Hey, all!

Just ended my month-long car-researching ordeal by picking up a 2013 g37xS. Happy with the car so far, but have a question about brakes.

The car came with 20" aftermarket wheels (which IMO looked ugly and messed up the ride quality - got the dealer replace them with new pair of 18"s off a q60). Got wondering what else might have been changed on the car. This got me looking at what is different for the sport version and was confused about the brakes. Some people claim that sport comes with larger 4-piston Akebono brakes, however mine doesn't have them. Mine look more like standard brakes with no labels on it that you'd see on pretty much any car. Moreover, I can clearly remember another g37xS that I looked at which had same non-Akebono brakes as mine.

Been looking at S's people sell on Craigslist - here I have one with what looks like Akebono brakes: https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/c...563750339.html

And here I have one with brakes that look exactly like mine: https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/c...555542624.html

So what is happening with those brakes? Were Akebonos stock on all sports model? Were they an optional upgrade? Did mine get swapped out?

Thanks!

 

I don’t see sport brakes on either of those cars.

If a xS sedan has sport brakes, they were added aftermarket. Only the RWD S sedans got the fixed piston brakes.

Coupes are different. RWD S as well as xS got the BBK.

 

Easy answer. For sedans at least.
G37 Journey / X come with 1 piston front and 1 piston rear slider callipers
G37XS comes with 2 piston front 1 piston rear slider callipers
G37S comes with 4 piston front 2 piston rear Akebono BBK callipers

So while the XS does get bigger brakes than the X or the base rwd model, they're not BBK.
Good news is that those 18"s should clear the BBK if you choose to upgrade. (totally worth it, completely different feel, love mine)
Also, like Lego said, both those cars dont have Akebonos if you look close enough.

 

Thanks, guys, very helpful!

I wonder, why would they put the more powerful brakes as stock on a lighter, RWD coupe, but not on the heavier AWD sedan?

 

The Sport package on the x sedan is just cosmetic. No LSD, no BBK, no sport suspension, no fast ratio steering.

Also, I think the sedan is lighter than the coupe. If you look at stopping distances between the various G configurations, there is virtually no difference. All are capable of about the same 60-0 or 70-0 stops. The BBK only comes into play for fade resistance. Tires and pad selection will play a bigger role than calipers. But the BBK certainly is pretty

 

Sedan IS lighter than the coupe by just a little bit. They had to add extra weight to the coupe in order for it to have the same weight distribution as the sedan.

I mean the name of the trim should give it away. The Coupe is called Sport Package, whereas the sedan is called Sport Appearance Package. The awd sedan also suffers from the thinnest rear sway bar in automotive history lol (exaggeration, but seriously its thin), and the sedan has a bottleneck added to the exhaust at the mufflers just to make it more quiet.

 

Got it. A related question, btw! I couldn't find a lot of details on the Infiniti's AWD system. It seems, though, that it can apply brakes selectively to individual wheels. Meaning that there isn't really any benefit in having an LSD on a system like that since it can simulate the operation by reducing the slippage through brake application. Would you all agree?

Also, does upgrading the sway bar make any meaningful difference?

 

Look up ATTESA E-TS, thats the awd system in our cars. Its the same system used in the R34 GT-R minus the LSD, and then improved upon in the R35. Its a fully mechanical system, the brake thing you mentioned is only in cars with lane-keep assist like the EX35 or the Q50. The cool thing with this system being fully mechanical, you can disengage the front with installing a simple switch or by pulling a fuse, and have a 100% RWD car (with an open diff unfortunately)

As for the Sway bars, OH MY GOD YES they make a difference. Its like you get into a completely different car. I installed mine a year into owning the car and smacked myself on the face for not doing it as my very first mod. Its THAT MUCH of a difference.

 

Neat, this stuff? https://www.hotchkis.net/product/200...d=6616&sm=2160

 

While the urge to slap them for spelling Infiniti wrong is still within me, yes, those are the bars.

 

I also recently purchased a 2013 G37xS Sedan and was wondering the same thing about the basic brake system. Boggles my mind how they wouldn't have put the BBK or Akebono brakes on these cars.

I also have a loud "creaking" noise in the front drivers side when I brake, pads look fine but I believe the rotors may be warped. Looks like I will be putting larger rotors/calipers on very soon.

 

I will bet you dollars to donuts your rotors are not warped. Try braking HARD from 60 mph down to 10 mph in quick succession 4 times. Please report back when done.

 

Thank you for the tip, will certainly try it out.

Here is a link to a YouTube video I made about the "creaking" noise. Any thoughts?

https://youtu.be/yDWGAQkHF8U

 

Thank you sir, I am now positive my rotors are NOT warped! Only the brake squeal/creaking noise remains. I did purchase a set of Wagner OEx Ceramic pads today, I guess I will install those tomorrow and see if anything changes.