Detailed interview with Hiroshi Tamura - Part 1 & Part 2 w/Translations

[jdm-rhd]

It's at the top for me now as the two tone look's appeal is already fading for me.

one of the reasons i like it.
maybe nissan will allow us to choose roof color in the future...

 

[memelord]

More interview with head honcho, part 2

- still Z34 chassis code but 70-80% new parts

- after figuring out if they should make it Z35 or not, they considered the costs and decided to throw more money where the customers would appreciate.

- 370Z ABS issue has been fully revised to avoid the freezing effect from the 370z when understeering.

- head honcho figured the R32-4 period skyline GT-R kinda "turn up the boost and go faster" is fun.

- he likes to think the theme behind Z and GTR be "beauty and the beast". Z looks good, responds well to driver as a "dance partner", but the GTR is the beast, go fast first, response and driving involvement later.

- Z is supposed to give you a lot of margin for error, everything has a big window to respond to. Where you get the correct feedback and information to play with, it doesn't break away suddenly and so you can play to your own tempo with this chassis.

- it's the same powertrain as the 400R or the Q50 RS but it is specifically tuned with an additional recirculating valve to avoid the turbo slow down between shifts and over throttle closures. This is very much something that's introduced with the manual transmission to this engine package.

- suspension is tuned for street and occasional drifts but it's not really geared to go fast (head honcho said it himself) at an engineering standpoint it's not as well tuned for lap times as Nissan could do. (I'd think that's Nismo's home turf)

- new transmission has a Magnesium housing (?) To shoulder the torque while keeping the 9 speed transmission weighing the same as a 7 speed form before.

- head honcho looked at the camera and said "if you tune it, it's your responsibility, ok? "

- "it's pretty heavy, why?" "The engine alone is 100kg heavier than the VQ37HR, ya know?"

- with that in mind, Nissan chassis tuning is made to be as mild as possible even with very wide tires. That's the Nissan way. More people have more fun that way. (If people reviewing it say it's not as sharp as an s2000 civic type R, Porsche 718 or whatever, know that it's on purpose)

- DAS steer by wire is not to go onto the car in any way. The DAS was a standard equipment in japanese skyline (Q50) meant for japanese consumption because the starter occupied the space where a right hand drive steering shaft would go where the starter would go. They made a convoluted linkage system to connect the steering wheel back to the steering rack. This was very much an engineering requirement because they wanted a mechanical connection between the wheel and the other one in front of you.

 

[Haste]

Thanks for the translation! @memelord

 

[supraboi]

Thanks for posting!

 

[timszee]

"Head honcho looked at the camera and said "if you tune it, it's your responsibility, ok? " "

Sounds like if you turn the boost up something isn't going to be happy.

 

[therumblewagon]

"Head honcho looked at the camera and said "if you tune it, it's your responsibility, ok? " "

Sounds like if you turn the boost up something isn't going to be happy.

I interpreted it more as warranty-related. I don't think Nissan would intentionally kneecap the potential of this engine.

 

[memelord]

I hope the Z doesn’t have a Bosch ECU. You guys better pray. ?

 

[vb22]

 

[West Aussie]

Yes but what does it all mean?

 

[vb22]

Yes but what does it all mean?

?‍

 

[Y_PLZ]

 

[MZGA]

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...-chief-engineer-indirectly-admits-197237.html

The 2023 Nissan Z Could’ve Been Better, Chief Engineer Indirectly Admits

Presented in production-ready guise a little over a year ago, the 2023 Nissan Z could’ve been a little better. According to chief engineer Hiroshi Tamura, “carryover of parts was very important for us, and carryover means reality of affordability.” In other words, the Japanese automaker couldn’t make a case for a brand-new platform, instead choosing the FM.

Used by the 350Z and 370Z, the Front Midship isn’t exactly a bad platform. It’s pretty old, though. The V35-generation Infiniti G series rolled out in June 2001 for the 2003 model year, which is more than two decades ago.

Nissan further adapted the Front Midship into the Premium Midship for the R35. Speaking of which, the GT-R isn’t available in the U.S. any longer. It was also pulled out of Australia and New Zealand in October 2021 due to not meeting side impact regulations, which speaks volumes about the need for a brand-new platform for both rear- and all-wheel-drive applications.

Currently a brand ambassador due to Nissan’s rather strict retirement age rules, Tamura-san told Drive.com.au that the core structure is carried over, “save for minor suspension changes.” He further noted new bearings for the carryover manual transmission, which is joined by a torque-converter automatic of Mercedes-Benz origin. Based on the still-relevant 9G-Tronic, the JR913E is manufactured under license by Nissan subsidiary JATCO.

We could boo and hiss all day long here, but looking at the bigger picture, what did you expect from the Japanese automaker? Nissan rebounded with a net income of $1.77 billion in May 2022 from a $3.68 billion loss the previous year. The company also happens to be redirecting its R&D efforts into electrification, an expensive ordeal given the rising price of batteries.

We also have to remember the all-new Z competes with another Japanese sports car that could’ve been better, the GR Supra that Toyota developed in collaboration with German automaker BMW. Although the chassis, engine choices, and transmission choices are shared between the two, the Z4 and GR Supra couldn’t be more different from a driver’s perspective because the engineers went their separate ways early in the development process.

Clearly not perfect, the Z is a miracle for the struggling marque, given the state of sports cars in this day and age. The 370Z ended 2021 with 36 sales in the United States, down from 1,954 in 2020 and 10,215 back in 2010.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/us...4A7AQRjWq_cOwvAsiU_kPDjJcZzJheDJ4-ZUJgtatEPe4

Here’s why the new Nissan Z Nismo doesn’t have a manual gearbox

We’ll take driver involvement over outright quickness, but not everyone agrees

At the unveiling of the new Nissan Z Nismo in Los Angeles on Monday evening, the crowd was buzzing about two things: why was it so unbelievably freaking hot in the event space? And, more importantly, why didn't Nissan fit the Z Nismo with a manual transmission?
For the first question, let's say climate change, not to mention a lack of air conditioning. As for the second, we sought the knowledge of Hiroshi Tamura, chief product specialist of the Nissan Z and GT-R – a man known throughout the halls of Nissan simply as 'Mr. GT-R'.

Tamura-san explained that Nissan explored the idea of a manual Z Nismo, but the problem was that it would've actually been slower than the base Z.
"To be honest, base car with two pedals [is] faster than Nismo with three pedals," Tamura-san said. "Base, 400hp; quicker than Nismo."


Obviously, off-the-line acceleration and hundredths-of-a-second-slower lap times can't compete with the quintessential driver involvement of six speeds and a stick with which to stir them. And, in fact, Tamura-san agreed.
"Time is not important," Tamura-san said. "But some people said Nismo must be quicker than base."

In any case, the Z’s nine-speed automatic transmission has been beefed up for Nismo duty, and Tamura-san said the gearbox is much quicker to upshift and downshift. It's also worth noting that, despite having 420hp and 384lb ft of torque – increases of 20hp and 34lb ft over the base Z – the Nismo lugs around an extra 155 pounds of ballast.
The Nissan Z Nismo goes on sale later this year, and our best guess is that it'll start around $60,000 – before awful dealer markups, natch. We'll keep our fingers crossed that the better wheels and tires, stiffer chassis components, and extra power will make up for the manual's absence.

 

[supra93]

 

[not_howard]

The auto translation isnt worth a damn lol