Edster

Lovely car, they look great in blue.

Hello again,

Due to increased mileage for my daily commute, I reluctantly decided to get rid of my 350z HR. I was genuinely really sad to see it go. However, I have upgraded to a younger 370z and totally loving it! Very low miles and completely non-modified. I had them both for a bit, and it was really interesting to compare them. The 350 felt more savage, raw and a bit more responsive at the lower end. However, it was modified when I bought it, so probably not a fair comparison. The 370 feels more sensible, but still has some zed craziness about it when you push it. It feels smoother, but comes alive at higher speeds. Hoping to do some mods at some point, but really quite enjoying as it is at the moment.

Why did you not go for a Gates belt as they are the Tuners belts of choice.

Yeah, I read about them after I'd bought it - They're not that expensive either. Will probably get one next time.

Yeah, you might be right Coldel. It could have felt better cause the noise had gone. i will see how it feels tomorrow.

Real nice looking 370. Looks new in the pics. How does it compare to the Z4?

I have a 350z HR and it has been a bit sluggish recently. The aux belt was squealing a bit. I decided to do it myself and found that the old one had lost one of its groves on the end and had stretched quite a bit. I've replaced it with a blueprint one.

Anyway, I took the car out after and not only has the squealing has gone, but the car seemed to have smother acceleration and felt noticeably faster. I was just wondering if anyone knew why this would be?

I did disconnect the battery as I thought I may need to remove the radiator fans to get the torque wrench in the auto-tensioner (I didn't need to remove the fans in the end). - I know disconnecting the battery resets the ECU, but I have disconnected it before and not experienced any noticeable differences in performance.

Buzzing! my car seems to be getting better each time something is done to it! :-)

Cougar fitted me some Tein's a couple of weeks ago. I'm very pleased with the result. They're definitely softer and have improved the ride by about 25% - 50%. No more scraping on speed bumps either. There is a little bit more roll on sharp bends, but the handling generally seems better and more nimble. I'm sure they would have told me if they thought with the dampers were bad. Everything seems good now, happy days!

Thanks Ekona, yeah I checked the tyre pressures this morning and they were actually at 29 PSI. I put them up to 32, but that ride has gone a bit harsher again. Do you think 29 PSI is too low(the ride felt great)? - I have 19inch 245/35 at the front and 19inch 275/0 at the back. Wondering whether to stagger them like Matt said.

Thanks for the info about the spacer and bolts. Someone told me they could go either way depending on what spacer is used, but you seem to know your stuff. think I ill need to put a pole on the wrench to get these tings loose.

Yeah will do Rob,.. as soon as I can figure how to get the damn wheels off! They're on spacers with bolts and they're real tight. I cant tell whether they are clockwise or anticlockwise bolts.

Definitely worth getting them checked tho. thanks

Lol, I'm such a muppet!

I checked the tyre's after Alex's first reply using my dad's old compressor (about 15 years old). They were just shy of 35, so I dropped them all to 33.

Anyway, I've been carrying this Mark & Spencer's Tyre pressure gauge key-ring in my car (unopened Xmas present), but never bothered opening it until now. Checked my tyres with it and they were all at 39.5 PSI !!! Dropped them all to 32 and it runs sweet. Still a little bumpy, but loads better. Okay, the gauge might be a bit in-accurate, but I will check it at a garage tomorrow.

No wonder driving has been such an ordeal in this bad weather. It's been wheel spinning in 3rd loads in the rain! That means the tyres must have been over 40 PSI when the dealership serviced it.

Sorry to waste your time with my stupidity, I should have checked them properly. However, it now feels like I have a new car!!!

Thank you so much for your replies!!

Car has done 59,000 mile Rob

Hello Matt, I really appreciate the information. I would probably describe the ride is very juddery – it sort of bounces up and down really quickly like a go-kart. Just going over small pot holes, lumps, road markings etc is really noticeable. Unfortunately, I have not driven another Z, so I’ve got nothing to compare it to, and I didn’t drive this one before the suspension was changed. It is certainly the harshest ride I've driven (and I had a lowered Nova GTE when I was younger!). Is there any easy way to check whether the dampers are okay?

Thanks again

Lovely looking car. I've got a black HR too. I spent the first few weeks stressing about my clutch. - The transmission noise and some grindy sensations when I pressed and released the pedal. Appears to be normal though.

Enjoy, they are awesome cars!

Hey Monkeybrain,

Sorry, I don't have any for sale,

.. but I would be really interested to know how you get on once you've fitted some, as I'm thinking of getting some for mine - think we both have 19" wheels.

Cheers

Leicestershire,... Hopefully the snow wont be too bad - nowhereboy's snow experience sounded a bit of an ordeal!

Thanks for that Ekona, I will probably do the bus next week then if it's heavy. Wouldn't like to have discovered that for myself 20 miles from home.

I got my Z in November and it's pretty much rained for about 75% of the time that I've used it. I found it quite a handful at first and quite scary to be honest, but I'm used to it now - even in really heavy rain (although I have to drive it quite slow). Not experienced snow yet, but its set to snow next week.

Is driving in light snow a lot worse than heavy rain? Is it even difficult to control when you drive it slowly?

Absolutely

Hello Kbad, sorry to hear about the £1000. However, you are well within your rights to get it back. I had a similar experience, so I checked my rights and they are definitely in the favour of the customer. Here is a link with some steps on how to sort it out.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/action/how-to-complain-about-a-second-hand-car-to-a-dealer

Also phone citizens advice and then phone the dealer and tell them that you have contacted them and you will start proceedings to take if further unless the matter is resolved.

good luck with it

My car came with Sparco r333 seats (and I'm 37!). They're adjustable and grip quite well. I quite like them, but several people I've taken for a spin found them a bit uncomfortable. Maybe GTR-type seats would be a better option.

Thanks for the information, I can see what you mean about the larger wheels. I'm just contemplating whether it would be worth giving the Tein's a go. I think the KWs and BCs are a bit out of my price range, but I appreciate the info. It might be better when I get some better tyres, I think the ones currently on it are quite cheap. My PSI are all at 35, so I will try going down to 32 - would be great if that solved it. Thanks!

Hi,

I bought my 350z with APEX springs on it (19 inch wheels). It feels like it really grips the road, but on bumby roads the ride is really harsh. I was wondering whether anyone has had APEX springs and S-Techs, and whether S-techs would be noticeably softer?

Thanks

Thanks for all the welcoming messages.

Just driven about 25 miles and it's raining buckets, I decided to drive like a nerd and try and get the best MPG I could. Usually does about 19, but managed to get 28 out of it!!

Love it how Z owners acknowledge you when they drive past

Welcome along. Where about are you from then if you've been to see Mitz.

Thanks, I'm near Loughborough, so Leicester's not too far. Quite lucky to have a Z specialist nearby

Welcome along buddy, any plans for the Zed?

Thanks, I've got a few ideas, but no definite plans yet. It's currently got APEX springs on it and whilst they make it look okay, the ride is so harsh and occasionally scrapes speedbumps. Might change them to Tein S-Tech's when I've done a bit more research. Is your's lowered?

Other than that, I just want to smarten it up a bit - maybe get a front lip for it.

That red Z is the nicest looking 350 I have ever seen.

Thanks all,

Yeah, it's black - does look a bit blue in some lights though. Glad I've joined this forum, there is some really useful info.