Nissan 350Z Turbo
Our powerful “Project 350Z” has had many upgrades done to it, but the mission has always been the same… to build it as a serious high horsepower street car that can still handle the odd day on the track. Since the Z33 is now STS turbo powered, it’s boosted 400+whp can be a handful to hook up with so much torque thrown down on the rear wheels. Since the Z is used primarily for the street, it retains its OEM suspension (for now) as the drive remains OEM stiff, yet civil and predictable. The evaluation criteria for our three tire brands (BF Goodrcih, Dunlop and Marangoni) on this car were not only performance and handling, but we considered comfort features like road noise, long life and wet traction too. The tires would have to have a relatively forgiving sidewall and be able to deal with double duty of the crumbling city streets and the odd track day event. This real-world driving experience was a true test of a great UHP tire for enthusiasts seeking a high performance street tire capable of delivering real grip, real comfort and real value. Let’s show and tell how each of these three brands were evaluated on our Editor-in-Chief, Mark Pereira’s screamin' Z.
Nissan Skyline GT-R
For the past two years, our “Project GT-R” has popped up in many tech articles when the need arises to have a project car test products to extremes on a race track. At almost 600whp, Editorial Director Dave Pankew has proven his relatively lightweight (3,170lbs) Nissan R32 GT-R is an AWD menace on the track and eclipses the power-to-weight ratio of many pricey exotics. With TEIN Flex coilovers, every available AMS suspension arm and fat Cusco sway bars, there is not a track this GT-R can’t make a meal of. But then again the ability of this car to generate extreme g-forces in every direction devours tires. The tire selection for this car has to be a large contact patch, an optimal heat range and super stiff, yet lightweight construction. The GT-R is legally plated but doesn’t see much of the street… but the tires still have to be DOT compliant and deal with wet roads and the nuances of driving around city streets once and a while.
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