260DET Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Being the tolerant forum that HybridZ is I'm sure that this will get a fair response, maybe Anyway, race rules etc aside, my strong impression is that the stock ZX's chassis and suspension is significantly superior to the S30's performance wise and that the 280ZX has been unjustly and falsely discriminated against from when it was first released up to now. The Z lost its soul and all that sort of rubbish. This conclusion is based on comments made to me when my 280ZX shorty is being tracked and from club members with long memories going back to when the ZX was newish and being tracked in club events. The final motivation for this thread was this ZX here http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/101117-280zx-track-car/ Unfortunately in AU by the time the S130 was released the everyday sports car racing scene had pretty well died, perhaps because Datsun domination had upset the Eurocentric crowd which influenced what raced what and how. Now it's all Porsches and other multi dollar Euro supercars and one make series. Anyway, there you go, comment if you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 (edited) It is a stiffer chassis stock for stock, but I just like the look of my s30 a little more. All the lost its soul stuff is because it came with more comforts which added weight blah blah blah. You could easily remove half that crap if you wanted to really race an s130 so I don't know what they were complaining about. You drive a stripped s30 and a stripped s130 and they sound and feel almost the same. Edited August 5, 2011 by BluDestiny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 If you do a search going back a few years ago, there was a great (healthy, not too heated) debate on the S130 versus S30 chassis. Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wigenOut-S30 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I think the main part of the debate was weight and the semi trailing arm design of the rear. When compressed it creates negative camber and can create traction issues. All that can be tuned out with suspension upgrades though and handles just as well as the S30 with comparable mods. I will always have a soft spot for the S130's My first Z was a 83 non turbo and I really liked it a lot! it was great around town and on the interstate. Honestly I love my 280Z's body lines better then the S130 but I would have another one just as a nice GT car, but with a turbo this time heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neverdone Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 The S130 gets discriminated against because it's an uglier in every way version of the S30. Yes, mechanically it's hands down a better car. It has a stiffer chassis, it has a better suspension, and it has an engine that most S30 guys swap to because it's pretty good. But in the end, it's not as pretty, it's not as light, and it doesn't have that old school classic car feel to it. It's an 80's car, and the 80's was not known for producing cars that people actually wanna talk about. (Yes I know fully well there are some amazing exceptions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 S130 has a stiffer chassis and better aerodynamics. Its not significantly heavier then the 280Z it replaced. From a road racing perspective here in the USA it was similarly successful except more of its wins were in professional racing series. In amateur road racing its was much less successful due to how it was classified. On the street its sales numbers showed it was just as successful as the S30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Agreed! While it doesn't have the classic first-gen Z stying, it IS a superior car in every way. I loved to drive my '82 slicktop coupe WAY more than either my '73 or my '78. I'd still love to have a clean one to park next to my '78...at high speeds or in the twisties, it was so much better to drive...plus more room for wider tires without the need for flares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoffmyinternet Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 When you buy the s30, you don't do it for the convenience, the comfort, or the safety. You do it because you'll be the baddest dude in revere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 " Its not significantly heavier then the 280Z it replaced." In fact, the ZS model of a 79ZX is actually lighter than the previous year's model 78 280Z. Only in markets where the 260 was extant, and available in a comparably stripped form was the ZX heavier than the S30 it replaced. In the US/North American Market where the 280Z was the standard offering, the 79ZX was lighter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 Because we in AU never got the two seater 280ZX officially and therefore it is very rare here, it's probably a bit overvalued. But most people seem to think that the two seater is way better looking than the +2 anyway. While a stock S30 looks pretty good as is, the S130 needs a bit of alteration to get rid of the cursed '80's look and bring out the nice proportions. The pic below shows up what can be done without breaking the bank, blank out the wing And just to be fair, the old S30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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