EX With Paddle Shifters

[RioD007]

Anybody have any clue how we could do this or something like this

http://www.g35driver.com/forum...html

I want paddle shifters bad

[txgcoupe]

I remember reading that a couple of years ago.

Some people are so resourceful.

John

[zarar]

I believe that it wouldn't be possible unless it had an option to equip it, the G35/37 have them prewired because it is available to them with a given package. Example: You buy a car without foglights on a lower model, and every other model higher has them, it is most likely that it is prewired for future installation. I could be wrong but, I don't think it is prewired on our EX35's unless they planned on selling that feature.

[EX35_bernard]

My salesguy recommended this a while back when I mentioned I like how the new FX has it. He said they do it all the time on the G. I got all excited but after checking with service they told him it wasn't possible. But yeah on the G they just install the whole module and presto!

[LGmobile]

Bumping an old thread like I always do lol

I just installed paddles in my EX35. It was pretty straight forward, hardest part was getting the paddles mounted. Our cars come programmed for the paddles since they must have the same unified meter box as the G37.

I had to make my own steering column mounts, some aluminum, and brackets followed by 3 cables running from the paddles to the unified meter box above the radio. Then it was smooth sailing, cut the plastics ever so gently and assembled everything.

I got my kit off ebay for $140 since the seller had them in beige only and no one wanted the kit. It didnt bother me since I just wanted the paddles and they are the exact same in all of the kits. The plastics were useless even if i wanted to make them fit. THe EX35 has a narrower steering column design so the oem plastics had to be trimmed and turned out 99% perfect I would say, majority of people would never know it was added after the fact.

Pictures
1. remove steering wheel completely, take out multifunction switches, clockspring, rest of the jazz

2. drill 2 holes and tap to 6mmx1 threads


3. Mount paddles into place (from the front, noticed hex bolts with washers). Paddles have a side bolt as well.


4. Using a piece of 1/8 x 1 inch alloy, drill two side holes and thread to 6mmx1 for side bolts to affix paddles. This prevents paddles from moving side to side. Its just for more support since mine were pretty strong with just the top mount in place.


5. Mount bracket into place and tap a threaded hole into the metal part of the steering column. I used the sharpest drill bits i had to made the job even faster. Tap new thread.


6. Add hex bolt into the new thread for the plate. You will notice the paddle bolt at the very top of the shot as well.


7. MUCH LONGER Than this once pic but the last part is trimming the plastics to fit the paddles. Cut a small slit with a dremel tool to get you started and slowly make the space larger. The side with the steering power switch adjuster is the hardest since its so tight with all the parts together. I used some sticky fabric after the shot to give it a more oem look after the cut. There is no oem option available for our plastics since they are different from the g37.


7.5 More pics of flexible felt I temporarily put in place since it was bothering me. Might leave it as is.



8. Running video


9. Running in D and pressing paddles. It switches to manual mode by itself and then back to D if left alone or gear change is coming up.


10. Final install pics driver's view




Wiring
- the paddles are a simple switch that completes a continuity circuit (with the ground)
- paddle 1 upshift (pin1 = ground, pin 2 = run to unified meter pin location 6)
- paddle 2 downshift (pin1 = ground, pin 2 = run to unified meter pin location 26)

Overall schematic of paddles and how they wire up next to the shifter inputs


You will be wiring up to the unified meter box (white box above radio unit) the plug you are after has 40 pins (the bigger one) and the pins are read from the back of the plug.
pin 6 = paddle shift up


pin 5 = paddle shift down


The paddles also need to be grounded, I joined their cables together and hooked up the paddles to the bolt under the steering column which is the vehicles negative. So whenever you press the paddles it completes a circuit with the ground giving the unified meter box a negative signal on pin 5 or 6 to signal an upshift or downshift.

As a heads up you will see that pin 5 and pin 25 are filled and 6 and 26 are right next to them. Pin 5 = shifter up, 25 = shifter down so that makes sense. That was my backup in case my car was not wired, just hook the paddles up to the shifter pins and then the paddles would only work when the shifter was in DS mode.

Function - oem as designed
- in D: push paddles up or down and M will display on cluster with the gear its in for a few seconds, it will then go back into D mode if the paddles are left alone. Paddles will allow up or downshift in D mode as a form of override.
- in DS: you can use paddles or gear shifter to up or downshift as before, it will not go into DS mode by itself if paddles are left alone.

Anyone else interested in this setup and a proper DIY ? It took a few hours total.

Cheers
-Ciprian

[bigbenex35]

nice install!!

[NJGuy]

Very nice!

I don't have the couple of free hours that you do, so chances are that I'd never be able to do something like this.

Thanks for sharing though.

[XIS]

VERY cool. Good job!

[jrmotorsports55]

Very tempting mod!

Jason

[LGmobile]

Updated final pics of install to see plastic where it was trimmed and covered.
Another video of running paddles in D mode now since I didnt know it worked in D mode when i filmed the first video.

[jrmotorsports55]

Just bought paddles off eBay for $99 shipped. Thanks for posting this, I have always wished my car had these.

Jason

[LGmobile]

Just bought paddles off eBay for $99 shipped. Thanks for posting this, I have always wished my car had these.

Jason

No Problem, let me know if you run into issues with the install.

I have a printout of the FSM for the pinout I will post when i get home.
Good luck with the install, so much more fun to drive but still no comparison to manual in my Z


Cheers
C

[LGmobile]

BUMP - FSM pics now updated so its a 99% complete DIY

[jrmotorsports55]

Thanks for the added info!

Jason

[jrmotorsports55]

So, got my paddles in the mail yesterday. They are from a 08 g. Pulled the steering surround off my 08 EX, and what do I see, mounting holes for the paddles that fit perfectly. That put me in a good mood. Gotta love parts bin sharing.

Quesion I have is how did you get tot he white box above the radio. I don't have a FSM, and don't want to pry on anything too hard unless I am sure on how it comes out.

Thanks,

Jason

[EXceptional]

Thanks for all the information. This is a cool mod.

[LGmobile]

So, got my paddles in the mail yesterday. They are from a 08 g. Pulled the steering surround off my 08 EX, and what do I see, mounting holes for the paddles that fit perfectly. That put me in a good mood. Gotta love parts bin sharing.

Quesion I have is how did you get tot he white box above the radio. I don't have a FSM, and don't want to pry on anything too hard unless I am sure on how it comes out.

Thanks,

Jason

Sorry for the delay Jason, been a busy week here.

To get to the unified meter box ... you will need to remove the master head unit for the radio.

Place car in D (easier to remove shifter cover)
1. Remove shifter, and cover assembly, unplug certain sections
2. Remove temp controls
3. remove top screen cover
4. remove screen screws and unplug screen
5. Remove main control unit screws, place car in D again to give you a bit of room to slide unit towards shifter without unplugging it all
6. You will see the box on top of the radio unit
7. Remove plugs going to white box, insert missing pins according to FSM.
8. Reverse steps for install

Warning: Do not try to start the car without the heat controls in place, the airbag light will go off due the warning light being unplugged while the car is started. There is a reset procedure if that happens.

Cheers
C

[jrmotorsports55]

Much appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason

[jrmotorsports55]

So, the dash is apart. Got another question. Where did you get the terminals to add to the wiring connector to connect to the paddle pins? If it's a pain, I might just splice into the existing wires for the shifter manual up/down.

Thanks,

Jason

[jrmotorsports55]

Just following up, as my car is still apart. Can anyone point me to where I can find the tiny Infiniti plug terminals to add the paddle wires to the control box harness. I have been searching, and cannot find any that are small enough.

Thanks,

Jason

[LGmobile]

Just following up, as my car is still apart. Can anyone point me to where I can find the tiny Infiniti plug terminals to add the paddle wires to the control box harness. I have been searching, and cannot find any that are small enough.

Thanks,

Jason

Hi Jason,

I have the extra pins from my audio installs.

You can buy blank plugs from the dealer anything that starts with TH like TH18FW

If you want, I can mail you a few pins to finish your project, but it may suck since im in canada.
I wouldnt hook it to the shifter pins, it will function much better on the paddle shifter pins so it can shift while in D mode as well

Cheers
C

[jrmotorsports55]

Thanks, I'll try that.

Jason

[jrmotorsports55]

Finally got my terminals, and now have working paddle shifters.

Thanks,

Jason

[jmann]

Has anyone tried this with a 2011+ EX35? I really don't want to mess with wiring this up if the car isn't pre-wired for them like G's are. The instructions for installing them on a G seem so much simpler if the car has the wiring harnesses already in place for them.

[LGmobile]

Has anyone tried this with a 2011+ EX35? I really don't want to mess with wiring this up if the car isn't pre-wired for them like G's are. The instructions for installing them on a G seem so much simpler if the car has the wiring harnesses already in place for them.

You're seriously worried about wiring 3 pins that I even mapped out for you in the service manual ?

What do you think the prewiring is ? they draw the cables from the unified meter box to the steering wheel.

I would say anyone can do this mod and have it properly wired, no need to worry
The hardest part isnt even the wiring, its the plastic coverings for the paddles.

Infiniti did not design the ex35 to have paddles so it takes a bit of diy creativity, hence the pics and how to above.

[jmann]

Honestly there is more to it than that. I have read the instructions but still haven't figured out how to take the dash apart to access the area behind the stereo. I really like having the paddles in my G, but for the most part I never use them. I figure I can cut the trim pieces to run them through no problem, but my wife really doesn't want me cutting anything in her car, so there's that. I just thought it would be a fun novelty but now I'm not sure that's ever going to work out. It's ok, the G is the fun car of the two anyway.

[CalgaryDan]

Just wondering: Would this mod screw up the warranty? My '09 FX 35 has the paddles but the '14 QX50 doesn't.

[XIS]

It shouldn't....unless you develop a problem directly associated with the paddle-shifters.

[NJGuy]

Just wondering: Would this mod screw up the warranty? My '09 FX 35 has the paddles but the '14 QX50 doesn't.

From my understanding, the mod would invalidate the warranty on any items in your QX that are changed or affected by the mod. So obviously if you did the mod but had a bad door latch or something along those lines, Infiniti would pretty much fix the door with no questions asked. But if you did the mod and had an issue with the transmission, there might be a possibility that Infiniti could deny your claims.

And if something like the unified meter box were to go bad after the mod, you'd most likely find yourself fighting an uphill battle to get the fix covered by them. While Infiniti is supposed to prove that any problems you would report to them were not caused by the mod, I think it would be hard to collect on the claim. Even if your unified meter box had some sort of prior defect that shortened its lifespan, you probably might be better off paying for the fix instead of putting in time, money, and effort to prove it.

Infiniti has been good to me with the minor warranty claims I've had, but I really don't know how strict or lenient they are when it comes to items that have been modified. My EX is now out of warranty, so I'm pretty much free to hack into it at my own risk. (Though I don't really plan on doing much at all.)

[CalgaryDan]

Thanks for the replies.