New Nissan Z Will Be a 'Dance Partner,' Says Chief Engineer

trackratZ

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Getting a 3400+ lb partner to dance is tricky to do, especially at this price point, and given the constraints imposed by a carryover chassis that was not too successful at it in the 370Z. Can't wait to find out if they succeeded.
I'm waiting for those chassis and suspension tweaks (mounting points, shock valving, etc) in whatever 'sport tuned' means per the specs. The 370Z had some major shortcomings like brakes, cooling, and some already fixed, i.e. CSC. If the Z can be so balanced even though 0-60 might be lacking I'll be really happy to track it. Of course will add our own corner balancing, maybe better tires, coilovers, etc. One positive is, the VR30DDTT is not that much heavier to affect the chassis much.

I've owned lesser hp cars that were way fun on the twisties, Mazdaspeed Miata and E46 M3.
 

HLS30-49788

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"The GT-R is the track star, a tool to generate immense speed and grip...". No argument, but it's also tons of fun as an everyday driver, as attested to being on my fifth set of tires as I near 50,000 miles. [It ain't cheap in any way. $1050 for a drive-train fluid change, and $3439 parts & labor, to replace a malfunctioning ABS Pump so I could pass annual inspection, both this month.] Also, good at avoiding traffic. If I'm first in a lane at a stop light, I'm a block ahead of the rest without even flooring it, and the handling in corners and lane changes? Like it was on rails.
 

Stevewithaz

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It will probably easily take the 2.0, but the 15% faster than the 370Z from Nissan would put it at 4.1 seconds I believe. Which would still make it slower than the 3.0.
Yeah and that will be a problem honestly.
 

bboypuertoroc

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It will probably easily take the 2.0, but the 15% faster than the 370Z from Nissan would put it at 4.1 seconds I believe. Which would still make it slower than the 3.0.
I think that's a conservative number. I think a decent driver on a decent surface should be able to hit sub-4 second 60 times.

I hope.
 

takemorepills

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First off, I think the new Z (performance 9AT model) will be dead even in a actual drag race with the 3.0 Supra. Comparing 1/4 mile times the Supra might be a whisker ahead of the new Z, but in real life it'll be up to chance.
Remember, the 4047 lb AWD Q60 with the older 7AT is 0-60 in 4.4, the new Z is 600 pounds lighter, (hopefully, likely) the 9AT is clearly superior to the 7AT, no AWD drive line losses, and launch control and y'all are lamenting the car would only get to 60 in 4.1? All those improvements are only worth -0.3sec? Have more faith.
Nissan is probably being conservative in their claims to prevent BMW from dropping a +30hp tune into the 2023 Supra, because we know BMW won't sit by idle if the Z has equivalent straight-line chops as the Supra, and we know BMW can just turn up the HP a bit to easily get back on top. Nissan won't do that, so this way they get 1 model year they can brag.

If y'all focus so much on 0-60, I'd like to point you to the Tesla Model 3.
 

therumblewagon

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I drove a Miata for 10 years so I'll take some cornering skill in lieu of straight line performance. Not to mention the looks/feel aspect!
I wish I had mine for that long, however even today I'd still take a Miata over *any* Tesla model.
 

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I drove a Miata for 10 years so I'll take some cornering skill in lieu of straight line performance. Not to mention the looks/feel aspect!
I've driven my friend's Model 3 Dual Motor Performance model, then jumped right back into my Q60 with the Infiniti Sports exhaust muffler, and I much prefer my Q60 over the Tesla, if only because of my bias to a great sounding engine.

I know electric cars are superior, but I'm a died-in-the-wool petrohead. The sounds of complicated machinery converting explosions into motive power is my preference!
 

takemorepills

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Another Q60 based fun-fact, I have the older, VQ37 powered AWD Q60. It does 0-60 in 5.4, a solid +0.6 longer than the 370Z 7AT takes (generally 4.8? Correct me if I'm wrong). The VR30 powered version of my car knocks a full second off of the VQ 5.4, for 4.4 to 60.
Therefore, if going from VQ to VR in the Q was worth an entire full second of improvement, doesn't it stand to say we could also expect the same improvement to the Z?
 

zeeder

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I've driven my friend's Model 3 Dual Motor Performance model, then jumped right back into my Q60 with the Infiniti Sports exhaust muffler, and I much prefer my Q60 over the Tesla, if only because of my bias to a great sounding engine.

I know electric cars are superior, but I'm a died-in-the-wool petrohead. The sounds of complicated machinery converting explosions into motive power is my preference!
I have to admit I'm a little intrigued by the prospect of an affordable electric sports car with a super low center of gravity, great handling characteristics, and the speed/torque of the electric motors in the not too distant future. I like the sound of my Z with the FI HFC and cat-back but I also like the idea of being somewhat incognito when misbehaving! That's why, historically, I've avoided bright colors on my cars...lol.
 

takemorepills

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I have to admit I'm a little intrigued by the prospect of an affordable electric sports car with a super low center of gravity, great handling characteristics, and the speed/torque of the electric motors in the not too distant future. I like the sound of my Z with the FI HFC and cat-back but I also like the idea of being somewhat incognito when misbehaving! That's why, historically, I've avoided bright colors on my cars...lol.
I think that electric "sporty" cars could benefit from a noisier gearbox.

I had a friend who had one of those fast 60's Beetles, it had a 2100DP and the transmission had straight-cut gears. Those straight cut gears sounded awesome.
 

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I think that's a conservative number. I think a decent driver on a decent surface should be able to hit sub-4 second 60 times.

I hope.
Even if that's true the same goes for the Supra. Toyota says 3.9 for the 2021, but it can do it in 3.7 seconds.
 

zeeder

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I think that electric "sporty" cars could benefit from a noisier gearbox.

I had a friend who had one of those fast 60's Beetles, it had a 2100DP and the transmission had straight-cut gears. Those straight cut gears sounded awesome.
I'm sure figuring out a way to generate pleasing aural feedback will be something that will be looked into heavily.
 

Stevewithaz

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Another Q60 based fun-fact, I have the older, VQ37 powered AWD Q60. It does 0-60 in 5.4, a solid +0.6 longer than the 370Z 7AT takes (generally 4.8? Correct me if I'm wrong). The VR30 powered version of my car knocks a full second off of the VQ 5.4, for 4.4 to 60.
Therefore, if going from VQ to VR in the Q was worth an entire full second of improvement, doesn't it stand to say we could also expect the same improvement to the Z?
Excellent posts (both of them). Nissan through a bit of confusion into the mix with the 15% less 0-60 times. I, like you, don't really buy anything yet. What most people don't account for is the motor dynamics itself. It's not just another X horsepower and two extra gears! It's where the motor makes its power and the associated gear ratios.

There are SOOO many wild cards which is why it's fun to bench race LOL. Will it make more to the tire than the vr in the Q? What will the car weigh?

One thing is for sure, I am having fun trying to figure it all out :)
 
 





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