The Z bounces you around quite a bit, even on somewhat smooth roads or regular turns your just bouncing bouncing, the Z is just a pure sports car. Like everyone else says..the G has a lot more refinement to it, from noise, ride, interior, etc..

 

My cuz has a z and i have driven it countless times and i didn't notice a difference but lately i have been a passenger in his ride because my g is gone and we work together, and i feel everything, and i hate it, the slightest bump feels so rough, like the sewer covers in the road for example, when the z drives over those, it feels like the car is going through pain, but he loves it.....to each his own


R.I.P-03 DG 6MT

 

Get a G

 

I own an 05 G35c 6MT with 19's. I'm also a ride/handling development engineer, so maybe my opinion will count for something . . .

My G35c is about at the limit of what could ever be considered a "luxury" coupe, even a "luxury sports" coupe. The ride quality is very bias towards the sporty side. A big part of this has to do with the tires . . . there's just not enough sidewall to isolate all the little imperfections in the road. They are NOISY too. You could make BIG improvements in ride quality by changing tires.

The ride is a bit better than the 03 Z I've driven, and the 03 Evo, but it's definately not up to par with a 3-series BMW.

Handling is good, but NOT great (flame suit on). This car needs more roll resistance in the rear, either in the form of a stiffer bar or stiffer springs. The rear never seems to take a set, and it does not instill confidence as well as some other sports cars. I'm sure this was part of the ride/handling trade-off that the engineers decided on. Driven at 6/10 on the street, it's fun enough, but on a track, it's faults definately make themsevles known.

My G is basically a daily driver, NOT a weekend toy or a track car (although I took it to the track once, just to see how it would do) and if I could, I would stick with 18's just to imrprove ride qualtiy. My idea of the best set-up would be something like this:

05G35c with 18x8 OR 18x9 all the way around with 255/45 tires, 5% stiffer springs in the rear, and maybe a slight damper tweak to tie it all together.

Again, just my educated opinion, take it for what it's worth.

 

I had a 03 z, and the rid quality on my 05 g35c is way better. I'm suprised how much nicer it is.