next project f or g

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My hardbody on hydraulics will be finished in a few weeks after paint and a few final touches in Arizona. So, I'm thinking of my next project... I want a Q45 G50 or F50 that'll be performance minded. VERY performance minded. Like some of the track Lexus GS's I've seen built to the max. I'm leaning towards the F cuz it's newer and might be "easily" converted to awd (not sure if I'll do awd but I want the option open). BUT I did own a G50 a while back... MAN I miss it. The console looked like it was made just for u! I did test drive an F50 once for a few minutes but didn't get to really get acquainted. So, any biased opinions are very welcomed!

[elwesso]

I think if you wanted to modify the car heavily, a G50 or Y33 would be a better choice. The F50 could become nightmare-ish in terms of electronics, and the early stuff is easier to tune.

Reason I bring up the Y33 is because it's lighter than the G50, and I bet you could swap in a 4.5L with minimal effort, and then you'd have the same HP as a G50 and about 300-400lbs lighter right out of the box!

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Would the F be any harder to tune than a GS of the same year? I've seen many Lexus GS's v8 or i6 turned into all out track cars. That's what I had in mind... I guess my biggest concern is how easily it is to modify the suspension and transmission components. Engines can always be swapped, though probably not as easily as on my truck .

[elwesso]

I think the major problem is that there's very little aftermarket support for this car, so you're going to be pretty much on your own to figure it out. The engine is VERY capable, perhaps even more stout than the Toyota engine, but the problem is it's not going to be a matter of gathering parts and bolting them on, like most of the lexus guys probably do. There's no bolt on supercharger or turbo for the VK45.

I don't think I'd swap the engine out.. Transmission should be straight forward, level 10 and IPT (import performance transmission) all make valve body kits or full rebuilds for those transmission, so you should be able to beef up the auto good enough. Not sure what's available in terms of suspension components.

I don't know the best way to tune that engine, would probably be similar to what the G or FX guys do. I think there's a handful of modded FX45 guys running out there, so it should be similar to that.

[adsgtn001]

I wonder... I've done some sloppy research on these cars and I guess the G50 has skyline suspension parts. The F50 has a modified Y33 chassis? Can the F50 take aftermarket performance suspension parts from skylines, Z's, Silvia's, ect?

[Q451990]

Interestingly enough, I can't think of anyone on here that's done much with the F50 in terms of performance upgrades. My one concern on the F50 would be that I don't know what that engine will withstand in terms of boost - vs. the VH. A lot of margin for error was taken out in that revision... There's a lot of speculation that that engine was designed intentionally loose to maximize horsepower output, and they went a bit too far with it - as evidenced by numerous complaints about oil consumption, etc.

Heath

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I'm not too worried about the engine.. I saw a Z with a twin turbo vk swap from a titan that made 800hp. Besides, if the motor proves to be more trouble than it's worth, I'll swap it with a vh, rb, ect. I'm more interested in the interchangeability of suspension and drivetrain parts with other performance Nissan models likethe Z, r34, and Silvia. Stuff like full dwb suspension front and back, manual or paddle from skyline/Z, driveshaft, ect, ect, ect