Age-Old Battle! 240Z vs. 280Z

[hls30.com]

The front suspension has more travel in a 280Z.

Sway bars were standard on both ends in a 280Z.

Will

[sleepy-z]

The bumpers kill me on the 280z, but I prefer to work on the fuel injected L28 over a L24 any day. I am young and I know nothing about carburetors, I dont even know if I spelt that correct, so I looked for and found a 75' 280z. It is simple to work on and reliable for the average person. So if this discussion was on the original car, no swaps, I would go for the 280z for the motor.

[Pennyman]

Awesome.

My mistake, this thread has been covered before actually. Sorry for wasting space, hehe.

It's my understanding that the 280z was a better built car, and feels more solid when compared to a 240z, not to mention less rust, and cheaper.

I also think it was examined that the the 280z had a slightly better power to weight ratio if you can believe it.

I think part of the problem was the fact that the suspension wasn't augmented to hold the extra 500-or-so lbs of 280z and the suspension was mostly carried over from the 240z, probably to save production costs, and as a byproduct, Nissan marketed the car as more "luxurious".

[jmark]

Both are great cars. You won't be disappointed with either one.

[zman525]

As much as i love the original 240z i would go with the 280z , but remove the bumpers totally =) Ive had the chance to fix both and drive both ( not very far but... hey i can tell the difference) and the 280 had a lot more zip. As for handling thats totally stock and most people out there atleast have modified tires so it will most likely cancel that catagoery out. They are both beautiful fun cars but when it comes down to working, fine tuning, driving, and saftey regulations i would take the 280( once again without the bumpers)

[sblake01]

I have also owned both. I had told myself that I would ignore this thread since it's been done to death but I couldn't ignore the '280 had a lot more zip' comment. Must have been the cars you were driving. I own a 280 and it's in as good running condition as most basically stock ones you will find. But I also owned a 70 and a 72 in the past and as far as 'zip' goes I would take either of my former 240Zs over the 280. As far as ease of operation, however, I'll keep the 280. But, leave the bumpers alone, they are, as I have said before, part of what makes a 280 a 280. If you want a 240, buy a 240. Trying to create that 240 feel with a 280 will only leave you wishing you'd done that in the first place. Peace, out.

[zman525]

maybe it was just my 240. I drove it before restoration but it was fine tuned. I did the same with my 280 before restoration. Maybe im just remembering wrong. Anyways my 280 isnt totally stock either, has quite a few mods to it so maybe thats wat caused it =)

[Pennyman]

Speaking of mods, I thought about the track Z's I've seen in Grassroots Motorsports and at SCCA events, and here's something I've found:

For a stock comparison, the 240z edges out the 280z because of its lighter weight, and better suited suspension.

Light modification: 280z. Suspension upgrades really help the 280z overcome it's soft suspension, and compensate for its heavier weight, while intake and exhaust allow the fuel injection L28 to work at its full potential with the stock cam.

Moderate modification / light race tune: 240z. New camshafts match the L24 well, and when coupled with race-tuned carbs and engine balancing, a 240z becomes very quick.

Heavy modification / full race tune: 280z. Thicker overall construction makes for a more stable racecar at very high speed and high G application. Better platform for very high horsepower. (just look at the BRE racing history)

I could be wrong about a bit of this, but it's just an interesting comparison I played around with.

[zman525]

I put a 240z exhaust on my 280 ( just straight pipes from the manifold back then a nice muffler) to get rid of the catylitic converter because it was a california car. Now since i did this did i get much of a HP increase? I know when you take off the cats ( or cat. in this case) it adds some but i was wondering how much. Sorry for the random response but mods were brought up. Anyways perhaps safety and emission regulations were the reason 240z's beat out the 280'z's totally stock? I think with mild modifications a 280 can become about the same weight as a 240, those damn bumpers have a few pounds on em heh. Ohh yah is it legal to remove them? or do you have to have some means of a bumper on a vehicle in massachusetts.

[sblake01]

That's exactly I have been reluctant to get into this thread. A modified anything should be able to outpreform a stock car. I can strip everything out of my 280 that's not necessary, build the snot out of it and be as fast as a lot of things out there including most 240Zs. And the point would be? We're no longer talking about stock vs. stock and I'm no longer talking about this topic. Once again, peace, out! (this time for real)

[Pennyman]

I'll be making a "test pipe" for my Z's exhaust when I get it put on. Not legal, but totally acceptable in my opinion, hehe.

BTW, here's the thread we should have continued:

240z vs 280z

[jmortensen]

Mass and geomerty-240 had lower mass, 280 had better geometry!

I would like to know why the 280 has more suspension travel than the 240. I know that the rear strut housings are 1" taller on the 280 vs the 240, but I thought the fronts were exactly the same length. I was also under the impression that the stroke was the same on all of the Z struts, front or rear. Same stroke = same amount of travel unless there is something that I'm missing.

Geometry is slightly different in that the 280 has a higher cg and higher rear roll center as far as I can tell. Above and beyond that I see no major difference in geometry, and I'd prefer the 240's geometry if it was to remain stock.

Sway bars are easy to install on a 240 or a 280, FWIW.