June 23,2005
Last update June 27,2005
Introduction
Specifications
The reason that I chose Z33/350Z
Why are our cars two-seaters?
Exterior
Aluminium hood
VQ35 Engine
Cornering ability
6-speed close-ratio manual transmission
Fuel expenses
Changing muffler to the FUJITSUBO Legalis R
If you have a Z33/350Z and live in other countries outside Japan, you are very lucky. You can get the full ability of the Z33/350Z.
In Japan, Z33 means 350Z. I'm very pleased with the Z33/350Z. But I'm unlucky because I live in Japan. As you know, the Z33/350Z is made in Japan. But there are many strange "voluntary" restraints by the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport in Japan.
For example, the Z33/350Z which is sold in Japan has to limit the power to 280hp. And the limiter is set to 180Km/h. There is also a regulation about the sound level. For the Z33/350Z in Japan, a resonator is installed and the size of the air intake is changed. Of course these changes make the power go down. It means my Z33/350Z is detuned by Japan. I'm very sad, about that !
The strangest point of these restrictions is that they do not apply to import cars. There is no detuning of Porsche, Ferrari and so on. Japan is weakening the competitiveness of it's own car industry. I wonder about Japan !
Recently the restriction up to 280hp disappeared. But I think there are many more strange regulations about cars in Japan.
The reason that I chose Z33/350Z
The first reason is the design. I wanted a two-seater sports car which has a big acceleration. So I can't choose the Impreza WRX STi and the Lancer Evolution. My choice of home products were the Z33/350Z and the HONDA S2000. If I wanted to go to a circuit my choice would be the S2000. In the end I chose the Z33/350Z. I think that the design of the S2000 is not bad. But I like looking at my car as a model car. I think the design of the Z33/350Z is more beautiful than that of the S2000. So I chose the first one.
The Z33/350Z has marvelous power that makes me get a taste of unusual pleasure. The cockpit is surrounded like in a fighter aircraft. So my spirits are lifted. There are many sports sedans which have more power than the Z33/350Z. But I can't be impressed by these sedans.
Our two cars are the Z33/350Z and the Copen. Both cars are two-seaters. Most people will think that our life is inconvenient. There is problem. There are two people in my family. When I had a sedan, there were just a few times a year that I gave some friends a ride in the back seat. I think that the back seat is useless like carrying air. Two-seater cars can load the luggage we normally use. When I buy some big goods like appliances, I have the goods delivered. If I have to buy some materials like 2x4 at a big store, I can borrow a truck for free. If we have children and both our cars are two-seaters we think of they are useless. When I take our pet,LISA to the animal hospital I cover the passenger seat with vinyl. And Mary holds LISA. It takes about 10 minutes to the animal hospital. Some of the dog's hairs drop on my car seat. But I can clean the seat using a vacuum cleaner as the seat is of leather. After then I wipe the nose-prints from the window. I only have to do this a few times in a year.
When I saw the Z33/350Z in the newspaper for the first time, I felt that the car was very beautiful. At that time I didn't think that I would buy this car in a near future. My favourite point is the design. If the hood and the height are lower, the car would be more sharp. Of course it causes an increase in costs. I know the Z33/350Z is low-cost and high-performance, so I can understand. I had decided that the color be yellow or red if I would buy a sports car. If I could, I would choose yellow. Unfortunately there was no choice of yellow then. So I chose red. But I am pleased with it.
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It's the first time that I own a car of which the hood is made of aluminium. I was surprised at how light it was. I can lift up the hood easily, even though the hood has no the gas spring. I was very impressed about this.
In Japan, some people make fun of the VQ35 engine. They say that the engine of the Z33/350Z is same as that in a mini-van. Certainly, the VQ35 is mounted in some mini-vans for Japan. They say the rev limit is low. I also have wanted the engine to revolve up to around 7000 rpm sometimes when I use the highway, as the car can't be accelerated up to 100Km/h in the 2nd gear. But it's not a big problem. I'm satisfied with the engine. And NISSAN released the 35th anniversary model recently. The 35th anniversary model VQ35 can revolve up to 7000 rpm. I'm a little jealous.
Some people say the Z33/350Z is not fast like the Subaru Imprezza or Mitsubishi EVO. I think it is true. But I think that it depends on where to set a standard. If you drive the car on a circuit, the Z33/350Z is slower than the Imprezza or EVO. I have never felt that the Z33/350Z is slow if I drive the car on a public road. The car pushes me strongly ahead with a big torque. The power coming out of the VQ35 produces wonderful linear acceleration.
The level of the cornering ability also depends on where to set a standard. Sometimes people say the Z33/350Z is heavy. The Z33/350Z which weighs larger than 1.4 tons is not as light as a sports car. If I drive the Z33/350Z on a public road as apart from a circuit, I never felt the cornering ability is bad. The tires don't squeal much in the corners with my driving technique. The car can turn with an "on-the-rail" feel easily even though I drive the car at a scary speed. I have no driving technique to test the limits of my car's ability. So I don't know the real ability of the Z33/350Z.
6-speed close-ratio manual transmission
I like the manual transmission. When I had a sedan with the manual transmission, it was a troublesome operation to shift. But I like shift operation on a sports car. I can shift the gear with the 6-speed manual transmission which has short and quick stick, so I can enjoy the feeling of the direction of the engine. Doing the "Heel and Toe" which I have just learned is big fun to me.
You don't have to change the gear frequently because Z33/350Z has a big torque.When you drive the car on a main road, the car can cruise in only the 6th gear. If the speed is larger than 50Km/h (approximately 30miles/h), the car can drive in the 6th gear.
If you would like to change to the reverse gear, you push the stick. When I had a test drive in the car, I didn't know how to shift the gear to the reverse. So I shifted the gear to the 6th. But the engine didn't stall and the car went ahead slowly. I was very surprised.
Some people say a person who has a sports car should not worry about fuel expenses. But the car is an economical car. I drive the car on long drives. The car can drive more than 9.5Km per liter. I can't believe it because the car has a big 3500cc engine. My previous car which had a 3000cc engine could drive only 6Km per liter.
Changing muffler to the FUJITSUBO Legalis R
I was always dissatisfied with an exhaust sound when I drove the car. It was too silent. Of course an exhaust sound which is almost silent is not bad. It means the volume of sound is insufficient for a sports car. This feeling had acerbated since I bought the Copen. The standard muffler of the Copen produces a good exhaust sound. There is a tremendous sound. I can't believe that the car is a Kei-car which is a light vehicle with a cubic capacity of maximum 660cc. I think that the Z33/350Z is totally beaten on that point.
I had decided to change the muffler after due consideration. Now I am very satisfied with the sound. The muffler which I chose is a Fujitsubo LegalisR. The muffler is all stainless and also selles as a dealer option in Japan. There were three points to consider in choosing the muffler.
1.Passing the Japanese automobile inspection.
2.I dislike a roar muffler.
3.The idling is silent. But when I step on the gas pedal I can enjoy the exhaust sound.
Also I thought the Fujitsubo's quality was good. The sound I listened to the web site was good. I thought there would be no problems because NISSAN adopts as a dealer option.
Comparison of exterior of the muffler and the sound
 NORMAL(mp3) |
 FUJITSUBO Legalis R (mp3) |
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