Is Nissan really serious about improving the Z's handling?

[DevonK]

Normally by the stage of the development cycle the Z has now reached, for any serious sports/performance car there are plenty of photos and videos of prototypes testing out on a track (see for example the recent videos of the 2023 Civic Type R on the Ring). My memory may be off here but I don't recall seeing even one shot of the Z being tested at any track to date. Makes me wonder if Nissan is just conceding the field on the handling front....

 

[tractng]

I agree. One of the reasons I never owned a 370z was that I had previously owned 2004 (base) & 2005 (roadster) 350z. I always thought they were too similar. I hope the new Z has better handling. Just sold my MIata ND1 which had go cart handling.

Have not seen any news of the new Z on the track yet.

 

[trackratZ]

The only 'development' I saw was last year, a 370Z-bodied mule at the Ring, nothing after that. The reviews will come but right now I don't think Nissan has ANY full production-ready models for testing, just those pre-prods running around and the display queens.

 

[jdm-rhd]

nissan may feel it's performance is already proven for the most part since it's a slightly modified chassis that's been out for over a decade, coupled with an engine they have produced for years.

the test mule kinda proves that and the stories from nissan and other sources that say they have been developing the z secretly for years.

the test drivers beating on the pre-production cars is probably plenty good information in nissans eyes...

 

[DevonK]

Street driving is never going to provide engineers with the kind of feedback they need to improve handling at the limit - which is precisely where critics like Chris Harris have found the current Z to be sorely lacking.

 

[jdrxb9]

Not just the critics.
In SCCA autocross street class (minimal mods), circa 2015 the Z was competitive (at least marginally) with the BRZ/FRS and NC.
These days, the ND2 rules that class (the FRS/86 with TRD parts is still there, but a half step back),
the 'regular' FRS/86/BRZ are one step down (getting trashed by the ITRCTR), and the Z is one class below that (against ponycars) and still not competitive there.
BTW, the Supra is a class above the ND2 - I'll be very (pleasantly) surprised if the new Z is competitive there.

 

[trackratZ]

Not just the critics.
In SCCA autocross street class (minimal mods), circa 2015 the Z was competitive (at least marginally) with the BRZ/FRS and NC.
These days, the ND2 rules that class (the FRS/86 with TRD parts is still there, but a half step back),
the 'regular' FRS/86/BRZ are one step down (getting trashed by the ITR), and the Z is one class below that (against ponycars) and still not competitive there.
BTW, the Supra is a class above the ND2 - I'll be very (pleasantly) surprised if the new Z is competitive there.

Yeah I don't have any clue as far as which SCCA Autocross class will be home for the new Z. My guess is B Stock, where I don't think will be competitive enough. In Street Touring, I'm not sure either. I seriously don't think Nissan did that much tuning on the chassis to make it a huge improvement over the 370Z. But with 400hp, I just hope they addressed the various cooling issues and brake problems, at least CSC is not a factor. 400 hp is enough of a base for more tuning, it's a good motor.

I'll know for sure as soon as mine is broken in, as baseline, tracking locally here. It better produce better laptimes against my RB 240Z off the bat or I'll be disappointed.

 

[jdm-rhd]

Yeah I don't have any clue as far as which SCCA Autocross class will be home for the new Z. My guess is B Stock, where I don't think will be competitive enough. In Street Touring, I'm not sure either. I seriously don't think Nissan did that much tuning on the chassis to make it a huge improvement over the 370Z. But with 400hp, I just hope they addressed the various cooling issues and brake problems, at least CSC is not a factor. 400 hp is enough of a base for more tuning, it's a good motor.

I'll know for sure as soon as mine is broken in, as baseline, tracking locally here. It better produce better laptimes against my RB 240Z off the bat or I'll be disappointed.

do you plan on stripping anything out to save weight? is your 240 full interior?

 

[trackratZ]

do you plan on stripping anything out to save weight? is your 240 full interior?

Probably keep it stock interior first, maybe a driver's seat, or Nismo V2 seats with harness holes. 240Z is caged.

 

[TiresAlwaysFlat]

Anyone know if the steering of the new Z will be hydraulic assisted and has Nissan looked into the CSC issues the 370Z had?

 

[DevonK]

Anyone know if the steering of the new Z...?

Nope, they went with EPS unfortunately. I loved the 370's hydraulic steering feel at street speeds on test drives.

 

[trackratZ]

Anyone know if the steering of the new Z will be hydraulic assisted and has Nissan looked into the CSC issues the 370Z had?

No more CSC issues, at least the clutch slave cyl is external now, search these forums on any info, most are already talked about.

 

[takemorepills]

There's so many sporty cars with good EPS...although, admittedly there's more with crappy EPS. I wouldn't say going to EPS is automatically a problem until you've driven it yourself and see how you like it.

However, as for Nissan "improving" the Z's handling....highly doubt it. What could they do, change caster, toe, bushings, shocks and spring rates? Would that be enough if none of the hard points change? Probably not...although I don't mind as I do not "track" a car.

I suspect Nissan will double-down on the "Mullet Mobile" aspect of the Z...a boulevard cruiser that handles well enough and puts down impressive power for a fair price. Almost like a ZX. Certainly appealing to some of us! Just wish I could grow a mullet....

 

[DevonK]

^ Well taken together all those potential setup alterations you listed sure make a huge difference in a car's handling in good driving and racing sims. And there is a gigantic performance aftermarket sector that makes similar claims for real-world products along those lines, so I think significant handling improvements might be doable despite the Z retaining the same basic chassis. Whether Nissan has invested the time and money needed to make that happen is another thing altogether.

 

[DevonK]

In addition to providing critical suspension setup feedback, only track testing can thoroughly check for a number of potential problems:

• Engine oil or fuel starvation at high gs
• Engine and turbo overheating
• Brake fade, overheating, and excessive pad wear
• And any other factors that might result in the car entering limp mode after a few laps