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Have a coworker looking to buy a weekend toy / occasional fun car. Track and autocross potential isn't really part of the equation right now, though I wouldn't rule out the possibility of an outing or 2 (how many of us got into this because we had a sporty car and wanted to use it). He currently drives a newish Acura TL but doesn't need the back seat practicality any longer.

The 2 cars he's strongly considering are the
1) 2010 370z with touring and sport packages
2) 2010/2011 Nismo 370z

His concerns are primarily quality and reliability, and less about all-out track performance.

Anybody have any experience or heard anything interesting on these cars?

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Dustin Fredrickson
-- I'm a nobody --

If he plans on doing more than 2 laps at VIR in either, a oil cooler add will be necessary. Other than that, I have heard good things from the people I know that bought 370z's with the sport package for autocross. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

make damn sure he upgrades the pads/fluid before hitting the track

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10 ... ap-feature

Wow, Now maybe I know why a guy a the Alfa event in a Nissmo was so slow.

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2002 MCS, 2003 MCS Track Rat, 2003 Generic White Yukon, 2003 BMWk1200rs, 1973 CB350F, 02 996. 08 Cayenne Turbo
http://www.clinehallagency.com

I think the Nizmo kit comes with an oil cooler.

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Silver Honda
Green Ford
Blue/White Suzuki
Red Triumph
Grey BMW

"Never let life be shaped by fear of its end"

No, you're a towel!

If it isn't going onto the track, then it's kind of a wash. However,



Nissan's response is probably the best.

Interesting article. Sounds like OEM pads such, but the real problem is the need for cooling ducts for track use.

Lack of cooling = boiled fluid = no brakes = crash

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Unless he really likes the "G-nose" style body work on the Nismo... and the Nismo interior upgrades... the reviews I've read are that the suspension upgrades make it a less-than-ideal street car

I am in LOVE with the 370z ... 'specially they yeller ones

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Stacy King
Midlife Crisis Participant

The C&D Crash seems to be a bit of a fluke. We have had many 350Z's and a few 370Z's and they do eat OEM rear pads, but no failures.

They are good cars. Could use a PS cooler though.

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Marty Howard
2011 NASA SE Factory Five Challenge Champion
Track Events Logistics Coordinator - TZC/THSCC
2007 Factory Five Challenge Car.
http://www.mh-motorsports.com

A bit ironic considering the 350 had a "track" edition. Interesting...

I guess the 350's have better air flow to the brakes.

Nah, I'd say it's the brake pad compound as much as anything. The super soft, grabby, dusty OE compounds are to blame. They give such good brake feel for street driving, but they go out of their temp range QUICKLY. I'm guessing that the 370's pads are a bit of an extreme example - fast car, lots of clamping force, lots of rotor, and maybe an extra soft pad.

That C&D crash has been the topic of many discussions about this car, that's for sure.

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Tom Freeman
'98 M3/4/5 | '93 Spec3 325i | '12 TSX sport wagon | '03 Tahoe
Team Silver Bullets '91 240SX

I thought C&D went back with race pads and had the same result.

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In need of car.

Yep, just looked at the article again. They retested with upgraded pads and fluid and had effectively the same result. Only a few good stops and the brakes disappeared.

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In need of car.

FTA:

"And so we decided to conduct a test we hadn’t planned: swapping the Z’s standard brake fluid for an aftermarket product,  ATE Super Blue, which has a higher boiling point (536 degrees F). We tested the fluid, which goes for a little over $6 a pint versus about $5 for the stock fluid, along with a fresh set of brakes with the upgraded pads. Considering 23 essentially fade-free stops, not only did the fluid extend braking performance, but stops 24 through 31 showed gradual fade—a warning to the driver that things are starting to overheat—which made this by far the best setup. After that, even the ATE fluid couldn’t persevere, and it, too, boiled"

To say there was no improvement is not entirelyt accurate. There was a noticeable improvement after changing the pads and fluid. Perfect? Nope, not even close for me to want to buy one and put it on the track. Would be nice to see the results after adding some brake ducting to test their final statement:

"Our suspicion is that Nissan got a bit greedy in its quest for today’s all-important fuel-economy numbers and boosted the Z’s aerodynamics a little too far by cutting back on the amount of air directed through the wheel wells to cool the brakes. Key takeaway: If you intend to track a Z, don’t use the base pads, upgrade the brake fluid, and be sure to install brake-cooling ducts."

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Steve Carter
1972 Datsun 240Z-- resto pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/srcartermd
2007 GPW Honda S2000-- STR 86