So, we both get to the next traffic light about 2 miles away. I thought it was over, and there he was on the next lane, with a full quater mile ahead of both us to the next light. He didn't rev his engine, but I knew intuitively that this guy was itching to spank me this evening. He wanted to teach the little G a lesson of his life----and I felt so small next to this truck. My whole manhood and over 1.5 years of carefully modding my car, was on the line. It was now or never. All the cars behind us seemed to know that something was about to happen. They knew this truck would spank me and that I had no chance---I was the underdog.

Finally, as my heart raced in anticipation, the light turned green, and his reaction time was as good or exactly as mine. His truck had so much torque that it literally stood still for about 1 - 2 seconds burning rubber as its wheels spinned without ceasing, while my car was well on its way. The Dode RAM engine---probably a Hemi engine in it, was screaming while its wheels spinned. By the time he gained traction, inspite of all the power it had, I was two car lengths ahead of him. It wasn't even close. All I was eagerly praying for was for my car to reach 4500 RPM as quickly as possible so that my testpipe and Royal Purple engine oil can takeover and finish the Dodge RAM for good. I had salvaged the reputation of the G at last with a V-8. This was my first time seeing a street truck literally burn so much rubber in attempts to take off with massive power.

This moment will remain in my heart and mind for years to come. The other day, i told you guys that a Corvette had a hard time outrunning me, which he surprisingly did not achieve.

I am 200% pleased with the setup of my car. I have no doubt that my G will keep up or spank many lightly modified V-6 and even some stock V-8s.

My G is a 2007 G-35 coupe 6MT with 5/16 Spacer, Motordyne Mrevv, JWT Popcharger with z-tube, Strupp test pipes, Stillen cat-back exhaust, Royal Purple engine oil, Nitrogen filled Toyo Proxes T1R tires (245 x 35 x 19 front, and 275 x 35 x 19 in the rear), Chevron gas (93 Octane), and a slightly adjusted OEM clutch for shorter distance and travel during shifting. Of course, all my driving is done with VDC OFF. And my tires Toyo tires have 16,000 miles on them--excellent tires.

Moral of story: Too much torque without appropriate tires and good handling, can be a huge disadvantage.

Modified by Jacko3 at 4:45 AM 12/8/2008

I was at the edge of my seat, with my heart racing!
That post was pretty epic...

Good stuff

2003 5AT Coupe
Z-tube + Stillen intake, Motordyne 5/16 iso thermal spacer, Gialla grill, Ings+1 eyelid, UTR front lip (needs to be painted/installed)

I wasn't impressed.

F/S:G35/350Z/FX35/Altima Grounding Kits

What are you running? Brake Setup Poll -- Plenum/Spacer/Intake Manifold

I am impressed because that sucker Dodge Ram has almost 350 horsepower under the hood. I guess the G's weight to power ratio is better than that of the Dodge Ram.

I'm not sure what year Ram it was. I'm sure it had the Hemi because of the driver's attitude and the huge "hemi" logo on the side of the truck.

This happened earlier this year, so I assume it was an 06/07, but I'm not sure. Has there been a significant power change in the past couple of years?

Also, I think my lightweight flywheel is what's causing my G to put down some much more peak HP than most other Gs. Do you have any plans on dynoing your G in the near future? I'm SUPER curious to see your TQ and HP curves.

a G with bolt ons beat a corvette??
good story however.

I am planning to dyno the thing. I have called around and I am told it will cost about $100 for three runs. Yes, i think it was an 06/07. It was brand new and black. I am so glad I salvaged the G's reputation when it mattered.

Check this article out to see why a G-37 and a G-35 could technically take on the vette on the low end---Power to weight ratio and volumetric efficiency.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com...earch

Modified by Jacko3 at 1:28 PM 12/8/2008

I think this challenge is enough . I wanna save my clutch for another day.

I have a Quad Cab Dodge Ram in my driveway. My truck is not for racing - it is for hauling. IT will however will kill my G in a race - in the snow or loaded down with a ton or more of materials from home depot.

Modified by Cali 2 Balti G at 2:54 PM 12/8/2008

I don't have a video of Dieselman's Dodge anymore. When we were in Phoenix for NOPI 2007, he had his Cummins powered Ram out there. He was running really low 13's and had they sprayed VHT on the starting like, he would have been into the 12's. That truck would eat our G's alive.

Oh, i just found out this evening that i may have smoked this guy without even getting to 7,000 RPM. This evening I decided to check things out again and I just realized that since I added test pipes to my car, I haven't even been approaching the 7,000 RPM for a while because it is so loud and there is so much torque and horsepower already, beyond 4500 rpm, before it reaches 7,000RPM---a lot of work to keep pushing down that pedal already.

Modified by Jacko3 at 7:20 PM 12/8/2008

Time to do some reading Jacko!

Ya know, it just feels good to make a guy in a Merc think about wanting to buy a G when I have his behind handed out to him.

Quote, originally posted by Jacko3 »

Yep, that picture shows the type of Dodge Ram I met last night. Ya know, nothing feels as good as a kill, especially with a car with more power than my car. Don't take this joy away from me, I beg you, please. It does feel good to kill a giant every once in a while in a G.

Power isn't everything. Your thread about power to weight ratio emphasizes this. Seems rather contradictary to highlight power-to-weight in a thread, then ignore it completely in another. But I'll tell you what. Your G has at least 3 times the power of my bike. Its relatively low in power compared to the "R" series sportbikes out today. I guarantee it will put you to shame though. Especially if all you are comparing is HP.

Can't remember everything as we age, can we? And by the way these are just casual discussions and forgetfulness can and will occur. I also said the Merc was heavy.

Anwho, I routinely go at it with the super bikes on my secret track and the guys i go with are damn good riders in my estimation. On the curves and twisties, the G does keep up. But on the straight way, those bikes are so fast that I have had some of them pass me on just the rear wheel. But as always, the G is a relatively balanced ride on curves and twisties and it does keep up with those bikes as much as you might rever those bikes, on those twisties especially when they slow down to adjust the the bike to the right angle and position, as they go through the curves.

I don't know what type of bike you have, but the ones I have gone with are no slouches either (I don't know these bikes by name). And i can tell you from first hand experience that the g-35 is not the best drag car but on a twisty and curvy road, till date, no other car has even come close to me, even a Dodge SRT-8. The bikes you mention, only gain the advantage once the road straightens out and they are really never that far ahead by enough margin to give me a decisive lead, and then the next curve and twisty is aroung the corner and i gain all that lead back. My secret track only gives them enough straightway to make enough distance and then the curves show up again, and ai make up for it.

The only thing missing in my secret track is vertically undulating roads or steep angled inclines. Besides that, its a flat plane with numerous curves to satisfy an amateurs desire for speed combined with handling. On the secret track, its all about handling and braking---learning to tap the brakes precisely and precise steering. Even then, it can be hair-raising sometimes as ai do feel i am loosing control in rare cases.

My experience so far is that the OEM sway bars of the G-35 is is slightly soft on curves at much higher speeds and it needs to stiffened. So, next year, i am buying Stillen Swar Bars that have multiple settings on them---soft and hard to stiffen the suspension a little bit. Next in line after that wil be braces. I will wait until my warranty is up to add exhuast manifold--my dealership warned me about not adding it yet. The OEm brakes are good but they fade realtively very quickly. But they are sufficient for now, for my purposes. And after about 3 laps, I take the car to the highway for f ew miles, and drive normally so that the brakes can cool. These are just my experience.

Modified by Jacko3 at 4:17 PM 12/9/2008

I think an s2000 would kick our G's butt in curves, so would a our "little cousin" the 350Z and let's not forget all of the AWD vehicles.

I love my G and it has potential, it's just a jack of all trades and master of none

While I have been a good sport about this issue. I think a Dodge RAM can beat many G's depending on the G's set up. With the right set of tires, a Dodge RAM has more than enough torque to make mince meat of many G's, even with the disadvantage of the power-to-weight ratio. So, I am doubtful about the opinions I have heard about Dodge RAMS being slouches. I am skeptical of the opinions that a G will ALWAYS BE FASTER than a Dodge RAM with a Hemi engine, or with cars that have a slight power-to-weight ratio disadvantage. It is not unusual for others to make themselves happy about the capabilities of their cars on straight ways, even when reality is before us. I am a realist about my G. The G is a heavy car and it requires so many modifications to bring it to life, Many of the cars I discuss, have no modifications whatsoever and they are just as quick in their own right. Yet, I love the G not because it is the fastest, but because of how it feels and how it handles on curves with the right set of tires--a real drivers car.

I have gone at it with several Corvettes and none has taken off the lot faster than I, but almost always, they do eventually give me a decisive lead as they pick up speed. I have gone at it with a Dodge SRT-8 and I can tell you that this is the car you really need to stay away from. It was quicker off the lot than a Corvette and it is lightning fast----before you are able to accelerate, its two car lengths ahead of you. I am still impressed with the SRT-8. I have even gone at it with a Dodge SRT-4 and it will spank many Gs out there beyond the quarter mile--doesn't have as much power as the G but a better power-to-weight ratio.

I have gone at it with a Lexus LS 460 and a Mercedes E-class and none of these cars, inspite of their weight ar slouches. The E -class has a very good low end torque and its weight is a disadavantage and the G will not give it that much of a gap--nothing beyond 1 car length. The lexus LS 460 on the top end will run down any G but it seeemed to have a slower response in achieveing such an end--again, its weight.

In fact, i have even got at it with a latter model 3.28i ( I think a 1998 - 20002, I am not sure) and the G was only able to give it a 1.5 car length after a mile. That little thing could keep up and it took up to the third gear and higher RPMS to break away form that little thing.

When you don't give a car more than a car length, then you just barely made it past the other car. And i doubt many Gs are capable of giving many of these cars more than a full car length of gap from a dead start. So, in essence, that does not make smoking any of these cars easy.

Now, when you take all these cars to a twisty and curvy road, the game changes drastically and dramatically. The G will not struggle to keep up with even a Corvette, in fact, these other cars will work hard to keep up with the G, as I have gone at it with an SRT-8 and I was surpised how agile the G was on twisties and curves. Again, the drivers i met may not have been comfortable with those curves and twists--I don't know.

Again, I am entitled to my opinon, and again, I am the one who goes to a twisty track routinely. I don't have to pay for it---its free race track for 4 miles both ways--2 miles each, and I go there at least twice a week to improve my skills and to stretch the legs of the G a little. Again, lets be real about the true potential fo the G-35 Coupe--it looks nice, drives nice, but is it really that much of a performer on a straight way without a power adder which costs an arm and a leg?

Modified by Jacko3 at 4:57 PM 12/9/2008

I'm going to assume that I have an overly powerful 6mt coupe and leave it at that. Since I dynoed much higher than heavier modded other 6mt coupes, I guess I just have a better engine or the flywheel is showing it's colors.

I've put a couple of car lengths between me and a late 90s M3 (much more capable than the 328i). I had delayed reaction against the Hemi Ram and put a few car lengths between us.

I don't make it as much of a point as you do to street race, but the few times that I have have show that the G is more capable than these "slow" cars you talk about. You've got to realize that my only mods are a K&N; drop in filter, a blocked off stock intake baffle (just one). Blox plenum spacer, polished lower plenum (haven't had a chance against anything since this mod). Grounding wires, and a lightweight flywheel.

Exhaust is still stock, I'm just running mobil 1, I have stock rear tires...etc.

If I can take on these cars and I'm not claiming "test driver" capabilities, what makes it so hard for you to take them on?

My boss was a pretty cool guy and he would let us take any car we want out to lunch on Saturday's. I was very curious what was faster my Maxima or the Daytona Ram. So I had a friend at work take the Ram and I drove my car. We found an old two lane country highway and had a race up to 160 (or 100mph). He got a bit of a jump because of my front wheel drive but as soon as I got traction again I just kept pulling away. by the time we got to 160 he was at least four or five cars behind. And there is no way my Maxima could ever stand up to a G.

I don't want to take the victory away from you though. nothing feels as good as wining a race when you fear you might loose. Its just a ram isn't that fast. And if it was the 2500 and not the 1500 that means it was even heavier.

In the end, I beat the Dodge RAM and it wasn't as easy as it is made to be, and those results cannot be consistently guaranteed. Its not like the other car is standing still and we are the only ones moving.

Now, if you make this argument on a twisty track, i will be the first to tell you that the G-35 and 350Z are formidable cars regardless of horsepower for many V-8s on a real track. Oh yes, I know because I spank v-8s all the time on my twisty secret track with a lot more ease and relaxation, and I do so with so much glee.

The only cars that surprised me on the twisties were not the big cars but the little cars like a regular Chevy Cobalt. The little cars seemed to be able to go through those turns with greater ease than many of the V-8s. Again, that was a surprise for me---somethig about their weight and how they deliver their power and torque to their wheels that allows them to stay on those curves a lot more tenaciously than the big cars. Don't underestimate a little car on a twisty and curvy road.

Modified by Jacko3 at 7:04 PM 12/9/2008

Modified by Jacko3 at 7:21 PM 12/9/2008

Quote, originally posted by Cali 2 Balti G »

Hey OP-no offense but A dodge ram weighs almost twice as much as a G - hemi or not - so I'm with the others in seeing your win as a hollow victory - I have a Quad Cab Dodge Ram in my driveway. My truck is not for racing - it is for hauling. IT will however will kill my G in a race - in the snow or loaded down with a ton or more of materials from home depot. Modified by Cali 2 Balti G at 2:54 PM 12/8/2008

A couple of my buddies have dodges, I wax them. Some even have some mods, and i still beat them.

Here's a video of my buddies truck. It's been featured in tons of magazines.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpP5r0X1_S8

They have a Ford GT too, and they said that truck blows it out of the water

Now, if you are talking about a 2007 and 2008 G-35 Sports sedan, then maybe I might start taking that argument seriously. But, a G-35 Coupe is does not smoke these cars as easily as it is being discussed here. I have driven both cars severely and I can tell you the difference. Now, on a twisty road and track, I maybe tempted to use a G-35 Coupe anyday anytime. The body framework of a G-35 Coupe seems better suited for the extreme--very little sway in comparison to a G-35 Sedan sports. I have put a loaner G-35 Sports sedan on my secret track and it is not the same as a sports tuned G-35 Coupe.

Here's a perfect example of a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 (5.7L Hemi).

The 1/4 mile time for this truck was 13.653. That's pretty awesome. That's equivalent to a G35 coupe with decent bolt-ons....oh!.....wait!!!

This truck was the regular cab short bed...ok, it's a little lighter...wait there's more...What's that? A turbo? Oh and he was running race gas too?

So here's some "proof", Jacko. A 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 regular cab/shortbed (much lighter than the 2500) with 6 psi of boost, c16 race fuel, modified final drive gears, and Nitto 555Rs was able to put down the same time as a G35 with basic bolt ons.

Still want to argue your point?

EDIT: There's another Hemi Ram on Dragtimes with intake, exhaust, and ECU upgrade running low 15s.

Again, I wouldn't be making this point, assuming we were talking about a 2007 and 2008 G-35 Sports Sedan with the HR engine. I have driven it hard and the result it produces is a lot more consistent than the results produced by the DE engine. And I can tell you without a doubt that if I had a G-35 Sports Sedan, no Dodge RAM will even come close to smoking me.

However, I love the DE engine simply because of its limitless ability to take punishment, which I suspect the HR engine can do too---see the many drag episodes of "Gwoods" a forum member, who has a more recent G-35 Sedan.

Now, you already know the mods on my car, and we both have the same revised DE engine. Now, if your argument was base don the fact that perhaps my testpipes was not producing as much torque on the low end as it should, perhaps, that argument would have been worthy of consideration. My experience so far with test pipes is that it helps the G-35 get off the lot faster--reduces wheel spin, put it lacks the torque to get it moving as fast, at least in 1st and second gear. However, once the RPM ranges get up to 4500 in third gear, the power it produces is unbeleivable--almost like 1 - 1.5 psi boost at 5,000 RPM even before you get to 7,000RPM. If at all, I found it hard to beat a Dodge RAM in my G, I would not hesitate to pin the blame on the test pipe at the low end and in lower gears. By the way, I love the test pipes very much. I love the sound.

Secondly, with test pipes, all the cars that want to challenge you start coming out of the woodworks and they mean business---something psychological about G-35 testpipes on other driver's desire to want to run with you.

I'd contend that if you are keeping up with them in any way shape or form, then either they are not all that good and/or their bikes are not all that good. A modern Sport Liter-Bike will spank just about any production car. Take a look at the magazine article posted in this link:

http://www.bayarearidersforum....44253

That's a Z06 up against a GSX-R1000. And the bike lapped about 7 seconds faster than the Z06. The article is from 2002, but I doubt even a even a newer Z06 or the new ZR-1 is going to be able to make up 7 seconds on such a short track. Let alone a G35...

But this really wasn't the point. The point was simply that beating a truck that grossly outweighs the G is not much of a comparison. My example with a bike was used simply to illustrate how the premise of beating a car that has more cylinders and a bigger motor than yours is absurd if you don't account for other factors.

Quote, originally posted by Jacko3 »

I don't know what type of bike you have, but the ones I have gone with are no slouches either (I don't know these bikes by name).

My bike is listed in my vehicles right under my username.

Quote, originally posted by Jacko3 »

Once again, I never said that the G-35 Coupe cannot smoke a Dodge RAM, becasue I have smoked one myself and it was n't as easy as most people would like to make it look. All I am saying is that to suggest that such a result can be reproduced consistently and easily for a G-35 Coupe, is spurious, at best. I don't have an idea what the temperatures and conditions where on those very days when this one single run occured, and like I said before, on some days the G-35 seems faster than on some days.

Why couldn't the result be duplicated over and over again? Short of a big driver error and/or a mechanical failure of some sort, a car's output and weight doesn't change dramatically from one run to the next...