Nismo 370Z Thoughts?

[grudas]

the e86 is a coupe so much less road noise. however it would still have the terrible lowered suspension, big alloys, etc which makes it feel like you are driving a tractor over a field.

i take it you have never driven an x5? not having to brace yourself for every pot hole like your in a plane about to do a crash landing is far better daily drive experience

no don't recall having to brace my self. Not sure what your experience with e85 is but on non standard non runflat tyres they're absolutely fine.

my is250 lexus is comfy as hell and handles the crap roads I drive on perfectly. My s2000 on stiff ohlins suspension doesn't feel to bad either on the same roads.

you must be old or brittle.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

no don't recall having to brace my self. Not sure what your experience with e85 is but on non standard non runflat tyres they're absolutely fine.

my is250 lexus is comfy as hell and handles the crap roads I drive on perfectly. My s2000 on still ohlins suspension doesn't feel to bad either on the same roads.

you must be old or brittle.

i'm neither.

it's a weekend car. as a daily driver it's a horrible place to be.

it's for fun only. not for slogging it to work and back.

putting 17"s on would likely turn it into a livable daily with bigger tyres.

 

[grudas]

i'm neither.

it's a weekend car. as a daily driver it's a horrible place to be.

it's for fun only. not for slogging it to work and back.

putting 17"s on would likely turn it into a livable daily with bigger tyres.

let's agree to disagree.

I think it's easy to daily something like an e85. We're not talking about a fully stripped out mx5 here.

 

[HoneyBadger]

I really like these, I saw one int he flesh the other morning and it was a right looker. Can't help but feel though that it lives in the GTR's shadow?

 

[rare]

I want one. They look fantastic in Nismo spec.

Sure they are rather old school, and an m240i etc would no doubt run rings around it, but the ‘obvious’ options (135/140/Golf R etc) are so boring. My biggest concern is the road noise in the cabin. I would have to use it as a daily and I’m quite sensitive to noise...need to try and get a drive in one.

 

[kaku]

Question for the OP, are these really as noisy as everyone suggests on the road? Cabin noise that is.

Something about this car really appeals to me but I would have to use it everyday. Concerned it would be a little too noisy to do 50 miles in a day...

Not the OP, but I'm coming up to 2 years ownership on mine.

I would say road noise is fairly noticeable, but I've not driven enough other cars with big wheels/low profile tyre combo to compare effectively. Mine has the Bridgestone Potenza RE050As, I've heard changing brands can have a big effect too.
Transmission/clutch noise is also pretty loud, especially at low speeds (I'm noticing this more with the cold weather and it taking longer for things to get up to temp). It can be a mild inconvenience crawling through the city centre, but really who would buy a car like this to do that?

Neither of the above bother me by the time I'm going and I've got music on. I'll look into something like PS4S or similar when the time comes, but I'm hardly in a rush.

 

[Nasher]

I want one. They look fantastic in Nismo spec.

Sure they are rather old school, and an m240i etc would no doubt run rings around it, but the ‘obvious’ options (135/140/Golf R etc) are so boring. My biggest concern is the road noise in the cabin. I would have to use it as a daily and I’m quite sensitive to noise...need to try and get a drive in one.

Old School is way more fun.

 

[rare]

Not the OP, but I'm coming up to 2 years ownership on mine.

I would say road noise is fairly noticeable, but I've not driven enough other cars with big wheels/low profile tyre combo to compare effectively. Mine has the Bridgestone Potenza RE050As, I've heard changing brands can have a big effect too.
Transmission/clutch noise is also pretty loud, especially at low speeds (I'm noticing this more with the cold weather and it taking longer for things to get up to temp). It can be a mild inconvenience crawling through the city centre, but really who would buy a car like this to do that?

Neither of the above bother me by the time I'm going and I've got music on. I'll look into something like PS4S or similar when the time comes, but I'm hardly in a rush.

Thanks for that much appreciated. What MY is yours, have you found it to be reliable? Is it any good sitting at 70 odd to cover small legs of distance or does it become quite intolerable?

 

[rare]

Old School is way more fun.

I had a late N55 E83 135i with a remap and while it was quick it bored the heck out of me. I never fell for it in anyway even though it was quite capable. The 370Z in Nismo trim is rare and looks a lot more special. I guess part of the sacrifice for that is acknowledging it isn’t as comfortable/modern or usable as a German alternative...

 

[Psycho Sonny]

let's agree to disagree.

I think it's easy to daily something like an e85. We're not talking about a fully stripped out mx5 here.

Rose tinted glasses you have on.

It's a very harsh, low down, noisy ride with thin tyres.

There is nothing satisfying about that in a daily.

Mind you live in London so your top speed will be 3mph so the potholes won't really feel like much.

 

[Nasher]

I had a late N55 E83 135i with a remap and while it was quick it bored the heck out of me. I never fell for it in anyway even though it was quite capable. The 370Z in Nismo trim is rare and looks a lot more special. I guess part of the sacrifice for that is acknowledging it isn’t as comfortable/modern or usable as a German alternative...

I don't find VAG cars that comfortable. Most of them have **** damping. Maybe it works better on German roads.

 

[kaku]

Thanks for that much appreciated. What MY is yours, have you found it to be reliable? Is it any good sitting at 70 odd to cover small legs of distance or does it become quite intolerable?

MY is 17, just ticked over 10k miles. No issues as of yet - there was one instance of the Nav screen fogging up from what appeared to be the back, but I've not seen it since so I've put it down to a cold snap or a chance fan/vent configuration.

I do a ~200 mile round trip in it about 3 times a month and it's no bother at all (mostly cruise control on & relax). The rest of the driving I do is purely for pleasure. I think the road noise depends a lot on the quality of the surface (which in the UK isn't always great!) but honestly I don't really notice it. I might think my stereo's a bit loud as I'm pulling up at home but that's about it.

IMO cruising at higher speeds is where this car excels - it's a bit porky so I can see being stuck in 0 - 40 - 0 start/stop rush hour traffic a bit of a pain. If I'm being totally nit-picky I would say the Nismo suspension is a bit too hard for average UK roads. Having said that, find a nice stretch with some decent bends and it's amazing how nimble it feels; just goes exactly where you point it and sounds fantastic in the upper rev range.

 

[grudas]

Rose tinted glasses you have on.

It's a very harsh, low down, noisy ride with thin tyres.

There is nothing satisfying about that in a daily.

Mind you live in London so your top speed will be 3mph so the potholes won't really feel like much.

No I live in West Sussex and my daily commute is 18ish miles each way through country lanes. Z4 did the job fine as a daily. I think you're simply spoiled by big comfy SUVs and expect sports car to do the same thing.

 

[rare]

MY is 17, just ticked over 10k miles. No issues as of yet - there was one instance of the Nav screen fogging up from what appeared to be the back, but I've not seen it since so I've put it down to a cold snap or a chance fan/vent configuration.

I do a ~200 mile round trip in it about 3 times a month and it's no bother at all (mostly cruise control on & relax). The rest of the driving I do is purely for pleasure. I think the road noise depends a lot on the quality of the surface (which in the UK isn't always great!) but honestly I don't really notice it. I might think my stereo's a bit loud as I'm pulling up at home but that's about it.

IMO cruising at higher speeds is where this car excels - it's a bit porky so I can see being stuck in 0 - 40 - 0 start/stop rush hour traffic a bit of a pain. If I'm being totally nit-picky I would say the Nismo suspension is a bit too hard for average UK roads. Having said that, find a nice stretch with some decent bends and it's amazing how nimble it feels; just goes exactly where you point it and sounds fantastic in the upper rev range.

Thanks a lot I really appreciate the information. Interesting that you rate it so well at cruising. I really need to check the road noise out for myself to see what all the commotion is about. I gather post 2015 they made some updates to sound insulation in the rear to overcome some of the negative feedback.

Being a 2017 does yours have the updated clutch? From what I can gather that’s one of the only improvements and changes to look for between 2015-19, otherwise they are all largely the same.

 

[dacads]

Been looking at these too recently, wouldn't mind adding some forced induction too it either but that wouldn't be cheap and more of a dream!

Still cheaper than a GTR mind you even with a supercharger or turbocharger and arguably more fun and raw.

In the flesh it's definitely a car that stands out, for one I wouldn't mind extra cabin noise if it's from the intake for example.

I have a BMW 130i and it's far too quiet inside even with a performance exhaust and to be honest Japanese cars have always interested me far more than anything German.

 

[Nasher]

Been looking at these too recently, wouldn't mind adding some forced induction too it either but that wouldn't be cheap and more of a dream!

Still cheaper than a GTR mind you even with a supercharger or turbocharger and arguably more fun and raw.

In the flesh it's definitely a car that stands out, for one I wouldn't mind extra cabin noise if it's from the intake for example.

I have a BMW 130i and it's far too quiet inside even with a performance exhaust and to be honest Japanese cars have always interested me far more than anything German.

Japanese sports cars are all fun and characterful, you can't go wrong with any of them really. They have a feel to them which you don't get elsewhere.

 

[Dominic-Toretto]

Question for the OP, are these really as noisy as everyone suggests on the road? Cabin noise that is.

Something about this car really appeals to me but I would have to use it everyday. Concerned it would be a little too noisy to do 50 miles in a day...

Hey, the newer cars had an increased amount of noise insulation put in IIRC. I would not say it was noisy at all to be honest, they are quiet cars with the stock exhaust.

 

[Dominic-Toretto]

Also as an update to this thread, I actually sold this car a little while ago. It was a decent car, but the interior quality was lacking and my last car (35is) has spoiled me. So back on the market for another Z4 haha.

 

[rare]

To be honest, a 35i or 35iS is also on my list...something about the Nismo appeals, but I know the Z4 would be a much nicer daily.

 

[Nasher]

Try the regular 370z which is less harsh.

But your only ever going to find functional interiors in Jap sports cars, the money goes in to whats underneath. They drive brilliantly and they don't break. Most are surprisingly comfortable though (assuming your not a large fella because they tend to be snug ).