Hey guys, I have been a long time lurker, but I just wanted to share my experience with the G this past weekend.

I bought my coupe over a year ago, after falling head over heels for the amazing exotic car looks. Once I saw it on the showroom floor, I had to have one. So I purchased a Laser Red 5AT primarily for commuter uses.

Fast forward 16,500 miles later, with new brake pads from Infiniti at 15k, I had become bored and disappointed with the car, through no fault buy my own. What do you expect when you drive 20 min each way to work everyday up I-75 without having the opportunity to drive it hard? Coupling that with the addition of a 944 Turbo and it rearing all its ugly problems, the G35 had become sort of an afterthought(don't hate me). It got to the point, where I thought, man for what I do with the G35, I should have just bought some Honda and saved some money (especially on gas).

So this Saturday, after helping my friend move some furniture so he could put a new carpet in, we found ourselves sitting around on the living room floor wondering what to do. We realized what awesome weather the good Lord had blessed us with, and decided to do some driving up in the Dahlonega area(North of Atlanta). So myself, a modded WRX and an RSX-S hit it up.

Well we got up there, and we made a couple runs. I just left it in 'D'. I definitely wasn't interested in doing something stupid and losing my car. Safety comes first. So I took the time to get to know the car a little better, drive it a little harder than it was use to being driven. And I enjoyed it.

Enter my friend Keith. I let him get behind the wheel of the G, as we switched cars and passengers. I hopped in the WRX as a passenger and we blasted off. To my surprise, everytime I turned my head back, all I saw was my beautiful G. I didn't expect the G to keep up. (The WRX would kill me in a drag race) and I figured with the AWD it would eat the G alive. Granted the extra passenger in the WRX, plus audio equipment and AC on hindered him. But man I really wish I had a video camera. It just looked so at home. I couldn't stop looking at it. And it just put such a big smile on my face. If you haven't taken your car to the mountains or the track, I strongly urge you do so. My friends keep talking about the Dragon, and they are going in less than a month, I wish I could go to.

When we had finished, the brakes on my G were smoking like a chimney, tires heated up excessively. The car felt like it had woken up. From the deadbeat daily driver to what it was really meant for. I was also surprised at how quickly the ECU picked up the new driving habits. The car use to never redline in D mode. And the throttle response seemed so much better. So for those who do ECU resets, I say just drive the crap out of your car for a few hours, you will not regret it.

So the G is back on my mind now. I use to think I wanted HP mods, but screw that. With that in mind, what mods besides new tires and me being a better driver, can I do to increase the G's handling ability?

sorry for the longwinded post.

2003 Laser Red Infiniti G35 Coupe
1986 Guard's Red Porsche 951

 

Lower it first off, most people on the board seem to be pretty happy with the Tien S-tech lowering springs, which is what I will eventually be getting. Also an upgraded set of sway bars, the Nismos are very very nice, but pricey, but offer a 5 way track/street adjustment. Wider tires, front and rear, staying with the 1" stagger difference will help as well. Also, you could go as far as turning your wheels inwards to produce camber like many of the road course racers on TV do, which in turn makes your wheel stand straight up in harsh cornering, greatly increasing the contact area for turns. Also, crawford, (www.crawfordz.com) is currently developing a way to adapt the 350z strut tower brace to fit in our engine compartment. Hope this helps!

2003.5 G Coupe premium. 6MT Black/black
Come join the G35Driver chat on EFnet. Channel name is #G35Driver. Catch me on aim (Xtreme03s10) if you need help setting up mIRC.

 

Was it a WRX or an STi? The G should be at least as fast as a WRX. It's the STi that could blow the G away.
Anyway, I do a near-daily 25 minute commute each way for work in my G. So far after 10,000 miles, I haven't even begun to get bored with it. In fact, I love driving this car in any situation, fast or slow.

<font color=purple>2004 G35 Coupe Diamond Graphite/Graphite 5AT</font color=purple>
Premium, Nav., 18" Wheels, Z-Xtreme Hyper Grounding Cables,
K&N filter, Clear Corners, 350Z Aluminum Pedals,
Sony Ericsson HCB-30

 

22 miles each way to work for me = 60 miles daily when you consider the errands in between etc...

21,000miles later - I love this car just as I did from day one. I find myself constantly giving it 'too much' gas.

Somehow I always end up being the first one at all the traffic lights... Hmmm

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i got bored with my G pretty fast, its too nice for me, i had a ricey Si and a beatup turbo FC, so u know...

 

I drive mine maybe once a week for about 30 miles. But everytime I think about getting behind the wheel before the drive I feel like a 6 yr old kid with his new toy! I think the G turned me kookoo

 

S-techs alone will not improve your handling. Get a nice set of coilovers or upgrade your shocks if you're going to lower it. Then look into sway bars. There is tons of info and comparison threads in the Wheels/Tire/Suspension forum.

 

I'm glad you fell in love with your G again Chinaman, and a belated welcome to G35Driver.
C.

 

The G35 is a pretty good car as it is. Take the money you would spend on suspension mods, and do a few HPDEs. Mods come and go, but being a better driver stays with you.