Heavy Dupree

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Good job purposely choosing mostly the early reviews and first drives that are full sunshine and rainbows instead of the real reviews.

Jason Cammisa openly said the Z's steering feels dead af. Also, linear and predictable steering doesn't equal great steering feedback.
Actually Jason's opinion of the steering was "dead the fuck dead", but I avoid holding any single review as sacrosanct unless the majority of opinions agree. I provided 12 examples which didn't necessarily share the same conclusions.

I didn't cherry pick those citations either, search results were limited to written reviews and I went straight down the list without bias. Cammisa's content on the Z is mostly published on YouTube, and fwiw those videos have stellar production quality.
 

takemorepills

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Has anyone taken delivery and already switched tires? A lot of the issues are tire related but have not seen comment where someone actually switched to pilots or other and said wow what a difference! Mine is due in on 3/31 and likely will stay oem unless someone really finds the perfect tire.

I have a 2008 Saturn sky redline turbo we bought a couple years ago with less than 10k miles but had original tires. For safety I immediately bought new tires. I selected continental extreme contacts and having two sky redlines over the years with stock tires the extreme contacts are very sticky!

Be curious if/when owners make their tire swaps to see what they go with and the pros and cons of the switch.
There was a comparison video several months back where the Z was compared to a Supra, and the Z was shod with the same tires as the Supra.

It was still slaughtered.

The problem for the Z is the ancient chassis and the outdated suspension geometry.

BMW constantly tweaks suspension geometry on its vehicles. Nissan doesn't have the engineering and/or budget to keep up.

A lot of people think better tires, brakes, other parts can make the Z competitive. Those items can help, but the core defincies are baked in to the geometry of the legacy suspension parts.
 

trackratZ

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A lot of people think better tires, brakes, other parts can make the Z competitive. Those items can help, but the core defincies are baked in to the geometry of the legacy suspension parts.
The suspension design, double wishbone, is fine, it needs 'tuning' outside of factory parameters, i.e. camber plates and proper cornerweighting. Basic bones, although old, is still better than strut design. Factory vs factory, can't compete with BMW chassis.
 

takemorepills

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The suspension design, double wishbone, is fine, it needs 'tuning' outside of factory parameters, i.e. camber plates and proper cornerweighting. Basic bones, although old, is still better than strut design. Factory vs factory, can't compete with BMW chassis.
Obviously, I am not very good at explaining the technical reasons why the legacy suspension geometry isn't competitive in 2023.
So, I'm just going to wait for you to show me a new Z, modded as you suggest, actually be competitive on a track against a BMW Supra.
I think I'm going to be waiting a long time....
 

trackratZ

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Obviously, I am not very good at explaining the technical reasons why the legacy suspension geometry isn't competitive in 2023.
So, I'm just going to wait for you to show me a new Z, modded as you suggest, actually be competitive on a track against a BMW Supra.
I think I'm going to be waiting a long time....
Oh yeah, I'm excited to set one up, but will not be easy, Supra's Toyota factory tuning is excellent:

"The double-joint McPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspensions have been retuned for all ’23 Supras with upgraded shocks designed to further minimize roll without adversely affecting handling. Brembo-based brake hardware is the same as before, but the control system has been recalibrated. They had great initial bite and helped us well throughout our track days. Drive modes are easy to dial in, and work with vehicle stability systems that have also been recalibrated. Plenty of chassis bracing is in place to tie it all together.

The shifter itself is smooth to operate and clutch action feels just right, not too heavy or too light. Integrated electronics not only allow for automatic rev matching, but also manipulate clutch engagement to maximize torque delivery. All-in-all, we’d say the manual is exactly what the Supra needed, as it makes it more fun than before; and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.

2023-toyota-gr-supra-mt-3.jpg
There’s an active rear differential that helps the Supra put power down quite effectively out of corners; with a 3.46 ratio that’s higher than the automatic’s 3.15. It not only provides a much torquier overall feel but keeps the engine in its north of 5,000-rpm sweet spot more often. 275/55 Michelin Pilot Super Sports provided plenty of grip, perfect for minor amounts of controlled oversteer for rotating through corners. For ultra-tight low speed corners, there’s new Hairpin+ programming in the traction control that allows more wheel spin than before, plus the active rear shifts power to keep drive off strong instead of just inducing a bunch of power-on oversteer."

https://www.motorweek.org/reviews/road_tests/2023-toyota-gr-supra-mt
 

MindScape

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Once I take delivery in a few days and get some break in miles on it. My plan is to get back in to autocross. I think it's going to be quite the experience at first until I burn the tires off. All the reviews echo exactly what you just said that there isn't a gradual feel of grip loss you get in a good tire it's a snap feeling of no grip.
You found one and are taking delivery? Woohoo!
Back on topic of tires: I think they chose these tires with less grip on purpose, to let the every day dumbass drivers like myself have 'fun' when we gun it at the freeway entrance and lose traction for a moment with a little chirp. This is my serious guess as to why they chose tires that everyone who wants performance hates, as it's the only thing that makes sense to me (besides cost cutting?)
 

Donalex

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I just don't understand why they'd not source rubber that might add another $200 when the car is in the $50k's.
 
 





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