Fatal Nissan Z Nismo Crash in Japan

[chadhunley]

Good thing it didn't explode and I assume you were wearing your seatbelt cuz you weren't ejected .

The seat belt was definitely a factor in saving my life. I probably would have been ejected out of the back hatch, window was blown completely out.

 

[Bumflik]

The seat belt was definitely a factor in saving my life. I probably would have been ejected out of the back hatch, window was blown completely out.

Miracle save!

 

[FSUZ33]

Were you awake and on your feet after the crash or did they have to haul you away?
That‘s crazy man!!!

 

[chadhunley]

Were you awake and on your feet after the crash or did they have to haul you away?
That‘s crazy man!!!

I actually unbuttoned the seat belt hanging up side down and got out. When I stood up, I was dizzy as hell and my neck was hurting really bad. Other than that, I was good. It was almost like a roll cage was in the car. A spiritual roll cage!

 

[RobotAZ]

These cars just don’t handle well enough to test your limits around trees. There are cars you can push, GR86 and Type R are two that I’ve owned that come to mind, and there are cars that need to be pushed on a track. Z belongs on a track, not backroads, when pushing hard.

 

[EuroMike]

GR86 and Type R are two that I’ve owned that come to mind, and there are cars that need to be pushed on a track. Z belongs on a track, not backroads, when pushing hard.

you are less likely to lose traction and crash with GR86 and Type R because they are not as fast as Z. Floor 86 or Type R then floor Z, difference is huge.

 

[trackratZ]

Doesn't matter what type of car or horsepower, it's almost always Driver Error! Speed, road conditions, weather, etc. you can overdrive any car. The Z is no better, but worse with 400hp and slippery S007s, even the Nismo Dunlops are summer tires with soft compounds, not great in any wet conditions. People will keep crashing on streets and coming out of C&C all the time.

 

[aknoz]

Another punk over drove his skill set. Never underestimate laws of physics. Always prepare for Murphy's law regardless!

 

[takemorepills]

A few years ago, I nicknamed the new Z "Death Missile" after watching the crashed Z thread fill up at an alarming rate.

I had a Q60 AWD which is the same platform as the Z, and even with AWD that car could bite you, it would kick the rear end out if pushed too hard. It could get off the line pretty good and go in a straight line quite rapidly, but I was always apprehensive about high speed curves and I'd scrub speed when approaching high speed curves. The FM platform is very old design and not so good at predictably dealing with high speed curves.

 

[RobotAZ]

you are less likely to lose traction and crash with GR86 and Type R because they are not as fast as Z. Floor 86 or Type R then floor Z, difference is huge.

“Fast” has nothing to do with it. The Z handles very poorly and needs to be on a track. I’ve owned countless cars and stand by the Z being a very fun and poor handling car.

 

[Bumflik]

“Fast” has nothing to do with it. The Z handles very poorly and needs to be on a track. I’ve owned countless cars and stand by the Z being a very fun and poor handling car.

Stock and from the factory true. Must be Fine tuned and given a great deal modifications of suspension, breaks, pads, tires, etc to make it nimble and a capable controlled performance safe auto.

 

[takemorepills]

Stock and from the factory true. Must be Fine tuned and given a great deal modifications of suspension, breaks, pads, tires, etc to make it nimble and a capable controlled performance safe auto.

The FM chassis is effectively "ancient".

Modern chassis, like what BMW constantly provides every generational change, provide far more than better components, importantly, chassis geometry is constantly refined. This is far more important than parts. It's the shape of the suspension components, the way the suspension transmits forces into the body, the points of where those parts are connected to the body, the angles of suspension movements and how it affects tire position.

Because changing the suspension geometry requires changing the body, this would require an expensive investment from Nissan, basically an entirely new class of platform. Nissan seems to not be willing to spend so much money on a niche platform.

This has been the story of many Nissan sporty cars since, well, forever. I can't think of one Nissan sporty vehicle that received praise for being a phenomenal handling vehicle, the Z32 tried, it was significantly different than the Z31, lighter and more powerful, but so close, not quite there.

So, we have a platform introduced more than 20 years ago, recycled through 3 generations, and rarely do we hear from competitive Z owners that simply changing/upgrading components magically makes a Z an amazing handling machine.

Long ago, I owned the previous Zs and realized what Nissan was doing: focusing on style and grand touring. The Z32 tried to be a little better than simply being a GT, but it only got half way there. So, to me as an old school Z enthusiast, the new Z is actually what I'm looking for. It's right on point for Nissan.

My point being, throwing upgraded parts at the Z still won't put it above it's peers, closer, yes. Fun, heck yeah.

 

[Bumflik]

The FM chassis is effectively "ancient".

Modern chassis, like what BMW constantly provides every generational change, provide far more than better components, importantly, chassis geometry is constantly refined. This is far more important than parts. It's the shape of the suspension components, the way the suspension transmits forces into the body, the points of where those parts are connected to the body, the angles of suspension movements and how it affects tire position.

Because changing the suspension geometry requires changing the body, this would require an expensive investment from Nissan, basically an entirely new class of platform. Nissan seems to not be willing to spend so much money on a niche platform.

This has been the story of many Nissan sporty cars since, well, forever. I can't think of one Nissan sporty vehicle that received praise for being a phenomenal handling vehicle, the Z32 tried, it was significantly different than the Z31, lighter and more powerful, but so close, not quite there.

So, we have a platform introduced more than 20 years ago, recycled through 3 generations, and rarely do we hear from competitive Z owners that simply changing/upgrading components magically makes a Z an amazing handling machine.

Long ago, I owned the previous Zs and realized what Nissan was doing: focusing on style and grand touring. The Z32 tried to be a little better than simply being a GT, but it only got half way there. So, to me as an old school Z enthusiast, the new Z is actually what I'm looking for. It's right on point for Nissan.

My point being, throwing upgraded parts at the Z still won't put it above it's peers, closer, yes. Fun, heck yeah.

Good.points !

 

[Bumflik]

Its not going to be on the level of the money R&D of Germans for sure. Drive sensibly and understand we aren't on private race tracks.

 

[Drago86]

I hope this wasn't the dreaded 370z abs error/"Ice mode" that killed the Amuse 370z on best motoring and many other 370z's. I had hoped they finally fixed it on the new Z..