Coming from a 350Z (part 2)...

This is continuation from an ealier post (coming from 350Z)... Well I think I am going to make the switch. I was going to try and hold out for possibile STi info/news - but it has been quite and I am not sure I want to keep waiting. I think I may go for a silver sedan LGT limited with MT. Some of the stuff I would change/mod right away: 1. no spoiler (and then get the STi lip spoiler) 2. upgrade the tires 3. get momo shifter 4. get the short shifter kit from factory The other option would be to wait for a STi version (IF they make one). But from what I have seen on this forum - low 14's, high 13's in the 1/4 is fine for me and fast enough to get me into trouble. So anyway - just wanted to keep you all updated on what I have been thinking about on the LGT.

I have the STi short shifter in mine, and it's great. Definitely worth it IMO.

Great to see that you are making the move. You might be waiting a long time if you are going to wait for an STi version. Who know's if there will ever be one.

I have just the regular GT and to me its a nice compromise between power and comfort, and I have already gotten a high of 30.9 mpg on the highway. An STi might be nice too, if they come out with one, but then again it might mess up the balance. And I'm guessing I have a couple of years before one comes out anyway...can always trade in on it at that time if I drive one and have to have it...

Just get the the GT and chip it once they come out and you'll have more power then the Z had to start with.

The performance #'s are really just about the same already aren't they?

but the Z looks faster! :D

^^ It may look faster but drive it for 3 hours or more in a row and you grow tired of evertyhing about it except that awesome sounding exhuast. But its crappy suspension and tires louder then jet airplane make even it exhuast seem not so nice.

Not to mention the interior quality of nissans have gone down the tubes. The panels and such of our 99 Altima were far more solid than any of the new nissan models we looked at recently. It is also our opinion that subaru does a much better job with that than nissan or even honda.

Just to clear up any confusion, the Legacy GT is not as fast as a 350Z. Legacy GTs appear to run the 1/4 mile with about a 95 MPH trap speed, 350Zs tend to do it at about 100 MPH. That's a pretty sizable difference.

[quote name='Xaqtly']Just to clear up any confusion, the Legacy GT is not as fast as a 350Z. Legacy GTs appear to run the 1/4 mile with about a 95 MPH trap speed, 350Zs tend to do it at about 100 MPH. That's a pretty sizable difference.[/quote] I guess it depends on your definition of "as fast". We don't know on the Legacy yet, but I think the WRX got roughly the same 0-60 and 1/4 mile times as the 350z, and the LGT seems to be on par with the wrx by butt dyno. So going by these numbers, the LGT would be "as fast" in a sense. Sure, the Z is going faster at the 1/4 mark and would thus be passing the subie's shortly thereafter, and sure the subie's numbers come from the awd launch. But in the real world, if you're "racing" somebody from the light to try to get ahead before the lanes merge, or something of the like, you actually have the advantage in the subie since the awd launch and short distance are in your favor. How often do you actually do long distance racing against other vehicles on the street? Subaru's to me are real world vehicles, not track cars...

[quote name='Xaqtly']Just to clear up any confusion, the Legacy GT is not as fast as a 350Z. Legacy GTs appear to run the 1/4 mile with about a 95 MPH trap speed, 350Zs tend to do it at about 100 MPH. That's a pretty sizable difference.[/quote] Trapping at a higher speed only indicated higher horsepower. From a rool, theoretically the Z will be fastAr. But who cares? The SRT-4 is fastAr!!!!!11 [quote name='05LegacyGT330Ci']^^ It may look faster but drive it for 3 hours or more in a row and you grow tired of evertyhing about it except that awesome sounding exhuast. But its crappy suspension and tires louder then jet airplane make even it exhuast seem not so nice.[/quote] I hate the way the exhaust sounds, so hollow and lifeless...

^ You are crazy I have never heard anyone say they don't like the way the Z or G35Cs exhuast sounds by far the best stock exhaust this side of a Porsche and up.

No, the WRX didn't get anywhere close to the times of a 350Z. The STi is about the same as the 350Z, but not the regular WRX or the Legacy GT. Trapping at a higher speed doesn't indicate higher horsepower, it indicates a better power to weight ratio, and it's not a traction limited measurement like ET is. I don't know how familiar you are with drag racing, but a 5 MPH difference in trap speed is pretty significant. On average, the times I've seen for stock WRXes have mostly been in the 92-93 MPH range, the times for LGTs have been in the 95 MPH range, and the times for 350Zs have been in the 100 MPH range. It's possible from a stop if you launch a LGT really hard you'll be able to hold off a 350z for a small period of time, but that's it. He'll catch and pass you shortly thereafter unless he's a particularly bad driver. If you're on the freeway the Z will have the advantage pretty much the whole time. Shorter gearing, more HP and torque, better power to weight ratio. Of course it's a lot easier for us to get more HP than it is for a Z owner. All it'll take is an ECU reflash for us and we'll be much closer to Z and STi territory. Here, I just ran the numbers. Using crank HP and curb weight for the 350Z and the LGT: 350z: 287 HP, 274 lb-ft, 3200 lbs. LGT: 250 HP, 250 lb-ft, 3350 lbs. 350z power to weight ratio: 11.15 LGT power to weight ratio: 13.4 Obviously the Z has a significantly better power to weight ratio, and I didn't even figure in the gearing - the Z has shorter gears (6-speed manual). But do a theoretical ECU reflash and let's wildly speculate that it adds about 25 wheel HP. That would translate to about 40 crank HP, which would bring the power to weight ratio of the LGT down to 11.55 - much closer.

haha - did not mean to spark such a debate :) As for the exhaust - yes I love it and would truely miss it. The Z exhuast sounds awesome once you get over 4K rpms. It has been compared to a Porsche and VW R32 as some of the best "stock" exhuast notes. As for speed/fast. The Z can be fast and nimble if you drive it hard. It can also feel heavy and big if you drive it slow (hard to explain). Some of the best stock ET times from some Z guys I know are around 13.7 - 13.9 trapping in the low 100s. Like most of you said, a modded WRX can easily beat that in the 1/4 - but the trap may not increase too much. I think the Z is a highway (from a roll) monster. It feels awesome to do a rolling start from 2nd gear and just punch it. The fastest I've ever gone is 120 - and it is not even breathing hard yet. I do not race much - never been to the track. I have raced a few WRXs on the street - and never lost - but like you all say - reall world vs. track. Some of those WRXs would have killed me on the track with true AWD launches, and true ETs. Anyway - the thing I do like about the LGT is the complete balance of the car - the power, tha handling, the build quality, the TURBO, and the AWD. It will be cheaper to mod (if I do some mods) that the Z. I kind of like that Subaru is a niche market (like Apple computers vs. PC) and not everyone knows what they are capable of. Plus sometimes, I get tired of getting revved at with every red light by some neon punk who wants to race. And I "knock on wood" every day that I have yet to get a speeding ticket. The Z begs to be driven hard... :D

ion, do u have tire featherings like so many Z owners? Sucky Bose system? windows that doesn't work? glass tranny (a la WRX)? I'm curious how prevalent are these issues with the Z. I like the Z alot. However the car is a mix of parts from various Nissan parts bin and therefore really loses that Z-exclusivity that it used to have.

Well I'm not ion but since we have the car too I'll answer for us. We did have tire feathering, the sound system sucks, and the drivers window will go up then come back down like 3 inches and keep doing that until you hold the window up and you hear a nasty click and you know itll stop.

[quote name='Xaqtly']No, the WRX didn't get anywhere close to the times of a 350Z. The STi is about the same as the 350Z, but not the regular WRX or the Legacy GT. Trapping at a higher speed doesn't indicate higher horsepower, it indicates a better power to weight ratio, and it's not a traction limited measurement like ET is. I don't know how familiar you are with drag racing, but a 5 MPH difference in trap speed is pretty significant. On average, the times I've seen for stock WRXes have mostly been in the 92-93 MPH range, the times for LGTs have been in the 95 MPH range, and the times for 350Zs have been in the 100 MPH range. It's possible from a stop if you launch a LGT really hard you'll be able to hold off a 350z for a small period of time, but that's it. He'll catch and pass you shortly thereafter unless he's a particularly bad driver. If you're on the freeway the Z will have the advantage pretty much the whole time. Shorter gearing, more HP and torque, better power to weight ratio. Of course it's a lot easier for us to get more HP than it is for a Z owner. All it'll take is an ECU reflash for us and we'll be much closer to Z and STi territory. Here, I just ran the numbers. Using crank HP and curb weight for the 350Z and the LGT: 350z: 287 HP, 274 lb-ft, 3200 lbs. LGT: 250 HP, 250 lb-ft, 3350 lbs. 350z power to weight ratio: 11.15 LGT power to weight ratio: 13.4 Obviously the Z has a significantly better power to weight ratio, and I didn't even figure in the gearing - the Z has shorter gears (6-speed manual). But do a theoretical ECU reflash and let's wildly speculate that it adds about 25 wheel HP. That would translate to about 40 crank HP, which would bring the power to weight ratio of the LGT down to 11.55 - much closer.[/quote] If you want to do magazine racing: WRX: 0-60 mph: 5.4 seconds (Car and Driver) 1/4 mile: 14.1 seconds @ 96 mph (Car and Driver) 227 hp, 217 lb-ft Curb weight: 3085 lb 350Z (Track) 0-60 mph: 5.4 seconds (Car and Driver) 1/4 mile: 14.1 seconds @ 101 mph (Car and Driver) 287 hp, 274 lb-ft Curb weight: 3,225 lb The trap may be higher, but the standing ET is still the same (as is the 0-60 time). Though the Z has an advantage in weight to power ratio, in a street situation (stop light) you take your pick at who would take who. The exhaust note just doesn't do it for me. I much prefer the boxer burble... :twisted:

What burble I don't even know if this car actually has an exhuast b/c I sure as hell can't hear it. :thumbdown:

I think the legacy sounds good when you really wind it up near redline--you need to turn your stereo down! ;P DM--thats exactly what I was talking about--0-60 and 1/4 mile times are pretty much identical for the cars, its the 1/4 speed that is obviously better for the Z and shows it would have the advantage from a roll or in any race longer than the 1/4.

To answer your question wunderkind - yes I had some Z issues. Like 05LegacyGT330Ci - I had most of the TSBs. I have a very early build Z. I ordered 02/02 and it was delivered 09/02. I was one of the 1st in the western MD area to have a Z. I do not have the Bose system - but most of the 03's needed the Bose amp fix. The problems that I have had are: Tire Feathering (dealer fixed? - may come back) Brakes squeaking (at slow speeds - heard brakes go quickly) Grease Streaks (dealer fixed) Gas Filler Door sticking Rust inisde Gas filler housing Windows do NOT roll down when cold out Windows do not always go up (goes up and then will go back down) Tranny making some strange noises Side Bolsters in seats wearing already Now from what I have heard most of the late 04 and soon-to-be 05 Z owners - Nissan has fixed most of these issues.

Sounds like you got just about all the problems we got we purchased our Z in I guess it was 4/03 or so I can't really remember how long we've had it. I know its been atleast a year I'm thinking about a year and half.

Does the G35C sibling share this list of problems? I don't seem to recall reading these issues as prevalent on the Infiniti variant. I hope they upgrade that flimsy 'Fisher-Price' dash cubby hole. on the note (pun not intended) of the boxer burble, yes, you can't hear much of it in the Legacy. Maybe due to the equal length headers. I'm sure a simple exhaust job will enhance that unique sound. However I find the G35C's exhaust note to be prominent than the Z's. weird considering the Z is supposed to be sportier.

From what I have heard - the G35 has not had all the problems - except the tranny issue.

[quote name='05LegacyGT330Ci']What burble I don't even know if this car actually has an exhuast b/c I sure as hell can't hear it. :thumbdown:[/quote] Take off your mufflers and rev a bit. The burbly goodness is still there, just hidden. [quote name='wunderkind']on the note (pun not intended) of the boxer burble, yes, you can't hear much of it in the Legacy. Maybe due to the equal length headers. I'm sure a simple exhaust job will enhance that unique sound. However I find the G35C's exhaust note to be prominent than the Z's. weird considering the Z is supposed to be sportier.[/quote] As far as the equal length heading thing goes, that was pretty much debunked. The USDM Legacy GT indeed uses an UNequal header design. Try what a said above if you want to hear for yourself....