Virage

Thanks for the replies! I had a look at the Fujitsubo exhaust, thought that was it for a while but I believe the tailpipes on that are slightly longer and as mentioned would have the Fujitsubo logo (under the muffler, right?) on it. From the clips I've found the sound is similar, too. Here's a pic of the plaque on the underside of mine. Looks like it reads NS004 - S2, 0915-B.

I'm hoping you guys & girls can solve this little mystery for me! I've spent quite a while looking up the various aftermarket exhausts for the 350Z and haven't yet found one that matches mine. My brother is going to bring down some decent stuff to clean it with, so perhaps I'll find more clues then, but for now all I have to go by is the look of the system (surely there can't be that many with dual tips of this size!) and a small badge I found on the underside of the muffler. Said badge has no logo or words on, though, just a number. If it helps, the car is almost inaudible at tickover despite the enormous pipes! You can feel the engine more than you can hear it when stationary. It makes a lovely growl when cruising and sounds wonderful when flat out. I've captured a short (and kinda rubbish) clip of the sound which is after the pic's: Little sound clip is here: http://adrianleach.com/home/350z/ So...anyone got any ideas?

I've found a few places that stock the ZZ3, sadly none in the size I need. eBay is a good call, though, will give that a shot too!

Well that seals it! I've read a lot of your posts, Dan, and will follow your advice. Off to do some research, then! First thing I'll do is see when the rears were produced (they have around 6mm of tread so shouldn't wear out anytime soon) to see if buying ZZ3s for the front is an option. Seems like the ZZ3 is quite well regarded and that will give me time to save for a set of MPSS once the rears need replacing. That's assuming I can find somewhere to buy the ZZ3 from. If that's a no go I'll look into all the reviews on here to find a decent set to replace all four with. Thanks again for the help.

Ah yes. I suppose I'll have to concede defeat on that one! I did take my daughter to Sainsbury's last night, though. She loved it and I have to admit pulling into the parent & child parking in the Zed was pretty funny. Got some disapproving looks that changed to surprise once I'd helped my little girl out of her car seat. Was the car your boss had a W12 Phaeton? I seem to remember reading something about that engine, sounded pretty monstrous and a bit of a sleeper! Thanks for the kind words, Davey. I fell in love with the car when I saw it. Seems like I now need some new tires (plenty of tread left but the fronts have cracks in them) which is an unexpected expense but my own fault as I should have been a little more vigilant when inspecting the car. Head over heart and all that.

Ah that's useful. I will check to see when they were made tomorrow morning. It sounds like I'm in need of a new pair regardless of the date, though! It seems the ZZ3 is getting harder to come by. I definitely don't want to have different tyres front and rear, so am not sure what to do next. I'd hoped to save for some MPSS while getting some use out of these ones, but maybe I'll need to look for something slightly more affordable so that I can buy a full set. Thanks for the input!

Hi guys, Sorry if this has been asked before - I've done a quick search both on here and further afield and have realised that cracked tyres are very bad news. But I need some advice as to whether I'll need to replace these tyres. I had some traction issues during the recent wet weather (which turned out to be the road surface) that prompted me to check the tread left on my tyres. Both front and rear were between 5.5 and 6mm, which I was pleased with. But then I noticed cracking on the front tyres. This is the first time I've come across this, so wanted to ask for some guidance. In a nutshell, is this cracking bad enough to warrant new tyres? I am not sure if any level of cracking is acceptable, or whether there are limits (as with tread depth, for instance) that need to be adhered to. Only had the car a few days, and really should have spotted this when I bought it! The tyres are Avon ZZ3, FWIW. Thanks in advance for any advice...and curse that opportunistic spider!

Haha that'd be interesting. If I took the boot divider out I guess maybe one could lie down in there, one in the front seat and...one in the glove box, maybe? Actually I am looking for a decent child seat, my eldest (6 yo) really wants to go out in the car and going for little cruises with him next to me will be magical. Just need to be careful as I don't think the passenger airbag can be deactivated.

It's odd, I never really took much notice of the weather before I bought the Zed. Now I'm one of those people who rolls their eyes when they see rain! But yeah, really it's just a weekend car - much as I love it the Z really isn't a good choice for transporting the wife and 3 kids around! I prefer it that way, though - there's nothing like driving an insipid, 4-speed automatic car/van thing to make driving the Zed feel even more special! It's running Avon ZZ3s with the standard sizes (225/45 and 245/45) and they seem like a pretty well-regarded choice. I'll see how things change when I get to take her out in dry weather. In the meantime, yes, I will certainly be careful. Thanks again for the welcome!

I'm really in love with the car; it's addictive and I find myself wanting to drive it all the time. Sadly the weather lately hasn't really been great, and I've learned that the Zed demands respect in the wet. Which makes me love it even more, to be honest. My brother in law owns an E92 M3 and loved driving the Zed, I think the fact it involves the driver so much more than many modern cars is fantastic. You really need to think about what you and the car are doing all the time. Also...the noise!!! I have no idea what exhaust I have (if any eagle-eyed members can identify it I'd be grateful!) but it is perfect. Inaudible at tickover (you can feel the engine more than you can hear it), a lovely growl when cruising and a full-on bellow at full throttle. Driving around, regardless of speed, feels special in the Zed. I'm going to check the tyres when I can, as although they look okay I was expecting a little more grip. I couldn't get any power down in third on Sunday, was doing about 40 and eased the throttle in but the good ol' TCS light was going mad. The road was wet (and, apparently, quite well known for being slippery in all conditions) but it did catch me out a little. I really need to get a good drive in on some familiar roads! Anyway, here are some pics! I wanted to give her a good wash, but well, I guess that'll give me a good excuse to post more later. There are a few more pictures at the link here, including several showing that mysterious exhaust in case anyone wants to have a look!

I think your JDM is, if anything, a little more powerful than the UK models - I seem to remember the ECU being responsible for the loss of around 10bhp on UK cars. From new yours would have had 286bhp as you correctly say! Disclaimer: I'm just as new as you and all of the above may well be wrong, although I'm sure someone wiser will let you know shortly!

Yeah I had a look through a few buyer's guides, although I have to admit I missed that first one and and a lot of the checks it mentioned. That said I've just returned from driving the Zed for ~5 hours and everything seems in order! The only slight foible is that the gearstick moves forward a little after I let off the throttle in sixth gear. It's only noticeable if you hold the gearstick itself and doesn't seem to do it in other gears. I did read that the gearstick is supposed to 'tingle', and I actually like feeling the car in my left hand, but the movement seemed a step beyond the buzzing sensation. Is this slight movement in sixth gear normal? Aside from that the car was flawless, too bad the same can't be said for the driver! I did manage to rev match successfully on a couple of downshifts but I have a lot to learn. The speed of the steering response surprised me (it's so eager to turn in!) and overall it just seems like a fantastically balanced car. I'll get some pictures up as soon as I can, I have a feeling that maybe the car belonged to someone on here and it has some quite distinctive modifications, so it'll be interesting to see if anyone recognises it! At last, I can say I am a Zed owner!

Thanks for the tips, Jamie. I've found out as much as possible, if all the paperwork checks out really all that's left is to drive it and hope all is well! Sorted the insurance yesterday (good call on the Saturday opening hours!) so just need to tax it before heading back. Getting a bit nervous now, just keeping everything crossed that there's no issues with the Zed so that I can enjoy the drive home!

I'm in Colchester, Jay. Since looking for a Zed I've noticed quite a few prowling around, with any luck I'll add to that number soon. Off to look at one on Saturday, it's an 8-hour round trip so I'm hoping not to return empty-handed!

This thread was interesting. Glad that nobody was hurt and that lessons seem to have been learnt. I'm about to buy my first Z, and while I've some experience in RWD cars this kind of thread serves well to remind me of the potential dangers of carelessness. I am sure as heck not going near that TCS button on public roads! FWIW, I was thinking about booking up a car control day in a month or so, to explore the Zed's handling on a wet circuit. OP, if you do decide to grab another Z maybe that would be a good idea? Not meaning to sound patronising, but if the car let go as you've described (modest speed and in a straight line) then I feel that perhaps a better / more experienced driver may have been able to control it. That in addition to the other advice already prescribed should help us to be both safer and better drivers.