By Chris Tropea
Jan 3, 2023
Why is the 2023 Nissan Z such a letdown on track?
We hoist one up on the lift to find out if its suspension setup is slowing it down.
Presented by CRC Industries.
10/3/22 7:55 p.m.
Videos like this are why GRM > most other auto journalism.
10/4/22 12:04 p.m.
Thank you.
10/4/22 1:12 p.m.
I wonder if the steel rear subframe was to reduce the cross section and allow more airflow to the rear diff, which i noticed is considerably more finned than the older cars.
10/4/22 1:35 p.m.
Nice video with details. Thats worth so much more than just crapping on something.
also, how about a "hey, im J.G. Pasterjak". Get credit for a good video.
10/4/22 3:16 p.m.
Having been under a few Z cars, and after building a Challenge car around a G35 suspension, indeed it does look remarkably familiar under there. Can't believe they're still not using camber adjustment bolts on a sports car.
10/4/22 9:22 p.m.
Interesting.
Nissan just dropped one off here and my first impressions match y'alls on the street. Very surprised they let you put it on track, they have told every other media outlet "no track time" - perhaps due to liability or tire wear, or because they don't want the car reviewed more in that context. I'm bummed, as I've got Summit Point rented this weekend for an event and it'd be the perfect time to run it on a track, empty.
10/5/22 12:53 p.m.
In reply to Brake_L8 (Forum Supporter) :
There was a part of me that was really hoping that maybe there was something wrong with the Z we got, but all the confirmation we've been getting–yours included–proves otherwise. Which is a real downer, honestly.
10/5/22 1:03 p.m.
I know we weren't the first to track test it, but it also took a lot of emails and back and forth. I think the stated reason for the hoop-jumping was just a sheer lack of units in the press fleet. Maybe the fleet has been reduced ever further since our test and they've tightened the restrictions on track testing as a result.
At any rate, you'll likely dig it on the street. I'd be happy to hop in and drive the thing from Florida to Thunderhill tomorrow. I'd just want to make sure I lined up something different to drive once I got there :)
10/10/22 4:16 p.m.
A lot of reviews have been praising the tuning direction of the base car actually. It's really hard to make a track star that is also a really good street car. Really great cars, life companion type deals, rarely sit at the pointy end of the field with their immediate competitors on the market.
From this video I didn't see any deal breakers or big surprises. Looks like it needs coilovers, better rubber, adjustable upper camber arms maybe a couple key poly control arm bushings, some track spec brake pads and an ecu reflash to really shine on track. Seems it has good bones, a good chassis, solid suspension design, a good LSD, good brake design and a solid drive train, all with lots of potential to unlock via simple and common aftermarket upgrades. And of course we know we'll get a Nismo or Track version at somepoint that provides all of that out of the box for the magazine comparos, and I'm guessing they will continue tweaking the base car in subsequent years too.
1/11/23 7:36 p.m.
My best investment in a long time is my 2022 Hyundai Elantra N. No issues of any kind with 5 track days invludingDaytona Int and Sebring
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