2014 Nissan 370Z

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

I mostly agree with this statement, and DarkSunrise's. But seriously I've got to ask: what is the obsession with large wheels? The only legitimate reason to put large wheels on a sports car is so they fit over large brakes. This isn't an issue for smaller and lighter sports cars (ie the Twins, 370Z or Cayman).

If I remember right, the Cayman S brakes don't fit in 17" Cayman wheels. That's why the base Cayman came stock with 17s, but the S came with 18s. Also, the other reason for larger wheels is to shorten the sidewall, which means less flex (and thus more direct handling and faster response). Of course, for a lightweight, low-power car, these benefits may be outweighed by the slight increase in unsprung mass and rotational inertia.

[Unobtanium]

Great. Trading my pos '12 sport/touring just got this much harder. Trash car. Trash resale, now. Nissan. The worst car I've ever owned, new or used.

[Unobtanium]

Originally Posted by Kelbyat07

Currently working out a deal with the nissan saleslady to trade in my frs for the 2014 370Z. What yall think?

I think its a downgrade.

[Kelbyat07]

Originally Posted by Unobtanium

Great. Trading my pos '12 sport/touring just got this much harder. Trash car. Trash resale, now. Nissan. The worst car I've ever owned, new or used.

What happened.

[schlomo]

Unobtainium is known as ImportConvert on the370z.com

Here is the thread he made to chronicle his problem.

[Unobtanium]

Pretty much. Now from highway speeds I'm getting a bit of wheel shake. Rotors look pristine. Brakes in this car are just horrible and its ruined it for me. Dealership has agreed to just turn them when it gets bad and ill trade in 10k miles.

[regal]

The Z is quickly becoming one of the most popular used foreign tuner cars, its todays 240sx. But I don't care how fast they are that extra 500 lbs just kills the handling. Better off with a mustang if thats your thing. A new one still isn't worth $30k, when there are so many nice used Z's for half that.

I don't think the twins are in any danger of losing sales to the Z.

[schlomo]

Originally Posted by Unobtanium

Pretty much. Now from highway speeds I'm getting a bit of wheel shake. Rotors look pristine. Brakes in this car are just horrible and its ruined it for me. Dealership has agreed to just turn them when it gets bad and ill trade in 10k miles.

It's probably worth noting that nobody else has this recurring problem with their Z. It is definitely a bad deal regardless and I hope the issue is resolved soon.

The 86 absolutely has a more crisp steering feel and feedback (I know, I test drove a stock FRS and drove a friend's before I bought my Z). The Z's resistance to lateral acceleration due to mass isn't the only factor keeping handling feel from being its best. The bigger width front wheels/tires have a very large impact on steering feel as well though they help increase grip. It's just one of many trade offs you deal with as you increase displacement and weight.

If you ever get to look at the steering systems of the twins and Z side-by-side you'll notice that they are actually almost identical. There is no magical combination of arms and joints that makes one modern sports car's handling feel better than another. Power steering assistance isn't the issue. Other than mass and wheel size, one of the big differences, unfortunately for the Z, is in the relatively soft front suspension bushings (likely Nissan catering to the lowest common denominator). I'll be switching these out to aftermarket bushings when I get the car back from my tuner.

I'll just close by saying that every car has its merits. Some of us have been doing the lightweight, tossable thing for a long time. I eventually decided that the usual pure sports car attributes (<2800 lbs, etc.) don't absolutely define a great sports car experience for me. This experience comes from driving whatever gives me a big grin everyday. Many of the folks on this site could buy a Z just as easily as an FRS/BRZ but they chose the 86 for a reason. The emotion of the vehicle speaks to them. So, Kelbyat and anyone else on the fence: test drive everything you can and choose whatever makes you happy. Look for potential in a car. Rarely will a manufacturer do everything they can to make a vehicle handle its best out of the box Ferrari and Porsche

[regal]

Originally Posted by schlomo

I
I'll just close by saying that every car has its merits. Some of us have been doing the lightweight, tossable thing for a long time. I eventually decided that the usual pure sports car attributes (<2800 lbs, etc.) don't absolutely define a great sports car experience for me.

Location has a lot to do with it. When I grew up in the flat midwest with straight country roads I liked rwd muscle cars (hence the turbo 12" second regal screename), but now that I live in the foothills of the appalacians "tossability" is much more important.

[Sport-Tech]

Originally Posted by regal

Location has a lot to do with it.

+1.

The problem is that those of us who live in flat, straight-road areas like to fantasize that we have twisty roads available to us, making the twins seem very attractive, but it's wishful thinking. I'm re-evaluating, the new Stingray and the upcoming Mustang may better suit my environs.

[Unobtanium]

+1 on location. I'm moving into the mountains in arkansas next year. My c6 z06 was amazing, but would be out of place. What...leave it in 3rd? Lol. The 370z would be nice if it wasnt junk. I bet I love the brz. Enjoyed the one I drove.

[phloozy]

My wifes about to buy a 2014 370z, anyone have an idea of what they are going for out the door? Also should i be jealous? this thread seems to say no

[schlomo]

No reason to be jealous at all. The FR-S is a spectacular car. Now you get to have both in your stable!

[FR-S.13]

Originally Posted by phloozy

My wifes about to buy a 2014 370z, anyone have an idea of what they are going for out the door? Also should i be jealous? this thread seems to say no

When I bought mine in '09, I negotiated down to $31,500 from a $34,700 sticker. Now that they are starting at a comparable base price again, maybe you could do the same deal.