So I've had a bunch of cars in my day ranging from Civics to Subarus, to Saabs, and now a G35x and I got to say that I've never had a car corner as well as it does. So it is just the combination of suspension and seats that allows it to pull of this type of agility?

 

What kind of Subaru? Because I'm willing to bet an STI / WRX / BRZ can out handle a G35X.

 

A forester so definitely not in the same ballpark :-)

 

almost 50/50 weight distribution

 

If you think it handles well now, replace your rear sway bar with an aftermarket one and you'll be amazed at the difference. It's even more dramatic on the 2wd cars when you replace both.

 

ooh, I may just do that. Thx for the advice.

 

what does handle well mean? sharp turn in? high lateral traction? good corner exit rear grip? high average lateral g's?

the g isn't that sporty of a car, and especially the sedan, and especially the g35x. they don't really handle that well.

and strut bars won't do anything.... (did you mean anti-roll bars?)

 

Well the side bolsters on the seats really stiffen the chassis. A stiff chassis is paramount for optimal handling. Hah, who am I kidding??

In all seriousness, it is due to many components. First, as mentioned above the weight distribution 52/48 (which is about 50/50 when going into a corner under throttle.) The AWD sedan may have different distribution but it should be within a few percentage points of the RWD sedan. Also, chassis stiffness plays a large role. Regardless of whether or not you have a V35 or V36 sedan, the chassis has a fairly decent stiffness to it (although the V36 is stiffer.) Fully independent suspension really helps in the corners as well. Im not entirely sure on the suspension geometry the X comes with from the factory, but the coupe comes with a fairly aggressive camber from the factory. Being that your car also has AWD, that does aid in cornering ability. The G also uses the FM-Platform (Front midship) which places the engine slightly behind the front axle. This aids in obtaining optimal weight distribution and allows for a slightly lighter turn in feel versus an engine placed slightly in front of the front axle. These are just a FEW of many aspects which contribute to an overall fantastic package. There IS room for improvement, but as a stock car it handles really well. Once you learn the proper aspects of taking a corner (throttle, proper line, power on exit, etc.) you will really be impressed. Additionally, after modifying the suspension it only gets better. I have a coupe with Hotchkis sways, 350z s-tech springs, SPC front and rear camber arms, tokico shocks, various polyurethane/solid bushings around the car and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. Combining these mods with slightly more aggressive suspenion settings (track settings) the car just blows my mind as it currently sits. However, the BIGGEST gains in handling came from the Sways and the Pilot Super Sport tires. Those are great places to start and are the best "bang for the buck" suspension mods. The PSS are expensive, but worth EVERY MOTHERF*CKING penny. There are many less expensive options that will provide you 80% of what the Michelins can do if you're trying to save some cash. My suspension still has room for improvement, but for a daily driver the car now has a MUCH higher limit than I could ever safely approach on public roads. If you have any specific questions about suspension or mods you can post here or PM me. Happy modding!

 

Wow thanks for all that info. Yeah I'm just so jazzed every time I get into my Infiniti since my boring commuter is a Prius. Night/day difference but that is expected of course.

 

I understand! That must be a boring drive.. but the savings in fuel consumption must be a huge relief in the monthly budget. I'm hoping to buy a 4 cylinder along with my next sports car, most likely a 370z or STI, to save on fuel and miles. As mentioned above, the G35x doesn't necessarily handle as well as its RWD counterparts, but it still has potential! Learning how to drive the car properly is something you will keep forever, no matter what car you eventually move on to. Read, watch, research and practice safely, and you will enjoy it a lot more! Also, get a good set of sways they really arent that expensive and very easy to install if you have jack stands, sockets, and a breaker bar! I can't tell you how awesome it is to have a Corvette, other sports cars or the occasional ricer tailing me going into a 4 leaf clover interchange, and just watching them fall back drastically. It's incredibly exhilarating, and the ladies love it too

 

"Handling well" is all relative. I guess it depends on what you are used to.


I always felt the G35x handled decently. The car handled very well in stock form, but I always felt the AWD models tended to understeer a tad when you start to push them hard in corners. I also used to feel that body roll was a tad excessive in hard high speed corners. The steering also feels fairly heavy and numb. It doesn't feel like it can be nimble, but it was never designed to be a corvette. The newest G37x's have improved on this a bit. It still feels like it rolls a bit in hard corners, but the steering feels better than the 1st gens.

My C300 is probably the best handling 4-door car i've driven yet. Even though they have the same ground clearance, the ride height is probably a good 4" lower on the Benz and my seating position puts me a little lower in the seat. The car is slow as *****, but it feels like it's on rails when I drive it. Very snappy steering, i feel like i can throw it left and right with ease. Virtually no body roll and you stay flat through the turns. I feel completely confident in this car no matter how hard I turn. It feels neutral and I don't get the same sense of understeer as I do in my G35x. Too bad it's just underpowered and the amount of lag in the transmission/throttle is unbearable. 1-2 second delay from when you floor it to when the car actually downshfts and starts moving. Terrible

 

Yeah my basis for relativity it pretty moot mute since all of my past cars haven't been the performance model of the brand: non Si Civic, non XT Forester, Non Aero Saab. So going from anything to the G35x has been quite the difference. But I got to admit that the 19 MPG thing has caused the wife to start nagging about monthly expenses vs the 49 MPG Prius.

I was mainly seeing what made the handling "improve" so much over cheaper econo boxes such that in the future if I ever changed, perhaps I could get a more fuel efficient car that still handled as well. I usually don't drive fast so the 0-60 isn't too important for me, but I do enjoy cornering and not having much body roll. The BRZ was mentioned so since that car is around 1K Lbs lighter and gets around 26 MPG mixed it could be a option in a few years time.

 

With the exception of maybe solid axle, Rear Wheel Drive(RWD) is superior to all but the most advanced AWD systems based on Front Wheel Drive platforms. It's also alot more expensive to build and inefficient with regards to driveline loss, which is why RWD cars are becoming harder to find these days.

The WRX handles exceptionally well because of both the state of the art AWD system combined with the way Subaru was able to install the boxer powerplant so low in the chassis.

 

Is that really all it's good for? I average just over 26 with my G, even with 19" wheels.

 

Do you have an x? I never get anywhere close to 26MPG. 19-21 mixed and 23 highway. Premium gas and a lightfoot driver.