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Infiniti's full-color G35 brochure makes clear that the "Winter Package-Sport" comes with "215/55R17 V-rated all-season tires (replaces summer performance tires)". These are the exact same tires as are standard with the G35 Luxury Leather Model. The Sport-Tuned Suspension Package" comes with "215/55R17 W-rated summer performance tires". This is stated on both the "Specifications" page and the "Option Packages" page. [The base G35 comes with "205/65R16 V-rated all-season performance tires".]
Unless the make more options standard, I think raising the price just because the car is selling well is more of something I'd expect from a low-end maker as opposed to luxury. I don't think it's the right thing to do. Reminds me of home repair companies that gouge customers with inflated prices after a hurricane just because they can.
I know my choice is just not to buy the car and stand on principle.
I have a winter sport option on my car and it came with Turanza EL42 tires. Does anybody else with the winter option have these tires. I checked with Tirerack and the Turanza's are not considered A/S. I am going to take this up with Infiniti but I want to see if others have this combination...
Any suggestions on how I should address this with Infiniti are also welcome....
Thanks.
I did read it and it shows on page 77 that 330i won *3* (not 5) of 7 vs the G35, and the G35 won 2 of 7 vs the 330i, and 2 items were tied (1/4 mi and skidpad).
The point is the G35 was using all-season tires vs the dedicated summer performance tires on the 330i, yet still did pretty good. The original poster wanted summer tires on his G35; my point simply was it still performs very competitively with the all-season tires.
-- Joe
I have read the article but notice how the infiniti was only .1 seconds slower than the bmw in acceleration from 0-60 and the infiniti is automatic and the bmw is manual.
BTW, joes230 is right, the 330i only won 3 of 7 vs. the g35.
Also, I personally, do not think very much of the Goodyear RS-A's! I have had them on two cars and while they did handle OK (about average), they did not wear well and actually had some problems with dry rot. We replaced them with some "Hercules" (off-brand) tires in the same size and they handled MUCH better, at about 1/2 the cost.
I also drove a sport package with the Goodyear GS-D's and was thoroughly underwhelmed. In fact, we disliked the GS-D's so much my wife and I decided to not get a sport package G35.
On the other hand, I have been very impressed with the Bridgestone Turanza EL42's. They handle surprisingly well (ie. much better than the RS-A's, IMO) in all weather conditions we have driven in (very wet/dry). Actually, the quality of these tires are what has made me decide to get the S-03 Pole Position tires as replacements over the others. I consider their quality to be on par with Michelen, but about 10-20% less.
Scott
Personally, I'm wondering if Infiniti is going to offer a "retrofit" for those of us who have already purchased their 2003 G35's without the telematics package (Infiniti Navigator?). I hope they do as they have not made any exemption by model YEAR (ie. typically July through June).
coolg - As I mentioned in my previous post, the EL42's are excellent tires. However, they appear to be OEM only (can probably only buy them from Infiniti) and may well be All-Season in that configuration. Have you checked the sidewalls to see if you can get any information regarding this? My wife has the car right now, so I cannot.
vipbarr - While riez's viewpoint does rankle at times, he is generally factual and does provide some balance to what is said on this forum. He was not, IMO, inflamatory enough to warrant this type of attack... unlike some Cadillac CTS fans I won't mention by name. Chill, dude...
riez - on the other hand, the differences mentioned in followup posts (joes230, kalvin717) do indicate that the best scores by the BMW were practically insignificant (.10 seconds is less than 1/6 of a heartbeat). Though they do not mention it, I'll bet the standard deviation of the G35's automatic times is much less than that of the BMW. And a good point was made that the G35 had (much narrower) all-season tires which surely allowed the BMW to have its better score. Apples to apples or cost to cost, the G35 would likely come out better... Personally, I can hardly wait to see what the manual performs like.
Heck, I'll bet that when the $1500 (or so) Nismo suspension package comes available 1st/2nd quarter 2003 that it will handily outperform the BMW for at least $5K less...
Scott
http://urlizer.com/00/1253/
Re EL42s they are very quiet and smooth on my G35. Handling is pretty good. But I'd like to retain the quietness and get a little better grip and response. Maybe Michelin Pilot HX MXM4?
Re riez, he has a good point: cars are much more than some statistics. Just because a G35 wins in x categories doesn't mean it's the "best" car. I drove several 330is before buying a G35, and to me the 330i had somewhat better handling and engine response. If cost and rear seat space weren't factors I'd have gotten the 330i. However they were factors and the G35 was close enough to the 330i to satisfy me (for now!).
-- Joe
I "grew up" on Michelin's. They were the only tire that my family drove on after the OEM tires wore out. I have had two sets on other cars and they were excellent.
Now, though, I think that the Bridgestone's are essentially equivalent, but a good bit less expensive, all other things being equal. That is why I'm looking at the Pole Position tires. While they are a "summer" tire, I have trouble believing they will be very poor on snow. Besides, this probably won't be a problem here in Memphis, TN as we don't get much snow.
Also, while the Tirerack surveys are not exceptionally scientific, the Bridgestone's generally are rated higher than the Michelin's. Also, the Pole Position tires tested higher than the Michelin Pilot Sports in handling and noise.
Also, I guess I was wrong about the Turanza EL42's only being available from Infiniti. If you do a tire size search (either 215/55-17 or 235/50-17), you can find them available from Tirerack.com, but they are otherwise not listed.
Anyway, IMO, you won't go wrong with either choice.
Scott
On another topic, I finally drove the G35 over the weekend, and was very impressed. We are only interested in the Base car, so that is all we drove. I didn't feel compelled to make an instant decision, because I wanted to try the new Accord next month when it is released, but I am getting concerned about the discussion above concerning options and prices. I want the stock, base, unoptioned car [current MSRP about $27.5k]. Are you saying I can still get that, allowing a few extra bucks for HID lights, or are you saying the "base" car goes away, and I have to spend $30k with unwanted options and packages to buy this car? If the former, I can wait - if the latter, I will start pursuing a currently offered base car from the dozen or so CA dealers who have more than one on their lots right now.
Stacey
stsurbrook... I concur with your assessment. Is refreshing to read someone who understands the concept of standard deviation as relates to measurements taken from a population sample. (A part of me does wonder if the reported G35 acceleration results are from cars well outside expected mean results. Too bad we don't know the mean or standard deviation figures for various performance results.)
You are the first person I've heard/seen who has tried that combination. I have to admit to being very envious as that is exactly the configuration I have been looking at!
I DO have a question. When you say the clearance is just fine, have you tested that clearance "full travel"? Or is it clearing Ok during normal driving?
riez - I agree 100% those tests would be MUCH more meaningful if they published the average, std. dev., min. and max. (from which the range could be easily calculated). This would provide meaningful performance information that informed readers could evaluate!
Scott
Scott
and Saab 9-5.
all input(s) welcome.
thanks.
http://www.clifford.com/products/cp_ag4.htm
Just curious if anyone has seen the aftermarket kits installed and how they look. The websites that sell them seem to only have diagrams of the pieces that are available, but not actual pictures...
rghessel - You can see some actual pictures of at least one wood kit over at the http://www.freshalloy.com forums. They have had pictures online. Just do a search on wood trim.
If you like the maple wood, there should be no shortage. However, I personally prefer a darker color wood in my graphite interior. I have held off as there are darker wood colors (burl, etc.), but none to replace the wood trim kit that comes with the car, so I would have to make do with 2 colors... nah!
Hope this helps.
Scott
http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB19&Number=292847
Also, here are some side-by-sides with a 350Z and the G35c.
http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e46/forum.php?postid=851122&page=2
One final set of pics... maybe the best of the bunch...
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=g35sport
Scott
PS. Thanks to all of those who have been awake and lucky enough to get the pics!
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I can't seem to locate on Freshalloy the pictures of a G35 equipped with the wood trim kit.
Do you (or anyone else) know the exact link to pics of it? (Hate to be too demanding! I'm usually pretty good with searching...but can't seem to find it...)
Oh, in the search, you need to make sure you set the time period (ie. Newer than...) for more than the default 1 week. That is how I found the link. There are some more if you do a search on "wood trim" for the last 6 months.
http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB25&Number=270440
Hope this helps.
Scott
http://www.pbase.com/sjred/g35
Also, how much time, total, would you say it took to put on the wood kit? Were there any other (darker) colors/replacements for the factory wood that you could find?
Thanks.
Scott
I can't accurately say how much better than stock the
new tires are because I've had the wider high
performance Firestones on since I bought the car.
I've only driven on the stock tires twice during test
drives, 8k miles ago. All I can say is that after a
lengthy and demanding recent drive on Hwy 49 through
the Sierra foothills with a full passenger load (all
of whom demanded a turn behind the wheel) we all came
away amazed at the handling and ride combination with
my current 245/45-18" Pole Positions. We never heard
a protest from the tires and the stability control
never kicked in, and the ride was never harsh (that's
why I went with the taller 45 profile). With the
in-laws in the car I didn't push it to the limit,
unlike the unfortunate motorcyclist who went over the
embankment just ahead of us on a hairpin turn, but it
is definitely an improvement over the 235/45-17"
Firestones.
As for the wood kit install, it took about 2 hours
being careful and working by myself. It was my second
wood kit installation or I would have had someone
assist me...a good idea as the you don't get a second
chance with this stuff! I didn't research other
stains/colors as I also added the factory wood pieces
and I wanted it all to match.
Sorry I couldn't be more help...
Stacey
The G35 has a lot of room compared to most other cars in its segment (I believe that the Lincoln LS and its Jaguar twin are the only ones with more room, interior and trunk). We have one child now, with another on the way. Of course, like you, we have another vehicle that will serve as the primary "kids transport" (Dodge Durango), but the G35 works well.
I think your concerns would be more applicable to others in that segment like the BMW 3-series, Lexus IS300, Audi A4, etc.
Also, the G35 is very comfortable as an everyday driving sedan. In fact, it is SO comfortable, you quickly forget that it is a high performance sport sedan. Then it is a real joy when you get a chance to push the car and realize how much it has too offer... all over again!
Hope this helps.
Scott
Thanks for the information. That is helpful and consistent with what I had read about the tires on Tirerack. They are sounding better and better as replacements, when the time comes.
I have to admit to being a bit surprised at how well the original Bridgestone Turanza EL42's are wearing. We have almost 8800 miles (bought beginning of April) and the tires do not seem to have worn much at all. I was worried about this as the original equipment tires on the Lexus IS300 were only supposed to last about 20K miles (UGH!).
Thanks again for the information.
Scott
PS. Please send me an e-mail. Thanks.
As noted above, all of the G35's apparently have the noise issue, just that some have it louder than others. To me, it is an issue because none of the other new vehicles I have owned (from $20K to $34K) have made any noise (other than a brief belt squeal) and those have been American cars.
I DO hope that Infiniti does get a fix quickly and does a recall (a sign of true professionalism for a problem of this nature). The car is very quiet on the road and fixing this problem would make it even quieter.
Scott
I was looking through Tirerack and ran across these articles, if anyone is interested...
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/bs_s03_rd.jsp
and
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/bs_re950_rd.jsp
The Bridgestones equaled or outscored the competition in almost every category. I'm really looking forward to putting a set on my wife's G35!
Scott
Why so long?
So stay after Infiniti and the dealers to fix the noisy AC. My g35 has only 600 miles on it and I haven't heard the noise yet. The minute I do I will be driving Infiniti's cars and they will be fixing mine.
One other thing, be aware of the lemon law in your state, and make the dealer and Infiniti know that you are counting the times they fail to fix the noise complaint.
I guess the G35 does have some style, I saw another hottie driving a silver G35.
I now drive a 2001 300M that has been bullet proof since I bought it over a year ago, but the first year it came out in '99 there were many electrical problems. I have had none to date. I took a real chance buying a Chrysler after having Nissans. At the time I bought my M, Nissans were getting boring(until the G's came), which IMO Honda & Toyota fell into that category as well(boring designs, and STILL are).
I'd love to have a G35, but again I always avoid first year models. I realize having the first one on the block is great, but the 'bugs' need to be worked out first. So I'm confident Nissan will fix the A/C problem. Hey, I think that's minor when you consider what a friend of mine went through with his Lexus RX300. He had his in the shop 13 times before they fixed the fuel delivery problem. On top of that he was stranded twice!