300ZX Twin Turbo - Is it as insane as I've been told?

[J3bba]

Hey,

I'm looking at getting a 1990 300ZX twin turbo and found a fantastic example of one. I went to a mechanic buddy of mine to ask him what he thought and his words were something along the lines of "You're going to crash and burn".

His explanation was that due to the insane amount of torque it has it's slippery as all hell and the back has a tendency to slide out a long way, especially in the wet. He is prone to a bit of exaggeration though and I'm not sure how accurate his description is.

Can anyone tell me if he's right or not?

For a bit of context I've been driving for around 4 years and have never owned a stick shift, I can drive stick I've just never owned one. It'll also be my daily drive and I live in a hilly area with lots of sharp bends.

 

[Gibbatron]

Hey,

I'm looking at getting a 1990 300ZX twin turbo and found a fantastic example of one. I went to a mechanic buddy of mine to ask him what he thought and his words were something along the lines of "You're going to crash and burn".

His explanation was that due to the insane amount of torque it has it's slippery as all hell and the back has a tendency to slide out a long way, especially in the wet. He is prone to a bit of exaggeration though and I'm not sure how accurate his description is.

Can anyone tell me if he's right or not?

For a bit of context I've been driving for around 4 years and have never owned a stick shift, I can drive stick I've just never owned one. It'll also be my daily drive and I live in a hilly area with lots of sharp bends.

I haven't had the chance to drive one so I can't say from personal experience, but generally there is only as much torque available as your right foot allows.

Given that it is a turbo car the torque probably comes on really quickly and if you aren't ready for it you could end up in trouble. Don't go full throttle around every corner until you get to know the car you should be fine.

300ZX is a cool car, go for it. Can you take it for a test drive first?

 

[J3bba]

My understanding is that because both turbo's kick in at the same rev range (around 2500) you hit that band and all this power gets immediately dumped onto the back wheels causing me to crash and burn. My main worry is that I'll be driving home late one night not paying full attention and then all of a sudden I'm wrapped around a tree.

I'm hoping to get a test drive later this week. I suppose I'll see how I go.

 

[Smooth Operator]

So you are a fairly novice driver then?
Well for most people that 200HP and rear wheel drive can quickly be lethal because it's something they never experienced, so if you do get one I suggest you find an empty parking lot and test the real limits of that car or rather your limits.

Turbos also make for an unpredictable power delivery when you aren't used to it, with low revs it will seem like it doesn't want to pull so you tend to slam the gas harder and once you get full boost the engine gets a massive power spike and will want to rip your head off. With only 200HP it's nothing too crazy but you do need to get the hang of it in a safe space before it happens by accident on the road where anything could kill you.

 

[Ragnoon]

They are not bad cars, My friend used to own one and he let me drive it on multiple occasions. The car would be a handful to the inexperienced. Is this your first force induction car?, if so i would suggest car such as the nissan silvia S15. Great chassis and steering, the same engine albeit with only one turbo and personally i found it to be a better car to drive, however it is a case of each to there own. You may also want to factor in running cost as a twin turbo tends to be a lot more thirsty but also does depend on how you drive

 

[Gibbatron]

My understanding is that because both turbo's kick in at the same rev range (around 2500) you hit that band and all this power gets immediately dumped onto the back wheels causing me to crash and burn. My main worry is that I'll be driving home late one night not paying full attention and then all of a sudden I'm wrapped around a tree.

I'm hoping to get a test drive later this week. I suppose I'll see how I go.

At cruising speeds you are not likely to light up the rear axle like that. Does it have an LSD out of curiosity? I imagine it would.

Given that it is a manual you won't have any unexpected gear changes which also helps. I think if you were not paying attention you'd be more likely to hit wildlife or enter a corner too fast than accidentally enter the power band.

Treat it with respect until you know how it responds, don't go full throttle until you're already on boost and you should be fine. If you've never experienced oversteer before and aren't sure how to handle it, do what Smooth Operator said and find somewhere open and get used to it. It shouldn't happen on the road unless you desire it and are ready for it but if it does you should know how to respond.

 

[Antari]

Hey,

I'm looking at getting a 1990 300ZX twin turbo and found a fantastic example of one. I went to a mechanic buddy of mine to ask him what he thought and his words were something along the lines of "You're going to crash and burn".

His explanation was that due to the insane amount of torque it has it's slippery as all hell and the back has a tendency to slide out a long way, especially in the wet. He is prone to a bit of exaggeration though and I'm not sure how accurate his description is.

Can anyone tell me if he's right or not?

For a bit of context I've been driving for around 4 years and have never owned a stick shift, I can drive stick I've just never owned one. It'll also be my daily drive and I live in a hilly area with lots of sharp bends.

The only real concern is getting yourself used to when and how those turbo's kick in. When they aren't spooled up its just like any other normal car. There is no reason you can't drive it once you become familiar with how it behaves.

 

[sneakypenguin]

Eh its only 300ish HP as long as you aren't burying the throttle its good.

What I'd worry about is the maintenance cost. 90 electronics sucked, its a 90s twin turbo (can you do the upkeep on that system) prepare to buy a clutch and tranny if you don't drive it like a granny.

Also prepare for it to not be as fast or handle as good as even new family cars.


EDIT: Seriously buying the car is the cheapest part of owning that one. I've owned a 3000gt and ran with guys who did the whole 300zx rx7 evo thing, it isn't cheap, they are a pain to work on cause its so tight in the engine bay. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZuXJ5OR3BU this was just checking the sparkplugs on my 3000gt its like that for all the old 90s jap sports cars.(maybe not spark plugs on the 300zx) but pretty much any work is going to be you hanging over the engine bay blindly feeling around parts trying to wedge a socket wrench in there realizing you can't and hitting up the forums to see exactly what you have to take out to get to it.

 

[J3bba]

What I'd worry about is the maintenance cost. 90 electronics sucked, its a 90s twin turbo (can you do the upkeep on that system) prepare to buy a clutch and tranny if you don't drive it like a granny.

Honestly, that's probably one of the other main problems my mechanic buddy was talking about. He was saying if one turbo goes the entire car is useless until I can get it fixed. Turbo's (especially on grey imports) aren't cheap either and the labour costs are up there as well.

Realistically, I can't really afford this car. Which is a sucky realisation.

 

[shootthebandit]

With a bit of tinkering they are good drift cars but like everyone else has said. The upkeep cost are going to be pretty high