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

[Metal]

Tamura has said that they've increased the torsional stiffness by 10.9% and rear hatch rigidity by 23.9%. So a stiffer chassis with different spring/damping rates and changed angles feels to me like it will handle better. It probably won't be a track monster, but I'm hoping it will be fun and confident in the curves.

 

[jdrxb9]

^ 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 in the real world - many examples out there - just look at the difference between, say, an M240i and an M2C - admittedly some difference in hp (though not so much in torque) and wheel/tire size, but handling-wise most of the difference is just in tuning the same basic setup (and some help from the diff, which the new Z will have over the current one).

 

[DevonK]

Tamura has said that they've increased the torsional stiffness by 10.9%....

That's good, but it's not a huge improvement. The twins increased their torsional rigidity by a whopping 50% on the new gen IIRC.

 

[Donalex]

99% of these cars will never see a track...

 

[jdrxb9]

99% of these cars will never see a track...

Just the layout of this forum is telling...

In contrast, ft86club and miata.net:

 

[dkmura]

Speaking as a SCCA road racer, the Z34 has more than held its own on high-speed circuits over the past decade. But improving the handling of the Z34B means increased torsional rigidity, revising dampening and spring rates, in order to handle a sizable increase in torque. As for seeing any meaningful testing data, its proprietary to Nissan, which probably used the NTC in Arizona as well as Japanese tracks.

Since the new Z will be built on the same FM platform as the Z34, my guess is the rotational point will remain right under the driver's seat. I prefer the Z33's slightly longer wheelbase, with the rotational point slightly behind the driver. Regardless, I think the new Z will be a dynamic handling car that'll be a blast to adapt to.

 

[trackratZ]

Just the layout of this forum is telling...

In contrast, ft86club and miata.net:

True about this forum, compared to those above with more motorsports roots. I wonder how many track regularly like me. Hopefully it will mature later once the Z is out in customers' hands.

 

[therumblewagon]

True about this forum, compared to those above with more motorsports roots. I wonder how many track regularly like me. Hopefully it will mature later once the Z is out in customers' hands.

I very much intend to - used to autocross back in the day, and I'd like to revisit that + hit some of the more infamous tracks around the region (Road Atlanta, Sebring, VIR, etc.). Hell, I've driven those courses so many times via the GT/Forza series' back in the day, I could probably navigate them with my eyes closed lol.

 

[DevonK]

99% of these cars will never see a track...

But the car's on-road handling can still be improved with on-track testing.

 

[dkmura]

I very much intend to - used to autocross back in the day, and I'd like to revisit that + hit some of the more infamous tracks around the region (Road Atlanta, Sebring, VIR, etc.). Hell, I've driven those courses so many times via the GT/Forza series' back in the day, I could probably navigate them with my eyes closed lol.

Sorry to say, while video games can help you learn a bit, there's no way you can truly know how to drive ANY of these tracks until you put on that helmet and drive on-track. At a famous track like Road Atlanta, just one lap dropping into the bridge turn and feeling the world drop away as you fight to hold your line and explode onto the front straight will be enough to convince you.

 

[LC1]

now this is the kind of of talking i'm here for lol track talk. i love reading through eveyone's thoughts on the matter. i have every intention of tracking the car so ill want to know as much as i can before hand. and threads like these are awseome. keep it up guys. unfortunately, i haven't driven a 370z ( or any z for that matter ) before so i cant contribute. ????

 

[trackratZ]

now this is the kind of of talking i'm here for lol track talk. i love reading through eveyone's thoughts on the matter. i have every intention of tracking the car so ill want to know as much as i can before hand. and threads like these are awseome. keep it up guys. unfortunately, i haven't driven a 370z ( or any z for that matter ) before so i cant contribute. ????

Hey if you still have your FD, post pics on the track pics thread, I still have a soft spot for rotaries, auto-xed the first gen in CSP years ago, and driven several FDs on the street but not track. Thx.

 

[therumblewagon]

Sorry to say, while video games can help you learn a bit, there's no way you can truly know how to drive ANY of these tracks until you put on that helmet and drive on-track. At a famous track like Road Atlanta, just one lap dropping into the bridge turn and feeling the world drop away as you fight to hold your line and explode onto the front straight will be enough to convince you.

Oh for sure. I know I was being a bit over-the-top in previous commentary, what I was ultimately trying to say is I can't wait to experience it in person.

now this is the kind of of talking i'm here for lol track talk. i love reading through eveyone's thoughts on the matter. i have every intention of tracking the car so ill want to know as much as i can before hand. and threads like these are awseome. keep it up guys. unfortunately, i haven't driven a 370z ( or any z for that matter ) before so i cant contribute. ????

Right there with you - long time Z fan, will be first time owner. Only Nissan I've owned was a pignose 240. Unfortunately it was in college so didn't have much play money to do much with it, but loved the heck out of it for what it was.

 

[Donalex]

But the car's on-road handling can still be improved with on-track testing.

That's part of R&D...

I would encourage everyone to try autocrossing. It doesn't really damage the car and you learn a lot about how the car responds to handling, which makes you a better driver on the road.

I remember travelling along I-4 at a pretty good clip. The driver in front of me changed lanes to the right. I sped up to close the gap - and then he decided to reclaim his space without looking.

I stabbed my brakes and changed lanes behind him to avoid a collision at 90mph. A technique I used in autocrossing saved my life.

Spacial recognition, vehicle response to input, and snap decision-making are all skills developed in autocrossing.

 

[trackratZ]

That's part of R&D...

I would encourage everyone to try autocrossing. It doesn't really damage the car and you learn a lot about how the car responds to handling, which makes you a better driver on the road.

I remember travelling along I-4 at a pretty good clip. The driver in front of me changed lanes to the right. I sped up to close the gap - and then he decided to reclaim his space without looking.

I stabbed my brakes and changed lanes behind him to avoid a collision at 90mph. A technique I used in autocrossing saved my life.

Spacial recognition, vehicle response to input, and snap decision-making are all skills developed in autocrossing.

Very much on point, I autocrossed for years, lots of valuable practical lessons on how your car behaves at the limit! I once steered to avoid instead of panic braking, knew how the car would handle. Those experiences can translate over to track with great results, you can outbrake, find apexes, etc. know the limits of your car much better.

Most good track day outfits have separate classes from beginners with point-by passing to open passing Red groups, I'd recommend that too. It is more costly but you get tons of lap times for the day. We pay roughly $200 for all day, 4x25 min sessions, for example, with SpeedVentures, not bad.