If I were to tell you that for a few Benjamin's and less than one hour of your time, you'd be able gain more than 10 wheel hp on your VQ35-powered Nissan/ Infiniti, would you think I was insane? Well crazy as it might seem, Skunk2 Racing, known for campaigning two of the fastest all-motor Honda's in the world, have developed and debuted their High-Rise Plenum Spacer, guaranteed to add that extra jolt to your engine.
The 3.5-liter VQ35 delivers a respectable 287hp and 274 lb-ft of torque but often falls flat on its face when altering or adding off-the-shelf products. For those who sport a VQ-powered vehicle, recognize how difficult it is to extract additional horsepower. Marginal gains of 1 to 3 hp are the norms with aftermarket products. Imagine spending 500 dollars on an exhaust system, only to net a total gain of 2 wheel hp-how demoralizing is that? Sure there are forced induction kits that produce double the factory-rated horsepower, but are you willing to sell your kidney on the black market to obtain one?
Engineers developed the VQ35 High Flow Intake Plenum to deliver unparalleled low-end torque and optimum air consumption. Unfortunately for Nissan, the design of the factory two-piece upper and lower intake plenum for the VQ engine has its faults. Less than 1/8 of an inch in clearance separates the upper front two cylinders of the G35/350Z engine from the intake plenum. The limited air intake design causes air intake starvation to the two front banks, limiting horsepower potential. Using a Skunk2 spacer raises the upper intake, effectively increasing plenum volume and increasing throttle response. Unique to the Skunk2 spacer is the special carbon composite material (carbon impregnated nylon-6) each unit is laser etched from. Scientifically, Nylon-6 is high-tensile strength and offers superior thermal insulation over competitors' aluminum-type spacers.. Placing this white piece of plastic between the two intake halves will lower intake air temperatures, which calculate into creating more horsepower. With an MSRP of $225, what's holding you back from obtaining some serious ponies?