G55 VS G500 Questions

colo77bronco

New member
I am looking at buying a used 2003-2005 G55 or G500 in the next few weeks. I have a thing for uber capable vehicles but have to admit that it will see paved roads 95% of the time as my daily driver. I already know that if I go with the G55 I will need to relocate the intercooler in the front bumper to get the one I want. I also would likely modify the exhaust to get it out of harms way under the rockers. My biggest dilemna is whether to take the extra power and larger brakes and enjoy them on a daily basis but be limited in wheel/tire combos or go with the G500 and have more options but less power. Is there a noticable difference in the braking? What to do?

Thanks for your help.
Newby that wants a ************ machine like yours!
 

evilfij

Explorer
05 is the supercharged G55

I never bought one, but that was the only g of the g55 non-supercharged, g500 and g55 supercharged that was actually fast.
 

Jwestpro

Explorer
My biggest dilemna is whether to take the extra power and larger brakes and enjoy them on a daily basis but be limited in wheel/tire combos or go with the G500 and have more options but less power.

Just saying "limited in wheel/tire" does not necessarily say what you intend or wish to have. For example, there are a few G55k people who run the 18" wheels and they pick from a wide range of tires in 33"-35" without issue. You can do simple mods to allow 37" even if you like.

I do not know if the G55k brakes allow a 17" wheel but I am willing to bet they do because most often a manufacturer will sell a vehicle in the US with one size larger than the minimum, but not always... I would not expect a 16" wheel to fit though.

There may be a difference between the 2003 G55 N.A. model and it's brakes vs the 2005 G55 Kompressor model. Up to 2008 they were the same as 05 G55k though. At some point, the G550 brakes obviously grew in size though too.

So, unless you want some 16" wheels, then you can have your G55. Ultimately though, you could also get a smaller brake kit onto the G55 if you want to spend $ to have exactly your dream set-up. You might find better info on the P3 forum specifically for the G models and there are people there who have G55k, G500, G550, etc for all sorts of uses.
 

ILIAN

Adventurer
Just get a G500. Cheaper to purchase, maintain the engine and brakes and longer drivetrain life due to less horsepower. The 5.0 V8 has enough power for anything unless you want to use the car for drag racing. You will be able to fit 16" wheels on a G500 up until 2008 maybe. You will only have a transmission cooler in the front to deal with. Brake performance is also good IMO and I'm running 35" tires.
 

burquedoka

Adventurer
Just get a G500. Cheaper to purchase, maintain the engine and brakes and longer drivetrain life due to less horsepower. The 5.0 V8 has enough power for anything unless you want to use the car for drag racing. You will be able to fit 16" wheels on a G500 up until 2008 maybe. You will only have a transmission cooler in the front to deal with. Brake performance is also good IMO and I'm running 35" tires.


Agreed, though if you truly aren't going to be wheeling it much and can live with not getting your dream off-road look for big money, than there is nothing wrong with a 55 either.
 

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