What did they charge you to install the new sway bar and bushings on the rear only?

This might be my next mod.

 

Had a friend do it for me for 60. Took less than an hour. Most shops charge 70-90 per hour.

 

I was meaning my experience was on the RWD it made a big diff. I have no idea how replacing the front would do for AWD. Just chiming in to help

I drove for a while with just the Hotchkis front sway on and stock rear, it helped a lot with body roll. When I added the rear, it stiffened things up, and reduced the oversteer quite a bit, more balanced now accelerating through corners.

 

anybody have n idea on the difference between the S and the 350/370z rear bar?

 

I own a 2007 G35X and I also felt the body roll and turn in lag was more than I liked, still better than the average car of this weight. But this came to a head last month when I had to do an emergency swerve to avoid an accident. First there was the initial turn in lag and then the lag when correcting the car after the swerve. It was a bit nerve wracking. That's when I started researching sway bars for my G35X.

Poking around in the g35driver forums I found that rear sway bars from 2007 and on G35 & G37 RWD S and Journey, as well as the 370Z are interchangeable with my 2007 G35X. But only the rear sway bar. The front sway bar bending is unique to the AWD. This is why most sway bar kits, which include front and rear bars, exclude the AWD model. I also found that the factory 2007 and on AWD front sway bar is significantly larger, 31.7mm, than the RWD S and Journey, about 26.7mm. The AWDs Achilles heel is that it uses a fairly small rear sway bar, about 17.7mm, compared to the RWD S and Journey and 370Z, 24.2mm.

The only AWD sway bar kit that I've found so far is Hotchkis, 35mm front and 27mm rear. Some 2007 and on AWD owners (G35X, G35XS, G37X, G37XS, all 17.7mm rear) on the forum felt that because the front sway bar was already pretty large that swapping out just the rear sway bar with one from 2007 and on G35 & G37 RWD S and Journey or 370Z, at 24.2mm, made a big difference to the AWDs handling without much change to the stock ride harshness.

As kits go the Hotchkiss sway bars aren't too expensive (about $400), but I didn't think I needed the full boat. I could get a new 370Z rear sway bar, at 24.2mm, Nissan P/N 54613-JK01A, for about $120, or on e-bay for about $50. I decided at $50 to just change out just the rear sway bar and see if it was enough for me. Poking around on e-bay I found a rear sway bar from a 2009 G37S for $50 and another from a 2010 Nismo 370Z for $50. I know the standard 370Z uses a 24.2mm rear sway bay, so I figured the Nismo 370Z, with its more aggressive chassis tuning, had to be larger, but I didn't know by how much. I couldn't find size details of the rear sway bar size for the Nismo 370Z anywhere on the web. I decided to take a chance and ordered the rear bar from the 2010 Nismo 370Z off of e-bay for $50.

When the rear sway bar arrived I measured it at 26.5mm, nearly the size of the Hotchkiss rear sway bar.

Also, after market sway bar kits always come with polyurethane D bushing. Polyurethane sway bar D bushings are firmer and last longer than stock rubber bushings, making the sway bars more effective. The downside is they must be well lubricated when installing or they'll squeak. If you're not changing out the AWD front sway bar like me, get the Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings, P/N 7.5126; they fit perfectly with the stock bushing hold down brackets. I also found polyurethane D bushings to fit the 26.5mm rear sway bar I got too. All told, the rear sway bar, polyurethane bushings and shipping was just under $100.

Removing and installing the rear sway bar is described in the g35driver forum. Tips from my experience, use penetrating oil on the bushing hold down bracket nuts and end link nuts. Also, if you can, use a 14mm hex socket and wrench. It takes a bit of torque, due to years of rust, to remove the nuts and you don't want to potentially round them out using a standard 12 point socket and wrench. I didn't use jack stands, they make me nervous when I'm tugging on things. Instead I backed the car up the Rhino ramps I usually use to change the oil. It took me about an hour to swap out the rear sway bar.

My initial drive through a nearby roundabout was OMG what a huge difference! The car roll reduction was noticeable looking at the hood out the front windshield. The car feels tighter in corners, a lot more planted. When I took the roundabout at the limits of the tires, the whole car slid; very neutral and predictable. The stock under steer is gone. I thought the 26.5mm rear sway bar might have over steer, but it didn't. If I kick in the gas in the turn, then I start to get some over steer; what I'd expect from a neutral steering car. I found a stretch of road with no one on it and did the same emergency swerve maneuver that started this whole project. The turn in lag was significantly reduced. The swerve maneuver is now easy to control.

I've been driving with this setup for a couple of weeks. I can feel the ride is a little harsher on irregularities, small potholes, etc. My wife, however, hasn't noticed the ride being any harsher. She did comment that the cornering is much better though.

This is definitely the best $100 I've spent in a very long time.
My thanks goes out to all those on the g35driver forum that gathered up all this information for the rest of us.

Okay, my turn to contribute some good information. Like a lot of folks on the forum, I change my own oil. As soon as I got my 2007 G35X I felt that the stock oil filter on the VQ35HR engine was way too small. I couldn’t understand why, because there’s plenty of room down there.

It took me awhile, but I’ve found the largest oil filter that fits this engine with the proper thread, gasket and oil bypass specs.
My preferred filter -- Purolator PureOne: PL14619
Equivalent in other manufacturers:
K&N: HP-2007
Napa: 1324
Wix: 51324
Mobil: M1-207
Bosch: 3401

 

Wow thanks for sharing! This has got me inspired to go ahead and try the same sway bar upgrade!

 

thanks skiloads. Sway bars are my next venture for sure. I really appreciate the detailed post with driving impressions. I was considering doing the front and rear but after reading your post I will be doing just the rears. Thanks again

 

I’ve re-read my last post and I want to be sure there’s no confusion.
The polyurethane sway bar D bushings from Energy Suspension, P/N 7.5126, is to replace the stock AWD front sway bar rubber D bushings. When I removed my original front sway bar D bushings on my 2007 G35X, I found them to be pretty well worn after 5 years. The Energy Suspension, P/N 7.5126, were visibly stouter than the original rubber bushings I removed. If you’re keeping your original AWD front sway bar, replacing those original D bushings with these polyurethane D bushings is the way to go. Be sure they’re well lubricated. I ordered my polyurethane sway bar D bushings from www.energysuspensionparts.com and they included a small tube of lubricant at no extra charge.

Thanks for the kudos. I’m hoping others can benefit from this information as I have.

 

Thanks for sharing this find with us and for your consideration and time in writing up the options available to the G35X drivers.

By any chance do you happen to have the Nissan Part Numbers for the Nismo 370Z bar, and for the Nissan stock rear bar bushings for that bar (for those who may not want to use the poly bushings)?

In regard to the ride quality, how much effect would you say the bushings alone have on the ride quality as opposed to the stock rubber bushings?

Thanks again for taking the time to pass on the sway bar find and the oil filter info as well.

 

I could not find any data on the 2010 Nismo 370Z factory rear sway bar on the web.
I went to the Nismo performance parts accessories website
(http://www.nissanusa.com/nismo/perfo...00-1EA00US.jsp)
They have a sway bar kit for the standard 370Z, which includes both front and rear sway bars, but the rear sway bar in this kit is smaller, 25.4mm, than the rear sway bar I got from the 2010 Nismo 370Z, 26.5mm.

The standard 370Z factory rear sway bar, 24.2mm, rubber D bushings P/N is: 54613-JK01A
These bushings fit my 2007 G35X rear sway bar bushing brackets perfectly. The reason I know is I pulled the trigger too soon and ordered these bushing thinking I was going to get the standard 370Z stock rear sway bar but later changed my mind, opting for the Nismo 370 factory rear sway bar instead. So I’ve got an unused set collecting dust if someone wants them.

When I did my rear sway bar swap, I also changed out the stock front sway bar D bushings with the Energy Suspension polyurethane sway bar D bushings. So I can’t reliably report on the ride quality change from stock bushing to polyurethane bushings only. Besides, the front sway bar bushings I removed were pretty worn after 5 years, so any comparison would be from well worn rubber vs. new polyurethane. A fair comparison would be between new stock bushings vs. new polyurethane bushings.

 

I thought the 370Z stuff only fit the 37's and same for 350z's on 35's.
So a 370Z sway bar will fit on an 08 G35x.

 

The '07 and '08 G35s are V36, the same as the G37s.
Fourth generation (V36, 2007-present).

 

With the help of a quick car-part.com search, I was lucky to find a RWD bar at a scrap yard for $35 a few towns over. HUGE difference in turn stability. Two mechanics worked for nearly half an hour while the car was on a lift...I don't know how some of you managed to get it done on jackstands without air wrenches.

Also, skiloads treated me to those fresh bushings which I am very grateful for. I love this board!

 

Yarrh you left your front sway bar alone, keeping your original front sway bar bushings, right?
You swapped out your stock ’08 G35X rear sway bar, 17.7mm, with a stock RWD rear sway bar, 24.2mm, and used a fresh set of factory RWD rubber sway bar bushings for that RWD rear sway bar.

Now that you’ve driven with your modified suspension for awhile, the question on some folks’ minds is: how has the ride quality changed for you?

 

That is correct, sir