370Z ...refinement

[jezzaaa]

Hi all,

Hope you're all well

I'm out in the UAE and considering a 370Z, largely because it seems to be such a bargain. Its almost half the price of a cayman/Z4 and comes with everything as standard. Gulf spec means they only do one version here and Nav, Touring/GT pack etc is all included. And the emissions/fuel economy issues aren't a problem here, cost of fuel being what it is here.

I really like the styling and the interior etc. And on the test drives, the performance of the engine and quickness of the auto gearbox (no one buys manual over here sadly) feels really good. However, I thought the engine note was pretty harsh at high revs. I've read about the same thing...most of the reviews site harshness/lack of refinement. I think it's probably not much of an issue...but it's worrying me slightly in that I don't want to make the purchase and then regret it.

So...do any of you past or present owners find it to be a pain on long trips? And can anything be done about it? Do Cold Air Induction kits make any difference to the engine note/harshness? Any other third party fixes? I don't want a loud exhaust system, but would consider a different system which changed the sound without altering the volume...

Thanks all,
J.

[liner33]

Many owners think the car is far too quiet stock , i added an invidia gemini system to mine along with some drop in filters (the only cai that really work well require hacking the car around) and I wouldn't call it harsh at all . Standard there is a slight reluctance to rev past 5k but the exhaust seemed to fix that.

The autos (like mine) have much longer gearing than the manuals so make for a very relaxed ride on long trips, unfortunately the space inside is woeful so i rarely go that far in it

That big n/a engine certainly makes for relaxed cruising as there is plenty of torque low down

Can you get the US spec models ? The new Nismo looks nice and comes with the auto now

[jezzaaa]

liner33 said:

Many owners think the car is far too quiet stock , i added an invidia gemini system to mine along with some drop in filters (the only cai that really work well require hacking the car around) and I wouldn't call it harsh at all . Standard there is a slight reluctance to rev past 5k but the exhaust seemed to fix that.

The autos (like mine) have much longer gearing than the manuals so make for a very relaxed ride on long trips, unfortunately the space inside is woeful so i rarely go that far in it

That big n/a engine certainly makes for relaxed cruising as there is plenty of torque low down

Can you get the US spec models ? The new Nismo looks nice and comes with the auto now

Ok cheers dude...I think maybe the press is being a little too picky re the refinement. I mean it's a sports car right...if I wanted something quiet I'd buy a Merc E class!

I don't really want a US spec one here...you can get them privately, but there's all kinds of warranty issues etc...and selling it afterwards is a real pain.
Anyway, thanks for the response!

J.

[ECG1000]

This might be a bit of a late reply but thought I'd give my opinion anyway.

Standard, the engine does sound harsh when you get up into the upper limits of the rev band. It makes you think you're damaging the engine. Mechanical sympathy kicks in and you change up way before the red-line.
Once you get used to it and realise you're not doing any damage then it's fine. I'm sure Nissan would have made the rev limit lower if this was the case.

I've taken the back box off mine and fitted some short tails. A cheaper way of getting a good sound out of the car. £160 versus £1000+ for a proper cat-back system.
Whilst not overly loud, this covers up the harsh sound of the engine at higher revs and rids you of the subconscious urge to change up early. The exhaust note actually gets sweeter the higher you go and the car pulls more.

I'm sure a set of intakes would further improve on this as well.

Edited by ECG1000 on Thursday 19th June 11:23