Tricky-Ricky

You know i have seen these err discussions lots of times, and there is always one conclusion, an argument There will always be silly buggers doing things on and off the public highway, if its a well respected member of a forum/car club they will 85% of the time get praised for doing a wicked burnout,or outrunning a Ferrari, and respect for being a bit of a nuttier. If its Johny chav he will be condemned for being a public danger, and should be flogged! It always amuses me that people who stand in judgement and shout the loudest, cannot swear to never breaking the speed limit or doing anything else that if painted in a different light might also be constrewed to being a danger to the public Its all a matter of degrees as they say

****! i could maybe understand it on a deserted industrial estate on a Sunday afternoon,. but as they say theres a time and a place.

(Just had to retype the whole post because i hit the wrong key ) I guess i just need to get used to not being captain of the Starship Enterprise anymore Sorry to go on but its both interesting and helpful, just to get a wide range of opinions, and yes it would be great to drive/ride in a few, (any volunteers will be very appreciated ) Yes i have been hanging around here Z less for a while mainly due to deciding to sell the Supra and then changing my mind a few times but i think i have always had it in the back of my mind to have a 350Z. I realise perfectly well it going to be a completely different driving experience to the Supra, I'm not daft! well not much But from the majority of comments here the Z is a very rewarding car to drive, so i guess it won't be that disappointing to change, I think people misunderstood when i asked "Anyone Gone From a Powerful Turbo Car" although i was referring to the likes of well modded S13-14-15, Skyline GTST etc, and not to hot hatches that are FWD as there is really no similarity in the driving experience (not being rude) Although FWD and RWD turboed cars are similar in straight line squirtabuility, thats where the comparison ends, and i guess i was looking for owners of higher powered RWD cars opinions. I think its a shame that Nissan didn't turbo or supercharge the 350Z in the first place, the fact that its such a nice looking car, but gets its ass handed to it by most hot hatches is a shame. As i am now in the process of actually selling the Supra, i am now starting to feel the urgency to make the decision so excuse me for waffling on. My decision to sell the Supra has been a hard one, mainly due to current climate, as the prices are going steadily down, even for the very modded high power ones, so its a case of getting out while the prices are still reasonably healthy, otherwise is very little return for all the hard work, time and money spent, but its going to be hard. A single turbo Supra is an animal, but surprisingly for a heavy car, its also bloody good around the twisties, which is one of the reasons why its causing me a headache to find replacement. finally if you ever get the chance for a ride/drive in one, do it! there is no such thing as it running out of puff, its when your bottle runs out

Ricky have you actually gone out and test driven one yet, it will really help you make your mind up and get a feel for the car. other people opinions will give you an idea, but only your own experience with it will really count. i could speculate about sleeping with jennifier aniston, and i could talk to brad pitt about it, but until i avctually slepp with jennifer aniston, i'm never really going to know, regardless of how many people i've slept with before; who look like jennifer aniston Yes i have driven one, but as i may have mentioned somewhere else, that on the day the traffic conditions where very heavy, and so i couldn't do more than give it a couple of quick squirts when i got a gap in the traffic. It feels very similar to the Supra (without turbo) in respects of engine torque lower down the rev range, gearbox is also similar feel, But in order to drive any more i will have to find the time and travel, My questions are aimed as drawing a sense of just how lacking the 350Z is going to feel when the hammer is down, compared to a turbo car, hence the questions, as my only reference is rather David and Goliath by comparison.

I am surprised that the offset is so weak on what is supposed to be a budget sports car, but i guess its down to water/spray regs etc, and not doing a Boadicea chariot job on pedestrians.

That rather disappointing and worrying that the 350Z is slower than the Leon cupra R, But i guess any smaller turbo car is going to feel quite rapid in the midrange, with lower weight and quick turbo response, however i would have thought that the engine torque of the 350 would make more of an impact.

I'm surprised that the std offset is so weak, on what is supposed to be a budget sport car, but i guess its down to regs on road/water spray, and not doing a Boudica chariot job on pedestrians and such like

Been looking at this one myself, just waiting for some better photos, I'll let you know.

In most cases the std air box is probably the most efficient, however this is not always true, sometimes its just a case of changing the filter itself for a fee flow type. I am not yet overly familiar with the 350 air box, but if its not really up to maximum flow for the engine?Then i would suggest building and enclosure around a pod type filter of a decent quality, and then directing the air feed via adequately sized pipework, this way you don't run the risk of watter ingress or damage. You can also thermally insulate the air box/pod from heat soak from the engine. Running an air filter in any position that it can come into direct contact with water is just going to cause you problems.

No mate i haven't emailed you

I'm surprised! i rang and you couldn't even better my current insures price for a 350Z, which surprisingly was more than for a singe turbo Supra, with more power

Yes, its me And yes I am LOL! in that case i may hang on a bit, was going to go the piggyback route, when i find a suitable Z, Will it be for the JDM ECU or do you think you can crack the UK one with its wideband feedback etc?

Hi Jez how are you doing, presuming you're the Jez from SXOC? and if so are you thinking about chipping

Its great to hear all the varied opinions, and very subjective, but the general consensus is that the 350Z is a very rewarding car to drive/live with, and the other plus point is that the fuel economy seems a lot better, well it would, I guess for me its a case of weighing up missing the warp speed acceleration against being able to physically see the fuel gauge going down on the Supra

Already have, couldn't even better my existing company, apparently its because most of you use the same underwriters for imports/performance cars

Interesting, just how much difference did you notice between the two, i presume it wasn't directly before owning the 350Z?

Just wondering how many people have owned a powerful turbo car before owning a 350Z, and how they find the transition? better worse, miss the power etc?

Surely the width is going to have a big impact on whether they will sit OK given the offset, as they are 1/2 and 1 1/2" wider than std? What is the std offset?

Did i say i had any real interest in Clarksons motoring opinions LOL!, i just found that write up and i just wondered why he seemed to have such a downer on it, however his opinions on cars are very much an entertainment comment rather than real world. Got everybody talking though

Just wondering if anyone here is running these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/19-BLACK-CRUIZE-1 ... 1c0f39af91 and if so do the require spacers, and what is the quality like?

I think if/when i get a 350Z its going to be a very strange experience, as i am used to ignoring everything unless its either exotic or well tuned, otherwise its just a waste of petrol in a single turbo Supra. Having said that there are always quicker cars out there I know it shouldn't bother me, and its not like i am up for a bit of a play that often, but knowing that you can be trashed by just about any turbo car, and quite a few mundane cars doesn't really contribute to the feeling of driving something a little special.

Would it not be a good idea to have a section or sticky, that people can add traders that they think people should be awear of, keeping the posts to a non slanderous/libellous theme? my help some prospective buyers, buy not wasting there time.

But its not, the VQ35DE is a Nissan design, based on the earlier VQ30DE, both these engines where fitted to the Cefiro,Maxima,Infiniti, Gloria, Cedric, Leopard etc etc since the early 90s

Thanks! i bear that in mind.

Just read this,http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article527113.ece he really doesn't have much liking of the 350Z does he? Now i find him quite entertaining on Top Gear, but his knowledge of the cars is not all that, saying that its a Datsun with a Renault engine just proves it.