how to install paddle shifters

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How To Install Paddle Shifters On Your Nissan/ Infiniti:


This mod should be possible on all g35 coupes & sedans, as well as all 03+ 350z’s & the Infiniti FX. It may also be possible on other models too, but these are the ones I have looked at & researched.


The paddle shifters that Nissan has added to their 07+ lineup are the coolest thing, being able to shift manually is a performance enhancement for several reasons, & downshifting is a good technique to avoid brake fade during high load driving. Doing this with the shifter is more hassle than it’s worth, & most will rarely bother to “play” with it after trying it a few times, but, when this is transferred to finger tip shifting, it takes on a whole new usefulness, & well, it actually makes shifting a pleasure, it can actually make driving more fun. I almost never used my shifter in the past, but now, with paddles, I use manual mode around 50% of the time & it makes my FX feel much more performance oriented. It also sounds more aggressive.


You’ll find your own reason to love paddle shifters I’m sure, all you need now is to figure out how to install them. The install is divided into 3 main parts,

1)the fabrication,
2)the wiring,
3)and the installation.

This is a relatively easy project, but it is altering your baby, & if you don’t feel comfortable with performing any of the following steps then please don’t, if installed correctly the paddle shifters are perfectly safe for your baby, & is within factory design in every way, but if butchered can cause all kinds of headaches, only you can judge your abilities & skill level & ensure providing the proper supplies & tools to do this job. If you’re not going to take the time to do this right then please don’t bother trying to do it at all.


OK, that said, the tools needed for this job can vary depending on the mounting method you use for the paddles themselves. basic tools to build this includes a dremel or something to cut & trim the necissary plastic, a soldering iron to solder up the relays & switches, a glue gun, wire strippers , a file, mainly basic hand tools. a plastic welder or a soldering gun or high wattage soldering iron can be used for this too.


I will show detailed instructions with photos & stuff for an install on an Infiniti FX. The FX is the tightest of all installs from what I see. I have not done any paddle retrofits in any other vehicle but the FX, but the majority of the FX install will apply to the other cars. I have installed these paddles in an 07 G35 sedan, & the 07 up G's at least, are all prewired & set up to accept these easy as 123 bolt in.

Fabrication:

Your biggest challenge with this paddle install is going to be the actual mounting the shifters. In the FX you’ll need to cut off the extra plastic on the shifters that is normally used for the mounting of the paddles, there is barely enough room in the stock housing cover for these paddle switches, & only when trimmed of all excess plastic. I have been told by a g35driver.com member that the paddles can fit in the g35 without cutting away all of the mounting tabs on the shifters, in fact I have been told that there is actually enough room in the housing to use a bracket to mount the shifters to the column. I have looked at a 350Z column & it looks to have even more room than the G’s even.


The FX does not provide anywhere near this kind of room, so I would think that the G’s & the Z’s will have enough room for you to devise a mounting scheme, if & when I do one I will then be able to add what I winded up doing in this guide, but for now you will have to use my info as a general guide & figure out what the best mounting solution is for yourself. Weather you drill & use metal brackets, or weld plastic or epoxy them, in the end as long as you get them rigid & strongly mounted, & in the right position they will work.


I highly recommend removing the switch housing/ carrier assembly from the car for this fabrication. It may be possible to do this “in the car”, but I don’t recommend it, you want to be able to make your mounts fine & positioned correctly, & you don’t want to get any plastic shrapnel in the column bearings, so cutting any plastic while installed in the car is just not a good idea.


You need to remove the column cover & the air bag & the steering wheel to remove the switch holder assembly. After the steering wheel is off, remove the screws holding the carrier down & unplug it & it just slides off. With the switch holder on a bench, you can reinsert the turn signal stalk & the wiper stalk, these along with the column cover will be your guide into where to position the paddles. On the FX you need to shave off the plastic shown on the switch carrier assembly. You will need to tuck the paddle switches in tight into these recesses or the cover will not fit back on. Everything I’ve seen so far leads me to believe this isn’t so much the case with the other cars, use the cover as your guide to how wide the paddle switches can be mounted & still fit.


Prepairing the paddles for the FX:

ok, these shots show how much trimming of the paddles is necissary on the fx, basicly you need to cut off all excess plastic & mounts...

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as far as the connectors, I just cut the housing around the terminals & solder directly to the terminals, then cover with epoxy... if you wish to try & source these connectors then more power to you, but there not easy at all to get, & this does the job perfectly... once wires are extended off of the shifters a quick disconnect plug can be used further down the connection for servicability...

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once you have your paddles trimmed of all excess plastic you then need to cut some out of the carrier assembly for the paddles to fit into.. you need these to tuck in real tight to be able to fit under the stock cover, start by trimming & fitting, in the end you will cut into the hole for the phillips screw that mounts the carier, but don't worry, there is still going to be enough room to fit a screwdriver in the hole to mount it up later

this is the bottom of the carrier stock:
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and this is where you need to start cutting:
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this is how the paddles need to fit into the carrier, this is a very tight fit, keep trimming until you can get them to tuck in tight, there is no glueing or mounting just yet, this is just prepairing it to accept the paddles...

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and the final fit. I try to make these wind up being tight enough to fit with just a little bit of resistance, if you make them too loose it is a bit harder to get the perfect position when the time comes for permanent mounting, a tighter fit helps hold it all togeather & hold it in place for you a bit...

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once you have the paddles & carrier prepped, you then need to start trimming the cover, you can't permanently mount anything until you fit everything togeather, this is also where it helps for the paddles to be a tighter fit to the carrier, to help hold it all in place for test fitting... start with a single slit down to the opening area, start out with your hole undersized & work it open little by little, till you have enough clearance all around, you can then dress this hole & cut with a file & sandpaper to make it look good

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you will also need to do some trimming of the cover behind the paddles too for the cover to fit as shown..

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left side:
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note that here I have found something to use as a spacer that gives me the perfect distance for these paddles to the turn & wiper stalks, you want enough room that you can run your fingers behind the paddles while you drive without interfearance with the stalks to your fingers, this roll of teflon thread tape winded up being the perfect size & helps to ensure both sides are exactly the same:
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right side:
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https://www.infinitiscene.com/search/1/?q=attachment.php?attachmentid=135&d=1202186913.jpg[img]


rear view:

[img]https://www.infinitiscene.com/search/1/?q=attachment.php?attachmentid=109&d=1202107052.jpg

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once you think you have everything set up right & it all fits togeather, either weld or glue a little to hold them in place, & recheck your fit. after these are tacked in place & checked for alignment & everything is good, I then locked these down solid with epoxy, to use epoxy on plastic you want to rough it up real good & press the epoxy into the plastic well so it has good adheision, if this is done right these paddles will not move or break loose no matter how much you abuse them... my first set was done with plastic welding only, & it's strong enough, but I can still get in there & alter the position if I melt all the welds again, but since I now have the perfect position this isn't necissary

rough it up good:
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this is the epoxy I used. it's actually not even specified as a plastic epoxy really, but I find it does a better job than even most specific plastic epoxies:
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and locked down, these are permanent now...
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final clearance enough to pass your fingers behind the paddles:
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You’ll want your final paddle position to be enough clearance for the light & wiper stalks that you can pull them all the way forward for high beam or washer spray, & not touch the paddles. You don’t want them much further forward than necessary though, as clearance to the wheel is another concern. With everything out & on the bench, you can lay the steering wheel over the switch carrier & check clearances.


Take your time & make both paddles straight & even, & make sure all your clearances are good. On the FX I actually “weld” the paddle switch onto the switch carrier. Plastic welding is basically melting the 2 plastics together, there are some nice fancy plastic welders available, but in a pinch a good hot soldering iron can do the job too. For more info on plastic welding go to urethanesupplycorp.com You can also epoxy the paddles in place if you feel more comfortable with that, I suppose even hot glue gun could be used, although I don’t think that would be the best way to really make it as strong as it could be. A glue gun could be useful to tack the paddle switches in place enough to hold them for then applying epoxy too, I think the best method though is plastic welding for plastic/ plastic bonding.


You will need to cut your column cover with slots so you can slide it over the whole thing while determining the final switch position too, you should be able to eyeball where the paddles line up to the cover, cut less than you need & check fit, keep trimming until it fits, but keep checking so you don’t wind up cutting too much of a gapping opening too, in the end if you do screw up your cover, at least your chopped up cover can now be a guide for you to know exactly how you’ll need to cut a new cover, they average around $50 or so new from Nissan/ Infiniti for the ones I checked. If your careful & take your time you should be able to get your cuts decent enough that your original cover will do the job & you won’t need to buy a new cover at all.


When your rough cut is pretty close you can finish off you edges with a file & then sandpaper, you should be able to get good looking cuts if you take your time, you can actually move up to a rally fine sandpaper & then actually polish the edge of the cut for a real “came that way” look. once you have your cuts slide the cover over the housing on the bench & screw it together to check fit, then note the open area above the paddles that needs to be filled in these slots, you can cut a piece of rubber & glue it on one side to make a flap, then, when you slide the cover on it’ll look perfectly factory.


Once you have your paddles mounted you should solder wires on to the terminals of the paddle switches, then seal these terminals to insulate them too, epoxy or hot glue is fine for this, even silicone could work if you don’t mind the waiting time for curing. You can then mount your switch carrier to the column again & reinstall the steering wheel & airbag, woh, the hardest part is over, you’re almost there, sit there for a few minutes clicking the paddles up & down while making vroom vroom sounds, you’ll be finger shifting in no time, now comes the wiring


If your car has the joystick on the side of the column for tilt telescopic, you would have had to remove it from its hole in the column cover just to fit the paddles in there, now you’ll need to remount the joystick elsewhere… the easiest thing to do is just move it down to the lower cover, again, check your harness reach & clearance behind the cover, note the best place to make a new hole to put this switch in. A little hot glue behind it will insure a tight fit if you cut your hole nice.
 
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Electrical wiring:

ok, once you have your paddles mounted & fitting togeather well, the next step is assembling the wiring. the wiring on these paddles is pretty simple. how these infinitis/nissans work with the manual shifter is, the computer recieves ground signals to various terminals to determine function. when the car is put in drive the computer knows this because a wire is grounded. when the shifter is moved into manual mode, this ground goes away,it is switched & instead another wire is grounded. when the computer sees a ground on this wire, it will no longer shift automaticly, it is now in manual mode. when the shifter is pushed for an upshift, the ground momentarily leaves the manual mode terminal & switches to the upshift terminal, then returns as quickly as it left to the manual terminal waiting for another request. same goes for downshifting, of course on it's own terminal too.


in order for this paddle shifter to function exactly the same as the manual shifter in the console, it needs to do exactly the same thing. this is easily accomplished with the use of 2 relays. I could have built & designed a solid state circuit to perform these functions easily enough, using transistors & diodes, but in the end there really is no benifit, mechanical relays will do the job just as well & be much easier, plus, the amount of amperage that flows through these circiuts are so minimal, that by using a good relay & soldering all of your connections you can rest easy in knowing that this assembly will more than likely outlast the car itself. your car leaves the factory with many relays, in practice, the majority of these relays will never need servicing, the extremely light load these relays will see they will last forever. I used factory ford relays for this install pictured, mainly because they are tiny, about half the size of a normal relay, but they are designed to handle upwards of 25 amps on a continious basis, for years & years of use. by using them here, these relays won't even see 1 amp load, & they are super reliable & permanent. any automotive relay can be used, aviod the cheap china ones, but any standard bosh or potter brumsfield or just about any oem standard 5 prong relay will do the job here.


how we wire this is, we use a double pass through design. the ground that goes to the computer to request manual mode is interupted, passed through the first relay, out of the first relay through it's off output & into the second relay input, then out of that relays off output & back to the computer. what this does is, when niether of these relays are activated, the ground passes straight through them, the shifter in the console still functions & behaves as normal, in essence it's as if these relays are not even there.


these relays are activated individually by the electrical switches in the new paddle shifters, downshift for example will switch from the downshift relays off output to it's on output, which is in turn connnected to the downshift request terminal of the computer. it naturally disconnects the ground from it's output (manual mode) & momentarily outputs this ground to the shift request. same of course goes for an upshift request. you can use the paddles for one shift & the console shifter for another, they do not interfear with each other & every thing works as it should. if by some chance you happened to pull both paddles at the same time, only the first in the series will output it's request, the second one couldn't, because the first one has taken it's off output away, so it has no input to output. the bottom line is, there is no way to really screw up the computer or have it see anything unexpected by it, like an upshift & downshift at the same time. I have used these for months & not had one single glitch, they just work & work well, & if done correctly should last the lifetime of the car.

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note: this ground must be switched from one terminal to the other & back again, like a toggle switch, which is why these 2 relays are necissary. NO 2 TERMINALS SHOULD EVER SEE GROUND AT THE SAME TIME OR THIS MAY APPEAR AS A MALFUNTION TO THE COMPUTER & WOULD PROBABLY KICK A SERVICE LIGHT ON & SWITCH MANUAL MODE OFF.

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note how the factory shifter functions exactly like our relay assembly, it swings from neutral to either upshift or downshift & then return to neutral


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the wiring:

thisis how I wired my paddles, you do not have to go this crazy, I just wanted it real neat, wires soldered on & hanging into the dash & taped up could do the job too really

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and the relays,
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this is 2 relays glued togeather
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this setup was built for someone else & I decided to solder these up & seal them in epoxy, this is not really necissary, but I din't want to ship out something that was just all taped up & not professional looking, like this they are sure to last & last without issues...
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one nice thing about these ford relays is there size... this relay assembly can be tucked just about anywhere...

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I used a telephone wire for my connections from the relay to the paddles for it's quick disconnect & neatness, I was also able to mount a reciever for this plug to the carrier & all in all it goes togeather like it was made this way, here it is all plugged in & ready for testing. you should bench test the whole assembly before attempting to install this.
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this is what my pre built harrness looks like, you want a fuse in line to the power your sending to the relays as an extra measure of safety, I used a one amp fuse which is more than enough... the relays should draw way less than 500ma when activated, so even if both relays are clicked the one amp fuse is adiquate. my telephone wires to the paddles is around 18" long, & the 2 other leads are even longer than this, these can be trimmed to length as there installed

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and the finished product, ready to install :)

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and the installation:

the 2 main things needed to install this setup once it's all built is the removal of the steering wheel & the radio, both are not very hard to remove, as long as you can remove these 2 things & tap a few wires you should be able to install these shifters. install to follow:tongue:


OK, first thing you need to do is loosen the 2 torx bolts that retain the airbag to the steering wheel. this is done easily if you do it first, so you can rotate the wheel for better access, but do not remove the airbag yet or even take the bolts fully out yet, you'll be able to do this after.there are 2 round plug covers on either side of the steering wheel, behind & on the side of the wheel. use a small flat screwdriver tip to pop the plugs out then loosen the 2 t30 torx screws... these are very tight & there is loc-tite on the threads so they are tight most of the way out. once the t30 bolts are both loosened center the steering wheel & the front wheels pointing straight forward, then as a safety measure, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY!!! if you don't, & you happened to accidentally turn the ign on while the airbag is unplugged, you will set a code & throw up an srs light. factory always recommends disconnecting the battery any time any airbag related item is serviced, so my official instructions are to disconnect the battery, although I usually don't myself.. if your careful you can get away without it really, but sometimes it's better safe than sorry.

the steering wheel should remain in the straight position throughout this process, first you will need to remove the 2 t30 screws you previously loosened, then the airbag will just lift right out of the steering wheel. there are 2 harnesses connected to the back of the airbag & they are pretty delicate, so don't pull hard on them or hang the bag from them... if you need to rest it down just sit it back in it's opening. the 2 plugs that connect the airbag are special locking connectors & they are delicate. you will see that there are black square plastic things in the center of each connector, these are the locks for the connection. if you don't release these locks you WILL damage the connector. these lacks are released by lifting the black square plastic things up, just slide a tiny screwdriver tip underneath the black plastic lock lift it up off the plug. it will not come all the way off, it will just click & lift up maybe a 1/4" & that's it, the lock is now released. you would then using the same small screwdriver tip just lift the plug out of the connection in the airbag... these need to come straight out, don't cock them sideways in an effort to remove them of you could easily damage them... it sounds scarier than it is, as long as your careful & don't force anything you'll be fine. once the 2 plugs are both unlocked & disconnected, remove the airbag & place it in a safe place.

now that the airbag is removed, you will see that there are 2 plugs that go from the steering wheel to the inner switch housing. they release with a tiny tab on the side that needs to be pushed in to wards the plug to release, push the tab in & while holding it in pull the plug out. once all the wiring is disconnected you can now remove the steering wheel. most cars require a steering wheel puller to remove the wheel, but I have done several of these Nissan wheels & never really needed a steering wheel puller. the center shaft is tapered in such a way that removal just by pulling & wiggling it back & forth should release the wheel. first loosen or remove the center nut, then pull straight back, but with a wiggling motion, IE; first pull the left, then the right, then the left again... this side to side pulling should release the wheel. if it's very tight & your afraid that your pulling so hard that when it releases it's going to fly up & hit yourself in the face, then thread the center nut back on a few threads, now, no matter how hard it releases, it will only pop back enough but the center nut will keep it on the shaft. you can then fully remove the center nut & remove the wheel & place it also in a safe place till re-assy.

OK, now the wheel is off, next you'll need to remove the lower covers if you haven't done so already, a few Phillips screws that should be easy enough... then, you should remove the 2 stalks for the turn signal & wiper... there are tabs on each, top & bottom, you push both of these tabs in to wards each other & the stalk will just slide out. the left one will come out completely with no wires attached to it, it makes all it's connections directly through where it fits into the housing, the right one will still have a plug attached to it after you slide it out, this plug also has a tab that needs to be pushed in to release it, unplug & remove, then, were ready to remove the whole switch housing/clock spring assembly.

the housing assembly is held on by 2 Phillips screws that you will plainly see in the 2 holes facing you. loosen both & then lift the housing off the column. there is yet another plug behind this for the steering wheel position sensor, unplug this & remove the whole assembly. this steering wheel position sensor needs to be transfered from the old assy to the new, as it's not included with the assy. unscrew it & place it on the new one & screw it on.


you will need to trim the inner plastic on the right side of the column, this diagram shows what needs to be trimmed, clerances will need to be checked & anything that doesn't fit will need to be trimmed




NOTE: WIRE ATTACHMENT POINT SHOWN IS JUST A TIE DOWN POINT for the paddle wires, along with all of the other column wires

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now the new assembly with the paddles is ready to be installed. plug the position sensor in & slide the new assy on, then screw it down. everything will go back together in the same way it was removed, plug the harness into the right stalk & slide it back in till it clicks in place, then slide the left one in too. at this point it's probably a good idea to put the covers back on, although that can be done last too. put the steering wheel back on, again straight as it was before removal.. there is a white plastic piece that holds the new clock spring centered & shouldn't be removed until the wheel is about to go back on. DO NOT rotate the clock spring assy a complete revolution or loose the orientation of centered, this has to be right or the clock spring will be damaged. it can be moved slightly back & forth for line up though. it is very important that this is done with the steering wheel perfectly straight AND the front wheels pointing straight... this is the only orientation that will mate the new clock spring in the correct orientation! this is very important.

once the wheel is bolted back on then plug the airbag back in, making sure the black locks are lifted for insertion, then click the black locks down & drop the bag into the wheel. at this point you will need to reinsert the 2 torx screws back in for the bag... this can be a little tricky & it's easy to drop them into the steering wheel. if you do, no problem, just lift the airbag back out of the wheel & retrieve the dropped screw & try again... it is easier if you magnetize the tip of the t30 driver by rubbing it on a magnet.. this will magnetize the tip & decrease the chances of dropping the screw, once there both caught you can tighten both of them back up, at this point it is safe to reconnect the battery to turn the wheel if necessary for final tightening.


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ELECTRICAL & THE RADIO


WARNING: if you turn your ignition on while any plugs are removed from the unified a/c amp you WILL kick on a check engine light, DO NOT turn the ignition on until you reconnect this plug!!!

OK, the connections to the vehicle electrics is all through the unified meter a/c amp. this is located in the radio stack. the radio removal is pretty simple, here is a pretty detailed thread http://www.infinitifx.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1787&highlight=ipod , but basically you need to pull the center bezel off, it is just held on with clips. 05 & down can just open the cassette door & apply even pulling you should be able to lift one corner by hand, then work around all 4 corners... some have suggested a butter knife or a special plastic panel removal tool, usually just by hand is doable though... once you pop the bezel there are 2 wire cable plugs that connect to the climate control buttons. one of them is just a normal plug with normal wires, it needs to be pulled out relatively straight, lift one side, then the other, it'll unplug pretty easy. the other is a flat white ribbon cable. it is something that is commonly broken by weekend warriors, so use caution with this one. basically there is a black plastic frame surrounding the socket that this ribbon cable slides into. you need to pull this plastic frame up off the plug to release it, but not pull it off. it should lift up just enough to release the ribbon cable, similar to how the airbag plugs release. then the ribbon cable should slide out of this socket very easy... you should never have to pull on this cable in any way... reversal is to make sure the release is lifted, slide the ribbon cables end into it's receptacle & make sure it is straight & even & fully inserted, then slide the plastic frame lock in to lock the ribbon cable in place.... look at it again & make sure the end is square & even & straight & fully inserted... this is all done by hand, tools should be avoided & unnecessary here.

OK, so now the whole faceplate is removed & unplugged & off in a safe place, the whole radio stack can be removed, 6 very obvious Phillips screws & that's it. the whole unit, screen & all slides out. now there are a whole bunch of plugs behind this monstrosity of an assembly, & there are 2 choices here, try to do the few electrical connections without fully removing the radio, or fully removing the radio. the plug we are looking to tap into is going into the only plastic box in the radio stack, it's the box right underneath the screen. if you can get to this plug & wire to it without fully removing the radio then great, the job just got a little easier, if not, then removing the whole radio isn't really that hard either, if you decide to try & do this without unplugging all the plugs to the radio then at least have a towel ready to cover the shifter & the console so you don't damage anything with the radio assy. you will need to have it all the way out & rest on the shifter & the bundled up towel will help avoid any marks.

the plug that you need to connect to is the grey plug shown in this picture:

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that plug can de seen in this shot, it's the plasstic box below the screen...

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ha, no problem rich, I'll do it for you:wink:

thanks dave, I'm trying to give enough explination that someone would be able to do this with as much guidance as possible...

I've been adding to this guide & it's almost done, just gota finalize the install pictures & button up a few loose ends here, I put links to this guide up on a few other forums about 15 days ago now... I thought I'd be done with it already... almost there :smile:


cool theres over 500 views in 15 days....

I want to put togeather another guide for the S550 mirror mod here too, that's much easier than this one really, I wonder if anyone is even considering this paddle shifter install?
 
Myself, not a big fan of paddle shifters. I always seem to lose my sense of where they are. General type vehicle that arnt purpose built for racing need way too much steering input in the turns . . then again, I havnt really lived with a paddle shifter car for any extended period of time. One of these days, I'm gonna borrow my Moms new IS350 & see if I can get into it. I'm deff in on the mirrors though.
 
one really nice thing about these paddles is that there stationary. you do not loose the orientation of where they are ever, unlike buttons on the wheel itself. when you use these for just a little bit, they become very intuative & easy to use.

once your up over 20- 30 mph or so, you're never turning the wheel hand over hand anyway & the wheel rarely turns even 25% of a rotation... in much slower manuvers you may be, but even then, since the paddles are always in the same place they are still easy to use even in really agressive manuvers. they are also pretty easy to use one handed... think of it like the turn signals or the wipers... you always know where it is regardless of wheel position... they are a very cool toy that even if you don't use it all the time, they really are great for the times you want to get a little agressive... they also make the fx sound way more sporty by allowing it to wind out a bit & downshift... I really like them even though I don't use them all the time... when you want them there there though... if you played with them a bit I think youd want them:smile:
 
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