The 350Z movie/ad

[.::Astina|Brad::.]

Hey guys. Just seeing if you know or have seen this little movie / ad for the Nissan 350Z? u most likely would have seen it at cinemas... it's awsome! all just driving skills and mad camera angles no special effects... the whole thing was filmed in one go.
i watched it last nite at work, my boss was sent the DVD of it.
oh yeah, and i was working on the International Press kit for the Mazda 3! that we're printing at work soon. loooks soooo awsome! definatly considering one. not sure if i'd get the hatch or the sedan though. The USA get a 2.3 litre and leather versions i think... will have to look at it some more...

Off to the snow this week!!!!!

Brad.

[mrpayner]

HHmmmm, press kit you say.. Wouldn't be able to swing one my way?? :wink:

Adam

[Sandyman]

snow hey? good stuff. where to? hotham has had about a metre of snow in the last couple of days. 45cm last night .

[.::Astina|Brad::.]

I'll see if i can get a couple of press kits... it's a pretty limited number being made... i'm trying to see if i can score a couple of the RX-8 press kits we printed not long ago aswell...

yeah the snow's been coming down heaps in the past couple of days everywhere i think.. i know it's been a metre at Perisher Blue which is where we're going. can't wait! i've never seen snow before!!!! =D i'm not looking forward to driving in the snow... anyone got any advise for driving in ice conditions? i don't wanna put chains on but apparently u have to... they won't hurt my car will they?

Brad

[Sandyman]

(chains) it depends where you're going. mt hotham requires that you carry chains at all times (you don''t have to wear them unless the road is snowy/icy). they won't hurt your car, but will hurt the tyres if left on on the gravel. only put them on if the road has snow or you are required/ordered to do so. it's a good idea to have them ready while driving from jyndabine/cooma to ski tube(you are getting the tube there each day?). you most likely won't need chains, but still. snow is great! . are you a skier or boarder?

[Dogo]

some anti-freeze maybe ?
and make sure u warm up the car really well before driving.

One year I was at the snow & my friends dads bmw broke down coz of something that was frozen in the under the bonnet. might have been something to do with the belts ... its too long ago to remember :?

[Asterix]

Advice: Drive slow coz of FWD understeer (otherwise you could HANG IT OUT in a rear wheel drive) & if it snows or could snow where you park, raise the wipers before you leave the car. You'll notice everyone does.

[Pernod]

The wiper trick is so they dont stick to the window :-)

Also, I carry a container of salt in the glove box in the case of an emergency. The salt mets through snow and ice like a hot knife through butter - its the perfect emergency escape if your find your self getting stuck :lol:

[.::Astina|Brad::.]

Thanx for the tips guys... the salt one is great!!!
Sandy, I'll be snowboarding, can't wait.. been so keen to do it... anyone else snowboard???
i think we're driving to the actual snow fields.
is there any chance of my handbrake getting stuck while it's parked???

So much snow. just dropped my car off at the mechanics to get it all ready. and he was at perisher on the weekend and said the snow is awsome it's a dry powder like snow that u usualy see overseas and he's never seen it like that in australia before!

not sure if i should take my digital camera though...

brad

[Pernod]

One of the best tricks I know for realy slippery conditions in a fwd is a slight nudge on the handbrake when understearing.

As you all know when your little stina starts to understear at speed theres not alot you can do to get it back in line, especially when your on something like ice. I don't recommend trying it unless your've got reasonably controlled conditions to practise in, but a slight tug on the handbrake can make the back end flick round turning the understear into overstear - from there you just line up the front end and hit the gas.

It an old speedway/rally trick that is normally kept for emergencys only, but good to have in your repertuare if you find yourself in one of those situations where theres no other way out - in saying that I have seen it go horribly wrong so take care if you do decided to experiment with it :-)

Shane

[Asterix]

That's a good tip with the h/brake. I've done it myself in grassy paddocks/ovals in my past Corollas. Fwd's are point & shoot, so I find them easier to get back on track, but less overall fun than RWD cars.

** Getting back on the original subject, is the 350z ad/clip available on the net?

[BigBoyLemonade]

The best thing I have ever done is gone for a drive with 3 guys (2 in the back seat) and gone flat out through a fairly large round aboutand the back end just drifted out too about 30degrees from the way I was heading. I just back off the power and the ass end just came out and then put the foot down and the car just followed through and corrected itself very smoothly. The turbo motor helped to pull it through the drift cause I have done that once before and the car just spun as most FWD do. Also the weight made a difference for the extra grip in the rear.

If you guys have the time and the money do a Defensive/Advanced driver training course. It is one of the best things I have ever done and probably saved my life once or twice.

[Pernod]

I'd vouch for that too, I had 1/2 a day in a skid car which was great to learn the techniques, and then about 3 hours doing laps in my brothers rally car to wear in a new motor (think locked diff on a sealed track - very skitterish on tight corners at speed).

The things I picked up there have definatley saved me at least a couple of times and more importantly have saved my passengers on a few occasions. (As an aside, do you guys get much black ice over there in OZ?)

Its the old story of a nice car is one thing, but being able to drive it out of almost anything is what keeps it that way.

S.

[astinasp]

Originally Posted by Pernod

(As an aside, do you guys get much black ice over there in OZ?)
S.

OMG, this stuff is bound to cut life expectancy by 15 years! I was driving through the hills late one night a couple of weeks ago and hit some coming into an off camber right hander, with armco on either side! Wrenched on an armful of oppy lock and regained grip just before hitting the rail. A quick check of panel work and underwear confirmed no damage, but did it give me a scare. The only warning was a glossy look to the road, but hard to pick when it's wet.

[Pernod]

That sounds about right. Its bloody awful stuff. I used to live in the South Island and it wasn't uncommon to come across it. Bridges are always teh first thing to freeze (as the air gets under the road as well) and they also happen to be skinny bits of road with amco on both sides - not a good mix ;-)

Where do you guys go skiing over there?

[Sandyman]

Originally Posted by .::Astina|Brad::.

...said the snow is awsome it's a dry powder like snow that u usualy see overseas and he's never seen it like that in australia before!
brad

try year 2000 *drools*....*drools more* :shock: it was great. snow. boarding...its great if you're good at it (my 43 yr old dad seems to think he's pretty good) but it takes quite a while to learn and stuff. i didn't like it (i'm more a skiier). you don't have enough controll for my liking.

[Pernod]

Yaaay for skiing - we seem to be a bit of a dying bread these days ;-)

[.::Astina|Brad::.]

THanx for the handbrake tip... i have tried it alittle on dirt roads, not sure if i'd be up for it on icey roads... that black ice stuff doesn't sound to friendly.

Asterix* i'm trying to see if there is anyway of getting the video footage off the dvd and then look into a way of making it small enough [divx??] to put online for you guys.... anyone able to help me out here?

Skiiing looks cool but i don't think i have th coordination to be able to do it... big respect++ to the people who can do it... my mates seem to think i'll be able to pick up snowboarding quikly because of the little bit of standup surfing i can do and skateboarding days. i just can't wait to see snow for the first time!!!

Brad.

[Cosmo Dude]

Originally Posted by Pernod

One of the best tricks I know for realy slippery conditions in a fwd is a slight nudge on the handbrake when understearing.

I'm fully into motorkhana. I have noticed that you have the V6. If it has ABS or not then in a skid then press on the brakes and come to a stop, from there you have time to guage where you are and where you want to go.
Driver courses can and will improve your skills in these areas.

Rod

[KittyKatSmack]

*Kitty notes to NEVER drive near snow or ice!*

OK, so I've always been pretty good in an emergency so far.... doesn't mean I know everything about driving, or even half of it.

So can someone tell me more about the advanced driver courses?
Is there an age limit? Am I gonna be over it?
Are they still run in Canberra?
How much do they cost?
Do I do it in my car or their car?

I remember doing something similar on my motorcycle but that was more included in your P course about riding safely.

I would be interested, and if any other AstinaGT members are interested, maybe we could see if we could do a group booking?

Get all our Astina's out on the skid pan ~ w00t!!!

(apologies for hijacking thread!)



daKitty =^^=