Is 300ZX TT the BEST Japanese car?

[wingsofwar]

you bring tears of joy to my eyes NISSANSPDR

:cry:

[sinfestboy]

hp isnt what 86's are about. same for 240's.

and if you are gonna call it a beater, you deserce to be castrated

a beater is a fucking pick up truck, not a "vintage" sports car.

[wingsofwar]

what the hell are you talking about sinfestboy? NISSANSPDR never called the AE86 a beater....why dont you read it again..and keep your mind out of the gutter.

[NISSANSPDR]

An AE86 is an economic car...it was not meant to be a SPORTS CAR...it has elements of being a sports car...LSD, DOHC engine, lightweight, RWD...but that does not necessarily automatically make it a SPORTS CAR...it's a Corolla...it does make a good sports car...but was not a sports car to begin w/I would venture to say...we've made it into a sports car...ie RALLY, DRIFTING, and JGTC GT300.

Similar to the Mini Cooper...it wasnt a sports car but performed like one and acted like one...so we embraced it when it won races and loved it ever since...

And when I meant beater/race car...I meant something that I could use instead of my late father's 300ZX (RIP Dad)...a car very near and dear to my heart...that had ultra low miles and perfect in alot of ways. Furthermore...a Z32 is not particularly a good car for autocrosses since it's heavyweight...so a lighter more nimble car (AE86) would have been perfect...and it would have been a success due to it's awesome handling,
power to weight ratio and to be frank cheapness.

Vintage...I am not sure I would go that far...I know they are rare to find and all...but vintage to me comes images of 1961 Jaguar E-Type's or a Ferrari 250 GTO...

But hey...I like the AE86 and the Silvia/180SX's both...just the Silvia's and 180SX's are faster...PERIOD...END OF POINT...

[wingsofwar]

amen brotha!!

[NISSANSPDR]

Originally posted by wingsofwar
amen brotha!!

Thanx man...glad I had you w/me on this one...

[Will Robertson]

Since I have driven MANY cars from all over the world I have to say the 93 to 96 300 ZX turbos are the BEST performance value in the world today. Mine is a 93 and I've had a few things done to it by Stillen in Irvine, CA. Bigger brakes (an outright necessity if you want to live) plus much bigger intercoolers made of aluminum, not plastic plus since my car is an automatic (I live and drive in LA) I added a computer controlled shift signal device. Tires, wheels and suspension are the worst problems with this car from day one. I have 83k on the car and have gone through 14 tires, 9 wheels, all 4 shocks (factory shocks were a joke) both front springs collapsed and upper control arms in the front had to be replaced. I get 428 HP from that six pack and this produces a LOT of heat. This car is a dream to drive. If you want more on what I've learned about how to get the most from this very high performance car send me a note on your interest to [email protected]. One last thing - use KYB shocks (GR2 models), get rid of the electric lock up option - a waste of weight - and if you can find them (Stillen offers them) get adjustible upper control arms!! Very important. You can't push the camber out far enough on this car to avoid tearing up the inside rims of the tires on all 4 wheels no matter how you beg the mechanic to do it. It just can't be done. The Japanese in all their wisdom thought we'd be driving 100 MPH around corners so they engineered in the camber that destroys $200 tires in less than 15k miles. To get around this you MUST change the tires on the rims (left to right and back) every 5000 miles. I know it sounds nuts but it's this or you can fork over $1000 every 15 to 20k miles for new shoes for this monster. One more thing - if you're not using 100% synthetic oil in that turbo engine you're asking for a $6000 repair in under 80k miles. The turbos produce over 1000 degrees F and that cooks regular oil and I don't care that the makers say - this event WILL seize your turbo fans. I love this car and will not sell it - next on the list of things to do - 17 inch wheels and Brimbo brakes. You can't stop this thing and that's dangerous. Will R.

[wingsofwar]

yeah i somewhat agree with you, the TT U.S. Spec 300zx is a super car that can be turned into a beast with little modifications. Although this car can pack serious HP, and look extremly good, it obviously has some downsides. So still in search for the Ultimate J-Spec Vehicle i would put the 300zx in the top 5.

If you liked the 300zx TT..you seriously need to drive the 1999 Fairlady Z. ..it far more agressive than the U.S. Spec Z. you can totaly feel the differance in performance and handeling. theres my 2 cents.

[Will Robertson]

To be frank I'd like to drive about 30 cars including the Porsche lineup, the F cars from Italy and some of the NSX models. The problem with any high performance car is the more you drive them the more you want power, performance and to push the envelope. Where does it stop? Your wallet is usually a pretty good speed bump! Will R

[wingsofwar]

oh yeah most deffinatly i would rather drive the Porsche gt2 or the gt3..over the 300zx ..but we are not talking about european imports..we are talking about specifically Japanese Imports in this thread.

[NISSANSPDR]

Originally posted by Will Robertson
Since I have driven MANY cars from all over the world I have to say the 93 to 96 300 ZX turbos are the BEST performance value in the world today. Mine is a 93 and I've had a few things done to it by Stillen in Irvine, CA. Bigger brakes (an outright necessity if you want to live) plus much bigger intercoolers made of aluminum, not plastic plus since my car is an automatic (I live and drive in LA) I added a computer controlled shift signal device. Tires, wheels and suspension are the worst problems with this car from day one. I have 83k on the car and have gone through 14 tires, 9 wheels, all 4 shocks (factory shocks were a joke) both front springs collapsed and upper control arms in the front had to be replaced. I get 428 HP from that six pack and this produces a LOT of heat. This car is a dream to drive. If you want more on what I've learned about how to get the most from this very high performance car send me a note on your interest to [email protected]. One last thing - use KYB shocks (GR2 models), get rid of the electric lock up option - a waste of weight - and if you can find them (Stillen offers them) get adjustible upper control arms!! Very important. You can't push the camber out far enough on this car to avoid tearing up the inside rims of the tires on all 4 wheels no matter how you beg the mechanic to do it. It just can't be done. The Japanese in all their wisdom thought we'd be driving 100 MPH around corners so they engineered in the camber that destroys $200 tires in less than 15k miles. To get around this you MUST change the tires on the rims (left to right and back) every 5000 miles. I know it sounds nuts but it's this or you can fork over $1000 every 15 to 20k miles for new shoes for this monster. One more thing - if you're not using 100% synthetic oil in that turbo engine you're asking for a $6000 repair in under 80k miles. The turbos produce over 1000 degrees F and that cooks regular oil and I don't care that the makers say - this event WILL seize your turbo fans. I love this car and will not sell it - next on the list of things to do - 17 inch wheels and Brimbo brakes. You can't stop this thing and that's dangerous. Will R.

Not at all here to argue w/you Will...but you mentioned alot of the faults of the Z...which I am very much aware of owning a Z32 myself...not turbo though...so I save myself a big amount of problems there.

Anyways...have you driven the other Jap Supercars...namely the RX-7 3rd generation, the Supra TT 4th Generation, the 3000GT VR-4? Cuz then you could aptly tell us which is the best US Jap Supercar of the 90's. (I say US b/c we must exclude Jap Supercars that dont come here b/c that would be unfair...namely Impreza WRX's, Lancer Evo's and Skyline's)

Finally...if you say it's the best...why point out all the flaws...why not harp on the good stuff...you say the brakes suck (in a way they do), the suspension you had to change, and the intercoolers didnt do their job. So what does work in this car according to apparently is the motor...which everyone here knows is a bitch to work on. But you even there put it down saying you must use synthetic (I do just in case u are wondering) or else rebuild time! I know that's common sense but shed some light on where you do agree that this is the best Jap Supercar made in the 90's era...

My opinion...it's right there w/the Supra TT as being one of the top 2 Jap Supercars...it beats out the RX-7 based on the fact that it is reliable and has more power...and it beats out the 3000GT VR4 b/c its really just a crappy car...and the NSX b/c it's overpriced Honda w/Mid Engine RWD that can sorta handle.

[Will Robertson]

You're right team - let's stick to the thread here - The Z300 is a great car becasuse of many things - with proper care and a little fixing I just can't see how you can find a better value for the money. I've found that the engine is very dependable (like nearly everything Japan turns out). Even though it's a turbo the performance only requires regular oil changes and a timing belt about every 50k miles but if that's all it needs then it's worth the money if you can find one. After the few modifications I did to my 93 the car is a delight to drive. After 9 years it still looks pretty good too. Sometimes I wish I'd have found a std. transmission but at the time ANY turbo was hard to find. All in all the car is a real bargain for what it does. Will R