I see these forums aren't very active as of late... but I just stopped by to fill you guys in on answers to most of your questions.
First is compatibility with the 350Z/G35...
The FX35 has the same engine (VQ35DE) as the two, and thus most bolt-ons will be a direct swap, if not very slight modification. Intakes are specific to the FX35 due to different bay layout. We have more room under our hoods. Parts that direct swap include: plenum spacer, upper plenum, test pipes/high-flow cats, headers, possibly pullies. Now I'll list common FX35 performance modifications:
ENGINE
Plenum - Same as 350Z/G35, you can find some for sale cheap @ my350z.com
$200-350
-Motordyne 1/2" Iso-thermal Plenum spacer
-Skunk2 Plenum Spacer
-AAM Angled Plenum Spacer
-Crawford Cast Plenum
-APS Tall Boy
Intakes - FX35 Specific
$60-250
-LMS Z-Tube and CAI
-Z-Tube from a stock 350Z, no resonators, straighter tubing, check my350z.com
-Stillen CAI and Air-box replacement
-Stock box with resonator (underneath) taken off and "Power Duct" removed and K&N panel filter
Pullies - Don't know if same as 350Z/G35, but possibly...
$100-150 (+belts if underdrive)
-Received a set (3) from CNR, but I don't think they offer them anymore
-UTR makes a lightweight underdrive pulley
Air filters - Panel FX35 Specific and Cone is universal
$30-60
-JWT Pop Charger
-K&N factory replacement panel filter
-K&N Cone filter
Superchargers - FX35 Specific
$3000-6000
-LMS Supercharger uses ATI Procharger, not widely-offered and will have to contact LMS directly for them to make you this kit
-Stillen Supercharger, different stages offer different stages of power, warning: Stage III tends to be a bit on the lean side. These are roots type blowers, and generally preferred over the LMS setup. Very conservative, very reliable, low output
-Vortech Supercharger will require some modification from a Z/G kit to fit, but is the power monster of superchargers when it comes to this engine
-Procharger will also require modification to fit and is in the same category as the LMS charger
Turbo - FX35 Specific
$7000+
-JWT TWIN TURBO kit. Violent Racing (in SoCal) adapted a 350Z TT kit to fit with the FX. Currently ONE FX35 is running it, soon to be joined by about 2 others. Estimated 450 RWHP after tuning, 0-60 in about 4.5 sec... this is the upgrade of all upgrades. Safe too, the engine must be BUILT unlike the low-boost S/Cs above
-GReddy TT is similar to the JWT kit. Is a favorite among 350Z owners, but the JWT has a little bit more reliability behind their installs as history has shown. Boost is boost, however, and will blow your motor without the proper tune. Whether sooner or WAY later depends on your tune
$6000+
-STS Rear-mount turbo must be adapted from a 350Z/G35 kit with some intake tube lengthening. I will be personally trying this kit in the upcoming months (Sept/Oct '07) and will update
Headers - ANY 350Z or G35 set of headers will fit
$200-1200
-Crawford is big $, but probably 2nd in terms of quality and power gain
-Nismo biggest $$$, but undeniably the best headers
-Megan Racing is near cheapest, but great quality and best bang for your buck. Many will try to sell you away from these, they may not be as reliable and have the potential to crack. You get what you pay for
-Strup is very comparible to Crawford in price and performance
-There's others, check my350z.com for used ones or new never installed for cheap
High-flow Catalytic Converters and Test Pipes - Any 350Z or G35 fit
$100-400
-Test pipes replace your cats with straight piping, either resonated (resembles a muffler inside) or non-resonated (pure straight tubing, tends to be more raspy)
-High-flow cats do the same as test pipes, but aren't as free-flowing, so less HP gain but you don't have the torque-loss-feel, also don't get the raspy sound. (also prevents black smoke from billowing out the exhaust, and in some cases this black smoke could pile a layer of soot on your bumper)
Exhaust - FX35 Specific Piping
$400-1400
-
ZTek -
full exhaust from headers to exhaust tips, lightweight and good performance, nice sound, expensive
-Any muffler that can go on a 350Z or G35 can replace stock via an exhaust/muffler shop
-Midas can hook you up with a full custom dual exhaust for relatively cheap ($1000), but dual exhausts have been known to be unsatisfying on the torque for these motors
-More free-flowing Y-pipes are available, biggest name on that is
UTR
-Some exhausts that can be slightly modified to fit are the Nismo, Stillen, and other Y-pipe-back exhausts. The Y-pipe on the AWD FX is a problem with fitment.
ECU flashing - FX35 RWD/AWD Tech/Non-tech FX45 Tech/Non-tech and model year specific (yes, that means we have like 10 different ECUs)
$500-600
-Technosquare - they get an FX ecu, ship it to Japan to get hacked, and then get the reflashing program specific to each ECU. They have hacked nearly all ECU's so far since the programming is specific to the different ECUs. Our FXs have a plethora of different ECUs, almost any difference in models means a different ECU. A 2003 Tech AWD ECU won't be the same as a 2003 Tech RWD, or a 2003 Non-tech AWD, etc. TS isn't very customizable, but FX45 owners need not worry, TS is the solution. Very happy FX45 customers thank Technosquare.
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JetChip has extremely customizable options. You pay them a flat $500 fee and they'll send you a box with instructions. You use these instructions to pull your ECU and send it to them in the box (with OVERLY CAREFUL packing - 100% guarantee your ECU won't be damaged). They get the ECU, hack into it and determine if they can reflash your existing ECU, add a piggy-back program, or if an ECU swap unit must be made. You provide them with a dyno sheet after you've done ALL of your modifications planned, they'll correct your A/F ratio throughout the band for maximum performance and A/F safe mix, and you also tell them if you want your speed limiter (130-135 mph on our FXs) removed, manu-matic shifting quicker (no "luxury" delay) and other options.
Timing Bump +2 - FX35/45 specific (same procedure for both)
$0-100
-This refers to advancing your stock timing. Stock timing on an FX35 is +15 BTDC (as per underneath the hood, driver's side label) and FX45 is +12 BTDC. Timing bump changes this to +17 and +14, respectively. What does this mean? This means that the spark plug will fire EARLIER in the cycle, causing a more complete fuel/air burn since there's more time allowed for the ignite. You'll have some gains from this, but you'll lose 1 mpg (worthy trade-off in my opinion). The down-side is knock/ping. If you do this, you MUST use 91 or 93 octane gas (which you should anyways, the extra 20 cents per gallon only costs you $100-150 extra per year on avg and saves your engine of knock and gives you increased power and fuel economy, which makes up for some of the extra cost you pay). This timing bump must be done by a tool called the "Consult" or a program on a laptop with appropriate OBD-II/USB cable. A Nissan or Infiniti dealer can do this for you, and it is recommended to speak with a tech instead of a manager. If you speak with a tech while getting serviced or at the dealer for any reason for your car, you might be able to get him to do this for free, since it is a 5 minute plug-n-play procedure. Ask that they advance your timing 2 degrees, but
make sure they know you want it +14 or +17 total (+12+2=+14 and +15+2=+17), and not +2 or you'll get horrible power loss (honda-civic-style-power). The program I was talking about is called Cipher, and the whole setup to do this is $400, however, a tech may charge you anywhere from $40-100 to do this simple plug in and input, where they plug in to the port to the bottom-left of your steering wheel column. They can also see if you have any fault codes...
If you want the timing bump done for free, there's a few FX owners who have the Cipher tool and attend FX meets and would be more than happy to do this for you for free if pre-arranged.
SUSPENSION
Stillen STB - FX35/45 specific (fits both). This is the holy grail of FX handling. Only $150-200 and said to be the single most effective handling modification. Strengthens and makes your front end more rigid to reduce body roll and have you hugging corners.
NRG STB - FX35/45 specific (fits both). New strut tower brace (STB). Price will be competitive with the Stillen ($200-250 depending on finish). Looks nicer, "feels more firm/rigid," and most importantly, does not come in contact with the hood or hood liner on any model, any year.
Springs - FX35/45 specific (fits both)
$150-200
-Eibachs drop the FX 1.2" front and rear
-H&Rs drop the FX a little more than the Eibachs, but I don't know the specifics off hand. Both cost about the same and do just about the same exact thing, however Eibachs are more readily available and some have had issues with getting the wrong H&R springs
GT Spec - 350Z/G35 (must be modified / one-off fitment,
not in production)
-Currently in the works is GT Spec suspension products. They must be modified to fit currently with extensions since our FX is wider. Working on making production-fit sets if there is big enough of a market.
Tires
$100-300 each
Tirerack.com - Look but don't buy, they sell grade C tires whereas dealers/manufacturers get grade A and tire shops get grade B. Ask a local tire shop to get you the tires you want and match tirerack.com prices.
-BFGoodrich T/A KDW-2 is best for performance, but not so great on road noise and comfort - SUMMER ONLY tires. If you're not on plain wet or dry roads, DO NOT run these.
-Michellin Lattitude HPs - Very expensive, but the ultimate in reduced noise, comfort and soft ride. Also very good handling in all-weather conditions, great year-round tire but hefty price tag
-There's plenty of other tires that are preferred WELL OVER stock Goodyear RSA's. The stock tires are horrible in comparison and I will never go back to them. Toyo Proxes and Yokohama Geolanders are just a few recommended as cheaper replacements that outperform stock tires in every way.
Spacers - FX35/45 (fits both)
-There's many wheel spacer producers, so I'll just go into the warnings associated, what they do, and what sizes are recommended. Wheel spacers push your wheels out away from the body, and since they give a wider stance, handling benefits. Stock 20's on the FX are tucked into the fender just slightly, so a 15mm spacer all around will put the tires nearly flush with the fenders, and 20mm spacers will just BARELY push your tires out past the fender, almost un-noticeable from the side. The precaution, however, is that you go with a well-known and trusted name, such as H&R. If you skimp on spacers, you risk cracking them and having all sorts of suspension troubles. Worst case I've ever heard of is a show-winning $120,000+ Volkswagen running spacers on his wide-body kit and they cracked and his wheels went away from the car while the car slid forward. He was running pretty wide spacers though to match his widened flares, 15-20mm is almost nothing compared to it, and have only heard of 1 instance of thin spacers like these cracking, with no side-effect besides road-noise until they were taken off. This was on an FX45 (Pro-kics spacers), but many many other FXs have been running 15-20mm spacers for years without a problem.
ANY QUESTIONS - FEEL FREE TO ASK
I'll add more to this as I get questions, and I know I've forgotten some areas of performance upgrade. I have quite an extensive knowledge of the FX, specifically the FX35 since I own one.
