When we put it on our scales with a full tank of fuel we got a weight of 3274lbs. You can see the photo of the weights here: grassrootsmotorsports.com/news/why-are-we-so-disappointed-new-nissan-z-2023-nissan-z-track-test/"
@@Grassrootsmotorsports that's definitely not the correct weight, even nissan themselves as it at 3485lbs for the sport model, the weight you say you have is lighter than the 370z that shares the same chassis.
The Z was never a track car out of the box, but a more sporty cruiser. With just a few mods like suspension, wheels/tires and good brakes it will be a great track car.
@@ChrisPBacon9 Thats all based on opinion and like YOU and others, everything is always about who has the bigger penis, rather than just accpeting it for what it is and appreciating it for that is is. Its a shame that todays society everything is compared to something else and if it does not exceed the "other" one then its not worthy. SMH
@@ACommenterOnRUclips no no, it's that for 55,000 it doesn't deliver on performance (which is objective, you can measure it, so not an opinion) that was present in this class of vehicles a decade ago, it doesnt feel particularly well so it doesnt get fun points like the miata and twins, it literally just looks cool and people are divided even on that. You don't have to get offended it's just a car you big crybaby
Testing cars "as delivered" is perfectly reasonable since it's what the OEM felt was good enough for the initial release. That said, a car's lap times can always be improved with different tires or suspension changes. Saying that "Car X is better than Car Y *after* making changes" is cherry-picking by selective bias. I agree with the comment here that Nissan made what will make 99% of owners happy (non-track users). The vocal 1% can either go elsewhere or modify their cars and pretend that's how Nissan meant to make it.
Lol, talk about hitting a nail on the head and hammering it on the 1st strike. To capitalize on your point, of those who will actually modify do not care to much about someone else’s lap times. Additionally, the spec-sheet shoppers are those that rarely modify, and if they do they’ll put a K&N air filter then call it modifying 😂.
The new Z looks a bit soft and porky to be considered a true track car… more suited to spirited road use than limit handling. Great review as always JG!
kinda agree its built on 370z and 370z is not car for winning time attacks - there are a lot of cars that faster on track. Maybe its because of huge weight
@@alexbeau348 Something is definitely holding it back. I wonder if the ECU was pulling power due to the hot temperatures. With so much more power than the 86 it should have been several mph faster at the ends of the long straights.
Kind of like the Jaguar F-Type (which these resemble), but most Jag owners acknowledge that they're GT cars and not sports cars, due to the weight. I don't think Z owners are ready to admit that.
@@kurtbilinski1723 in previous generations it was clear that 350z and G35 are still sport cars but g37 is became GT with its 1700kg 370 was not much faster than 350z in spite of power
It feels like Nissan phoned this new Z in but I think they gave the public what they asked for; a twin turbo, manual Z. People tend to tune these cars for whatever they want them to be
@@LearningFast, they won't be selling for that for long. People will turn to SS 1LEs and GT Track Packs. The Z and Supra manual will have crazy markups for the first year or two, but the price will come down and they will be highly tunable.
I wonder how much the chassis is at fault here, the 370Z suspension has been tweaked and it's an item that the factory should be able to get right without having too spend too much money. But they are stuck with the same chassis. Let's face it, if a BRZ can match it there is a problem, a substantial problem. BTW I am a Z owner.
Great review with some really interesting results, I love driving the FIRM! When you reviewed the Supra it was early in January when you were seeing the results you saw, it doesn’t excuse any of the platforms flaws mentioned in the video however I am curious to know what those results would look like when it’s ideal temperature and conditions on track.
Conditions were definitely better for our January test of the Supra, but it's still Florida. According to the notes in our test database the Supra test was in the mid to high 80s, and the Z was low to mid 90s. Those are better conditions, but not four seconds better conditions. It's really a bummer because the Z does have some good bones, and we've driven some great handling 350 and 370Zs, so the potential is definitely there.
@@Grassrootsmotorsports good to know! That first week of January the weather is usually awesome for track days with weather closer to the low 70s so must’ve just been a bit warmer that year. Really appreciate the reply!
Would be great if a sports car manufacturers offered a mild track version as an option or perhaps a kit. The MX-5 club is closest but still not track ready and will require springs and such. Such a waste to buy a car and throw away brand new parts.
Pretty typical of Nissan to do great up to 80% and then just phone in the other 20%. Like the Zs before it, I’m sure it’ll have overheating issues on extended track sessions on hot days. Now that it has 2 heat generating turbos, this new Z will wilt and go in to limp mode faster than a stock FK8. Great street car, not worth the time and money to turn in to a track day car.
-Supra is making more whp than the Z(Supra: 380-390whp, Z: 360-370whp), hence the straight line speed difference. -Z being 200 pounds heavier than the Supra. -Inferior transmission compared to the Supra. -Suspension too soft for spirited driving for the Z. -Crappy tires and brakes on the Z. -Simply outdated chassis. New Z's chassis may be revised but still a 20 year old platform. These are the reasons the Supra feels better in every way.
I would say this is a feature and not a bug, everybody expecting to tune their Z and unlike supra one can build it in the range from girlish daily to racetrack tool and every flavor in between.
Hopefully nissan is being smart and treating this like mazda does to the miata, make is soft for 99% of ppl and the other 1% will throw away the stock stuff anyways BUT what this does is keep the Z for sale unlike going hardcore and lasting only a fee years and gets discontinued.
Throttle House recently did a drag and lap comparison between a last gen 370Z Nismo versus the new Z and found, that while the new Z is quicker in a straight line, it was not only slower around the race track, [edit: Not slower around the race track. Thomas said, "it was only a couple of thenths slower, on worse tires."] but the previous gen 370Z felt more composed in corners and under braking.
Seems awfully bizarre to me that it is struggling to keep up with a BRZ. I noticed the Z was tested in late August and the Supra & BRZ in the winter. Was there like a +40 deg difference in track temps that might account for the power loss in the Z? Were the tires roached when you were delivered the car? Had 30 other journalists beaten the snot out of it before they gave it to GRM? Was the clutch slipping? Was the alignment correct? I’d like to see the tests repeated with a production car.
The BRZ was tested New Years Eve, and the Supra in the Spring. So there was a temp split, but not a 100+hp temp split. It's Florida. It's always some variation of hot and humid here. We're also curious to drive a full production version of the car, but other outlets have also been reporting similar performance and having similar complaints, so we're not holding our breath for a miracle.
@@Grassrootsmotorsports Something still doesn't add up. The "other outlets" did show a Z 6MT with Randy Pobst behind the wheel ran a 1.25.32 at Streets of Willow. Same driver/same track in a '22 WRX ran a 1.26.75. To my knowledge there are no lap times of Randy Pobst in a '22 BRZ auto around Streets, but there is a video of a '22 BRZ MT/stock tires/upgraded brake pads car doing a 1.27.6. All those numbers make sense. I don't think GRM did anything wrong, something just wasn't apples to apples in this test. Temps, bad gas/timing being pulled by the ECU, any number of minor mechanical/electrical issues...who knows...kept that car from performing the way it should have.
Yeah it's more than tires away from greatness. The first priority would probably be controlling the slow and extreme roll and pitch. Even just giving the stock tires more stable contact patches wold help a lot.
GRMers tend to be part of that 1% though. But yes I generally agree that this review is not indicative for most (really any review that can have people fixate on numbers and lap times)
I agree, but that’s a huge excuse. Everyone has been a hoping and praying that this will be a Supra destroyer since it’s announcement, besides; people love to bench race.
It's really a shame they made this iteration a GT car. The performance is there but for $53,000 it should be a pretty top-notch car at that point and it's just not there. They took a 370Z gave it a better engine and then neutered it everywhere else.
Sorry, but this car just isn’t worth the money at all especially with the ridiculous markups. INFINITI has had this engine in the Q50/Q60 since 2016 and nobody buys those cars anymore for a reason. Nissan has lost its way.
One of the worst reviews and test i have ever seen . Reasons : 1- everyone know that the Potenza tires on the Z is a super slippery, and yet you didn’t know that 2- you are talking about the acceleration vs the supra , how in earth you are comparing a Manual vs Auto ? 3- you don’t know that the supra has more whp ? Cuz even my grandma knows about the underrated BMW engines . I’m sorry guys but your test isn’t reflecting and justifying what is actually happening , you are just like someone who doesn’t know a lot about cars and yes he is testing and showing data .
1. They run the cars how they come. If you put better tires on the Z, you'd have to do the same for the other test vehicles 2. Even with a manual, I highly doubt you are going to make up almost 4 seconds in their lap times 3. The Supra having more whp than rated still doesn't excuse the BRZ also being faster than the Z.
@@ryansauer1373 nop , the only test they put the same tires on the Supra and the Z , ended up giving the victory for the Z . I’m not saying they should change the tires , I’m saying the should mention it and point it because a lot of people doesn’t know about how the tires makes a huge difference on the Z performance
What do you think about the 2023 Nissan Z?
It's not as light as you say. 3500 lbs
When we put it on our scales with a full tank of fuel we got a weight of 3274lbs. You can see the photo of the weights here: grassrootsmotorsports.com/news/why-are-we-so-disappointed-new-nissan-z-2023-nissan-z-track-test/"
@@Grassrootsmotorsports That's some good news. I'll bet a square tire setup 295s all around and some stiffer coil overs will do this car wonders.
Surprisingly similar to the gr86 AT acceleration, are the Z gears super long?
@@Grassrootsmotorsports that's definitely not the correct weight, even nissan themselves as it at 3485lbs for the sport model, the weight you say you have is lighter than the 370z that shares the same chassis.
The Z was never a track car out of the box, but a more sporty cruiser. With just a few mods like suspension, wheels/tires and good brakes it will be a great track car.
The bones of a good track car are there. Hopefully the aftermarket embraces it and the track crowd has another fun and cool option to play with.
Right, its a GT car, not a sports car. It was meant for the straight away power.
@@ACommenterOnRUclipsits just a shame it doesn't do that very well either
@@ChrisPBacon9 Thats all based on opinion and like YOU and others, everything is always about who has the bigger penis, rather than just accpeting it for what it is and appreciating it for that is is.
Its a shame that todays society everything is compared to something else and if it does not exceed the "other" one then its not worthy. SMH
@@ACommenterOnRUclips no no, it's that for 55,000 it doesn't deliver on performance (which is objective, you can measure it, so not an opinion) that was present in this class of vehicles a decade ago, it doesnt feel particularly well so it doesnt get fun points like the miata and twins, it literally just looks cool and people are divided even on that. You don't have to get offended it's just a car you big crybaby
Testing cars "as delivered" is perfectly reasonable since it's what the OEM felt was good enough for the initial release. That said, a car's lap times can always be improved with different tires or suspension changes. Saying that "Car X is better than Car Y *after* making changes" is cherry-picking by selective bias. I agree with the comment here that Nissan made what will make 99% of owners happy (non-track users). The vocal 1% can either go elsewhere or modify their cars and pretend that's how Nissan meant to make it.
Lol, talk about hitting a nail on the head and hammering it on the 1st strike. To capitalize on your point, of those who will actually modify do not care to much about someone else’s lap times. Additionally, the spec-sheet shoppers are those that rarely modify, and if they do they’ll put a K&N air filter then call it modifying 😂.
Outstanding video and EXACTLY what I was looking for - THANK YOU!!
Sounds like upgraded tires and suspension would go a long ways.
The new Z looks a bit soft and porky to be considered a true track car… more suited to spirited road use than limit handling. Great review as always JG!
kinda agree
its built on 370z and 370z is not car for winning time attacks - there are a lot of cars that faster on track.
Maybe its because of huge weight
@@alexbeau348 Something is definitely holding it back. I wonder if the ECU was pulling power due to the hot temperatures. With so much more power than the 86 it should have been several mph faster at the ends of the long straights.
@@TankRust yeah, and 86 is NA so its peak hp are not turbo hp and it should be weaker
Kind of like the Jaguar F-Type (which these resemble), but most Jag owners acknowledge that they're GT cars and not sports cars, due to the weight. I don't think Z owners are ready to admit that.
@@kurtbilinski1723 in previous generations it was clear that 350z and G35 are still sport cars
but g37 is became GT with its 1700kg
370 was not much faster than 350z in spite of power
It feels like Nissan phoned this new Z in but I think they gave the public what they asked for; a twin turbo, manual Z. People tend to tune these cars for whatever they want them to be
When these cars are selling for $100k with markups nobody will be able to afford aftermarket parts.
@@LearningFast, they won't be selling for that for long. People will turn to SS 1LEs and GT Track Packs. The Z and Supra manual will have crazy markups for the first year or two, but the price will come down and they will be highly tunable.
@@flyingphoenix113 Why would I want a 4000lb suv weight car over this?
@@kanaricbecause it's only a few hundred pounds lighter than those "SUVs"
I wonder how much the chassis is at fault here, the 370Z suspension has been tweaked and it's an item that the factory should be able to get right without having too spend too much money. But they are stuck with the same chassis. Let's face it, if a BRZ can match it there is a problem, a substantial problem. BTW I am a Z owner.
Great review with some really interesting results, I love driving the FIRM! When you reviewed the Supra it was early in January when you were seeing the results you saw, it doesn’t excuse any of the platforms flaws mentioned in the video however I am curious to know what those results would look like when it’s ideal temperature and conditions on track.
Conditions were definitely better for our January test of the Supra, but it's still Florida. According to the notes in our test database the Supra test was in the mid to high 80s, and the Z was low to mid 90s. Those are better conditions, but not four seconds better conditions. It's really a bummer because the Z does have some good bones, and we've driven some great handling 350 and 370Zs, so the potential is definitely there.
@@Grassrootsmotorsports good to know! That first week of January the weather is usually awesome for track days with weather closer to the low 70s so must’ve just been a bit warmer that year. Really appreciate the reply!
I'd be curious to see how much of the difference between the Supra and and Z comes down to weight difference and transmission.
Would be great if a sports car manufacturers offered a mild track version as an option or perhaps a kit. The MX-5 club is closest but still not track ready and will require springs and such. Such a waste to buy a car and throw away brand new parts.
Pretty typical of Nissan to do great up to 80% and then just phone in the other 20%. Like the Zs before it, I’m sure it’ll have overheating issues on extended track sessions on hot days. Now that it has 2 heat generating turbos, this new Z will wilt and go in to limp mode faster than a stock FK8.
Great street car, not worth the time and money to turn in to a track day car.
Heat exchanger makes it better for the q60 so it be the same with the z but the breaking with the q sucks need to upgrade those
It will be interesting as to which aftermarket house comes up with a fully modded version and how it goes, wait until then though.
OoF! It's probably a great street car. Aftermarket to the rescue ..again.
Check out our forum for more discussion on the car: grassrootsmotorsports.com/news/why-are-we-so-disappointed-new-nissan-z-2023-nissan-z-track-test/
Are all terrain tires recommended for more grip and every day use for this car?
-Supra is making more whp than the Z(Supra: 380-390whp, Z: 360-370whp), hence the straight line speed difference.
-Z being 200 pounds heavier than the Supra.
-Inferior transmission compared to the Supra.
-Suspension too soft for spirited driving for the Z.
-Crappy tires and brakes on the Z.
-Simply outdated chassis. New Z's chassis may be revised but still a 20 year old platform.
These are the reasons the Supra feels better in every way.
I would say this is a feature and not a bug, everybody expecting to tune their Z and unlike supra one can build it in the range from girlish daily to racetrack tool and every flavor in between.
In the video you say the car weighs 3300lbs, but other reviews say closer to 3600lbs. Could this be why it feels slower?
GRM was wrong about the weight. It's 3550 for Performance manual and 3610 for Performance auto
Great review
Hopefully nissan is being smart and treating this like mazda does to the miata, make is soft for 99% of ppl and the other 1% will throw away the stock stuff anyways BUT what this does is keep the Z for sale unlike going hardcore and lasting only a fee years and gets discontinued.
Throttle House recently did a drag and lap comparison between a last gen 370Z Nismo versus the new Z and found, that while the new Z is quicker in a straight line, it was not only slower around the race track, [edit: Not slower around the race track. Thomas said, "it was only a couple of thenths slower, on worse tires."] but the previous gen 370Z felt more composed in corners and under braking.
It wasn't slower around the track lol, go watch again
@@cosmic_gate476 You're right. My bad, Thomas said, "It was only a couple of tenths slower, on worse tires." Still, I think my point remains.
@@ragweedmakesmesneeze yeah nissan messed up in some areas for sure.
Another track test, similar result ruclips.net/video/yA6AiyZP3H8/видео.html
Seems awfully bizarre to me that it is struggling to keep up with a BRZ. I noticed the Z was tested in late August and the Supra & BRZ in the winter. Was there like a +40 deg difference in track temps that might account for the power loss in the Z? Were the tires roached when you were delivered the car? Had 30 other journalists beaten the snot out of it before they gave it to GRM? Was the clutch slipping? Was the alignment correct? I’d like to see the tests repeated with a production car.
The BRZ was tested New Years Eve, and the Supra in the Spring. So there was a temp split, but not a 100+hp temp split. It's Florida. It's always some variation of hot and humid here. We're also curious to drive a full production version of the car, but other outlets have also been reporting similar performance and having similar complaints, so we're not holding our breath for a miracle.
@@Grassrootsmotorsports Something still doesn't add up. The "other outlets" did show a Z 6MT with Randy Pobst behind the wheel ran a 1.25.32 at Streets of Willow. Same driver/same track in a '22 WRX ran a 1.26.75. To my knowledge there are no lap times of Randy Pobst in a '22 BRZ auto around Streets, but there is a video of a '22 BRZ MT/stock tires/upgraded brake pads car doing a 1.27.6. All those numbers make sense. I don't think GRM did anything wrong, something just wasn't apples to apples in this test. Temps, bad gas/timing being pulled by the ECU, any number of minor mechanical/electrical issues...who knows...kept that car from performing the way it should have.
It’s the same chassis as it’s been since 2003. I’m sure there are tons of parts that will fit it.
Better tires?
Yeah it's more than tires away from greatness. The first priority would probably be controlling the slow and extreme roll and pitch. Even just giving the stock tires more stable contact patches wold help a lot.
7:18 what about automatic version?
In other words, it’s going to be a fun and enjoyable car for the way 99% of people are going to use it…roger that.
GRMers tend to be part of that 1% though. But yes I generally agree that this review is not indicative for most (really any review that can have people fixate on numbers and lap times)
Yes, the Supra is 100% better in every way. 😆
Can you not read "track" review in the title?
I agree, but that’s a huge excuse. Everyone has been a hoping and praying that this will be a Supra destroyer since it’s announcement, besides; people love to bench race.
The Z has always been flawed
Z already in 240TW
Supra is in 300TW
Glad I buy a Supra earlier
It's really a shame they made this iteration a GT car. The performance is there but for $53,000 it should be a pretty top-notch car at that point and it's just not there. They took a 370Z gave it a better engine and then neutered it everywhere else.
Simple answer: Supra makes around 400 whp. I don’t understand how is that legal since its supposed to be rated at 383 hp at the crank
Thats BMW fudging their numbers lower so that it feels faster than what its claimed.
new z = new brz in auto lol
I thought youtube HYPE videos and HUGE dealer ADMs make car faster
Z is a GT car ... NOT A SPORTS CAR PEOPLE ...
A full fire suit but no gloves? This makes safety sense to anyone?
Would you rather have him run in a t-shirt and shorts just for the sake of consistency?
@@ALMX5DP I'd love this option :)
Sorry, but this car just isn’t worth the money at all especially with the ridiculous markups. INFINITI has had this engine in the Q50/Q60 since 2016 and nobody buys those cars anymore for a reason. Nissan has lost its way.
The 370Z has been around for around 12 years
Nissan should have perfected the New Z by
Now. Hopefully the Nismo
Will be better.
One of the worst reviews and test i have ever seen . Reasons :
1- everyone know that the Potenza tires on the Z is a super slippery, and yet you didn’t know that
2- you are talking about the acceleration vs the supra , how in earth you are comparing a Manual vs Auto ?
3- you don’t know that the supra has more whp ? Cuz even my grandma knows about the underrated BMW engines .
I’m sorry guys but your test isn’t reflecting and justifying what is actually happening , you are just like someone who doesn’t know a lot about cars and yes he is testing and showing data .
This isn't the only review with the same dissapointing results and opinions.
They simply test the vehicle as it comes, tires and all. And what about acceleration versus the manual 86?
1. They run the cars how they come. If you put better tires on the Z, you'd have to do the same for the other test vehicles
2. Even with a manual, I highly doubt you are going to make up almost 4 seconds in their lap times
3. The Supra having more whp than rated still doesn't excuse the BRZ also being faster than the Z.
@@ryansauer1373 nop , the only test they put the same tires on the Supra and the Z , ended up giving the victory for the Z .
I’m not saying they should change the tires , I’m saying the should mention it and point it because a lot of people doesn’t know about how the tires makes a huge difference on the Z performance
@@ALMX5DP the Z is faster than the supra Auto vs Auto with same tires
That’s why I’m telling you this test is not showing the reality
The @400zFairlady is mine. Register 400Z. This is my future 2023 Nissan Z. @400zFairlady
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