Mazda RX-8 vs 350HP Nissan 370Z Track Battle / Comparison
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Ride along in the #512 Mazda RX-8 for a tuner car track battle against a modified, 350HP Nissan 370Z at the July 2017 SCCA PDX Club Trials event at Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit in the Advanced run group.
Folks: Please keep the comments positive. The 370Z driver is a friend, and the RX-8 driver has way more seat time in his car on this circuit.
HERE'S THE VIEW FROM THE NISSAN 370Z!!
• Video
MAZDA RX-8 VS NISSAN 370Z TRACK COMPARISON & ANALYSIS
As evident in the videos, the 370Z has a significant advantage on long straights, pulling away by multiple car lengths; the car simply has great top end acceleration. Surprisingly, the RX-8 is almost able to keep pace on short straights. This is probably due to a higher corner exit speed and earlier power application and later braking at the end of the straight.
At the end of the straights, the RX-8's lighter weight and excellent braking system allows it to regain ground under braking and close back in.
In the corners, the RX-8s lighter weight (2800 lbs vs 3300+ lbs), low center of gravity, and excellent weight distribution shine, allowing it to easily keep pace with the 370Z, despite narrower, lower grip tires. In tight corners, the RX-8's advantage is particularly evident, demonstrating the ability to turn tighter and take a shorter distance while still hitting the apex at full throttle.
Once the RX-8 is able to get out front, it pulls away after the first long straight with lap times 1-2 seconds faster than the 370Z. At a highly technical track like Summit Point Shenandoah where top speed are low (under 110 MPH) and corners are numerous, the RX-8 shines with better cornering and braking capability. However, at higher speed tracks such as Summit Point Main Circuit, VIR, or Road Atlanta, the Nissan 370Z's acceleration strength would shine and should easily outpace the RX-8.
The Nissan 370Z Specs:
- Enkei RPF1 17x10 wheels with Toyo R888R tires 275/40/17 (square setup)
- BC Racing coilovers with external reservoirs
- Lightly tuned engine (exhaust, ECU) with around 350 HP at the crank
- Racing driver seat, no passenger seat
- OEM sport model brakes with Carbotech XP10 / XP8 pads
The Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit is a 2.2 mile, 22 turn circuit. It is extremely technical and includes an uphill-downhill blind crest, triple apex section called "The Hook" and a dimensional replica of the famous Nurburgring "Karussell", a banked concrete sweeper of more than 180 degrees (tighter than a hairpin!) where street cars routinely pull more than 2.0 g's.
Data was captured with an android phone running RaceChrono and an external Garmin Glo 10Hz GPS. Video was made with Race Render and MP4 splitter & joiner software.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? LEAVE THEM BELOW!
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/ mchuffman
RX-8 SPECS & MODIFICATIONS:
Suspension/Wheels
- Fortune Auto 500 series coilovers, 10k/7k Swift springs
- 17x9 +48mm Kosei K8R wheels (17.4 lbs)
- 235/40/17 Toyo R888 100TW tires
- Mazdaspeed front tower bar
- Whiteline front offset UCA bushings
- Powerflex front sway bar bushings
Brakes
- Hawk DTC-60 front pads and Hawk HP+ (rear) pads
Engine
- Pineapple Racing engine rebuild
- HKS Hi Power exhaust
- Racing Beat V2 dual resonated midpipe
- AEM intake
- RX8Performance pulley kit
Drivetrain
- Race Roots poly engine mounts
Reliability
- T-Rex LS ignition upgrade
- T-Rex S.S. oil cooler lines
- CSF racing aluminum radiator w/ LRB undertray & improved sealing
- Pettit Racing closed-loop coolant overflow system
- Mazda heater hose restrictor orifice
Interior
- Modified driver’s seat for more headroom
- Dash mounted triple gauge pod with VDO oil pressure, oil temperature, and water temperature
Misc
- U1R battery (~19 pounds)
SPECS
195 WHP
Under 2800 pounds dry
Full interior, A/C, radio
![Your Typical Corvette Driver at a Track Day [Subaru BRZ POV @ Pocono Raceway]](/img/n.gif)
If your RX-8 is stock vs. 350hp Z, then the handling and skills win. Good job.
Finally someone who has knowledge on cars people don't realize how agile an rx8 through a corner is it's as good as a lotus elise not to mention the power is quick to
@@jd3076 people also just look at the hp number and don’t think much of the car. They don’t realize how light the car actually is and that it doesn’t need crazy numbers.
Real rotary monster... and your driving skills are amazing)
That end to the video was worth the whole watch!
Jacob Mincks thanks man, I try to keep them interesting!!
@@rx8matt you do a great job. All the info on screen, the comments that fill us in, and the great racing. You honestly have the best rx8 track videos on the internet. What improvements have you done to the rx8?
coilovers, better alignment, breathing mods, a little weight reduction. honestly most of my focus is on maintenance and reliability... you can't win if you don't finish!! the rx8 needs very little to be fun and competitive. great platform.
@@rx8matt sweet man real simple and effective. Im not a car guy. Not yet at least. After i finish paying off my wife and my dialy drivers it will give me a chance to get a project car. Im looking for either an rx8 or mx5. Id be happy with either but id like the rx8. The rotary engine just fascinates me to no end. Have you had a rebuild ever or are you still going strong?
Nice and technical course. Loving it! It naturally rewards lighter rather than more powerful car. The carousel looks awesome.
The carousel is the most intense corner in any track I've driven. Where else can you pull over 2g in a street car!?
Great driving! Fun beating-up on the higher-dollar, higher-horsepower cars, ain't it? :-)
Wankelbolt thanks man. the rx8 can certainly hold it's own. I ran a best of 1:41:83 but the car certainly had more in it. the 370Z guy is an engine tuner for his job and he claimed 350HP at the crank, less at the wheels, but still a good bit more than my RX-8.
Sorry, thought you were talking about your car! :)
@@rx8matt Good Job mann! RX-8's handle soo well compared to the cars a class above.
Your track surely looks like a lot of fun! Love the Karussel.
Martin Rudolph for sure, it's a very technical track. Absolutely love the karrusel, over 2.0g on street tires! Hard to keep the head up. 😉
Good job bro! always a pleasure to see your track video !
Thanks for watching!
I can’t tell you how many times iv watched this video! Still excites me till this day!
Thanks man! Hopefully I'll have more good chases to post this season
RX 8 !!!! only rotor only win !!!
I've taken on many Z's in my stock 8 and the balance and handling always gave the 8 the edge over the Z's having more power.
For me it's circuit-dependent. Lots of long straights? Z wins. Lots of corners? Rx8 wins.
As someone who owns a mildly done up 370z for track, (Bolts ons / Proper LSD / Entire suspension upgraded, ect.), watching reinforces my want of a RX8 for some of the more techy tracks in california, but that power gap is just immense in comparison.
Building a semi peripheral port 13B is not difficult
It is far more difficult to rebuild a stock sr20 than it is to build a racey 13B
I know, i have done both and i honestly dont look forward to working on any piston engine ever again, which is likely since i like drifting and time attack kind of stuff and cant afford the fd that pop up every now amd again around 20k
That 370 is flying. When they 1st came out that was a dream car 11 years ago lol
They are excellent as street cars but have some oil and fuel starvation issues on track.
@@rx8matt Yes I know I had to change mine just before every 3 months because the oil will be consumed unfairly quickly. Other than that I cant complain much about the car besides the gas gauge you really cant tell if you're close on empty so the moment you see you're low head straight to the gas station lol
I could see the HP gap on the straight ways.
Yeah, the 370Z is pretty stout. I have a fresh rebuild and good bolt-ons, but I'd get dusted on a track with longer straights
That said, RX-8 and 370z are both fun to drive either ways!
The handling of the RX8 is phenomenal. We have a PZ edition (UK) and for 3 years was pretty much undefeated in the 2.0 production class sprints / hillclimbs over here in the UK at places like Goodwood and Shelsey Walsh. Opposition ( all cars must remain unmodified ) was mainly DC5 / DC2 Integra Type R, s2000, Renaultsport Cup 172/182/197 etc. The PZ beats them all in the real world.
this is inspiring...wish I could take lessons from yoou but you are on the east coast :(
I'm just getting into this as a hobby with a boosted r3
turn the boost down at the track! will be easier on the brakes and cooling system.
Nice work.
Quality 😎👍👍
love watching your videos man, great angle and is never boring! do you have any engine mods done?
Well the engine internally is stock, and has just a few basic bolt ons. I don't even have a header. More mods in the video description. Thanks for the sub, now that I've got a Suzuki gsf1200 maybe I need to stay making some motorcycle vids...
Matt Huffman right on brother thanks!
That’s awesome, would love to see those!
Hp doesn’t buy skills
Amazing driving (pls tell me where you got the phone holder at D;.)
i think it was walmart but that was circa 2016. i had to use some superglue to increase bonding strength. it was pretty nice i wish they still had styles like that
Imagine mazda gave it 350hp from factory , it would dominate!!!
Bry Guy it would be called a c5 Corvette! Joking aside, Mazda wanted to create a well balanced handling car that emphasizes poise and momentum. At least for me and my driving style, the power is sufficient. Less power forces you to drive better.
Stock vs stock with the same driver, I don't think the RX8 could keep up. I don't think it would even keep up with a 350Z on a track.
But you're obviously a skilled driver and have good tyres and suspension. That track looks very rough, but the car appears quite stable. What tyres and suspension are you running?
Edit: sorry, I just found the specs in the description.
I run lower spring rates that most folks. I like compliance on bumpy surfaces.
@@rx8matt that is soft for a racecar, but pretty stiff for the rough roads here in Australia. I'm running Teins in mine with 7 and 5 kg springs, which seems like a good compromise for a street car, but I think fatter swaybars would help. You're running stock swaybars? I was gonna try some poly bushes before replacing my SBs.
@@fedzalicious yeah I'm running a big 32mm progress front bar and redrilled oem rear bar. Controls roll while still allowing decent compliance
@@rx8matt is there room to move the link pin mounting points on the rear bar? I hadn't even thought about that. I'm guessing you moved the holes towards the axis to stiffen it up?
32mm is pretty chunky. I wouldn't have thought you'd get enough stiffness out of the stock rear bar to keep up with it. Mind you, a little bit of mid corner understeer isn't bad. It makes it easier to throw the car around.
This just sold the RX8 for me, learn to drive in an 8 then move onto a bigger car. Job done.
Tommy Arnold the rx8 is definitely a good beginners car but also a fun and engaging car for experienced drivers.
Did you do any weight reduction mods on your car? Nice driving keeping up with a car that has a superior p/w ratio too!
Thanks! Car has full interior, radio, and A/C and weighs slightly under 2800 pounds. The weight out through the modifications mostly, no real explicit weight reduction. I do have a U1R format tractor battery (19 pounds), big savings over stock. No engine cover, all of the tools and jack removed, no floor mats, lighter coilovers, lighter exhaust, lighter intake, lighter wheels, but I have some added weight from a larger radiator. my car is also a base model, cloth seats no sunroof no DSC / TCS
well some one mess up with the G force thing on the side... when he brakes the point go backwards... WTF?!
Matheus Linhares it's personal choice how you define how to render it- but I agree that the longitudinal and lateral acceleration are not consistent with each other. I'll double check what other people use. It's a simple change in the program (I believe this was default).
i remember my dad like 3 years ago going 80 kmh and it looked super fast i dont know why
When riding in the car or on video or outside car?
I'm interested in the seat mod. to improve headroom. What did you do to improve headroom?
ua-cam.com/video/4aYyfl926pA/v-deo.html
You can also trim seat bottom foam, but comfort suffers
Thanks Matt, I'll be doing this mod, for sure.
You have good gloves) Can you tell me what the model?
You should show your RPM'S. FOR SURE THE NISSAN WAS NOT SPINNING ROTORY #'s
Wow, that was almost really bad for that 370...
rherold9 yeah, he had just switched off traction control. also he was playing around with rear camber and we're pretty convinced he ended up with rear toe OUT from the camber changes 😨
BTDT on the rear toe-out. Like driving a bowl of jello: Very fun, but dead-slow and not safe...
Wankelbolt agreed. I like a hair toe in.
Hm, maybe that's why my car almost feels like it's fishtailing all the time.
I can hear the 370z always used higher gear, should used 2nd more to pull away more.
MrBMWF30 the 370z has shorter gearing and a lot more torque and power. There is one corner in particular that second gear would help a bunch.
Interesting how you leave it in 3rd gear in the 40-50mph range where 2nd will do. Is that minimize shifting and focus on steering?
exactly. it's multiple things working together there. 1 is focusing on your line and steering and maximizing speed through the corner. 2 is the fact that a downshift, and then subsequent upshift, adds time and adds two potential mistakes. 3 is that in a tight corner like that, i can't floor 2nd gear without powersliding; there isn't enough traction to effectively use second gear. 4 is that it's less wear on the transmission and drivetrain. so it's a combination of things. i could potentially shave a tenth or two with a downshift, but since this was not a timed event it didn't seem worth it.
appreciate the insight as I'm starting from the ground up with Go-Karts I have a rx8 currently putting a motor in it.....👏🙌🙏God bless
hey! curious what you think the outside temps were that day and what your coolant temps were? Im running into some serious overheating when its only +20C outside and not staying in high revs like you are in this vid. I have an early opening Tstat by mishimoto and mishimoto racing rad.
The radiator is less important than ducting. i went back from a CSF super thick racing aluminum radiator to an OEM radiator, but i added high density foam to the top, bottom, and left side of the radiator. i have an aluminum undertray with very few holes in it. my oil coolers are in decent shape... oil coolers are important. i run OEM water pump and OEM t-stat, but i run 75% water and 25% mazda coolant. i have a flash that turns the fans on sooner. i have underdrive pulleys but i don't know how much they help or hurt. i'm seeing around 200F on a 85F day... not bad at all. i'd get worried if you're +220.
@@rx8matt ok, any reason for ditching the racing rad?? when you have a second could you send a picture or the type of foam you used and location? im thinking of changing out the oil cooler thermostat as well as its 13 years old. Are the underpulleys for the waterpump to slow it down and not to cause calvication?
Aaron K yeah, stock is WAY lighter. Weight of the nose. The foam is medium density closed cell foam I think, used 3m special foam adhesive. Gotta just seal all sides except passenger side against the plastic undertray. Some bypass near the exhaust is good to keep engine bay temps down. Underdrive are supposed to reduce cavitation... But I don't have any data to support, and neither does the vendor!
Aaron K there's one t-stat per oil cooler.
@@rx8matt ok great!. im currently driving around on a 20C day and hitting 100C collant temps just daily cruising :(. thats with mishimoto rad and t-stat with the undertray intact.. im so lost man. thats just crazy temps for that outside temp and additional cooling mods. when you say undertray, you mean you have the foam pushing against the tray? could you send some pics if you have any of the positioning and layout?
Thanks!
I don’t know this track, it could be really squirrelly on a colder day.. is it bad when you downshift and keep it in the power band in the tighter corners?
I have later videos (Shenandoah track record) where i use 2nd gear at the corkscrew. Unless you have enough Tire grip, downshifting for extra revs is difficult to fully utilize without inducing over or under steer
Matt Huffman totally! I figured it would be something like that haha I would love to tack my 8 next to yours.. if I could keep up hahaha
let me know if you guys would be interested in a 3rd car battle. it looks like a lot of fun. I do run time trials with the scca.😁
Hey man. Yeah I've seen some of your posts in the scca tt facebook group. We'll see how this crazy season goes, i might be able to make it to a wdcr scca event or two. I also hillclimb and autocross so it's usually a busy season
Nicely done. That little blip at the end though, the Z drove fairly well but it could have mashed those corners with more Gs. These things are phenomenal on cornering and exiting corners
Snow Leopard IX the driver is still dialing in his alignment and suspension settings. I have no doubt he'll be able to pick up a bunch of speed soon. The 370Z is a fast track machine, no doubt
Pffft put 350hp 8n the Mazda and it no comparison !
Similarly shaped cars but that's where it ends.
The Z is roughly 200kg heavier and is a cheap GT car, the RX8 is a cheap sports car, with much better chassis set up and handling balance.
I'd still take the Zed, as its a comfy drive and its engine isn't made of chocolate.
It looks and sounds better, also in the real world, it would drop an RX8 with ease.
Can't fault you there. All of my test drives in 350z were very enjoyable. Great street car
This video is cap. There's no comparison unless you put equal talent drivers in both cars. Otherwise its just a "n00b vs. experienced driver" video
relax homie, just amateur drivers having a good time. even so you can make a few observations about the capabilities of each car.
The RX-8 isn't a Highway car or drag strip car it's one of those cars that really show it's true capability on a back road you drive it well but you don't have it to 9000 I never heard a single rev limiter beat did you disable it?
Do The M.E.D.S with the wind nose and exhaust noise you can't hear it but I redline each gear. And I agree, the rx8 was designed as a touge sportscar.
What's up bro never been on a circuit yet but I already raced a little on the streets try to use a little more your 2th to speed up a little faster when you slow down around 38km/h or less
HashimotoDavid that's a good point, I have definitely considered 2nd gear in two places on that circuit. It comes down to how much wear and tear you want to put on the transmission. Since these were just "fun" sessions, I wasn't worried. But if it was time attack, I'd drop down to second gear for a better corner exit.
Be sure to watch out for more battles in the near future!
Matt Huffman 😎after watching your videos it made me wanna go to a circuit 🤣😂😂😂🤣😂
HashimotoDavid for sure- it's safer and more fun on the circuit! What are you driving?
I also have a RX-8 type S check it out on my instagram HashimotoDavid
Neither driver is that skilled. Both cars are capable of much higher speeds through the corners if the drivers were skilled.
Well both cars were on street tires, which is the biggest non-driver factor limiting cornering speed. I'm sure we could go faster through the turns on race tires with more traction. But these are street cars driven to and from events on the street
The square set up on the Z will fuck the handling for a start and he doesn't look like the best track driver
Brian Tyson a lot of road course folks like to use square setup because you can rotate tires. You need to tweak the roll couple to compensate as required. I think the biggest thing was that the 370Z didn't have the best alignment, making it twitchy. Too little rear toe in.
hey guys, Is this a stock rotary?
Stock internals, breathing mods
@@rx8matt thanks. I'm new to the car culture. Trying to learn more things along the way.
@@misterpicturesque sounds good. I have some more information on the video description
@@rx8matt yeah. Went through it and going through your videos and googling things I don't understand. Loving it so far.
Dorifto!!!!
Overtake haha yeah, I need to increase my front stiffness a little bit. still a bit loose.
1.3 liter...... i got nothing else to say
@@markcampos627 small but mighty 💪
You can accelerate a lot better than that you're fucking babying the throttle you need to give it more and you would have won that multiple times you could have pushed ahead
is that a challenge or a cosmo?
Which car are you referring to?
the rx8. in its stock form is the challenge one? (192 hp) 5 speed. or the cosmo version? 231 hp (6 speed) 9.800rpm limiter etc.
Oh, the cosmos. In America it's the 6MT, in Japan it's the type s. It's the high output, 6 port, 6 speed manual transmission.
i just read it makes 195 hp at the wheels . i find it a bit low for a 230 hp car even after the light mods. shouldn't it be like 210 at the wheels ?
Vasilis Panagiwtopoulos unfortunately, no. Mazda overrated the rx8 renesis engine. Stock WHP for the high output version is usually 175-185whp. I am probably closer to 200whp now. But to be fair, my engine modifications are fairly modest. Mazda squeezed a ton of power from a 1.3L engine from the factory and they didn't leave much to be untapped.
That 370z just isnt loving those corners huh? Especially the tight ones lol
alphawav3 yeah, 500 pounds heavier vehicle, and he's still dialing in the suspension, but the rx8 is a cornering monster.
so it looks like the Z can only pull away when its a straight right? but you can catch up easily with better cornering? if only the RX8 had more HP, then you think it should beat the Z right? i own a 2004 rx8 myself
Bludika yes I reckon the rx8 would win hands down with a tad more power. But the rotary engine, while not a terribly powerful engine, is very compact and lightweight, which gives the rx8 it's handling. So it's a compromise. Also, the 370Z driver is still dialing in his suspension; that car has great handling potential, too.
There should be an NA RX8 Race league ;)
alphawav3 I know, right? Spec RX8!
This track sucks for anything heavy. That's not a good matchup. Shanendoah was made for bikes and gokarts in mind
I regularly beat RX-8's in my 311HP 350z!
Szymon Kaczmarek - GNOSiS Drag strip, autocross, or road course?
Your Z can beat an Rx8 on a straight But Real men talk on the Track and an RX8 will absolutely eat a 370 on track Lol
Szymon Kaczmarek - GNOSiS WTF where you go?
Cool story. I'd eat you on straights and track in my 335i E9X even my buddies old fairlane which has now been turbo'd would kill you on straights, look on my channel of the fair lane, it's when it wasn't turbo'd tho