bronzee Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Well I picked the car up this afternoon, 4pm and return it tomorrow afternoon. It's the Diamond Black, tiptronic, hardtop 2600+kms on the clock, 19". First impressions, there's plenty of go in the engine, although driving home in heavy traffic I didn't really get much of a chance. Accelerator is responsive. Brakes are a vast improvement over what a stock 350 was. Chassis is more rigid than a 350 was out of the box. Visibility in mirrors, is actually better than I expected, managed to back down the driveway easily. Will be on the motorway tomorrow, so that is always the test of blind spots. I'm not sure if there is any difference with the exhaust fitted our side of the world, but seems a nice rumble when you accelerate. Got a few waves from pedestrians and other drivers, same as I do in the Bronzed One. Angle of seats is good, hold in you in place nicely. Lol, it doesn't like to sit at the suburbian speed limit 50kms. Will add more tomorrow, comments about suspension etc. Things I found a bit annoying. I'm sorry I don't like the RE050's, they're not the stickiest of tyres & they tramline (will be interesting on the motorway tomorrow to see if they are as noisy as the RE050's). Very marginal improvement on the RE040's though. Glare/reflection on the 3 centre pods, although granted has been a very sunny clear sky day here. And the thing that annoyed me the most is the shape of the wing mirrors, yes visibility is good rear wards for a sports car, but I found that the top roundy bit of the mirrors are right in my line of vision when turning. Not so stuck on the angle of the rest plate, but that might just be me. Oh, and noooo digital speedo!!! Always have the 350 on digital speedo, right in line of vision, so no need to look behind steering wheel constantly. Cops are everywhere, so need to be vigilant about staying at speed limit, without the digital speedo, very hard to see if you're doing 50 or 53kms. Might have some more to add tomorrow, after I've driven it a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Forgot to say, I quite liked the Start Button, with the intelligent key, saves fumbling trying to find the key and saves trying to find the ignition barrel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Go find a few nice beaches Bronzee. x 3 The general feeling over here seems to be that the exhaust not was a little disappointing on the stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik54 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Oooo have fun Im Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I always have my digital speedo on - I think it would annoy me for a while not having it. What's a rest plate? arm rest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I use the Snooper that gives a truer speed reading than car speedos that always flatter to decieve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 And the thing that annoyed me the most is the shape of the wing mirrors, yes visibility is good rear wards for a sports car, but I found that the top roundy bit of the mirrors are right in my line of vision when turning. This I completely agree with! Roundabouts can be annoying as well. I always thought it was because at 5' 10 I must be shorter than other would be 370 drivers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 And the thing that annoyed me the most is the shape of the wing mirrors, yes visibility is good rear wards for a sports car, but I found that the top roundy bit of the mirrors are right in my line of vision when turning. This I completely agree with! Roundabouts can be annoying as well. I always thought it was because at 5' 10 I must be shorter than other would be 370 drivers Nope they just decided to allow us to see out the back they would fit the wing mirrors from a Nissan truck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Go find a few nice beaches Bronzee. x 3 The general feeling over here seems to be that the exhaust not was a little disappointing on the stock. No beaches I'm afraid today. But between the two of us we took heaps of photos. Will post in next few days. Been very busy with 3 weekends in a row massive events. Exhaust note isn't bad, it isn't as throaty as our Z33's though, stock out of the box. What's a rest plate? arm rest? Dead pedal. And the thing that annoyed me the most is the shape of the wing mirrors, yes visibility is good rear wards for a sports car, but I found that the top roundy bit of the mirrors are right in my line of vision when turning. This I completely agree with! Roundabouts can be annoying as well. I always thought it was because at 5' 10 I must be shorter than other would be 370 drivers Nope they just decided to allow us to see out the back they would fit the wing mirrors from a Nissan truck! Yes definitely Geoff. Roundabouts and going around corners. A bit disconcerting due to lack of visibility. I found the wing mirrors fine for backing. Had to back into carparks a few times in the last day. But the mirrors are huge. Found the suspension, chassis combination was good even on back roads where the seal is a bit corrugated in places. The tarmac literally melts here in summer. Steering input is good bar the tramlining and lack of traction of the RE050's. Oh, and the noise Potenza's make. There would actually be very little cabin noise if it weren't for the tyres. My passenger commented on it too, so it's noticeable. I note this end of the world they are supposed to be rolling on what I have on my 350, Yokohama Advan Sport V103's. The weight transfer when you're off the gas and onto the brakes is good. Feels quite even and balanced. I do like the start button, it's much easier as we've been in out of the car a few times today. I quite like that gas flap doesn't have an interior button now. Quick and easy. Windows are a bit slower than the 350 to go up and down, and have a real servo sound. Also when you switch the engine on, quite audible servo wering noise. The engine temp light system, would have thought might be better in easier view not behind left hand. I still prefer the hefty strut bar in the 350, from the aspect, say if you're away for the weekend. Bag, or bags, helmets, boots etc. You can close it in behind the strut with a vertical torneau and put a black blanket over it, and no one realises anything is in the back. Lack of out of sight storage space. I know it's a sports car, but the glove box, really would only hold tiny gloves. Can't think of anything else right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I still prefer the hefty strut bar in the 350, from the aspect, say if you're away for the weekend. Bag, or bags, helmets, boots etc. You can close it in behind the strut with a vertical torneau and put a black blanket over it, and no one realises anything is in the back. Have to agree there. We have a set of 2 roller bags that we could fill to the top and slide under the strut of the 350z, so for a weekend we had 2 full bags out of sight. In the 370z, because the strut is inverted, the boot floor is raised, so we cant fill the bags anymore as they wont fit. Also dont quite fit in next to each other, they touch the plastic finish now whereas they fit between the strut just fine in the 350z. Also where we now dont have it enclosed, on the UK car you get a roller blind thing, and with bags in the back (not even full) its very obvious there are bags in there. Also agree with the tyre noise. If you roll on smooth tarmac it completely dissapears. I would guess a combo of noisy tyres and harder bushes than the 350z is what causes it. Can wait to get them off an get some PS3 or similar on there to see if that takes it away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I still prefer the hefty strut bar in the 350, from the aspect, say if you're away for the weekend. Bag, or bags, helmets, boots etc. You can close it in behind the strut with a vertical torneau and put a black blanket over it, and no one realises anything is in the back. Have to agree there. We have a set of 2 roller bags that we could fill to the top and slide under the strut of the 350z, so for a weekend we had 2 full bags out of sight. In the 370z, because the strut is inverted, the boot floor is raised, so we cant fill the bags anymore as they wont fit. Also dont quite fit in next to each other, they touch the plastic finish now whereas they fit between the strut just fine in the 350z. Also where we now dont have it enclosed, on the UK car you get a roller blind thing, and with bags in the back (not even full) its very obvious there are bags in there. Also agree with the tyre noise. If you roll on smooth tarmac it completely dissapears. I would guess a combo of noisy tyres and harder bushes than the 350z is what causes it. Can wait to get them off an get some PS3 or similar on there to see if that takes it away. Can the road noise not also be down to the arch linings and sound deadening? I can hear every single little stone being picked up by the tyres and hurled at the arch lining whereas my Audi is silent on the same piece of road. I also have to agree with the boot, the best option is a heavy tint on the rear window, still that doesn't sort the boot capacity which is tiny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 To a certain extent Geoff, but I have put second skin sound deadening everywhere in the rear - quite literally removing all the plastic. It hasnt reduced it as much as it did on the 350z if I'm honest. The fact it goes all quiet on smooth roads leads me to think its a lot to do with the tyres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Where in NZ did you get rush hour traffic, Admittedly its been a few years since I was there but in 1991 I spent 6 months touring north and south islands in a Bedford van and hardly saw a car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 To a certain extent Geoff, but I have put second skin sound deadening everywhere in the rear - quite literally removing all the plastic. It hasnt reduced it as much as it did on the 350z if I'm honest. The fact it goes all quiet on smooth roads leads me to think its a lot to do with the tyres. I'd be fairly confident if the 370 was rolling on Yokohama Advan Sport V103 (as the brochure indicates in NZ), that it would be much quieter. Having had both RE040 and I have V103's on now, the V103 is a quiet tyre in comparison to the RE040 (not much different between RE040 & RE050 in my opinion). V103 still has the very rigid sidewalls (like the RE050), so has fantastic lateral stability. I think for me the big hefty strut where it is in the 350, with a vertical torneau if needed, but with bigger bags, it's completely locked in there, it can't slide forward if for some reason you have to do a hard stop. Safety. Horizontal torneau's aren't big enough to accommodate say an overnight bag, + gear. Where in NZ did you get rush hour traffic, Admittedly its been a few years since I was there but in 1991 I spent 6 months touring north and south islands in a Bedford van and hardly saw a car! We've had bad traffic here for donkey's years. Now the population is at over 4mill, with 1.7 in Auckland, rush hour, is called rush hours, both ends of the day. Just like any big city, that has a basic & underutilised public transport system. Even so it's a stunning, laid back place to live. We have more cars percapita than anywhere in the world. All in all, I think the 370 is a great drive, extremely similar to the 350, but with more juice & some tweeks. Easy to drive, involving, better chassis and suspension out of the box. And if what the Nissan guys were telling me today, with a Stillen supercharger and a few goodies can push 500 horseys, not bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Plenty of FI options for it these days in the States, 500WHP is possible on the stock block (although the 7AT transmission cant handle it in higher gears, they just arent beefy enough) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Plenty of FI options for it these days in the States, 500WHP is possible on the stock block (although the 7AT transmission cant handle it in higher gears, they just arent beefy enough) The roadster that's been SC'd here is a tiptronic. They've only given the roadster as a tiptronic option. Quite a number of FI'd 350 tiptronic's in the US, running some reasonable power. Wonder what the box is like in comparison to the 370 in terms of longetivity and strength with FI added into the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 So Immy, are you buying one????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 So Immy, are you buying one????? Did, I say that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Just picking your colour I bet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 To a certain extent Geoff, but I have put second skin sound deadening everywhere in the rear - quite literally removing all the plastic. It hasnt reduced it as much as it did on the 350z if I'm honest. The fact it goes all quiet on smooth roads leads me to think its a lot to do with the tyres. I wish my Nissan would offer me a 370 test drive. They look awesome. Off topic but you would have been better with a barrier which blocks road noises and the like. Sound deadening only adds panel mass to stop vibrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Just picking your colour I bet! Not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 To a certain extent Geoff, but I have put second skin sound deadening everywhere in the rear - quite literally removing all the plastic. It hasnt reduced it as much as it did on the 350z if I'm honest. The fact it goes all quiet on smooth roads leads me to think its a lot to do with the tyres. I wish my Nissan would offer me a 370 test drive. They look awesome. Just ask for one from the local dealers. Aberdeen usually have them. I got a test no problem and I must admit I was VERY impressed with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Off topic but you would have been better with a barrier which blocks road noises and the like. Sound deadening only adds panel mass to stop vibrations. Quite right matey, that will be going in next. The floor panels of the zed are very thin and rattly so sound deadening went in first to see what difference that would make. It did a good job but not as good as in the 350z. Sound barrier is def needed. I think it got about 2-3dB reduction so far according to my highly tuned iPhone app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Off topic but you would have been better with a barrier which blocks road noises and the like. Sound deadening only adds panel mass to stop vibrations. Quite right matey, that will be going in next. The floor panels of the zed are very thin and rattly so sound deadening went in first to see what difference that would make. It did a good job but not as good as in the 350z. Sound barrier is def needed. I think it got about 2-3dB reduction so far according to my highly tuned iPhone app That's quite a lot. dB's are logarithmic in scale so the sound roughly doubles every 3dB increase or halves every -3dB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Just thinking another thing I noticed. We were still in the car, turned the car off, then had no radio. Didn't have the owners manual in the car, so didn't want to muck about with the buttons incase we upset the settings. So presuming this is correct, 350 has radio when engine off, 370 doesn't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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