Couldn't agree more...stupid activity that, best case, just raises all of our insurance rates...worst case, I don't even want to discuss.

Cito, you are on target.Most see three autox weaknesses for the Z's....past,present and maybe future:

1. Weight
2.Front camber
3.VLSD

Question remains for the 370....will 332 HP and shorter wheelbase compensate for the inherent weaknesses??????

Added one more...

Don't feed the troll.

Another potential weight problem for the 370 is the F to R weight distribution.The specs say 53/47 for 350 and 54/46 for the370.
Limited scale data indicates that the 370 may be 56/44 ....more nose heavy would not be good.Will not change the Chart until we see more data.

I usually stop at red.

And with a light exhaust and heavy front bar, the numbers will only get worse. :crazy:

RX8 weight distribution......just noticed that the '09 is listed at 52/48. Anyone know if 50/50 is correct for the '04 and if not what is it? Anyone have any scale data for F to R?

The early cars were touted as being 50/50, but I know with a 1/4 tank of fuel and light exhaust it is not. I want to say in race trim mine is 52/48, but I have not looked in years and could be off.

Jim,

I forgot to record the numbers, but I weighed my car on the SCCA's corner scales on the flat concrete at the Toledo airport (Toledo Pro Solo) and my car weighed a total of 2,860lbs then (2,830 on HPT's scales) but I remember calculating the F/R weight distn and it was around 51% F/ 49% R. Don't have the actual numbers though... :(

Jason/Chike...thanks for weight dist data.
Chike,do you run stock exhaust and do you recall your HPT fuel load?

Jim,

I weighed my car after our Day 2 runs at HPT.

Shawn and I run a custom 8.1lbs race exhaust and our fuel load was just under an indicated 1/4 tank (at the end of the runs on a co-driven car). Wheels are OZ Ultraleggeras with 245 V710's, and the FSB was the stock one at Nats this year.

The F/R distribution skews slightly rearward when the driver is in the car. I think it was always 52/48 unladen, but that probably also changes depending on what options you have.

The figures we're putting together are w/o a driver in the car. I have a base model with a spoiler.

However, my RX-8 is an '06 model, which is ~20lbs heavier than the '04-'05 RX-8's as the earlier cars came with a smaller battery and starter. So Jason, Carter, etc. can get their cars down to 2,800lbs, but owners of base model '06+ RX-8's like Harvey, Fossum and myself will be in the 2,830-2,840lbs range.

Theoretically, if I switched to the first gen SSR's and 245 A6's I could get my car down to 2,815lbs.

Driving skill >>>>> Power.

Suspension setup > Power.

Lightweight > Power.

All of the above applies to autocross and many other forms of motorsport.

Street racing from stop light to stop light is setting yourself up to fail, since driving skill and suspension are out of the equation, and the 350 has enough power to carry its weight in a straight line.

Just stop embarrassing yourself. Don't street race. You will never find your limit on the streets...

Head down to a track a few times, and you'll soon see that street racing has no real appeal.

Think you are correct on both counts.The 52/48 looks like the best estimate for race trim wt dist. Since driver wt is a variable we will continue the chart without driver.

Not quite familiar with B Stock rules; I thought it allowed a battery change? Am I wrong?

Must be OE equivalent for your year/model.

Chart edited for latest race trim weight distributions and related calculations.

I am thinking that those weight numbers are off, I know Nissan spent alot of time working on this fact. And the new suspension is awesome. I drove the new 370, its a whole other beast compared with the 350. I would watch out for those of you into autoX. You could see the Z puttin down solid performances

You may be very correct on the performance of the 370 as that is yet to be seen.However,the data we are putting together in the Chart is based on actual measurements,weights,etc as we get them because we do not trust any OEM specs...much of it is marketing driven and we are only interested in true numbers.

Lest we not forget....no more heel toe action needed in the 370....but we'll see how well that system really works on the track...

Just to throw something else in the mix... The Sti... well over 2800lbs and their handling is pretty darn good. You can even get upgraded steering racks available from 10:1-12:1 ratio's!! don't sneeze and drive...

Anyone else keeping there eye on the new Hyundai Gen coupe?

An auto-x acquaintance of mine used to run a 78? or 79 Camaro. He ran a few times with a passenger and noticed that the car would handle better with a passenger...so he put his car on the scales and ended up melting down metal and welded it on the rear passenger floorboard to help balance it out and noted quite an improvement on his times...granted its a big ol' V8...power was the least of his problems for adding the extra weight.

My point being I think the 370 despite it's weight, will be a good contender to the 8. God forbid you turbocharge it. The current turbo kit's for the G37's are layin out 500whp at 12psi...Madness I tell you, just madness.

Anyone know the curb weight results from Car&Driver's 370 test?

It was just a preview -- they list curb weight as "3350 - 3400 lb", which suggests that they're using Nissan figures as opposed to their own measurements.

3400lbs?!!

http://i36.tinypic.com/2wgxg5g.jpg