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Hey all. New G37x sedan guy here. MY 2010, picked her up the other day. Have about 120k miles. Pretty sure shocks/struts/springs are original and in need of replacement STAT. Whereas on many cars I've owned and modified in the past, there was always a plethora of options for the aftermarket suspension i.e. Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs etc. Am I missing something because I'm not finding ANYTHING for our cars out there?! I am finding plenty of options for the RWD version of our cars, but not the AWD. How much different is the suspension setup, seriously? Do the RWD options work for us AWD sedan guys or nah? If not, what are our options? Just have to buy OEM Infiniti struts? Seems silly that there's no nice KW or other brand-name coil-over system product out there, or even just some OE similar replacement upgrades i.e. Bilsteins. Hell, I had a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee once that had more options than I'm finding ATM. Help?!
I've owned my 2013 X sedan for a couple years now. I also have about 120k miles and will be doing some parts replacement. Honestly there aren't many options other than a stock replacement if that's what you want to do, is just replace parts. There are quite a few aftermarket options if you're looking to upgrade, however. Swift springs are a great option that lower the car just a little (about 1.25") and are a tad stiffer, but retain a decent ride quality. That's what I'm doing. Paired with KYB Excel-G shocks. Which again, are a little better than OEM (if I remember correctly) in terms of being a little more stiff but still having good ride quality. I think we don't have as many options due to weight? I could be wrong about that.
Idk about you but I need AWD and live on a mountain. I would like to retain as much ride quality and usefulness as possible but still make my car look and feel a little sportier.
You can also look into coilovers, Megan Racing springs or Eibach springs. But unless you do coilovers I believe KYB shocks are going to be a good replacement.
I've owned my 2013 X sedan for a couple years now. I also have about 120k miles and will be doing some parts replacement. Honestly there aren't many options other than a stock replacement if that's what you want to do, is just replace parts. There are quite a few aftermarket options if you're looking to upgrade, however. Swift springs are a great option that lower the car just a little (about 1.25") and are a tad stiffer, but retain a decent ride quality. That's what I'm doing. Paired with KYB Excel-G shocks. Which again, are a little better than OEM (if I remember correctly) in terms of being a little more stiff but still having good ride quality. I think we don't have as many options due to weight? I could be wrong about that.
Idk about you but I need AWD and live on a mountain. I would like to retain as much ride quality and usefulness as possible but still make my car look and feel a little sportier.
You can also look into coilovers, Megan Racing springs or Eibach springs. But unless you do coilovers I believe KYB shocks are going to be a good replacement.
Thanks for the reply man! Yeah doesn't seem to be many options for our specific model, sucks! Gotta make do with what we have. I'm not seeing any Eibach options for us G37x sedan guys
I also live on/near mountains (Colorado). Think I'm gonna end up with that KYB and Swift setup you mentioned, so thank you for that. Otherwise I just got off the phone with Z1 Performance and they said when I'm ready to pull the trigger, I could purchase the "special order" BC Racing coilovers through them that they make for our cars. After adding up the KYB shocks and the Swift springs, the price is almost comparable to a full set of those BC coilovers... so we'll see!!!
Thanks for the reply man! Yeah doesn't seem to be many options for our specific model, sucks! Gotta make do with what we have. I'm not seeing any Eibach options for us G37x sedan guys
I also live on/near mountains (Colorado). Think I'm gonna end up with that KYB and Swift setup you mentioned, so thank you for that. Otherwise I just got off the phone with Z1 Performance and they said when I'm ready to pull the trigger, I could purchase the "special order" BC Racing coilovers through them that they make for our cars. After adding up the KYB shocks and the Swift springs, the price is almost comparable to a full set of those BC coilovers... so we'll see!!!
You are correct, my bad for not doing my homework. I do not see Eibach springs for AWD anywhere. Thought there were.
Honestly depending on what look you want to achieve and how aggressively you're going to drive... Yeah throw the extra $$$ down if you want and get a set of coilovers. The price difference isn't that big from what I'm doing and coilovers (as you mentioned) so you could just set your ride height and be alright. I'm going for close to a factory ride but just a little lower and sportier.
Think about sway bars next! These Xs like to float around when driving aggressively.
Yeah there are very few suspension option out there for awd cars. I used 350z springs on my G35x, which dropped it about an inch all around, to me that was more than enough, but now I have a slight vibration in my wheel when accelerating, likely due to misalignment of the front axle shafts…..
You are correct, my bad for not doing my homework. I do not see Eibach springs for AWD anywhere. Thought there were.
Honestly depending on what look you want to achieve and how aggressively you're going to drive... Yeah throw the extra $$$ down if you want and get a set of coilovers. The price difference isn't that big from what I'm doing and coilovers (as you mentioned) so you could just set your ride height and be alright. I'm going for close to a factory ride but just a little lower and sportier.
Think about sway bars next! These Xs like to float around when driving aggressively.
Good luck man
You're absolutely right man I felt the back end floating with the stock setup! I just got done tonight installing some SPC and Z1 rear control/traction/toe arms and their respective bolts. The previous owner had mismatched parts back there and no one could get the alignment right we'll see how it fairs after a nice alignment. While I was under there, I saw how pencil thin that rear sway bar is. I'm kind of appalled Infiniti did that, especially with a RWD-biased AWD system ?). Rear sway bar and Whiteline end links will certainly be next. Gotta replace the toasted rotors at some point soon too. Sigh.
Yeah, so I will price out some Swift springs and like those KYB shocks and see how that compares to the $1100 or so full Coilover kit. Besides the customizability of a Coilover setup with regard to height adjustment, I am not sure how much better they are for the car. One advantage I can see now after doing those rear arms is if you ditch the spring in the rear, you can swap that big coil spring isolator cup/arm with another SPC or Z1 or whatever stronger, cleaner arm and also use the appropriate bolt kit (bore out the hole a bit) and probably really dial in your rear suspension even more. Outside of that, I guess some nice Z1/SPC/whatever fully adjustable upper control arms/ball joints would be the icing on the cake.
I think I might go the route of getting some solid suspension bits and pieces before I add any kind of power. Up here in Colorado, NA motors kinda suck sometimes. Hard to make power. And taking it up to 10,000ft over mountain passes it seems better to have forced induction of some kind. But Stillen's supercharger kits are 5-6 months out per their website. So yeah. lol
My thoughts and goals are 100% like yours. I want to stay slightly lower and stiffer than stock, but not trying to slam the car at all.
Now to go find a thread (or make one) about everyone's favorite alignment settings are (if not stock/factory). I am going to ask for maybe -0.5 camber more on front and rear. We'll see if Big O Tires can handle that lol lol
Yeah there are very few suspension option out there for awd cars. I used 350z springs on my G35x, which dropped it about an inch all around, to me that was more than enough, but now I have a slight vibration in my wheel when accelerating, likely due to misalignment of the front axle shafts…..
Is that misalignment of the front axle shafts a confirmed direct result of putting the "wrong" springs on your car? Or did you go too low? Or did you not adjust any other suspension components to support a solid alignment after the lowering?
Is that misalignment of the front axle shafts a confirmed direct result of putting the "wrong" springs on your car? Or did you go too low? Or did you not adjust any other suspension components to support a solid alignment after the lowering?
I did not confirm, however the vibration only started after the drop, and it makes sense because the working angle of the cv joints has changed, as well as a slight change to their working length, This is a common issue with dropped fwd cars that I’ve tried to resolve previously for customers.
I did the alignment myself immediately after, I have access to a machine and plenty of experience.
The springs are also not “wrong”, the drop is the only affected angle.
I did not confirm, however, the vibration only started after the drop, and it makes sense because the working angle of the cv joints has changed, as well as a slight change to their working length, This is a common issue with dropped fwd cars that I’ve tried to resolve previously for customers.
I did the alignment myself immediately after, I have access to a machine and plenty of experience.
The springs are also not “wrong”, the drop is the only affected angle.
Right on, gotcha. Aren't we talking about RWD and AWD on our cars though?
Right on, gotcha. Aren't we talking about RWD and AWD on our cars though?
Yes, but my car is awd, which uses the same drive-axle system as a fwd car. If you picture your front axle shafts in working position they will be close to level, but if you lower the car they will now have an upward angle at the wheel hub joint compared to the inner joint. Does that make sense? I can probably snap a pic this week as I may be swapping wheels
I did not confirm, however the vibration only started after the drop, and it makes sense because the working angle of the cv joints has changed, as well as a slight change to their working length, This is a common issue with dropped fwd cars that I’ve tried to resolve previously for customers.
I did the alignment myself immediately after, I have access to a machine and plenty of experience.
The springs are also not “wrong”, the drop is the only affected angle.
Do you see any longterm issues because of the vibration and different position of the CV joints? Would it seem likely that the front axles would wear out quicker?
I also have an AWD G37 and still haven't lowered it because I'm afraid of popping a front axle.
^Yes, the cars are rwd biased, which is one of the main reasons why I like them…..I wanted a rwd car but we got this car on trade so I settled for what was available, lol. Keep in mind the vibration only happens on initial acceleration, or when accelerating through traffic, but not when cruising so it’s not really bothering me right yet. I also intend to try elongating my upper control arm mounting holes to reduce my negative camber, but I’m not really thinking that will help with the vibration, and I honestly think it may make it worse.
Originally Posted by EcstaticG37XS
Do you see any longterm issues because of the vibration and different position of the CV joints? Would it seem likely that the front axles would wear out quicker?
I also have an AWD G37 and still haven't lowered it because I'm afraid of popping a front axle.
Most likely, yes. Axle shafts are fairly cheap though so I’m not very worried about it, I love the look and to me it would be worth it to buy new shafts every few years rather than drive a boring car.
I also have an X, so had the same situation earlier this year. In June I installed Swift springs on KYB struts/upper mounts with Z1 arms in the rear. Total I'm in around $850. I have a few thousand miles on them now and they have started to break in and settle down. The ride is firmer without being harsh and that's what I wanted. Here's how it sits on 255/40/19s.
I've owned my 2013 X sedan for a couple years now. I also have about 120k miles and will be doing some parts replacement. Honestly there aren't many options other than a stock replacement if that's what you want to do, is just replace parts. There are quite a few aftermarket options if you're looking to upgrade, however. Swift springs are a great option that lower the car just a little (about 1.25") and are a tad stiffer, but retain a decent ride quality. That's what I'm doing. Paired with KYB Excel-G shocks. Which again, are a little better than OEM (if I remember correctly) in terms of being a little more stiff but still having good ride quality. I think we don't have as many options due to weight? I could be wrong about that.
Idk about you but I need AWD and live on a mountain. I would like to retain as much ride quality and usefulness as possible but still make my car look and feel a little sportier.
You can also look into coilovers, Megan Racing springs or Eibach springs. But unless you do coilovers I believe KYB shocks are going to be a good replacement.
I know I'm getting to this late but the lack of options aren't due to weight. I believe they are due to the unique front strut design. The AWD G37 has a short front strut/spring that sits on top of a horseshoe or wishbone shaped lower mount. This opening is where the front axle goes to the hub. The side effect is that the front strut and spring are extremely short. I actually had to go to a shop with a press to install my front springs as the auto parts store spring compressor couldn't collapse the spring far enough to install the upper mount.
Aftermarket Strut/Shock Options for AWD
