jmortensen

My buddy and I were at the Streets of Willow running a POC slalom, and he was having the same problem in his 510. Our cars post times at autox that are within a second of each other, and since he has changed his transmission he has come within 2 seconds of my Z on the big tracks. His problem was using the 280Z five speed. There is a BIG gap between 2nd and 3rd. When we came onto the straight, he'd stick right with me until he shifted into 3rd, then I'd drop him like a bad habit. He'd drop right out of the power band and the car would lug along until he hit 4000 rpm or so and his 44 Mikunis started to work again, but by that time I was gone! Your diff ratio seems really extreme, if you are concerned about the 2-3 shift I'd suggest a 280ZX transmission, as it has tighter ratios. I think you might find your top speed really limited by such a low gear. On my friend's car we installed a Roadster tranny which has ratios similar to the ZX tranny with the comp synchros, and that allowed him to catch me again. Jon

That was my post on the zhome list. This is not my Z, but the owner is a good friend of mine. She love Z's , and has owned 4 or 5. In fact, she's holding on to #1496, which she purchased a few years back, and selling #476. This is a very good restoration candidate, it has the original motor and "monkey motion" 4 speed. Runs and drives good. Thanks all, Jon