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There are a few things I think hamper the stock handling. First, it's a balance between ride quality, NVH and grip/handling. I think most of the G line is undersprung which is why swats make such a difference. I also think it's under tired too, especially at the front.
Absolutely yes, on all points. I run 14kg/mm coilovers in the front, and it's still slightly undersprung for the weight. You could also try squaring up the front tires with the rear - it'll kill some of the understeer that's built into the cars.
I track my car, I know how this car handles. And I can tell you that it can keep up with a lot of things you wouldn't expect, even in the corners.
Order yourself a 370 rear sway bar, start there, if not happy then hotchkis F/R.
Most have been happen with g37s/370z rear sway bar, and drop the vehicle a tad on swift springs and I think that will provide significant improvement on a stock setup.
Others mentioned tires..huge part of the equation!
Just want to add that RWD sway bars do not fit AWD models. So you will not be able to cross suspension parts with the 370Z or any RWD G.
Hotchkis sways are what you need. Plus max perf summer tires like Michelin PSS, Bridgestone RE71r, Conti DW, or Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2.
Haha comparing to a Supras handling is a joke, they cant take corners at all lol. My coupe only has Tein Springs and BFGoodrich G-Force tires and I've always led the pack around the twisties. I walk away from GTR's, EVO's, BRZ's, Miata's, Subies, Coyotes, Vettes and the ONLY type of car that's ever been hard to keep up with was the M series BMW, those thigns are nuts. If you think the G cant handle, you've got some bad tires or need to learn to trust it and drive harder! Here's some picture proof of the cars I roll with.
My previous DD was a Z and when I first got my G37s I thought it was pretty soft in the corners. One of the best modes is sway bars, changed the entire handling of the car in corners. If your tires are relatively new look to add these to improve handling.
Put a G37S rear sway bar and the handling will change drastically.
I replaced the rear sway bar on my G37x sedan with a G37S rear sway bar (it fit without problems)
Maybe some aftermarket sway bars like Hotchkis may do a better job, but i am happy with the X sway on the front and S sway at the rear.
And Hotchkis sway bar set is at least 3 times the price of OEM sway bar set.
Initially, there was a BIG handling difference between my G37x sedan and the G37s convertible. The vert toke corners waaay better than the sedan.
After replacing the rear sway bar, they are almost identical in handling.
Now, the vert feel's heavier then the x sedan but still take's the corners bit more easy because of better steering rack ratio.
I will check if there is anything that can be done to the G37x steering rack.
If it can't be replaced with an S steering rack, maybe we can replace only the pinion to change the ration.
That will make the X sedan an AWSOME handling car(for it's weight).
The OEM springs and dampers are pretty good for handling.
So switching to coilovers is not really necessary to improve the handling.
Oh... the S vert also have the BBK akebono brakes, while the sedan have the standard slide pin brakes setup.
With akebono ceramic pads on the sedan, there is very little difference on braking performance.
I was thinking to upgrade the sedan to BBK setup but after using the akebono pads on it, i changed my mind...
Using this pads i get about the same braking performance with a fraction of the cost of upgrading the calipers.
And as a bonus, almost NO brake dust on the wheels
I owned a 96 Maxima for many years. If you think that FWD understeering pig handles better than a G37 coupe I don't think that there's anything anyone can tell you. You must have gotten a broken one. Or maybe the crappy tires are to blame.
Could not have said this better.
Afterseveral bmw's and subaru's I can say that my g37 coupe handles quite well. For example compared to the lexus is350 it is considerably better.
Is it the best handling car I have ever driven? No of course not still it is miles better than the fwd boats...
It's been interesting reading everyone's replies. Thank you for sharing your perspectives and experiences, as well as information- I've learned some things.
Zonnie and Elco: Is the rear sway bar on the G37S different than the one on my G37xS?
And guys, no one mentioned a front strut bar...does it not make that noticeable a difference?
The G37xS use the exact same sway bars as the G37x.
The G37S rear sway bar is waaay thicker than the G37xS rear sway bar.
However, the G37x/G37xS FRONT sway bar is thicker than the G37S front sway bar.
So G37x (or xS) with stock x front sway bar and rear S sway bar is the best combination using OEM sway's.
The REAR sway bars are compatible from S to X models.
The FRONT sway bars are different from S to X models due to X having the front differential taking some space...
G37 is a rigid car (except the convertible) So the stunt bar won't make a difference on G37 sedan or coupe.
Absolutely yes, on all points. I run 14kg/mm coilovers in the front, and it's still slightly undersprung for the weight. You could also try squaring up the front tires with the rear - it'll kill some of the understeer that's built into the cars.
I track my car, I know how this car handles. And I can tell you that it can keep up with a lot of things you wouldn't expect, even in the corners.
I'm actually going with a square setup on my IPL as we speak! Wheels came in yesterday.
A note on sway bars. Sway bars essentially tie both sides of your suspension together. We have an independent suspension for a reason. Going with the biggest bar available is a band-aid/quick fix. It should be a balance between sway bar stiffness, spring rate and shock valving. A damper (shock) with more low speed compression damping will do wonders in controlling body motion but not at the expense of suspension articulation. Bigger isn't always better. And if you don't have the tires to take advantage of a larger sway bar, you're simply loosing mechanical grip.
The G's steering gives tons of feedback. It did take me a while to wrap my head around the handling characteristics. I think it came down to the camber/toe changes created by the suspension's arc when going through fast corners. For a long time it didn't feel "natural" to me for lack of a better term. But even with the stock Bridgestones and suspension, it stuck pretty well. Now that I've swapped out the springs and dampers for quality suspension components, it's on another level altogether. I've not touched my sway bars which are larger than what you have but they are puny compared to the Hotchkins.
I don't know what other options there are for you given you have an AWD model.
Sometimes I don't think everyone understands the function of sway bars. Or actually anti sway bars to be proper.
Stiffening the rear sway bar (thicker isn't necessarily stiffer) makes the car more prone to oversteer, softening the front bar has the same effect. Stiffening the bar at the front makes the car tend toward understeer and so does softening the rear. Changes at either end do not exist in a vacuum. You don't absolutely have to replace them in pairs, but a matched pair should give better overall handling balance than just replacing one, particularly on a RWD car. The balance between front and rear stiffness is what gives the car cornering balance without making it so stiff that every undulation is the pavement is like driving over a sinkhole. There is such a thing as too stiff, so the adjustability offered by having multiple stiffness settings lets a driver who knows their car and their driving style set it to their preferred amount of over/understeer. Also if it's over stiffened crappy tires will lose grip and the stiffness is wasted.
On the FWD understeering machine that is the OP's Maxima, the overall balance was fairly good from the factory for a front heavy, front drive car. But stiffening only the rear with a stiffer sway bar did a great job of balancing the car in corners.
EDIT: Ape Factory above posted while I was posting. Great info and insights.
To be fair I found my 37x to be quite floaty on stock suspension. Eibach ProKit and RWD rear sway and I'm very happy with the way it handles. Not so much my wife as I tend to corner quite hard now
