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Ok - dudes claim 60hp from chip tuning. (not even chip tuning, black boxing at OBDII port - lol)
Never seen anything like that ever pan out.
I will now search the forums for Truth
"No chips. EcuTek and Uprev are the main tuning programs. EcuTek is considered to have more levers."
Ok
I used to run Stand Alone. I am all about it. Gotta (GOTTA) have a good baseline tune to start with. Something that is titled: "Bone Stock, Best Run" - something like that.
Good honest info in that thread. Stuff like:
"I had a stock IPL with hot air intake only. My baseline was 278 and after tune I had around 284whp."
That is the sort of thing I believe to be true. Grab an easy 6hp.
Hey - 6hp is 6hp
If you have ever ridden in a GoKart you know.
* 6HP GoKart
* 12HP GoKart
BIG DIFFERENCE
But...
In my life...
The only real gains I ever but-dyno detected were forced induction.
* 3PSI was lame
* 6PSI was very noticeable
* 9PSI disappointing bump from 6PSI
* 12PSI Just went down hill ... no intercooling
Ok
So
Based on that personal experience... 6PSI intercooled turdBlow.
That will do it
Pull it off every 2 years to pass smog (fun!)
Pay attention to the following things
* Going to create a bunch more heat in engine bay
* Wrap all cables and sensitive things in insulating shield
* Dont bake out the plastics etc
Something weird is going on in the world. Cars like that dont sell for $10k
WTF?
Is it Covid?
Yesterday there was an S55 AMG Mercedes for sale on the local used lot for under $10k asking. I am seeing the cars with more expensive replacement parts tank in resale value. At the same time I am seeing cars that are known to be Reliable and Inexpensive to Maintain... go up in value
Hmmmm...
Ok, not great economic sign... but... fine by me.
Funny
Waited my entire life to find these fancy sport Luxury cars for sale $0.10 on the dollar... and now that it finally happened... not buying one.
Lets go see why
Alternator for a G35 - $180, maybe $320
Alternator for a G37 - about the same
Alternator for an S55 AMG - $180, maybe $260 (oh)
Alternator for a BMW 550 - $600, maybe $624
Ok
S55 was a cheap surprise. The BMW was not.
All I know is that I have an expectation for parts prices and they are based on Honda and Toyota. I am staying away from anything with inflated prices on parts that are hard to get.
Ok
So Nissan parts are about the same price as Toyota or Honda parts. Good.
VTEC is quite different from VVEL. VTEC uses a third cam lobe with an exaggerated profile that engages via a solenoid. VVEL changes the profile of the existing cams because they don't roll directly on the lifter bucket, the cam has another link (link actually pushes the lifter bucket) added to it that connects to a second actuator cam that can raise/lower.
VVEL is a LOT of extra parts under the valve cover, but it's proven itself to be a very durable and long-lasting setup.
Personally I like simplicity and not having an extra 24 parts under the valve cover.
The VCT system that the DE and HR motors use is excellent though, very simple oil pressure driven cam actuator, magnet exhaust retarder (rev-up DE, not the base DE).
* Buy a "nice one" and see how you like working on it
I translated that as
* Buy a nice one and drive it back and forth to work
* Buy the cheapest one I can find (after that) and start roaching it
Where I am landing is
* 2013 G37 Base with under 120K in white with the light interior - for the daily driver
* Any early G35, salvage title, wrecked body, wrecked seats, signs mods, missing parts, smoker car, tweakered wiring, dirty black oil, cracked windscreen, etc.
I can get the first for $10k and I am pretty sure I can get the second for $2k. While I drive the first to the spot that pays me for my efforts. . . I will start making my mistakes on the second in the carport. Many mistakes will have to be made. The question is if the mistakes I make (learnings I gain) on an early G35 will pay forward into later G37. I suspect so. ... At least, this is true with a Honda. If you can wrench a 93 Honda Civic then you can wrench a 2003 Honda Civic. The ... "patterns" of design persist.
* Fastener methodologies
* Basic methods (MAP vs MAF, methods of cam advance, location of fuel filter, service difficulties - so - sparkplugs and oil filter....)
That is where we are landing, coming in hot.
Cash in hand, headed out to test drive now.
I tried like HELL to buy from a private party who was "stuck" and needing to turn a G37 into CashMoneyAmerican, but... just... not all that much out there that meets my search criteria. Of course, that criteria has changed quite a bit.
* First I wanted only a sport
* Then I was willing to accept an AWD
* Now I find myself landing in an Auto RWD
Eh..
What changed it for me is that I am not 25 anymore, my garage is full of chit, I will be wrenching in an open carport, I have no fewer than 42 active projects going, I really do need a daily driver (tho I have 4 runners right now, 2 totally legit, one missing tags, and one missing a Cat) - even tho - ... I... Want my daily to be a nice experience. I am tired of driving 2hrs a day in something that ... I may have to leave in the ditch.
Lol
A far cry from my original plan, but the money is not spent yet. I... WILL... turbo one of these bastards. I am looking at it like this.
* If you are doing turbo. . . you dont want to be worried about cutting a little sheet metal.
* You dont want to worry about getting grease on the steering wheel
* You dont want to worry about ripping the seats getting in and out
I.. always had a car with Black Interior and every time I ever finished a mod I would get right to driving it, ... so... oil and rocks in my hair, grease up to my elbows, hands caked... get in the drivers seat, fire it up, and start driving.
... That
Wont go well with light colored leather and fancy clocks on the dash. ... These activities (for me) will have to be split up.
* A nice one
* A thrasher
:-)
Then... on my trasher... I can feel free to do extreme things like slam it, rub fenders, remove unwanted weight like the rear seats and doors -> .... OH!
I forgot
The most important aspect.
* My primary requirement is that I get a 4door
If I accomplish that goal, then... for the beater... I can get a coup!
(which is what I really prefer, of course)
It was white in color with too much tint (top half of windshield and front windows were done - which around here gets you pulled over). There was damage to the passenger side, repaired, then further damage. The interior had quite a rough ride... holes here and there, some of it peeling up, small fire under the arm rest by the ciggy lighter (melted crap), shifter had the chrome rubbed off, too much perfume ->
I was really put off (sad face) - But...
Seat leather was in good shape, paint was nice, everything looked straight enough for me from 20 paces.
It started and idled fine.
It definitely put my lower back and but down into the seat under WOT.
It got up to 90mph without a bit of hesitation and you could not feel the speed at all.
That car wants to book - I can say that. The motor was hungry for more road!
...
The Auto Tranny seemed to take an eternity to apply power. I am used to near instant acceleration and I drive a lot of rental cars (at least one a month). There is a big difference between vehicles in how long it takes them to respond to WOT. Sadly... this beast... although it delivered SIGNIFICANT torque... and... under part throttle the gears were clicking REAL NICE... it was super slow to give up the power. I am a stick shift guy, so in my brain
* Clutch, Gas, and Stick are all going at once
* Power comes on as fast as I dare
... So - That was a bummer. It was the same thing with my 5.4L Jeep. That thing had GOBS of torque but you had to be patient.
ANYWAY
Dealer was asking $11.7K and I walked onto the lot with $10k cash in my pocket. After looking at the car, I felt like it was worth $8k to me. Dealer was thinking it was worth $11.7k, so... sadly we had to drive all the way back home (I live in a small beach town)
BUT
Good news
We called another guy with an AWD model, fewer miles, couple years older, scuff on the rear bumper, better interior.. Pretty sure I am going to take that one if there is not something egregiously wrong with it. AWD is a fair compromise since I started out wanting an S. I will do whatever Tranny mods I can (to make it shift like hell - lol) and the AWD will be appreciated in the winter on my windy, steep, commute.
Roll the dice
That is the way it goes every time.
I usually dont bat an eye - $2k, $4k - I buy cars sight unseen and just accept the risk. $10k is above my personal threshold. . . so... Just... going to toss it to the Nissan gods of Lucky and hope I do not have to do any major repairs myself.
Black hole, requires more research.
Oh well... this one is going to be the Freeway Smasher. The G35 Coupe (with no bumpers, a milkshake poured out on the dash, delete AC, delete rear seats, mattBlack paint...) will be the TurboFailure.
I have not dug deep yet, but I can see plenty of coverage for the G35. ATM I am looking for similar indexing for the G37 so I can cut to the chase without being sold by a bunch of online shops. I buy everything used, I dont particularly want my exhaust to be loud, and... I... always end up tinkering whatever I have.
* An Intake... will happen without doubt
The first intake I put on a car was a cold air on a 2001 Honda Prelude. The sound it made was. . . magnificent! Kids get all caught up in a loud exhaust (sigh...) this is ... not the sound of power! Even an 82 Vega can be loud. That does not equate to producing a wider power band, higher peak horsepower, more torque...
The sound I seek?
:-)
That sucking sound of air being gobbled into the intake of the engine! That is the sound of power being made. ... On the 2001 prelude they had damped this with a factory cold air intake that had a flapper valve to a resonator box. At low RPM is was very quiet. Above 4~5k (forgot the switchover) the resonator opened and you could hear it open up. As the Cams switched (this was binary, not continuous) and the intake box opened... oh... that... sound!
...
When I started the G37 today (with the door open) it put out more of a growl than I expected. I am generally a 4-banger guy, ... so... it was nice to hear. Under WOT the engine produced more torque than noise, and I was pleased by that.
BUT!
There is always more room in the Noise Budget for some good, ol, intake noise!
...
So
Off to go look at Intakes. Sadly this will be expensive as ... do I see two intake pipes on this badboy?
Yes, it appears so (sigh)
That will cost me.
I always forget how much more a V8 or V6 costs to upgrade and maintain. Oh well, that is the name of the game until I can afford a thrashed Tesla.
If you are reading this in the future and pondering what direction to go. . . I have arrived.
I chose to hold out for the AWD version, and I am SO HAPPY that I did!
I made some compromises to get an AWD.
I let the Sport model go that was about the same price (but 50% more miles)
I let the Base model go that was 2 years newer
I accepted some crunchy paint on the corners (no deformations, but came with a 3 stage paint kit, which will return the two areas to near perfect).
I accepted some aluminum oxidation and some iron oxide deposits on some of the exposed mild steel (AWD version... intended for the snow)
Oh buddy. .
Observe Exhibit (001)
Above is my 2011 AWD G37 with 106,00 miles. It rips hard, has a great interior, and I am beyond happy with it in every way. The exact color I wanted, the sleeper look I wanted. . . It is perfect.
BUT LOOK WHERE WE ARE!
Even on the trip back from buying the car I had to pull off on HW17 to let my 8YO run around in the woods. If you know the area. . . you know that HW17 was once known as "Blood Alley" (before they put up the divider). Locals drive this road like Rally Car - 45MPH corners at 70MPH all day long. Drinking a soda, reading the news on their smart phone, wanking. . . all while RIPPING blind corners at top speed.
So
If you pull off on this road. . . YOU HAVE TO GET BACK ON!
:-)
The wise driver waits for 20 or 30 cars to pass to judge the current pace. You really have to launch to not cause others to slam on the brakes. ... Trouble is...
Well.... Zoom cat get it from 100 yards.
Trouble is that the pull-outs are mostly gravel and dirt. All of my FWD cars just roast tires, chip paint, and bog out onto the road. You have to feather-pedal... more over, you have to
* Back up as far as you can in the small turnout
* Time it perfectly correct
* Get a head of speed going at 15% throttle
* Roll into it
* Floor it
:-)
... Well guess what?
I decided to find out if the car would meet my requirements. I just pulled up to the road, about half way thru the turnout. I watched cars pass for a moment, then stomped it :-)
Oh yes. . .
Front tire spinning
Presumably rear tire spinning
I hit pavement -> L A U N C H
;-)
Dude. . . never ben up on on it with such confidence. FWD lets you down in predictable ways. RWD lets you down in different but predictable ways. AWD is one of those odd things that gives you the rare gain. It has to be something about the weight shift and dynamic timing. . . who knows. . . but
* It grabs on poor surfaces
* It pulls SUPER HARD on good surfaces
Absolutely no regrets. StuporSuper Stoked.
So... if you are reading this in the future... and you are on the fence... and you thought you wanted the AWD... and you read about under steer or weight or whatever -> Forget it. Just get the AWD. If you are a FWD guy, it will feel totally natural. ... I mean... I am used to being on cloverleaf turns, plowing to the max, and steering with the throttle. More gas? Straightens out. Less gas? Grabs more corner. That is how all of my overpowered FWD cars run, so I have no point of reference to nose up at the AWD sedan. To me? Runs one hell of a better lap than any Sedan I have ever owned.
;-)
Now
To revise my plans. . .
This machine will require adjustable suspension and the biggest sway bars available before it needs a Cold Air Intake.
Glad you finally settled on something, as for the potentially dirty interior from being grimy after working on the car but still needing to drive it. I keep a cheapo seat cover rolled up next to my spare tire that is EXACTLY for this purpose. If I have **** in my hair and my clothes are all grimy it doesn't matter because I put that seat cover on before I hop in the car. All you have to worry about it washing the stuff off your hands so you don't get it on the steering wheel.
Yes suspension is one of the best places to upgrade on these cars, they already have some awesome potential from the suspension it just takes a better sway bar and a small drop to really make it handle amazing.
Since you're now in the G37 crowd you will probably find better resources over at MYG37.COM it's the same company (Internet Brands) but that site is tailored specifically for that platform.
You guys run a great forum. Very helpful, very nOoB friendly. Gobs of valuable information. I really appreciate the hosting of my search and I leave with well wishes. Should anyone ever need help, feel free to send them my way. I know nothing at the moment, but in 9mo or so I will be competent. After I install the turbo kit and break a few things, I can start looking toward being a shade-tree-expert.
Ah...
Man - that was actually pretty painless. I can say FOR CERTAIN that without the encouragement, I would have balked and balked and balked. Super glad I got the job done and REALLY EXCITED about building up this car.
All of the hype?
Lol... not hype at all. This really is an amazing machine. It is rare that I find a vehicle that is sexy from the Front, Back, and Side. . . and to find that in a Sedan is nearly impossible. ... Since looks are nothing and performance is everything - eh - well - I mean... this thing is not a supercharged V8 but it is P L E N T Y of power and torque for an enthusiast. In all honesty, the car has too much power for a "kid". This thing frigging ROMPS on the freeway and I am quite certain that it will allow you to do a buck 120+ with more confidence than you should have.
The interior... very nice. I mean... it is not a true luxury car - little things like the plastic dash do stand out to me, but the *experience* is luxury. Absolutely a "Best Value" alternative to getting into something like a BMW. This car will enjoy (hopefully, we will see) the affordability of Nissan... while providing performance that can shame most guys who spent 5X as much.
I always found the most joy on the road by winning small scraps with a 4 cylinder.
Same offroad - My off roading rig cost me $4k and on two occasions I have properly kept up with guys with $40k rigs.
It is super important for young guys on a budget to understand that you will learn WAY MORE and have SO MUCH MORE FUN by going "DIY Underdog". Let the other guys spend $50k on a rig and watch them fuss and worry. Spend $5k on your rig, maintain your own rig, and really enjoy what it means to wrench.
....
This car?
Sheesh - the Turbo build is going to be super expensive. I think my last forced induction setup was under $4k, but then I had to build the motor... so... sigh... We will see. I am going to budget $4,200 starting for getting all the little bits and pieces I need.
* Sway Bars
* Adjustable Suspension
* High Flow cats (I always run a cat, no straight pipe for me.. and my Cat currently rattles - so - it will have to go)
* Stand Alone
* WBO2, EGT, Manifold Pressure.... I will require some data....
This thing is going to respond amazingly well to a few PSI of boost. I am going to try and keep it sane - 6PSI... I R E A L L Y do not want to go the death-route of $7.5k transmissions and breaking every damn part on the car. Been there, done that, ish breaks. ... I ... am going to try and "cheat it" with this one and we will see how it goes.
* First Impressions week
* 1k miles report
* 2k miles report
* 4k miles report
I am on the run but will check in here.
Most Important thing I learned:
The automatic transmission has 3 modes: D, DS, and Fake-Manual. I kept looking for the damn sport button (like I find on all my rental cars) and found none. FINALLY... thru ... failings... I found that knocking the shifter over to the left (and NOT) pushing forward or backwards puts the car into sport mode.
DUUUUUUUUDDDDDEEEE......
What an incredible surprise that was. The fist time I felt the car kicking gears under hard braking I knew. . . I had picked the right car.
:-)
So -
Since I dont have pics in front of me, I will keep it quick. I firmly believe that a core requirement of forum posts are Pics!
What I have done so far
* Changed the Oil and Oil Filter
* Change the Spark Plugs
* Cleaned the throttle body and MAF
* Disassembled and inspected the front and rear calipers
* Replaced the rear disk-over-drum parking brake (mine was shot out)
* Got rear-ended by a douchebag on his phone, got that fixed, settled the body panels, need to get it arranged again
* Inspected the Front and Rear swaybars, started breaking torque here and there and treating for rust
I of course take pictures at every step when I am doing a job and I am always happy to write up how (I) did something. Everyone makes their mistakes, everyone has their tricks. ... These days Youtube dominates but back in my day you had to write it up*
Eh... (Back down the list with thoughts on each job)
* The oil spilled on the plastics even tho I used tinfoil
* The sparkplugs are damn expensive. . . but the ones that came out look good enough to sell
* MAF was sparkling but Throttle Body was gummed up
* Front brakes were new but I roached them on hard deceleration from 130MPH + lots of dirt roads
* We will talk about Rear Disk over Drum in a minute
* The rear bumper is not collision friendly
* The rear swaybar is non-existent
Eh... The leather seats (untreated) are slipperier than cat ****. My skinny *** slides side to side on the corners. (I) do not feel planted in the car. I love the feel of the seats when I am chilling, but when I push the car I am detached from the car. I.. uh... Need some kid of ... insert to keep my *** centered.
(Sorry - just got side tracked searching for pictures)
I... learned that on this car you crank the drum adjusters in the same direction. On some cars you crank one up and one down. The primary failure mode of these goes like this:
* Bolt is greased
* Bolt has threads exposed
* Bolt goes thru a life of pads
A lifetime means extreme thermal cycling + Dust. This bakes crust into the exposed threads. You then turn the screw the wrong way, it hits home, it locks up. Basically it is like locTite. At a certain point you can apply enough torque via the adjustment method that you can not supply enough reverse torque to free the adjuster. . . .
So you just take it out and clean it up.
If you have Ape-Grip like I do be careful. You can put things out of round.
Think of all the reasons you don't want to go to jail and do a good job
Your parking brake is important!
Just go to San Francisco and you will see.
.... Anyhow
If your parking brake does not work and it looks like this
Lol - I can tell you why.
Eh - end of job notes say that I could have run the existing pads and only serviced the adjuster.
I have a full writeup on my learnings around diagnostic, getting the old stuff out, inspecting it, cleaning things up, servicing the old hardware, getting stuff installed, setting tension.
* Spring kit was not in stock so I reused hardware
* Adjustment was actually SUPER EASY
You have to remember that they need not be perfectly equal. Almost all of these systems work by a single cable to the rear, then it goes Y. The Y can move around ... so if the left is one click off from the right it does not matter.
* Brakes rest open on the springs
* Cable starts pulling
* 1 side picks up first till it hits
* 2nd side starts pulling till it hits
* NOW... both sides have hit... NOW... it starts applying torque equally
That is how you know that you do not have to adjust pefectly>
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
This was not what my report was supposed to be. I am just drinking coffee and avoiding the wife. She has a lot for me to do today.
My car came from someplace salty. . . and 100,000 miles ago... so I have some work ahead of me. Fastener Maintenance is an important thing to understand about a car. A job is as hard as the fasteners are to get out - that is what it boils down to.
Those are the primary Caliper bolts. 19mm IIRC.
I took them off with a mix of a Torque Wrench (used as a breaker bar) and an old box end (mixed with a hammer)
In reality...
You will never have your dream tool set when it is time to do a job. You will be on the side of the road in Arizona and it will be GO TIME.
* Gotta get the wheels off
* Gotta get the two 14mm off for a quick pad swap
* Gotta get the two 19mm off for a disk swap....
I use ratcheting box-end for my light work, but for anything like this
* Put the closed end of the wrench over the bolt
* This is a LONG wrench - go buy the long one lol
* I go Palm In around the middle of the wrench
* I then bang the outer most end of the wrench at a tiny angle away from my hand leveraging the open end curvature
Start out easy, go harder. You have your hand on it to stop it from rattling loose or getting cocked-off and digging into your bolt. Sometimes you have to wale it.
MANY TIMES YOU CAN ONLY FIT A BOX END IN THERE
When you can fit a 1/2" or 3/8" Socket...
* I use a piece of 1/2" galvanized pipe as a lever bar
* Lever bars can be as long as 10 feet
You heard me
LEVER BARS CAN BE 10' if they NEED to be
... and that brings us to Fastener Maintenance :-)
-Schindler
(Getting warmed up to go up in the forum. I decided that this forum is far more rich than the G37 forum... and I got all my early help here... so I am going to drop my content here. Mostly all stuff that will relate to the G35)
