I have spend hours and hours searching and researching the M35 and the G35 in an effort to find a suitable replacement for my V70R. I have lately decided to go with the G35 as there is a wealth of information, community, and parts available for the G35, whereas the M35 platform is much more limited. I also chose the G35 because it is essentially a sports car in sedan clothing that I can use as a practical daily driver with the family and still have fun driving. I also anticipate participating in SCCA events so that I can teach my son and daughter how to properly drive at the extremes we all inevitably face in evasive maneuvers on the street, and also since its just fun.
Lastly I thought the G35 would be the best platform as a basis for my other hobby which is high end car audio. The three-way speaker layout in the doors is a great foundation to work with and I hope, Lord willing, to explore modification of the Studio on Wheels system in stages including changeout of drivers, implementation of the new JBL MS-8 processor, design of a replacement subwoofer for the rear deck sub, and implementation of aftermarket amps. But that's another thread.

I have a good friend who is a broker that is prepared to find a used G35 for me. After deciding on the G35 platform, my next decision is whether to go with the G35S or G35X. I will be looking for a 2007 to be in my budgeted price range. The G35X's are fairly plentiful, while the G35S is pretty hard to come by and bring a strong price. I do some traveling in the North in the winter so the prospect of the G35X's traction is inviting. However, I have found that I can pretty much get anywhere I want to if I have a car with LSD which the sport model has. I will likely run All-seasons tires on either car. I have also found from various threads here that apparently on the track its pretty much a draw between the two. The sport seats are a plus for me, but not a deal breaker. The differences in the body appearance of the fascia and rocker panels is minimal to me and not a factor. I really like the paddle shifter in the G35S, but thanks to a thread here it can be easily added to the G35X for about $200. So for me, it comes down to two issues between the two: suspension and brakes.

From what I have been able to determine, there essentially is no sway bar option for the AWD cars in the aftermarket. What I have not been able to determine is if there is any difference in the sway bars between the G35X and the G35XS. I also wonder if there has been any significant gain in a front-only bar change. Most of the suspension efforts for the G35X I have looked at focused on coil overs, but since I have no desire to lower the car due to driveway clearance issues, that's not an option. So unless I have missed something in my searches, basically I would have to stick with the G35x suspension as is. On the other hand, the reviews and threads I have read say the two are neck-and-neck on the track, so at least comparing stock-to-stock, it may be a moot issue. But then the availability of good aftermarket bars for the G35S tips the balance in that direction...

The other issue is brakes. I have come to love the Brembo brakes on my V70R, and I love the brake-feel of the G35S, so I really don't want to give up braking power - especially with plans to autocross the car. Despite numerous searches, I'm still confused a bit. I see references to the Akebono brake package on the 2009+ G37, and I know that the 2007 G35S has 13" rotors front and rear, but is the 2007 G35S brake package the same as Akebono setup on the G37? If not how is it different? I notice that the G37XS does not seem to have upgraded brakes of the regular G37S, and though it has 18" wheels, they are non-staggered due to the AWD not being able to cope with staggered wheel sizes. I also think that the Sport Package offered on the latest cars has the non-staggered 18" wheels, but apparently does not have the Akebono brakes. I am concluding that part of the reason for the staggered 18' wheel widths, in addition to providing more rear wheel traction, is to provide clearance for the Akebono brakes, and since the AWD system can't handle the mismatch that the Nissan engineers thought this wasn't a viable choice. Were there other suspension/well clearance issues or some interference with the AWD hardware? Or was it the accountants? Maybe it was just too cost prohibitive to add the cost of the Akebono's to the G35XS, and possibly the cost another non-staggered wheel design, to the cost of the G35XS.

So is it possible to upgrade a G35X to the Akebono setup? If so what Infiniti/Nissan wheels could be used to clear the brakes without spacers? If aftermarket wheels were used what widths/offsets would be required to clear the brakes and not introduce other problems? Is there another brake upgrade that is reasonably priced that would equal the Akebono upgrade for the G35X

I'm torn between the two and the ideal car for me might be a G35X modified with the Akebono brakes. But by the time I have to upgrade both the brakes and the wheels, the cost difference begins to diminish the G35X's traction, and availability advantage over the G35S. Hmmmm, come to think of it, I may be facing the very same cost/benefit trade-off the Nissan engineers and accountants did.

Thanks in advance for any additional knowledge or advise that I haven't been able to pick up from searches, and thanks for the many excellent threads that have been so valuable in researching these cars. I need to decide on which car to go with before I go out of town for a while, so my friend can begin looking. thanks again for your patience and input.

 

07/08 S brake package is not the same as the 09+ S Akebonos. 13" rotors (S) vs 14" rotors (09+ S), different calipers.

You can upgrade to the Akebonos on the X.

 

Thanks for the reply and the info. So I take it that the aftermarket pad and rotor choices are limited on the 2007-8 G35S? I've seen a lot of references on parts listings to the Akebono, but few references to the 07-08 G35s brake set up. What are the best choices?

What are the best wheel choices for the X with the Akebono's.

I thought at first the cost would be prohibitive for the upgrade, but then I realized that a used G35X would likely soon need a brake job, so I started to look at the cost difference between the brake job and the upgrade and it isn't so great a difference. Especially since the G35X's seem to be going through brakes pretty quickly from what I read. Hey, you might actually reduce the brake cost in the long run...how's that for tuner's logic?

 

IIRC the bigger rear sway off the coupe fits the X - something I'd like to pick up second hand to eliminate some of the oversteer of the X.

 

I replaced the "puny" rear sway on my X with a larger used Journey/S sedan version (can buy by posting a wanted ad on this site). Result: much less oversteer, highly recommend the mod. If you are traveling in the Northeast in the winter, having the X is a much better winter option IMHO if you are planning to run All-seasons vs a dedicated winter set. Just FYI - the stock rotors on the X are trash as they warp easily/are prone to judder. There is a "brake judder" TSB that addresses the issue, but instead of using a warranty fix I would just replace them with premium aftermarkets. Yes, the X goes through the rear pads faster but if you can buy aftermarket pads relatively inexpensively. Lastly, S definitely has more suspension/sway options vs. X but the manufacturers are starting to catch up.