Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire does another One Take video this week, and this time the star of the show is a Nissan 370Z. Now the Z might not be too uncommon from your normal daily commute vehicle spottings, but this one is special–it’s supercharged. You can only review so many Z’s, and Matt mentioned that this might be the perfect one to finish off the Z segment, but if you know The Smoking Tire, they’ll review another one if they stumble upon something really unique.
The Nissan 370Z and its owner are from Northern California, and is daily driven, and as many times pointed out by Farah is also riding pretty low for a daily. Cruising on Toyo tires, a Stillen Supercharger (with the base pulley) and a conservative tune, this 370Z probably surprises quite a few people as it puts down 430whp and 339 wtq. Not too shabby when you consider the Z came out of the factory with a rated 33o hp at the flywheel.
Although a daily driven vehicle, the owner isn’t afraid to modify the suspension with ISC coilovers with offer 32way adjustablilty along with custom springs and valve rates. Although this makes for a firm ride, Matt doesn’t mention that he’s bothered by it.
One of Farah’s first comments is how great the Momo Steering wheel feels in his hands, and having driven lots of vehicles with aftermarket steering wheels we can attest to how much an improvement that can provide to you as a driver.
After a quick introduction of the owner and parts, Matt suggest they “have a go” and they pull onto the canyon road and begin the review. One of the first questions Farah asks the owner is how old he is, jokingly saying, “You’ve got a couple years left in you before you start hating cars like this” and the owner doesn’t really fight him as he explains that he’s mentioned a thing or two to his wife recently.
Although firm, Matt specifies that it’s not abusive; although this car seems to rub quite a bit a as they travel along with recently rain attacked road leaving many areas with gravel and sand. Farah seems to be a fan of the steering, saying that it feels tight and direct. Agreeing, the owner specifies that the 255 front and 285 rear tires have really improved the handling.
The owner mentions that he and the Z have visited Thunderhill, Sonoma, and one time at Laguna Seca-but he can’t go back because of how loud the car is (most likely no one is surprised to hear that). With linear power (and a lot of it), plenty of driver fun stuff, and the passion for driving, this Z surely offers a lot to those fortunate to get behind its wheel.
A lot of people apparently don’t believe the owner about how much power the car makes, as he says that he drives around with the dyno sheet-the proof is in the pudding I suppose. Granted, tons of people argue dyno sheets too, but it’s certainly better than nothing.