I was cruising home from the climbing gym a few days ago at about 10 pm on San Tomas Expy. in Santa Clara. I was stopped at a stoplight, enjoying a little acoustic Vertical Horizon at volumes very capable of damaging my hearing, and paying no attention at all to the traffic around me. The light turns green, and the purple 300ZX beside me, heretofore unseen, chirps his tires and takes off. He blows by me and surprises me so much that I completely miss my shift to second.

We pull up to the next light, and now I have to radio a little lower. He has his girlfriend in the car with him. He yells to me, "you wanna try again?" I say, "sure, let's go." The light turns green, and we take off -- but just across the intersection, some unwitting person in a Kia or some such econo-box pulls out in front of me, so I blow first gear again. I stay in first, pass the Kia, come up beside him again, point forward, and pound it. I got the jump on him by a half-car or so. I hear him grind into second (yikes), then grind into third (yikes again). He stays behind my rear fender, and I'm inching past him with every passing mile-per-hour. When we hit 110, I shut it down. We roll up to the next light, and he asks me what kind of horsepower I have. I said "240, natural." He said "well, I've got 400." I just looked at him incredulously. After a second, he said, "well, you caught me in a high gear." "Oh, I see," I said, "better luck next time." The light turns green, and I start to make my right turn. The girlfriend yells out the window "that's a damn nice car!" as I turn.

So what happened? Did he really have 400 bhp? Why didn't he destroy me? I've never raced a 300ZX before, but I know they're highly modifiable, with excellent results. Was he just full of shit?

- Warren

 

odd story....400bhp and you walk him? something is amiss...i mean, if i had 400 horses and i lost to a car that should have been killed, then i'd be embarassed a bit. i'm not saying i dont' believe you b/c i do, believing him is another story! good kill!

 

I think it was a combination of both. He was full of shit about the 400hp and it's clear that he wasn't the most capable driver (grinding gears). Good kill nonetheless.

 

nHobbes,

Exactly. I could be wrong, but I think the S2000 will walk a stock 300ZX... but turbo upgrades on 300ZX's are so easy (I think?) that 400 bhp is a very real possibility. I figure he didn't really have 400 bhp... maybe he was just trying to impress his girl? I was a little surprised myself... so I wanted to see if any 300ZX-savvy folks here could clue me in.

- Warren

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by chroot
[B]nHobbes,

Exactly.

 

*yawn*...this one is up my alley:

1. First: a stock S2000 is a bit quicker than a stock 300ZX TT (90-95....96 is a different animal...slower animal). By no means it will "walk" a stock TT, but yes a stock S2000 is faster....there!

2. Second: A claimed 400bhp on a Z is easily achievable and is also know as a stage III upgrade obtainable by intake, exhaust and an JWT ECU. These three in combination with a good running Z will yield a apx. 400 bhp (at the crank that is).

3. A 400bhp Z (stage III) will smoke (sorry guys) a stock S2000....no doubt about it. Now, keep in mind this is a good "example" of a Z...meaning well mantained and in good running condition. When I used to have my S2000 w/intake/J's Racing exhaust I raced a good running stage IV (3-4 car lengths and pulling by the time I was finishing 3rd...)

Now, saying all that a stage III ZTT is comparable to a stock C5 in speed.

Of course you are going to have your bad apples. There are people out there with not-so-well-kept Z's that slap a stage III and claim they HAVE the 400 bhp....sorry, no no.

To give you a perfect example, there is a kid (I won't say his name) in the area that has a stage VII Z (450 bhp apx). His car is NOT in the best shape mechanically (boost leaks, drip. injector, intercooler cracked...etc). I could run side by side with him when I had my S2000.....get it?

So did this guy on the purple Z you got had 400bhp? Very possibly on receipts and paper...but truly 400bhp...probably not......good spanking though!

 

thanks for the information! you're actually the one i was referring to in my previous post!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by nHobbes
[B]
from what i see, he's not some immature kid, but seems intelligent and is non-biased overall.

 

can you just wire the money? i can't wait for a check! i'm going to vegas soon, so my EARNED $20 will come in handy....especially if i'm losing!

 

Maybe his tranny was f'd up... hmmm .... yeah, ecu/intake/exhaust should give 390-400 bhp in a tt 90-95, and yes he is right about the 96, less hp that year . I raced an s2k when i was pretty much Stage3+ (intake,exhaust,JWT ecu,Underdrive pulley), and i pulled well on him.. Since then i havent raced him.. and yes it does come down to how the car has been taken care of... electrical can cause major problems in high mileage tts, remember this car is 12/13 years old!!! But i love my ZXTT,and i love the s2k...

but yeah, im sure he was full of shit, couldnt drive, thought he could impress his girl..