A Comparison Among Z's- Showing up the big boys! Budget R35 solution!

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hawkeye122

hawkeye122

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So, here it is- the culmination of $4Mil, Lots of Datsun, and a few hours of free time before football practice.

I found myself meandering through the New Car dealer, and noticed that there were 5 Variants of the Nissan 350/370 Z on offer. I then wondered "Well, which is the best?" So I decided to test them all, stock then modified on the Suzuka Circuit East Course.



1st: Nissan Fairlady Z Version S Z33 (aka 350z)
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Photo Credit: GTP-er McNesio
Purchased from the New Dealer at a very reasonable price of cr. 36,300

This Z has a 3.5 Liter V6 mounted at the front, which produces 308 HP. It had a fairly average weight of 1480 kg, which was ok since it made 264 ft-lb of torque.
I did find that the range of colours was unimpressive, so I settled for Brilliant Silver.

On a flying lap of the East Circuit it did a time of 1:02.619 , which i thought was alright.

Under hard steering while full on the brakes or full on the power out of the turn, the back got a little loose. Being a FR sports car, I expected this. But I knew that it could be a bit better.



Time for the next car- the Z34 Nissan 370Z

At cr. 43,750, its nearly 8 Grand more expensive than the older one.
5273418476_83a4227fe1_b.jpg

Photo Credit: GTP-er sixtoes
In terms of styling, it doesnt look like you get much. Revised Headlamps and Stoplamps, and a slightly more aggressive rear-end are all it has extra.
Ahrweiler-TownSquare.jpg

Photo Credit: GTP-er Yui-san
But looking at the specs changes everything. The engine has gone up from a 3.5 to a 3.7 liter, which has yielded 331 hp and 269 ft-lb of torque. But then again, you'd expect that, since A. Its a new Model and B. At 1530 kg, it weighs a bit more. But how would that translate out on the track?

I did a 1:02.357. For being more expensive and more powerful, it was only 3 tenths faster. The back end was much more wayward, but on the straight you can really tell that this car is much more powerful.


In the next few days, I will add the reviews of 1 Tune for the 350Z and one tune of the 370Z, as soon as I find a tune from our lovely tuning community. In addition, I will be adding the Xanavi Super GT 350Z, and the 350Z LM Race Car! Stay Tuned!
 
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I'm interested in how this will go 👍 By the way, what do you mean by "modified"? And I think this will be a bit better If you added some pics of the cars.
 
Midnight Snacks
California/London
Football practice

WHICH KIND OF FOOTBALL?
Click to expand...

Born in England, currently residing in California.. Legally, as a Citizen. (Dual Citizenship)

American Football Practice.

Does anyone think i should do the newer Skylines (Infiniti G35-type cars)?

Or, what should I do next? Miatas? GT-R's? Lancers?
 
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Great thread, not sure what your plan is as far as modifying the cars go but i would suggest doing some real world mods like fixed sports suspension ,sports exhaust ,cat ,headers ,chip and sports air filter , the sort of mods that the average car nut would do to there ride. And also test the old 1971 240ZG (HS30) just to show how far they have come in the last 40 years. Just my 2 cents worth anyway. Good luck with the project.
 
hawkeye122
Born in England, currently residing in California.. Legally, as a Citizen. (Dual Citizenship)

American Football Practice.

Does anyone think i should do the newer Skylines (Infiniti G35-type cars)?

Or, what should I do next? Miatas? GT-R's? Lancers?
Click to expand...


No, but you should get back to blighty and play some proper football LOL.

On topic yes do the all the GT R's. 👍
 
Not interested in the Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX TwinTurbo 2seater (Z32) '89?

When I saw this at it's introduction I was quite impressed, never did well on sales figures in Europe though.
 
If someone would like to send me an older 240Z, that would be great, but I currently dont have one.

I will try to incorporate all the ideas above!

Next article coming today!
 
Day 2:

After giving my Bob's a break after their 20+ hour run of doing remote races, I opened my Used Car dealer to find a 350Z Gran Turismo 4 Ltd. '05. At a bit under cr. 33,000 I figured it would be worth comparing this "Special Edition" to the regular 350Z.

Keep in mind, that at 33,000, it is 3,000 cheaper than the one you get from the new dealer. What you dont get is a guarantee of ever finding it, a choice of colours, or a fancy interior. But would I have to spend that much on getting it to a new condition?

250 on an oil change brings it to 3,000 still, as i oil change every car when i get it :)

However, an engine overhaul brought the cost up another cr. 10,000. This means its now worth just under the value of the newer, harder to drive, 370Z.

In my mind though, its worth it. Take this car online, and some may look up to you as a sort of collector of cars. You simply have more class driving around in a special edition compared to a square bloke who can just be satisfied with the standard model.

Now that its been refreshed, we can take a look at the specs. Wow.

309 HP, 1440 kg, and 272 ft-lb of torque. That means it has 1 more hp, it;s 40 kg lighter, and has about 8 more torques. Lovely.

That may not seem much for 10 grand more, but compare it to the 370Z instead. Its cheaper, lighter and has a couple more torque. I think its a bit like comparing 3 Porsche's. One being the Carrera, (350Z) one is the Turbo S (370z) and one is the GT3 RS (350z GT4).

Although the Turbo S is more powerful, the one you want is the GT3, because its lighter, handles better, looks nicer, and is around the same price-ish.

But is that the case? We'll find out on the track!
The 350Z GT4 Ltd did the lap in 1:01.503. that makes it almost a full second faster than the Z34, and about 1.1 seconds faster than the Z33.

The car felt much more planted, much more stable. The rear didn't slip at all, and the acceleration down the straight was much faster, likely because this one has a shorter gearbox. In short, if you're looking for an entry-level Z, get this one. And if you cant be bothered to wait for it to come around, go to the trading section and get one.



And while you're there you may want to pick up one of these...
tumblr_ljpjr2bX3P1qb815co1_500.jpg

(Google Images)

The Nissan 370Z GT Academy Edition.

Since I just reviewed a special 350Z, I thought I'd do a Special 370Z.

Let me just start by saying that you cannot purchase this car, so I can't really put a price on it. Let's just call it "Expensive". In order to get one, you have to be lucky at a Level 12 Ticket, or find someone willing to trade you one.

Allegedly, this is the same vehicle that was used for the GT Academy. What it has more than the Standard 370z? Well, for a kickoff, it has adjustable downforce on the front and back. At 362 hp, it has 41 more horses and weighing in at just 1250 kg, it is quite a substantial amount lighter. What DOES surprise me about this car is it comes fitted with the very same Sports hard tires. Really? Maybe the 35 rear, 15 front wings will help keep it in-line.

On this occasion the 370Z GT Academy did a 1:01.100. What?

I expected it to be so much faster, at least a 59 second lap. But i'm going to presume that the Sports Hard tires are what did it in. There was so little rear-end grip that I may have just as well called myself Tanner Foust. For the rarity, the awe, and the popularity, it seems like the only thing you will do with this is impress Americans online who just cant seem to be able to find one.

Tomorrow: Can I make the 370Z just as fast as its big brother(The GT Academy edition), for a low price? Also, With the money I saved by buying the 350Z over the 370Z, can that go any faster using leftover money to upgrade it?

Suggestions on cars are great, giving me the car you want me to test is even better! thanks for reading!
 
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So by "big brother" do you mean the GT-R, or what car?

I wanted to add to your 350 Z and 370Z comparison, most important being the shorter wheelbase (3.9 inches) for better agility. The exterior sheet metal is very similar with alot of subtle changes. So its not just a more powerfull version of a 350 Z, the shorter wheelbase makes it a unique model.

Nice little review.
 
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I just remembered theres more than just 5 Z's if you want to count the other tuned Z's. Theres the Nismo Z S-tune and R-tune, the Opera Z, Gran Turismo 350Z RS, and the Amuse 380 Z.

I'm not trying to force these cars on you, I just wanted to point them out.

Oh and do you use a controller or wheel?
 
I have a wheel, but im currently doing controller because of the placement of my PS3. Im counting all of the tuned ones from the dealer, etc.
 
Part 3: Showing up the big boys

So, a forum member helped me think of an idea. Can I make a Z car as fast as a Nissan GT-R Spec V for only cr. 120,000? If I can, this will make the Z about 38 grand cheaper than a Spec V GT-R. (also Inspired by the Evo vs Avantime video from Top gear:




First off, I had better set a benchmark time

Car: Nissan GT-R Spec V, bone stock, all aids off, ABS:1



I shall be doing my testing at Trial Mountain, a track which is a bit more complex than Suzuka East. Why? That way the advantages and disadvantages of each car show through more. Plus, it's my preferred testing track when I tune a car.

I never have really been a fan of the GT-R, at least in its stock form. What I dont like is the amount of grip. It takes getting used to, but there are so many other cars which turn in much sharper than this. The 4-Wheel-Drive really is a double edged sword- Limitless grip, but massive understeer. For that reason alone, I really never have liked the GT-R R35.

After 3 laps I achieved a time of 1:40.467. Lovely. I had a hard time in the first set of turns, trying to keep the car on the track. But after a while I was able to contain it and put down what I believe to be the fastest lap for my level of skill, and for fairness. No point in taking 40 laps when I probably wont spend that many in each iteration of the Z car I bring to challenge it.

Now, cr. 120,000 to spend on a car, and make it as fast as the Nissan GT-R. But which one shall I choose?

Now, I would like to use the GT4 Ltd. Z33, but that isn't really reasonable, as not everyone can just run out and get one. So, Stock Z33 or Z34?

Well, the Z34 has the shorter wheel-base, and larger engine. But as you may recall, it was heavier, and only went a bit faster for being more expensive. Plus, I plan to beat the GT-R with a Lighter, Less-powerful car. So with that, "I choose you, Z33!"

The stock Z33 does a time of 1:50.270, nearly 10 seconds off the pace of the GT-R .

So thats cr. 36,300 gone from my budget. That leaves cr. 83,700 to spend on upgrades.

The first thing I thought about was the GT-R's strong point; Grip. I already knew that the Z33 was behind the 8-ball on that one from my original test. Under hard turning and accelerating the back ended up coming out a bit. So, the first thing i did was buy Super-griping Sports Soft Tyres(cr. 8000). This upgrade alone should be worth at least 1 Second.

Along with that, I spent cr 1,000 on a ECU tune, and cr. 450 on a racing Air Filter, to give the Z33 a bit more grunt. This leaves me with cr. 74,250 still to spend. Now, lets see what these upgrades have done!

And just like that, a 1:43.431 . Dangerously close to the time set by the GT-R. Now I ask, "How little money can I spend to go just as fast?" The car had so much more grip, and corners were suddenly very easy. It was a dream to drive, and I couldn't have asked for a better lap time. The power mods helped, but werent as much of contenders as the tyres.

I've only spent cr. 45,250 up to this point, less than a third of the price of a GT-R.

How about some fixed sports suspension(cr. 3,000) and a sports flywheel, along with a single-plate clutch (Grand Total cr. 5,150)

This leaves me with cr. 69,100

I do believe it's time for another, and hopefully my last, track session.

No! 1:41.159!

The car felt much more crisp, the shifts were faster, and it turned even harder. But theres one more thing I think i will address...

Weight.

I think that by spending cr 8,000 on Stage 1 Weight Reduction and Window Weight Reduction, I can claw back my last few seconds, and also have spent less than half of my original budget.

The reduction put me down to 1351 kg. Almost 100 Less than what it had originally.

Back to one last lap of the track...

1:40. (Scroll down...)

(suspense)











416!!! Ive done it! I've spent only cr. 58,900 on a Nissan 350Z that is faster than a cr. 157,000 Nissan GT-R. Thats as close as makes no difference, a third of the cost.

And not only that, but I think that my 350Z is much easier to drive, and probably one of the most well-balanced cars on the game. Period.

Thanks For Reading! More next time on Z's : The Racers.
 
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Great stuff mate. Really liking the write-ups. Getting the 300ZX in there as Vince said would be great too!
 
Nice job mate. It was a good read.

Now you should try and make the Z as fast as the GTR on the same tyres.
 
Nice thread 👍 Expanding these comparisons/tests to ALL Z-cars would be great too.

Can the older Z-cars (70's and 80's) be tuned with an unlimited budget to compete against a stock R35?
 
If I may suggest something to people, your best bet in all the 350Z's is the '03 EU edition. For some reason, it's PP rating is through the roof in comparison to the other Z's, and it's even crazier when it's fully done. You end up with a car that's only 12hp less than the Z34 but 150kg lighter and 20PP more when both are fully modified.
 
Great review hawkeye, great! 👍

Now this comparasion and test can show what the Z can truly do, espically when you can compare them with cars like the GT-R's, M3's and others in their pp range.

And I kinda like kickin on's idea with using a older Z i.e. a 280Z or a Z31 300ZX modded out and see what can it do against the GT-R. Now that would be interesting.

And try another challenge with the 370Z against a Viper GTS/SRT/ACR, Corvette Z06/ZR1/Z06 C5 and a Ford GT. You will be amazed with a little car can really stand with the big boys! :)
 

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