Okay guys here is the lowdown.

I hope no one flames me but I have had a lot of interest from multiple sources about getting my G back from its shop work. Thus I am going to post this on a couple of threads.

First the facts:
1. 8850 miles on the G35 Coupe w/ auto tranny
2. All options except nav
3. Only previous mod = Injen Cold air intake (now removed)
4. As of yesterday completed Vortech supercharger with 9 lb pulley and Borla duel exhaust. 2 hours of dyno tuning
5. Grubbs Infiniti in Dallas did the work
6. 6. Redline raised to 6800
Dyno report card =
386.85 rwhp
314.73 torque
Outside temp 83.87

I made it very clear to Grubbs that I wanted extremely safe power. I had conversations on multiple occasions that reiterated this point.

My opinion

Grubbs did everything possible to meet my high expectations. In fact I got more than I expected. More power, more performance, and more quality than I expected.

A word on Grubbs: Theses guys know what customer service is all about. Grubbs = professionalism, competence, honesty, enthusiasm. They are not perfect, but they will do what it takes to make everything a Win-Win. I had a small issue with pricing and an issue with the Vortech getting its full 3 year warranty. Both of these issues were solved quickly and proactively by Grubbs and Vortech. I believe someone’s character is defined by how they handle difficult situations. Grubbs gets an A+.

AS FOR THE COUPE: Holy crap! Remember the rush and exhilaration you had the first time you DID THE DEED (with a lady). Well it was not that great, but it was a close second.

This coupe pulls hard just off the line until redline. I had the opportunity to drive back from Dallas to Houston today. I had an extra 400 lbs in the car than normal because there were two extra adults and quite a bit of luggage in the car. I was amazed at how much acceleration I had at extreme speeds. When I floored it at 80mph it felt like I was coming off the line. I had a high end Mercedes tailing me for about 60 miles and I played with it quite a bit. Every time I gunned it, I pulled away at a high and noticeable rate. At one point I took it to 140 mph. About 30 seconds later the Mercedes caught me. I know this is subjective, but it was clear to me that I was pulling away due to my coupes extreme performance, and not a cautious driver (it did catch up to me at about 140 mph)

I drove this car hard for 5 hours straight. I had NO issues with performance. I checked the engine after the long drive and I did not find any noticeable changes.

The only negative for me was the blow off valve. It does whistle most of the time. Sometimes it is quite loud and at other times it is barely noticeable. I don’t like it. I intend to attempt some of the mods that other members of the forum have suggested. I think it is a relatively minor problem. I did take it back to Grubbs to re-check the value and they said it is as quite as they can get it.

The Borla exhaust is perfect for me. It is exactly as described. I told Grubbs I wanted the quietest exhaust out there. They told me this exhaust would be very close to stock. It is as quiet or quieter than the stock exhaust at all levels except at about 2500 rpms. At this level it is louder, but it is a beautiful deep rumble. In fact at all levels is sounds great. It also looks subtly aggressive – almost on as subconscious level.

Traction was something I was very concerned about. When I am in auto mode with the VDC on, there are NO PROBLEMS. This coupe is very smart. When I want to play and try to be smarter than the car, then I turn the VDC off and switch to manual mode and smoke my tires. I think it is the best of both worlds (but if my wife would like me get the stick, I still would have. I love the feel of a stick.)

At this point the only thing I would do differently is pay the extra $$ for the polished Vortech (I think it is about $150 extra). At first I did not think it would matter to me. After all, I am almost 30 and not into all the flashy stuff. However, every time I look at it under the hood, I think how much better it would look if I had a nice shiny charger.

Finally, I was concerned about getting use to all this HP. I am not concerned anymore. It is incredible, and like a crack addict I want more. I think I am here to stay! I feel like I have made some very good choices regarding my first upgrades. It remains to be seen how good of a choice the SC is for a long term upgrade path.

I want to thank John and Brad at Grubbs for all their work and assistance. Also, I would like to thank Tommy for allowing me to test his coupe before mine was worked on and for all his help on the phone. You guys prove that sharing benefits all.

 

congrats on joining the vortech team, be careful, ive fishtailed out of control a few times trying to enjoy the newfound power.

 

humm... fishtailing... sounds like fun, also a good way to speed up my tire change!! Seriously though, I know what you mean. An unexpected fishtail can be scary. I had one in my Camaro when I was about 18. I did a 180 and finished in a deep ditch without a scratch on me or my car. What luck!

 

welcome to the FI club! It sure is fun. Grubbs sounds like a great dealership. Wish we had a place like that in atlanta for our G.

 

I'm ordering the polished Vortech unit from Grubbs next week, I can't wait! I've been trying to order it online but it won't work correctly, promotion code won't go though and its charging me $400 for shipping at checkout... So I'll be calling them on tuesday

congrats dude!

 

Houston G35-

Did you have them reverse the blow off valve, I had the same problem and after the change the whistling noise went away for me. I am glad everything worked out for you.

Also: I feel I will have the same Vortech warranty issue on the 3 Year thing, any suggestions / contacts. PM me with advice.

Tommy

 

what do you mean by 'reverse' the BOV?? Put it in backwards, lol??

 

Reverse the direction it lets air out. I.e. flip it 90 degrees on its mounting. Mine was blowing on a support member and making a loud sound even at idle. After the switch it only makes noise under pressure.

 

Nice write up!!! Congrats!

 

dfw350z,

After I took the coupe back to Grubbs, they looked it over and told me that the BOV was as quiet as they could get it. Subsequent to this, I have read quite a few methods to eliminate this problem. I will attempt to implement these solutions in the next few weeks.

Everyone should keep in mind that I want this car to sound STOCK. Anything more is too much. This is the perspective I am coming from. If you are not as sensitive to the occasional high pitched sound, then this will not be an issue for you.

 

perhaps the bypass (only) valve then..........

vortech has em (limits output, posibly, i think)