My buddy just got a 350Z and he is still wondering why the Evo is faster, even with less horsepower and approximately the same weight. To be honest, I couldn't answer him very well, so I said "a good bit of engineering..."

So can anyone tell me why it's faster than the Z? Please don't tell me "it's a better car" because I own an Evo and I know it is I just want to know why

 

1. gearing
2. redline. The evo makes more power up top, which is where you want it for straight line performance.

 

i am not a great source to listen to, but i belive it has a lot to do with how the car is designed... and i knwo thats an obvious answer... the evo has awd ( which if it didn't it woudlnt' be nearly as fast ).. i mean look at the srt4, thats a 2900 pound car. a good amount of power and it runs high 13's if we ( evo owners ) only had fwd we'd be even slower cuase were so much heavier.... i think the engineering on the evo's better, then on well most cars around....

so i'll stick with my reasoning... AWD.... maybe someone else can chime in and give more of a accepted answer

 

thanks man, I needed a mechanical reason to tell him, cuz he asked me why. What does the Z redline at?

 

z redlines at 6600..

 

<3 evo

 

the awd platform has more grip therefore stronger acceleration. for comparison, a stock WRX runs with a Z, but if both cars have the same mods, the Z will pull since it's shape has a lower cd (coefficient of drag) than the WRX.

 

AWD makes it quicker off the line than the Z the stiffer suspension makes it faster on tracks because of its ability to take corners faster and not slow down as much. The turbo also gives a lot of kick all at once.

 

I would say gearing is the main reason the EVO is better than most cars. It is like asking why the new 280hp GTP doesn't hang with the EVO. Well besides fwd and a crappy suspension setup the gears are not designed like the EVO. The Z has good gears but the bell shaped power band in the Z is not as good for straight line performance. It may also be useful to compare gear ratios of both cars...


Also the gross vehicle weight for the Z is 3815 and the EVO is 3285 if I remember correctly

 

thanks so far all you guys

While the Z may be slower, I am gonna love driving it in the summer once in awhile (it's convertible)

 

the z is more of a chick magnet. especially that drop top on 20's...

 

you can't beat the style of the Z, I would love to sport one too for the driving appeal

 

A LOT of it has to do with the AWD and traction, I can speak on that part, my dad has a 337 rwhp S2k on the same dyno I run 207awhp, and I can beat him off the line and ALL through 1st gear and I catch up a bit in second when his car hits Vtec, traction plays a BIG role...all those Supras with 1000hp that arent backed by large larger LARGEST rear tires can still lose to a decently modded and tuned Evo in a straight line...traction rocks...go for longer than a 1/4 mile though, and the Evo will start to lose cuz of all the wind resistance, at least that's what I've been told

 

awd and powerband/gearing makes it faster than the z in the quarter mile. rwd, larger NA engine make the Z faster from a roll/high speeds

 

I think the Z looks like a dang moon buggy or somthing........ To ugly for me.
But It was the first car I raced since I bought my EVO......had fun......