And one week later, when I had the Hi-tech exhaust and K&N filter fitted, lined up the two cars again.
Acceleration comparisions:
- test #1: 40 - 150kph, starting in 1st gear both cars:
The two car's stay dead even until I have to make the 1st-to-2nd gear-change (around 60kph), where I loose about 1/2 a car-length. Then the two car's stay dead-even again (ie. no one pulls) 'till around 100kph where I have to make the 2nd-to-3rd gear-change. Here I loose another 1/2 a car-length and the HSV is still in 2nd gear so it pulls away another 1/2 a car-length before it shifts to 3rd at around 135kph. After that things look pretty even to 150kph when we shut down. So the HSV won this one by around 1.5 car-lengths. The HSV has still has advantage over my Zed in the 100 - 130kph range as it is still in 2nd gear while I have to be in 3rd. Though, the advantage is very small now.
- test #2: 50 - 150kph, me in 2nd gear and HSV in 1st:
The first run we did the HSV got a jump on me and therefore it looked like it was steadily, but slowly pulling away all the way to 150kph, by which stage it was around 3 car-lengths ahead. When we run the 2nd time, we took off more evenly, but the HSV was still quicker than me ... but not by much. It pulled away maybe 3/4 car-length on me by the time I shifted to 3rd (ie. 100kph), where I lost maybe 1/4 car as well. It stayed like this all the way to around 150kph where we shut down and I was not pulling the HSV in, nor was it pulling away. I lost this one by 1 car-length.
- test #3: 20 - 165kph, me in 1st gear and HSV in Drive:
As soon as we floor it, the HSV has to down-change (to 1st gear) and I get about 1/2 a car jump on it during this time. I hold this all the way through 1st and don't really loose any ground on the 1st-to-2nd gear-change ... only about a foot or two. Then I pull away another 1/4 to 1/3 car-length before I need to shift to 3rd (ie. 100kph). So the HSV is on my rear-quarter panel and I shift to 3rd, loose very little ground and then we run all the way to 165kph by which time I maybe pulled another 1/2 a car-length. That means that at the end I was around 1 - 1.5 car-lengths ahead and there was no pulling away or gaining from either of us.
Impressions:
I'd say that now the 350Z is about line-ball in terms of acceleration with the HSV. The 350Z looses a little bit of ground on gear-changes (even if you nail them really well), but it is no longer slower in-gear. In some ways it can even pull away a fraction in some increments, but I'd call this pretty **** even, and I'm sure I can out-launch it by 1 - 1.5 car-lengths (mostly due to the weight).
When comparing this to the 350Z with the standard exhaust, I'd say than in the rolling starts I'm good 3 - 4 car-lengths ahead by the time I reach 150kph ... that is around 0.3 - 0.4sec in a 400m run, so I'm pretty impressed. Oh, and I'm no longer slower through the 1st and 2nd (in particular) gears than the HSV.
I'd say that I'm at least as quick as an S2000 in full-flight now, and a lot quicker in low to mid revs. Incredible that 'just an exhaust' can provide this kind of gains. Or even more incredible that Nissan would fit the car with an exhaust that 'strangles' the engine so much?!
Acceleration comparisions:
- test #1: 40 - 150kph, starting in 1st gear both cars:
The two car's stay dead even until I have to make the 1st-to-2nd gear-change (around 60kph), where I loose about 1/2 a car-length. Then the two car's stay dead-even again (ie. no one pulls) 'till around 100kph where I have to make the 2nd-to-3rd gear-change. Here I loose another 1/2 a car-length and the HSV is still in 2nd gear so it pulls away another 1/2 a car-length before it shifts to 3rd at around 135kph. After that things look pretty even to 150kph when we shut down. So the HSV won this one by around 1.5 car-lengths. The HSV has still has advantage over my Zed in the 100 - 130kph range as it is still in 2nd gear while I have to be in 3rd. Though, the advantage is very small now.
- test #2: 50 - 150kph, me in 2nd gear and HSV in 1st:
The first run we did the HSV got a jump on me and therefore it looked like it was steadily, but slowly pulling away all the way to 150kph, by which stage it was around 3 car-lengths ahead. When we run the 2nd time, we took off more evenly, but the HSV was still quicker than me ... but not by much. It pulled away maybe 3/4 car-length on me by the time I shifted to 3rd (ie. 100kph), where I lost maybe 1/4 car as well. It stayed like this all the way to around 150kph where we shut down and I was not pulling the HSV in, nor was it pulling away. I lost this one by 1 car-length.
- test #3: 20 - 165kph, me in 1st gear and HSV in Drive:
As soon as we floor it, the HSV has to down-change (to 1st gear) and I get about 1/2 a car jump on it during this time. I hold this all the way through 1st and don't really loose any ground on the 1st-to-2nd gear-change ... only about a foot or two. Then I pull away another 1/4 to 1/3 car-length before I need to shift to 3rd (ie. 100kph). So the HSV is on my rear-quarter panel and I shift to 3rd, loose very little ground and then we run all the way to 165kph by which time I maybe pulled another 1/2 a car-length. That means that at the end I was around 1 - 1.5 car-lengths ahead and there was no pulling away or gaining from either of us.
Impressions:
I'd say that now the 350Z is about line-ball in terms of acceleration with the HSV. The 350Z looses a little bit of ground on gear-changes (even if you nail them really well), but it is no longer slower in-gear. In some ways it can even pull away a fraction in some increments, but I'd call this pretty **** even, and I'm sure I can out-launch it by 1 - 1.5 car-lengths (mostly due to the weight).
When comparing this to the 350Z with the standard exhaust, I'd say than in the rolling starts I'm good 3 - 4 car-lengths ahead by the time I reach 150kph ... that is around 0.3 - 0.4sec in a 400m run, so I'm pretty impressed. Oh, and I'm no longer slower through the 1st and 2nd (in particular) gears than the HSV.
I'd say that I'm at least as quick as an S2000 in full-flight now, and a lot quicker in low to mid revs. Incredible that 'just an exhaust' can provide this kind of gains. Or even more incredible that Nissan would fit the car with an exhaust that 'strangles' the engine so much?!
