Hi,
I am a newb, and trying to decide between getting either a G35x or G35 with the LSD (and automatic). Would the LSD be sufficient (along with traction control) for traction? I live in the Pacific Northwest, where constant rain is an issue, along with light snow for 1 week/year.

 

I can only speak for the X, but I live near Boston and have been getting snow/ice dumped on me for the last week or so and some HEAVY rains the week before that. The X has been solid as a rock through it all. I have to try and push it to make it slip/skid.

My advice would be to wait until you get some rain in your area and then go test drive both! You might scare the sh*t out of the salesman though.

 

The stock VLSD sucks. It sounds nice in the parts list, but I'd rather get a real 1.5 or 2 way LSD over a viscous LSD.

 

If you are concerned with traction in bad weather, AWD is the way to go.

an LSD is good, but isn't as good as all 4 wheels pushing.


We just had a good size snowstorm and i was out all weekend in my g35x and could go anywhere at will with it. I don't even have snow tires, just crappy Eagle RS-A all-seasons, and i have very little wheel spin and was climbing snow-covered roads up steep hills with ease

 

I live in MD which does not get much snow but does get some heavy rain. I did not want to have to run on winter tires and rims Dec through Mar because while we will get some snow in that time period, we will also have a lot of nice, 50+ degree days. I don't have any experience with the RWD in the rain, but I can tell you that the AWD is terrific. Either are going to be better than fwd which I find downright scary in the rain.

 

I live in MD 20 miles away from you and drive a RWD sedan. No problems at all in any kind of rain. Still waiting on the snow...

 

I personally preferred the way the X felt over a RWD in the rain, but I was also coming from a Subaru. I do love my X and it did great in the snow that we have had this year.

 

i drive the RWD.. and actually recommend the AWD, if you have cold, icy, snowy winters..

although RWD w/ winter tires would work in most situations.. i think the AWD is safer.. and even if you have AWD, you'll need winter tires anyways if it snows..
if anyone says other wise, they never had winter tires before..

 

Snows tires kick *** with any drive. I would put some on my motorcycle if they made them

 

I have a friend who bought a 2004 and then moved up to Washington. We started emailing about our cars when I just bought my 2006. He said he was snowed in and couldn't even move his car out of the driveway last week. He had to take his wife's with AWD. He did say he was still on the summer tires (all he has). I was left thinking he would have been better off buying the X.

Dave

 

A RWD on snow tires will outperform a G35X on all seasons. End of story.

Tires are key. If you run summer tires in the snow, you're going no where in these cars. I live in Kansas City and we see about 10 to 14 snow (where snow is on the road) along lots of rain in the non-winter months. We also get our share of ice. If you have all season tires with at least 50% tread, you can get around on 1" to 4" covered streets. I live in a hilly area and I do fine with my 03 5AT sedan with an open differential. I've driven in snow as deep as 7" and got around though plowing with the front end was a problem. In rain, I've never had an issue with hydroplaning probably because I don't driver excessively fast in the rain. As for ice, no drive system will do good in it. Believe me, I rent lots of 4X4/AWD cars for work that get driven in inclement weather all the time and I own a 98 Legacy GT wagon as well. My LGT is pretty capable in the snow, more so than the G, but it's not a huge difference assuming the tires on the G are adequate. I actually feels safer in the G because of the electronic stability and traction control systems. The ABS is smarter too (not near as intrusive).

The problem with the G35X is:

1) Worse fuel ecomony because of an extra diff, two extra halfshafts, and an extra driveshaft.
2) Drivetrain maintenance. More things that can go wrong.
3) Higher ride height. Harder to lower the car correctly.

If you live somewhere with just a few days of snow then get a RWD sedan and buy some decent all season rubber. Why waste the money in fuel just so you can get around a little better in the snow 5 days out of the year?

 

I agree with you that snow tires are key, but an X model with all-seasons isn't exactly feeble in the snow.

I was driving up and down unplowed streets all weekend long with my X and all-seasons. It was very confident in handling and i was pushing through everything. I was even in snow so deep the bottom of the car was pushing the snow so that if you looked behind me, you would see tire tracks and a flat area in the middle where the car has cleared. I was trying to get the car stuck and couldn't...even going up hills at 45* angles just to see if i could make it...and it did every time without fuss. VDC barely kicked in and i couldn't feel much wheelspin at all.

Now AWD with snow tires would be an ideal setup, and I don't doubt for a second that RWD with snow tires would be just as capable, but my whole point is that all-season tires on an G35x can be plenty drivable in inclimate weather. I was debating buying snow tires this winter, but now i'm reconsidering my decision based on the kind of snow i was easily getting through (and stopping and turning) with the all seasons.

Also, my tires are goodyear eagle RS-As, which i had on a previous '05 Maxima. They were TERRIBLE in the snow and i got stuck everywhere. They have a bad rep as being good only on dry roads. I really thought i was going to have the same prob with my X and these tires and was even afraid to drive in the snow with the. I was all set to order snows when this snowstorm came dumping 1'+ of snow in my area. Needless to say..... I was out having a ball in the snow with my car.


But i agree 100% with you. RWD is fine in rain with good tires. If it only snows a few days a year it's not worth it. I went AWD because i have to frequently commute 50+ miles to go to work and we get frequent storms of a foot of snow or more.

 

Thats cool! Yeah we just got a ton of snow unloaded on us, but this is very unusual for this area. Since we see 3-4 days of snow per year, and mostly rains, I was thinking of settling for the RWD G35 and saving on fuel economy and getting a lighter car in general. I've heard big differences between G35 RWD and AWD's fuel economy...

 

How much does the difference work out to be at the end of the year? $50?

To me that's worth it for a little peace of mind.

 

yes we did just get a bunch of snow dumpped on us !!! and IMO , although my g35 doesnt have snow tires , we have been driving the A6 . i know there most of the roads in portland wouldnt be handled that well with a 2 wheel drive