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Verdict is still out for me. I was looking for about a 5000k bulb but this is more like 4500k. It's better for inclement weather but we don't get that often here in NY. It is bright though. I find my headlight brightness to be even with modern day LED headlights just at a warmer tone. You cant go wrong with them. If you're looking for more of a bluer tone and can deal with not seeing well on a rainy night, go for the CBBs. My CBI 2nd gens are great overall.
There are D2S led bulbs out there. Wish GTR lighting made some cuz their LED bulbs are amazing. Good luck with the refurbish!!
Thank you for your input. I know there is the Morimoto D2S bulbs that are 4300K XB35's. I cleaned the assemblies and gaskets, going to start the wet sanding > clear coat > then PPF.
I am currently running all LED's in my Akkon headlights, using the LASFIT D2S LED ballasts. Just looking for that really nice bright white light.
Good day everyone!! Hope your pre-holidays are going well. Update with the car. It has been officially tuned! Here's the story and results,
This all happened back in November. A week before Thanksgiving to be exact. The wife's car was on its last leg and we needed to get it fixed ASAP. Took it down to the guys at Real Auto Dynamics here in NY. Great guys! Knowledgeable and actually care about your car no matter what you drive. While down there, I talked to them about tuning. They specialize in Nissan/Infinitis and know the ins and outs of the VQ platform and have tuned tons of VQs over the years.
They were running a black Friday sale on tuning and jumped on it. Brought the car down for the scheduled tune and had them check some things out before we strapped it down on the dyno. But of course nothing is easy when it comes to cars. They did a check and found an exhaust leak coming from the headers to the HFCs. Interesting considering they did my HFCs and catback install qbout a year ago. They fixed it up with a new Z1 gasket. Definitely noticed a difference in sound and my MPGs!
Here's a pic of the MPGs after the tune/gasket fix. It went up from 18mpg. All city driving btw.
They walked me into the shop to show me the gasket leak and a melted plastic bag on my exhaust lol. While there, I noticed that one of my tires looked horrible. Me and the tech inspected it and noticed two other tires were in the same condition. The tech figured it was a suspension issue. Checked everything and no issues. Toe was within spec as well. We just figured it was cheap tires failing but I didn't think Vredestien was a cheap brand. They are very reputable overseas and have been great for me in the states. But they looked horrible! I didn't feel safe driving with them anymore.
Rear left was the worst one. Was starting to break apart at the seams.
That still didn't stop me. I wanted my car tuned. The staff were concerned the tires would blow while on the dyno and asked if I'd like to come back when I get new tires. We all deliberated and figured that since the car isn't going to be putting that much power down, that the tires will still be okay. And they were. No issues during the dyno.
A total of 5 runs were done. Here are the final numbers.
Base HP was a surprising 324. I honestly expected these cars made about 310 stock. Tuner stated that the Q40 has the Q50 V6 and it makes slightly more power stock than the g37s. Not sure about that statement since it's still a VQ37HR for the Q50 but correct me if I'm wrong. Torque went up a little as well. The car has more torque on the low end now which helps with passing.
The tuner also made me 4 maps. Map 1 is the tuned map. Map 2 is tuned map with burbles. (Not for me. I'm old) Map 3 is valet mode. Limits the car to 3500rpm. Makes for a nice little 2 step action. Map 4 is a kill switch. Prevents the engine from turning. Used this a few times already when I went away my last two trips.
Not sure how to add videos here but I have a before and after of a 0-60. Definitely noticed a difference in that. The car definitely moves now.
BTW, ordered some new Continental DWS 06 Plus tires. Much better dry traction than the vredesteins but the vreds are still top in wet traction imo. Also they're easier to balance. The vreds always gave me a vibration past 70mph no matter how many shops rebalanced them. Road force helped a little but still vibrateted. The contis make the car feel brand new. Didn't even notice I was doing 90 the other night. Happy camper!
How do you like the DWS06+? When I tried them (225/50ZR18), they would flat spot overnight and they had a very bad ride quality. They would shake for a while on the highway till they would warm up.
Would this be considered a mod?? Lol. I got the dreaded sunroof drain issue last week. Only found out the morning after some bad storms the night prior. Had a nice puddle in the passenger foot well. Did some research here on the forums and found out there was an updated sunroof drain grommet. Further research yielded that this new grommet can be found on the newer Nissan SUVs so I guess that's a good thing.
The process included the removal of the A-Pillar and passenger side vent. Not many mention this but removing the glovebox helps a lot. Once you have everything removed, use some long pliers and go from the bottom where the glovebox was. From there you will see the grommet. It's surrounded by this carpet like material which I'm going to assume is used to block out noise from the engine compartment. Put the pliers where the drain plug attaches to the grommet and squeeze. I did a back-and-forth motion and the grommet popped out easily. Next you fish out the grommet which hopefully for you is still attached to the drain hose, through the A-pillar opening. Check out the nastiness in your old grommet. While doing that, check out your drain hose and make sure that not filled with junk either. Attach your new grommet to the drain hose. Now you do everything in reverse. Careful though as the new bushing around the new grommet kept coming off when fishing it back through the A-pillar. Use the same pliers and reach from the glovebox and use leverage to force the grommet back in. DONE! It's tedious but better than spending $800+ at the dealer.
The drain itself wasn't really clogged. Just dirty. The culprit was definitely the grommet. Took about an hour. I can't believe techs at the dealers remove the whole dash. Sounds like a way to get more out of a $10 part.
Can you share the part number for the updated grommet?
How do you like the DWS06+? When I tried them (225/50ZR18), they would flat spot overnight and they had a very bad ride quality. They would shake for a while on the highway till they would warm up.
So far so good. An upgrade over the Vredesteins for sure. I'll keep a look out for that. Hopefully it doesnt happen.
Originally Posted by Zack342
Can you share the part number for the updated grommet?
Couldve sworn I put the part number in that post. Here you go!
Ladies and gents! I'm still alive! Lol. Hope everyone's holiday was swell. Not really a huge update but the poor car has been neglected. It's still my daily however but has seen better days. I've been contemplating trading it in for a 24 Q50 RS lease as the deals are amazing in my area but I'm also in the market for a KIA EV9 so a lease on a Q50 and EV9 isn't a proper financial decision lol.
Here's how she looks now 😔
After 4 years of having the roof wrapped, the outside elements cooked the vinyl and has been slowly coming off during car washes. Planning on just getting it painted this spring/summer. Never wrapping my roof again Had a small side swipe merging in slow traffic a few months back. Just scuffs and scratches so need to get insurance involved even tho it wasn't my fault. Plan on getting this touched up as well. My license plate light bracket rusted out and now this is how one of the lights sit. It's so disgusting. I feel ratchet driving around like this. Definitely fixing this as soon as NY weather warms up a little. Already have the new bracket on hand and spraying it with plasti-dip to keep it from rusting again. License plate bracket rusted as well so rear right screw won't come lose. Going to be fun repairing that too. Next two pictures came from getting my car valet at a local hospital. Came back to this minor scuff and big scuff in the next photo. Made a claim with ProPark and of course they denied it saying it was previous damage. My insurance is currently fighting this one because eff em' This one hurts. I never valet my car for this exact reason and the one time I do, look. Kicking myself for not following my own rule My headlight swap from last summer is still going well. Lenses still look good but could use a little TLC
As you can see there is a lot of work to be done. Mechanical wise the car is 90%. Front end is starting to squeak on small bumps so that tells me some bushings need replacement but other than that, nothing to complain about. Solid. Looking forward to what 2025 holds and will update accordingly. Thanks for everyones input and comments in the past. Much appreciated. Hope everyone has a great happy and healthy new year. Be safe out there!
Just like the last update, things have been stagnant. I did fix the license plate light bracket and license plate holder so there's that. Still planning on fixing the roof and the scraps and scuffs along the car but I barely have time to do so.
I did however have time to get me a new toy:
2024 Q50 Red Sport AWD. Picked her up with 11 miles. Excited to start modding the VR30 engine platform.
Still keeping the "skyline". Hoping I don't neglect her further
