J30 - lots of Questions

[SR20 Infiniti]

Being a Infiniti G20 owner my interest in Nissan/Infiniti has led me to the J30. No one mods this car except say 25 people or so. I think it has lots of potencial but no aftermarket support. You either love or hate this car but in the near future Im considering a J30t but I couldnt find much about this car

Is this the best forum for the J30 ?

Is this car reliable ?

What are the problem areas ?

What should I look for when buying one ?

Should be possible but what would I need to sawp in a 5 spd and keep it NA ?

Do the Injen intake(s) from the 300Z fit the J30 ? Bolting on a $tillen high flow doesnt look like it could make much power cause the intake piping before that look really restrictive

Do the NA 300Z $tillen headers fit the J30 ?

Is there another spoiler out there that would make the *** off the J30 look better bisides the touring one ?

Are Intrax springs the only lowering springs for the J30 ? Are they still available ?

How effective is the $tllin ECU ? How much HP does it increase ?

Would 300ZX rims fit on the J30 ?

How many J30 owners are there on this forum ? Any pics ?

[VimyJ]

Being a Infiniti G20 owner my interest in Nissan/Infiniti has led me to the J30. No one mods this car except say 25 people or so. I think it has lots of potencial but no aftermarket support. You either love or hate this car but in the near future Im considering a J30t but I couldnt find much about this car

Is this the best forum for the J30 ?

- Yes. There is also the Yahoo Infiniti Owners Club with good stuff and at least one other owner.

Is this car reliable ?

Yes.

What are the problem areas ?

transmission isn't bullet proof but responds well to proper maintenance.

What should I look for when buying one ?

Good maintenance history.

Should be possible but what would I need to sawp in a 5 spd and keep it NA ?

Nothing is impossible but extremely difficult.

Do the Injen intake(s) from the 300Z fit the J30 ? Bolting on a $tillen high flow doesnt look like it could make much power cause the intake piping before that look really restrictive

Good question. I don't know.

Do the NA 300Z $tillen headers fit the J30 ?

Don't know.

Is there another spoiler out there that would make the *** off the J30 look better bisides the touring one ?

I like the OEM spoiler on the J30t.

Are Intrax springs the only lowering springs for the J30 ? Are they still available ?

There is a member who has heavily modded his suspension. DiamondJ30.

How effective is the $tllin ECU ? How much HP does it increase ?

Aftermarket ECUs "release" 20-30 hp at extreme rpms and remove the rev limiter in top gear. With it , a J30 should do 140-5. OEM limited to 5000rpm in top gear @ ~130mph.

Would 300ZX rims fit on the J30 ?

Don't know for sure. Posssible.

How many J30 owners are there on this forum ? Any pics ?

A handful.

__________________1991 Infiniti G20 5spd

Shift_Northwestnissans.com

The J30t is the ultimate V6 Touring car: Plush, agile, comfy and great road manners. It is hard to modify from its original design as is the Q45 as therehere isn't much in the way of "bolt on" parts from the aftermarket. The new Infiniti's will be different in that regard I bet. Besides, except for the ECU, the engine and exhaust system are pretty well tuned stock.

[PalmerWMD]

Generally,Everything that fits on a N?A 300ZX Engine and CHassis fits on the J30 (cuz they are the same).

I know of no specialize J30 forums all the J30 owners I know are on here.All the yahoo group PPL for J30's (that I know of) are on here as well.

Fred...

[Q45tech]

The J30 [2994 cc] engine is tuned a little higher than the Q so expect just at 14-18 HP MAX from any ECU mods......a really radical upgrade: new cams, headers,exhaust, intake, etc might get you to 235-240 HP and the same lb/ft of torque .

[Eswift]

Is this the best forum for the J30 ?the yahoo groups one is now defunct, so yes.

Is this car reliable ? moderately reliable. Depends on how you drive it.

What are the problem areas ?higher mileage transmission problems, injectors. everything else that will fail is a normal wear item.

What should I look for when buying one ?look for rust starting on the underside of the side sills, esp. at the weld. look for rust near edges of sunroof. wear on seats and leatherette of doors.

Should be possible but what would I need to sawp in a 5 spd and keep it NA ?i have looked into it. it is postponed. biggest issue is your driveshaft. best bet is a custom made one, best would be a 1- piece carbon fiber one custom made (eliminates troublesome vibrations) you would use a 300zx transmission of course. other issues: clutch master cylinder may need to be INSIDE the firewall or in the wheel well.

Do the Injen intake(s) from the 300Z fit the J30 ? injen, no. stillen, no. get a billet machined adapter to attatch a filter of your choice and make some custom intake piping.

Do the NA 300Z $tillen headers fit the J30 ?ha. there is likely a fitment issue on the drivers side because of the power steering rack. same reason the TT conversion is not likely to be viable. IF they did fit, you would need a completely custom exhaust from there out.

Is there another spoiler out there that would make the *** off the J30 look better bisides the touring one ?there is a spoiler for the front lip, a JDP OEM part. impossible to locate. for the rear, nothing.

Are Intrax springs the only lowering springs for the J30 ? Are they still available ?yes, still available through NOPI. coilsprings.com can make some ones too.

How effective is the $tllin ECU ? How much HP does it increase ?limited. 20hp with an intake if you are lucky.

Would 300ZX rims fit on the J30 ?same bolt pattern, so yes. Offset may creat an issue.

How many J30 owners are there on this forum ? Any pics only about 15 J30 kids ever speak up. i have pictures.

[SR20 Infiniti]

thanks for the 411

the J30 seems like a sweet car

the transmission isnt that good ? I guess it would enjoy some synthetic oils ? 5spd seem like it would be very diffucult (expensive) ?

so I guess the engine bay is pretty tight ?

So does the J30 not like being driven hard ?

I heard theres a couple of J30TTt's on Twinturbo.com ?

Do 300Z swaybars fit ?

Is the exhaust dual all the way up to the last muffler ?

[Mayhem_J30]

the transmission isnt that good ? The transmission is a good one, but just like all cars, when not properly taken care of and after so many miles and shifts they begin to fail.

I guess it would enjoy some synthetic oils ? The whole car would enjoy synthetics

5spd seem like it would be very diffucult (expensive) ?Maybe not as difficult as it would be expensive. A lot of fabrication would most likely have to be done. I would start with purchasing a 300zx m/t and get a drive shaft made to fit.

so I guess the engine bay is pretty tight ?VERY. If you think that's tight you otta open the hood of a 300z TT.

So does the J30 not like being driven hard ?Mine hasn't minded. Actually it takes hard driving to get it to it's max power band.

I heard theres a couple of J30TTt's on Twinturbo.com ?Yeah I've heard this to. The threads that talk about this are old and the users don't post anymore or reply to emails. I've yet to see it done with my own eyes so I'm still skeptical.

Do 300Z swaybars fit ?Nope. quickor.com are making me some. they made some for diamondJ30 as well

Is the exhaust dual all the way up to the last muffler ?Yup.

[SR20 Infiniti]

from what Ive read the J30 has a SOHC ???

[SR20 Infiniti]

If I cant find a (t) what am I missing out on ?

spoilerbbs style rimssuper hicas(93-94)stiffer suspension ???t badge??????

[jpalm]

Thats it, you got it. Seems kinda frivilous for an extra 4K when they were new doesn't it?!

[Mayhem_J30]

from what Ive read the J30 has a SOHC ???

It is a DOHC. The engine code is VG30DE, [VG]=series, [30]=displacement, [D]=valvetrain, [E]=fuel system

So that's a 3.0, DOHC, electronic fuel injection engine.

For the 't' model, I prefer not having one. I'm not a fan of the spoiler and the HICAS means that much more to work on. But that's just me. As for wheels, that wouldn't matter to me because I would replace them with something I like asap.I think this is the right link. It's got some good random info on the J.http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....t=j30

[SR20 Infiniti]

is the HICACS know to break down and give problems on the J30 ?

[Mayhem_J30]

is the HICACS know to break down and give problems on the J30 ?

if it has i've never heard of it yet. but it's also a very subtle option that if it did malfunction i don't think most users would even know.

jpalm, i know you had a bunch of good info on the HICAS system didn't ya? What I can remember off of the top of my head is that it only functions when travelling at 20-22mph and only moves a degree or two.

[VimyJ]

What's with all the dissing of the J30t spoiler? I like it and it's probably the only design that would aesthetically work on the J. My J30t is a working car. By that I mean it is my primary means of transporation and I really pile on the miles. I like the OEM touring wheels and will probably stick to the 15" size just to have more rubber between my wheels and the road. It's probably easier on the suspension and coach work in the long run. I'm at 100k now and want to see at least 200k before it's time to put her out to pasture.

[Mayhem_J30]

What's with all the dissing of the J30t spoiler? I like it and it's probably the only design that would aesthetically work on the J. My J30t is a working car. By that I mean it is my primary means of transporation and I really pile on the miles. I like the OEM touring wheels and will probably stick to the 15" size just to have more rubber between my wheels and the road. It's probably easier on the suspension and coach work in the long run. I'm at 100k now and want to see at least 200k before it's time to put her out to pasture.

Don't worry vimy, we're not dissin the spoiler. I just prefer the J without it. It looks odd to me with a spoiler attached to the sloping rear of the j.

you can definately get 200K out of this car.

[Eswift]

the J30 may have had stiffer spring constants and possibly more damping in the struts, but the sway bars (both front and back) were LESS rigid.

No one on tt.net has actually completed a TT conversion. the closest i have seen is a picture of what looks like a big single turbo (i.e. froma Z31 or similar) on a J30.

[VimyJ]

In Japan, a single turbo J and and 4.1L J were offered. I would love to feel a V8 under the hood of my J30t! It's tough enough avoiding tickets as it is now. More temptation? I'd lose my licence.

[Eswift]

vimyJ, i have read much about the leopard in japan and have never found any documentation to support that there was ever a turbo model offered. The 4.1 L V8 was definitley an option though. If you're sure there was a turbo version, give us some documentation, because if that is the case, we could reproduce it very easily.

[VimyJ]

vimyJ, i have read much about the leopard in japan and have never found any documentation to support that there was ever a turbo model offered. The 4.1 L V8 was definitley an option though. If you're sure there was a turbo version, give us some documentation, because if that is the case, we could reproduce it very easily.

VG30DET producing 254HP in the 1990 Leopard (J30).

A link: http://www.geocities.com/Motor....html

I think we're stymied again by left hand drive.

[Mayhem_J30]

it always comes down to $$. you can do anything with enough. unfortunately i don't have enough.

[greg_atlanta]

The J30 is pretty heavy. Any mods will be limited by all the sheetmetal, leather, and insulation you have to haul around.

I had heard before that J30 is heavier than Q45 (3950 lbs), but I'm not sure if that's right. Edmunds lists J30 as 3527 lbs.

[VimyJ]

The J30 is pretty heavy. Any mods will be limited by all the sheetmetal, leather, and insulation you have to haul around.

I had heard before that J30 is heavier than Q45 (3950 lbs), but I'm not sure if that's right. Edmunds lists J30 as 3527 lbs.

As to point no.1: You say that like it's a negative thing. I took a ride in a buddy's 98 ES300. The J is sumptuous in comparison.

No.2: The J is ~200kgs lighter than the Q. That's why the front rotors don't (normally) warp.

[Eswift]

1st- an average J30 weighs in at about 3800 Lbs

2nd- Vimy, the list you supplied with the nissan/datsun engines DOES say that a leopard used the VG30DET engine. Unfortunately, there have been a series of about 7 cars with that moniker. And i know for a fact that another of the leopards (sold here as M30) was produced in Japan at the same time as the J30 and IT was offered with the VG30DET in the JDM. The J30 was never turbocharged from the factory.

Single turbo jobs have been done in japan. No manifold exists for this purpose on our left hand drives, so with a single or twin turbo conversion, new manifolds would inherently be custom.

[VimyJ]

So a Q weighs 4200lbs? Could very well be.

I thought the M series never used the VG engine or at least not the Dble overhead cam version of it. It would be interesting if Nissan/Infiniti corporate published a list of all the models they produced. I would love to economically add a turbo to my Jt but custom fabrication of parts is just not in the cards for me. I'll get my next 100K out of my beauty and then start looking for a used M45.

[Eswift]

your correct, in american the m30 only had the normally aspirated VG from the Z31. In Japan, as in the case of the J30, more engine options were available for the M30 style leopard, apparently the VG30DET included. It doesnt really look like the VG30DE or the VG30E, because the upper plenum is completely different, but it says duel overhead cam right on it. beyond this, your guess is as good as mine.

a lower boost powerdyne or similar supercharger (about 6 psi) would safely add about 40 horses, as well as some well-needed immediately developing torque.

Very such a job has been done on a z32, with quite impressive results.

[juiceman]

I think if you look, most auto makers selling cars in Japan offer alot of models under 3.0 liter

IF the displacement equals 3.0 or greater, the tax and registration go off the wall. Trying to keep down the amount of large displacement engines as fuel is always imported.

I had a doctor friend there who explained this to me. He always had big displacement engines there as he could afford it. He even imported a Jeep Wrangler Sahara with the big 6 in it. I guess he just likes to be different.

Just alittle fyi

[Q45tech]

Japan as in Europe and most of the World places a tax on engine displacement rather than by estimated MPG. As there is a direct relationship. Efficiency is the name of the game the most torque from the least sizeWhen you examine 2.0 liters you will find 1.999 same with 3.0 liters 2994 cc, 4.5 liters 4994 cc.....the always round up from legal limits.A 2.499999999999 liter engine is big in Japan

[Eswift]

VG30DE series is 2960 cubic centimeters, but whose counting?

[Eswift]

here are some chromed 300zx tt rims, i think someone was interested. ask someone on tt.net about the offset. that is the only concern.

http://www.twinturbo.net/cgi-b...39492

[SR20 Infiniti]

how can it weigh 3500 then weigh 3800 ? which is it ?