euphio Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) I put a deposit down on a 350z yesterday After coming home I randomly decided to look into the safety record which was a little unsettling to say the least. My inkling is that many of the deaths may have been caused by excessive speed coupled with other factors as opposed to inherent design flaws in the car itself, pushing the car to limits on public road kind of thing. Having said that, are there ever times when driving "normally" to the shops or whatever that you think WTF just happened, or loose the back end in wet etc. I wouldn't consider myself a fast driver at all, I always feel as though a car may loose traction miles before they probably would in reality so never tend to hit bends hard / fast and generally drive slower in wet conditions. Main reasons for Z are looks, sound and a bit of acceleration for dry / straight roads. I've been driving 8 years but only really had experience with FWD and 4X4 in the past, and nothing like 300bhp. I was also wondering if anybody has any tips for transitioning to the Z from lower power FWD cars? Edited January 12, 2015 by euphio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grundy Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Drive it like you've driven all your other cars... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts743 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I think this stat exists due to a lot of young drivers owning them in the US - It's a very predictable and well balanced car for what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouthwash Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 My only tip is to leave the TC control on at all times on public roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Drive it like you've driven all your other cars... This. You know when you're pushing on in a FWD car, and the nose starts running really wide and no matter how much you turn the wheel it just won't go? Well, if you were driving like that in a RWD car it would be the back end trying to overtake the front. Basically, if that doesn't happen very often with you, or you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you won't need to worry about it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 A 350 doesn't drive like a 300bhp car tbh, the power is very linear and predictable, if it is dry, you have TC on and decent tyres/geo setup you will have no problems at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPod Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 My dad has been driving for years and he told me after having a good few runs in my 350z he thought it was great and had a good planted feeling to the road.Always remember when he had a Mercedes c180 and the back end use to swing out all the time causing 360 spins He drives alot more sensible than me and cant fault the car he loves the 350 due to how safe he feels in it. But for me I have a heavy foot and sometimes in the rain I feel the back end skidding but that's due to me and not so good tyres haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevoD Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 you've really got to be pushing on to get it to slide involuntarily 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Yes definitely need provoking to get itself unsettled, not quite sure what the OP means, my best advice would be to sign up for an advanced or track based driving course to get the feel of handling a car on the edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Not once have I had the car try and kill me. The TC is a bit too good probably. It's other motorists you need to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) definitely keep the TCS on for the first few months of ownership, and make sure you're running decent tyres with decent amounts of tread, and that all the wheels are pointing in the right directions (get a tracking check). if you do see the TCS light flashing, think what you were doing to make it kick in. (trying to pull out of T junctions quickly will probably set it off) if you're a sensible driver on the road, you'll be fine - however, as with all cars, be smooth with your inputs, and respect the conditions. don't go flooring the throttle midway round a wet roundabout, for example, and you'll probably not be able to use full throttle in 2nd if its wet, and maybe not even in 3rd if its near freezing and you're on summer tyres. as for driving styles, id say be smooth, get the car slowed in a straight line, clean turn in to the corner and then use the rwd traction to be positive through the corner . the other difference you'll compare to fwd cars will be weight - the zed will weigh a fair bit more than a fwd scrabblewagon, so it wont feel as nimble in really twisty stuff. however, show it a nice bit of A road and it will be awesome. Edited January 12, 2015 by brillomaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euphio Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Thanks for the replies, I am tempted to do an IAM course or something. An example of the kind of thing I mean is when it's raining semi heavily and you are on a slip road accelerating to merge onto a motorway how planted is the car, does the back end ever kick out much in this scenario and if so what is the best action to take to quickly correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouthwash Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Put the car in a higher gear and accelerate, plenty of torque in these things to get you up to the correct speed without ringing its neck. It's all about driving to the conditions and as Grundy said first, it's really no different to any other car. If you've passed your test, you should be able to drive a 350z it doesn't require any advanced driving techniques to keep it in a straight line. Even with 400 hp in mine I don't struggle, even in heavy rain, just be sensible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) in that scenario, as long as you're in a straight line then no worries - it'll be planted. Id imagine if you're accelerating onto a motorway you'd either be ragging 3rd, or more likely, using the torque in 4th. if the TCS does kick in it'll just back the power off, you wont need to do anything. as for correcting a oversteer situation, in general you'll only need to make a tiny correction since the tcs will kick in faster than you'd be applying opposite lock. however, if you are feeling brave with the TCS off and want to feel the car moving around, i'd definitely get some tuition and a wide open space, as the first few times it happens, the correct response is not intuitive. Edited January 12, 2015 by brillomaster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grundy Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Put the car in a higher gear and accelerate, plenty of torque in these things to get you up to the correct speed without ringing its neck. It's all about driving to the conditions and as Grundy said first, it's really no different to any other car. If you've passed your test, you should be able to drive a 350z it doesn't require any advanced driving techniques to keep it in a straight line. Even with 400 hp in mine I don't struggle, even in heavy rain, just be sensible. Was about to say, why is there a need to do any extra driving courses etc.....If you've passed your test, you can drive a car. It is just a car at the end of the day. Edited January 12, 2015 by grundy225 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euphio Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Put the car in a higher gear and accelerate, plenty of torque in these things to get you up to the correct speed without ringing its neck. It's all about driving to the conditions and as Grundy said first, it's really no different to any other car. If you've passed your test, you should be able to drive a 350z it doesn't require any advanced driving techniques to keep it in a straight line. Even with 400 hp in mine I don't struggle, even in heavy rain, just be sensible. Was about to say, why is there a need to do any extra driving courses etc.....If you've passed your text, you can drive a car. It is just a car at the end of the day. Awesome, cheers! I'll drive it steady for a while anyway, just wanted to check that there weren't any "gotcha's" with this car to learn before jumping in it and driving back 200 miles on a miserable January night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Just remember the throttle is infinitely adjustable, not an on/off switch and you'll be fine. That's where most people go wrong, treating it as a binary control. To be fair though, the fact you're asking so many questions on this means that I very much doubt you'll have any issues as you sound like a pretty sensible chap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy78 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Driving normally within your ability and the conditions of the road = very little chance of anything happening. (I've had mine 3 years and this is my first RWD and 2nd ever car and I've never had any problems or concerns about the car's handling) Driving like a tit and trying to drift etc. on public roads = high chance of an accident. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Sounded to me like the OP (not being rude here) is a little worried about his Zs power and handling, and finds it a little intimidating, and he is used to a low powered FWD, regardless of whether his Z is set up correctly or has bad tyres if he feels he lacks confidence in it, his best bet is to take some form of training that will boost his confidence and abilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euphio Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Sounded to me like the OP (not being rude here) is a little worried about his Zs power and handling, and finds it a little intimidating, and he is used to a low powered FWD, regardless of whether his Z is set up correctly or has bad tyres if he feels he lacks confidence in it, his best bet is to take some form of training that will boost his confidence and abilities. It's not so much lack of confidence, I'm just very aware that an over confident attitude towards jumping into one of these is probably what accounts for many being wrapped around trees etc. I've had the occasional skid in a FWD in snow before etc and that doesn't bother me. The thing that prompted me to post this was that I've seen a fair few videos / pics of Zeds that have completely lost it, and also read that safety report. It made me wonder if the drivers were usually at fault or whether the cars can be unpredictable and get you when you least expect it. Having said that I'd deffo like to take a skid pan lesson or something, a valuable life skill to have I'm sure for if something does happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevoD Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 there name as the most deadly car in the USA but thats down to illegal street racing and people getting them as first cars at 16 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Sounded to me like the OP (not being rude here) is a little worried about his Zs power and handling, and finds it a little intimidating, and he is used to a low powered FWD, regardless of whether his Z is set up correctly or has bad tyres if he feels he lacks confidence in it, his best bet is to take some form of training that will boost his confidence and abilities. It's not so much lack of confidence, I'm just very aware that an over confident attitude towards jumping into one of these is probably what accounts for many being wrapped around trees etc. I've had the occasional skid in a FWD in snow before etc and that doesn't bother me. The thing that prompted me to post this was that I've seen a fair few videos / pics of Zeds that have completely lost it, and also read that safety report. It made me wonder if the drivers were usually at fault or whether the cars can be unpredictable and get you when you least expect it. Having said that I'd deffo like to take a skid pan lesson or something, a valuable life skill to have I'm sure for if something does happen. I wouldn't worry too much about the stats in the US...I am sure you could find equally worrying stats about other performance orientated cars, and remember that US drivers are not known for there safety records LOL! Don't forget car often get a bad reputation from there drivers. Like you say find yourself some kind of fun driver training and I am sure you will get a big boost in confidence and feel safer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Decent tyres and keep it sensible in the wet and you will be fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zedd Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Its a very easy car to drive, it was my first RWD car and Ive had no problems with it..... So far, fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevoD Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Maybe a novice trackday at MSv with a instructor so you can push the car to the limit and see what it is capable of Edited January 12, 2015 by StevoD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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