Rear Duct Modification for better brake & caliper cooling

I modified the rear panel covers to create air deflectors which now send air in the direction of the rear caliper to better cool the brakes. The Q50 is the first car I have ever had that chewed through rear pads and rotors much quicker than fronts, gets a high-speed brake judder in just 12-15k miles due to increased lateral runout of rotors and I think it is all due to excessive heat build up.

Other common causes for excessive lateral run out of rotors can be over-torqued wheels, run out in wheel bearings, or just cheap quality materials. The bearings have been checked and the wheels are always (re)torqued by me, by hand,with the wheel in the air to spec every time anyone removes it.

 Only time will tell how this mod will work, though initial results are promising.

Modified air deflectors.

The design issue I have with the rear brakes of the Q50 are:

Q50 0-60 mph times Red Sport vs Hybrid

I had a shiny red 2017 Q50 Red Sport 400 AWD with all options except ProPilot for a few week and I decided to run a few 0-60 mph runs using Torque app and Bluetooth ODB II interfaces as I had done for my Q50 Hybrid here.

2017 Q50 Red Sport AWD

The best I could get in a run was about...

Best 0-60 time - 2014 Q50S Hybrid AWD

Since I like collecting lots of useless data from my cars, I wanted to see what I can get for 0-60 mph times for the Q50, which is something I should have done a lot sooner.

There are many phone apps out there that use GPS for this data, but it can be all over the place dependent on signal strength, time to process the data, etc. Highly inconsistent and in accurate. Didn’t want to spend money on a professional device that I will use only a few times. With an ODB-II connected reader that is continually reading directly from the vehicle speed sensor multiple times per second, it starts getting accurate and interesting.

Best 0-60mph Time

The car setup is as follows:

The Most Empirically Effective Cold Air Intake for the Q50S HEV

Using this cold air intake setup my Q50 is achieving 97.7% temperature efficiency in cold air intake, which is pretty damn good. 

Intake Temperature as Read by MAF

What? How? Where? Who?

MPG from Q50 on a Long Road Trip - Computer and Manual

Drove down from Madison, WI to Chesterfield, MO to watch the eclipse with the kids. Thought I would record the MPGs that the Q50 achieved during the mostly drive.

The summary is as follows per the car computer:

Total Miles Driven and Time Taken

Changing Key Fob Battery

After almost 3 ½ years of usage, I got the following message. Neat.

Awesome that the car detects Key Fob battery level

Changing Wiper Blades Inserts in Q50 and Retaining the Wipers.

Having a streaky wiper is huge pet peeve of mine. The windshield is meant to be used to look outside not be distracted but some dirt line on the screen.

I like the outside shape of the stock OEM wipers blades, very aerodynamic. I also like the silicone material that comes with the OEM Infiniti and Nissan cars. I have tried many aftermarket wipers one ranging from $10 to $25 per blade and all I have found is that they have a short life and right after the first winter they harden and start streaks…so irritating. So either go cheap so you can throw them away every 6 months or go OEM, but Infiniti charges quite a bit and also use the “value line” instead of OEM Japanese ones.

OEM High Quality Silicone Inserts

Getting Rid of Run Flats & Adding a Spare Tire to The Hybrid Q50s

It has been a very big point of contention within the Q50 community about Infiniti’s choice to opt for run flat tires on the Q50. Not only do run flats ride harsher, cost more but they have a low thread wear rating of 280AA which translates to 18,000 miles only. Lastly run flats are great if you “plan" on having protection against getting a nail/screw etc, but if it ends up being a side wall damage or damage due to a big pothole or other object then the run-flat tire is pretty much useless. Call me old school, but one one the first things my dad taught me was to change a spare on a car before I could even drive the car - secure car with chucks, loosen lug nuts, jack up, remove flat, replace with spare, soft tighten lugs, lower jack, fully tighten lug nuts, off you go.

Hybrid Trunk WITH Spare underneath.

DIY Changing Front & Rear Differential Fluids

The AWD Q50 has 4 additional mechanical fluids other than the engine oil that need attention. The rear differential (same as only RWD Q50) as well as Front differential oil, transfer case and transmission fluid. 

Historically, I have found that the differential fluids have usually got a specific mileage at which they must be changes, however for the Q50, the only recommended maintenance is to Inspect the fluid every 10,000 miles or 12 months, unless towing a trailer, or driving in rough conditions in which case it is recommended to change every 24 months of 20,000 miles.

DIY Installing a Rear Factory Original Decklid Spoiler

I wanted to use my Infiniti dollars to purchase an accessory, unlike my first option of illuminated side sills that are seen for perhaps the 30 seconds that door are open at low light, the deck lid is visible always to everyone, so I decided to change the look of the rear to stand out from the more and more Q50s hitting the road.

At the end of the day this spoiler is purely aesthetic and had no performance gains; but I think Infiniti did a good job designing the spoiler and I liked the crisp and clean look that adds a little subtle flare to the rear without being overly obnoxious. It also does not require changing the gas shocks of the trunk.

I bought the spoiler, pre-painted and color-matched from my local Infiniti parts department. It came in 2 days and I decided to do the install myself. It came in a considerably big and protective box, and a single sheet of paper that refers to the online site of TechInfo where the factory instructions are available.

Rear Spoiler Installed

No more finger lines on the trunk lid! Added a leather pull handle to the Q50.

One of my pet peeves are the 3-finger marks left while closing a trunk. Not usually an issue but with the wintery spray of salt and dirt, these marks tend to affect the chrome finish or the paint finish. This issue is very pronounced on the GT-R because of the shape of the trunk, but still affects the Q50. It also leaves the fingers/gloves dirty; so here is cheap and simple fix I did.

Ugh!

I decided to order

Q50 AWD Test Driving in the Snow.

Had our first considerable snow fall last night and first thing this morning after dropping my daughter at school, took the wife's Q50 out in the snow before the plows came through and shot a little video.

This is an AWD with Tech model and stock all season run-flats. I tried to do donuts in an empty parking lot with snow, accelerated and braked as a hard as possible to see the reaction of the Q50. My objective was simple to do things beyond what a normal person would do in snowy conditions. I did all this in Sport Mode. I was deciding if I should get separate set of wheels+snow tires.

The absolute first interesting thing I immediately noticed was that when the ABS kicked in,  if the car was sliding upon hard braking, the seats belts pre- tightened quickly considerable (with the Tech Package). They wouldn't let loose for a few seconds afterwards. Definitely keeps you in snug. Hence my groaning in the video below.

DIY Engine Oil Change of the Infiniti Q50

Warning: If you are not mechanically inclined or do not have the appropriate tools and/or appropriate safety equipment, please do not attempt this. I will not be held responsible if your Q50 damages you.

Why do I prefer doing my own oil changes? Well with longer maintenance cycles and less stuff breaking down, gives me something to do on the car, and an excuse to spend time in the garage. Plus, I know it is done right - seen too many cars driving on the road with panels hanging down and heard too many stories of stripped drain plugs, too much oil, wrong type of oil, too little oil etc. While, I trust my Nissan and Infiniti dealerships, I don't trust quick change places. Lastly, I know what is oil is going in and I can usually do it a a fraction of the cost of any other place's cost of using fully synthetic oil. It is really a $30 cost of prevention.

Draining the Oil

Step 1: Buy Necessary Items:
You will need:

• 5 and 1/8qt of 5W30 engine oil are needed for an oil change with filter change. I prefer Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 5W30 Engine Oil. I pick it up at Walmart for $24.40 for a 5qt jug. It is enough for an oil change without needing the 1/8qt as not all the oil 
• 1x Nissan Engine Oil Filter Part # 15208-65F0E, that ranges anywhere from $6 to $8 from your dealership. I prefer using the OEM Nissan one to ensure warranty, and also because it contains the relief valve inside. There are better aftermarket filters, I have used Nissan ones for 15 years without an issue. Do not use 15208-65F0C, that is an old part number that has been discounted and has a cardboard end-cap and it's made in China.
• 1x drain plug crush washer part # 11026-01M02

Step 2: Gather Tools
You will need:

Understanding & Adjusting Headlights and Fog Lights on the Q50 for Maximum Visibility

Understanding the Q50's Exterior Lighting System

The Q50 has an advanced mechanism for the headlights, especially given the "auto" mode features and the steering adaptive headlights, and the auto leveling system. These are collectively called the "Adaptive Front Lighting System". Unless you test drove and bought your Q50 in the dark, chances are the dealer has been unable to show you this functionality. The working of the headlights is explored below.

The day time running LEDs (powered by 7.5W LEDs on each side) that circle the low beam projector are always on when the car is started. This is with the setting on the headlight stick being OFF.  They project enough light for the Q50 to be seen even on bright sunny days. As for the amount of useful lighting they provide, see the video, but it is not significant for any situation. The DRL LEDs do stay ON in all modes of the headlights.

By selecting the next setting on the stick which is AUTO, the systems many features are enabled. In auto mode, the LED low beams in projectors (powered by 23W LEDS each) come on, but only when the ambient light sensors detect that it is dark enough outside. The sensitivity can be set through the InTouch menu. They also go off after a number of seconds when the car is shut off or locked, again the timeout for this can be set through the InTouch menu.

Tint Film and Paint Protection Film Installed.

The Q50 got some protection done last weekend. I wanted two key things done: Window Tinting and Paint Protection Film.

I turned to the Tint Factory in Madison, WI. I have known the Owner/Master Installer, Kyle, for a number of years and his attention to detail, slow time taken, quality and technique, and perfection to each job made him my only choice and I highly recommend him as he has done all my cars in the past.

For the tint, I chose 3M Crystalline Automative Film at 40%. It has exceptional infrared reflection qualities, as Kyle showed me by placing various film strips in front of a heat lamps and the finish is fantastic.

I had it places on 7 window panes - rear window pane, two rear panes on each side, and front panes on each side. I did not have the sunroof or windshield done.

I think it adds a subtle class to the Malbec Black Q50, without making the windows look too dark and detracting from the overall color of the car.

Q50 Tinted

Here is another shot with the sunlight.

iOS 7 has been released!

Q50 InTouch works well with iOS 7.

Items to note are that I did not have to rediscovery the bluetooth setting, my device and the Q50 picked each other up.
Music worked exactly the same.
iTunes Radio was the new feature that worked well. The Q50 could not distinguish if the music was coming from the iPhone locally, via iMatch or from iTunes Radio. It displayed the track title, album title and single information.

Waiting for InTouch update from Infiniti to test the new features such as Pandora and iHeartradio apps on the Q50.

Infiniti Q50 LED DIY Conversion

I have never seen a vehicle with so many LEDs already in place and frankly done very well.

The Q50 uses LEDs for:

• Low Beams
• High Beams - Believe it or not - it's just 1 LED
• Day Time Running Lights
• Fog Lights
• Front Blinkers
• Side Markers
• Side Turn Signal in Mirrors
• Brake Lights
• High Mounted Brake Light
• Backup Light
• Front Passenger Map Lights
• Outside Handle Light

This leave regular bulbs for:

Installing K&N Drop in Air Filters into the Q50

Don't do it!!! K&N filters do nothing but allow more silicon /dust / sand into the engine, they turn the engine oil darker sooner and wear out the engine components quicker. I have been an idiot all these years and have fallen to marketing hype. Bravo K&N. I removed all K&N filters from all vehicles last year. Not only has is my oil lasting longer before turning darker, but Blackstone Labs Oil analysis on the Q50 and my GT-R have revealed that the silicon has gone down considerable.

Read this: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm
and this: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

and feel free to draw your own conclusions. As for me engine life is more important than 2-3 more HP at the top of the curve near red line, which is impractical.


Don't waste your time and money, simply buy paper filters the Q50 HEV or non-turbo engine gets no benefit from these these terrible things.

I have been using K&N Air Filters for the last 10 years in all of our cars. In most cases such as the G35 Coupe, EX35, and GT-R, I have found that using the drop-in air filter (like this) is much better than any after-market intake piping + conical air filter combination (like this).

I have tired, compared and contrasted the "intake piping+filter" on the G35 Coupe, Pathfinder, Altima, and GT-R over very long period of time to give them a fair shake, but in most cases, and in all cases of Infiniti cars, the net effect of using an aftermarket air intake + filter has been:

- Engine sound and exhaust sound gets louder increasing the perception of more HP. The reason for this is really because all the baffles are lost by swapping out the stock intake.
- Most of them lose the ability to "ram air" into the engine intake manifold, which the Q50 is actually designed to do.  This is of course unless the aftermarket pipes and air filter drop past the radiator (often called "long ram air intake") and come just behind the front grill. If not, then HP is lost rather than gained.
- Most of these after-market ones (especially the shiny ones that sit completely in the engine called "short ram air intake") soak up more heat than the stock plastic piping and thus make the air hotter going into the car, which actually reduces HP and mpg.
- If the filters are positioned just behind the grill, then get dirtier quicker defeating the purpose of longer lasting filters, end up getting completely soaked in rain, the car wash and ice/snow. Worst case for me has been a carwash in winter, where a filter was wet and froze in seconds, denying air to the engine.
- Most of them do not have an alternate emergency by-pass opening so that if the above were to happen, they could let out the water before it gets to the engine and also serve as an alternate intake for air.

Nitrogen Fill into Q50 Tires

#1 Myth about filling Nitrogen in Tires: It does not expand and contract as much, and does not leak out of tires, so there will be no low tire pressure warning light.

Wrong!

Air is about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.1% carbon dioxide.

Specific Heat Capacity is the amount of heat that is needed to raise the temperature of volume of a substance without changing state (Remember you Chem-101 class?)

Air has a specific heat capacity of 1.01 kJ/kg K 

Oxygen has a specific heat capacity of 0.91 kJ/kg K 

Nitrogen has a specific heat capacity of 1.03 kJ/kg K 

Since air has only about 21% oxygen, by using the just nitrogen, the change in capacities are only 0.02 kJ/kg K. Thus Nitrogen fill tires will still expand and contract almost as much as air filled, just a slight difference, immeasurable really. 

Generally, 10 degree F in temperature change results in 1 PSI change in tire pressure -  Air or Nitrogen.

So why put in Nitrogen?

My reasons for using Nitrogen:

Photo-shoot of the Malbec Black Q50

It was an overcast weekend weekend so I decided to take some quick shots of the Q50 between running errands. Not too many words for this post. It was definitely more compliant than taking pictures of a 2 & 5 year old.

Enjoy the pictures! You can click on any picture to see the high resolution version.

Hello (Wink!)