gotta say the 8 is kind to mistakes made while driving.

 

Just checked in.... seems like most people see my point of view.... some don't ... anyway, some thoughts:

Fluffysheep: I don't feel guilty about my driving at all... There is no crosswalk at the intersection. It was dry conditions. Temp was about 40 F. I could see into the curve before I took it. And I wasn't really going incredibly fast.... I understand your concern, but remember, anything can seem dangerous when someone else is doing it. I mean, unless you drive the speed limit all the time, I could say you are endangering people by speeding. I don't think I was driving recklessly (is that a word?).... just having about 5 seconds of fun in an otherwise boring commute.

Carbon: I haven't heard the story you are referring to... so obviously I am not the source of it. I read another story on this same forum where a guy was racing a 350z and the Z ran off the road in a curve. I didn't post that story either. In my mind the stories have very little similarity... since the other seemed disparaging of the Z and the guy was kind of bragging about his road racing skills. As stated in my first post, I like the Z and am not bashing it. I'm 34 years old and this is my fun mid-life crisis sports car. I am not a road racer, drag racer, or auto crosser... but sometimes I drive slightly faster than the speed limit and I like to take a turn fast now and again (I think I am in the majority here). I feel no need to fabricate stories for the internet... If you don't believe me, no sweat. (Although, if I were inclined to feel insulted by someone on the internet, I would be more upset for being accused of owning a Crossfire than being a liar.)

 

nice story =) and dont feel guilty cuz he probably chose a bad line to take that corner. Z's are good cars, the only criticism i have is that it only revs up to 6.8k revs maybe 7 now but w/e i drove my friends old 04 Z convertable and they're quick cars and yes they do have less roll then our cars but i would think that is due to the fact that car is aimed at pure sports while our cars are kinda more centered around like easy commuting with a family since can can seat 4 afterall. but anywayz ya dont feel bad. I had this G35 tailling me on the highway so i pushed it up to 80 for a sec and then he blew past me going close to about 100 and then a cop just pulled him over about 1/8 of a mile down from where he passed me and i just had a good laugh, so dont feel bad =)

13B>VQ35!!!!!!!!

 

It's not your fault the guy can't drive his car

 

I'm similar situation, about 10 years older than you, Billy. I didn't feel responsible at all for the dope behind me. I did what I do every time I take that ramp when the conditions are right (no traffic, dry pavement, warm temps, daylight) - it's dolt in the Honda that was way out over his skiis trying to prove something to the guy in the RX-8. Did I stop out of a feeling of responsibility? Hell no. I stopped because I witnessed an accident in which the person could have gotten hurt. Had he done that following me driving my Honda Odyssey (my wife's car, which by the way, handles that curve stunningly well - 45 mph+), I'd have still stopped.

You're not responsible for the stupid person's ability or lack of ability to control his car.

 

yea, i would suspect that the driver was trying to show you up on the turn. and so he screwed himself over.

 

why should you feel guilty, he's the one that bought a 350...

 

Great story Billy, thanks for sharing. I can see how your mind would eat at you a little bit with that moral dilemma but seeing as how it wasn't a bad wreck, I don't see why you needed to stop. Don't feel bad, it's not your fault.

 

The part of you that feels guilt is the part of you that feels you should of had a camera recording your rear as this happened. That is all dont worry about it lol

 

They handle well and have less roll but they aren't as 'on rails' as the 8 and don't have the same steering precision imo. And like you said, the 8 is easily correctable which makes pushing it to the limit easier. And for a couple hundred bucks or less, you can reduce the 8's roll by a lot. And considering the price difference of a base Z to a base 8....

 

I've driven the 350Z extensively - I have a buddy that has one and we frequently trade cars. Love the torque in that Nissan V6! And he loves the handling of the 8 and the insane way it pulls into crazy high revs.

We're both of the opinion that in an ideal condition - a dry, warm skidpad, that the 350Z could likely produce a better lateral G number due to less roll making all four tires do the work, versus the 8's body roll putting more pressure on the outside tires.

That said, we both agree that the RX-8 has far better "real world" handling and is way easier to control at/near/over the limits. Get outside the envelope, and it's very easy to reel it back in. Take it to the edge and it progressively steps out of the envelope, rather than going in a blink from good to bad.

Billy's guy stepped over the limit on his Z and it bit him. I've spun out my buddy's Z before, thankfully on an autocross course, not on a public road. Nothing to hit but a cone and I even managed to miss that.

Also, I'd say it's likely that his car didn't have the stability control. My buddy's car doesn't have it - just traction/rear wheelspin control and that makes all the difference in the world in terms of real world driving safety. Yes, you can post better slalom and skid pad numbers with it turned off, but out on public roads, it definitely keeps you inside the envelope - have to say I like it when that stern little Japanese guy under the hood punches his little "I think not!" button and the car hauls my *** back from the brink. (I envision him looking like Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid).

 

I agree.

 

You all failed to mention one possibility.

The driver was over-cocky and purposely turned off his traction-control or stability-control before the accident.

I know plenty of retardedly cocky people who drive RX8's, 350Zs, you name it - and either they habitually turn it off when they get in the car, or they turn it off when they're about to 'have fun' or race somebody. They think they are "too good" for it. "Smarter than the car". They feel it "holds them back" and "restricts them".

I never turn mine off. If my DSC catches me, it's for a reason. That blanket of protection is priceless. Not only does it protect you from an imperfect road or imperfect conditions, but it gives you a good blanket of protection from imperfect reasoning or poor decisions. It's not god, but it certainly helps.

 

Its not your fault its driver error seems like the 350z driver is a noob

 

Well in every thread there has to be a wet blanket who says "omg think of the children" whenever anyone admits to driving fast on the street. No one else had posted it so I decided to But I did recently just cause an accident in a situation where I absolutely did not think there was even the slightest danger so I'm also a little oversensitive

If the Z has less roll from lower center of gravity then it will grip better, but if it has less roll from stiffer suspension then it will actually put up lower skidpad numbers "all else being equal" which of course it never is.

DSC is generally a good thing on the street although I can imagine some situations where you might not want it. On the autocross or track is a whole other animal although unless you are a really good driver it's probably more help than hindrance.

The best thing about DSC is that it allows the manufacturer to build more aggressively handling cars without having to worry about people spinning out and killing themselves. So, even if you DO turn it off, it still indirectly makes your handling better...

 

Hilarious!

 

You have a great reason to keep it on, but do try to learn the limits of the car with it off when appropriate. When DSC (or any electronics) fails, you will be prepared.

 

LOL

 

He is responsible for his own driving. Glad he didn't any innocent bystanders or other drivers.

Maybe his Z didn't have traction control, but overall the Z is a great handling car but much trickier at the limit than the 8.