Automobile Mag can't seem to drive the NISMO-Z

[audtatious]

In this months Automobile Mag there is a section concerning "new" cars and they discuss the NISMO 370z (and the 370z 'vert and G37 'vert). Their performance numbers? 0-60 in 5.5 and 1/4-mile in 14.1

They need new drivers as that's retarded....

[dasoupdude]

Yeah, neither can the people at D-sport.

The time they ran 0-60 with a 370 was 6.1

And the quarter mile was done in 14.26.

[AZhitman]

That's pretty bad.

I drive a mid-13-second daily, and I can guarantee you the 370Z that I drove was faster.

[audtatious]

Hell, my heavier G37 with only a 5sp auto did 13.83 the first time at the track...

[gbear]

I subscribe to all the auto mags, and every test I've read of the Nismo Z has it slower than the regular Z in the 0-60, and quarter by a significant amount. None of the mags had the Nismo under 5.0 for 0-60, but all had the regular Z in the 4.7-4.8 second range. One of the mags said that the Z engines need an extended break in period to make full power , and the regular Z's they tested had about 5000 miles on them and the Nismo's had less than 1000. They all raved about the Nismo as a road racer. Could be Nissan did not want to build a drag racer, but a road course car-Where the Nismo excels.

[audtatious]

The Automobile article said it was no faster on the track than the regular 370z either....

[NSRsheets]

Wow that's pretty bad. I need to take mine to the track and see what I can do.

[C-Kwik]

I subscribe to all the auto mags, and every test I've read of the Nismo Z has it slower than the regular Z in the 0-60, and quarter by a significant amount. None of the mags had the Nismo under 5.0 for 0-60, but all had the regular Z in the 4.7-4.8 second range. One of the mags said that the Z engines need an extended break in period to make full power , and the regular Z's they tested had about 5000 miles on them and the Nismo's had less than 1000. They all raved about the Nismo as a road racer. Could be Nissan did not want to build a drag racer, but a road course car-Where the Nismo excels.

Different car magazine test differently. Not only can procedures be different, but test conditions and type of equipment used can make a difference as well. Not to mention the state of the motor as you mentioned.

That said, Road and Track notes the Nismo 370Z posted both 0-60 and 1/4 miles times that were 0.2 seconds quicker than the base version (based on their own tests). Further, the trap speed noted is 106.6 mph vs the base motor's 103.9 mph. Trap speed is one of the bigger indications of HP and generally is affected very little by traction and gearing.

Lastly, we are only taking about a peak power difference of 18 HP. Based on the relatively small increase in peak torque, it would appear the biggest gains were closer to redline as there is about a 12 lb-ft gain at 7400 RPM. The 6 lb-ft gain at 5400 RPM translates to only about a 6 HP gain there. Even with 18 HP though, acceleration isn't going to be all that significant. 18 HP only represents a 5% increase and its not occuring at all RPMs.

Its been a while since I read Automobile magazine regularly, but I have the impression their numbers were always on the slower end. While Motor Trend seems to be faster.

[audtatious]

True. If it's a temperature issue it's easy enough to adjust the times based on altitude, temp, pressure, humidity. For my cars I've seen up to a .3 sec difference across different visits to the track. Theirs is quite a bit more than that.

[AZhitman]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Nismo was a tad slower, just based on aero drag and more weight.

If I were buying a 370, you can bet it'd be a base-model stripper. The one I drove had plenty of creature comforts and nothing unnecessary.

[evildky]

I thought the nismo 370 was a little lighter than the base? how aobut sheets gets his car on a drag strip before they shut down for the year for some concrete results?

[NSRsheets]

It actually ways a little bit more than the base 370z due to the spoiler and the aero-dynamic bumpers.

[evildky]

i thought the seats were lighter and they used majic fairy dust to lighten the car?

heavier than base, lighter than loaded touring?

[NSRsheets]

According to nissan usa the base manual coupe weighs 3232lbs, the manual touring coupe weighs 3278lbs, and the Nismo weighs 3300lbs.