Valveman

on a dry track the bridgestones will out perform the toyos easily. toyos turn to putty after a lot less laps than the stones do That may be the case and is probably due to the weight of the 350Z over working the tyres allowing them to get too hot - very common with cars like the BMW M5. On a lighter car it may be a different story but for road use (probably 98% of owners will never go near a track) the RE40's are totally rubbish. If I was going to do track days I would probably go for competition type tyre like the Toyo 888's or Yokohama A048's, but then these would not be very suitable for road use.

OK, but these are not a standard 350Z wheel and tyre size. Just got back from a 1600 mile trip to Munich and back and the Falken 452's performed flawlessly. A huge improvement of the standard RE40's is every respect. Good grip in both wet and dry, Low noise and all the crashing and banging over bumps/uneven road surfaces you get with the RE40's has now gone. They also make the car's suspension feel more compliant on the road. Maybe on the track you may notice they don't perform as well as track orientated tyres like T1-R's etc but I couldn't detect they were any worse than the standard Bridgestones for grip on the road where most people will use them. They also look good on the car too.

Anyone got a Clarion CX609E fitted to their 350Z?

Anyone got a Clarion CX609E fitted to their 350Z?

I looked at those too. So any advice on my other questions anyone?? I might go for one of these (Clarion CX609E) too, as it does everything I need plus I have the integrated Sat Nav. Also another plus point is the display can be configured to the same "orange" colour as the factory head unit, where as the Pioneer just comes with the blue display and this can't be changed.

Don't bother, cleaning it will not fix this problem. It's an ECU or ECU to throttle body control problem. Remapping the ECU has helped but not completely fixed the problem. It would also appear that some who use non standard ECU's do not see this problem.

Just replaced my Bridgestone RE40's with a set of Falken 452's. Big improvement in every area especially the ability to go over rough surfaces with minimal noise and vibration. Absorbs shocks well too. Haven't tried it out in the wet yet but will report back when I have done some wet weather driving.

Shame it doesn't flow as much air or make as much power as the standard air box!

New 370Z vs used Cayman S and they are totally comparable. Obviously if you have to buy new then they are not on the same page. In terms of price they are, certainly. But why compare buying a brand new car to a more expensive second hand car? I'm not saying you shouldn't consider where to spend your £30k but the comparisions going on seem a little unfair considering (as has already been pointed out) a fully specced Porche new costs TWICE that of the 370z. That's not a small amount. Although if I had £30k to spare I think I'd save a little bit more and go Aston Martin V8 Vantage Compare that, if you will, to either car. I think the comparison is made because of their "similar" performance. Nissan scores on price and value for money, and Porsche scores on technical excellence and status. My friend has a V8 Vantage. I've looked over it and it is now where near as well made as my Boxster S. Its full of Ford parts and he struggles to get 15mpg even driving normally. A beautiful looking car though.

No thinking required, Nissan quite openly said they used the Cayman as the benchtest for the 370z, they felt no qualms in openly saying they were going after it OK, well I never saw that. Nice to know I was right

For sure the Cayman and the 370Z are comparable in terms of what they do and totally agree about the price difference and what you get options wise on a standard car against what you get standard on the 350Z/370Z. I bought my Boxster S (identical to a Cayman S except it is a rag top) last year and just "respeced" it on the Porsche Configurator and it came out to £60K (the only thing mine doesn't have is the PCCB brakes). This is approximately twice what a new 370Z costs new, so you can see what good value the 370Z is. However if you are considering a 1-2 year old Cayman then price will be much more comparable. Its the options that push the price up on the Cayman and all German cars for that matter. I have had the same with Audi, BMW and Mercedes over the years, you need to allow about another £10-15K on the purchase price to get the options you want (well what I would want) included. I think Nissan have tried to engineer the 370Z to be more like a Cayman than the 350Z, you only have to sit in the car to see this. I would also say the 350Z is more like the new 911 - more a GT car than an out and out sports car. Both are great cars but the Nissan is way better value for money if you are buying new. However if we are talking about the technical aspects of the two cars then the Cayman is superior.

Nice job! All that's missing is the extra 2 cylinders.

The reason they quote a figure is of 80ft lbs is because that is the safe working limit for the integrity of the threads. If you exceed this value by more than 10% you put extra pressure on the threads themselves which can strip or suddenly give way, in particular if you are putting the wheel under a lot of lateral pressure - e.g. cornering hard. Best to loosen them and if the manual says to use thread lock, use it if not then don't and tighten them up to the recommended torque setting as indicated in the book.

As I have said in a previous post if you take the two cars as standard then there is probably not a great deal in it. However with a little engine "fettling" to the 350Z can transform this car into something that is significantly better than the standard 370Z. As it stands I would not trade my 350Z for a 370Z even if someone gave me £20K (the amount I would need to make a trade) because the 350 engine is now so perfect. Maybe when the Uprev boys have worked their magic on the 370Z it may be a different story - until then I will continue to enjoy my 350Z. P.S. I made a trip to Manchester and Liverpool last week and I got 30mpg (440miles) from a single tank of super unleaded.

I suggest you don't drive one then because that will probably change your mind. The other side to the story is a Porsche owner (and I know a few) often refer to the 350/370Z as just a Datsun, or Dazzer on occasions which can be a little annoying

Generally only perceived that way by those who buy for the badge and not the superior chassis dynamics of the Cayman +1 - Get the turbo conversion for the Cayman and its waaaay better than a 911 Or the Autofarm 911 engine conversion. I drove the new Cayman S round the new Porsche test track at Silverstone several weeks ago with the new direct injection engine (320Hp) and you really don't need any more power than this in this chassis for road or track use, unless you are going to race it. On the twisty bits I was all over the back of the new 911 turbo (being driven by one of the instructors) and it was only on the end of the straights where the turbo was pulling away but only slightly. Its the perfect car - great engine and great chassis = the perfect package. Also the earlier 3.4 (non direct injection engines) were in fact from the 996 911, so these have the same engine as the 911, all be it an earlier one. That statement about them being the poor mans 911 really winds me up and really highlights ignorance. 60% of the Boxster and Cayman is 911 - same parts etc - just look at them both when you are next in a Porsche showroom. The Porsche and Cayman have taken over from what the 911 used to be - a sports car. The new 911 (996 and 997) is now GT car and not an out and out sports car that it used to be in the 964 and 993 series. This is a well know fact amongst Porsche owners. The new 911's were engineered this way so the car would appeal to a wider ownership. Anyway I still think the 350Z and 370Z are good value for money and are still great cars - they just need a little sorting out IMO. I must get to drive the manual 370Z to make a better comparison which may be difficult as all the 370Z's I have seen in the Nissan showrooms have been autos. I think Nissan are pushing the auto model as opposed to the manual version.

I went to a dealers on Monday to view and test drive a 370Z. I arrived, and 45 minutes later after I was grilled by the salesman asking, "when was I going to buy one" and "can we make a deal today" I eventually got to see and sit in the car. Rule No 1 How not to sell a car to someone. Nissan should send their sales people to a Porsche garage to show them how it should be done. Anyway here are my thoughts on the 370Z which I guess won't be to popular with most on here: The 370Z looked very nice both inside and out. The quality of the interior was definitely an improvement on the 350, especially the instruments. Pity the milometer and trip was completely masked by the right paddle shifter. Opening the boot showed the removal of the strut across the boot, however I couldn't see any improvement to the carrying capacity. They don't give you a spare tyre anymore but instead of giving you some extra boot carry capacity they just used the whole area where the spare wheel went to fit some polystyrene molding that houses the pump and puncture repair kit - what a waste of space! They could have put this is a small bag and strapped this to the boot side, then made the boot deeper where the wheel/tyre well is so there is useful boot space. Going back to the interior; I also noticed you sit much lower in this car than in the 350Z, so you are having to look over the taller bonnet. The inside visibility was also nowhere near as good as in the 350Z where you can see very well out of all windows - also you tend to look straight ahead or slightly downwards in the 350 whereas with the lower seating position you have the feeling of having to look upwards to see out. Rear view visibility was not as good as in the 350. The sound system didn't sound as good either as the rear speakers are missing. Looks like you just get the front speakers and a rear sub now. This car had the 7-speed auto box. I have to say the car had only done 100 miles but I thought the auto box was crap. It kept changing into 1st when the speed dropped below 10mph which made the car lurch and the shifting was not smooth or seamless - you could physically feel the car move during gear changes instead of a nice smooth change. Engine wise: it was difficult to say if it felt more powerful than the 350. It certainly is not with the auto box fitted. However it also didn't feel as smooth or as responsive as my 350 (Mine has a remap which has made a huge improvement to how the engine runs). I also thought the car felt heavier to drive - large and cumbersome and less responsive compared to my 350Z - maybe this was down to the 19" wheels and tyres, I don't know. This was disappointing as the 370Z is supposed to be 50kgs lighter than the 350. IMO all Nissan really needed to do was to sort out the crappy ecu mapping on the 350Z. Give it a bigger boot and fit much nicer instrument display and Sat Nav, that's all it needed. Overall I was less impressed than I expected to be. Also when the salesman gave me a scruffy piece of paper with some prices scribbled on showing that I would have to pay another £20K on top of my 20,000 mile mint 350Z for something that I considered to be not as good, I was even less impressed. Nissan really need to set up proper High performance dealers (just for 370Z and the GT-R) with properly trained staff who can handle clients properly and make them feel special instead of making them feel like some 50 year old "hoodie" just out to nick the car. Oh well you live and learn.

Yes that is right, he was made to change the original ad. Still very amusing though.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230454041222#ht_1414wt_1167 You need to read the whole listing - its very funny Enjoy!

There is always the VQ exhaust. This is only a couple of HP down on the Shockwave plus it is much more "road" and "circuit" friendly. Torque is he same on both according to Mike at Motordyne.

My Boxster has 19" and PASM and it has a considerably better ride than my 350Z - softer too than the 350 but taught when you want it to be. Sublime handling and quiet inside even at high speed. Interesting. My Cayman also has 19's and PASM but without doubt makes more road noise than my 350 did. Mind you if your 350 has Bridgestones fitted then that will go some way to explailning why. Yes, it has the original Bridgstones fitted (done 20K). I am going for T1-R's very soon and new wheels. Hopefully the T1-R's will be better. I drove a new 370Z today - Admittedly it had that awful 7 speed auto transmission, but despite the reports its supposed to be lighter than the 350Z I found it bulkier and not so nimble or as agile. Has anyone else found the same? It also didn't seem anywhere near as quick or responsive as my 350Z.

My Boxster has 19" and PASM and it has a considerably better ride than my 350Z - softer too than the 350 but taught when you want it to be. Sublime handling and quiet inside even at high speed.

No! I have both. Maybe the the 350/370 is cheaper to buy, that's about it. Also supreme customer service when you go to the Porsche showroom and not some sales oik giving you a hard sell before you have even seen the car......

Which most of the time is a contradiciton. To get more power, usually you need less restriction, and less restriction means more noise. Obviously you can play about with the layout to trade one off against the other. Stillen is the nice ground for me, makes good power and a nice amount of noise. Having been out in Ebizeds 370z with Stillen, its perfect for trashing up and down the motorway I agree to a certain extent, however you can make a very unrestrictive exhaust which is also quiet. Making it loud does not necessarily mean it will produce more power, its all to do with the design (pipe length and diameter, silencer design and proper resonance management). I have Kinetixs race cats and a Motordyne XYZ pipe coupled to the standard exhaust (350Z that is). It produces a lot more HP and torque than the standard Nissan system and it is actually quieter in almost every area, however it does make a lovely noise as you approach 4000rpm which is more than enough to say something is happening under the bonnet.

From inside the car the Stillen is definitely quieter. I couldn't put up with the racket the Berk exhaust makes. It's OK for about 5 minutes, until the novelty wears off then the noise would get on your nerves - well mine anyway! My view is the best exhaust is the one that makes the least noise and the most power and torque. The last thing I would want is to draw any sort of attention to my car.