Picking out a quality g35 front suspension kit is usually the first thing on the to-do list when your Infiniti starts feeling less like a sports coupe and more like a rickety old boat. If you've owned a G35 for more than a few months, you probably know the exact "clunk" I'm talking about. It usually happens when you're pulling into a driveway or hitting a small pothole, and it's a clear sign that your factory bushings and ball joints have finally decided to throw in the towel.
The G35 is a fantastic platform—it's basically a 350Z with a back seat and some leather—but the front suspension setup is notoriously complex. It uses a multi-link design that's great for handling when it's new, but it has a lot of moving parts that wear out simultaneously. That's why most people realize that buying a full kit is way smarter than trying to replace one tiny piece at a time.
Why the G35 Front End Starts to Feel Sloppy
The reality is that these cars are getting older. Even the youngest G35s are well over a decade old now, and rubber doesn't last forever. The front suspension takes a beating every time you turn the wheel or hit a bump. Most of the time, the "Infiniti shimmy" is caused by the compression rod bushings or the lower control arm bushings tearing.
Once those rubber bits give out, you lose that tight, connected feeling in the steering wheel. You might notice the car pulling to one side or, even worse, your front tires wearing out unevenly on the inside edges. If you see "feathering" on your tires, your suspension geometry is likely out of whack because the old parts can't hold an alignment anymore. Installing a fresh g35 front suspension kit fixes that slack and saves you money on tires in the long run.
What You'll Usually Find in a Quality Kit
When you start shopping, you'll see kits that vary from basic "refresh" sets to massive "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" bundles. If you want to do the job right the first time, you should look for a kit that includes a few specific components.
Upper Control Arms
These are the wishbone-looking things at the top. The ball joints in these are famous for getting "loose," which causes a clicking sound. Some kits come with adjustable upper control arms, which are a lifesaver if you've lowered your car and need to fix the camber.
Lower Control Arms and Compression Rods
The G35 has two lower arms per side. One is the straight "transverse" arm, and the other is that big, curved "compression rod." That compression rod is almost always the culprit behind those annoying low-speed squeaks and groans. Most decent kits will include both of these with the bushings already pressed in, which saves you a massive headache.
Inner and Outer Tie Rods
If your steering feels numb or has a bit of a "dead zone" in the middle, your tie rods are probably shot. Including these in your g35 front suspension kit is a no-brainer because you're already going to be in there taking everything else apart anyway.
Sway Bar End Links
These are small, but they make a huge difference in how the car rolls through corners. If they're snapped or the boots are torn, the car will feel floppy. New ones are cheap and usually included in most comprehensive kits.
Choosing Between OEM Style and Performance Upgrades
This is where you have to be honest with yourself about how you actually use the car. Are you just daily driving to work, or are you trying to build a weekend track beast?
If you just want the car to feel like it did when it left the showroom floor, a standard OEM-spec kit is perfectly fine. These usually use rubber bushings, which keep the ride quiet and comfortable. Polyurethane bushings are another option often found in "performance" kits. They make the handling much sharper and they last forever, but they can be a bit squeaky if you don't grease them properly, and you'll definitely feel more vibration from the road.
Personally, I think a mix is often the sweet spot. Using a g35 front suspension kit with high-quality rubber or hardened rubber keeps the car livable without making it feel like a race car that rattles your teeth out on the highway.
The "While You're In There" Factor
One thing I always tell people is to look at their struts while they have the front end pulled apart. If you're installing a new g35 front suspension kit, you've already done 80% of the labor required to change your shocks or coilovers. If your struts are leaking or the car bounces more than twice after hitting a bump, do yourself a favor and swap them out at the same time.
Also, check your wheel bearings. If there's any play in the hub when you wiggle the wheel at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions, the bearing is toast. It's much easier to deal with that now than to have to pull the whole knuckle apart again three months down the line.
Can You Install This Yourself?
If you're handy with a wrench and have a decent floor jack and jack stands, you can definitely tackle a g35 front suspension kit in your driveway. It's not necessarily "hard" work, but it is "heavy" work. You'll be dealing with some stubborn bolts that have been stuck in place for fifteen years.
You're going to want a good breaker bar, a set of ball joint separators (you can usually rent these for free from a local auto parts store), and plenty of penetrating oil. Seriously, soak every bolt in PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench the night before you start. It'll save you a lot of swearing the next day.
The biggest challenge for most DIYers is getting the old ball joints to pop out of the steering knuckle. They're tapered and tend to wedge themselves in there really tight. Don't just whale on the aluminum components with a hammer—you'll dent them. Use the right tool for the job, and it'll go much smoother.
The Mandatory Step: Getting an Alignment
I cannot stress this enough: as soon as you finish installing your g35 front suspension kit, you need to drive (carefully) straight to an alignment shop.
Whenever you replace control arms or tie rods, your alignment is going to be completely messed up. Even if you measure the tie rods perfectly, the geometry will be off just enough to ruin a brand-new set of tires in a few hundred miles. Most shops can get the G35 back to factory specs pretty easily, unless you've lowered the car significantly, in which case you might need those adjustable arms we talked about earlier.
Final Thoughts on the Investment
Putting a few hundred dollars into a g35 front suspension kit might not be as "cool" as buying a new exhaust or a set of shiny wheels, but it's arguably the best money you can spend on the car. There's something incredibly satisfying about taking a car that felt loose and tired and making it feel tight and responsive again.
You'll notice the difference the second you back out of the driveway. The steering will have more weight to it, the clunks will be gone, and the car will actually go where you point it without drama. It's the kind of maintenance that makes you fall in love with your G35 all over again. Plus, it's a lot safer. Knowing your front wheels are securely attached to the car with fresh hardware gives you a lot more confidence when you're hitting those freeway on-ramps.
So, if your Infiniti is sounding a bit like a bag of marbles lately, stop putting it off. Grab a kit, spend a Saturday in the garage, and get that handling back to where it should be. You'll be glad you did.