A&Q about 350Z
Q:
I owned a 2003 touring Z coupe. Got rid of it because of tire feathering.
I would love to have another Z, going to wait for the 2005 models, tire feathering will surely be fixed on them, but have been thinking about the pleasure of driving with the top down in a convertible. Any owners of the roadster have any info for me, such as noise levels with top up, levels of air coming into the cabin with top down, any cowl shake, etc. Thanks for any information.
A:
I just bought a 2004 Touring Pikes Peak White Roadster with blue top. I love it. Top up is actually quite peaceful and quite. Everything seals really well. Top down is awesome, if you roll windows up with top down I can talk on the phone going 70. Not that I do that often though. What the hell is cowl shake? I have 3100 miles on it in 3 months and have had no problems, I keep seeing these posts about tire feathering, but I haven't noticec anything yet, but I'm not sure what I'm looking to hear. Not sure if that problem is on 2003 or if 2004 is having the problem. Mine isn't so far. Well worth 38G's.
Dave
2004 Pikes Peak Roadster
Chromed stock 17" rims
A:
If you just bought your 04 roadster, you should be safe. The 2004 Z's had a so called "running" change during the production to the so called "euro-suspension" set-up. I believe most of the 2004's ended up with this, with just a few of the earliest produced 04's with the 03 suspension and subsequent probable feathering problem.
Cowl shake is a general shuddering of the frame of the car. It feels like it is loosely put together, with say your arm on the door over a bump you would feel the door quivering in its frame. Just take a ride in a Ford Mustang convertible and you will know.
Thanks for the information. What color blue is the top on your Pikes Peak White? The white is a color I would be interested in, thanks.
A:
the roadster doesn't suffer from a lot of cowl shake like most convertibles out there, very well balanced and solid feeling, although compared to a coupe it is maybe one point behind on the solid feeling. nothing most people would notice. with the top up the noise level is very reasonable, not much louder than the coupe, but with the stereo on not even noticeable (not that the top is up very much considering I live in So Cal). With the top down you get just the right amount of wind with the windows down, and with the windows up a light stream of air over the top of you head. female passengers (and yes you will have many of them) have told me its nice to not have to worry about their hair whipping all over the place but they still get the feeling of the wind through their hair. I went with the lemans sunset roadster - a real head turner with 18's chromed out. 3k in miles and no sign of feathering and the ride is definitely less bumpy than the 03 coupe I used to have, and its not just my imagination. I used to not be able to carry a starbucks in the cup holder because it would rattle so much it would spill all over the place, and now I can order my venti and not have to hold it the whole time.
A:
I have the Redline 04 Z Roadster and I'm turning 1,000 miles this week. This car is far superior to my last ride: a 1996 BMW 328 convertible. Unlike my BMW, I've never even noticed cowl shake in the Z. There is very little wind in the cabin when the top is down. Putting the top up & down is very fast and efficient. I would highly recommend the Z Roadster to anyone in the market for a sportscar convertible.