From A to Zed

Hi CS, If you could pass on the details to me that would be great. Thanks, Matt. I wonder if you get the 313bhp engine.... hhmm

Thanks guys, I'll dig out the axle stands and take a look. Btw, I love your excuse for needing the cover off. Top work on splashing the cash on your conversion

Hi everyone, I've noticed a light scuffing noise when driving over those small speed bumps that are narrower than the track of my car. Basically the little ones that prevent fire engines or ambulances from slowing down. When I got home I had a look under the car and I noticed that the plastic cover under the engine has taken the toll of 50k of driving and looks a bit loose / tired. This was noted on my last service but most of the bolts are rusted / in bad shape so Nissan decided it was too hard o fix A good friend of mine is a member on Scoobynet (some kind of Nissan Bluebird with a turbocharged beetle engine) and the guys on their forum remove the plastic due to similar issues. Has anyone removed theirs? I don't know if it has any aerodynamic properties or my engine bay will fill with road grime if do…. I'm hoping to lower my Zed soon so this is only going to get worse. Thanks, Matt

Hi Chris, Another member was in a similar quandary a few weeks back. Here's some food for thought; http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18579 Matt

I think the 4 smaller tips look really good, very subtle indeed. That Kuro needs some wax though! It would be a great mod, go and set a trend

Thanks Drewbie, not patronising at all. Like I said it’s my first RWD and first 'larger' car so I have a lot to learn and tune in to. Once the weather clears up and I'm going to invest in a track day / training session to familiarise myself with the characteristics of the car. All the best, Matt

Thanks Ian, that kind of makes me feel better! You're probably right too Chris, the little French cars are featherweight flyers and naturally you get more noise through the wheel in FWD cars. There's also the weight to think about, the Zed is 500kg heavier than anything else I've owned. I'm going to order from ARB's and springs from Z1 soon and get the car set up at TDI in Essex, hopefully it will feel better then. I'm also going to try some driver training once the car is sorted and the frost is cleared. Hopefully I'll have a better feel for the car then. ... Anyway, back to work for me!

Hi Andy, 35 PSI all round. The last owner had put Avons (on the RAYS) so I was hoping things would improve when I changed to Falkens but no joy... I'm running the standard 225 (front) and 245 (rears). Cheers, Matt

Hi chaps, and Happy New Year to all. I’ve owned my Zed for almost a year now and although I love the car I do find the steering a little vague with very little feedback either side of dead ahead, I find the lack of feel/feedback slightly unnerving when turning into shallow/quick turns on narrow roads. My last few cars have been a 205 GTI, 106 GTI and Clio Cup so I'm used to cars with great feedback and good steering feel. My main gripe with my Zed is that I can't really feel it 'weighting up' in a corner and I end up driving much slower than the car is capable of... This is starting to frustrate me a little now and blunt my enjoyment, hence the post. For reference I'm running Rota GTR's with Falken 452's in the standard (RAYS) sizes from Big Phil (so they're balanced perfectly). The car has all the original chassis stickers under the bonnet / door jams so I doubt it’s a serious chassis / accident issue. My car has done 50k and as I fitted the wheels myself I've not had the tracking and alignment checked since owning it. Does anyone think this could this be the culprit, or experienced anything similar?? After all the great press I bought the Zed over say a Z4 or TT for the extra driver appeal but I feel a little let down with the steering. Oh, and my tyres have done about 3k so they’re bed in. Thanks, Matt

Be careful mate, they might tow the car and they WILL have a bunch of heavies and ferral dogs at the car lot... This happened to a friend a mine a few weeks ago, he fancied himself until he saw the guys at the lot! You're lucky it was Timmy space rather than a Jimmy space, the fine is much more

I'm not sure about this.... Sounds like a load of hot air to me...

That's a tough one, I've been thinking the same! I'm not enitrely sure but I guess a new car is going to fall straight into the top band for road tax? If I were a betting man I would also punt on fuel getting more expensive in the medium to longer term. Also factor in the economic climate, which looks pretty bleak, and you could be facing a significant loss in 24 months... It depends if you heart rules your head I guess... Do you think an 08 car is that much better than an 05 model for the layout??? I hope I'm not putting you off but I would be tempted to keep the extra cash in the current climate. It's still a lot of car of 20k though and it will look great on the drive!! Matt

I would debadge it and see how it looks first. I'm pleased with mine and you can always pick one up if you feel the urge to replace it:)

Hi mate, Envy have a lot of braces and all sorts: http://www.envyperformance.com/ Select you car and check the suspension/chassis section on the left hand side. I think they have an ebay store too but ebay is blocked at my office. I would imagine Adam Z1 Auto's has a lot too if you don't mind shipping from across the pond.

I'm looking in the wrong place or does that Zed need some tyre gel?

Best colour, best interior

Thanks Adam, quick question; a swaybar is basically the American term for anti roll bar (ARB's) right? I'm very tempted by the package as it's more preferable than taking two products and hoping they work together! Matt

Thanks Pagnobito, I have aftermarket wheels and Big Phil got the offset spot on so they fill the arches nicely. I'm basically looking for a little drop, for the style, and something to sharpen the handling a touch. I think most folk on here have either fitted just the springs or gone the whole nine yards with coilovers and ARB's etc. I was looking for something halfway to keep the budget in check... Cheers, Matt

Hi all, Has anyone tried fitting ARB’s and springs rather going all out and fitting coilovers? I've read some recent posts and noted the great results but I can't really justify spending another £800 odd on coilovers as my brake discs and pads will need changing next year... I'm considering something like this from the Z1 site: http://www.z1auto.com/prodmore.asp?mode ... rodid=3283 I want the car to look a bit tougher and handle a bit sharper but I drive well within the car’s limits (and my own) so I think coilovers are probably OTT for my needs... I might do a track day at some point but it’s not something I intend to get serious about… We all know about intentions on there though! Thanks guys, Matt

I 'think' it has a small fan inside so you're basically attaching a hairdryer to your intake... Just remember to keep it off the hot setting

Hey Josh, lotuscc, Have you noticed much of a drop in performance since fitting your de cats / high flow cats respectively? I've heard you can lose anything up to 40ft/lb of torque but I'm a sucker for noise too Cheers, Matt

Great stuff Andrew, I hope you get to spend a family Christmas together. ESR has contributed so much to this site, here's hoping that continues for years to come. All the best, Matthew.

Great guide, also good to see the Dutch tackle big jobs with a cup of tea of first

Personally I'm not sure what the RAC cover and what comeback you would get if they missed something, hopefully someone on here can add to that?? Generally speaking the car is pretty tough mechanically so check for full service history and check the brakes and clutch if the miles are higher. My Z has done 53k and it still feels solid. It's the bodywork that's harder to spot. The friend I mentioned was spotting things I would have missed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying spook you!! There are plenty of good examples out there, a check might help you avoid a lemon though!

Hi buddy, I had a look at few 350's (under 10k in price) with a friend who wanted a Z on a tight budget... All the ones we looked at had been re painted in various places and in some cases quite poorly. Of course this could have been an innocent car park ding repaired but then again it could be something more serious being covered up... In all cases the seller the denied any knowledge of repairs. If you're looking at spending 10k stick with the private market. The ones the traders get hold off are generally to rough for the forecourts (of the dealers) and off loaded to the traders on the cheap. You should be able to find a clean, early UK car within budget. Just check the service history and go over the bodywork carefully. Take a leather with you if it's raining / frosty so you can see the paint dry. Rain or beaded water will cover up any imperfections. Good luck.