I'm looking for a 2007 and at first I tought I really needed one with the Sport-tuned Suspension Package because of all the performance upgrade (sport-tuned suspension, 19" wheel and limited sleep differential).

But after thinking about it, I would probably use it more to do long ride with the girlfriend during the weekend than just driving it hard. After all, I'm not 20 anymore!

So my question is:

Does the G35 without the sport package really more confortable? Does it really less performant?

I think that my big concern is that it won't have the limited-slip differental but when is it really needed?

 

I have an 06 6MT so I can describe how it feels but I have never driven a coupe without the sport package.

Anyway, my 6MT rides rough. You feel potholes, expansion joints and even the reflectors in the road. It is also loud inside from road noise but this is probably true of all first gen coupes. The rough ride is probably mostly due to the 19" rims which makes the tire sidewalls very thin. It is my understanding that the sway bars are beefier in the sport suspension package as well. I'm guessing shocks and struts are too but don't know that for a fact.

So, yes, it will likely ride rougher. On the plus side, I think the car handles extremely well and even though it rides rough I enjoy the firm, secure, planted feel of the car and find the good handling makes the rough ride worthwhile. I wouldn't go back. In fact, I'm considering adjustable aftermarket shocks and beefier sway bars to tighten things up even more.

By comparison I also have an 07 G35X. It has a much better, much quiter ride than the coupe but it does not handle nearly as well as the coupe. It still feels firm and controlled but not as tight in the corners as the coupe. If I were making a long interstate trip it would be in the X. If I were making a trip on country or mountain roads for the fun of it, then I'd take the coupe.

One last thing, the 08 coupes have the 2nd gen interior which is far superior to the first gen and I'd guess it is much quieter in the 08 coupes than the 07 and earlier...but I don't know that for a fact.

You can always get a coupe without the sport suspension and if you feel like you need better handling you can add aftermarket shocks, struts and sway bars. That would set you back about $1000 not including labor.

 

I have a 06 g without 19s and sport package. Ride is good but still feel potholes.... Honestly i think it mainly has to do with the rubber...

 

no. just invest in some sway bars and coilovers. Better than the factory.

 

Better than the factory sport tuned suspension? You may be right but how do you know that?

I'm just wondering because I have the factory package but I'm wonder if some Tanabe or Hotchkis sways would be better. How can I tell? Just because they say so? And neither of their sites say anything about how they compare to the ones that come with the sport package. You can get some specs on sway bar thickness but that really doesn't say anything about their spring rate and how that compares to the factory sport ones.

The same is true for shocks and coilovers. The main differences you get with coilovers is that virtually all of them lower the car which is NOT desirable for everyone. Some of the shocks and struts are adjustable, which is great, but still no objective comparison with the factory package.

So it seems to me that these various aftermarket suspension kits are probably fine but you have no real objective way of knowing until you laid out the cash and put them on.

I'd like to see some cold hard facts, you know?

 

i have an 03 6mt and i just upgraded the 19" factory wheels and it feels so much bumpier compare to the stock 18". Also the noise is a lot louder now. I guess it's due to the lower profile tires.

 

Maybe my experience (which is similiar to many) will help you out a little.

My car came with the sport suspension, I don't know how it compares with the basic models but it eventually needed improvement. Aftermarket sway bars (Hotchkis) made a noticable difference. Coilovers (Tanabe Pro-5) were like night and day when it came to the handling characteristics of the car.

Plus, the below threads offer factual information for comparisons:

https://g35driver.com/forums/brakes-...r-summary.html
https://g35driver.com/forums/brakes-...w-updates.html


OP, sounds like your not really into the performance aspect of the car so I think the regular suspension will suffice.

 

Thanks man. Great links. The Hotchkis site does show specs compared to stock but not compared to the sport package. Anyway, I'm leaning toward Hotchkis sways and Tokico adjustable shocks and struts.

 

Hotchkis sways and Tanabe Pro 5 coils here. Rides as smoothly as stock and handles/drives 1000X better.



But I drive a sedan so it's hard to compare to the coupe.

 

get the sport for the limited slip. That alone will set you back alot if you were to add an aftermarket one.

 

I have the sport package on mine (5at not 6mt) along with RAS (Rear active Steer) as well as full sways and chassis braces, it handles pretty darn well.

 

On balance, considering the in-between suspension tuning of the Coupe - compromising 350Z (same as G-sport pack) & G35 Sedan's ride/handling balance - I'd say no you don't need it.

Still, if you can get it, you want it.

Example: Having driven several base sedans as loaners, while it is slightly different I struggle to find anything to complain about. Sport-pack spring rate data below may hold some clues as to why.

We're glorified street cars, not BMW 3s.........a car we all coulda had for the same cash.

The "allegedly" rough ride? Well, I struggle even more to figure that out.

Feels fine to me, whether as a passive daily driver, an aggressive twisty and/or on-ramp blaster, or long distance Disney World or Daytona Beach cruiser on the (sometimes) rough-a$$ Florida Turnpike or Interstate-95.

Feels even better @ 110 MPH. Stable, button-down, in 4th gear, and begging for 5th gear for a visit to 130 (not that I ever have).

On 20" wheels with 275/30 Rears and 245/35 Front tires, no less.

Long story short: I must not have driven enough uppity cars to know the difference. I dig my ride, so does the wife, and we gives a damn what Car & Driver or Road & Track have to say.

And the recently installed Tein 350Z H-techs (On G35: .8 front drop/.7 rear) were chosen specifically to keep avoid massive sping rate changes and camber kit based on this:

Tein H-tech 350z (fronts are progressive, rears are linear)
358/375 F+14% R+11%
Transfers +3% roll stiffness to front

HOWEVER, though I wish the springs were shorter & not just stiffer, this $1600.00 window sticker (Nov. 06 pricing) package is a steal........GET IT!:

*Sport-tuned suspension: Same ride height as regular coupe suspension -- Same spring rates in front (314lbs) -- 24% rear spring rate increase (342lbs to 427lbs)
*19" forged aluminum alloy wheels
*Viscous Limited Slip Differential (Works great, dude!)
*Sport Front Bumper / Sport Side Sills (Very distintive; clearly different than stock)
*Aluminum Pedals (Whatever, Infiniti.........I'll take 'em!)
*Steering Wheel: Perforated leather/orange stitching (Take that, too! I aint complainin'.)

Nuff said.

 

*Stiffer shocks, too.

I forgot!

 

I generally agree but you can't really get a comparably equipped BMW for the same price as a G. And I for one do not have BMW envy in any way. You think maintenance is high on a G? It is my impression that BMW thinks that you should feel honored to pay their frequent and outrageous manitenance and service fees. I've got close friends who are beemer guys. They spend an awful lot of time at the dealership.... Plus, I haven't seen a BMW that I thought was anything but ugly since the mid 70's. The Germans have got the engineering covered but they have zero aesthetic sensibilities. Sometimes their functional form of a BMW can be attractive, but it seems rare and entirely by accident.

The G on the other hand, both coupe and sedan, is simply a beautiful car.

 

Oh yeah I forgot I have the orange-stitched steering wheel too