Guys - I finally tore my coupe down this weekend & here's some preliminary data that some of ya may find useful. I installed a set of Focal Utopia components in the front doors ( 1" tweet easily fit in the factory A-pillar location & by simply cutting out the Bose driver from the factory basket & reusing it, the Focal 6.5" bolted right in ( 2 29/32" mounting depth ). I considered trying to shoe-horn in an older 7" XPERT driver ( depth is the same ) but since I'm going for a stealth install, the 6.5" fit perfectly behind the stock grille. In the rear I made some mounting brackets from 1/2" birch ( more solid than MDF & with less resonance ) to mount a pair of Focal 5.25" coaxials w/ depth of 2 3/8" ( strictly for rear fill - widens the soundstage
somewhat ). Again, these fit behind the factory grilles. I used Dynamat Xtreme to line both doors & the panels behind the coaxials as well as Dynasorb pads behind each driver ( including the tweets ). As JL no longer makes the IBU infinite baffle subs ( & I can't find a Velodyne!! ) I used a pair of Focal 5.25" subs ( model 5 WS ) in a vented 1/2" MDF/birch enclosure tuned to 38 Hz. I gave up very little trunk space & kept up the stealth theme somewhat. These subs R amazing for their size! Now, I WON'T win any SPL competitions but since my tastes in music lean toward jazz & rock 'n roll I'm very pleased. Yes, I used more Xtreme to line the trunk ( floor, lid & sides ) but the G is pretty well insulated as it comes from the factory. I'm running things off the factory Bose H/U & the sound's very clean. However, there's a bit of a hollow spot around the 80 hz frequency so my last ( hopefully!! ) step will be to use either another pair of 5 WS drivers or a Utopia 6.5" in a set of sealed kickpanels. Once I set my Butterworth Xover points correctly, the kicks will be set up for midbass; the doors for midrange & the tweets, well, they just scream!! Believe it or not, all this equipment is being run by a single Audison LRx 5 five channel amp. Granted, I have some low impedance loads but this amp is more than capable of handling them & asking for more! Sometimes simple is better. I have a butt-load of pics already but prefer to wait for the project's completion to post them. These mounting depths R just about as deep as U can go & still keep the factory grille openings, IMHO. Hopefully I can get the kicks done by next weekend & I'll put some pics up. Hope this helps some of ya plan some KILLER installs & good luck!!

 

is this the same mean gene from CL? dont tell me that youve crossed over too. glad to see you man.........


Doc

 

Doc - Yep, I followed U & Marcus over here! Still have the GS so I'm playing both sides. Really, these R 2 different cars. I find the Lex to be more luxurious while the G35 is more sporty. Depends on what kinda mood I'm in as to which one I drive ( or whether or not the wife lets me in HER Lexus )!!! Glad to be here in any event & thanks for the welcome.

 

well welcome again. i think i am gravitating towards modding the stereo right now, moreso than the performance. i am just shakey as to upgrading everything and leaving the factory unit in. if i remember correctly from my IASCA days, the greatest amps, speakers, interconnects, etc in the world mean nothing if the signal is dirty. just cant wrap my brain around spending good money on this stuff and having to use line-level adaptors........

Doc

 

Doc - I agree with ya on the signal being the critical starting point. I don't plan on competing with this system ( isn't that what I said with the first GS system? ) so my ears R OK with a signal that an RTA would probably pick apart. Still, I do have my eye on an Eclipse unit with an 8 volt output as a future upgrade. I'm going the other way from yourself with the G35; ie, I'm planning on increasing the performance more than creature comforts. This is because of 2 variables - 1) This is MY car & not my wife's. 2) There are many more hi-po parts available for the 350z/G35 platform than we had for the Lex marque.
Right now, I've got a set of Borla headers & true-dual exhaust in my shop along with grounding wires & an AEM CAI. My order's also in for a Crawford plenum & I'm just waiting to decide on an ECU reflash. Any thought there?

 

well if i do anything (which you know i will........modding is addictive) it will be the plenum first and foremost. to me, and again this is opinion, i dont see too much as far as real world gains with an exhaust, intake, etc. now the combo that you are doing will surely see results. but i think that its b/c of cumulative effects. the plenum seems to show repeatable gains that address the problem with the VQ......running out of steam up top. to me it would seem that it (the VQ) would really benefit from a more aggressive variable valve timing, like the vvt-i. but then again, there is a guy who dyno'd 300 at the wheels NA after the plenum, i will address the suspension. but back to the HU........eclipse huh? i used to run one when i competed. loved the damn thing. this is before cd players came with high voltage outputs (save for the alpine 7909) please keep me updated on how it goes........


Doc

PS.....i want you to know that ill have nightmares now that you mentioned RTA even with EQTs i could never pull more than a 30. cost me a win at the finals

 

i have no idea what any of you said

 

i could explain it all, but i fear that it might be narcolepsy-inducing.

 

heh all i understood was the VQ stuff everything else was , "huh?"