its just they are fairly light cars, simple mods such as bigger wheels and tires, struts and springs and some decent brakes u can have a blast in them. Alot of people tend to over look that when they start talking about handling.

if u want an extremely good handling FWD thou: Civic EG hatch.

 

True true, mine was stock and it still was not bad. Yes that, and my brother had a 99 Prelude SH and that thing handled greaaat. I think it even one best handling FWD car under 30k from C/D back then.

 

Hondas are good in that department.

 

The G37c is Also RWD so it gets pushed through the turns, not pulled through them, also like some said the G37 has almost 50/50 i think it is 48 rear 52% of weight up front ( I work for Infiniti so i know the specs) where I would guess that the maxima is prob around 65 front 35 rear.. can someone post exact numbers?
So what that means is the wieght (being front heavY) the maxima wants to plow strait even though you want to turn..

 

My yacht can't take a 90 degree turn compared to my Ariel Atom, I'm parting it out.

 

Or better yet, my Honda Civic couldn't keep up with an F/A-18 fighter jet, I think it's time to let it go.

 

Still the g37c needs to go on a diet.

 

too many brownies and other misc late night snacks?

 

61/39 with driver (source: road & track)

 

sound like you're just mad your not exactly Ricky Bobby at deals gap. If you're that upset with the maxima (which is an excellent and beautifully crafted vehicle) then sell it and get a 350Z for less money.

PS. I think that there is only ONE 4DSC, and its the 2011 Subaru STI, yes only the 2011. Drive one and you'll see why, the thing is a monster from hell.

 

I agree with you Dan lol.
The 7th gens are heavy boats. Nissan messed up by putting a 4dsc sticker on it.

 

I agree! Ive been run off the road on my bike a few times up there by cars cutting the corners.

 

That's not the cars' fault. It's the driver who is operating a little past his skill level. Maybe a lot past.

I'd classify the road as one also for traditional sports roadsters and cars of similar size, given appropriate tires/wheels and suspension tuning. Most of what passes for "sports cars" or "sports sedans" today are really too big for the categories even if the measured performance numbers are there.

I suspect that you'd have to work pretty hard to put any distance at all on somebody like Sam Strano in a car prepped for only Stock category autocross.


Norm

 

and I've nearly been hit a few times by bikes (sport and harleys) and cars way over the line. I admit I've been over the line, I think everyone has who has been pushing the limits. Killboy caught me on film, but I didn't upload those shots to photobucket...hahahaha

This was taken on one of the days I was there, though did not come across it myself

 

Damn I thought my 4DSC sticker added 30hp!?!?!

 

If nobody has ever had the opportunity to drive down Rt. 129 and Rt. 28 in NC and TN, you might want to take some time off to do so.

This past weekend was ZDayZ down in Fontana, NC- home to over 450 Z enthusiasts and the "Tail of the Dragon". I went with a caravan of about 9 370Z's, my Maxima and a buddies 2011 5.0 Mustang.

If you think you have pushed your car around corners and backroads... you ain't seen nothing compared to the roads down there. One of the few places where 45mph feels scary fast.

So, how did the 7th Gen Max handle on the Dragon and Hellbender? Well, better than expected. I have a Stillen RSB and Racingline FSTB as the only suspension mods and still running on the no-grip RS-A's. After flogging this car for 3 days straight on some of the most vicious turns I've ever seen, my complaints are few:

1) Brake pads could have used more bite (should have swapped in EBC RedStuff before the trip)
2) Higher temp brake fluid (ATE SuperBlue)
3) BETTER TIRES! (Summer setup might be 255 width Hankook Ventus V12 or RE-11's)
4) Trans cooler (CVT in manual mode over long periods of 5-6,000 RPM driving in 2nd and 3rd gears caused it to go into "safe mode" for 5 minutes)

Body roll, rebound, damping, etc were all able to keep up with how quickly I had to toss the car in and around corners.

Every person with a Z down there could not believe that I was actually pulling AWAY from some 350 and 370's on the Hellbender. So, to those who think this car is a tank and can't handle the twisties with being almost bone stock, you've just been proven wrong!

 

very cool! good to know that our cars can handle with the best of em! I bet it was a blast.

 

I was shocked. A 60/40 Front-Rear weight bias plus FWD should make this thing a pain in the **** to toss around corners. I mean, you can tell its nose heavy, just the nature of the beast. But man... this thing felt so lively in the corners I couldn't believe it.

Here's a pic from a professional photographer on the Dragon of my Max:

 

Here's a map of what the OP is referring to... crazy s#!t!



http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

 

Thanks for posting a pic of the map! Yeah, that road is nuts. The DOT down there actually took street sweepers along the whole stretch of the Dragon to make sure the road surface was super clean. Not to mention the actual pavement was smooth as glass. If you live within 5 hours of this place, you have GOT to make the drive. Ended up taking me almost 10 hours from Northern VA to get there but wow... totally worth it!

 

I've always wanted to go but haven't made the trip yet. My brother used to ride a R6 and his buddies made the run a few times.

For those that still don't think it's a big deal...

 

Dude, just make the trip. You won't regret it! Just beware of the LEO presence. They'll slap you with a $500 ticket just for having your tires kiss the center yellow line.

Bigtime cars come out to this stretch of road just to experience it. Nowhere else on the east coast have I found driving perfection than down in Deals Gap.

 

This is good to know! My friend who owns an RX-8 always tries to clown on my car by saying it is crap in the corners, well Im glad to know it can keep up with the Z's! Imagine running a coilovers suspension with some proper Summer tires?? Win Win Win, lol.

 

Well, one thing we'll never be able to overcome is the front weight bias. Kinda screwed in that department!

I had at least 8 different 370Z owners say they were impressed that I was 1) able to keep up with them and 2) actually pull away from some of them!

Next year I'll have my 19x9 TSW Nurburgrings with 255/40ZR-19 Hankook Ventus V12 summer rubber, Eibach pro kit, EBC Redstuff pads, EBC Ultimaxx slotted rotors with ATE Superblue racing brake fluid. With all these things combined, should be able to be near the front of the pack instead of near the back.

I just wanted to see how my Max would perform with just a FSTB and Stillen RSB to get a handling baseline. Now I know exactly what needs to be changed for next years hooliganism

 

That sounds awesome man!!! Why dont you try to go coilover suspension instead of springs, you seem like a serious driver, coilovers would be better no?

 

Your trip has inspired me to hopefully make the trip up to the tail of the Dragon one day

 

I guess you could say I'm a "spirited" driver, but I don't mess around when it comes to storming back roads

I'm going to wait for a few other 7th gen owners to go the coilover route before I decide to take the plunge. Reason being is that over the next year, lots of $$ is going to other things to try to dial in my setup; i.e. summer tire with and w/o larger FSB, new end links F/R, etc. Also considering just the Eibach pro-kit with either KYB or Koni adjustable shocks.

The only reason I'd consider Megan, BC or D2 C/O's is for all the adjustment aspects (rebound, ride height, stiffness, etc) and not for looks alone. We'll see how this next years worth of mods plays out and then I might contemplate going with a coilover setup

 

Awesome road that is surrounded by other awesome roads, especially if you're on a supermoto! We used to go up there pretty frequently on our bikes and North Georgia provides its own share of roads on the way. It's too bad that the LEO presence is so strong (main reason we would go during the week vs. weekends), but every Johnny Racer that felt he needed to show out brought that on. I've never driven that road with a FWD but I might just have to make the trip

 

North GA does have some EPIC roads. Cops are horrible on the dragon, some of the other surrounding roads are just as awesome IMHO as the dragon. And little/to no cops means you can push it harder than you can on the dragon.

 

You got that right! Have you been on the Cherohala Skyway? That is a NICE ride! Turns are not as tight, more sweeping but with a higher speed-limit. Plus the scenery is incredible... if you like looking straight up at a mountain side out one window while looking down a 200-foot drop-off on the other

 

We actually made a loop of the Cherohala Skyway and ended with the Dragon while we were down there. Yeah, you can easily hit triple digit speeds on the Skyway. Only thing is, a lot of the sweeping turns on there are deceptive. Numerous times I entered a turn at high speed, then came to find out that it was a decreasing radius turn which puckers up the @$$ reallll quick.

That area is not only fun for driving, but the views on either side of the road are absolutely unreal!

 

That sounds good to me, I agree with you and think new rubber should be the top priority as of right now

 

Sounds like you [GM_Traitor3.5VQ] know a bit about sports car driving. Got few questions:
You kept your engine in the 5-6K rpm range, which is where I find I want to run mine when I'm getting after it. How long did it take the tranny to heat up and go into safe mode? What happens to the car when in this state and how long before it cooled back down? Have you driven another thoroughbred sports car in the past?

Other general questions to the group: Good roads in VA/MD. When I first got my car I took it out to western Maryland and got off on Rt 40 (@68 around Bellegrove). It was fun in spots, yet open an wide enough that I didn't have to worry too much about hurting someone. Good for the time since I was in the breaking phase and didn't want to push to hard. I've heard that 250 in West VA is a good run. Who's got something good and a bit remote.

 

Glad to help! There was only one run where the CVT went into safe mode. This was when it was about 90* and high humidity and hard driving in 2nd and 3rd ratios. I noticed that the car began upshifting on its own when the trans got too hot (i.e. M2, M3, M4 by itself). This only happened once on the whole trip, so the CVT has a pretty high heat threshold. I just put the trans back into normal "D" mode for about 5 mins and took it easy. Few minutes later, popped it back into manual mode and boom. No more limp mode!

If you consistently run your car hard, I'd highly recommend a trans cooler. This is something I'm seriously contemplating having AAM up in Annapolis, MD install for me before my trip back next year

I've driven quite a few sports cars in the past (98 Camaro SS, 03 Cobra w/ KB Blowzilla S/C, 350Z Sport, 04 Corvette)

Wow, didn't even realize you were up in MD! I actually went on a cruize up to Shrewsberry, PA and went along through Pretty Boy Dam Reservoir in MD. I gotta say that the PBDR stretch of road was an absolute blast. Not many side roads or traffic you need to worry about. Just a note- this road is in POOR condition. The surface is pretty worn and if you follow anyone too close, the front of your car is going to get sandblasted

My Z buddies and I are always looking for new stretches of road in the VA/MD area, so if you happen to come across a good ribbon of road, be sure to holler!

 

Well, after all this talk of Deal's Gap I decided to use my Memorial Day for a quick run up there. I took my wife & son with me and we had a blast! I saw 2 more 7th-gens up there, but mainly bikes were ruling the road today. I only had about 5-600 miles on my new Conti DWS's prior to this trip, but they stuck like glue! I didn't push it real hard so my tranny never went into limp-mode. (My wife is 7-months pregnant so I didn't feel the need to impress her with my Andretti skills... LOL!) 2 different photographers were set up out there, but the pics aren't up on their sites yet. I'll stick a couple of pics on when they are available. If you haven't been yet, go get you some

 

That's awesome man! You definitely need to roll up there solo sometime (without your extra 2.5 passengers ) so you can really push it. Glad you had a good time on the drive up there. I can't wait to go back!

If your tires didn't bark and your brakes didn't burn, you weren't testing the limits enough

Oh, forgot to post this pic from US129photos.com (all the Z owners got a kick out of this at ZDayZ)

Look in the lower right-hand corner of my rear window... might notice a yellow angry bird

 

Awesome pic! Yeah, the brakes are in need of replacement soon. I'll probably just go with red EBC's. The tires never hollered so I guess I took it a lil' easy Killboy has some great Z-car pics up that might have been from the same day you went. Check his out. US129 had 4 or 5 tents set-up so I'm sure they will have more pics. I'll post one or two when available. Maybe we'll see each other up there sometime. I'd like to follow the "stretched Z" and see if I can keep up. Much different animal than the bikes, but fun none the less.

 

You can't go wrong with the redstuff pads. I have some friends with Vipers that use the same pads and they love 'em. I'm actually replacing my rear pads with EBC reds in the next month or so (rears are already shot after 23K). If you're on the brakes hard and frequently, highly recommend flushing your brake lines and filling up with some ATE Superblue racing brake fluid. MUCH higher boiling point than the stock stuff.

Killboy had some decent shots, but I found that 129slayer and US129photos had the best angles and shots of all the folks out there.

I'll be going back for ZDayZ again next year, so feel free to make the drive up there! Either way, my setup will be vastly different in 2011 than it is now

 

I appreciate the tip on fluid. I'll look into that as well. I'll probably concentrate on the brakes next since my parking brake doesn't want to hold anymore. Next year I should have completed my suspension set-up too. I didn't see 129slayer up there yesterday. I'll have to check them out.

 

Definitely want your brakes to be in good shape on those kind of roads. I always made sure to give the pedal a quick tap before the corners to ensure that they were still alive. I'd look into your e-brake issue soon man. Not sure which side of the rear axle the e-brake is on these cars. Have you accidentally driven with it halfway on and didn't realize it? I know I've been guilty of this for a few miles before

Definitely check out http://www.129slayer.com and see if he got any photos of your Max. Post them up when you find them!