TURBONETICS TURBO KIT - G35 COUPE

TURBONETICS TURBO KIT - 2003 G35 COUPE

Specs: Single 60-1 turbo, front mount intercooled, stock block

Price as tested ~$5k + installation

I had the opportunity to drive a Turbonetics single turbo G35 Coupe the other day. This particular car is based on Infiniti’s CPV35 platform, which was launched in 2003 as the Nissan Skyline (not the GT-R mind you). Out of the box with 280HP this 6 cylinder engine can power the G35 Coupe through the quarter mile in under 14 seconds.
The turbonetics turbo kit is a single turbo based on Garrett’s 60-1 compressor wheel which should be good in excess of 45lbs/min in this particular application, front mount intercooled, with an external wastegate setup. The turbo kit is unusual in that it is a single turbo whereas the factory engine in a dual manifold 6 cylinder setup. Exhaust gases are routed to the single turbo through an unequal manifold which makes one the symmetry in cylinder pressures and exhaust gas scavenging.
Turbonetics claims over 100whp on this turbo kit. With a stock block boost pressures are kept to a minimum, with spikes under 10psi according to the boost gauge. The car is pretty quick out of the box, with the turbokit the car becomes exceptionally fast. With the traction control off and combined with the low ratio 6MT gear box, it’s easy to light the tires off in 3rd gear. 0-60 comes fast, and ¼ mile times fall under 12 seconds. In terms of power curve the turbonetics kit is as what you would except with most after market kits – a mild low end with ample top end power. Not the best auto-cross or street setup, but lots of fun on open roads. At $5,000 it’s a questionable investment, but who’s thinking about your wallet when you’re screaming down the road at 100mph?

HK USP 45 FULL-SIZE
PRICE AS REVIEWED: $799
OPTIONS: NIGHT SITES

My review of the HK USP 45 full size is below.

Now I'm not one of those guys with dozens of handguns, and takes a new gun to the range to document the shot grouping with a ruler, nor am I one of those guys that measure each round of ammo with a caliper. In fact I cannot outshoot the majority of pistols I own. I do however, own several .45ACP calibers and have put tens of thousands of .45 ACP rounds down range (at considerable expense these days I might add).

From an ergonomic standpoint, the HK USP 45 Full-Size is very similar to both the USP full size. The frame itself is on the larger side, which may take some getting used to for those of us with smaller hands. The unique ambidextrous magazine release is easily within reach as is the safety / decocker, but for those with smaller hands being able to quickly operate the slide release takes some getting used to. The one feature that I really like about the HK USPs is that the pistol can be reloaded with the safety on leaving the weapon in single action / safety on configuration or decocked with the safety either on or off.

The magazine capacity is 10 rounds with the ability for free-staters to purchase 12 round magazines. For my first 1000 rounds I did have some difficulty loading the magazines as they had difficulty catching but this problem soon went away. Feeding problems were non-existent with a variety of ammo I tested, unlike my USP 9 which had some issues with a certain type of 9mm ammo.

As far as shooting, the HK USP shot extremely well as one would expect. Out of the box I was able to hit rapid-fire groups of 4-5 inches at 30 feet. With carefully placed shots I could reduce grouping down to within 2 inches. The recoil was surprisingly light for a polymer framed weapon – lighter than my full size 45 caliber Glocks and much lighter than my 40 caliber compact Glock. There was not much of a variation between ammo consumption, I tried 4 different types of ammo all without feed or jamming issues, and all shots landed consistently.

Aside from the minor difficulty in loading the magazines (which resolved itself after a few hundred rounds) there were no other mechanical issues or jams. Overall I found the HK USP 45 full-size to be accurate, reliable, and easy to shoot. The lighter polymer frame combined with the ambidextrous magazine release the versatile safety, and of course the tritium night-sites make this firearm, in my opinion, a bargain at $800.

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