# 325Ci VS Z350 autocross impressions.



## sshuit (Apr 15, 2002)

Had a chance to finally run my friends's Z350 on the track on the wknd. 

It was a stock Z350 with the Track pack : 18"s Brembo brake package, tire pressure monitors etc.etc. 

My 325Ci has just aftermarket sways, shifter and M3 Wheel.


Engine : Z350 has the edge in noise, power, low end grunt and midrange torque. There's no shortage of power anywhere in 2nd. The I6 in my car is much smoother and is more of a turbine-whine as it spools up. I prefer my engine note with the power of the 3.5.....

Brakes : Surprisingly close but the Brembo's win out in stopping distance and fade resistance. The pedal feel is better and more linear in the BMW but that might just be the newness of the car and being used to it.

Shifter : Stock vs stock it would be no comparison, but with the UUC upgrades in my car its much snickier whereas the Z's feels a wee bit toylike and delicate. Shorter throws with less effort in the Z.

Handling : Both cars very composed and flat in the sweepers and slalom. I simply could not turn the wheel fast enough in the slalom though. In my car I don't really need to shuffle much more than once and then change direction. In the Z I felt like I had to shuffle 2-3 times and by the time the car was pointing the way I wanted I needed to start cranking very hard and fast in the other direction. It felt like I simply could not turn the wheel fast enough to get a good rhythm going. I wonder if it couldn't use a different steering ratio ....

Overall : 

I loved the tire pressure monitors, ergonomics and lower CoG of the Z but I still find the BMW is more "balanced" for what its worth..... There may be some tuning we still need to do to get the Z running like it can but I was a little disappointed to notice how much slower I was running in the Z despite the 100 HP difference and the better brakes.




Sinclair


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## M3_413 (Jul 10, 2003)

Don't mean to be a jerk but you mean 
350Z, correct?


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

Great write up, thanks for the information. I wonder how a 330/350z would be.

Car balance is always overlooked by so many people. They see high HP numbers and thing it will beat the pants of everything.

Tim


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## Akakubi (Dec 21, 2001)

tim330i said:


> Great write up, thanks for the information. I wonder how a 330/350z would be.
> 
> Car balance is always overlooked by so many people. They see high HP numbers and thing it will beat the pants of everything.
> 
> Tim


I am always waiting for any Z's to show up at a local track or AutioX events. No luck as of yet.  Sti's and Evo are great, and faster than the 330. But the Z should be pretty close.

I've seen a Japanese video where they put head to head 350Z and G35 Coupe. And the funny thing is the G35 was faster on the track! :yikes: They said it was due to the longer wheelbase, it made the car more stable through the corners.


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

were they JDM spec? Is the G35 coupe de-tuned in Japan?

Tim


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## M3_413 (Jul 10, 2003)

tim330i said:


> Is the G35 coupe de-tuned in Japan?


I don't hink so more likely so here but then 
again :dunno:


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## sshuit (Apr 15, 2002)

That is indeed what I meant 



M3_413 said:


> Don't mean to be a jerk but you mean
> 350Z, correct?


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## kster (Sep 5, 2002)

Thanks for the great writeup. Were you at a track or an autocross? Your post mentions both places.

The biggest advantage, IMO, the Z (track model) has over the 325 and 330 is the limited slip differential. Without this, you can't power out of a corner nearly as fast. The 3 series will have much more inside wheel spin while the Z will be putting down more power to the ground. I still don't know why BMW only puts LSDs on M cars. :dunno:

Edit: fixed typo.


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## Akakubi (Dec 21, 2001)

tim330i said:


> were they JDM spec? Is the G35 coupe de-tuned in Japan?
> 
> Tim


In Japan, the G35 has 280p.s., so just bout right.

I just bought another Best Motoring video, feturing RX-8 vs a whole bunch of other cars. At the Gymkhana (a mini AutoX) guess who beat every car by a second... 330i with M package (ZHP-a like) and SMG.  It even beat the second fastest S2000! :yikes:

G35 anhialated 350Z again. And the Z was the slowest car behind even the RX-8. At the track though the RX-8 was just sad - way too slow.


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

tim330i said:


> were they JDM spec? Is the G35 coupe de-tuned in Japan?
> 
> Tim


Nope, the Fairlady (Z) and Skyline (G35) coupe are both rated at the JDM max of 280bhp, and 363Nm of torque. The sedan is rated 272/353 there.


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