350Z - opinions, please

YouTube · Post by **Sailor** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 7:47 pm

My lad test drove a 10 year old 350Z today and has stars in his eyes.

Do any of you have any experience with these?

Post by **rob quilter** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 8:48 pm

Not had much experience, driven a few though and they are super nice. Reliable too.

nitin_s1 · Post by **nitin_s1** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 9:25 pm

I like the look of them with the right wheels

Post by **vanzep** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 9:36 pm

only been in one a couple of times - it had been tweaked a bit - was pretty rapid...still a big heavy car
having said that he just sold it and got an economical runaround
being japanese should be reliablish

Rudelude · Post by **Rudelude** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 9:43 pm

Reliable but thirsty.
Not fast as what it should be.
Looks nice when wearing Rays Alloys.

Lot of ppl like them. The 2 seater puts most of us parents types of tho. But a single guy it's perfect for.

Post by **GreenyUK** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:20 pm

Had one, loved it.
Mine was just over 300bhp the torque is great also you can over take things in 6th easily.
The ride is very good and comfortable. Mine was lowered 35mm on tein springs.
Due to the lsd and chassis they handle really well.
Yes it's a heavy car but it's still quick and stopping is fine with the brembos, I had ds2500 pads all round and groved and dimpled discs.

You can't beat the noise of them, they sound epic with a decent exhaust system.

If you need help or info give me a shout

.

'92 Si VTEC · Post by **jjmartin349571** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:31 pm

I remember driving behind one of these in my Legacy wagon on B roads in Kent. He couldn't quite leave me behind but it sounded lovely when he tried

They're good looking cars imo, I'd want the Fairlady Z for JDM points though

A mate of mine had a 350 z for a bit and never had any dramas with it, he got it with about 70k miles on the clock iirc. It liked petrol though as said and eventually he got a ford instead

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:36 pm

@sir si and @I_BB4_U have one

Post by **RattyMcClelland** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 11:08 pm

Never really took notice of them. I much prefer the 370z.
And i much much much prefer the 300zx (z32).

I_BB4_U · Post by **I_BB4_U** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 12:15 am

I do indeed, I have the 2009 313 GT with VQ35HR engine.

I have to say I love this car and wouldn't swap it for anything right now but it does have its pros and cons and is not perfect.

The first and biggest con is the weight as mentioned already, its around 1500kg which is hard to believe for a two seater. If this car had been 150-200kg lighter with the potential to remove more weight with mods this story around this car would've been very different. The interior is cheap in places as plastic parts seem to have been painted with black satin paint from the factory which chips very easily to reveal white/grey plastic underneath! :-\ Another con could be the economy but its really not bad for a 3.5 V6, I'm getting around 22-23mpg town/country/commute and up to 35mpg as advertised on long motorway drives. For me I don't really care right now and my H22A lude was actually about the same. The brakes maybe also need a mention in the cons but this is only the because (mine at least) don't seem to have much bite when cold and take some heating up which is only achievable if you're really driving the car hard. They are still slightly unresponsive even then and it has caught me out a few times, the lack of sensitivity does make heal-toe easier but I think I will definitely try some higher bite pads (maybe Ferodo DS?) when they need replacing. On the track I bet the brakes suit perfectly.

On the pro side. This is one hell of a good handling car, it took me a while to get used to driving it as the clutch is so sensitive and it feels like it has a lightweight flywheel from the factory (I stalled it more than a few times

) but when I did holy batman did this car put a smile on my face I could of spent years modifying another car and still not come close to the handling of this. It's steering is so tight an accurate, its weight transfer is as perfect as I can imagine, very little body roll, chassis flex, the tuning of the shocks are about as hard as you would want stock without it becoming uncomfortable and there is a nice level of feedback and vibration coming from the wheel and gearstick.

Oh yea, then there's the engine. That sound!! People will quite literally turn heads when you start it, it sounds (to my straight 4 numbed ears) like something far more exotic. Holding it in gear there is a sweet spot that just has the nicest sound you really don't want to shift up (or look at the petrol gauge). Winding it out to redline sounds fantastic with the windows down and close buildings ect to reflect sounds but it doesn't quite reward you as much at the very top end as I think it could have, or maybe I've grow too used to screaming VTEC engines?!

If I could pick one thing to change about it it would be the weight, take some of the fat of her so she can pin me back into my seat as hard as you expect she might for 313HP and the 'Z' car legend could be brought back to life but I'm still super happy with it and wont be changing to anything else for a while.