This isn't a personal attack, it's just a joke, I mean it with all the kindness in the world as a previous Maxima enthusiast, but anyone with a screen name "2002 Maxima SE" doesn't qualify for "professional" let alone someone who should care the difference between a vehicle equipped with a sunroof or not.

If that sort of thing matters and you must have a four door, start looking at cars like the Lancer EVO, STi, etc.

 

I don't recall stating I was a professional. I do own a 2002 Maxima and am looking to upgrade to more of a driver's car (hence my questions on a G35 and not a new Maxima).

I would think that having 100+ pds strapped to the roof would be noticable to most during spirited driving, but apparently not.

 

I just traded my 04 350z for an 08 G35S. I had the same question about the sunroof, and the answer is no you can't get the premium pkg without the sunroof. I know they have slightly different engines and I'm no pro, but the acceleration and handling of the G35S/w sunroof is just as good if not better than my Z ( base model with no options ). Still miss my Z a little though.

 

I don't think you'd notice. I don't think someone who weighs 120 LBS gets a different sensation driving the car as someone who weighs 220. I don't think the sunroof adds 100 LBS either, my guess is it's less than 100 lbs. Maybe 40-50

 

Well the difference between the 120 pd guy and the 220 pd guy is that they drive from a seat in the car, not the roof. The seats are closer to the ground and "shouldn't" drastically effect handling with 100 pds difference.

However, strap your Aunt Gert to the roof and it's a different ballgame.

 

Junk the Maxima, get the G, and don't worry about the extra weight of the sunroof. The only downside of the sunroof is that it takes up a couple of inches of headroom, so if you're really tall get a base model without the roof.

 

As a former max owner I can say that the difference between the Max and the G is HUGE. By comparison I think the difference between a G with or without a sunroof would be negligible (at least in handling and acceleration).

 

I think you said what I was trying to say in my joking post a lot better than I do. That's the point I was trying to make. I was just trying to add more color in regards to anyone who currently owns a Maxima as their "sporty vehicle" is leagues away from driving a performance car.

 

the fact of the matter is, YES the sunroof does add weight. and in the real world with the laws of physics added weight will slow down acceleration. the added weight might not slow down the car noticeably but it does, crack open that physics I textbook and do some kinematics with the numbers.

 

I don't believe anyone disagreed with you on the physics. But what we're talking about is how BIG an impact it has. Will putting a hat on your head make a noticeable difference in acceleration and handling performance? Will 50-60lbs on the roof really make a noticeable difference when you have over 300HP throwing you to 60mph in 5.3 seconds? how big an impact is that $3.26 in change I have in the center console?

IMO you won't really have a truly noticeable change until you get in the area of 200-300 lbs, and that's if you are keen to performance. The average Joe won't notice until 500lbs or possible even more, like a fully loaded car simply because they never push it to the limit where you could notice it.

I bet almost none of you have actually put your G to the limit and held it there for minutes.

I also recall that the Sunroof performance debate was not really about it's weight, I recall sunroofs impact on performance was about loss in structural rigidity of the frame, which resulted in some power being absorbed in the frames torque under high stress. and to that argument, I recall that the 07 is like 35% more rigid then the 06's.

 

My apologies up front, but this thread makes me LOL.

 

That's fantastic, I was on the floor with this quote

 

Cowboy hat or baseball cap? It does make a difference.

 

doesn't the sunroof give MORE headroom because you can slide the plastic back and get a few mm's extra under the glass?

 

i don't think most people say i don't want a sunroof cause i wanna go faster...i didn't get a sunroof because the damn thing costed 1500 dollars ha