Sorry, long read. Cliff notes at the bottom for the ADD afflicted.
I had the privilege of being asked to instruct at the Integra Type R Expo again this year. A great group of guys and gals from around the country, enjoying their cars in the environment that they were intended for. This year, the group was fortunate enough to procure Autobahn full course for the event, a great course just outside Joliet, IL.
As the car I have been tracking is down for further modifications, a couple of my friends offered to let me take their cars on track. An offer I appreciated, was humbled by, and couldn't turn down. (Now is when Splitime comes in to call me a car whore! LOL) One of the cars was a semi-track prepped DA Integra, and the other was a 370Z. While I could write about the DA, as it was fun in its own right, I will stick to the Z, as it is close to stock and something someone could walk into a dealer and buy. The mods the Z had were brake pads, oil cooler, intake setup, and exhaust. The car owner mentioned that he had seen similar setups making close to, or right around, 300 rwhp. The oil cooler, from web research, is a necessary item if one plans on doing any track events. Other than that, it was stock, down to the tires it came on.
You can find info on the car's interior and exterior else where. I will merely mention that I found the 3/4 view horrendous when parking, but the cabin is comfy enough, the steering wheel has a nice fat comfortable rim, and the shifter falls right into hand. The last two are great for track driving, which is what this is supposed to be about, so lets get on with it.
I must start by mentioning the traction control. The owner of the car drives with it on (only his second HPDE, so it is a good idea to catch rookie mistakes.), so I did as well. Until my last session on the second day. It seems that if the hydraulic fluid gets low, the traction control stops working. And by low, I am talking still above the minimum line, but not full! How is that smart, Nissan? Anyway, somehow by my final session, the fluid had managed to get just low enough for me to experience the car nanny-less. So it wasn't on purpose that I got to drive with it off, but by accident. A happy accident, at that.
I can't say I didn't have fun driving the car. It had grip, it had power, and it was very composed. Turn one probably told me the most about the car. Its a medium 180, coming off a long straight onto another, with a mild crest in the middle featuring more of a drop off on the backside, then a rise on the front, and undulations/bumps on corner exit. Under braking, the ABS was unobtrusive, but the car did nose over quite a bit. The car was planted and easily controlled throughout, giving you lots of info through the wheel and seat. However, those undulations/bumps really made the rear end move about. Almost had a feel of the tires being under inflated. You know the feeling, not just an up and down movement, but more like the rear is trying to draw circles. This is the only corner the rear would do this, but it was also the only bumpy one. For the rest of the course, the car was as described above. Grip and power ruled its on track persona. You could feel the cars heft, and had to drive a bit ahead of it.
Driving the car with the nannies on, however, was quite limiting. It was, for experienced drivers, annoying on the verge of frustrating. It would kick on way too soon, and severely limit the power you could tap into. I was activating it going INTO corners, and not being given full power back, until completely straight. Or so it seemed. By the way it was reacting, I thought if it weren't on, I would have gone into a torque induced spin of death off the track and, surely, into a wall. The reality was quite different. The car was still very well behaved, but allowed you to finish a corner with throttle. A lot more throttle. I felt the car had a tendency towards understeer, unless you rotated the car going in and held a neutral state with throttle application through corner exit. The car was completely willing to do this, and quite controllable as well. There were no lurid, epic power-slides. Just an easily controlled slip angle, that allowed you to really benefit from the power on tap.
The coolest thing about the car, however, was its computer controlled rev-matching. It was brilliant, spot on, and I loved it. I can heel toe. I feel I am pretty decent at it, even. In fact, every once in awhile, I caught myself trying to do it while driving the Z, as it is instinctual at this point. Each time, I think, the computer beat me to the punch! I wasn't sure how I would feel about it this option originally. You know, driving purest in me wanting to thump my chest, and all. But it was really cool. I still think everyone should learn how to heel toe themselves, but I see nothing wrong with this technology, in and of itself. Its just cool to use.
So, would I get one? That is what my wife asked me when I got home. I know she likes them, and if we ever have the cash, she would like one herself. My answer to her question was quick, and without hesitation, though. No. It's not for me. The 370Z is a GT car. A great, capable car for everyday use, and a few, occasional, track days. I would rather, for the money, have my E30 or an E36 for daily driving, and something a bit more track oriented. Such as an Elise. Or a track prepped Miata. Or the origional Z. Something light weight and toss-able. In other words, a sports car.
*Cliffs: 370Z fun. Traction control annoying. No traction control really fun. Synchrorev sweet! GT car, not a sports car.
