While studying for finals, I went out to get some coffee and encountered a G35 at a stoplight. It was a coupe and it was stick. I looked over and checked out his car and while doing so, the light turned green without me noticing it. He zooms off on first gear, and then held back as he shifted to second gear because he thought I wasn't going.

What I wanted to do was to keep up with him as he went full speed and just zoom off to show him how fast our cars are. So I am in 3rd gear at around 40 and he is right next to me. At this point, he was going all out. I punch it so I can zoom off.. but it doesn't go down to 2nd!!! My car just kept going slow until 60 and I couldn't burn him. I would have shifted on the speed shift, but I was holding my coffee in my right hand so I couldn't. By the time we got to a curve and a downhill road, we kept neck and neck. On the curve, I couldn't really see, but I noticed his car was a bit out of control. I think he either lost traction or he tried to drift or something. My car was steady on the curve. He doesn't really pull on me but I didn't pull on him either because my shifting problem. I think we got up to about 80 on the curve and I stopped going because the road ahead had many dips. I'm very frustrated. I just had to vent. Well, the good part is that our car in third gear at 40 can keep up with a G35 at his optimal gear and maybe we are better at the curves than those cars too.

no worries... i eat G35s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. you would too if it wasn't for your coffee.

well in a straight line yes but in the twisties the G35 coupe with 18's will leave us for dead (stock or modded). At .92g of grip and a slalom speed nearly equal to a track 350z the C32 will not hang with the G35 on a tight track or canyon road.

A good friend of mine has a G35 coupe 6-speed and on our normal canyon drives, that G35 simply checked out and left me behind. And for the record we both have all the local roads memorized (bumps, turn in's, track out's, and such) and we both are about equal in skill.

As for the down shift issue, I lost to many a slower car because the trans would not drop into the next lower gear. The issue is that if it kicked down to second the car would only have a split second to rev out second and then it would have to bang into third. With-in this short period of time, the tranny computer can not think fast enough and it will actually bump the rev limiter before it can execute the shift. It is a common problem on the W203's but the C32 is much quicker than any G35 (2 or 4 door) in a straight line. No question there. The rev-limiter bump is most common on a first gear kickdown at about 30 mph. In that case my car used to hit the rev limiter every time!

Were you guys driving in W or S mode for the auto?


The S mode will readily adapt and kickdown but the W mode delays throttle response and kickdown is almost non-existent! Saves fuel though!

The S mode will have no effect on what the car does in "kick down mode." When the kickdown switch is selected, the car will drop to the lowest possible gear and then use the motors full power to accelerate as quickly as possible. The adaptive transmission does not learn to kick down when it is programmed not to do so. The computer will learn how you drive and kick down more quickly and hold gears longer or shorter but when in kickdown, the car will do what the computer has programmed for maximum acceleration.

going at 40mph in 3rd, you'll need to floor it till you stepped on the "button" or you can tap the lever to the left again. just by giving it gas won't get you anywhere.

anywayz, no shame in that. I've lost to a new Accord V6 coupe once off the line. Just let me tell you that worn out pilotsport and rain don't mix...

Sorry for sounding stupid, but wat is a G35? Here by us there is no such car. Also, when my car is at 40mph in third, it kick back to second whether I am in C or S mode.

You might have that car in your area but it would be called the Nissan Skyline 4 door...

or the coupe.

Not the R34 skyline but the newer version

it's V35 Skyline to be exact.

The ocassional lack of a kick down from the transmission is one of those things that really bugs me about our cars. There's been a few times when I'm just casually driving around and I see an opening to drive through and just press the gas assuming I'd have the power to rapidly exploit the opening and the transmission stays in gear and I just don't have the acceleration I expected, yet I know the car has more than sufficient acceleration capability if it were in the proper gear. I guess I'll just have to pay more attention to specific conditions which leads to it.

The new 7g tronic will resolve this problem fully, its skips gears and can downshift two gears in 0.8 seconds!

I too lost to a G35 way back, when I just got the OZ wheels w/ brand spanking new Yokohamas. Couldn't get the tires to hook up on road; mad sliping.

On a note about the G35, does it have something called VSD? A tool sorta like ESP, which electrionically interfere with the car to correct errors made by driver. I saw on one episode of Option, where they tested the G35. As with the 350Z, this VSD thing resulted in more than desired understeer, made drifting difficult to execute. So my point is, if G35 also has somthing like our C32, which prevents the driver from going full at it (sometimes mean beyond the cars' expected limit), wouldn't it mean that G35 isn't that well of a car for tracks either?

How on gods green earth do you plan to race with a coffee in one hand? Don't really think you lost because of not down shifting but because your holding a coffee in one hand. I mean racing requires full attention so you should not try to race when your holding a coffee or any other drink when you race. That is just an accident waiting to happen.

p.s. If you ever see that G35 send him/her my way and i'll show em how it's done! lol

Hey Chris:

I encourage racing with coffee in your hand. Just make sure that it is "corporate coffee" (i.e., from Mickey D's, Burger King, etc.) so we can sue the bass-turds after you scald the family jewels.

I can see my closing argument right now: "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the nad blisters which you see in this poster-sized photo-blowup of my client's privates would never have happened if Ron (Mc Donald) would have put a warning on the cup saying "Do Not Race While Holding Hot Coffee Over Your Nuts. . ."

One (serious) suggestion Chris: First step in kicking up the performance of your C32: Replace your air filters. At 30K miles, I just put K&Ns in my car ($75.00 for the pair on the net) and my filters were black with dirt. You have even more miles on your car, and I suspect that your filters are seriously restricting your airflow. I have the screw head that fits the airbox screws. We could replace them in about 10 minutes. Let me know.

Another thing, Chris. There is a good chance that the G35 was modded. Mods for the G35 are plentiful, and I have seen/heard several modded ones around San Diego. I have driven your car and I have driven a stock G35. Your car feels alot faster to me but I am probably biased in favor of the C32 generally. Even with the failure to downshift, you were right in the "sweet spot" of third gear around 80 MPH, so you should have been pulling him hard towards the end of the race if he was stock. Final comment: The beauty of the C32 (and E55) is that you CAN be holding a cup of coffee and haul ****. Try that maneuver in a G35 6 speed!!

What does the C32 pull on the skidpad?

0.85

Also this is higly dependent on tire selection.

You mean to get .85 you'd need high performance tires?

What's the skidpad like when one lowers their car with an H&R kit?

haha, i like the way you talk vomit, i bet it brings a smile on everyone's face.

it's okay. recently i almost lost to a new Doge Hemi Ram, don't expect how fast it is from 0-80 mph. i don't left him behind until in the middle of third gear on highway. we were going out from a ramp.

i also busted by a new Toyota V8 Sequoia, didn't really step on the gas since i thought, it's a huge truck... bigger than my range rover, how fast it can gol... but na... i'm totally wrong... got uglily **** off the road, too late to catchhimup.

What does the W and S mode do??? What's the difference?

Thanks,

W mode starts off in second gear, Winter mode tthey call it, gives you more control because of less torque so your car doesn't peel out in the ice I believe.

Even my old school C43 has smoked a few G35's and 350Z's.

0.85 was reported by Motortrend with stock Pirellis

Just spent a day with a Nissan group at Streets of Willow the other week. I had an opportunity to drive a few G35/350Z's as an instructor and was a passenger for more rides than I cared for! This chassis right out of the box is brilliant and the C32 is no match for either of these two in the cornering department. Both Nissan/Infinity's are very competent cars and the power differences between them and the MB mean very little at this track. Don't believe me, go rent a 350Z sport package for the day. You will be suprised at how nicely it handles. Mod one, and it is even better. I am so curious as to how much better the Nissan is at the track that I will be taking my C32 with me next time at this track and leaving the race car behind. Then again, the EVO will beat them both!

but i don't like their clutch pedal... so deep, but that's not the problem, the problem are my tall legs, the steering wheel and the dash behind blocks my legs movement...no way i can do heeltoe from any angle. this car is perfect for asian drivers...

i love the G35 with titanium grey, 6 speed with GPS. best$ for a GT. can't find anything better, crossfire is the only one that is comparable to me. hmmm... which one should i get? crossfire looks nicer, G35 is faster hmm...




just dreaming