Mikeyb

0-60: 5.3
By Shaun Bailey
Photo by Jeff Allen
Fall 2004


The Infiniti G35 and Nissan 350Z are respectable sports cars, yes, but for hard-core driving enthusiasts, they need more power. Enter GReddy — a company well known for its turbo kits. They lent us one of each tweaked with their VQ twin-turbo kit.

Turbocharged cars bring a smile to my face and the G35, in particular, left me with a wicked grin. Power delivery is smooth with a great rush near redline, a trademark of turbo power. Thanks to the adjustable shocks, the car’s ride could be changed from track to soft-riding “date-mobile” in one button press. If you want to leave a good impression, this is the car to do it in.



For roughly $10,000 in parts, a G35 or 350Z, running 7 psi of boost, can be made to run a 0–60 time of 5.3 seconds, thanks to an output of about 395 bhp. The difference in weight lets the Z pull a bit in the quarter mile, though, running 13.3 sec. at 109.7 mph, a tenth quicker than the G.

The base twin-turbo kit is $6495, but you’ll need more to complete the package: intercooler, stainless exhaust, iridium sparkplugs, boost controller and turbo timer as well as some grippy rubber. In this case, the car was fitted with Nitto 555 tires, size 235/35 front and 275/30 rear on 19-in. Ray’s Volk Racing wheels. Shocks were changed to Tein CS with EDFC (Electronic Damping Force Controller) that allows front and rear damping adjustment using a little silver box mounted on the console. Brakes are GREX and, yes, there is an aftermarket front clip to allow space for the intercooler.

Final cost of this particular setup is close to that of a used Porsche 911, which would make for an interesting racetrack rival, until, of course, you up the boost. The beauty of turbocharging is the adjustable power. The downside of these tweaked machines is the complexity of owning a modified car and loss of warranty.

But I think the look on a Porsche owner’s face when you pull ahead of him is well worth the trouble. Plus, from my experience, girls like the turbocharged hum of the GReddy G35.

http://www.spdmag.com/article.asp?se...rticle_id=2010