speedball Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Managed to sell my skyline, took a record 6 hours to sell, so I'm oficially on the look out. I know the new spec car is being released this year with the same power as the GT4, is it worth waiting for? Or should just save the money and spend it on modifying the "old" one??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 It's already out. Main differnces are 20 bhp more. Now same GT4 Improved plastics and switches in the interior Some differnt colours LED Rear Lights Bi Xenon Headlights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 This is a question I ran through my head when deciding on the purchase. Having the "new" version is always something that I like. However, as the differences are fairly minor, it came down to the price and the associated benefits of that cost. as far as the new engine is concerned, it loses torque, but gains BHP. As someone who will probably never take it on a track day, or use all the power the car has to offer, the 300bhp was just a "pub" figure for me. I was happy with 280. With a few tweaks I reckon I could get 300 anyway, but will need to invest in a UTEC or similar if I want to keep the 300. The interior differences are minor, and having had a look at the retrim that Val has had done for less than a grand, I am confident that if I wanted it, I could have a much nicer interior than any factory spec, old or new. The exterior differences are also minor. The only two that really interested me were the rear lights and the dual front xenon lights. I have not seen the new rear lights in the flesh, and so am unsure whether they are an improvement or not. I like the style of some cars rear LED lights, BMW for instance I think are quite nicely designed, but then there are others that look "chav" in my opinion - peugeot 307 LED rears for instance dont have the same look. If the new lights look nice on the Z, Ill get a set, if they don't, I wont. As or the price, I got my car at 4.5 months old, and for £4k less than the price I could buy a new one at. Yes mine will depreciate due to the new model coming out, but give it 2 or 3 years, the difference between mine and an 06 model of similar age, Im confident will be much less than £4k. Therefore the differences in my opinion, were not enough to push me to wait for a new model and spend an extra £4k. The money Ive saved on not buying an 06 model can be spent on an exhaust, and other mods if I feel the urge too. At the end of the day its personal prefference. Is the extra cost and wait for an 06 model worth it as far as the additions/changes and the "newness" is concerned. I had to think about it for a few weeks, and went for a nearly new 05, knowing full well that a new model was on the way. Had the new model been a different shape/style alltogether, then I would have gone for new. But as, to the untrained eye the new model looked almost exactly the same as the 05, I stuck with that. The on thing tht does annoy me is the fact that Nissan have decided to add the stereo and phone controls to the roadster models on the 06. They were left off the 05 roadsters for some reason? I just need to source the parts and retro fit this though, which will provide me with some fun, so its not all bad. Whichever one you decide on, you'll be making a great choice. Sure there are little niggles, but hasn't every car got them? But every car can't put a smile on your face like the Z, and not at the Z's price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 depends if you want a new car or not mate. I'd go Import and spend the rest in mods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacko Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 The on thing tht does annoy me is the fact that Nissan have decided to add the stereo and phone controls to the roadster models on the 06. They were left off the 05 roadsters for some reason? I just need to source the parts and retro fit this though, which will provide me with some fun, so its not all bad. As far as I know, the reason why this was done is because the steering wheel controls on the 05 roadster interfered with the roof electronics. Now that they have gone to bluetooth for phones, means that they have sidestepped this problem. So not sure whether you will be able to retro fit anyway..... Not sure whether it meant that you potentially answered a call and your roof tried to activate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedball Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 Interesting that you lose torque. If you modded an 05 car up to 300bhp, would you have the same losses?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 There would be no reason to lose the torque as modifing you are just increasing BHP. Its only the way they done that engine that increased brake for a slightly reduced torque output. Depending on what you done it might even increase along with the BHP in the slightest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 yeah but guys don't forget that our NA engines basically are a biatch to modify to extract ponies...... WE NEED TO BYPASS THE ECU!!!!!!!!!!!! hence my crusade to get the UTEC here in the UK! (see my sig) but people don't seem interested..... what's the point in modifying the Z with NA mods if then the ECU is known to compensate the A/F ratio and actually lose you the extra power you get from the mods???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 As far as I know, the reason why this was done is because the steering wheel controls on the 05 roadster interfered with the roof electronics. Now that they have gone to bluetooth for phones, means that they have sidestepped this problem. So not sure whether you will be able to retro fit anyway..... Not sure whether it meant that you potentially answered a call and your roof tried to activate Im not bothered about the phone controls, I want it for the stereo controls. Also strange how the pre 06 JDM roadsters have the phone/radio controls, but not the UK cars. If it caused an issue with the roof, then you would think all roadsters would have come without the radio/phone controls, not just the UK models. As with most cars, the wiring will probably be there, just not utilised. I just need to find the time to go through the info I have and figure out how to get the relevant section of the wheel off without getting a face full of airbag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traktion Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I feel your pain Mr Minel and I'd be signing up for the chip too if I had any mods. Come on you modders, help get this chip over here! P.S. Sorry for thread hijacking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I feel your pain Mr Minel and I'd be signing up for the chip too if I had any mods. Come on you modders, help get this chip over here! P.S. Sorry for thread hijacking! amen to that! Also it's not really thread hijacking since one option would be to go for a cheap JDM and mod it, but what would the point be if the mods you did on normally aspirated Zeds were then rendered basically useless? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prescience Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 To be fair, I think the UTEC will make the most of your mods and it is not quite fair to say the stock ECU will dial-out any mods back to zero change. It is not seeking to achieve a specific power figure but just seeking to adjust to pre-determined AFR for a given mass air flow - so there should be some benefit of more MAF with stock ECU, just not optimal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 yeah but if the stock ECU keeps throwing fuel in the mixture to make it richer.... doesn't that basically nullify the extra airflow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prescience Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I think on reflection my reply was a little too far OT We can chat about this offline V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 can clean up if u want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l33r0y Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Interesting that you lose torque. If you modded an 05 car up to 300bhp, would you have the same losses?? To say you lose torque on the revised engine is misleading. Peak torque is less in the GT4/MY06, but the overall torque curve is flatter and continues where the original engines torque curve drops off rapidly. Couple that with the higher revving engine and you have more usable torque across the rev range. In the real world, a zed owner who had both an original and a GT4 versions said he much prefered the revised engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marki Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 The modifications to the GT4 / MY06 engine are quite sophisticated see here: http://www.testdriven.co.uk/news.cfm/nissan_350z_revised_for_2006_with_more_power The relevant bit is here: 350Z IN DETAILEngine At the heart of the 350Z lies a remarkable engine: the award-winning 3.5-litre V6 from Nissan’s ‘VQ’ family. Voted one of the world’s best engines for a record 11 years in a row by influential American journal Ward’s Auto World Magazine, the VQ engine is acclaimed across the world for its abundant power and smooth delivery. But Nissan is not a company to rest on its laurels: the all-alloy, 24-valve twin cam unit, which was extensively redesigned for its role in the 350Z, has been further enhanced for the latest Z-car. As befits a pure sports car, the changes target performance by enhancing the unit’s free-revving ability. First seen in the limited edition 35th Anniversary edition, launched earlier this year, the engine revisions raise power from 280PS to 300PS and move the rev limit from 6,600 rpm to a heady 7,000 rpm. Peak power is now developed at 6,400 rpm, some 200 rpm higher than previously. The improvements have been achieved by traditional methods. In other words, the changes have been implemented not by simply ‘chipping’ the engine’s electronic brain but by careful re-engineering of a number of key components. With the aim of raising the rev limit and boosting power, the major changes allow the engine to breath more freely thanks to a redesigned intake duct. Along with new pistons and a revised camshaft profile, the intake manifold has also been shortened and widened. The timing chain and oil pump have been redesigned and electronic exhaust valve timing control has been adopted. A number of other components have been lightened and stiffened to reduce internal friction and to enable them to withstand higher engine speeds. As well as raising power output and rev limits, the engine is now fully compliant with Euro IV emission regulations. The changes have brought about a slight reduction in peak torque, which has fallen from 363Nm to 353Nm at 4,800rpm. However the revised torque curve is far flatter than before and provides greater torque reserves at higher rpm. Torque delivery in the original 350Z fell off comparatively steeply once that 4,800rpm peak had been reached. In the latest evolution the torque curve remains more linear as engine speeds rise: at 6,000rpm, for example, the new engine delivers a full 20Nm more torque than its predecessor could achieve. What the changes mean in practice is simple: sharper acceleration through the gears. With the rev limit raised to 7,000 rpm, for example, maximum speed in third gear increases from 142 km/h to 150km/h (88mph to 93 mph). The benchmark 0-100km/h (0-62mph) figure has been cut from 5.9 seconds to 5.8 seconds (6.4 to 6.3 for the Roadster). When it comes to the GT4/MY06 engine having less torque, there seem to be a lot of misconceptions around. The 03 engine has a pronounced torque peak around 4800 rpm; this is not necessarily a good thing: HP = (torque @ RPM) x RPM The desirable characteristic of a torque curve is monotonous, preferably flat, giving HP = RPM. At most other engine speeds the GT4/MY06 engine has the same or more torque. There are lots of dyno's on the web, although now I can't find a straight comparison of the two... I suspect the area under the torque curve is greater for the 06. How else would it have a faster 0-60 time? Oh, and while I'm on the subject, MY06 has Rays alloys and speed sensitive power steering. OK, it's official, I'm a grumpy old man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marki Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 OK, I know I'm boring, but I've nothing else to do whiling away the wait until the June delivery date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 just joking mate, good info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marki Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 :teeth: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Thats some cracking technical info. I still think that for the majority of day to day driving, the changes will not be noticeable though. The 300HP figure makes very good "pub" talk, while the changes needed to ensure reliability at that figure allow Nissan to blow warm air up the techies skirts too. A win win situation. All in all the differences between the two models are relatively minor, so for me it came down to price vs benefits. The 0-60 time coming down is not good though. Surely Nissan want to make sure that those traffic light grand prix's take as long as possible for competitors owners to see just what they are missing out on. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l33r0y Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Yeah, it's pretty academic I suppose. Just enough for people to want to buy a new zed instead of a second hand one - and not annoying the early adopters in the process - except maybe some GT4 owners.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedball Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 well it is very interesting what has been posted here today. Test drove a coupe today and its a much better drive than the roadster and noticeably quicker. Got an Azure coming down for a look on Wednesday and I'm 95% of the way there to buying one. Just gotta test drive a noble and have a look at auction but otherwse I'm sold on them. And if I do the UTEC and mods is my first port of call Minel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 blody hell mate A NOBLE! nice one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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