I was going on about the virtues of the SS 6MT when the OP started this thread. Sure it's unremarkably bland looking, but it's one heck of a full-size driver's car. Had the opportunity to drive one a few years ago, and wow what a car! Don't be fooled by its size, the SS suspension is impressive. And the power is intoxicating.

Great car... just fugly is all.

 

It's weird, I never mistake a SS for anything else, but I frequently have to do a double take to tell if a Caprice/Impala is an SS or not.

While I don't disagree that the suspension is impressive, I still think it's a heavy car, and it's dimensions rival 7 passenger SUVs. There is a certain tossability that smaller cars have, which the G had in spades.

 

I don’t know man, I’ve driven heavier cars than the G37 and seems they feel more planted and stable than the G. Driven an E39 and it weighed over 4,000 lbs. I could chuck that car into corners better than the G because of how much more stable it was. Same with the M56, weighs over 4,000 lbs but will spank my G37 around some corners. But they’re both smaller cars compared to the newer cars like the SS and are easier to toss around. I mean if you want to eliminate some body roll sway bars and wider wheels would be the answer. Can also change the dampers as well and you’ve got a really good handling car.

The SS is around 3,900 lbs but has 415 hp and 415 torque. Now that seems like a good recipe. Better to have a heavier car so the power can be used instead of a lighter one where too much power can make it uncontrollable. That’s just my opinion from experience with heavier cars. Only thing I don’t like about the SS is that magnetic suspension. God knows how much it would cost to have that mechanism repaired.

 

I agree with you Rochester. Road & Track even compared the SS to an E39 M5 and I thought wow, that's impressive- until I remembered how right BMW got that car so long ago and GM is just now catching up. The SS is so plain looking inside and out. I am sure it would be a really fun car on the street, but the ATS-V is a much better option for me on the track.

The G37 is not exactly light, but gaining the 53%/47% weight distribution and double wishbone suspension up front from the 370Z definitely helps the car handle. I did not have to do a whole lot to the car to make it handle great on track. It's like older BMW's- even with 400 hp the car still has no where near enough power to overshadow the handling capabilities.

Are you talking about driving only on the street? If two cars are exactly the same, but one weighs less, then the lighter car will corner, brake, and accelerate better- simple physics. The last thing you want for performance is a heavier car. This is why racing series penalize cars that are too fast by adding additional weight. If you have trouble putting power to the ground, then the issue is tires, not weight.

Magnetic shocks are probably not as cheap as regular shocks, but they seem to be the best option between a smooth ride and crazy good handling. I drove an ATS-V and I was shocked at how smooth the ride was. When I changed driving modes the suspension remained smooth, but firmed up quicker around corners. Then again, GM has a way of making enough parts or using the right suppliers so that their parts are pretty reasonable. I was pretty interested in getting a Z/28 track car and was pleasantly surprised that their massive carbon ceramic front rotors were less than 1/2 as expensive as any other car I had looked at. Don't get me wrong, they were still expensive.

 

I'm probably a year out, but the new Cherokee Trailhawk has caught my eye. Thinking about going to a small SUV next and it seems like one I could have quite a bit of fun with. It also feels kind of wrong to want it, though.

 

+1 on this those magnetic ride shocks are amazing IIRC the 2016+ Q50s now have something similar call dynamic digital suspension although the GM one is probably much more developed...Also, no kiidng about GM making parts cheaper to get... I have been doing some work on my friends C6 Z06 and ordered some parts...I cant believe how cheap everything is on those cars...I thought our infiniti's (Nissans) we cheap to maintian but GMs have them beat by far

 

I think the G37 handles amazingly even at stock form. I just think the whole weight issue that people are making is kind of bull crap. I understand the Tesla sedans that weigh 5000 and understeer like crazy; that’s too much weight. But 4,000 isn’t a big deal. I remember seeing the old videos of an E39 M5 taking on the Nurburgring track. Car handles so well, even for weighing 4,000 pounds.
For me personally, I don’t really care that much about the weight. It’s not really about the weight of the car but more about the driver personally. If you can control a 4000 lb car better than a lighter one and make faster laps around the ring, that is impressive. But then again I don’t know why weight would be that big of an issue on the streets unless you’re a Schumacher.

 

On the street a few hundred pounds is not a big deal. On the track it is. You said earlier that heavier cars handled better and thought they would accelerate better. Unfortunately this is not true. Completely different cars that weigh more may rarely handle better than a lighter car due to some other advantage (better tires, suspension, chassis). But if everything is equal between the two cars the lighter car will out handle and out accelerate the heavier car. Newton's 3rd law of physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So to overcome more weight you need more power to accelerate or more grip to corner.

It looks like Sabine Schmitz in your video. She ran an 8:13 in the E39 M5 at the Nurburgring. Decent for the time, but technology has vastly improved the breed as that time is pretty slow for a performance car now. If weight were the key to good handling, then how is it possible that the Alfa Romeo 4C did a lap of the Nurburgring in only 8:04 with a measly 237hp?

 

So the ATS-V that I thought was very close to what I wanted that sold last week now has pictures and there is a chance it becomes available again. This is the 1st one I have found that has literally everything I want and is even in the Velocity Red that I thought was not available until the next year. Part of me wants the car to become available, but part of me wants to wait for one with lower mileage as this one is at 47k. What do you guys think?

 

It's gorgeous, and unique, and probably awesome in every possible way, and YOLO and the heart wants, blah blah blah.

And you have a young family at home, and you just blew a wad of dough on a European vacation.

You're asking for advice, honestly mine is that your car is modded pretty much as far as you can go without forced induction, so drive it and enjoy it for another year at least before jumping into something new and expensive.

There are no wrong answers. Decisions like this are relative, so most advice from strangers probably doesn't apply.

 

Well you have basically hit the nail on the head as far as the two sides of the coin we all look at in terms of logic vs. want. I am excited that after almost a year of searching a few times a week I finally found ONE ATS-V that is exactly the way I want it. (Who knew these were even harder to find than a clean G37S sedan 6spd?)

On the other hand, I still have over 2 years of extended warranty left on my car and a few more things I want to do to it. I have to think the more I wait the better my chances of finding one with low mileage.

Right now this car is currently sold and the deal could fall through, but they could also come pick the car up tomorrow, so the decision may ultimately not be up to me.

 

I'd hold off, but only because of the mileage. A quick google search shows mostly '16s up for sale--probably coming off of 3 year leases. I'd wait until the next batch cycles off lease later in the year and into 2020.

FYI, Sewell Cadillac in Dallas has 6 ATS-V sedans for sale, one is a red 6MT CPO that doesn't have any pictures posted yet https://www.sewellcadillac-dallas.co...-TX/3450280853

 

Wow, a 9 second difference against a mid engine race car Chrysler and a 20 year old luxury sports sedan that was never really meant for the track with manual transmission. That’s pretty impressive for a Bimmer twice the weight of that Chrysler filled with driver’s aids.

I’m not saying more weight necessarily makes it handle better or accelerate quicker. Look at the new ZR1, so much power for a 3500 lb sports car but nobody is able to put the power down in that car without spinning out or being such a skilled driver even then you can still see it spinning. Hell, it’s barely usable in a track as well with a 51/49 wd. Of course a heavier car is harder to brake and move the inertia from side to side at a track, but if you are skilled enough of a driver it won’t really bother you. I will say though, a heavier car is noticeably more stable at very high speeds compared to lighter cars. Don’t ask me how I know.

And dude, just buy that ATS-V already. I see you posting pics of it and lusting over it for weeks. You’ve been looking for how long? Just go get it because it seems like a car you really like. Who cares about what the wife thinks. You’ve got money for a reason and that’s to spend it.

 

I am glad you are starting to see that excess weight in no way helps performance. The ZR-1 is an issue of massive amounts of power and limited grip. More weight in the ZR-1 would hinder, not help acceleration, braking, and handling. More grip would help that car- like adding AWD.

Contrary to popular belief, a heavier car is not more stable at "very high speeds compared to lighter cars." That has to do with aerodynamics, not weight. For example, when I was in Europe on the Autobahn back in April driving a 4,000+ lb rental car it would only do about 130 mph before the front end got very light and unstable due to the aerodynamics. There are many cars which are a lot lighter, but due to good aero and positive downforce they actually feel much more stable at significantly higher speeds.

Thanks for your input on the ATS-V. Your comment made me go look up the start of this thread and it looks like it has been almost 2 years now that I have been looking for this car. Yikes, that is a long time! I finally found one just the way I want and it is sold. Go figure.

 

Thanks for trying to find a car for me Lego. There are 2 reds and the one you found at Sewell is a dark maroon (not my favorite) and it is missing the Performance Data Recorder as well as some other features. But I do appreciate the effort. I agree with you on the mileage. I was initially planning to wait until the 2017's became more prevalent because I thought that was the 1st year of the bright red and I think they also upgraded the touchscreen. The best things come to those who wait, right?