New member from Europe

S

sama156

Member
Hello all,

I have been browsing this forum already for some time and decided to join today.

I am a Finn based in Warsaw, Poland. We bought our US spec 2007 AWD FX35 already back in 2010. It has been our trusty family transport and up to this point completely stock. We love the looks, performance and the safe AWD system during the cold winters. This spring we were initially planning to change the FX into something else. But especially as my wife loves the car (it is her DD), I came up with the idea of just doing some mild upgrades. So I have been doing some research over the past few months and found this site as a great inspiration:top:

While I have not touched the FX yet, I am not completely new to modding. I built a 270hp R53 MINI a few years ago - it was a lot of fun as a project and even more fun to drive. The MINI was sold last year, but I just bought a 2003 E46 M3 for myself a few weeks ago and have some plans for it as well...:eek.:

As for the FX35, for me the biggest shortcomings are the suspension (too soft for my liking, also somewhat crashy over bad roads) and especially the brakes. For a car with almost 300hp, the brakes are not really confidence inspiring. So I have planned to address these two areas first.

1) Suspension/Handling
- From my reading, it seems that BC coilovers are well liked. As I can buy them from the UK direct without import taxes, this seemns like a no brainer. Our car has some 55k miles on it and with the bad road around here, the OEM suspension probably starts to be at the end of its life.
- also planning to add spacers, maybe 20mm or 25mm Ichiba V2s? (we have the OEM 18" wheels still. Planning to buy aftermarket 20" wheels and keep the 18" as winter wheels).
- strut brace from Stillen. I am not sure if this is mostly bling, but on my MINI I had a very sturdy strut brace and it had a noticable difference on the stiffness of the car

2) Brakes
- I am on the fence here. Initially, I was planning to buy the Stoptech SportStop Stage 2 kit (f/r rotors, pads, brakelines) but then I started reading about the FX50 front brake upgrade. Now I am leaning towards the latter with Stoptech brake lines and leaving the rear brakes stock.

Maybe later I would be tempted to do a little performance tuning as well (Stillen CAI&Z tube, 5/16" copper plenum spacer, UpRev tune), but not before I have addressed the handling. IMHO the car does not need more power before it can turn and stop properly. Oh, and some ICE modding (aftermarket nav, iPod integration) might be on the cards too...

Well, this should get me started.

I would really appreciate if the resident pro modders could share their views on my plans on the handing and brake modifications. I might pull the trigger already next week...

Cheers,
Sam

Ps. Oh and if there are any other members based in Warsaw, any hints on where do you service your FX (apart from the dealer) would be much appreciated!
 
Welcome to the site Sam. It sounds like you are really enjoying your Fx.As to mods, there is a wealth of info here on this site.
 
Welcome to IS! A lot of us here run BC or Kido coilovers so those are good choices to start with. If you are running OEM wheels, a lot of us run 25mm spacers all around, 20mm is good too. I run 25mm on my winter 20" OEM setup. If getting a Stoptech brake kit is financially possible, then personally I would go with it over the OEM FX50 setup. For strut bars, most of us here run GTSPEC braces and love them, but they are hard to find and production is limited now. IS is a wealth of information and you will learn a lot about the things you can do to your FX. The rest is up to your imagination and creativity!
 
Thanks! In fact my mod plans have been largely made based on the information on this site (I have been a good citizen and used search;)). But I naturally would be happy to hear if I - as a newbie - missed something obvious.
 
Glad to have you here. The pro modders around here will all chime in with lots of data for you. Congrats on keeping the FX!
 
Welcome! Glad to see more members from Europe! The first gen has more modding options and you can find a lot of parts in Europe for it.
 
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Thank you all for the warm welcome!

AeroBFA said:
:
If getting a Stoptech brake kit is financially possible, then personally I would go with it over the OEM FX50 setup.
:
Click to expand...

Are you referencing to the Stoptech BBK or the OEM brake upgrade with new discs, pads and lines only? I was initially thinking of the latter and it seems to be similar price to the OEM FX50 front brake upgrade. The 18" wheels limit the options and would not like to "snowball" the investments this early;)

So which one is better bang for the buck, the OEM FX50 fronts or Stoptech disc/pad upgrade all around?
 
Sam, welcome to :iS: and you sure did came to the right site for a wealth of info from maintenance to mods fixes. I think I like the Kiddo coilovers a bit more than BC. Maybe just being bias of having Kiddo now :wink (2):

Definitely go coilovers for suspension upgrade. The STB is not just for bling on the FX. You do feel the added stiffness to the car's handling. As for braks, like AeroBFA was saying with 18" wheel will limit you on BBK selection.
 
Welcome to : iS2 :

The stb is not bling and works well. I've got the GTSPEC bar and it works well. You can also add the other braces to really improve the cars handling. The Fx50 retrofit works well on the 1st Gen, but you'll have to contact turbocad6 for the needed modified part. BC coils work well especially for the cost. There was a group buy here not long ago on kido coils and the results are great so far;however its only been a few months.

Enjoy the scene and welcome once again.


TapaTalkin'
 
Welcome to :iS:, and how much are you willing to pay for Brakes? How about just oing for the JBT BBK or Kido BBK like some members here are getting. I'm actually right now in the process of trying to get a deal on JBT BBK from a group buy some members had a year ago. Best of luck
 
Welcome to iS!

Seems you've done lots of research so far, and already have some great ideas. Coilovers would be great, just find the best deal given your location. Definitely at least 20's to go with the coilovers and the new brakes. FX50 brakes are a nice little upgrade, but Stoptech would be a great upgrade also. STB is probably one of the easiest mods you can do, and does make a difference.
 
Thanks for all the replies, good information. Will definitelly look into GTSPEC braces, perhaps also other than only strut braces as suggested.


ocal21 said:
... and how much are you willing to pay for Brakes? How about just oing for the JBT BBK or Kido BBK like some members here are getting. I'm actually right now in the process of trying to get a deal on JBT BBK from a group buy some members had a year ago
Click to expand...

Originally I was looking into the StopTech kit for $750 (at AutoAnything). Then g35parts com (can't post URLs yet) had this FX50 Brake Kit for $791 - so this was roughly my budget. As I would like to keep the 18" wheels for winter, the proper BBKs are a bit out of my reach both in terms of fit and budget...


PMG 705 said:
:
The Fx50 retrofit works well on the 1st Gen, but you'll have to contact turbocad6 for the needed modified part. BC coils work well especially for the cost. There was a group buy here not long ago on kido coils and the results are great so far;however its only been a few months.
:
Click to expand...


From what I studied (uh, did not read all the 28 pages, but most) the FX50 retrofit seemed quite straightforward, especially if using SportTech brake lines which I intend to use in any case.

As for coils, I will check if I could get Kidos from Europe. This would help as when shipping from the US, I will have to pay some +20% (approx from memory) for import taxes. Though parts are generally much cheaper in the US...

Thanks again!:smile (2):
 
Sam, welcome to :iS:. You made a good choice in joining this forum, step 1 done, now let the modding begging. You definitely want to make the FX stand out, when I was in Poland last year visiting my folks I was nicely surprised to see quite a few of FX on the North Coast. When you get a chance, share the pix of your ride!
Like everyone above said, this place is like a FX-pedia :)
 
Welcome Sam!

Your list sounds very good for a start. The STB helps for better handling especially when navigating tight turns. As for the brakes, I just did a complete StopTech upgrade for about $630 following deal recommendations from other members. If you work with the best deals, you will be within the $700 mark. There was a recent discussion here:
https://www.infinitiscene.com/search/1/?q=16276-Rotors-Drilled-rotor-brands

As for CO, members usually go for the BC, Megan and Kiddo. The BC so far for me has been holding up well and served me well for long distance driving. You are in the right place. Lots of great people here too!
 
Thanks a lot for the pointers! (where is the thank you button)

Yes, I own you some pics...let me just get my Coilovers, spacers etc sorted and I will take a few shots. Currently it is boggo standard.

Already did some purchases yesterday... :top:
 
Welcome - nice to see soemone that lives quite close. I am from eastern Poland. BTW welcome everybody - I hope i will learn a lot form this forum and mybe sometime i will help. I have my second FX now. First was 2010 FX 35 AWD from USA...and my present is more..."exotic" :) due to engine because it is 30d. I will pick it up next monday and I am curios about this engine. I have already made palns to make a chip for almost 670 Nm of torque and 300HP..it should be quite nice if everything will work.
 
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