Gaunt

iTrader: (11)

I love that part so much haha. Stig wearing James's purple/pink striped shirt is one of my favorite topgear memories.

Wnts2Go10O

iTrader: (12)

its a very simple thing... as power goes up, speed goes up, yur focus must also go up when driving fast because the speed does not allow for **** ups and slow reactions.

violent_celerity

i think its hilarious the ZR1 smoked an Ariel atom, LP670 lambo, audi, etc. around the track..

CH@Dbee

thats just retarded thats the 370Z Nismo comes with nissan calipers.....i used to own 2004 track edition 350Z and it came from the factory 6 fawking years ago with brembro's and it performed great around the twisties!

bwahhahaaaa awesome!!!!

slowscott

iTrader: (8)

You could not be more wrong if you think any of those cars deserve anything less than widow maker status. More power and higher limits=more scary.

Here is a quote from the article: "Eventually, the Lambo came alive when we really started pushing it and the track warmed up: Some of the rear-end grip went away, which allowed us to rotate the big Lambo into corners and get the power down sooner."

Notice that the car went faster as grip went DOWN. The most "planted" car is not always the best handling or the fastest. The ZR1 is faster due in large part to its handling (the straights showed if anything it had a slight power disadvantage to the lambo).

BAD ASS TA WS6

iTrader: (5)

Lots of cars experience brake fade. On a magazine rag doll car I wouldn't doubt the brake fluid hasn't been changed since it left the dealer. In which case it's been beat to death, and the brake fluid is probably junk. Those cars are like orgy ******, and just get passed around.

The 370Z is still a good car, with I'm sure a decent brake setup.

sciff5

iTrader: (1)

the braking issue has nothing to do with the calipers. The brakes are made I believe by akebono, which is like the japanese brembo. The brakes on those cars are pretty damn serious. but they must put ****** autozone pads on those things. With a pad change I doubt you'de ever have a problem even at the track

Wesmanw02

iTrader: (4)

Interesting you should make that comparison, considering the Mustang GT in this test is equipped with basically the same exact brakes as LS1 F-bodies came with, being dual piston PBR aluminum calipers up front and single piston aluminum calipers in the rear. Same size rotors up front as well.

Yet the Mustang GT didn't experience any dramatic fade, the pedal never even got close to touching the floor, and the car never crashed.

Track brakes should come on any car thats designed to be driven in a performance manner. Power is useless without control, and a large part of that control is brakes. Nissan sells you a $40,000 370Z with the NISMO package, which is basically the track pack according to the Nissan website. yet they equip it with a shitty brake system and inferior calipers.

My '08 Cobalt SS came with Brembos from the factory, there is no excuse for Nissan cheaping out on them.

Wesmanw02

iTrader: (4)

Thats basically an insult to Brembo. Akebono is best known for their calieprs that came on Jeep Grand Cherokees. Not high performance brake systems.

Look at the Nissan GTR, Subaru STI, and Mitsubishi Evolution. All equipped with Brembos, even though Brembo is Italian and Akebono is Japanese. They wanted good brakes, not something thats going to fail after 2 laps, which is why they went with the best. Theres a reason Brembos are used on almost all high end performance cars, and its because they are top quality.

The brakes on the 370Z obviously aren't "serious", or the car wouldn't have crashed. Pads won't make the pedal drop to the floor either. The 350Z had track pads, and those brakes were still horrible. You honestly think all the other cars in the test were equipped with track pads?? No, they were equipped with OEM pads designed for street and light track use. Yet nobody else had this problem. Don't try and make excuses, Nissans entire brake systems are junk.

slowscott

iTrader: (8)

Agreed. The stock 4th gen brakes are far from the best but they hold up fairly well and were often praised by the rags for their fade resistance.

In one of my favorite old road and track articles a 2001 SS beat the M roadster, S2000, slk320 and boxster S around Thunderhill Park.

The z's brakes, harsh engine, and overall performance is embarrassing for a $40k car advertised as a track toy.

Irunelevens

All the more reason to buy a base 370Z for ~$30k and go from there

Wesmanw02

iTrader: (4)

If Nissan's "track" brakes are that bad, I can only imagine how bad their standard brakes are....

Irunelevens

Probably about the same... which is why I said "go from there." IE; don't leave it stock

Ke^in

Yeah a lot of the time it's cheaper to buy a lower end model and upgrade it than buying a the higher end one.

chaman

iTrader: (5)

Cheaper...could be...stupid? yes, IMO. You will end up modifying them both right? So, why go with the lower end of the spectrum when the higher end is a better "modding" base to start with. What you say is only true if both models (cheap and high end) share the same mechanics and the difference is cosmetic, if the best drivetrain and engine is in the high end model...why not getting that instead?

ThisBlood147

Well it's one thing when you're talking about the higher end model having a better drivetrain or a lighter chassis. But in the case of cars like the base Z vs its optioned performance model, all you're talking about is some slightly better factory suspension parts. Aftermarket replacements will beat that out all day long. I would never pay extra on a toy like the Z for better suspension, brake pads, or tires. Those are things I'd likely replace myself anyways.....and with far better hardware than OEM stuff.

amstech

So it has shitty rotors..... is it that big if a deal?

StoleIt

iTrader: (3)

On the car that is supposed to be "track prepped?" I'd say so.

Wesmanw02

iTrader: (4)

More like shitty pads, calipers, and rotors. Basically a really shitty brake system on a $40,000 car that supposed to be "track ready".

TT632

iTrader: (3)

I thought they said the pedal went to the floor. Which is indicative of boiling brake fluid, and considering solids aren't compressible, its most likely what is at fault. I don't recall this happening with any f-bodys that were magazine tested. Not that it couldn't happen.