2008 Nissan 350Z Enthusiast Road Test

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2008 Nissan 350Z Enthusiast Road Test

The 350Z Enthusiast coupe doesn't shy away from demanding roads. | May 06, 2010 | Kurt Niebuhr for Edmunds

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ikoslog

Great write up on the 2008 350Z.

Nissan tweaked the engines on the later models of the 350Z .. I want to say 2006-2008.. But this article focuses on the 2008, so , so will I.

I own a 2008 350z.. and I just wanted to add some personal experience about a few things the article mentioned.

1) Clutch -- I've owned MANY sports cars from Z's to Mustangs.. and the 350z's clutch is not stiff or tough to push down. Sure, it's a little stiffer than the clutch on a 4 cylinder Pontiac Solstice,.. but it's nothing an average man, or even woman will get a "sore" leg from using. -- The 350z was designed to have a very HIGH engagement on the clutch,.. meaning as you are getting used to driving this manual 6 speed the clutch pedal must come out a good ways before it starts to engage the flywheel. This is normal, and is by design.

2) Shifter -- This well written article says the shifter is "tight/stiff". I can say it is not. It is the perfect balance from being too loose and too stiff. There is not extra effort needed to go through the tight 6 gears.. If you've never driven a 6speed before you will have to get used to going from 5th to 6th (Which is STRAIGHT down from 5th). The first 30 mins or so I drove mine.. I kept going from 5th back to 4th.. but after 30mins or so I got the hang of shifting from 5th to 6th.

Those are really the only two things I wanted to give personal experience on my end of this exact car I own.

If you aren't a fan of manual shifting, like many.. there are more Automatics in this car than manuals.. it's the way it is. If you like shifting .. you do have more control of the car AND it's gas mileage + power with a manual transmission.

On gas mileage.. This is a BIG v6.. it's a 3.5 Liter -- To compare.. the last Z model that was big.. the beautiful 300ZX made from 1990-1996 had a 3.0 Liter V6. This car has roughly 100 more horsepower than that car did, and only at a cost of half a liter more engine.

Anyhow.. just as the 300ZX 3 liter V6 didn't get stellar gas mileage.. neither will this.

That said. Particularly with a manual transmission you can get reasonably good gas mileage if you shift at low RPMS, and aren't heavy on the gas stopping and starting etc. (I understand having fun.. but you can also cruise in the car comfortably with decent mpg).

I manage about 28-30mpg on the Highway,.. oddly enough the sweet spot is 80mph in 6th gear for maximum mpg.

In the city.. I shift between 2100-2400 rpms (very low).. and I can keep it around 23-25mpg.

If you shift higher,.. accelerate hard from stop lights, etc.. you can easily drop that gas mileage to 14-15mpg in a hurry.

It comes with a fairly accurate MPG meter in the gauges that helps you judge your driving if you care about it. The gas tank is HUGE at 20 gallons.. but with that comes 400+ miles per tank.

Great car.

Tip: If buying one.. listen for noise coming from front tires at very low speeds 10mph and lower.. like coming to a stop. This is a common issue called Tire Feathering,.. and if it exists you will need a proper alignment to the specs in the manual (or nissan) -- or any shop with Hunter alignment Racks.. on the front. Also, unfortunately you will need new front tires if you want to correct the noise.

You *can* have them flipped on the front, to save the tires.. and have it aligned,.. but there is no gaurantee that doing this will eliminate the noise completely.

But, the noise from this isn't dangerous, or damaging anything other than the already "damaged" front tires worn un-evenly -- You can drive with this low speed noise until the tires get low without worry for safety. It's just a common issue.

The only other thing with 350Z's that can be an issue is the Clutch Slave Cylinder.. That's sort of a luck of the draw thing.. if it becomes an issue.. it's about a $500-800 fix.

Every car has it's issues that crop up.. those are just the two that the 350Z may have. But it is overall a very reliable car with a timing chain that is designed to last the life of the engine.