My biggest complaint about the G has always been that it's way too heavy and very hard to push off the line and around corners. I've come to respect the Lotus formula for manipulating power to weight ratios by retaining only the necessities. And so I've come to a fork in the road:

1. Sell the G and step into a 2004-2007 Subaru STi (one of my all time favorite cars), or
2. Keep the G and work on weight reduction.

Which one would you pick? Of course, I'm not talking about stripping the interior but practical mods like lighter seats, wheels/rotors, battery, pulley, flywheel, and taking out the spare.

And if I end up with the latter, does anyone know if the 370z seats fit?
Someone in my area is selling a pair of Nismo seats for a decent price.
Any and all advice is welcome. I'm not sure why I've been unhappy with my G lately...it must be the weather

 

Don't waste your time and money trying to make the G something it's not. No matter what you do to the G, it will never fill the void of an STi.

 

Weight reduction in this car is kind of like a 400 pound person who decides to eat a salad once a week. Sure it'll help and it's better than doing nothing, but it's not going to make a meaningful difference unless you step it up to another level. IMO you can't really do much with weight reduction on our cars without destroying much of what they're about.

If you care more about jackrabbit starts and carving every corner, get the Subie and go nuts.

 

Or just get a Lotus

 

And never drive it because it's always broken

 

^^ This. An Elise is like $25-35k all day. I just hope you're interested in noise and dudes cuz chicks aren't into fixing their hair all the time and its one of the noisiest road legal go karts out there.

 

I've actually given this some thought before, but my name isn't Colin Chapman

 

I'm just trying to find ways to make myself happier with what I currently have. I know the STI is a money pit so this is my way of coping with that void.

I'm not one to launch my car at every stoplight or force my tail to break loose on every turn. But it's more of a philosophy of efficiency that I'm more in tune with. And by efficiency, I don't mean getting Prius mpg's but doing more with less.

 

Get yourself a motorcycle. You'll be passing everyone without giving it a second thought. 0-60 times don't even matter in motorcycle terms. Some high performance stock bikes do the 1/4 in ~10s (or less). What car under $100K can do this?

 

Do what makes you happy, you know the g platform will always be that big breast female you been eyeing, nice to look at, fun to play with, expensive to modify and/or up keep but not for everyday purposes....

 

Ya if you want to feel some speed get a bike. I have a 2004 Honda Shadow and even for a cruiser it puts 90% of cars to shame at the line. With only 65 HP my bike can hit 115-120. Who needs to go faster than than on public roads. I couldn't even imagine what a bullet bike would be like, although getting one is on my bucket list.

 

I used to have a Suzuki GS750 and I lived in a state that had a heavy winter season, so I would take it off the road (winterize, suspend insurance). Every spring when I got it back on the road and nailed it, it took time to get used to the acceleration and hang onto those handle bars.

Problem with bikes are the other people.

 

So you could always pick up a 370Z. You'll drop 400-500 pounds right there. Other than that, I too felt the G was heavy, floaty, and generally didn't compose itself well in (especially) high speed cornering and understeered like a pig in the low speed stuff.

Switching to higher rate springs really changed my view on things and it's made a night and day difference in the car. I think slightly wider front rubber will be the final piece to the puzzle while keeping everything else stock. Granted, I started out with an IPL which has higher rate springs and larger roll bars to start. From there I went up 2kg front and rear over the IPL rates. I'm a very happy camper. It's just stupid how hard this thing sticks in the corners. Can't wait to try out the new Pilot Sport 4S next spring. I'm a former Evo guy but admittedly, I'd find it hard to go back to something like the Evo or the STi. I could see myself in an RS3 or M2 however.

 

BMW was my void. I tried to fill it by modding the G, it didn't work. I'm just trying to give you honest advice. I also love STis, not the genital
Type. I don't see any modifications that will fill that void. It's cheaper to maintain an STi than try and make a G feel like an STi. I'm sorry if that wasn't what you were hoping to hear.

 

my interior is almost completely gutted, running 18"s, titanium exhaust, usually just 1 bucket seat, steering wheel, etc.. and yes, it makes a big difference. Still plenty of other areas to shed weight but the car will always be heavy -- i still haven't gotten used to it.

on the other hand, it looks great and isn't something you see as much.

also, neither 350 nor 370z rails will bolt in without modifications.