New springs, struts, wheels on my '95 Q...show and tell

[mcastro]

Okay, I finally am getting around to posting some pics of my Q with my recent upgrades. Here is what was added: • California Custom Springs • New Tokico Blues (w/rubber components) • New Upper Links (OEM) • Wheels: 18 x 7.5” Q45 (F50) OEMs in a Hyper-silver finish. (I thought they were 2003, but frankly, I am not sure if which model/year they are from. Inscriptions inside the wheel read: SD15Q 4, CR910, 18x7.5 JJ, 35 CG36, 0401131 ) • Tires: BFG g-Force T/A tires 235/50-WR18 (Load Rating 97W, Max Load 1609 lbs) - Not the most aggressive of tires, but I like the extra sidewall, since I encounter potholes more than the opportunity to test lateral acceleration in the Q. Adds 1.2” in OD. (great pricing right now-$75/ea. at Tire Rack, $89/ea mounted/balanced w/road hazard at Costco) • Adjustable Tension Rods (installed a year ago)



It’s been about three weeks and 1000 miles since the changes. Very impressed! The first time behind the wheel, after installing the suspension components, there was a huge difference in handling: very taut! Changing the tension rods last year gave me a significant improvement in steering response over the old OEM tension rods, and with the new struts, springs and links, the overall handling was vastly improved, and very responsive. A day after the install, I spent a good 10+ hours freeway driving, and I will tell you at the end, I was feeling the springs, if you know what I mean.. headlight beams bouncing with every road imperfection. I was pretty concerned about the fender clearance when the springs were installed, as there is not much space between tire and fender (see pics), and the wheel offset is pretty flush. While the setup revealed where I was missing some fasteners in the inside-fender plastics (a little rubbing on turns), I have had no problems whatsoever with fenders touching or scraping the tires. New fasteners resolved the fender plastics rubbing. I haven’t tried taking a carload of passengers …I’ll probably avoid doing that.

Front:

Rear:

The ride has softened up, and is now very comfortable on highways and city streets; no more bouncing headlight beams. I would concur with others that it rides like the stock springs. The handling is still tight; very little body lean, although I don’t really press it like some of you guys. Just had the alignment done as well; there were a couple of measurements which were out of spec as a result of the changes. I can post the before and after numbers if there is interest.

I think it the lower stance has really has “updated” the looks. I’ll post additional pics of my Q following in this thread.

[mcastro]

Here are some pics of my Q with the new updates. I have had my Q for about 3 years now:

[elwesso]

man that is SO HOT...

That is my favorite color ever... it freakin rocks!!!!!

I love your Q, i wish my Q was as clean

[redmanfx]

Nice! I like your Avatar too. Isn't it amazing what new wheels, springs and upper links can do to handling?? Your wheels and tires look very nice and with the springs your Q has come to life! Enjoy. I get my Pirelli's tomorrow, then they are going on my O-Z wheels and On Saturday I'm getting the wheels mounted on my Q. I can't wait to feel what your feeling now....

[Rex]

Nice car, nice wheels, great pics.

Welcome to posting, since you've been a member since 2004 .

[superuber]

That looks great!!!! I like the oe wheels! And the look is to my taste..........not to low. You get em too low and they handle and feel like go karts!

http://community.webshots.com/user/neheadsuperuber

[ddrumman]

man that is SO HOT...

That is my favorite color ever... it freakin rocks!!!!!

I love your Q, i wish my Q was as clean

I concur! Is this the mulberry frost LMO color or is it black?

I test drove a mulberry one when I was shopping for mine.

[96Qowner]

man that is SO HOT...

That is my favorite color ever... it freakin rocks!!!!!

I love your Q, i wish my Q was as clean

Ditto! Love that color.

[jamesmost]

Looking Strong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DuDro]

GREAT JOB!!!

I really like the look of the F50 18" wheels on your G50! I hope this encourages other G50 owners to consider installing F50 wheels...Heh Heh Heh...

I will be posting my F50 wheels for sale soon

...And that's a great color on that car! Do you have more images? How about the interior?

[Falkdesigns]

Nice, clean, OE look. Much better than stock, but still looks stock.

[mcastro]

Thanks for all the positive feedback....long time listener-first time caller, sort of....

I am not sure of the exact Infiniti name for the color. I have tried to find info, without success, on what colors were offered in ’95. Perhaps a Mulberry Frost, perhaps a Cabernet Pearl. It is a pearlescent paint; in the sunlight, it is a metallic purple, in low light and from a distance it looks black, and at times, like at dusk, it has a brown sheen. I happen to love the color; Infiniti put such a high quality finish on these cars.

The interior is a cappuccino, or light mocha color, not a very common choice, but it really complements the eggplant hue of the exterior...still in immaculate shape. I happen to have a platinum window tint, which has a mirrored refraction when viewed from an angle, it has a brownish tint when are looking at a somewhat perpendicular angle.

Here are a few more photos:

[qsiguy]

Wow, that looks incredible. What type of muffler/tips are those?

[EQwhipD]

One Word = SPECTACULAR! Please post in the G50 sticky so people can marvel at your vehicle for years to come:zer...age=4.-EQwhipD

[tkd_q45]

Looks great! That dk pruple is the nicest color for the Q - wish mine were the same.

Do you not find it a bit sluggish off the line w/such large dia tires? I'm running 245/45/18s and I can definitely feel lag off the line.

[maxwell867]

Great job, car looks great. My 96q is exactly the same color as yours- exterior and interior. All i know, its some kind of purple but from a distance and at night it looks black. I'm about to make the same changes, just received my tokico blues and hopefully soon i'll get the springs , tension rods and upper links. I'm still running on 17x 8's. Maybe next year i'll change to 18's. Glad you still like the feel of the ride after your changes. Enjoy.

[mcastro]

Wow, that looks incredible. What type of muffler/tips are those?

They are tips only. I just wanted to camouflage the suitcase. I think they are 3AR, which I picked up at the local parts store and took to the muffler shop to slap on. They taper up to 3” dia, which fits nicely with the stock pipe locations out of the muffler with a about 1/4" gap at the end. I think the tip length is 6”, which takes to about 1 1/2” inside of the bottom edge of the rear bumper cover.

Do you not find it a bit sluggish off the line w/such large dia tires? I'm running 245/45/18s and I can definitely feel lag off the line.

I haven’t noticed a difference. I was surprised to find the wheels are actually very light, but I believe you have the same ones. Then again, I have not pushed things too hard from the line since adding the tires. The throttle response on my Q is not very impressive between 2-3k right now. I have a slight lag when I press it as it is waiting for the transmission to downshift, which is in part the nature of the car (based on what I have read in the forum), and in part due to some needed maintenance and optimization I am going to try and get done in the next couple of months.

I’ll post the picks in the G50 sticky…

Any ideas on how to figure out which year/model the wheels are from? just curious....

[DuDro]

Check your center cap so that you don't lose it while driving down the road...



It's a shame that this color is no longer available on the Q45

[AZhitman]

Gorgeous!!!

I'm a BIG fan of the F50 wheels on the G50 (can't imagine why, haha)... THe stance is fantastic, and the additional sidewall height really looks good on our cars.

It's great to see such well-thought-out mods on one of these classic beasts, and even better to have you posting them up!

Welcome aboard after all this time!

[maxnix]

Post your paint code or vin, or search for the old posts with the 1995 color TSB.

[Jesda]

I was looking through the gallery and wondering whose Q this was. VERY HOT. Long, low, and delicious.