DJC Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Hi All, very close to buying my first 350z and was wondering if anyone has any views on how they perform on track days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 It's quite a heavy beast...... ZMANALEX is the track warrior around here and has all the track gizmos fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 They perform very well, as long as you have realistic expectations of them. As Stew says, there's a lot of weight to shift and while the engine is powerful enough to make that a non-issue on the straights, you will notice that it's not as tight in the corners as you might expect. The real beauty of the car is that it gives you so much feedback that it gives you the confidence to push on knowing it'll let you know exactly what's going on, and that's where you can make the cornering speed up. Get a decent set of pads on there (stock discs are fine) and a good set of tyres (A048s/R888s if they're only track tyres, or I love the PS2s on both road and track) and the basic car is more than enough. There's obviously a lot more you can do to get it to handle even better but they're the basics that I'd do before going anywhere near a track. Basically, the Zed is a very adjustable and fun car on track, and that's why I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Hi and welcome to the forum. The zed is great fun on the track, as Ekona says great fun and you get to feel every move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanS Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Welcome mate, the Zed is great on the track. Due to the weight, investment in brakes is worth it. Perfectly capable of embarassing much more expensive motors! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Welcome to the forum. The track day we did two weekends ago, the stock 350's were only about 3-4 seconds behind some of the full blown race cars/and race car 350's (pushing big power), so they go well out of the box as such. If you're on stock pads and rotors you may experience a bit of brake fade, obviously depending on the complexity of the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hi & to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I first fell in love with the Zed at Bedford. Went for a track day with my mate in his Evo and the Zed looked excellent out on track. Was by no means slower than anything else out there and my mate in his Evo struggled to keep up with the Zeds there that day. Things alredy noted, its probably best to uprate the pads and also brake fluid. Everything else seems to cope well. A few members have big brake kits and suspension, and they say the car is a lot quicker than some exotic metal afterwards. Alex has what cant really be called a Zed any more, but is an impressive track weapon. What he doesnt know about Zeds aint worth knowing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 to the forum. Yet to take my zed on track but may do this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 brake pads, brake fluid, anti roll bars. These alone will change a stock car by a huge degree in terms of physical behaviour and feedback. once you are confident enough to exceed the cars capabilities then you can move onto suspension, tyres etc...to increase speed and grip. Zmanalex is your best bet to get detail info on using the Z on track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJC Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Thanks for all your views. You've convinced me and i am gonna go ahead and get it in the morning. Choosing a track car for a 6ft 4 in bloke with a dodgy back has been a long drawn out process - squeezing into the Lotus was amusing for everyone else, the Subaru and EVO just didn't feel and look like sports cars, the Porsche was just too "banker" for me and the BMW Z4 didn't seem to have any beans - after all this suffering came the Nissan... Thanks again, planning at track day in March / April - might see you there! Will need some coaching as previous experience is all bikes - anyone out there you can recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Andy Walsh, Carlimits.com. Takes place at North Weald airfield, and I'd argue there probably is no finer driver training in the UK. The Lotus guys swear by him, I've done a day with him a few years ago and am planning another trip in a couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Andy Walsh, Carlimits.com. Takes place at North Weald airfield, and I'd argue there probably is no finer driver training in the UK. The Lotus guys swear by him, I've done a day with him a few years ago and am planning another trip in a couple of months. Using your own car? I remember North Weald as particuarly abrasive on tyres (as most airfields are) - knocked out a nearly new pair of rear tyres during a single autotest meet there many years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Using your own car? I remember North Weald as particuarly abrasive on tyres (as most airfields are) - knocked out a nearly new pair of rear tyres during a single autotest meet there many years ago Yup, definitely own car. The surface is abrasive, but if you pump your tyres up to their max and aren't too silly it's no worse than a normal airfield track day, since you're spending far less time gooning around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJC Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Thanks again for the input. Drove it home today - fantastic - top down and the motor sounded great! Am looking at carlimits soon - any other track day virgins interested? Any tips on good mechanics in Kent - am thinking about doing a little work on the brakes. Will post some pics soon Cheers Duncan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 DMS Racing are your way, been there twice in the last couple of weeks and been very impressed with their setup. Dixon (the owner) is on here as well, under the name DixcelBrake if you want to contact him direct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 tracked my zed about 10 times and various tracks. I think it is a bad on track but very biased now. It was too heavy and ate disks/pads. Since purchased a 200BHP caterham which is 525Kg so 1/3 the weight and 2/3 the power. Now also got a elise and looking at either 220 NA Honda conversion or 250 Audi. You will enjoy the 350 on track but if doing more than 3 a year then the bills will start to add up. 100% recommend a Andy Walsh (carlimits.com) day. If intrested he could do a 350z only activity day limited 20 cars or 2-4 person training day with zeds if we could fill the places. You do not even need a helmet as not a trackday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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