A friend of mine at work has a 2004 Maxima 3.5SL and is dying to see how he fares against me in a straight line. I figured I would have a weight advantage over him, but a quick check of edmunds.com proves otherwise. Both of these cars share the same engine, and his car is significantly bigger than ours, but it's actually lighter according to this website. Here are some specs:

G35Coupe ('05):
Length: 182.3
Width: 71.5
Height: 54.8
Wheelbase: 112.2
Weight: 3486(5AT) / 3512(6MT)

Maxima 3.5SL ('05):
Length: 193.5
width: 71.7
height: 58.3
Wheelbase: 111.2
Weight: 3432 lbs

So by these numbers, the Maxima is 11.2 inches longer, almost 4 inches taller, same width and 54 lbs lighter than my 5AT (80 lbs lighter than a 6MT!)

What gives? What makes our smaller car with the same engine so heavy? I imagine the drivetrain for RWD adds some, but could it really account for that much weight difference?

--Viral

 

ummm...I dont know the answer to it, but I like your "G35 Custom Wheel Configurator " tho...

 

You do have that heavy hunk of metal called the drave-shaft, along with other RWD items that aren't helping weight. This is likely the bulk of the difference, IMO.

I would also say that some of the weight of the G35 over the Maxima is due to a more rigid structure in the G35.

As for the added size of the Maxima over the G35: The height difference only plays a big factor if there is a lot more glass. The steel support pillars aren't going to add up to much (if you're looking at 4 pieces of 4" long pillars). As for length, a lot of that difference could be from the plastic bumpers' shape.

 

For comfort. There's generally a good balance between weight and power. Usually, the heavier the car, the better the ride is. This is with a good suspension though. So no M1A1 comments.

I can drift better with a little more weight as well. ; ) If you want a lighter car, get our Nissan counterpart.

 

It's a Maxima, don't compare it to a G

 

More toys and luxury components on our G's. Better insulation, thicker leather, drive shaft etc etc.
His H/P is 265 tho compared to your 280-298.
C.

 

You know surprisingly the M1A1 has very good suspension. It's not as rough as you think. I remember MotorWeek (car show) testing an M1 a while back. It takes bumps and shock really well considering the terrain it has to drive through. It also is made to handle explosions and cannon recoil, so I wouldn't be surprised if it rode better than most cars. IMO

 

You gonna win easely if the Maxima FWD spin too munch on launch, if not you gonna win anyway after the transmission shift on third.
I have a Maxima 2003 SE aut. and my friend have a G35 Coupe 2005 aut. and we already test in industrial sector it's close but the G35 have more power on mid-range.
The RWD don't spin too much compare to my Maxima.

 

Why does the sun rise in the East? I think that sucks! I'm moving to Venus!

 

Thank You Sir.. just what i was thinking

 

why not? are you too good for it?

 

That's crap. Just because it's a lower class car it doesn't mean you should not compare the two.

 

How much do you weigh compared to your friend? That may offset the difference. If you are going to drive against him, don't use a full tank of gas and drain all the radiator fluid to save weight.

 

"do these pants make me look fat?"
..
..
no your *** makes you look fat!

 

@ss