M34N

I was thinking the same thing, I had a mate tell me to call VicRoads so they can clear a landing strip for the R34 They are a loud engine + exhaust combination the RB's. As others have said, take it to a good exhaust shop to quieten it down, replace the airbox, BOV and ECU with the stock items. I keep stock parts for my cars, never get rid of them. Comes in useful for exactly these situations and you can revert it back to the way it was if you want.

I now have a copy of Nissan FAST 2010 up to April 2010, so I can look up V35, V36, R35 etc if anyone else needs it.

Isn't it just easier to type one up in Word and just print it out? Did that a couple times, just taped it on neatly, never had a second look.

I don't get why you went all the way from Sydney to Melbourne to pick up a car? How much could you have saved doing that? Seems like you took a gamble to save some $$ and it didn't work out, but I just don't see why you took that risk in the first place? What car was it? You should have got an independent mechanic to check it over if you were not confident enough to know what to look for in the car, and they would have told you to walk away before you paid the rest of the money (or a deposit). There is no sense in throwing good money after bad money. This is the definition of "cutting your losses", not burning more money on what you thought was a risky investment. By the way, why did you put a deposit down on a car without inspecting it first? Also, certain things will pass a RWC in NSW vs. Vic, eg. VIN has to be stamped on the chassis in Vic to pass RWC. You should research before making a big investment and find out what needs to be done. I'm not trying to be rude, but before I bought the V36 from Sydney (and drove it back to Melbourne the next day), I researched EVERYTHING about the car, procedures to get it registered, unregistered vehicle permits, etc all before I bought the car. Also had a mechanic AND a mate look over the car with me and we all thought it was worth it - I only put down a deposit on the car once I inspected it first! Also had them throw in a 1-year warranty plus roadside assistance on the car. Either way, you should have never parted with more money after you put down the deposit anyway. No-one forced you to buy the car, you paid the deposit, then continued with the sale process and purchased the car even though you had doubts. You had multiple opportunities to bail out before it became a major problem, you are only to blame for your actions. Lesson learned I hope?

Funny enough, just read this article which basically sums up what I already said earlier about the Infiniti launch. Only details I have different are that an M56 sedan will be available and they will be in automatic only. So there you go, Drive is even suggesting a G37 coupe will go for $100K. Also they have stated the level of options included is high, basically the same with what I was told too. No G-series sedan on launch (disappointing IMO, how can they compete with the 335 and IS350 with no G sedan). Maybe priced too similarly with the base model M sedan so only worth selling that at the moment? http://theage.drive....1223-1p7rg.html

Consider in Japan a new V36 starts from ¥4 million (around ¥5 million with options) - this is around $50K minimum, so that is still more than what Americans pay. Hate to break it to you, but it's $70K+ on roads for the base model 370Z in Aus, while in the UK it's £30K (or $AU45K) - so yes, I think people will pay more for a G37 brand new, with a 3-year factory warranty. I mean most of us on here paid anywhere from $35-55K for a used V36 from Japan with no working navigation, TV or warranty, so I fail to see why they wouldn't sell a brand new G37 here for much more than that. Look at a BMW 335i here too, they start from $100K (with fewer options than Infiniti will have) and go anywhere up to $110K with the same options, and that's not even for the M Sport model. They are on par with these German cars, and if BMW/Merc can get away with that pricing, so will Infiniti.

Well, when I asked I was told they will launch a G-series coupe and convertible (not sure on a sedan) with the 3.7L V6/7sp auto, so it'll compete directly with the 335i and C350. Very similar specs to what the Germans already offer, but with a few more things standard is how it was explained to me. I did ask for pricing, but was told they are still deciding on specific prices and exactly what models will launch here. I kept pressing for prices, was basically eluded to the fact that it would be 'more than a 370Z' and 'close to what Mercedes and BMW are priced'. I asked about manual vs. auto too, was told they were only looking at autos only at the moment to 'keep prices more competitive' or something along that line. So at a GUESS, you're looking at probably $80K+ on roads minimum for the coupe itself, probably another $5-10K for the convertible? Only speculating here, but judging by the prices of existing Mercs and BMW's, I wouldn't be surprised if it was more. I was told there is also an M56 (the M sedan with a 5.6L V8), along with a FX50 (the SUV with a 5.0L V8) - both are apparently decked out with all the options. From the car I saw, it was badged as a 'G37' with Infiniti badges, was Victorian road registered, had the fog lights in the front bar, unique looking 19" wheels (different from the ones on V36 SP models with 19" have) and a few other subtle differences compared to my V36. Can't say much else, they are still deciding on which locations Infiniti will launch from in Australia, but they do have a few models located across Australia at the moment fully complied and registered. These are the 'test mules' I was told, and they are still trying to figure out the suspension setup etc for Australia. There's a few other minor details but that's the best part of it.

Told by one of my contacts at Nissan that they will basically be priced the same as a BMW or Merc, but have more standard features as a trade off. They already have a couple test mule V36's here, seen one in Victoria myself (but can't disclose where) and it had already been converted to Aussie spec, including buttons, maps, etc. Anyone expecting them to be 'cheap' is going to get a real shock. The only positive I can think of is at least it will be easier to find spare parts etc for our cars!

Chris, Are you saying if we basically order the HDD for a STX 550 from Nissan, it would be a straight swap over for the V36? Or are you actually saying the software is identical and the hardware is different? I will try to see if I can find someone to host the hard drive for you, have a mate who does that kind of stuff, not sure on the file size limit though, 30GB is massive. Is it possible to compress/ZIP the image into a smaller size or something?

Point taken, but I hope you're not going to suggest now the 7AT is as bad as the 8CVT? The 'problem' people in the US are reporting is just a lag in gearing down (flooring it) when already in high gear - this is hardly a 'my gearbox is randomly blowing up' issue. Unfortunately, you cannot have economy and power BOTH at the same time. I notice you mentioned the Honda earlier, my brother has an 8th Gen 3.5L Accord and with a 5sp, that is pretty slow flooring it in ANY gear. The 'problem' with the 7AT that I experienced was only when in a high gear, not down low. From my experience both the 5AT and 7AT are great, it's all up to your personal preferences and/or driving style. Maybe you should test drive one of each to make a decision yourself, I know I did and I found nothing major. Good luck with your purchase, hope this has been helpful.

Yep, the 'problem' really is minor, and like I said if you drive the car manually and gear down yourself, the issue is not there. If this is the biggest issue people have with the car, then I would be pretty happy with that. If there was an actual genuine problem with the 7sp, does anyone really think it would of been in production since 2008 then?

Check out this thread, I posted a fair bit on there about the new V37 on page 2. A few pretty pictures as well. Also for what it's worth, they have done numerous tests on the 350GT 5-sp and 370GT 7-sp (look up YouTube, plenty on there) and all have come to the same conclusions; virtually identical 0-100 times and top speeds in both cars. Like you said, fuel economy is the main issue addressed with the 7-sp, not performance. Also the 6-sp MT has been proven to be just as fast as the 5-sp AT, so there is no benefit to going manual (in this car at least )

Yeah it works, as soon as you gear up/down using the paddle shifters it will show you the gear on the LCD near the speedo (instead of just 'D'), and let you drive manually until you relax on the throttle and it will flick back to auto mode ('D') by itself. Sometimes it takes a while, I guess it depends on how aggressive you are. Don't do it very often, it will know when you brake hard into a corner then accelerate and automatically rev harder for you, that's what makes the car great. The power is always there anyway, even in auto mode.

Has anyone had any gearbox dramas with either 5 or 7 speed? Both are very good, they are very smooth and I've not read of any drama's with them at all either on here, G35Driver or other forums. Never had a problem in over one year's ownership. Is there any differences apart from the obvious? I drove both the 5-speed and 7-speed auto's in the V36, to be honest I only noticed a difference when going high-speed and the auto in the 7-speed would sit in a high gear, then when you floored it the gearbox would feel like it hesitated a little before it found the right gear (gear hunting, as they call it). So yes there is lag, but it's minor; put it in DS mode and the problem is mostly solved as it will keep the lowest gear possible before selecting the next gear. Seemed a good mix to me and I'd get it if it was within your budget. The 7-speeds are only available with the 3.7L V6 VQ37VHR engine with VVEL, so it should consume less fuel and be better over the longer distances. I guess it would be a high priority if you were doing a lot of long-distance or rural driving. Otherwise the 5-speed is more than capable for every-day driving, IMO. I guess you could argue the 5-speed feels 'sportier' in auto mode as it has less gears to pick from and will usually sit in (or closer to) the right gear, but if you're driving it manually, then the problem doesn't exist. Do both have the blip the throttle feature when changing down? Yep, they call it "Downshift Rev Matching", and it's magic. I think the v36 was released with 5 speed auto in 2007 which im guessing was the same as the v35 5 speed? Not sure on this one. They both have a FM platform, so I wouldn't be surprised. Don't know if anyone else can confirm? Just some other things to note; I settled on the 5-speed as it was fair bit more for the 7-speed in a 2008 370GT sedan (this was over a year ago), and it wasn't worth the extra coin IMO. Also it's not a common known thing, the 370GT with a 7-speed weighs an extra 50kg over the 350GT with a 5-speed due to the bigger gearbox and larger engine, so performance-wise they are virtually identical 0-100 times and same top speeds, despite the 3.7L putting out more power. It wouldn't be a deal-breaker in my book, I would choose the 7-speed if I had the choice, but the 5-speed is more than capable. Both are great and you won't be disappointed with either. Also just to clear one thing up for you, from 2006-2008 the V36 350GT sedan came with a 5-speed auto, then in 2007 the 370GT coupe also came with a 5-speed auto. Only in 2008 did both the 370GT sedan and coupe both come with 7-speed autos (as the 350GT sedan was replaced by the 370GT). The 250GT from 2006-current only comes in a 5-speed. Hope that helps.

Haha that's OK, I meant "even Hyundai and Kia" along with the Jap car makers, probably should of worded it better! I have no allegience to Korean makers, don't care to be honest, but I can appreciate how far their products have come from. It's very similar to what happened in Japan over a generation. Don't get me wrong, I would buy Jap over almost anything in the world today, but you still can't deny what has been happening in Korea. I just want to point this out - where was LG and Samsung 10+ years ago? I would buy a Samsung LCD/LED/Plasma over a Panasonic any day now - would you of said that, even a couple years ago? It's eerily similar to what happened with Japan. I still laugh at this part from Back to The Future III (slightly off topic but kinda relevant): Sound familiar? Wouldn't buy a Korean car myself (esp. compared to Jap), but in the future? I know a few other people who have based solely on reliability, warranty and maintenance. Like I said, in 10 years who knows what would happen. Hyundai and Kia were virtually non-existent here with the exception of maybe a couple cars they sold. Just like Japan was many years ago, they got better and now look where they are. Probably see Chinese cars having the same reputation as Korean cars did here, the cycle will continue...

It's actually pretty funny with the V8, the old AMG 5.6L V8 from 1986 was putting out 360HP, but the new AMG 5.5L V8 (naturally aspirated, not the twin turbo monster) now puts out 420HP, and the NA motor is actually a DE-TUNED version of the twin-turbo variant. So they're going to de-tune a motor that is already de-tuned? Doesn't make sense to me. Although Nissan has a history of producing motors with de-tuned power per model, ie. the 2006 Maxima had a 175kW VQ35DE, same motor that went into the 350Z and Murano but they both had 195kW. But then in 2009 with the new Maxima the power went up to 195kW, so who knows what they are doing. And again, they did the same thing with Infiniti in the US to get around strict air regulations, slightly de-tuning the V36 there by restricting the air flow system. Again, we have to remember these power figures I produced are for Infiniti in the US/Europe, and eventually here when it goes on sale in late 2012. It's not confirmed if these are the power figures and motors for Japan. As I said the other day, the "main" V6 the Japanese V37 Skyline should come with is going to have 335HP already with a single turbo 3.5L V6, so I see little point in them releasing a 360HP naturally aspirated V8 when the V6 will basically be on par with the V8 already when taking engine weight into consideration. Why would you bother buying the V8 when you could buy the V6 and just bolt on a bigger turbo and get more power anyway? Does not make sense. Another thing I will point out, the existing Nissan Fuga (the next model up from the Skyline in Japan) is sold in the US/Europe as the Infiniti M37 (3.7L V6, same motor) then the next spec up is the M56 with a 5.6L V8 that puts down 420HP already, so why would they put in a motor with less power to supersede it? Makes no sense to me, I find it very unlikely they are going to go backwards. I would say they are going to pick and choose specific motors in different markets, like they did with the Maxima and Murano/350Z here years back. These motors mentioned above are the NEW motors to be brought in and sold, doesn't say anything about deleting the old motors, so they may have different variants of V6's and V8's available. There have been rumours for ages in Japan that since Nissan dropped their last V8 years ago and as they now only sell V6's as their premium models, they are looking to make something big this time. I would agree, they are going to come back with something more powerful. They always do.

I wouldn't knock the Korean makers, I still remember even 10-15 years ago the Japanese makers were frowned upon (and still are to some extent today), and now there's entire web forums *cough cough* dedicated to them. How times and perceptions change. I'll bet my house by the next generation, Korean cars will be as good, if not superior, to Japanese products of today. What about Samsung and LG? They easily make some of the best products available here now. Have you seem the Kia Optima and Hyundai i40 Tourer? They are arguably the best in their respective categories, best bang-for-your-buck cars easily. Cheap to maintain, run and 5-year warranty on both manufacturers - you wonder why local cars struggle to compete.

Ah, I remember the days of Ford ownership, where Ford wanted to sell an Air Flow Meter for an EL XR8 for $2000, and that's a locally made car! Any idea how much an EL XR8 is worth these days? I would never go local again based solely on expensive spare parts. Anyone who knows anything about Skylines knows how much a Z32 Air Flow Meter goes for, and it's nowhere near as much as $2000 I can promise you that. Also know for a fact that with the new Holden Cruze, every time you take it in for a service while still under warranty, they force you to change the windscreen wipers, irrespective of how worn they are. And you know how much that costs? $200, because they sell you an entire windscreen wiper assembly (includes the heads), so any service is going to cost you a mint on a BRAND NEW car. Then try the Euro cars, they are beyond a joke. Ever tried to get brake pads for a Mercedes? Be prepared to sell your mother. They are notorious for their options lists too, try buying an Audi, things that should be standard cost an extra $500 here, $2000 there... Jap cars have by FAR the cheapest spare parts available, even go on eBay and look up spare parts for Jap cars, they are a dime a dozen and that's why they're cheap. Why do you think Jap cars are modified so regularly, because they're cheap to get decent power from AND reliable. Last time anything went wrong on any Jap car I owned, was through my own fault or just wear and tear. And that's why the Mazda 3 and even Hyundai and Kia are some of the best selling cars in this country at the moment.

Yep, they have confirmed it's an AMG 5.5L V8 de-tuned to run less power. Maybe they feel the chassis can handle only so much power, or a gentleman's agreement as MB wants to protect their C63 AMG from being overtaken by a dirty Nissan/Infiniti

OK guys, done some further investigating, taken directly from the magazine I posted yesterday. The power figures should be as follows: 3.0L V6 diesel - 211HP (confirmed in article) 5.5L V8 petrol - 387HP (confirmed in article) "V6 petrol" - 272HP (confirmed in article, no idea what motor size though) Note the last one, I believe this is ANOTHER motor produced by Mercedes Benz, best answer I can come up with is it seems likely they are releasing DIFFERENT motors in the US/Europe as Infiniti, then different motors in Japan as Nissan. That is what the article is about - sharing motors between MB and Nissan, I wish I could translate the entire article, would provide a lot more details but I can only make out certain parts of it. And my Japanese is not good to begin with, anyone who could translate it would be able to confirm everything I have said. But there is a rumor I read that the "main" V6 (which is the one sold by Nissan in Japan, who knows if it will make the US/Europe) should be producing around 335HP, and it may be called a VQ35VHR (as opposed to the V36 which was originally released as a VQ35HR, then VQ37VHR in later models). Again, whether they will have different power outputs per country (the V36 Infiniti sold in the US produces less power than the V36 Nissan sold in Japan, same motor but different air filter/system to get around some strict air pollution regulations in the US market), or whether the sedan/coupe will have different power figures OR different motors available, who knows. From what I understand, Carlos Ghosn (CEO of Nissan) has stated that they want to collaborate with MB to develop motors/technology, but whether that is only for the Infiniti (US/Europe) or includes Nissan (Japan), I'm unsure. So to sum things up, the Infiniti US/Europe will most likely get their own motors (the 3 mentioned above), while Nissan Japan will have their own or a mix of the motors. Hope this helps clear things up a bit, I'm still not 100% set on the details, but that's how I understand it. For anyone really interested, there is an article I found called Nissan Skyline Episode 13: The Legacy Continues - helped confirm some details for me and may explain the situation a little better.

Spotted THOR65, a LHD 1965 Ford Thunderbird convertible being driven down the Monash outbound around 11:30PM, exited Blackburn Rd - driven by none other than Sam Newman. Must be going to Sandown or something today? And saw a black R34 sitting behind me at the lights on Dandy Bypass and Frankston-Dandy Rd around 12:00. You changed lanes multiple times to get behind me to do the traffic light GP, typical abortion of traffic in that area.

This is the next generation Infiniti / Skyline codenamed the V37 (surprise surprise). Basically all the writing is about how Nissan and Mercedes will now be in co-operation to supply engines to eachother as already discussed in this thread. So basically, they will have the following motors available in their cars: - 3.5L V6 turbo petrol - 2.5L V6 hybrid - 3.0L V6 turbo diesel - 5.5L V8 petrol So I think the VQ37VHR is history, to be replaced by the 3.5L V6 running a small turbo. Then they have the hybrid which will basically produce as much power as the 3.5L V6 turbo, and MB will provide the 3.0L V6 turbo diesel and 5.5L V8. This is the information I have collated, not 100% guaranteed as it's still mostly in development but that's how I understand all of it. They will retain the VQ engine series in everything but the V8, which is the MB motor. I'm guessing the V8 will either be an Infiniti Performance Line (IPL) car, and some of the motors will go in the G series, and others in the M series. If anyone else can confirm/deny this information, please do so. There's a lot of information collated from different sources, but that's my understanding!

As per mod's requests above...

Is this the make of car and demographic we are poking fun at today? Can't wait for tomorrow when it's the SUV driving Asians, or whatever stereotype that randomly crosses your path... What exactly do you plan on achieving with this thread anyway, OK s**t happens you met a group of freaks on the road, welcome to the real world! Harden up buddy, plenty more where that came from!

Silver V36 370GT coupe down Ltl Lonsdale St near Queen St around 1:40pm today, was in the Aurion so you wouldn't of noticed me. Think it was badged Infiniti on the back (not sure, did see 370GT on the back though) but had a Nissan badge on the front grille for sure. Also silver V35 350GT coupe 'V35GT' parked at the school near Narre North and Ernst Wanke Rds last Thursday, looked very clean and aftermarket wheels. Liked this very much, anyone on here?