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Infiniti G35 Questions

About a 2003 Infiniti G35 with 5-spd automatic, premium package and winter package:

- This would be my first RWD car (prior cars: 1985 Chevy Celebrity;

1991 Eagle Talon; 1998 Honda Accord LX). My main questions are: what are the biggest adjustments I will have to make to get used to it quickly? And how does RWD hold up in weather versus FWD? (I have to deal with Chicago winters.) The sales rep wants me to believe that technological improvements make RWD better adaptable to rain and snow than they were, say, 10 or 20 years ago. How true is this?

- Is it a gas hog? And does it really *require* premium gas? Could I get away with regular or even midgrade gas long-term? What would be the major problem if I tried to run it on regular for a long time?

Thanks.

Chuck

Reply to
Chuck Hildebrandt
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Rear wheel drive transition is non-existant. This car is very responsive and easy to handle. VDC (vehicle dynamics control) will keep you out of trouble. Car will run fine on regular with some loss of HP. 93 octane is probably a good bet.

Seth

Reply to
Seth Baskin

BS. RWD sucks in the snow. Don't believe any salesman who tells you different, or any usenet fool who insists that _his_ RWD car is good in the snow. It's nonsense. With sandbags in the trunk you might survive. It will still not come anywhere near FWD, unless it's RWD with a mid to rear engine.

Argued here many times. 89 octane is probably OK. The engine will sense the lower octane and retard the timing, preventing knocking and damage. It will also lower HP, theoretically requiring more throttle for the same acceleration. You may or may not spend more money using premium and you may or may not notice the difference in HP.

Now, why anyone spending $30k+ on a car would be worried about a couple of hundred $'s per year in gas costs, I can't imagine. If money matters to you, buy a 2 year old off-lease car and save a bundle.

Bob

Reply to
'nuther Bob

I would seriously advise getting some dedicated snow tires for the car. A RWD car with snow tires will be fairly decent in winter. In fact, it may be arguably better than a FWD with all-season tires. All-seasons are really not suitable for winter snow and ice driving.

My personal preference is Nokian Hakkapeliita

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I've had Hakka Q's on one of my cars for 4 winters and they still look to have about 70% tread left. Just be sure to change them as soon as the snow is gone. If you can afford a G35, you can afford a set of winter tires and wheels. And they will only make your summer tires last longer too.

DS

Reply to
DS

Reply to
KINGLIFER

Kai:

My experience here is that you're a nice guy, so I'll keep the flamethrower on "simmer" :-)

- He's from Chicago, not CA. _You_ should buy RWD, he shouldn't.

- I didn't mention "driving in the Winter", I mentioned "driving in the snow". There's nothing wrong with driving RWD year round if you don't get snow.

FWIW - in snow areas, a lot of guys buy RWD and have a backup car that has FWD or - if they are in mission critical work - 4WD/AWD. That also helps keeps the sport mobile out of the heavy salt.

Bob

Reply to
'nuther Bob

Probably not in Southern CA.

Reply to
'nuther Bob

Yes. Whenever I go into the mountians after it has snowed, there are highway patrol stations checking to ensure that chains are on the cars and trucks. (I used to carry them in my Jimmy 4x4, just in case I needed them when I went up into the mountians in the winter.)

K
Reply to
Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopa

I survived many NJ/PA winters with a Mustang, 200+ lbs in the trunk and snow tires. Worked great - the only time I crashed was in a FWD car as it wouldn't turn (learned the E-brake trick quickly!).

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