The Infiniti G35 is the wealthy cousin of the more workman-like Nissan 350Z. Built on the same platform as the 350, the G35 adds a touch of class to an already powerful vehicle. Wanting to cater to a crowd that appreciates both luxury and performance, Nissan combined the sporty attributes of the 350Z and the plush amenities you would expect in a high-end touring car and inserted this gem into its Infiniti line-up.
The G35 will run you about $5,000 more than the Z so you are indeed paying for those comfy leather seats and other add-ons. With the G35 you also get the satisfaction of knowing you are actually driving an R35 Skyline, therein lying bragging benefits.
GReddy, maker of many high-performance products for the import performance market, have been in the game from the get-go with their turbo kit for the 350Z, so it made perfect sense for them to modify the kit for fitment in the G35. Turbo magazine was the first publication to test the 350Z kit, in our July 2003 issue, and our sister publication, Import Tuner, recently tested the 350Z kit with great success, so when we found out that GReddy came out with a G35 kit we jumped at the opportunity to test it out as well.
The kit practically duplicates the 350Z kit with the exception of some bracket locations and a slightly different tuning program. The G35 turbo kit incorporates twin, massive 18G turbos capable of producing enough airflow for over 700 horsepower. The turbochagers are mounted on durable cast-iron manifolds. From the turbochargers, boost pressure is fed through mandrel-bent aluminum intercooler piping all the way to the factory throttle body. Fuel tuning is handled by upgraded 440cc injectors fine-tuned by a GReddy e-Manage piggyback fuel computer.
GReddy also offers an optional intercooler kit that is highly recommended if you plan on turning up the boost pressure.
Performance output of the G35 kit is rated at 70 to 75 horsepower over stock at 5.5 psi of boost pressure. With the optional intercooler kit installed, boost pressure can be safely increased to 6 psi. The increase boost pressure and resulting lower charge temperature equates to an additional increase of 25 to 30 horsepower to the wheels.
To prove GReddy's claims we took a G35 coupe modified with the twin-turbo kit, and optional intercooler, to SP Engineering's Dynojet chassis dyno. With the boost gauge pegged at six psi, the G35 coupe registered in at 342.9 horsepower and 339.2 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. Compared to a stock G35 equipped with an exhaust system the twin-turbo variant generated an extra 113.0 horsepower and 113.1 lb-ft of torque over stock. At 4000 rpm we witnessed a peak increase of 118.7 lb-ft of torque over stock.
So you're in the market for a R35 Skyline but can't wait for Nissan to get off their butts and import it. Do the next best thing. Build one yourself. Currently, GReddy is going through all the hoops and hurdles to CARB-approve the kit for both the G35 and 350Z so all the five-Os out there can't really touch you. Unless of course your right foot gets too happy on the accelerator.