Well tonight around 9:30 i was on my way home sitting at a stop light and this black 350Z w/ fogged up windows pulls up next to me. I didn't think that he wanted to go but then the light turned green and at first he didn't do anything but i have this thing where if im at a light i like to you know be first. Well aparently he didn't like this and hits it, i immediately returned the favor and simply put I won - haha. I was suprised b/c since I have an a4 when i hit it I was in a dead spot but that didn't even matter.

On another note I also raced my friends stock 04 mustang gt manual. It was pretty much even w/ him being a little out in front. I was always under the impression that i would have no problem beating a gt - what do you guys think is my car getting all the power it should?

 

Good kill, 350Z's are way overrated. As far as the GT, the manual will run neck and neck with a stock LT1, an auto GT would be a different story though. The older GT's (98 and down) are no problem.

 

The Z is no big deal. Just another ricer.

I raced one that had all kinds of stillen stickers and crap all over it and beat it like a red headed step child.

 

350Z shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's funny listening to someone who owns one though. I knew this guy that had one, and he used to call me every time he claimed to beat an LT1. He'd call and ask me why LT1's were so slow because he just wasted another one At that time I had an intake, SLP headers and Flowmaster exhaust only and I used to make him look silly on the interstate despite me being an auto and him a manual. I even beat him when I had a blown headgasket one time

 

Stock for stock a 350z, 99+ GT and LT1 are all a driver's race.

 

A properly driven 6spd LT1 shouldnt have any problems w/ a stock 99-04 GT...auto is a drivers race...Buddy has new 350z, I dont really dig the looks or the performance...btw good runs

 

I agree with it being a driver's race. I drove my brother's 350 through the mountains around Albuquerque a few months back. While I wasn't impressed by the acceleration, the handling and steering is phenomenal. You guys that talk about not being impressed and it just being another rice car should probably drive one (really ring it out) before you bash it.

Jason

 

Why do you say it shouldn't be too much of a problem for a stock 95 LT1?

Lt1: 275 hp and ~3500 lbs
350Z: 289 hp and ~3300 lbs.

From what I've seen at the strip the 2 cars et about the same but the Z traps a couple mph more. I do agree on one thing though, the Z owners definitely seem to have the ricer mentality.

Jason

 

My Z28 weighed in at 3380 lbs, which is lower than what I've seen most people quote them as. That was with about 1/8th tank of gas, no driver. Although the 350Z edges the LT1 out in horsepower (287 vs 275/285 depending on year) it loses big time in the torque department. So I say that it shouldn't be a problem for an LT1 because of the old saying "you brag about horsepower but you drive torque".

Furthermore, 350Z's are tricky to launch, they are really set up as handling cars, and from what I've personally seen even the 6 speeds really have lackluster performance once they get going. So an LT1 should be able to beat a 350Z out of the hole given equal drivers, and on interstate races a manual LT1 especially should pull a 350Z.

There is a serious lack of stock LT1's around here so you don't often have a stock for stock race

 

I had a run in with a g35 on the highway a while back and it was nothing to sneeze at. He got a decent jump on me but I was still able to real him in, although I never passed him and we got up to around 140. It wasn't a typical 3 honk highway race though, he just kind of passed me and hit it and it took me a second to realize he was going for it.

 

Well, I've seen 350z vs LT1 races, and the LT1 pulls stock for stock. I've also talked to a 350z owner and he said on average their cars put about 220 hp to the rear wheels, so there's a big drop between advertised hp and reality. He says he's hoping for 330rwhp when he gets a supercharger, 6 or 8 lbs of boost I think. It should be fun showing him how much easier it is to make power with a big engine after I get my LE package.

I agree on the ricer mentality though. The G35 owner I beat looked pretty upset after losing.

 

Then you have seen well driven LT1s vs. poorly driven 350Zs. They trap nearly the same and e.t. nearly the same with equal drivers. I've seen them dyno about 240 to the rear wheels, stock.

 

Gotta agree with Steve's post. Most lt1's I've seen trap around 97-100. The few Z's I've seen trapped a few mph higher. 220 rwhp is pretty low, was it an auto? I looked around on the net and 235 seems about average for the 6spd.

Jason

 

Exactly, I have a magazine with a 350z thats pushin 8 lbs of boost and it's getten around 330 hp to the wheels. So there's no way one of those is puttin down 290hp stock. "HP is what you see, torque is what you feel". I think thats how that goes.

 

even though they have a little 6 cyl engine, and even though they don't have the flat tq powerband of the old lt1, the car would move really well for what it is.

it has a pretty good gearing

1st 3.79
2nd 2.32
3rd 1.62
4th 1.27
5th 1.00
6th 0.79
and 3.54 final ratio

it is lighter than the lt1 3200-3300lbs and the fuel cut off would happen at 6600rpm, with those gears and more rpms to go it would surprised many stock lt1's,it won't launch like an lt1 though, the lt1 torque would get the car moving faster out of the whole, but it would loose steem on top end, while the 350z would still be moving. i guess that explains the similar et's on both cars in stock trim. i've seen better trap speed on the 350z side stock vs stock, but really close et's.
i think they put 235-240rwhp in stock trim, i've seen dynos as higher as 280rwhp with cams,headers,intakes and whatever bolt-on you can imagine, but it won't match the power that an lt1 would make with the same mods, let alone the price they have to pay to have a 350z on that 280rwhp in N/A.