350Z GT4 - Ultra Yellow

[Smitters]

So, some bugg3r a couple of weeks ago crafts a "you know you want to" article ( http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI... ) which sparked some lively discussion both on PH and amongst my mates.

I've been looking to sell my Seven and Audi shed and get back into something interesting I can drive on a daily basis. Having two cars just didn't suit me and I'd rather spend the money on fuel than on taxing, insuring and maintaining a "toy" car that didn't get the use it deserved. I'm in a luxurious position, in that I had quite a wide budget, the top end of which was a 3.6 C4S and the bottom of which was an MX-5. I don't have kids. I don't often purchase large amounts of stuff from IKEA or go to the tip, so I reasoned that when I did those things, I could probably borrow a mate's car. Thus, I shall be mostly having my cake and eating it. What to get? Long story (kinda) short, after seeing the article above, my interest was piqued. I did some searching, decided what I wanted to pay and for what and went hunting. There was a pretty low-budget one in the PH classifieds that looked like it might need some cosmetic work and a good service, but if I budgeted for it, would make a sound proposition. But it was silver. I'd fancied a blue one to be honest. Not too many of them about.

A look at the dark side of online car sales, you know, it rhymes with Schmautotrader, saw a few more cars and gave me a better bet on pricing and availability of the Azure Blue cars. There seemed to be a nice yellow one there too. A GT4 special edition. Local to me. Oooooooooooh. Shiny...

And thus after some sifting through paperwork, calls to establish parts prices, a test drive and some haggling, number 170 of 176 has come into my possession. Ultra Yellow, 129000 miles, one owner, full service history, all Nissan bar an oil change. Yes, there are some minor issues, but it's also a whole lot of car for the money and I'm prepared to budget for some necessary repairs along the way.



So, first up, some potentially useful information:

The 350Z came in three basic variants over it's life, the 287bhp, the 300bhp (both engine VQ35DE) and the 306bhp (engine VQ35HR). It was offered on a basic and a GT pack, which adds cruise control, heated and electric leather seats and a BOSE stereo. The GT pack is desirable on the used market and I quickly ruled out any non-GT cars. It's serviced on a standard Nissan schedule unless you're doing mega miles, which runs:

P1 - 9k/Yr1
P2 - 18k/Yr2 + brake fluid
P1 - 27k/Yr3 + coolant
P3 - 36k/Yr4 + brake fluid
P1 - 45k/Yr5 + plugs
P2 - 54k/Yr6 + brake fluid + coolant
P1 - 63k/Yr7
P3 - 72k/Yr8 + brake fluid
P1 - 81k/Yr9 + coolant
P2 - 90k/Yr10 + brake fluid + plugs

The standard wheels are 225/45/R18 at the front and 245/45/R18 on the rear. The car is allegedly capable of 155mph, so tyre speed ratings need to be appropriate too. OEM tyres were Bridgestone 040s, with 050As the up to date alternative. Good things have been muttered about Falkens for the budget concious, and there are of course an array of top end tyres for about £200 a corner.

I used the excellent 350Z-UK buying guide as a starting point: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/22880-guide-for-new-m...

This immediately flagged up some potential issues to look at over and above the normal used car list and let's face it, we can all get a bit carried away looking at a shiny car we really want to buy and go slightly "blind". Did I in fact drive away in mine without checking to see if the locking wheelnut adaptor was present? I may have done!

So, what to look for. This is far from an exhaustive list, but I immediately scribbled down:

Clicky rear axle?
Rays alloys corrode
The BOSE CD player skips
Bootlid gas struts can fail/are weak
If tyres are wearing on the insides, this could be a known tracking issue
Have gearbox/diff oils ever been changed?
What tyres is it on?
Front bumper - chips? Respray?

I was satisfied and off I drove.

So what next for #170? Today has seen it valeted inside and out, shampooed carpets, leather treatment and two coats of hard wax. In the short term, I need to get the tracking and alignment checked as the fronts have worn shoulders and I'm planning on trying out the Conti SportContact 3's, which won the Evo 2012 tyre test and are available locally for a reasonable sum.

After that, I'm going to put some contingency money away just in case, but with the next service and MOT due in October, I'm hoping to get a summer of motoring done with limited worries, once that slightly clench-cheeked feeling of a new, but in fact old car under me goes away... you know. The "I'm 100 miles from home and I've just noticed a noise. Was it there the whole time and I just noticed it, or is the engine on this three days in my possession car about to go bang..." feeling.

350z-uk.com ( http://www.350z-uk.com/index ) offers valuable insight into buying and owning and some of the potential pitfalls and issues. This was the forum I found most useful and was most often referenced on our own hallowed pages.

Evo ran two 350Zs as long termers. See the Evo articles here: http://www.evo.co.uk/search/?make=105&model_st...

Evo also did a buying guide in Issue 121 and the GT4 featured in ECOTY 2005. ECOTY was a two parter in 2005, pitting 13 real world cars against each other, then putting the winner through to compete against nine "surreal" world cars. The GT4 did not make it through to round two (the Clio Trophy won that opportunity), but was judged fourth in the real world cars, coming ahead of the Lotus Exige 240R, Caterham CSR, Renault Megane 225 and BMW 130i M Sport amongst others

Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/350z

[Smitters]

Everyone said:

Nice things

Cheers all - I must admit, I am enjoying it more and more. On day one I had some self doubt as for some reason, it just wasn't special feeling, but perhaps that's the shadow of some known bills coming. Anyway, that's evaporated and I'm over the moon!

Sadly I had to pick the car up in the dark last night, but a chat through with the lad who valeted it revealed there are a few very minor paint issues - the sort of thing you only see when it's really clean of course! Not unexpected on a car of this age at all, but I'll have to do some reading on how to approach this type of paint and then try some hand correction on the lighter patches. It picked up the light in the petrol station awesomely though, so the claybarring has obviously taken off a fair bit of contamination. Fingers crossed that'll be a once a year job now.

Next on the list is alignment and front tyres.

[Smitters]

Looks like the factory Nismo bodykit on that one too - great looking. Here's another one which I believe is also for sale: http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/157897-rabsters-nissan-...

Outstanding work and something I referred to a good few times to see where I could potentially go with mine once I've had it a while...

[Smitters]

DannyScene said:

Stunning car that!!

I wonder if you could help settle an argument for me, is the colour code for your car E33?

I swear blind to my mate that I've remembered the colour code for Nissan Ultra Yellow since I read about a limited edition 350Z in max power years and years ago

It is indeed. Ultra Yellow E33, borne out by this link I think. http://www.courtesyparts.com/touch_up_paint.php?cP...

Enjoy the beer he now owes you. He may have forgotten you agreed the wager to be a beer, but as we can clearly see, you have a memory like a steel trap and he does not, so he must owe you a beer.

[Smitters]

dean350z said:

I spotted that one for sale...I've never been a fan of body kits as most are done badly and end up making the car in question look cheap and tacky but that one really turned my head when i spotted it, as a result I've been pricing up getting the V2 front bumper, the V1 side skirts, rear spats and a blitz style rear spoiler for mine.

I agree - I think the one piece front bumper means it was a factory fit, which certainly helps on the quality front - but a kit has a tendency to cheapen a look sometimes. In this case I think the rounded bumper and subtly more aggressive skirts add a lot to the look, especially in yellow.

DannyScene said:

I bloody knew I was right. Thanks for confirming that mate! You know I think he will have forgotten he bet me a beer(I didn't) so that could be a nice little bonus

Absolutely lovely car, I've been hankering for one in that colour since the aforementioned max power article!

Maybe one day

No worries. If you're handy with a spanner and know what you're looking at, there's a Cat D Ultra Yellow GT4 for sale at the moment on a Z forum. Not my cuppa - I'd have to pay for a pro to view it - but could make a nice bargain for someone. As the YKYWT article points out, they are going for surprising money at the moment as the fuel bill is off-putting.

Kayzee - that one is for sale - it's linked above.

Funny thing - the colour is incredibly divisive, more so than I expected. Half my office like it and half really, really don't. I'd really fancied a Speed Yellow C4S, but I think I'd still be stuck waiting in the first junction I arrived at. Other road users are very polite to the Nissan. Bonus!

Edited by Smitters on Wednesday 6th February 10:32

[Smitters]

Bah. Birdpoo wipes installed in the car. I'd forgotten what it's like to own something you car about and park it under a tree occasionally.

Edited by Smitters on Monday 14th October 14:02

[Smitters]

Had the car up on a lift and what do you know? Turns out the bushes are pretty worn.



Naturally I sniggered about the vast opportunity for childish jokes about bush and how pricey it is, and began to ponder the OEM vs after-market route. I'd be interested to hear any recommendations people have. Once I've done some research I'll pop another post up with the final decision. I wonder if my warranty will cover this...?

As an aside, it's also eye-opening driving a powerful rwd car in the wet and cold. You really, really shouldn't take liberties, something I've forgotten whilst tooling about in an A4 TDi, but was forcibly reminded of when putting the power on before a camber change this morning. A dab of oppo, some useful, if unsubtle ESP and a spike in adrenaline served to wake me up on the way to work... Am not a helmsmith. Must pay more attention. Will not get away with it every time.

Edited by Smitters on Monday 18th March 12:23

Edited by Smitters on Saturday 12th October 21:11

[Smitters]

As ever, a thread like this is useless without pictures, so a couple more:

Enjoying the evening light


Badly in need of a clean already!

[Smitters]

Will respond to the kind words and advice when the lovely OH isn't after her tea! In the mean time, a few more cheeky snaps, courtesy of the works carpark and a bit of good fortune on the timing of the sunset and empty parking bays...

[Smitters]

scorchio said:

Hi mate the clicky rear end is caused by the cv couplings, nissan done a recall on them when the cars were brand new ( I am a ex nissan hi-tech when the Z was launched in the uk) , we could get them to do it constantly if you just slowly roll forward stop and reverse very slowly and hey presto they would click, they are very easy to change if you can handle a spanner. Being a original GT4 edition did you get the playstation that came with the car when it was brand new ?, its looking nice anyway mate and have never seen another one on the roads yet

Sorry - should have responded at the time - my axle does indeed click. Quite surprised it wasn't sorted since this was a one owner car. Could you elaborate a little on the issue and solution if you have time? Naturally, the internet is full of advice, quick fixes, tales of woe and witchcraft. Ex-Nissan information would be great! Also, if I'm ever up your way, could I ask for road advice? I've got some mates in Aberdeen (and indeed, my old car - a lovely V reg Impreza) and occasionally roadtrip up to them.

As for the Playstation, no such luck, though being of a certain age, I do have a PS2 and GT4. I remember the heady days of youth when I and my mates would hoon home from school during lunch, smash round the High Speed Ring in Gran Turismo on the PS1 and hoon back for afternoon registration, gabbling about Skylines vs Imprezas

550man said:

Hi,

I had one of these and thought it was the best of all possible worlds - in terms of price, performance, looks, reliability and 'specialness factor'. Your's looks fantastic. Just make sure you drive it as often as possible and, if you're into this kind of thing, take it on some track days - as they are a real laugh - controllable enough to get nice and aggressive on the throttle coming out of bends.

I miss mine - always preferred the 350 to the 370, although both great, bang-for-buck cars

Glad to hear a past owner saying such good things. I'm looking forward to getting the whole car mechanically sound - all fluids changed, well inspected and so on, and then I'll be looking to trackdays. Don't fancy a big recovery bill for a suspicious bang just yet, especially following the 996 Carrera thread.

In the immediate future, I'm taking the car over to H-Dev for the bushes to be sorted. I've gone for Superpro poly bushes on H-Dev's advice as they're not significantly harsher or noisier than stock and anyway, Nissan only sell the arms complete, for £250 a side, plus fitting. Ouch! Hopefully that'll go smoothly and I'll ask they have a look around under the car and see if anything else looks imminent.

Edited by Smitters on Wednesday 12th March 11:29

[Smitters]

Well, another day, another update. Down at Horsham Developments to fit the banana arm bushes and a full alignment set-up and got chatting about the brakes, which were at the top of the list of "to do" on the mechanical side of things.

One thing led to another and there was some counting on fingers and mentally adjusting to the idea of only eating baked beans until payday and hey presto, we're underway with fitting some new discs and pads. Should be a few years of stress-free stopping sorted then.

[Smitters]

aka_kerrly said:

Were you in Stroud yesterday evening around 6ish?

Saw a 350z in yellow for the first time at the Cainscross round about a couple of cars in front of me and it looked/sounded rather special.

My first spot! That would be me. Glad it sounds good on the outside too!

[Smitters]

Right - ten days in and a brief write-up on the bushes and brakes:

Bushes: I opted for SuperPro banana arm bushes, principally on the advice of Jez at Horsham. The fact that Nissan only sells the bushes when attached to the arms (!) isn't ideal (think £££), however I wasn't sure about going poly with the associated expectations of harsher ride and noisy feedback, but I'm really pleasantly surprised. It's made a massive difference to the steering feel, and also bolstered the suspension at the front without the expense of ride comfort. In short, exactly as Jez said it would be! Taught, controlled but without being harsh. If anything, it's highlighted how the rest of the car is dynamically - I can feel somewhat of a disconnect between the front and rear of the car, a slight lack of coherency between the turn in and the tail following, though I add that I've also got Bridgestones up front and Avons at the back, plus temperatures below ten degrees and greasy roads. New rears are fairly imminent, and in fact I'll do all corners at once if I can and see what effect that has, but I can see replacing all the bushes with SuperPro eventually, or at least a good bundle, depending on the handling effects. Jez set the alignment up too, though the bushes made such an impression it's hard to feel too much difference on the alignment front, plus I'm not sure it was miles out - it just needed checking to give a baseline on "my watch" so to speak.

Brakes: Lipped discs front and rear mean a full set. I opted for EBC plain discs and Ferodo DS2500 pads. There have been some questions over the lifespan of EBC discs, but they're not hugely pricey in comparison to others either, so it may be a get what you pay for scenario. Anyway, after bedding the pads in (and feeling very ill with it) the stopping is markedly better, with a firmer pedal and a stronger initial bite, though the old set-up was hardly shabby, despite it's age.

Otherwise I've been enjoying the car, especially now I've made room it the garage. It fits with a good couple of inches to spare end to end. Phew. Bring on the good weather please, so I can stop tiptoeing.

[Smitters]

oj121 said:

EBC discs? You could have got Pagid ones from Zedman for the same sort of price.

If your not at the club - http://www.350z-uk.com make sure you get over there for discounts and tonnes of advice.

Impressed with how well your car has polished up though mate. Looks VERY nice. Im just waiting for the wet weather at the weekend to pass and then mine will have the full claybar treatment once again!

Cheers for the tip-offs. I have had a scan through 350z-uk, but usually when I'm advice hunting. To be honest, I didn't read any horror-story "made of cheese" type stuff about the EBCs, so I'll give them a go. I may be in the market for something fancier by the time they wear anyway, track-day addiction depending!

Edited by Smitters on Monday 18th March 12:20

[Smitters]

Phew - a far overdue update. Apologies for the block of text, but there aren't any new piccies, other than with grinning children sat in the thing.

Basically, I've had an excellent summer in the 350. It's been a totally capable companion and not missed a single beat which is excellent. We've been up to North Wales, over to West Wales and got my OH's six year old niece and two year old nephew to a point they ask "where's the yellow car?" if we're not in it! I'll say one thing up front though. I have massive respect for the car and it's a great thing to drive. Muscular, lots of fun and very little downside, but I haven't bonded with it in the same way I did my Imprezas, or indeed my old MR2. It's a head over heart car. I wrote the same a couple of years ago on my Caterham blog, but bought one anyway. I don't regret owning #170 for a minute, but I am surprised it's not grown on me more than it has.

So, ownership - I must admit I struggled to get comfortable, but I've got piddly little legs and I like quite an upright driving position normally, however after a few weeks of fine-tuning I got there and haven't looked back. I added about 50bhp (possibly 75 as it's at a jaunty angle) with the addition of a PH smiley on the rear number-plate and have had one or two spots from fellow PHers, but then a bright yellow car does stand out.

A couple of unexpected things I have found: Firstly, people really do seem to like the car. I get a lot of courtesy at junctions, which makes a change from the Audi and before that a Subaru classic Impreza complete with burbley exhaust. Secondly, it forces you to drive very sensibly. Not because it's 300bhp and rear-wheel drive. Because it's the only bright yellow sports car in my area, and if I drive like a bell-end, people know it's me.

I mentioned last time I'd be looking at tyres, but having had the car on a four-wheel alignment rig after the banana-arm bushes, the wear has been minimal, which is really good news. Seems if driven sensibly, you don't moke tyres every few thousand miles.

Actual fuel costs have been bearable, but then I do less than 800 miles a month. No doubt it's not an A4 TDi, but the computer onboard suggests just under 26mpg and it's capable of over 30 if you keep the speed sub-70 and consistent on a motorway run.

Now, there have been a couple of niggles. Firstly, I keep managing to hit the warning light switch with my arm. It's mounted on the centre console and you think I'd learn, but I probably ping it once a month or so, then realise the lights are still flashing when I cancel an indicator and there's still a click-click-click-click. Secondly, the in-car storage really is woeful. Good if you like a tidy car. Not so handy if you want to keep a few bits and bobs in the car, but tucked away. There is some, but when the "glove box", located behind the passenger seat, and means your OH has the get out, into the rain, so you can extract directions/your post/gubbins, it gets a tad irritating. However, the major irritation is the sounds from the exhaust. Apparently, from the outside it sounds great. In a tunnel with the windows down, it's brilliant. But day to day, it's too muted. "Get an aftermarket system" I hear you say. Indeed, it's an option, but I don't want it any louder on the outside. I just want to hear it more on the inside. There's enough blooming road-noise getting in, so why no sonorous V6? Depending on how I feel about the car, I may put an aftermarket system on it next year, but I'm undecided as to if it's going to stay much longer, so we'll have to wait and see. If it does go, I suspect it'll comfortably be the cheapest GT4 in the country, with other examples weighing in with a heady 50-60k miles!


So what next? It's time for some love, so I've just had a full valet again - the hard wax treatment used last time meant even five months on it was really easy to wash, so I've had that again as a top-coat to help protect it over winter. MOT and a major service loom, so it'll be heading to Jez at H-Dev in the next couple of weeks for a P2 service, plus coolant and gear and diff oils. I'll also look to get the headlights adjusted as I've noticed that the pool of light they deliver is quite short. Be interesting to see what the MOT says, if anything. Other than that, it's been eight months of excellent motoring. A roadtrip to Aberdeen beckons shortly, so keep an eye out.

[Smitters]

Glad to hear there are other owners out there. Rarely see a 350 round my way, though saw several today.

Thought it was worth reporting back on the EBCs, which have proved faultless over their life so far. I have read a fair bit of negative press and perhaps I'd try something else if I was tracking it (I've kept the Seven for that...), but for the road, they work.

Just a word of warning on the ditch finders - as it gets colder you'll find they really do get overcome very easily. About eight degrees and below was when mine became noticeably easier to spin up. Thankfully, the few times there's been an out of shape moment for me, the car's handling makes a gather up straight forward, even for one with fists of ham like myself.

One other point that may not be readily apparent is that letting the car warm for 30 secs before pulling away makes the gearbox smoother than diving in and heading off. It mentions this in the manual, but I doubt many do it.

[Smitters]

Cheers for the exhaust tips. If it goes through the MOT clean (in the bay as I type...gulp) and the service doesn't reveal anything unexpected, I'll have to have a listen on youtube and at some meets - cars need rewards too!

It'll also need new rubber in the next six months, so I'll have to have a think and a search on that too. As I wrote initially, the OEM fitment does get good reviews, but I've not read anything on 350Zs wearing Continental SportContact 3s, though they won the Evo tyre test last year. I'll have a chat with my tyre guy and see what he reckons knowing the weight of the car, but they seem like a good all-round proposition.

What have other folks had good (or bad) experiences with?

[Smitters]

Well - MOT passed. You know a car should pass, but it doesn't prevent a little worry creeping in. Thankfully, nothing too serious - tyres, which I knew, handbrake, which I knew and had listed in the upcoming service and a very slight play in one of the front ARB droplinks, so will have those replaced too.

On the tyre front I've decided to give Continental SportContact 3s a go. As ever, Chris Mullins in Gloucester proved excellent, coming in at a better price than I could find on the internet and the same level as the Falkens that get good reviews. Seems it still pays to ring your local chap.

So, in response, yes to the handbrake, but no to the sub or ABS. I don't even get much skipping from the CD player, except on roads where I'd expect a tape to skip, frankly. Or, in other words, the whole sodding county I live in.

One thing I did notice when it got really cold last winter was the boot release springs not quite doing the job. Seems to be a combo of cold weather, marginal gas struts, a massive counterweight in the bootlid and springs lacking a bit of, er, spring. Given life is getting more wintry again, I decided to remedy this with some help from the internet. The fix is on the budget end - it costs 2p and takes a similar number of minutes - remove the rubber gaiter that sit over the spring mechanisms on either side of the bootlid, drop a penny into the bottom of the gaiter, refit said gaiter and bask in your own magnificence.

So, new wax, new MOT, new boots, full service and a new car for the missus all in one month. Turkey Twizzlers for Christmas it is then.

[Smitters]

james_gt3rs said:

Love yellow cars, really suits it!

Cheers. Glad to hear some love. I idly offered it to a dealer as a trade-in against my girlfriends new car to see where he'd go and he spun a line about yellow being a really unpopular colour. I get that it's quite marmite, not everyone wants to have a shouty stand-out vehicle, but I'm sorry, the number of Minis, new Citroen DS3s, Fiat 500s and so on in yellow, including one on his own forecourt makes me a little sceptical. If anything, the last few years have been about car colour palettes getting more and more interesting. Made me glad the trade-in wasn't a requirement of the purchase - just me being opportunistic. With a big service and new tyres close at hand, the right trade-in price would have been worthwhile, and put me into an S4 Avant for the winter...

roadman said:

interesting....thanks...... how about your rear drop links? are they squeaky/creaky

mine will be replaced by the end of the year . .. another fun DIY job

Mine are fine. The car's had a very cosseted life, despite the miles. The fronts don't make noise, but it makes sense to look after the car. After all, handling is what stops me hitting trees and I like to stretch it's legs a bit on the right road now and then.

LordGrover said:

It's well worth removing the ballast from the boot-lid too. It's a five minute job if you have th trim removal tools. Mine took about three pennies IIRC.
Enjoy - fun cars!

Duly noted. I don't have the tool, but understand they're not expensive. There's a trimmers down the road, so I may swing by and see if I can borrow one for a few mins.

Pierscoe1 said:

good to hear updates about this car... as it's always on the list of possible next cars.

oh, and why is there extra weight added to the bootlid!?!? The car's a little on the rotund side anyway!

As for why it's there, I think to add to the engineered feel and character. The boot is nicely weighted against the struts, so opens and closes easily, but retains that satisfying "thunk" of something solid and dependable. If I do get it out, I may well shove some dynamat in instead, just to dull the sound a little and retain the illusion a bit.

[Smitters]

Well, time for a cheeky update. I've mainly been distracted by a new arrival in the shape of a Caterham, so this is long overdue!

Three and a bit parts to this. First up, I took a weekend roadtrip to Aberdeen. The 350 ate the 450 northward miles easily and if I'd had bigger balls, I reckon it'd have done it on a single tank. The DTE said I could. I've done this trip a few times, in a few different vehicles, at the raw end, a Caterham and at the plush end, the 350. I have never, ever driven over 400 miles in one hit and arrived so fresh. GT car? You bet. An average speed of 68mph and mpg of 30.8 according to the on-board computer, with plenty of use of the cruise-control and heated seats made it a superb experience.



Now, in a gentle segue to part two, I should say the new tyres did play a significant part in this GT capability. The 350Z is a car that communicates a fair bit of roadnoise, in part due to the open boot to cabin set-up. Even when filled with luggage (like bin-bags of baby-clothes in an effort to avoid postage costs!) there's significant ambient noise, slap from cats-eyes, even the patter of stones and water on the arch-liners if you hit a wet patch. However, moving from Avon ZZ3 rears to the Contis has made a significant difference.

So, the new tyres. Continental SportContact 3 won the Evo tyre test in 2012 ( Summary). Importantly for me, the size they tested was very close to mine and although it wasn't on a rwd car, the S3 was of a decent power and not fwd. What really struck home was the capability in the wet, which is encouraging given the 350's tail-led approach to handling. Also, there's no denying it's a big car, so hauling it to a stop and keeping the occupants safe in that regard scores highly for me. I changed out Avon ZZ3s on the rear, and Bridgestone Potenza RE050s up front and went for a moderately wallet crippling set of Conti's all round.

I say moderately, because it's all relative. Chris Mullins was able to do all four tyres for £660. This sat between the perceived "budget" options, Avon and Falken (I'm ignoring the Far East Budget Specials at £3.50 a corner on the assumption no one will be putting these on a 300bhp rwd car and expecting anything over than a hedge in their immediate future) and the high cost of OEM Bridgestones or Michelin Pilot Sport 3. As a bonus, I was able to stand by as the old rubber came off and have a look at the state of the wheels. I'd had a slow loss of pressure from one wheel early in ownership and a refurb had found some corrosion to be the cause, a common complaint with the Nismo wheels. I was pleased therefore to see all looked well, though the chap doing the refit gave the beads a clean-up anyway. I was able to take photos too, which will help allay fears if a buyer brings it up.

So my initial impressions on the tyres? Well, I'm no helmsmith, but having driven a fair bit of machinery, including a few Caterhams, I'd like to think I can at least give a sensible, objective view. After a suitable running in period, initial impressions are positive. There's more rear grip available in all conditions over the worn Avons, and noticeably more in colder or low-grip conditions. The threshold temperature for extreme caution seems to have dropped below five degrees now - it was about eight before - which makes a significant difference. The road-noise has lessened significantly, contributing to that GT excellence, and the compliance is noticeably better too, dealing with the potholed roads in a less crashy manner. The downside of this is a marginal loss of steering feel around centre in comparison to the Bridgestones, which, to be fair, were only three-quarters worn, but it's a compromise that makes day to day driving much more enjoyable until the local council decide to provide race-track smooth tarmac everywhere.

I was able to extract a sensible wear-rate out of the Avon rears, about 2mm in 5000 miles, but it remains to be seen how the Contis perform in this regard. I'll keep an eye out, especially as reportedly, the 350 has a habit of wearing tyres unevenly. A full alignment from Horsham Developments back in February helped but with today's roads, I'll not be surprised if things are knocked about a little by now.



Thirdly, talking of Horsham Developments (H-Dev), I was able to get over to them prior to the 1000 mile roadtrip and have a sizeable service. In essence, all fluids bar brakes were changed, the saving on the brake-fluid, which isn't due until mid-2014, being spent on the front droplinks. Most pleasing was the condition of the gearbox and diff oils which I asked Craig at H-Dev to have a good look at, and which turned out to be nice and clean still. For some reason, Nissan don't specify a service interval for the gearbox and diff fluids, so I did wonder if they'd ever been done!

The 350Z has a pretty mechanical gear-shift. If you've just got out of a modern Ford Focus or similar, it's going to feel wildly weighty and you'll immediately begin to worry about having one thigh larger than the other from the clutch action and one forearm bulging a little more from the manual shift, but you soon get used to it. I was starting to wonder what effect new fluids might have though, as on particularly cold mornings it really did pay to let things warm up or there was a distinct notchiness. It's never been a car that inspires a swift change, like my old MR2 did, but new fluids have smoothed things out a little and made a significant difference when the temperature drops. Peter Tomalin wrote this on the Evo long-termer almost 10 years ago!

Peter Tomalin said:

And then there's that vibration. If you remember the 350Z we had on Car of the Year (issue 063), you may recall we dubbed it the Ginger Tingler for its lurid paintjob and the vibrations through the gearstick. Well, I can reveal that it's not just the ginger ones that tingle, the blue ones do too. Apparently it's a 'characteristic' - Nissan's engineers could have masked it, but it would have made the shift feel more rubbery, so they left it alone.

And, in a way, I'm getting rather fond of the tingle. It seems to go well with the weighty, mechanical feel of the shift, which in turn matches the meaty weighting of the steering and the muscly ride. Better still, as the miles rack up, the engine seems to be getting stronger and lustier, the gearchange slightly faster-shifting, though it'll never be flick-flick light.

So, all in all, I now have the car in the best possible shape. I'm looking forward to putting a few more miles onto her over the winter and then releasing her to the wild in Spring/Summer 2014.

And, one other thing (or half a thing), to finish off this unintentionally epic missive - you know that back in the first post I claimed I hardly ever go to the tip. Well, that's true. However, I did recycle all my old Evo mags last week and in a fit of pique, they resisted their expulsion well, and hard, in leaving the home. So much so they caused a little damage to the silver plastic strut-brace cover in the boot. bd things. This is mainly annoying because I've decided I'll be selling the 350 next year, so I'll have to look at a replacement, or perhaps getting a metal version that's more hard-wearing made up. Call it a winter project.