Samoht's 2007 Nissan 350Z HR

I thought I should make a separate thread now I've bought the car. (Link back to purchase thread http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?...ing-for-a-350Z ).

Yesterday went out for a drive on the country lanes outside Cambridge. It was raining, and got dark, but I had a fun drive anyway. Incidentally the xenon lights on this car are night and day better than the nineties cars I've had previously.

The MPS4 tyres have made a real difference, either it's taking full throttle or the traction control is being quite subtle. Either way, really impressive wet grip, especially given the Z has slightly less of its weight over the rear wheels than the RX-7 does. Well worth binning the cheapo mixed tyres it came on that left me slithering under power in the wet.

I'm kinda starting to get used to the odd clutch, possibly with a few more weekend drives I might get to the point where it's natural. The power is great, I find it hard to compare as there's less sensation of speed than the FD, but I don't think it's far off at all against the clock. The handling is also good, the steering is very precise and the car is stable, so it's easy to place.

The only downside is the brakes, which I keep needing to put more muscle into than I expect to stop - although I now know why. I took the car to the local Nissan garage for a service last week, on the basis that it's not that dear in the grand scheme of things. They did the major service, but said that the front brake discs are rusty and need replacing, plus pads all round - they quoted total of over £1600 !! Obviously this is nonsense, as the Nissan front discs are available for a few hundred quid elsewhere.
Anyway the Carbon Lorraine CL5+ pads have been brought forward, and the car's going back to the independent garage that fitted the tyres on Tuesday, to have new front discs and the pads fitted. I had a bit of luck here, the boss initially said that they won't fit customer-supplied parts as it causes too many problems when things don't work, however I was able to talk him into fitting the CL5 pads for me, on the proviso that it's at my own risk. Turns out he has a 370Z himself with a few nice mods, so that's good. They're walking distance from the office and handled the supplier's tyre mixup very well, so I'm quite happy to be using them.

The Sony head unit has come, but I've now ordered the steering wheel controls adapter leads and a stereo surround, so I'm holding off on fitting it until them - only taking the interior apart once sounds preferable.

Deferred is sorting the bodywork, may wait a bit for this.

Sometime soon I'm going to try and do a little 'back to back' comparison drive between this and the RX-7. In theory I'm just trying to get the RX-7 fixed (again) so I can sell it. In practice I keep having doubts, I like the 350Z a lot but I have a sneaking suspicion I'll regret selling on the FD. I *can* keep them both in the short term, although I don't particularly like leaving the Z out in the rain.

Also on the todo list is washing the car and getting some proper photos of it!

PS A huge thank you to everyone who's given me advice so far, I really appreciate the help and I'm very happy with the car.

How does this thread not have pics? ;)

Is leaving a car out in the rain harmful where you are? Like acid rain or something? It's funny - I don't like leaving cars outside here because of the endless hot sun most of the year. :) Rubber trim (and tires...) ages and cracks, paint fades or even oxidizes if you don't regularly protect it, dashes crack or warp, etc.

The FD is such a good car, a classic already and quite possibly the most beautiful Japanese design ever. It's hard to argue against that car, even for a Z lover like myself.

The TC on my HR Enthusiast (no VSC) was *not* subtle! First time it happened I thought something was wrong with the car. It behaved as if the engine just died. My 328i is much smoother and more progressive with dulling power when it senses wheel slip.

Fingers crossed the new brakes give you the feel you want! Change the fluid while you're at it?

Leaving the car out I'm just paranoid I guess - rust, or something falling on the car. It's probably fine, and most people are happy to, I just prefer the feeling of knowing that my car(s) are safely tucked away in a garage.

The fluid was changed at the service at Nissan, so that's new at least, although I'd need something higher temp before venturing out on track.

I did feel the TC come in yesterday when accelerating fairly hard over a bump, it seemed quite subtle, just the engine briefly easing off. Mine does have the VSC, so maybe it's a newer generation system. I need to work out what it does for me.

Pics are a strong todo for next weekend. It's now dark here when I get home from work, so not much hope before Sat.

Got the brakes done, the rear pads were crumbling to dust - could well be original at 25k miles. Not really had a chance to bed them in yet.

Next challenge is fitting the Sony AA head unit.

I got the Sony installed, pulling out the interior was a bit nerve-wracking but it actually all went back together fine, the Z interior feels quite ok to re-assemble and get it back as-new. I'm enjoying Android Auto on it now.

The new brake pads are bedding in and starting to get that sharp feel, I've not done many miles in it at all though since they were done.

Realised today that even 3rd gear is really too tall for most normal road situations, 2nd runs to well over 70mph. Managed to get the TCS to cut in and actually see the light flashing on the binnacle today, full throttle in 2nd on damp tarmac. Still getting to know the car.


And finally, some pics :-)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lb...w1812-h1208-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bF...w1812-h1208-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gK...w1812-h1208-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_Y...w1812-h1208-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Fj...w1812-h1208-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xW...=w806-h1208-no

Looking good! For me, only the second photo and the second to last photo are showing.

The interior does seem to be well constructed even if the materials feel on the cheaper side.

On 275/35-18s (I forget how the diameter compares to stock) 2nd gear would go to a GPS-verified 70.5mph. Switching to a 7800rpm limiter gave 2-3 more MPH in 2nd gear, but I rarely used that - it was only for special occasions at important autox events where that would be beneficial VS shifting to 3rd gear.

Thanks for the heads-up; photos hopefully fixed now ;)

Looks like my 245/45 'offroad spec' standard size tyres would have about 4% larger rolling radius, so maybe another 3mph. So not a long way beyond 70 then, but probably enough for most overtakes :)

Excellent!

Much better - I see them all now. :) I never knew you could get park distance sensors on these cars in any market. What is the square cover in the middle of the rear bumper hiding?