SteveZ

iTrader: (3)

Doesn't need one - without the huge cutout for a hatch, the body itself is plenty stiff for all but extreme use. There is continuous body metal and Al sandwich between the place where the mounts bolt in, both top and bottom, unlike the Z, which is more like a "U" shape until you tie the sides together with the brace you see. All the G has is a hole cut for the trunk pass-through, I see very little benefit to trying to brace the top mounts in a G Coupe. Even up front, the towers are bolted into so much sheet metal I don't see as much benefit in having a FSB. The curb weights are damn close for a Sports Car to Sports Coupe stock, the G used an Al hood and trunk lid, and doesn't have a 78 lb fishing weight hatchback to deal with. A lot of the reason for the Coupe not being a lot heavier despite the extra inches and two seats is in that hatch, and use of lighter materials in a few other places. Only wheelbase is longer; track is the same (71" I think).

I had my '03 350Z for 2 years, my '04 G Coupe for 3+ years now, all I would say from a stiffness point of view is initially the G Coupe had softer spring rate in the rear (same in the front) which changed in later model years to same as 350Z (300-350 vs. about 425 ft-lbs). You may want to consider changing the front and rear springs/dampers at some point. I once hit a surprise frost heave at night, at near triple digits and bottomed out the rear suspension to the bump stops, hard enough to hit my head on the roof.

You'll also want to consider upgrades to the front and rear sways, while they are beefy stock, given better rear mounts and something like the Hotchkis sways, noticeable improvement. You still have under-body bracing, the suspension assemblies are nearly identical, IMHO the chassis is plenty stiff for other than all-out track use (in which case I'd rip the car down to nothing and spot weld all the seams anyway).

I also found one of the most noticeable improvements in either car was buying the "Hardbar" that ties the pillars together with about a 2.5" round Al bar that threads into the seat belt mounts. I had the benefit of running some laps in NH without the bar in my Z, then installing the bar first w/o harness, that was a very noticeable improvement. The seat belts just relocate to the bar, which in 03 was good for getting rid of the clip BS. I have mixed feelings using the bar with a harness, although I liked it a lot, the hardbar is no substitute for a roll cage. That's a downside to protection in a roll-over accident where your body is in a harness vs. a seatbelt and cannot slide down and off the seat at all. It sure tightens up the chassis, though. Too bad its a hazard for the rear passengers, I cannot use one full time in my G-Coupe.

Really what you first notice the most between the two cars is a) seating position relative to the road about 2-3" higher in the coupe, that's annoying, and b) the extra wheelbase does a lot to smooth out the ride, even though it's not that much. You don't get the bucking on freeway expansion joints that I had i my Z. The Z also seems "harsher" partly just because the soundproofing is better in the Coupe. The rear isn't as tightly sprung and w/o a sway upgrade you notice more body roll, mostly again from the rear - but $300 fixed that nicely for F&R Sway replacements. I can only really speak for the older models, I have not driven an '06/'07 350Z or G-Coupe, so given the changes like stiffer rear springs in the G, you may find things are closer now.

One thing that hasn't changed is I only paid about $26.7k for my Base 350z, compared to a minimum of $32-35k for G35 Coupe, simply because you have to load up with leather and other things to get into the 6MT. It's not too hard to option up a G35 to $40k MSRP pretty quickly. The Z was and remains a heck of a bargain, especially the lower end models, and the fact now there is a used market which did not exist when I ordered mine in 2002.

RBlover69

iTrader: (2)

^ very good write up. The 06+ have more sound dampening and a higher softer spring rate in the rear. My 04 def heard more road noise and was lower. I would say your explaination best explains it uptop thought for the most part.

jinsei888

iTrader: (14)

well executed!

kel

iTrader: (1)

just get the arc, vrt, or richie front strut bar and stillen rear bar

RBlover69

iTrader: (2)

thanks,


and as kel said above i believe vrt has a strut bar for the G and the rest can all be taking care of by bracing and suspension mods.

350Zenophile

iTrader: (20)

From edmunds:

Full article

jondimellow

iTrader: (3)

rsx is faster

rlwjr1

iTrader: (3)

Is Hardbar the brand or just a name, you know like Kleenex? I went to Hardbarusa.com and all they show is C4/5 stuff.

SteveZ

iTrader: (3)

It is a brand name, that should be the right place. They are big into vettes, but those are the same guys in New Hampshire. I'd just contact them, they may not have Z gear online.

Not sure if another place is still out under this name, but try "Avalon Racing NH", too.

HTH