Hey Guys...new here on the forum and was led here by a fellow member RicerX. We are buddies on the Q50 Page and he told me about this forum. Lets breathe some life into this section! A little bit about myself...I've owned 5 VQ powered cars from an Infiniti I30t, G35 Coupe, G35x sedan, G37 Coupe, and now the beloved AWD Q50s! I've modded my cars in the past but never to the extent of which the Q has taken me thus far and would like for you guys to share this journey with me.

Stage 1 - Going Full Bolt-On!

Current Power Mods:
Takeda Intake
Stillen Light-Weight Crank Pulley
Fast Intentions HFC's
Ark Cat-Back
EcuTek Tune (306 AWHP - 266/TQ Mustang Dyno)
Level 10 Valve Body - To be installed this weekend

On the way:
Z1 Ported Intake Plenum
Z1 Ported Lower Manifold
EPS 70MM Big Bore Throttle Body Kit
Custom 3" Front Mounted Intakes

Stage 2 will either be FI or Nitrous I have not decided yet. Regardless of what it is I want to be the different one in the group. A lot of people are telling me to start with a better platform but I've got nothing but love for the VQ! I appreciate you guys letting me join the crew and look forward to hopefully meeting and helping you guys with your builds as well!

Pic of how she currently sits

SO PUMPED to have you on the forums, dude! The car looks so clean! Can't wait to see how your journey rolls out and to learn some fun lessons on how to maximize this car's potential. I really love the Q50, but like any car, it has its quirks that need some attention.

Thanks again for joining!

Are those the carbon fiber overlays on the trunk trim? I have been eyeing those, but I can't decide if I should just do a blacked-out chrome trim consistently on the exterior or add some CF to make some of it pop.

Wouldn't have found my way here without you my dude! I'm real excited to share the build and the process with everyone. I love the VQ/Q50 with all its quirks. It makes modding well worth it at the end.

The trim is covered with vinyl. Only reason I dont like CF is because once you start you cant stop! I want it to look as clean as possible!

Exterior Mods:
Chrome Delete (Windows, Grille, Door Trim, Handles, Trunk Trim)
OutCast Garage DuckBill Trunk
Roof Spoiler
Stillen Front Lip (Not yet installed)
Stillen Rear Diffuser (Not yet installed)
OEM Midnight Grille (Not yet installed)
Custom Starry Night Halo Headlights/Blacked Housing (Not yet installed)

Welcome to NICO!

Nice looking car, everything is very clean.

I have a feeling you're gonna love the valve body. I had a level 10 trans in my old Q45 (the REAL Q... ) and it made a great difference.. Shifts were just so much crisper/cleaner, but didn't really noticeably make the car harsher.. At low speeds it was still nice, and at high speeds it was incredible. Still don't like it as much as the cars with 3 pedals, but we can't have it all..

Nitrous is like a gateway drug, and while it's cheaper to install initially, long term it's really not that much cheaper. I had nitrous on my Q45 as well, and the bottle would last about 120 seconds of good spray before you'd refill, and it was $60-$70 per bottle fill, and that adds up quick. Plus, there's a lot more that can go wrong with nitrous compared to boost.

Welcome to NICO !That is one badass looking car !

Thanks for the kind words guys! I'm real excited for the VB upgrade. Very pleased that Level 10 is in NJ too so its a short drive away.

I did have nitrous in my I30t...50 shot, MEVI, CAI, and Exhaust, nothing crazy. I can relate to it being a drug and filling the bottle quite frequently lol. Truly torn on TT or S/C at this point...just need moar powarrr

Welcome to the forum...sick car. I like the look of the new Q50 and Q70...especially the fronts.

Stunning car. Loved it

Welcome aboard! Good to see someone pushing the new Q.
Are there any transmission or transfer case concerns?

PapaSmurf2k3 wrote:Welcome aboard! Good to see someone pushing the new Q.
Are there any transmission or transfer case concerns?

I have a valve body from Level 10 transmissions installed now as well as the torque tables modified for faster/more crisp shifting. That really brought the trans to life. After all the power mods are installed she'll be going back to level 10 for a full bullet proofing. Should be able to handle upwards of 700 hp

Gotcha. Do they actually break the trans down completely, replace clutches and springs, re-tune it to have the solenoids output more line pressure, etc?

For the bullet proofing they will be replacing the clutch packs/springs/etc. The valve body will also be retuned at the time for my HP output along with a beefed up TQ converter

Excellent that sounds very thorough... and pricey ha.
But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

CreativeDesignz wrote:For the bullet proofing they will be replacing the clutch packs/springs/etc. The valve body will also be retuned at the time for my HP output along with a beefed up TQ converter

All money well spent! Beautiful car man, love those wheels.

PapaSmurf2k3 wrote:Excellent that sounds very thorough... and pricey ha.
But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm a measure twice cut once kinda guy....I want it done right the first time with daily driveability/reliability. Thats my top priority. Got to get rid of all the weak links first

Love it! Welcome to NICO. The new turbo Q50S might be next for me...if I decide to give up my M.

Well I got some great news this morning. I might be getting a partial sponsorship on a stillen S/C kit Looks like ill be going FI sooner than later!

AWW SNAP! I figured boost would end up happening sooner than later. Keep us posted!

THIS is awesome news.

CD, my wife was following your build - glad to see you here.

We're a little old-school around these parts, but we've done well enough to be here for almost 15 years. Welcome to the shenanigans.

Welcome to NICO, nice build. I'm hoping to get my RSR Down's installed in the next few weeks on my Q50. I won't go anywhere near as much as you or as far as I took my G37.

nice car. love the trunk spoiler. super clean.

audtatious wrote:Welcome to NICO, nice build. I'm hoping to get my RSR Down's installed in the next few weeks on my Q50. I won't go anywhere near as much as you or as far as I took my G37.

I had downs for a bit on the Q before I swapped in the BC's. They provided a great drop but unfortunately no one makes an after market shock for the Q so the ride was a little bit lack-luster IMO. Are you running OEM shocks/struts?

Making some progress on project Q50 in the past couple weeks. Valve body has been installed for about 3 weeks now and working amazing. Shifting is on point like the car should have been from the factory! Lights have come out and been shipped out to my installer. Grille is out and I will be tinting my front turn signals on the bumper as well as the signals on the mirrors. Im unsure about tinting the tails...I like how the red matches the calipers. Open to anyone's suggestions on that



Lights will be getting the following treatment:

Frost LED Strip/Horn
Starry Night LED light strip's, Halo's, Demon Eye's
Satin Black Headlight/Projector Shroud
Install Custom Dark Smoke Clear Corners
Amber Lens Delete/Amber LED Delete

Midnight grille will be installed once the headlights are returned to me hopefully sometime early-mid next week.

Ill try to get the turn signals done this weekend if the weather permits. Its been very very humid out. Not very ideal for paint

I usually lay on cardboard when working on cars (if that). This dude is over here laying on cashmere.

LMFAO...it was either that or a leopard one...I should have done that. Bishes love leopard!

haha. That's OK. I used a Crown Royal case to polish my exhaust tips.

Little update on my Headlight build. Hoping to have these back in my possession by Wed/Thurs. Will get some illuminated pics once they're installed!

Looks good. I've never had the patience to work with headlights.

CreativeDesignz wrote:

audtatious wrote:Welcome to NICO, nice build. I'm hoping to get my RSR Down's installed in the next few weeks on my Q50. I won't go anywhere near as much as you or as far as I took my G37.

I had downs for a bit on the Q before I swapped in the BC's. They provided a great drop but unfortunately no one makes an after market shock for the Q so the ride was a little bit lack-luster IMO. Are you running OEM shocks/struts?

I'll stay on factory shocks/struts for now. The BC's are too damn stiff on my coupe and since the Q is "the wife's car" and I use it to take customers to lunch I don't want it that stiff. I'll probably throw my Forgestar's on it when I get a replacement for the coupe and upgrade sway bars and brakes but that's about it.

BTW, keep up the good work. If you end up with any How-To's you want to share to the community I have a website where they can be permanently hosted....besides here of course.