Favorite thing about your 89-96 Q45?

[Jesda]

Favorite thing about your 89-96 Q45?

[louiegz]

I voted Comfort, but actually, my favorite thing is that it's paid for.

[qsiguy]

I voted Comfort, but actually, my favorite thing is that it's paid for.

Copy that! Except I voted Performance. A car that I own outright and has higher than average performance...nice.

[chinaonnitrous]

Motor.........

Final drive kinda sucks.......

So its not really peformance.

Even the models with both swaybars still feel a little boatish.

ok, how about a category for Engine performance?

Because I'm totally happy with the car in general. But they just fuxxored the gearing.

[elwesso]

if I could, id vote for everything, because i have yet to find a better combination of all those things.

[Jesda]

The only think I'd want more of is balance. With its nose-heavy fence-plowing understeer, it might as well be a Legend or Seville. When you have RWD without balance, all you're getting is poor winter performance.

[Peterofdevon]

I love all of the attributes too. It's my favorite car---heck I've owned three of them since 1991 and put over 300,000 miles on them.

I like the way they fit me.

Peter of ther three Qs

[nchopp]

The only think I'd want more of is balance. With its nose-heavy fence-plowing understeer, it might as well be a Legend or Seville. When you have RWD without balance, all you're getting is poor winter performance.

I don't have much of a problem with it in winter, actually. On the other hand, got brand new tires, and I'm VERY used to driving a RWD car in winter (learned on a '78 Olds Cutlass Supreme - you wanna talk about nose-heavy fence-plowing understeer...)

[elwesso]

The only think I'd want more of is balance. With its nose-heavy fence-plowing understeer, it might as well be a Legend or Seville. When you have RWD without balance, all you're getting is poor winter performance.

main problem is the tires..... The 20mm bar transforms the car.

[Vinsanity]

Because I'm totally happy with the car in general. But they just fuxxored the gearing.

AGREED.

[rsiwicki]

I voted Comfort, but actually, my favorite thing is that it's paid for.

I 2nd that....I have not had a car payment since early 2000 and enjoy it, although some of the Q45 repairs certainly do quickly add up to a hefty car payment in some months very quickly.

[CrimsonQ]

The uniqueness is what i love. I know it may be different in other areas, but here in KC the G50 Q is like an exotic enigma to most.

Ive been asked if it was a German car(most frequent question), if it was a Special lexus? WTF?? and Ive actually been asked if it was a "weird Italian Sedan"

[Q45denver]

Maybe Robert can do something with the TCU next?

[elwesso]

Maybe Robert can do something with the TCU next?

[redmanfx]

I love the fact that if you wanted to modify your early Q you had to actually do some research because theres no very much after market anything out there. You had to get up off you arss and actually do some digging in a sense proving your worthiness! That being said, when you come across someone who has done something to there Q to improve upon what's already an over engineered stock masterpiece, you've got someone who knows about this wonderful car, someone who has tasted and been captured! You can talk with them and be somewhat on the same level of Q knowledge and damn,.... it's nice to belong to only a selected few early G50 owners who truly know "that feeling" when driving.....AND you know what I mean because we strive to improve upon something we probably shouldn't.

NICO has brought many of us together because we wanted more knowledge about our Q's. We can take it as far as we dare and you can bet some of us will!!!!!

red

[Jesda]

main problem is the tires..... The 20mm bar transforms the car.

The issue is the physical transfer of weight which cant really be overcome by anything. The change from maddening understeer to hair-raising oversteer is too sudden and unnatural. With so much weight in the front, you don't get the satisfying "center of gravity" feel around a corner as you would in a Miata, 5-series, or 929. Instead, you're just clinging on with as much grip as you can before it breaks loose and turns you into a statistic. Fortunately(?), I now live in a part of the country where there really aren't any curves, but it would still be nice to fly into a highway ramp without flying off of it.

Another thing I love about the Q is the 90-93 badge. As a fan of the "rolling middle finger" design philosophy, I like cars that express themselves without concern for the conformist opinions of others.

The Q stands for all that is raw, powerful, and primal. Tarzan would drive a 1990 Q45.

[elwesso]

The Q doesnt have perfect weight distribution but its really damn close IMO... 60/40 f/r..... Thats not so bad.. Most other cars you compare too also have rear sway bars to get rid of understeer..... The Q is strange in that it does not have a rear sway bar....

the rear sway bar really makes a difference!

[ceningolmo]

Does the sway bar that comes with the active suspension help negate some of the understeer felt on the standard suspension? Or, does the active suspension itself negate the benefit of the sway bar, therefore leaving the car with similar understeer?

Short of relocating weight (moving battery to trunk, or other options I am not aware of) are there other ways to help create better balance on the active?

Also, since I am on the topic of the active. What are the options with the suspension for an active? Am I limited to returning the active to stock performance and then tuning via computer? Or, are there mechanical options that might allow adjustment (springs, etc)?

[elwesso]

you can do everything to your suspension that I have done sans the lowering springs, theres also an aftermarket suspension controller available only in JDM land... Its called like an ASC664 or something. GreenQ45a has one on his 94 active.

Yes, the active Qs come standard with a rear sway bar, since I have a sway bar from an active Q

[ceningolmo]

Yes, the active Qs come standard with a rear sway bar, since I have a sway bar from an active Q

So... does the rear sway bar on have the same performance benefits on the active as it does for yours? Or, does the fact that it is on the active mean it has different charecteristics?

[elwesso]

technically it should be better.

[gniknave]

Jesda

The sway bar definitely makes a difference in my current Q vs. my last one as far as weight transfer goes. The California Custom springs, and the FSTB just make things that much better. Drive a stock Q and then drive one with 20mm rear sway, Cal Customs (or other said lowering springs), and an FSTB.

HUGE difference to say the least.

BTW: I like the uniqueness, but I also like everything else about it too. On top of that it's better than any car I've ever had - including the ones I financed.
Modified by Ev_eezy at 7:16 AM 1/14/2006

[Flagship-Q]

I'd love to test the difference. I was swaying (sea sawing) back and forth on the highway in my Q tesing the handling and it felt off balance to me. The front end with the factory swaybar and strut tower brace would turn in crisp but then the rear would lean out......definately a weird feeling. I need to get the rear active swaybar at the very least to get the car somewhat balanced.

[5seryan]

I'd say it would be the combo of luxery comfort and power. The mix is perfect.

[tkd_q45]

The fact that it's not a Lexus or an MB for that matter. I do like MBs but hate the "baggage" that comes w/the marque.

Love the look/body of the G50. I was following my wife (she drives the 96) home last night had a nice duration of time to admire the design. Still looks great! Love the fact that you don't see yourself coming and going.

The active does corner REALLY well. Does plow the front end though I do have crappy tires up front (HX MXM4s - why people pay so much for these crappy tires is beyond me!). To me it make this large sedan feel much more tosablle.

On my 92 G50 I also love the way it drove. Defenitely had a distinct feel (nicer/higher quality than the later G50s).

[PopPop]

Love the fact that Qs are a sleeper. People definitely under estimate the power of the Q.

[Raxephon]

I'd say it would be the combo of luxery comfort and power. The mix is perfect.

[HashiriyaS14]

On my 92 G50 I also love the way it drove. Defenitely had a distinct feel (nicer/higher quality than the later G50s).

Is this really the case? I got my first chance to eyeball a G50 up-close-and-personal for a long time today, and it was a later "grille" model. I've got to say, as compared to an LS400 or BMW of the same era, the G50 looked much more solid and well put-together.

I don't think I've ever really gotten that close to a "belt buckle" G50.

[Jesda]

I don't think I've ever really gotten that close to a "belt buckle" G50.

It has to do with the little things like the materials used on the door panels and dash, or the headliner. The headliner is the biggest giveaway of all. In 94 Nissan changed from a luxurious soft polyester-wool to a rough canvas-like material similar to the one in the Mercedes C-class.

The font on the gauges look cheesy to me. In 90-93 they used a font that appeared elegant and upscale. Later they switched to typewriter-like one that looks like the end credits on late 70s pornos (dont ask). The letters are thicker but the delicate elegance is gone.

94+ however have a nice overall ambience with wood, lighter tones, a covered center console, and a gold clock.

[elwesso]

It takes longer to grow on you when you really know what it was for... Read the entire road and track article on the Q, and tell me you dont like it anymore.