M3 vs 370Z (Soley for track purposes)

[jetpilot747]

Originally Posted by Z K

The windows were very much sealed, thank you. Just to make sure I wasn't imagining this, I went to a different dealer and drove another 370Z which drove exactly the same. 2 out of 2 cars, no way it can be a fluke car characteristic.

I jumped back into my Evo and it felt like I was driving a Rolls Royce after experiencing the noise in the 370Z. The Evo is a much more hardcore car. Recaro seats, less sound deadening, hard cheap interior plastics, stiff suspension, super sensitive steering and much faster on track. Yet WAY quieter and more refined than the 370Z. OH, and no overheating driving in 120 degree desert heat lapping 20 minute track sessions all day.

Nissan can do better.

Who cares about the noise though. This thread is for track purposes and race cars are even louder.

[konaforever]

i had a 350z with the HR engine, and it was horrid at high rpms. Not just the noise, but the harshness and vibration.

[jetpilot747]

Originally Posted by konaforever

i had a 350z with the HR engine, and it was horrid at high rpms. Not just the noise, but the harshness and vibration.

Just as long as it goes fast

[Blue55]

Several of my friends track 370zs. When you start to get fast as my friends do, you start to discover limitations in ALL street cars. No question the Zs overheat and need a supplemental oil cooler. They also need a bigger radiator. My friend has a problem with his CV joint now. A friend just blew a motor in his 370 so they also suffer from oil starvation problems. They are considerably lighter than the M3 and have much superior brakes.

A well driven Z can be very, very fast at a track and can easily keep up with or run faster than an M3. M3s are not without their share of problems as well. The brakes are entirely inadequate for track purposes and almost everyone runs a BBK setup to avoid destroying the rotors. The stock suspension is also poorly suited for track duties. The extra weight becomes very noticeable at speed. Consumables in the M3 are also considerably higher because of the extra weight. This becomes more of an issue the faster you get.

Corvettes while also very fast, tend to burn through a lot of expensive consumables as well. It's also a rare day when I DON'T see a Vette with a blown motor at the track. They suffer from severe oil starvation problems when you start go get fast.

Are you out to have fun? My advice - get a Miata and learn how to drive first. Rotors are $15 and it won't burn through a lot of gas or brakes because it's so light. You can have a LOT of fun in a Miata and learn to get very fast while spending 25% of what you would in an M3.

[canadian stig]

Originally Posted by Blue55

Several of my friends track 370zs. When you start to get fast as my friends do, you start to discover limitations in ALL street cars. No question the Zs overheat and need a supplemental oil cooler. They also need a bigger radiator. My friend has a problem with his CV joint now. A friend just blew a motor in his 370 so they also suffer from oil starvation problems. They are considerably lighter than the M3 and have much superior brakes.

A well driven Z can be very, very fast at a track and can easily keep up with or run faster than an M3. M3s are not without their share of problems as well. The brakes are entirely inadequate for track purposes and almost everyone runs a BBK setup to avoid destroying the rotors. The stock suspension is also poorly suited for track duties. The extra weight becomes very noticeable at speed. Consumables in the M3 are also considerably higher because of the extra weight. This becomes more of an issue the faster you get.

Corvettes while also very fast, tend to burn through a lot of expensive consumables as well. It's also a rare day when I DON'T see a Vette with a blown motor at the track. They suffer from severe oil starvation problems when you start go get fast.

Are you out to have fun? My advice - get a Miata and learn how to drive first. Rotors are $15 and it won't burn through a lot of gas or brakes because it's so light. You can have a LOT of fun in a Miata and learn to get very fast while spending 25% of what you would in an M3.

BTW, I heard of vettes getting oil starvation and engine failure before, but are all of those failures only in the base models or do they also include the grandsport/z06/zr1 models that have a very different dry sump oiling system?

[av2]

"Solely for track purposes" to the extend of fitting a roll cage, striped all rear seats and door panels, upgrading suspension, brake system, running w/o cats, slick tires and transported in trailers? Or race on weekends and still be able to drive to nice restaurants on occasions? For street and occasional track used, the M3 is hard to beat. If you are talking about a purposely built track car, there are better cars out there than both. The 370Z is a mediocre sports car and are just middle of pack at track days.

[Blue55]

Originally Posted by canadian stig

BTW, I heard of vettes getting oil starvation and engine failure before, but are all of those failures only in the base models or do they also include the grandsport/z06/zr1 models that have a very different dry sump oiling system?

Search the Vette boards. You'll see the Z06 LS7 motor blows up at least as often as the LS3. I can only tell you what I've seen at the track, and I saw at least 4-5 dead Vettes last year.

[Rk-d]

I used to own a g37, which has the same powerplant as the 370z (though it's heavier). Personally, I did not love that engine. It's definitely torquey, but it's crude compared to the s65. At lower RPMs its fine, but as you start winding it out, the VQ gets coarse and noisy (in a bad way). Lots of vibration through the shifter at higher engine speeds, too. Having previously owned an s2k, I love winding out the m3 - just a phenomenal engine.

[gouda-buddh]

So I sometimes view the 370z forums. Always a fan of the Zs from Nissan.

A 370z with TT from Fast Intentions just went a 10.91, all stock internals, with more improvements on the way for 7AT. I believe they are new in upgrading the AT transmission, so there is room for growth. I belive this is the first 7AT with TT.

Here's the link to the video on YouTube.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by gouda-buddh

So I sometimes view the 370z forums. Always a fan of the Zs from Nissan.

A 370z with TT from Fast Intentions just went a 10.91, all stock internals, with more improvements on the way for 7AT. I believe they are new in upgrading the AT transmission, so there is room for growth. I belive this is the first 7AT with TT.

Well, that's nice... but we are talking about track, not drag racing. A TT 370z won't last more than a few laps before the engine blowing up or overheating. The engine is pretty high strung as it is, adding boost to it won't help with longevity.

[REV1]

I had a modified G37s (same motor and tranny as 370z) had all kinds of bolt ons and suspension mods incuding Koni's and huge sways and beefy tower brace. I was able to drive it back to back with co-workers 370z and overall G37 was better handling and ride with upgrades. With that being said the M3 is so far superior to either the 370z or the G37 it's really night and day. I think most of it is the chassis is just much better in the M when I would push the G37 hard in the 9/10-10/10 range it would get all out of shape and scared the shit out of me a couple times those cars don't behave well at limit. The chassis needs lots of work if you were gonna track 370z and the temperature issues are real that would need to be adressed. If I had to pick one its M3 by a long shot. Way better IMO.

[REV1]

^ forgot to mention G37 and 370 share same chassis also.

[andrewkd16]

I have owned both cars an e92 m3 (current) and a 370z Nismo (previous) both cars were fully bolted on. The 370z will never see 370whp with simple boltons where the m3 will. Grant it yes the 370z is lighter and as far as striping the car i would much rather stripped my 370z than my m3. Also on that same token i would much rather track a 370z than a m3 unless we are talking much older gens. The 370z for a regular consumer would be the better overall option in my opinion. No I'm not saying the 370z would beat the m3 around the track I'm just sticking to the op question I think the 370z is the better option for normal consumers like us.

[andrewkd16]

Most m3 that you will find that a "normal consumer" own that are solely for track use are older gens. I would guess because most people still would like to have a street legal m3 not just one for track. Now if you have the means to build a fully track built m3 and have another one that you can take on the street I would take the m3 all day.

[Golddots]

Iirc the ls3 was the corvette engine that had oil starvation issues.
I ran a c5 z06 in the higher groups and had no issues after 30 or so days on track.
Bone stock except for ra1 tire, race pads, and safety equipment. I can't say many Z or m3s passed me unless they were proper race cars or trailered to events.