how different is the engine bay on the 2 cars? i like the look of the Typhoon intake for the 350z, so i was wondering if the heat shield would fit or how much modification would have to be done to make it fit. I'm guessing the actual intake tube would fit fine, and that the heatsheild would be what didn't fit. is that a correct observation? Thanks for the help!

Whoojong
04 G35C

 

Before I get into what I had to do to do the conversion, I want to point out how bitterly disapointed I was when I opened the box and looked at the kit. And I will say it again, the oem intake is a excellent design and is in of itself a cold air intake. You are better served by getting a different upper intake tube (oem Z or otherwise) and your choice of performance panel filters that go into the oem filter box.




So, not only did a have a ton of to do to convert it to the G, the kit was full of flaws I had to correct to have a acceptable intake system.

How it won't fit. The tube from the scoope to the front of the filter box will not work in the G, no way around that. The radiator support must be shaved down (kinda hard to describe the exact area). Mounting tabs must be crafted for the lid as it is impossible to secure the lid like the Z does (something I wanted to do anyhow). Lower corner of the filter box must be removed to clear car body work.


Here's some pics of my reworked K&N 350Z typhon intake. I fabbed sheetmetal and sealed the filterbox and I had to plum to the bumber scoop via a different route, while I was at it I greatly improved the size of the piping from the scoop. I was not a easy mod to pull off.

1 (you can just make out the scoop in the bumper)


2


3


4


5 (before for I sealed anything, inside the box pic. You can just make out the inlet pipe at the lower right inside the box)


One things for sure, out of the box the 350Z Typhon makes promises it doesn't really deliver on. My rework and insulation fixes those issues, but it took 2 weeks to modify (ok it stumped me for like 4 day's, then I started to rework it).

 

maybe you should check out the stillen and see what you think. the design is a bit better IMO because its made for a G.

 

Whoa, thanks for the info Gsedan35. I'll go and see if it's worth all the trouble.

nuttyprof, thanks, i'll check taht out also.

 

I forgot to mention something else that doesn't work.

The front mounted scoop, the G does not have the attachment point that the Z does. To afix the scoop you have to fab your own mounting system. I bought a section of metal bar with holes in it. As you can see in this pic, I cut off a shot piece of the metal and put a twist in it. I secures to the car using simple push pins, a life saver given the next to impossible to reach attachment point. Scoop has to be in the air stream, so very little flexibility in where it goes.



I also forgot to point out that the filter box is metal and of course the upper intake tube is metal as well. I discovered when I was taking MAF intake temp readings that I had a real heat soak problem. That is why the filter box and upper intake tube are insulated. It is not just reflective wrap, it is a 1/4" fiberglass insulation pipe wrap, then the reflective wrap.

And I forgot to mention the way the filter box gets it's air. Since you cannot source the air from the scoop using the tube that came with the kit (that part is only 2.5" diameter anyhow) you have to get the air to the box in a totally different manner. Only way to do that is to fab tubing from the scoop, going sideways and looping up and turning into the right fender wheelwell, just like a long tube CAI. In the pic below you can see the 3" hole in the side of the filter box that I cut, even with a dremel tool on hand, it was very labor intensive to get the hole right. Because of the complex turns involved, I used the only tubing I could. I discoved that plastic 3" pvc drain piping was thinner then regular irrigation piping and that's what I used. Flexible dryer venting is unexceptable because of it's flow robbing ridges.

In this pic, it doesn't show the large hole the box comes with or the sheet meal I used to fix the hole.



Ok, in this pic you can plainly see the large hole designed into the box. If you look you can see a pencil trace I did so I could lay down a glue line to seal the sheet metal I fabbed.




The sheetmetal in place before glueing and sealing.


Closeup of the sheetmetal after glueing and sealing

 

It really needs to be said that no aftermarket G or Z intake system offers colder air to the engine then the oem intake does, that is one myth undone by factual intake readings taken at the MAF. Secondly, the MAF and ECU are finely tuned based on oem flow rates to conspire against gaining power if you should be lucky enough to actually get more flow somehow. This is why you do not see dyno gains from intakes that are over and above normal dyno +or- error. Case in point, when tested on the 350Z, the Stillen intake showed a 2hp gain. I had the Injen on my sedan prior to the modified Typhon, made a great induction howl, before my exhaust drowned that out. Yet it did not offer me any real gain in power.

Aftermarket intakes work wonders when the oem system has faults. Faults like being highly constrictive as in not allowing air flow or by heating the intake charge. If you after real improvements, the only place you can begin to fault the G35 oem setup is the upper tube from the MAF housing to the throttle body. Many switch to the oem 350Z upper intake tube for this reason. Yet when I pulled my oem 350Z tube off my Typhon setup and actually used the K&N upper tube, I gained power. Why do I think that happened? No corrogated flex sections and a consistant 3" inside diameter from the filter to the throttle body (maintains flow volocity). I would inquire if UT's carbon fiber upper intake tube(NOT their intake system with filter, just the upper tube) factually has a true 3" inside diameter, but I worry about getting a reliable answer on that question.