I just did my first ever autocross in my 01 CLS. I did pretty well considering all I have on my car is a set of comptech springs and 18" wheels. I beat my friend who was driving a WRX Sti He can't drive worth a shit though. Rear wheel drive would have definitely helped. All this and I'm thinking about going to a 350z or g35c.

Do you think this is a good buy?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=31864

Thanks for the feedback!

 

One other thing...

Does the 350z/g35c have the same size back seat as the CLS?

Thanks Again!

 

Well the Z has no back seat and G35c is smaller in the back then the CL.

Still wouldn't sway me from a car buy decision though.

 

 

As people have said earlier, the Z has no back seat, but does very well at AutoX. I've gone at least 5x already with my Z.

It's in B-Stock class which is a very competitive and fast class. The G35c is also B-Stock, but usually runs slightly slower on the course, so if you really want to be competitive, the Z is the better choice in that regard.

 

Why does the ad state in one place that it has an 8-cylinder engine?

 

They try to add all the power they can

 

That's a real clean Z. Looks good. I think the price is reasonable with all the mods...

 

The G35 though handles better due to its longer wheel base. Z gets .87 G, and the G35 .92 or 93.

On a course its all driver, not the car most of the time....

 

damn g35 is that good on the G force omg!!

 

The G only pulled higher figures on the skidpad due to having better tires (Pilot Sport vs the crappy Bridgestone RE-040's on the Z). As many of us know, better skidpad performance does not always equate to better handling.

I'm an active participant at many AutoX events in the area. I've seen many G's and Z's compete. The Z is clearly faster in on the course due to it's lighter weight, smaller dimensions and firmer suspension.

BTW, where did you see .93 for the G35 or .87 for the Z? Since you love magazines, here is a quote from C&D:

On the skidpad, the sedan, at 0.87 g, fell slightly behind the Z Track at 0.88 g and the G35 coupe's best at 0.90

 

if it's not the track model( i didn't see any brembos) I wouldn't pay 27K for a used Z with 14k miles on it.

 

Sorry but its not because of its tires. It is because of the way the car is designed. It has a longer wheel base which mostly gives it the better handling and more stability. The 350z is more touchy when you throw it into a turn thus giving it a less stable feeling. As everyone knows Skidpad #s do equate to better performance. No, it is clearly faster for only one reason, the driver on those courses. I wasn't talking about the Sedan. I was talking about the Coupe. Also in several tests it got .90+ G. One or 2 got .92 G. Where the Z never broke .89. The Z is with the Sedan in handling.

Pulled from My350z.com

The G35 has a couple of handling advantages as well. Its longer wheelbase allows the rearend to rotate at a slower angle, taking away the twitchiness in the Z's rear end. It isn't going to do much on the tight transitions of an auto-X, but it can give a much better cornering speed on a road course where it can go into and out of the limit much more stable. Last, the G35 gets better tires. The Z gets the same Touring Dunlops that come on Lexus LS430 and SC430 Luxury cars. The G35 Coupe gets Michelin Pilot Sports, one of the best summer performance tires made. These are the same tires that come OEM on Vipers, M3s and even the track-bred 911 GT3. Why Nissan chose to put "touring" tires on the sports car and "sport" tires on the touring car, no one knows.

If you don't think a longer wheelbase is more stable; just to start with, why do you think the wheelbases of the C3, C4, C5 and C6 Corvettes have continually gotten longer? Here is a hint, it isn't to add weight or cargo room. I suggest you also start looking at Formula 1 specs. Ferrari and BMW(Williams) both use the longest wheelbase alloyed in the F1 chassis rules. You will also notice that as the speeds of the cars have increased over the years, so have the wheelbases. Look at the specs of a 75' and 85' chassis versus today. You can learn a lot more about chassis dynamics from several sources. SAE journals are a great source. Evolution Driving Schools has a Dial-In course that does a great job of going over chassis dynamics and tuning.