clew84

Hi,

New to the forum and looking to become a G37 member. After sifting through the posts, I wanted to get a couple of new opinions on the choice I am considering. First, a little background.

Currently I drive a 2007 Acura MDX and I have put a lot of miles on it driving it for business. My wife has a 2002 BMW 325i that we are going to trade in for something fun for me to drive while she takes the Acura which she will drive around town with our kids (3 and 2). At first I was considering the G37 coupe. I didn't mind the small trunk but was unsure how 2 car seats fit in it and how I would be getting 2 kids out of the car (even though it would rarely be used for this). So now, I have my mind set on the sedan. The question now is AWD or RWD?

What I really want is the G37S due to the tighter suspension and bigger brakes. I live in Cincinnati and while we don't get a lot of snow, we get a little and we get a little ice. For those that live in a similar area, what did you choose and why? If you had this decision, do you feel like you gave anything up if you went the AWD version (G37xS) instead of the G37S?

Thanks in advance for the help!
Chris

KLB

I live in NW Indiana outside Chicago. I have an X, and it is great. I use mine as an everyday driver running about 110 miles a day to and from work. For me the AWD was much more important than the extra brakes and suspension. It is great in wet weather, which we had quite a it of this past spring.

I think that if I had been buying it to use on weekends and such I would have gone with the S, but using it all the time the X made more sense.

It is a BLAST to drive. Either way you will enjoy the hell out of it.

gugarci

I live in the North East and I had an 08 xS and now I have a 09 G37S Sedan. The xS was great in the snow. But not as much fun to drive IMO compared to my current G37S. The xS felt much heavier, not as nimble as the S. Also there's much more to the S than the suspension and brakes. The new quicker ratio steering on the 09 G37S makes the car much more responsive and fun to drive.

I get snow by me and my driveway sits on the back of my house on a steep hill. But on days with more than 4 inches the xS couldn't get up the hill anyway. My 02 WRX wagon with all season tires was a mountain goat compared to the xS. I'm sure with winter tires the xS would of climbed better.
So on a lot of snow days I wound up parking on the street.

I decided a couple of months ago that If was going to have to swap out the tires on the xS for winter tires I could do that on a S instead. So this winter I will swap out my summer tires on the G37S for some dedicated winter tires, Blizzaks LM-25. People drive rear wheel drive cars all year round in the snow. Most people do it with all season tires. So a RWD with snow tires will perform much better.
http://www.tirerack.com/winter/index.jsp

Will I miss the X on snowy days, Yes I will. Will I miss it every other day it doesn't snow, No.

Just my opinion.

Alex57r

I wanted the RWD. COuld not find one here in the North East unless I was willing to wait + overpay. I test drove the Xs and I liked it. It was not as light on its feet (+ 200lbs or so), but the softer suspension convinced me. On NY roads I don't need to bounce up and down and there are no roads here on which to "handle". I don't care for the bigger breaks either. Obviously summer tires are quieter and better at taking turns, there is no question about that.

What you do give up is the faster steering, a little responsiveness and about 0.4 seconds of 0-60 and 1/4 mile acceleration in exchange for better snow traction. The choice is yours. I got an 09 XS and I am happy with it, if I had to do it over again, I would get the the RWD....coupe!! lol

G37-6MT

This thread was meant for me. I found two 6MT Sedans in the Chicagoland area last month and bought one of them last night. One dealer didn’t want to negotiate and the other really wanted to get rid of their only RWD G37 Sedan. The market demand is very low for RWD and 6MT in this area.
<O</O

I skipped on the AWD because of the following reasons:<O</O
- it’s heavier<O</O
- it cost more<O</O
- it uses more fuel<O</O
- cannot get sport suspension<O</O
- cannot get the quicker steering<O</O
- cannot get the sweet brake package<O</O
- I use winter wheels and tires in the winter<O</O
<O</O

Using winter wheels costs less than the AWD option and saves your summer wheels and tires from the road salt deterioration. I’ll pick up some used wheels and put new winter tires on them by Thanksgiving. My last two cars were Mustang GT’s and I used winter wheels and tires. <O</O
<O</O

I already felt like I was giving up some performance by getting rid of my 2007 Mustang GT, so I wanted to get the G that had the most performance options available to me. <O</O

G37xS

Live in Dublin, a suburb in Columbus Ohio. I got the G37xS for my wife and I got the E92M3. If you want the RWD just make sure that you get a set of winter tires. That is what I am doing with my RWD M3. We replaced our Volvo XC90 with the G37xS. Even though the G is an AWD, I am still planning to put a set of winter tires. It is a night and day difference between the two.

gugarci

This was my biggest worried when I traded in my G35xS for the G37S, the ride stiffness with the sport suspension. I spend a lot of time driving up and down Route 80 and I can honestly for me it's not an issue at all. There's no major ride quality difference. If there was my wife would of complained by now.

NotUrG

I bought the S coupe (because the X wasn't available). I have driven it through 2 winters in Wisconsin, which gets a ton of snow and have never had any problems. I have a dedicated set of winter wheels with Vredestein snow tires on them- great handling. I have no complaints whatsoever. I'd go for the S.

clew84

Thanks for all the help - very appreciated. This is not a clear decision for me so any advice is helpful.

Maybe an alternative would be to get the AWD version and put after market parts on it? That was one dealer's recommendation - NISMO, Stillen, Brembo, etc.

Most likely I am going with the S though (I think)...

clew84

After reading some posts, it seems as though putting A/S tires (like the Michelin Pilots) works well enough on the S for light snow. In Cincy we don't get many 6+ inch snow days so I think that will work. I may just keep them on all year long.

gugarci

Not a good idea. People do it with FWD and AWD and some do it with RWD cars too. I''ve done it myself with FWD and AWD but I'm not going to risk my RWD G. I had a hard enough time getting one in the Northeast.
Did you bother to go to this link and read the articles and see the videos.
http://www.tirerack.com/winter/index.jsp

I would rethink that. You don't have to have dedicated wheels with winter tires. I plan to mount my blizzaks on the stock wheels. This is just my opinion. But I can guarantee you will hate yourself later on if you wrap your new car around a pole. The stock low profile tire size on the G's do not work as well as other no performances skinnier tires in the snow. Get snows tires for the winter if you get a RWD G.

clew84

Thanks for the post - good points. Yeah, I don't want to buy wheels also. I mean I can see having these on from late November/early Dec to late Feb so really not that long of a time.

I just have to make that final decision in my mind of the S (and the tire changes) over the AWD. Since I can't drive the S here (none anywhere around here), I can't really compare the 2 from one test drive to the next. I have driven the coupes and could tell a difference in how it felt to drive.

da mayor

iTrader: (2)

snow tires are the way to go w/ RWD and if you're an experienced driver you shouldn't have a problem. PM me if you want to take a short 8 hour road trip to NY and visit me. i'd be glad to help

clew84

My wife prefers the AWD option (even though she has been fine driving a 325i for the past 7 years). I am thinking the G will handle just as well as the 325 with snow tires. I have never had problems driving her car in the snow so RWD in the snow doesn't scare me.

What kind of mods are available to get the AWD more similar to the true sports package of the G37S? Specifically the suspension and brakes. Not sure the steering can be changed without some serious coin.



and mayor - thanks for the offer. I am working with a guy in St. Louis that my dad buys from and has sent like 8 people to. So I get to combine a trip to see my dad and get a car.