[Metal]

Coming from a light car myself. I'm hoping they keep it around the same weight as the 370 and definitely don't go over 3500.

Overall though I was looking at the power/weight compared to some other cars too, and it honestly has so much potential. Most people by me get a Scat pack if want the fastest possible new car for 40K. (They are EVERYWHERE in the Detroit area). The new Z is shaping up to even give those a run for their money, (it will most likely handle better too). I can't really think of anything faster for the predicted price.

 

[TroublesomeIconoclast]

Hopefully material advancements in plastics and metal construction techniques, canbus wiring, etc... can offset the additional weight of the turbocharged engine components.

3200-3400lbs would be good. But really, how many mainstream cars are 3500lbs or under anymore? Even the EcoBoost Mustang HPP is somewhere near 3600lbs, and is 200lbs lighter on the front end than the V8...

A Tesla Model 3 Performance is 4000lbs+ with no engine, very little dashboard, and 75KwH battery pack... 100KwH Model S is even more.

Civic and BRZ/86 may be lighter... but at what cost for NVH and capability?

Evora and 718 may be lighter, but at what cost for higher buy in upkeep?

3500lbs, 35,000$, 350+ horsepower and torque. Those are the magic target numbers for me... less weight or more power is just bonus.

Price increases depend on what is gained for the upsell... but $35K to start is right around the average new car transaction price, at least before the current market madness, and a great place to start, to offer more than BRZ/86 and Miata... and more approachable than Supra, Porsche, BMW, or Corvette.

 

[Rusty]

Hopefully material advancements in plastics and metal construction techniques, canbus wiring, etc... can offset the additional weight of the turbocharged engine components.

3200-3400lbs would be good. But really, how many mainstream cars are 3500lbs or under anymore? Even the EcoBoost Mustang HPP is somewhere near 3600lbs, and is 200lbs lighter on the front end than the V8...

A Tesla Model 3 Performance is 4000lbs+ with no engine, very little dashboard, and 75KwH battery pack... 100KwH Model S is even more.

Civic and BRZ/86 may be lighter... but at what cost for NVH and capability?

Evora and 718 may be lighter, but at what cost for higher buy in upkeep?

3500lbs, 35,000$, 350+ horsepower and torque. Those are the magic target numbers for me... less weight or more power is just bonus.

Price increases depend on what is gained for the upsell... but $35K to start is right around the average new car transaction price, at least before the current market madness, and a great place to start, to offer more than BRZ/86 and Miata... and more approachable than Supra, Porsche, BMW, or Corvette.

In terms of what the Z would be most comparable to.

Curb weight:
Mazda Miata - 2341 pounds (Manual) / 2403 pounds (Automatic)
Toyota GR Supra - 3392 pounds
Infiniti Q60 - 3747 pounds
Subaru BRZ - 2815 pounds - 2835 pounds (Manual) / 2,864 pounds - 2881 pounds (Automatic)
Ford Mustang EcoBoost Fastback - 3492 pounds (Manual) / 3,512 pounds (Automatic)

 

[BJM300ZXTT]

So with those proposed specs, the Z 0-60 has to be lower than the mid 4’s being estimated..

 

[takemorepills]

I was just thinking about the new Z's power to weight ratio.

The 370Z is 332 @ 7,000 RPM and 270 lb-ft @ 5,200 RPM

The Sport 6MT weighs 3,386 lbs.

So that's 10.2 lbs per hp.

If the new car essentially weighs the same but gets 400 hp then thats just 8.5 lbs per hp... whiich is a dramatic drop.

Perhaps the bigger story is really the torque though.

I do expect the new Z to gain some weight witt the digital dash, new safety regs etc. Maybe 3,500 lbs is a more realistic weight?

Why would a digital dash add weight? If anything, it loses weight, think about the weight of an Android or Apple tablet. That's all a digital dash is.

The torque will be very welcome. My biggest complaint about my VQ powered coupe is lack of torque. The car is quick enough, but really needs to be wrung out, the 7AT isn't very helpful either.

I predict less than 50 pounds of change. Also, if the 9AT is any good, I predict 0-60 of 4 flat or better.
It's all about the transmission. Let's hope Nissan does a good job modifying the 9AT for the Z.
The new TLX Type-S weighs 4200 pounds and only has 355hp, but scoots to 60 in 4.7s. the 10AT in that car is very good, despite being based on the lazy corporate Honda 10AT.
At 400hp and <3400 pounds the new Z should do well. The 3900 pound 400hp VR30 Infiniti with sloppy 7AT are quite the rippers, and they do put down an honest 390+whp on the dynos

 

[zenki]

Why would a digital dash add weight? If anything, it loses weight, think about the weight of an Android or Apple tablet. That's all a digital dash is.

The torque will be very welcome. My biggest complaint about my VQ powered coupe is lack of torque. The car is quick enough, but really needs to be wrung out, the 7AT isn't very helpful either.

I predict less than 50 pounds of change. Also, if the 9AT is any good, I predict 0-60 of 4 flat or better.
It's all about the transmission.
The new TLX Type-S weighs 4200 pounds and only has 355hp, but scoots to 60 in 4.7s. the 10AT in that car is very good, despite being based on the lazy corporate Honda 10AT.
At 400hp and <3400 pounds the new Z should do well. The 3900 pound 400hp VR30 Infiniti with sloppy 7AT are quite the rippers, and they do put down an honest 390+who on the dynos

400Z weight distribution needs to improve. 55/45 is what the 370Z was at and something closer to 50/50 would complement its other performance upgrades.

 

[takemorepills]

400Z weight distribution needs to improve. 55/45 is what the 370Z was at and something closer to 50/50 would complement its other performance upgrades.

That's not gonna happen with a legacy chassis.

 

[kbl911]

Also, if the 9AT is any good, I predict 0-60 of 4 flat or better.

Agreed, this is what I've been thinking/saying. If the Z is (rightly) benchmarking the Mk5 Supra, it will essentially need to be in that range to be comparable in a basic sense. And I think it absolutely will be given the presumed power and weight. Transmission tuning is the final component.

0-60 is a very reductive performance stat, along with 1/4 mile times to a degree, but it's the headline figure of most comparisons.

 

[zenki]

That's not gonna happen with a legacy chassis.

Any closer we can get to 50/50 is a win I think, even if it's a one point improvement for the first year model Z35. Combined with other changes it can make for a noticeable enough change but nothing drastic.

Looking at power-to-weight ratios of the MKV Supra, there's the inline-six engine model that gets 8.9 pounds per horsepower and 12.4 pounds per horsepower with the 4cyl model. The Z at 10.2, especially with price factored in, does well at rivaling the smaller displacement Supra.

 

[takemorepills]

Any closer we can get to 50/50 is a win I think, even if it's a one point improvement for the first year model Z35. Combined with other changes it can make for a noticeable enough change but nothing drastic.

Looking at power-to-weight ratios of the MKV Supra, there's the inline-six engine model that gets 8.9 pounds per horsepower and 12.4 pounds per horsepower with the 4cyl model. The Z at 10.2, especially with price factored in, does well at rivaling the smaller displacement Supra.

Which Z is 10.2lb/hp? Z34 I suppose?

 

[zenki]

Which Z is 10.2lb/hp? Z34 I suppose?

Yes.

I'm thinking the Z35 will be within the high 8 to low 9 pound range, based on 400hp and how much weight could increase with all they'll add.

 

[THaskins]

Yes.

I'm thinking the Z35 will be within the high 8 to low 9 pound range, based on 400hp and how much weight could increase with all they'll add.

That seems like a distinct possibility since the Q60 Red Sport 400 has a power to weight ratio of 9.88 pph.

 

[zenki]

That Q60 weighs 4024 lbs which is a lot compared to the Z34 at 3386 lbs. Assuming the Z35 weighs hundreds less than the Q60, it could be right at 9 pph at worst and possibly less than the B58 Supra if Nissan keeps it around 3500.

What does everyone think Nissan could realistically keep the Z's weight around?

 

[takemorepills]

We should all know by now that BMW sandbags their HP ratings....
On paper the Z is very likely to be very close if not slightly better lb/hp.... Buuuuuut...

 

[zenki]

We should all know by now that BMW sandbags their HP ratings....
On paper the Z is very likely to be very close if not slightly better lb/hp.... Buuuuuut...

I remember reading that some MKV Supra's are producing nearly 50 hp more. Even with that improving the pph the Z is still competitive when looking at pph, based on current power and weight figures it's believed to have.

 

[takemorepills]

The VR30 is also underrated, not as much as BMW, but more than typical for a Japanese car.

The BMW makes more torque and I am very skeptical that the 9AT will be competitive with whatever lightning fast AT BMW is using.

Hope to be pleasantly surprised

 

[kbl911]

The VR30 is also underrated, not as much as BMW, but more than typical for a Japanese car.

The BMW makes more torque and I am very skeptical that the 9AT will be competitive with whatever lightning fast AT BMW is using.

Hope to be pleasantly surprised

9AT tuning/calibration will be key, I agree. The MkV is using the ubiquitous ZF 8HP Speed, which is probably the best in the industry for a torque-converter unit.

 

[THaskins]

We should all know by now that BMW sandbags their HP ratings....
On paper the Z is very likely to be very close if not slightly better lb/hp.... Buuuuuut...

Sam CarLegion drag raced the Supra with a Q60S and the race and the Supra kept beating it on the top end of each race.

 

[S30R32]

Should be interesting, the new Z better deliver with the VR30. This shows a stock motor 370Z (with Nismo upgrades) keeping up with a modded E46 M3, at our local track.