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What’s up guys! Pretty sure you guys have seen pictures of my car in various other threads, but I thought I’d make a build thread just for kicks!
First and foremost this is my daily driver so my vision for the build is to keep it clean and classy with that “OEM Plus” look. I had a G35 coupe before this so I’m pretty familiar with the overall platform, but I felt like I modded too much with my coupe (that may not exist to some people, but for me that was my daily too and it was just too much for me). So I ended up parting out the coupe and switched to something more practical and functional. Who says you can’t have both form and function?
September 8, 2015: So here we go! Here she is on the first day, bone stock. 2009 G37xS Platinum Graphite Sedan loaded with premium, sport, technology, and navigation packages.
First thing I did was take it to the tint shop. 35% all around with Solar Gard Galaxie HP Smoke film. No picture of before & after because it’s just tint lol.
Second thing wasn't really a mod, but I figured I’d share this. Being an ’09, there’s no Bluetooth audio streaming. I really wanted a way to add Bluetooth audio without paying for an aftermarket module and going through the hassle of ripping the dash open for installation. I stumbled across a thread from a different forum about playing music through Bluetooth on an EX35. They used a series of adapters and plugged them into the iPod interface in the armrest storage box (which thankfully I had). Works like a charm, as if Bluetooth came with the car! Song/artist/time info all show up on the screen and can be controlled using the steering wheel and center console. Best of all, everything is hidden in the center armrest compartment so it's completely out of view Only tradeoff is I don't have any room to put anything LOL. (Don't have pics of this but everything is in the link)
September 20, 2015: Getting rid of that ugly yellow incandescent interior lighting! Swapped them out for Diode Dynamics cool white LEDs. I went with stage 2 lights, and they are bright! Great quality and no issues with the installation. Also swapped out my license plate lights. Sorry I don't have comparison pics, but you all know how they look. I was too focused on changing them out haha!
September 26, 2015: Next thing was ordering the OEM midnight grille and OEM sport lip. I managed to find both brand new and painted from OrderInfinitiParts.com. The shipping charge was massive (understandable) but worth it, given how hard to find the lip is. I couldn’t stand seeing the bumper without the lip so I bit the bullet and paid what I had to. But it’s worth every penny! Night and day difference. Gives the car so much more presence and attitude.
October 5, 2015: Next thing wasn’t really a mod either (in my mind), but more of maintenance but I’ll include it anyways. My rotors were warping and causing vibrations during braking, so I had to get new brakes. Akebonos would have been nice but weren’t in the budget, so I decided to keep the base brakes and use the Z1 brake upgrade kit. It came with drilled & slotted rotors, centric posi-quiet pads, stainless steel brake lines, and brake fluid. Looks good and does the job just fine!
October 14, 2015: Next up are wheels. The 18” duckfeet aren’t bad, but leave much to be desired in comparison to the coupe 19s. After seeing how good they look on our sedans, I had to grab a set to tide me over until I’m able to go aftermarket. I paired these up with 20mm spacers in the front and 15mm in the rear to give it a flush look. They are wrapped in Nexen N5000 Plus all season tires 245/40/19 all around, of which I have no complaints given their price point.
October 15, 2015: As you can see, the wheel gap was horrendous. Not to worry because I had Ksport coilovers ready to be installed the next day. Also had SPC front & rear kits to help with alignment. After the drop I sat just under 26” from front fender to ground, and it’s the perfect height for me. Again this is my daily, and even with the drop putting me flush with the tire, I don’t get any major rubbing or scraping. Ride is definitely harsher but you gotta compromise! Nothing unbearable though. No complaints about the coilovers.
Now things are starting to look proper!
November 16, 2015: Next up, I got the rear diffuser wrapped in gloss black. The contrast between the Platinum Graphite maintains a sporty but classy look. One of the must-do mods on our cars… cheap, easy, and makes a huge difference.
March 9, 2016: Took a bit of a break for the winter. Most recently, I bought LED bulbs for my front and rear turn signals (still waiting to install; just got them in the mail today). One of my biggest peeves about this car is that the RED turn signal is located in the middle of our RED brake lights, which are much brighter than the signals since they’re LED. This makes it very hard to see when brakes are lit up. So I decided to swap them out for amber LEDs, which I’ve seen actually do light up amber despite the red lens. I’m hoping that this, in combination with the increased brightness, will make it easier for other drivers to see. I figured since I’m swapping out my rears I might as well do my fronts too.
March 17, 2016: New wheels! I opted to go for a true square setup so I don't have to worry about VDC going off because of the AWD. I also wanted to reuse my current tires which were 245/40/19 since they were pretty much still new, so 19x9.5 was the perfect middle ground in terms of size: aggressive but not too wide for my tires. I got in contact with VMR Wheels, the same company that I ran on my old G35 coupe. They got back to me with a nice list of wheels that were available in my desired fitment, but one in particular struck my eye. They were reminiscent of the OEM coupe 19s, but added a little bit of flavor with the concave profile and thicker spokes. To keep with my "OEM-plus/daily driver" look, I went with those. They did not disappoint
I also installed the LED turn signals for the rear along with the reverse lights today, but did not get a chance to do the front signals. I will post a video review when I have the time
March 31, 2016: Got the Tanabe Medalion axle back exhaust put on today! First impression: can't tell the difference between stock at all from inside the cabin. I mean I knew it was quiet but not this quiet! It's used (seller advised 7k miles) so I imagine it's had plenty of time to break in. Oh well, at least it looks nice! I'll probably swap out the resonators in the midpipe for shorter Vibrant resonators, as I've heard some clips on Youtube paired with the Tanabe that sound great. I prefer not to go with test pipes/HFC and not mess with the cats due to emissions inspections and affecting the AFR and whatnot. Also installed the LED bulbs for my front turn signals today too!
September 10, 2016: New wheels arrived! After a fairly quiet summer, I decided I wanted to switch up the look of the car and was thinking about new wheels. I knew for sure that I wanted to keep the new specs as close as possible to the specs of the VMRs, so that I wouldn't have to use spacers or get new tires. I always liked the look of the Work Kiwami wheels, but didn't want to pay for them (yes, bash me if you want). I knew ESR Wheels made a replica of the wheel, and in perfect specs too. I loved their silver machine finish which I believe would flow perfectly with the sedan. I ended up taking advantage of their Labor Day sale and got a set for dirt cheap, shipped. Received the wheels in about a week (they came right on my birthday!) and took them to get tires put on a few weeks later. Absolutely gorgeous on the sedan and I knew I would love this setup far more than the VMR (although I still liked them!).
October 26, 2016: After the wheels, I purchased a set of turn signal mirrors and a carbon fiber spoiler from eBay. I wanted the signals on the mirror more for safety when changing lanes, but also for aesthetics and uniqueness. I wanted a spoiler for the trunk to cover up the ugly chrome finisher, but wasn't quite interested in the OEM, Stillen, or AutoKits spoiler. A few people on Facebook pointed me to the CF spoiler on eBay and it looked pretty good so I gave it a shot. My plan was to get the spoiler paint matched, but leave a little edge in CF for a subtle OEM-but-aftermarket look.
I took the mirrors and spoiler to the shop to get them painted & installed in mid October and it took about 2 weeks. They said wiring the mirrors was the hardest part, but in the end they made everything look extremely clean and OEM. A little steep on the labor charge, but it was worth it.
February 20, 2017: Finally, and I mean FINALLY, decided to get toe arms installed for the rear. I was running about -3 camber in the rear since I first lowered it (I couldn't adjust the camber any more without keeping the toe in spec), and was not keen on the look nor the tire wear. I definitely put it off for too long but for some reason I kept telling myself I didn't need them.
February 21, 2017: Again, something I've put off for too long. The Tanabe axlebacks are way too quiet, as you all probably know. I've heard videos and seen threads about people replacing the stock resonators in the midpipe with shorter ones from Vibrant. I finally pulled the trigger and it sounds perfect. A little louder and a more pronounced growl from the VQ, but nothing obnoxious. Perfect tone for the sedan.
Everything you've done is spot-on, glad you're liking those coilovers, not a lot out there for you AWD guys so having positive feedback is huge!
Also some details on your 35 coupe would be a nice addition, looks like quite the build you put into that one.
Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
Everything you've done is spot-on, glad you're liking those coilovers, not a lot out there for you AWD guys so having positive feedback is huge!
Also some details on your 35 coupe would be a nice addition, looks like quite the build you put into that one.
Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
Much appreciated! Here are some pics of my old G35, along with an extensive (and expensive) list of mods: Motordyne 5/16" plenum spacer, R2C intake, Motordyne TDX2 & ART pipes, Tein S-Tech w/ Tokico HP shocks, CF front splitter, CF roof spoiler, CF rear diffuser, 19" VMR V705, roof wrapped gloss black, HaloEFX matte gray, JDM tail lights, JDM clear corners, custom black headlights, grille painted matte black, K2 duckbill trunk, Uprev tune, JDM double din with Pioneer AVIC-6000NEX
Car looks clean and simple. What made you go for a sedan this time around?
Hard to explain, I just kind of got tired of coupe life in general. Plus I always liked the V36 body style more than the V35, and with updated interior/technology and more power I felt an upgrade/switch was in line. I plan on keeping this one for a while, so having more room and 4 doors isn't a bad thing.
I took a few months out of the car game after selling the coupe so I could search for the perfect G sedan. I couldn't pass this one up as I was able to grab a pretty great deal.
Hard to explain, I just kind of got tired of coupe life in general. Plus I always liked the V36 body style more than the V35, and with updated interior/technology and more power I felt an upgrade/switch was in line. I plan on keeping this one for a while, so having more room and 4 doors isn't a bad thing.
I took a few months out of the car game after selling the coupe so I could search for the perfect G sedan. I couldn't pass this one up as I was able to grab a pretty great deal.
03-09-2016, 10:24 PM
Only tradeoff is I don't have any room to put anything LOL. (Don't have pics of this but everything is in the link)
