars that you expect to pull on a Z such as a new camaro or mustang with well over 400 hp.

I just got to thinking. Though the Z is no slouch stock for stock in the quarter.. it's not really a 1/4 mile car. What category would you put it in? Better track car? Better 1/4 mile car? Better car from a roll?

Thoughts?

It is a lot faster than some people give it credit for.

It is also slower than some people give it credit for.


Overall, it is a pretty impressively quick car from the factory. The really fantastic thing about the car is the support for tons of tire.

I have to ask because I just don't drive my car hard... I don't race... people who pull up next to me and run off like they're super fast are really just super stupid for wasting their gas and time... meanwhile my car would be running years and years after theirs has blown up. Either way, I think it's a very cool car with a 7500 rpm redline and some run it as high as 8100... not sure if it's safe or not, but coming from 2 Evo's and an MS3 having a turbo is an AWESOME feeling, but having it fall on it's face before 7k sucks too lol.

that's just a function of the tiny stock turbos being terribly inefficient. My WRX does that too. There's no reason a turbo car can't run up well past 11k.

My Evo rev limit was upped to 7800... but there was no point because it feel off quite a bit before that.

that is because the TD05HA-152G6-12T stock turbo is horribly inefficient at high rpms.

Yeah, before I sold my X I was going to go either FPred or green. I just realized though... when would enough be enough? I mean it's just not worth all of the money when most of the power wasn't usable unless it was on a track... and I didn't go to any lol. It's an addiction, but how fast is fast enough I guess it the question... the speed limit here is 55 still.

I think the 370z is quick. It's not fast, but its definitely no slouch. Based on my test drives and similarly performing cars I have owned and YouTube vids, the 370z can hold its own and its a drivers race with the new pony cars, with the technical edge going to the new mustang gt. Still, the powerband is very useful. Much moreso than peak dyno numbers suggest. the car reminds me of my fbody/ls1 car in how it applies power.

:iagree:

But that is also true of every car ever produced ever. :roflpuke2:

You think someone out there is underestimating my g20?

I am sure of it.

Sure. Most people don't really have an objective view of car's performance. I'm sure some guy in redneck America can't wrap his head around a g20 running a sub-30 quarter mile:ugh2:

Or some educated but still stupid American might overestimate it by thinking it is a summit of 20 of the world's developed nations only to find out it is but just a car.

:|

There is alot of vids on youtube of Z's winning. But you cant really take those vids as a way to gauge how fast the car. If you have a 600hp car it does not mean your gonna be fast. The Z is pretty quick for what it is.

The Z is not a power car that is for sure, but I like it because it is easy to drive fast on track and is very communicative. In the last couple of outings with it I was bested by only a handful of full on race cars. Of course the last couple of tracks happened to be tracks that favored handling as opposed to full on power.

Don't underestimate the fact that you also drive like a boss. You're giving the car too much credit. :icon17:

On YouTube I get the impression that the 370z is equal to an ls1 fbody. A tiny fraction slower than an ls3 fbody, and transmission dependant vs. A c5. Very impressive imo.

I think we need a youtube power board like how Top Gear has their power lap times :bowrofl:

The 370Z runs a low 13 second 1/4 mile with ease, so it's definitely quick. "Fast" is all relative, though.

The 370Z is a great combination/balance of everything that's important in a sports car, though. Straight line speed, cornering ability, power delivery, and styling.

Before I purchased mine, I didn't think it would be as fast as it is.
So....yeah.

With ease? Then why are so many drivers stuck in the mid-high 13s? :stirthepot:

It's a 13 second car for sure. 13 second drivers? I dunno about that. ;)

Steve got his Z down the 1/4 mile in 5.0 seconds so he could trade it in for a 5.0 really quickly, lol.

:iagree:

I think the opposite. i found the powerband very frustrating. it has no balls below 4k rpm. its dyno numbers suggest more power than it actually feels like it has.

Data suggests otherwise. The 5-60 street start test times are identical to the c5 Corvette with the ls1. Definitely not a slouch in the lower rpm band. Driving an ls1 car and 370z, they felt very similar to me.

i dont care about data. step on the gas in 2nd gear at 10mph and its dead for almost 2 seconds before you feel any pull. that's what i'm basing my opinion on. when you step on the gas and the car doesn't go fast it feels slow.

my 335 has less horsepower and more torque and has noticeably less top end than the 370z. i believe it has 300/295 vs the 370z 332/270. as far as usable power band, when it comes to normal driving, or even spirited driving, you are spending most of your time between 2k and 4500 rpm, and if there isn't any kick in a car until 4k then that doesn't feel very fast.

obviously every car as a way to eek out the power, but theres something very nice about being able to punch a car and have it go without having to downshift 2 gears. On the 370z if you are in 6th gear cruising on the highway you've got to shift into 3rd if you want some real kick. i always felt like i was hurting the 370z when i drove it hard because you have to rev the engine so high to get some nice power out of it.

000/
00/
0/
/
|00000000|
|00000000|
|*Worms*|
|00000000|
------------

Just FYI

:bowrofl:

ok well, to keep things technical, DATA Wise lets look at the following:



2000 ls1 corvette:

http://www.dragtimes.com/images_dyno...vette-Dyno.jpg

2010 370z:
http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p...9/DynoRuns.jpg

looking at the low end.
3krpm:
vette: 200hp/350tq
370z: 125hp/225tq

3.5krpm
vette: 238hp/360tq
370z: 150hp/220tq

4krpm
vette: 280hp/370tq
370z: 168hp/220tq

4.5krpm
vette: 330hp/375tq
370z: 190hp/220tq


now what were you saying about the powerband being similar?

Sounds like you need an automatic transmission...

Stepping on it at 10mph in 2nd? This is quickly becoming about driver error. My ls1 felt dead doing that, too. Even my z06 feels a lot stronger in first at 10mph. Most cars do. Same for my z06 in 6th on the freeway needs a downshift if you want "kick".
I might change my opinion after I buy one, but it felt fine on my test drives and riding in one.

:iagree:

5.0 has kick in any gear as long as it's in 5.0 mode. :stirthepot:

under normal driving on the freeway, i wouldnt even downshift to pass up any cars. 6th gear does fine for me on the freeway.

:facepalm:

wow....i know how to drive. i mentioned stepping on the gas at 10-15mph in 2nd gear to show that if you are NOT in the very small powerband of the 370z the car feels dead. and speaking of actually driving... lets say you are in traffic just cruising along with the stop and go and there's an opening and you want to floor it... guess what gear you're going to be in if you were just chugging along real slow.. yes thats right 2nd gear. so you mash the gas and then wait and wait and wait and then it finally kicks after like 5 seconds. or does a professional like yourself downshift into first to get that extra kick? :rolleyes::bowrofl:

driver error? first of all its called experimenting with your car and seeing how the power feels in different gears. 2nd of all, if you are driving 15 miles an hour in 2nd gear and you want to gun it you aren't going to downshift into first. well maybe you do that, but that's driver error.

obviously you dont need to downshift to pass. but if you needed to suddenly gain speed quickly to, say, get out of the way of a runaway truck, stay in 6th gear and see how that goes.

watch this video from 1:35. that car has some serious low end. Clarkson puts it in 5th gear from a stop and look how quickly it gets up to speed. Its called having low end and a nice powerband.

Cars with flat tq curves feel a lot slower than they are. Go race your 335 and compare. Second at 15mph in your z shouldn't be that bad. I found the car very livable at lower rpm. It gets nearly max torque at less than 2500rpm for crying out loud.

yea its pretty easy to get max torque when your max torque is 220tq at the wheels. the 335 has a very flat torque curve as well. and it feels very quick down low. at 5500 RPM is where the 370z starts to produce more torque than the 335. it's not about bragging rights. go drive around town in a stock 335, not necessarily trying to thrash every ounce of hp out of it, then drive the 370z the same way and you'll find yourself needing to give the Z a lot more gas to get it to feel as quick for normal driving. this is a debate about low end. the 370z stock is definitely faster than the 335, but just low end for normal driving it definitely feels dead down low.

a lot of times what makes a car feel fast isn't about how quick it is at full throttle, but how torquey it feels in just normal driving. the 370z never felt surprisingly fast in any gear at partial throttle below 4k rpm

honestly it doesn't even matter what you compare it to. you can't honestly tell me that at 3k rpm in 3-6th gear the 370z really feels like its just ready to unleash the fury. i mean how can you say a car that makes 190whp/220tq at 4.5k rpm has a nice low end? the 370z is very fun to drive but only within its power band. if you are below it it feels slow. i dont understand why this is such a hard thing to comprehend?

People can only comprehend things when they PM Jeffblue, not when they talk to Jeffblue in a thread. So if you want to comprehend, then please PM Jeffblue for a group buy on rearview cameras :icon17: