Ekona

That you're not as well known and the dyno you used wasn't proven? I dunno, just a stab in the dark.

Different yes, but not that much quicker really. Unless you're on a really straight road, the 2.2 will handle better than the tubby and much closer to the VXR. Again, in a straight line the Zed will pass the 2.2, but on the twisty stuff the VX will be more than a match for it. Then again, you'll be freezing your knackers off in the VX and constantly wondering what that new rattle is, whereas you'll be somewhat more relaxed in the 350 One of the best pax rides I've ever had was in a 2.2 with Nitrons and a set of throttle bodies round Bedford GT. Easily on a par with my stg2 VXR in terms of speed, both straight line and cornering. Truly an awesome car.

Hey Nik, don't think I ever spoke to you directly over on vx220.org but I recognise the car and username, I owned VXR number 20 for almost 2 years and spent many an hour on that forum. The 350Z is no less usable than the VX over here really, it was harder to get used to the VX than it was to go large to the Zed. It's a very different driving experience and whilst you'll never be as quick as the VX, I've found that the Zed does have a remarkable ability to give you an immense amount of feedback and it gives you confidence to push on where you might hold back in the VX, where the cost of a clam is never far from your mind... In all honesty, if I had the space on my drive I'd have kept my VXR and bought a shed so that's what I'd do in your position. Saying that, if you do decide that you want a change then you'll love the 350Z as it really is the perfect compromise and I don't regret swapping at all. Gimme a shout if you've got any specific questions about swapping over and I'll try to answer them for you.

No-one is going to buy a Nissan over a Porsche, whether it's a 370Z for a Cayman S or a GT-R for a 911. You either want the charisma (370Z and 911) or you want the quicker car (Cayman S and GT-R). I admire Nissan's balls, but think they're missing the target somewhat. Still, at least they're bothering to make sporty cars still, eh Honda and Toyota?

So 330bhp and 10kg less? Very nice. It doesn't make up entirely for the fact it's butt-ugly, but it does show where most of the budget was spent.

You ever used T1Rs? Definitely 1K miles to get it all off, they plaster them in it. Shouldn't matter if it's under acceleration or not, the car will still detect any amount of slip and reduce power accordingly.

And I bet it cost you an absolute fortune, which is what people are saying here.

Traction control works (in general) by sensing the level of grip at each corner, the theory being that if one corner loses grip then you're either driving like a tit or you're driving on something you shouldn't be, so it'll remove power from that corner to sort things out. I think the Zed works by simply cutting spark to the plugs so you get zero power to the back end. With brand-new and ultra-slippy (for the first thousand miles until the release agent has scrubbed off) Toyos on the back and Bridgestones on the front, worn or not, everytime you put your foot down even a fraction the rear is wanting to step out more than the front, whether you can feel it or not. The car reacts quicker than you, so kicks the TC in to sort you out.

Yup, using the very dated compact flash cards that no-one (save D-SLR owners) uses any more. SD card or USB slot would've made far more sense.

Nevermind that... Compact flash?! That's the cassette player format of the 00's! That said, there's an AUX IN on the other flavour of audio, so at least someone was listening.

Speedferries are definitely in administration now. Refund time methinks.

He's up in Derby with the IMOC/Le Mans crew that weekend so definitely can't make it. Bugger.

AVI are horrendously big files, convert to MP4 or even 3GP. Loads of free programs on the interweb that'll do it for you.

It'd need to be a numberplate 6ft wide by 5ft tall

But what if he'd only been there a few weeks, and the manager was just seeing how he'd do? He may not have had any real power and had been told to go and check with the manager every time, so you'd be criticising him for something that's not his fault. Confidence and trust is earned, and we all had to start somewhere.

Is it wrong that I'm almost disappointed that I'm not on there?

That's one of the ugliest cars I've seen for years. It makes the Daewoo Matiz seem like a stunning piece of art.

+millionty I'd never swap my MPS for anything else now, regardless of wear or cost. Like you say, they're the only thing keeping you on the black stuff so you want something really decent on there and seeing as how the MPS are better in the wet AND dry then the Falkens, I think you'd be mad to swap. Tbh if I were a bit closer I'd snatch your MPS off you in a shot.

Agreed, here's hoping he's back on his feet in no time.

I'd leave out the name and details of where and whom you bought your car off Rich, as it kills the tone of the letter completely and comes across as more 'ner ner ner' than an attempt to complain. In all honesty mate I'd leave out any details about the money side of it at all as every dealer in the world has different ideas of what stuff should sell as, and if you want to complain do it about the rubbish service on the first visit and the attitude of the manager on the second one. As for servicing, I go to Glyn Hopkin in Bishop's Stortford. Really friendly staff, and if you remove the useless bits of the service then they do charge you less but you still get the stamp in the book.

I think we're probably going to do P&O Dover to Calais. Works out at £79 (an extra tenner over what SF wanted) for very similar crossing times, so that seems a pretty good albeit obvious option for me.

Bugger, already booked my tickets with SpeedFerries for next year! Just had my confirmation via JustTickets about my grandstand seats as well so at least that's one less thing to worry about, but will have to sort the ferries out again now... Cheers for the heads up, Lexx.

Definitely not oiled, or at least it comes with such a fine spray on it you'd never notice (or coat the MAF). Tbh when mine goes (probably in about 15K miles) I'll replace it with an A'Pexi one regardless.

Popcharger is a dry filter as well Rich. I need to sort meself out either a chrome or carbon intake pipe for mine at some point. Maybe Santa will look after me this year...!

I found it slightly better than last week, but that's not saying a great deal. Will Young was a far better guest than Parky, but that 500 was more camp than Will in a row of pink tents owned by Dale Winton, SS or not. The ZR1, on the other hand... I'd love that. Beautiful car, and that engine!