I own an 03 AT Sedan and today I drove around in my friend's 05 AT Sedan, and his car feels way different from my car. His car's gas pedal, feels 'lighter' and the car feels more responsive. When I pressed on his gas pedal, the car would accelerate faster than if I were to press on my car's gas pedal with the same amount of pressure.

So while I drove his car, I had to make minor adjustments, because clearly his car did not react the same way my car would. It's as if I was driving a totally different car (not a G35).

So what makes the 03-04 so different from 05-06 (besides the cosmetic changes)?

 

03-04 G35
Horsepower 260 @ 6000 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) 260 @ 4800 rpm

05-06 G35
Horsepower 280 @6,200 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) 270@4,800 rpm

The 05 has more power thats why you feel it being more responsive then your car.

 

^you sure about that? there's a lot of conflicting information which led me to believe they are the same

 

Pretty sure unless google lies LOL

 

at infinitihelp.com the ratings should be most accurate, at 4800rpms the torque is the same at 260 for both 04/05 models. However they show different horsepower ratings but you see the rpms are different. 04 was 260 at 6000 rpms...when they had the 05 at 280 at 6200 rpms. They are both running the same exact engines in the AT

 

You may have also noticed rev-matching on downshift if buddy's car was AT. I wish I had that.

 

I know the 2003 had a different type of accelerator pedal, not sure if it has anything to do with it. What about the learning algorithms on the tranny? His driving habit is different that yours. The 260 and 280 HP difference is only a reflash/rating, both year AT have the exact same intake/exhaust tracks and build. The rev-up was the only DE motor that received a slightly different build.

 

Difference is in the ECU.. Also what makes the BIGGEST difference is that the 03-04 does not rev match (as some one mentioned) and the 05-06 does.

Also a slightly longer delay between manually shifting and actual engagement of the clutch pack.

 

I wish the 05+ 6MTs had rev-matching downshifts.

 

They do! Its your right foot! Lol just tap the gas pedal or do a heel-toe. Lol

 

^ that =d

 

Also the '05 6MT Sedans are rated at 298hp

 

Yeah I noticed that too. I was used to 'bliping' while downshifting, and every time I would do it it just made me jump forward haha

Yeah my 03 lags while shifting.
Yeah that's what I do for my car, but that doesn't work with the 05's haha
I've talked to a few people about this, guys from the forums, and some tell me that 03-06 is the exact engine. They were just rated differently for marketing purposes.

So I'm convinced that my car has the same engine as my friend's, but I want to mod my car so that it feels as good his, even better. Can I even swap ECU's? Would that make a difference?

 

I dont think you can ECU swap, and as of today there's no one doing 2003 tunes anymore =(

at least not that I know of... TechnoSquare use to do them here in Torrance, California but I think they've retired that program =\

 

I wonder if you could swap a 05-06 tranny into an 03-04 and get rev matching...