The G-spot

[r0tor]

They should black out the a pillars gtr style

[GoCougs]

C&D tested a Q50S with the new optional wheel/tire package (looks like the G37 coupe IPL wheels) with P265R35 in the rear. 0-60 in 4.9 sec and 1/4 mile in 13.5 sec @ 104 mph and traction in first was still a bit of a problem (AT only).

[GoCougs]

Read that C&D review again - those wheels were a $4,100 option. Jesus.

[GoCougs]

Factory installation manuals (includes everything - sunroof, interior, etc). Great resource for DIY:

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G37/

[GoCougs]

Found a local audio place with great reviews on Yelp that does sound proofing/Dynamat install. They have a 2 stage package (floor, doors, roof, trunk) for ~$1,300. He says they do it all the time for the "small" luxury cars (i.e., the poser class - 3er, A4, C class, G, etc.) and in general they get lots of complaints about road noise. He said this will make a huge difference.

Meh, I drive too much to deal with all the road noise. On the freeways (where I do much of my driving) hands-free phone convo is almost impossible. Lower (factory) tire pressure helped but only a bit. He says this should help a ton with rattles too (another common complaint they see) though I've fixed a good portion of my issues.

[CALL_911]

You trust an audio shop doing that to your car?

[GoCougs]

Mostly. They've got lots of great reviews on Yelp and their gallery looks good. I've done a lot of interior work in the past and it's a PITA - stuff gets scratched and cracked easily, screws get lost, fasteners break, etc. I'm definitely not going to do it, the dealership doesn't do this sort of work, so it's gotta be somebody, and this place seems to have the best reviews/rating out of any local shop I can find.

[hotrodalex]

Hands free as in speaker phone?

[12,000 RPM]

See if you can ride in a G that had the process done and actually hear a difference. Him saying his Dynamat process helps a ton with road noise is like Obama saying ACA works.

Re: stickshift luxury cars with low road noise.... your ONLY choice is a BMW 535i. I know you go up to the mountains or w/e too, not sure you can get stickshift + X Drive. Actually, maybe an S4 could work too.

[GoCougs]

Hands free as in speaker phone?

G has iPhone integration (uses car stereo).

[GoCougs]

See if you can ride in a G that had the process done and actually hear a difference. Him saying his Dynamat process helps a ton with road noise is like Obama saying ACA works.

Re: stickshift luxury cars with low road noise.... your ONLY choice is a BMW 535i. I know you go up to the mountains or w/e too, not sure you can get stickshift + X Drive. Actually, maybe an S4 could work too.

Lots of guys have done it per various G fanboy forums and they say it makes a noticeable difference. Good enough for me. I'm also gonna get quieter tires.

My next car will have active noise cancellation, which pretty much solves it (and in the next couple of years most any cars of the class or better should have it).

[Raza]

See if you can ride in a G that had the process done and actually hear a difference. Him saying his Dynamat process helps a ton with road noise is like Obama saying ACA works.

Re: stickshift luxury cars with low road noise.... your ONLY choice is a BMW 535i. I know you go up to the mountains or w/e too, not sure you can get stickshift + X Drive. Actually, maybe an S4 could work too.

S4s are really loud, especially if you have OE tires and 19" wheels. Drove the Garden Star Parkway in the back of my brother's S4 and with the radio off, I couldn't hear the conversation in the front seat. On the tires he has now, it's a lot better, but my perception has also changed since I have been driving the Z4 for almost two years.

My roommate's MkVII GTI is pretty respectable at highway speeds for how sporty a car it is. Impressive how quiet and comfortable it is, while still feeling taut and sporty.

[hotrodalex]

G has iPhone integration (uses car stereo).

Okay so fancy speaker phone.

Was just wondering how loud "loud" is.

[SVT666]

Okay so fancy speaker phone.

Was just wondering how loud "loud" is.

It can be very loud, so I don't know why Cougs has such a hard time hearing it.  I have to keep the volume down in my G even on the roughest roads.

[GoCougs]

Okay so fancy speaker phone.

Was just wondering how loud "loud" is.

Maybe a bit pedantic but it's not the phone's mic/speakers but those of the car.

Nah, the issue isn't me hearing the caller it's tons of road noise making it difficult for the caller to hear me.

[hotrodalex]

I've yelled at plenty of people through the phone while driving.

[12,000 RPM]

S4s are really loud, especially if you have OE tires and 19" wheels. Drove the Garden Star Parkway in the back of my brother's S4 and with the radio off, I couldn't hear the conversation in the front seat. On the tires he has now, it's a lot better, but my perception has also changed since I have been driving the Z4 for almost two years.

My roommate's MkVII GTI is pretty respectable at highway speeds for how sporty a car it is. Impressive how quiet and comfortable it is, while still feeling taut and sporty.

Damn I didnt know the MK7s were out + for sale yet.

[68_427]

Been out and for sale for a couple months.  Performance Pack is still MIA however.

[GoCougs]

So I was bored yesterday (still on no activity order from the doctor) I put Dynamat in the front wheel wells. There was a lot less sheet metal under the liner than I had anticipated (i.e., area to cover) so it made a difference but not much. How I can tell is by intake noise - it's a bit more pronounced at highway speeds under light acceleration. I think I'm still going to go forward with the full Dynamat install Thurs and then get quieter tires soon after (Michelin MXM4 probably).

[CJ]

MXM4 is an excellent tire, but do look at the DWS. It's significantly cheaper and honestly just as good.

[hotrodalex]

DWS, MXM4, and the Pirelli tire in the same class are all excellent. Just depends on size and price IMO.

[GoCougs]

On TireRack for my size the Primacy MXM4 is only ~$20/more per tire. Pretty much most any test or forum post/poll says the MXM4 is quieter than the DWS (which makes sense - "grand touring" vs. "ultra hi-po" A/S).

[GoCougs]

Kinda going on a car spending binge. In addition to the above (I also recently had 3 small dents removed via paintless dent removal - works awesome). I've decided I'm going to get my wheels refinished and then get a major detail (have some paint scuffs here and there). Kind of a lot to spend on a car with 65k miles but I plan on keeping it for 2-3 more years (until active noise cancellation and Apple iCar/CarPlay is more widely available).

[Raza]

Damn I didnt know the MK7s were out + for sale yet.

Yeah. My roommate was itching for a new car and on the verge of having to spend a bunch on his B6 Passat when a bunch of hoodlums smashed his window. He traded it that day.

[Raza]

So I was bored yesterday (still on no activity order from the doctor) I put Dynamat in the front wheel wells. There was a lot less sheet metal under the liner than I had anticipated (i.e., area to cover) so it made a difference but not much. How I can tell is by intake noise - it's a bit more pronounced at highway speeds under light acceleration. I think I'm still going to go forward with the full Dynamat install Thurs and then get quieter tires soon after (Michelin MXM4 probably).

MXM4s are dogshit tires. Not grippy, not that quiet.

[GoCougs]

MXM4 is top rated TireRack and elsewhere. They live up to their expectations - very quiet and smooth - much better than the Dunlops. Even with ~50% tread left the POS Dunlops were railroading and pulling on braking hard, beyond of course being ridiculously loud and hard as rocks. TireRack has 'em at ~$250/ea. What a joke. User reviews are so bad TireRack disabled the survey and rankings which I've never seen before (probably courtesy of a bribe from Dunlop). Hilarious.

As to the sound deadening project, I was to have it done today and showed up at the allotted time (2 pm) but turns out I was supposed to be there 10 am. They cheaped out and use some BS service from Groupon which of course screwed it up (or so he says). I took half a day off of work to venture down town midday and since I work for myself, it's expensive to do so. Now add that Siri put me though awful traffic on the way home - replete with a bit of roading raging at some idiot. Probably not worth the ~$1,300.

[Raza]

MXM4 is top rated TireRack and elsewhere. They live up to their expectations - very quiet and smooth - much better than the Dunlops. Even with ~50% tread left the POS Dunlops were railroading and pulling on braking hard, beyond of course being ridiculously loud and hard as rocks. TireRack has 'em at ~$250/ea. What a joke. User reviews are so bad TireRack disabled the survey and rankings which I've never seen before (probably courtesy of a bribe from Dunlop). Hilarious.

As to the sound deadening project, I was to have it done today and showed up at the allotted time (2 pm) but turns out I was supposed to be there 10 am. They cheaped out and use some BS service from Groupon which of course screwed it up (or so he says). I took half a day off of work to venture down town midday and since I work for myself, it's expensive to do so. Now add that Siri put me though awful traffic on the way home - replete with a bit of roading raging at some idiot. Probably not worth the ~$1,300.

I've had MXM4s. One of the worst tires I've ever owned. They were the stock set on my Wolfsburg, I couldn't wait to change them.

[GoCougs]

I've had MXM4s. One of the worst tires I've ever owned. They were the stock set on my Wolfsburg, I couldn't wait to change them.

I could literally not find a hi-po all season that was better rated for ride + road noise; TireRack or elsewhere.

A lot of it has to do with the car too. Car design (esp. suspension and chassis performance) these days is enormously complex, and it most certainly includes tires. I could definitely see one set of tires working well on one car and working horribly on another.

[CJ]

They didn't work so well on our Accord, and we're quickly replaced with Michelin Pilot...somethings.

[CJ]

Pilot Exalto A/S. Decent tire, but simply not as good as the DWS.


Cougs, check out the Continental PureContact DWS. I've got them on my Lexus and my dad has them on his Sonata. They're rather decent.