PalmerWMD wrote:I agree AWD is not a pancea in all conditions and the simplicity of a RWD has some attraction as well.

Still nice to be able to get G's that feature it.

Fred..

If I lived in an area with bad weather (lots of precipitation), I would consider AWD. But where I live (no snow and occassional rain), which is in the country in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains, I want RWD for less weight and for sporting, tail-happy driving in the twisties.

Micah wrote:Actually, unless the pavement is wet, I'd rather have RWD. AWD cars understeer too much at the limit, so they aren't as fast in tight twisties. My friend with a highly modded S4 gets left behind in a hurry by his friend in a stock E36 M3 when we go to the mountains.

Have they ever swapped to see if it's all car or part driver?

Rex wrote:Have they ever swapped to see if it's all car or part driver?

Yeah, they've swapped. Both are very good drivers. Both frequently run their cars at Road Atlanta on track days and have lots of experience driving hard. The S4 guy was amazed at how much better the M3 handled when he drove it. Also, the M3 guy hated driving the S4 during an autocross event because it loved to plow cones, compared to his M3.

That's because S4's plow, and yes, most AWD cars plow stock. But, with a little bit of suspension tweaking, and a little bit-o-power, the plow will dissapear out of almost any AWD chassis

stoops417 wrote:That's because S4's plow, and yes, most AWD cars plow stock. But, with a little bit of suspension tweaking, and a little bit-o-power, the plow will dissapear out of almost any AWD chassis

Like I said before, the S4 is far from stock. It has H&R coilovers, forged wheels and high-performance tires, and some engine mods yielding about 400lb/ft of torque. It might have an RSB, too, but I can't remember. And the stock M3 (236lb/ft) with mismatched tires (and not very good ones) pulled away everytime when things got twisty. RWD for me.

oh, i missed that part... If he's plowing, he should be able to dial in some more rotation with those coil-overs. (assuming he has the adjustible dampers also)

Ok, did yall miss the point of the Attessa AWD system? RWD most of the time and then AWD when needed. Most AWD cars push into corners cause they have a viscous centre coupling. When ya dive into corners the front wheels want to turn slightly faster than the rear (caint xplain it, it just happens). The coupling tries to force the front to turn at the same rate as the rear, reducing front traction and inducing push. Attessa or whats in the G35X disengages the front drive when not needed so you have turn in just like RWD. Ok, granted there is a little drag from the cv joints and transfer case, so ya don't get exactly the same turn in as total RWD. Now when you nail the throttle past the apex and the rear starts to drift the front engages and pulls you out of the corner. This is why the skyline (R32-34) is quick as all hell on the road course.Ill gratefully accept the extra 300# for all wheel dirve when (or if) it becomes available on the G35 Coupe. Ill make up for it with boost (Greddy VQ35DETT).

Just my 0.02 cents. I was in the market for a new G and test drove both AWD and RWD. X version felt somewhat heavier and turns were not as much fun as RWD version. Also the feeling on the steering on RWD is so much better. On the other hand G35x is much more versatile car and if I didn't have awd volvo suv already the X would have been my choice.

However somebody said it right on this forum before, AWD is for sissies. If you're real car performance freak RWD is way to go.

What are some more of the details on the AWD system on the X? MotorTrend(or one of the other 3) touched on the ride height lifting 1" when AWD is engaged at certain velocities. What is the purpose of this? Sounds like something that will add a good chunk of the 300#+ mass.