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Thread: 350z as a track car?

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    350z as a track car?

    Looking to get rid of my Clio in the new year as I’d like a rwd track car and my 180sx will just be a road car/weekend toy when it’s done as it’ll be too clean to track with a fresh paint job etc.

    So I was thinking of a 350z, can be bought fairly cheap now even with the gt pack.

    My idea for short term would be just replace pads for more track focussed ones and discs if needed, coilovers and sticky rubber for the stock wheels as a starter and see if I like it.

    Anyone use one on track and what are your opinions?

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    Not my personal experience but spoke to a guy at my last drift day who has a 350z as a drift and track car.

    He said it was very good around the track, was stripped out with coilovers etc but still had pretty stock engine, only thing he said was it was a bit boring to drive as the power was very predictable/smooth compared to that of a turbocharged car like s13's and skyline's he has had in the past.

    I think you get quite a lot of car for the money to be fair so don't think you will go too far wrong as long as the engine/running gear is all in good shape. I know 350z gearbox's are holding there money now as people like to use them for conversions etc.

    Let us know how you get on.

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    Guest ANDY black s13's Avatar
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    not a bad car ,the weight of them is about 300 kgs more than the 180, if you can't remove that 300 kgs it will be harder on brakes tyres
    and imo it will be slower in a straight line than the the 180 if the 180 was stock power,
    I will always compare to an S chassis ,so to me it's weight and lack of factory boost it looses 2 major ticks

    I see an S2000 as a better base for a trackday car of sorts, no idea on current costs of either cars as not on my radar/interest list
    what ever you decide to go for try get a salvage car and save a fortune, some times a just a dented door/quarter panel easy repair sort of deal
    just cover the thing in stickers to hide dents as it will aquire more

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    Now with 400bhp....
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    Know someone who uses one on track, goes well enough and sounds like it handles well. Tends to do many many laps then drive home no problems
    1998 Nissan 200sx s14a , 2000 std 5 speed with nismo supercoppermix clutch bn6 Sapphire Blue

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    Quote Originally Posted by drc View Post
    Not my personal experience but spoke to a guy at my last drift day who has a 350z as a drift and track car.

    He said it was very good around the track, was stripped out with coilovers etc but still had pretty stock engine, only thing he said was it was a bit boring to drive as the power was very predictable/smooth compared to that of a turbocharged car like s13's and skyline's he has had in the past.

    I think you get quite a lot of car for the money to be fair so don't think you will go too far wrong as long as the engine/running gear is all in good shape. I know 350z gearbox's are holding there money now as people like to use them for conversions etc.

    Let us know how you get on.
    I’ve actually got a 350z gearbox for my 180sx! The Clio is so predictable so I was looking fir something rwd with decent power for around the 3/4K mark.

    Quote Originally Posted by ANDY black s13 View Post
    not a bad car ,the weight of them is about 300 kgs more than the 180, if you can't remove that 300 kgs it will be harder on brakes tyres
    and imo it will be slower in a straight line than the the 180 if the 180 was stock power,
    I will always compare to an S chassis ,so to me it's weight and lack of factory boost it looses 2 major ticks

    I see an S2000 as a better base for a trackday car of sorts, no idea on current costs of either cars as not on my radar/interest list
    what ever you decide to go for try get a salvage car and save a fortune, some times a just a dented door/quarter panel easy repair sort of deal
    just cover the thing in stickers to hide dents as it will aquire more

    My 180 is partially stripped with a bucket seat, not that the interior is exactly heavy. It’s also running around the 400hp mark, but I never used it to its full potential on track as I always had a compromising se with the styling, ride height and wheel size etc, which is why I decided it won’t be a track car. I’m not too worried about power as I have plenty of fun in a 170hp Clio lol.

    My budget is maximum 4K but ideally I’d rather find one that’s in good mechanical shape but not great cosmetically to keep costs down.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chriscooke View Post
    Know someone who uses one on track, goes well enough and sounds like it handles well. Tends to do many many laps then drive home no problems

    I remember there was a lad on here who I did some laps with at Abingdon air field in his 350 but can’t remember his name, enjoyed the laps tho the car definitely handled nice and had enough power to keep me happy.

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    Now with 400bhp....
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    Silver car by any chance?

    H-dev seem to be well in to their 350’s these days too if you’re looking for mods
    1998 Nissan 200sx s14a , 2000 std 5 speed with nismo supercoppermix clutch bn6 Sapphire Blue

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    Self confessed player of the pink oboe docwra's Avatar
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    Yeah, I used mine as a trackcar for about 2-3 years and it was really rather good. The brakes are excellent, handling very predictable and its got a good balance, I was quite happy drifting it at 100mph+. Its also a good mile eater if youre doing the overseas trackdays too.
    Add braided hoses, decent pads and ideally coilovers and youve got a very capable trackcar that is also a decent drifter too.

    Downside was weight, always weight - I considered putting a V8 in but it was still going to be a heavy ole thing, that said I still miss it from time to time. An S2K is perhaps the scalpel to the 350Z's sledgehammer but they cost quite a lot more, I prefer the blunt approach of the Z33 personally
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    As above they are heavy but not many places to save weight as the propshaft is carbon, the subframe is alu, the bonnet is alu, the bumpers are light and so are the rays wheels.
    It does however have tonnes of interior plastic and some fiberglass wings can help a tiny bit but mine boiled my brake fluid when running knockhill and a supercharger...
    Feedback through the steering is great and grip is good but power is a bit down IMO.

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    Guest ANDY black s13's Avatar
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    the prices of S chassis are just going up so tbh the z33 makes a decent cost wise alternative,
    nothing else springs to mind in that £4k range that can be fettled on the cheap

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    Quote Originally Posted by ANDY black s13 View Post
    the prices of S chassis are just going up so tbh the z33 makes a decent cost wise alternative,
    nothing else springs to mind in that £4k range that can be fettled on the cheap

    This is my whole reason behind the thread. I think bang for buck the early ones seem to be one of the best out there atm in terms of rwd and fairly decent in all areas, power, looks, handling, sound, comfort... not much better for under 4K atm. Obviously there’s loads over that mark but looking on eBay I’d happily buy a pre face lift gt pack with over 100k miles on for under 4K.

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    Guest Kieran O'Quick's Avatar
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    I've tracked mine for a few years and done a few seasons hill climbing. The more experienced hillclimbers have commented on how its a lot quicker than they'd have expected for its weight. Beats S2000s pretty easily.

    I stuck a supercharger in mine out of boredom but still figure it wouldn't be worth a lot if I came to sell. So as said above, a dented up scruffy one is a no-brainer. The non leather version comes with lighter and lower seats. 50 kg lighter I think and cheaper.

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