Ok. I want to purchase an intake system for the first performnace mod for my max. I was thinking about about the PR CAI but now I here that its not as good for either low end or top end performance. So now I'm thinking about getting the cattman intake but I wanted to know if I should get the JWT pop charger or the Monster Flow filter with it. I plan on purchasing a cattman or warpspeed y pipe and a greddy or apexi catback exhaust system. Please recommend which products I should link up together to get a nice deep growl from my exhaust and at the same time get some good horsepower gains. But since I'm planning on getting the intake first concentrate more on the suggestions for that. Thanks.

 

Go with a real CAI since you have an automatic (Place Racing or Warpspeed). But you have to drill a hole in your wheelwell.

 

get the injen. you dont have to drill a hole. and it sounds very nice

 

i thought CAI helps low and mid while wai helps high rpm?
Jae

 

yeah, so which is more important if you have an auto

also, injen is not a real CAI

 

place racing and cattman are the same thing. but i have a place racing and like it very much, but for best gains people around here are saying a hybrid is best, but if i were you get a PRcai over a jwt pop, or injen.

low and end and mid range rpm get much stronger and gets good gain, but u dont really loose top end in my experience, you just dont gain.

 

I have both PR CAI and the hybrid setup and I feel that the hybrid has more practial gains

 

Ok. I'm not sure what the hybrid is. I know if I get cold air it will be PR but the cattman intake I was talking about I think is called the hybrid setup where it has a small extension and a pop charger or monster flow filter at the end. Thats why I was wondering if I get that setup which filter should I get with it. I am really considering hybrid but which filter?

 

All the hybrid is is the PR or cattman CAI intake but you dont use the lower tube that goes into the fender. the CAI should come with the adapter and filter so thats what you use. If you want pics of whats the difference, look at 97maxgurl's homepage

 

Anybody have anymore suggestions about the complete setup I should use from intake to exhaust?

 

i have the frankencar intake, it's nice and loud when accelerating and quiet when your foot (or whatever you use to drive) is not on the gas ... as far as exhaust i don't know

 

Basic info on intakes and the differnt types:

I posted this in a past thread, but it works here, too:

"Hybrid" intakes are very popular. Do a search for Hybrid intake and you will get tons of hits. I hear that Frankencar and Fastlane Performance are nice, but they all seem to be very similar. You can also make your own. I have links if you want to try to do that. Here they are, in stages:

http://www.brianv.net/mods/filter/

That is generally called the "BrianV" intake mod, when done using stock airbox parts. It includes directions to make a filter/intake setup that is VERY much like the Stillen intake. JWT also makes a similar setup for about $100. This type of setup is generally called a "popcharger." You can do this mod (homebrew) for under $50 with the same results. The only bad part of doing it at home is that you will have to get a new airbox lid down the road to go back to stock.

http://www.drwebdesign.com/mymaxima/upperintake.html

This is the page to make the "upper intake tube," which is also called a "midpipe" (correct me if I am wrong there, guys!). It makes the above mod a "hybrid intake." Actually, it makes ANY cone-style popcharger a hybrid. You can buy just the midpipe section from frankencar, fastlane, or place racing, for $50-$65, or you can make your own for about $15.

A CAI basically takes the portion of the intake BEFORE the MAF and moves it to a location where it is supposed to get colder air. Colder air is more dense, which allows for more combustion. Many argue that am Injen is not a true CAI (I agree), but the PR and cattman CAIs are true CAIs based on their relocation of the intake filter. CAIs are typically thought to have better low-end power, hybrids provide enhanced midrange, and POP-chargers are believed to help with high-RPM HP.

I THINK that I have covered things. I know that people recommend different setups based on whether you have an auto or a manual, so you might want to specify. Some argue that Hybrids are better, some say CAI is the best, and others think that a cheap popcharger is best because it is cheap and lets you spend the rest of your money elsewhere.

I know that this is really confusing, but looking at pictures and comparing the differences is the best way to determine how the different setups vary from one to another.

 

I have the RVM Mid-pipe and cone filter. I'm planning to upgrade the filter to an Apexi Power intake, but they are kinda hard to get with the whole Pacific side port lock out. The midpipe is definitely something you'd want, whether it be in a cold air or RAM air.

 

Ok. That sounds great. I know what I will purchase now for the intake. Now I've been reading a lot of threads about y-pipes and exhausts. I would like to have a good power gain but don't want to have a loud exhaust system. I've heard that Apexi is quieter than Greddy. I have also heard that budget y pipe is the way to go with sound level and performance seeing how the more expensive brands like cattman, stillen, and warpspeed are much louder and are giving problems. Let me know any opinion you guys and girls may have on any of these products and how they would link up with each other if using the hybrid intake setup.

 

The setup I have is a hybrid intake setup.

 

I have a frankencar midpipe/jwt pop hybrid intake, budget y, and stillen muffler.. any aftermarket exhaust will be considerably louder than stock. if you don't mind that kinda noise, go with greddy or stillen. i heard good things about apexi, but it is still louder than stock i believe. the hybrid intake and budget y are the best things ive done for my car so far.. the sound and performance are real worth the money. id say go with a hybrid, budget y, get a bpipe and leave stock muffler on to avoid droning.

 

If you want a hybrid intake check out www.frankencar.com

 

Two questions for the experts:

1. Which CAI setup gives the most power gain?

2. Has anyone ever heard of or seen a hood air scoop mod on a Maxima?

 

I went and looked at this car because it is for sale. This car is really nice and the air scoop looks really good. The problem was that it was cracking from a bad bondo job. The car also was a salvage title. I will admit that it really looked impressive

 

Two more questions regarding CAI's:

-What is the risk of hydro lock with these various setups?

-Is it necessary/advisable to reset the ECU after a CAI mod?

Thanks all!

p.s. Anyone know how that guy did the air scoop?

 

first off, i wouldnt consider any other intake besides the CAI or the hybrid, cuz those two are by the far the best intakes u can get for the max and there is constant debate btwn choosing whichever...if you're an auto, then the PR CAI will probably be yur best bet IF you dont mind a much more longer and complicated install(compared to a hybrid install), but it shouldnt be that hard to do if u can follow instructions and have the right tools.
resetting the ECU will occur mandatorally when installing a PRCAI since u remove the battery for a long time and when u hook it back up, the ECU resets.
usually with any new performance mod, it can help to reset the ECU so the ECU can adjust the rest of the car to the new difference it feels.
getting water into the filter is rare, hardly hear of anyone ever complaining about that, and you shouldnt have a problem unless it REALLY hard downpour like a hurricane or sumthin and water is actually blown upwards thru the hole next to your foglight or little tiny crevices behind the wheel well...however i wouldnt advise you to drive thru a flood or into a lake, other than than those two cases, everything should be fine.
i prefer the CAI cuz it just gives a nicer deeper louder sound in my opinion...the hybrid might give slightly better gains as people say but it aint gonna be more than like a 2-3 hp difference at the MOST, many people still prefer the cold air and they must have reasons for it...my reason is the better sound, thats only my opinion
as for exhaust, go with whichever Y pipe u feel is best, make sure u also have an intake along with it...an intake gets better results if u have a Y down there, and a Y gets better results if theres a better intake up there...all these parts from intake to exhaust all depend on each other..so the more you put, the more you're freeing up the airflow and restrictions, but you'll also add sum Db's of noise with every mod u add since you are removing resonators, however the muffler change will make the biggest sound difference

 

Thanks for the reply. That helps a lot. But also since you live in NY do you think there is a chance that I may be able to hear what yourintake sounds like and maybe ride in your car. I really wanted a CAI but a lot of people say it hurts you on the highway but improves your acceleration. I just need to feel how a car drives with it. If you think this is possible or if anyone wants to let me feel the power of their cold air intake hit me up at 347-739-9402. I rode in my man Chris's max from Hempstead with the Frankencar Intake so I know what the hybrid setup feels and sounds like.I live in Baldwin, NY( Hempstead) so if anyone is close with a CAI please hit me up. Thanks. Mike.

 

Can anyone please tell me what they think the best conical air filter for a hybrid is, and who the best vendor to buy it from is? Thanks!

 

Best filter is the new Apexi filter, or Jackson Racing

In the new Honda Tuning (I know it's blasphemy to mention it hear) they do a great write up on intake comparisons, intake temp, flow characteristics, best filter, etc, between Injen, short ram, and CAI.

HYBRID ??? IT IS A SHORT RAM INTAKE. The difference between hybrids and true short rams is that short rams pipe length has actually been R&D (researched and developed.)
CAI's midpipes are not R&D to be used alone, and that is evident from dyno's done on hybrids. Go to the web sight suggested and compare the before and after dyno's. The HYBRID (I know it sounds cool to call it a hybrid but is really a short ram) LOSES power until 5,000rpm, then it starts to give performance gains, and thats dynoed with the hood open, imagine what it's like when the hood is closed in a hot engine bay (your engine bay does not even get close to outside temps even if your doing 80)

Hybrid - would entail providing the benefits of two different systems, namely a CAI and a popcharger.

Popcharger has no piping BUT it gets hot air from the engine bay

CAI - has piping BUT gets cool air from outside

So hybrid should be somthing that gets cool air and has little piping, right? I guess wrong, because hybrids as people are calling them have more piping then a popcharger, and get hot air, is this a hybrid of the negative features of both. I know it sounds cool but I would research before you buy.

FYI - I raced a 95 max with hybrid intake, Y-pipe, and test pipe (no CATS) against my 96 when I had my stock intake (still connected to the resinator), and Warpspeed Y-pipe. We both launched at the same RPM. I pulled off the line by about a foot, and then from their we were head to head the whole way. I know cars are different but all I had was a Y-pipe, he had a hybrid intake, Y-pipe, and test pipe.

Just the other day I got a compliment on the sound of my car. I have a warpspeed aluminized Y-pipe (very light, and straighter than stillen) with a Tesudo muffler. The B pipe is whats going to make your car too loud, and it doesn't offer significant gains. I would get the Y-pipe and aftermarket muffler for now, when you have to get every ounce of power out get the B pipe.

Get the Y-pipe and if your trying to save money you might do what I did. I didn't notice a real difference in the Y-pipe until I did this to the intake. The snorkel that runs from your intake to above your radiator also has a pipe that leads from it to underneath the battery. Underneath the battery is the resinator that keeps the intake queit, this is another source of potential air. I disconnected the small piece of pipe running from the snorkel to the resinator box, then connected a 3inch pipe to this open source on the snorkel and ran this under the car. I added a 3inch curved piece that faces forward under the car. I connected a four inch opening to this to suck in as much moving air as possible. I was hoping that the 4inch opening, connected to the 3ich pipe, connected to the 2.5inch stock piece that hangs down from the snorkel, would create a venturi effect compressing the air, making it move faster, and keeping things cooler. After I did this the intake is a little louder, but the best thing is above 4500 it really pulls where there was lag earlier. The throttle body can suck from either the stock intake snorkel, or the ram air like fabricated pipe that I have installed, since air flows from the least restrictive source it is mostly coming from the fabricated pipe, but even if it does come through the original snorkel it is still cold and dense air. And if I emerse it in water the intake snorkel will take over (think about trying to suck up water through a straw with a whole in it.) This is a great mod, cost about 20.00, much better pull at the high end, still retain the stock pleniums created by the air box (thats why you lose low end when you go aftermarket intake usually) it has two sources of air and will draw from the least restrictive so water is not an issue, the intake is located underneath the car where a ton of air will be flowing while moving, it sounds stock until you hot foot it, and it has kept my intake manifold incredibly cool.

Also a hood scoup is not functional, air will simply pass over it while moving, the best way to get ram air is from underneath the car, or at the front.

Just yesterday I freaked my friends out. My roomate just wrecked his Integra Type R and we drove about 20 miles to see it, we were there about five minutes and headed back. Needless to say my engine was still warm when we got into the car from the autoyard, and it was very warm when we got back to my house as it was mostly city streets the whole way (about 45min.) I asked them if their intake manifolds got hot, (they said red hot) and proceded to pop my hood and place my hand on the intake manifold, they were amazed because the manifold was just a little warm to the touch. It has been much cooler out lately, that with my car getting only cold air is what I attribute to this.
This is the second time I have done the manifold test, the first was a 60 minute cruise around city streets doing some racing. I placed my hand above the manifold to see how hot it was, I couldn't feel any radiant heat so placed my hand on the manifold, it was just warm and I could have kept my hand their for however long.

This is a long message (sorry) but I am going to get the PRCAI when I get an intake, because it will be easier to hook up nitrous to and I expect it will perform better than the setup I have now.

 

FrankenCar.

 

Ok. I went to the Apexi website and they don't have an application on this new filter for a maxima? So how do I get one for a max?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Street Reeper
[B]

Best filter is the new Apexi filter, or Jackson Racing

 

HYBRID ??? IT IS A SHORT RAM INTAKE. The difference between hybrids and true short rams is that short rams pipe length has actually been R&D (researched and developed.)
CAI's midpipes are not R&D to be used alone, and that is evident from dyno's done on hybrids. Go to the web sight suggested and compare the before and after dyno's. The HYBRID (I know it sounds cool to call it a hybrid but is really a short ram) LOSES power until 5,000rpm, then it starts to give performance gains, and thats dynoed with the hood open, imagine what it's like when the hood is closed in a hot engine bay (your engine bay does not even get close to outside temps even if your doing 80)

Hybrid - would entail providing the benefits of two different systems, namely a CAI and a popcharger.

Popcharger has no piping BUT it gets hot air from the engine bay

CAI - has piping BUT gets cool air from outside

So hybrid should be somthing that gets cool air and has little piping, right? I guess wrong, because hybrids as people are calling them have more piping then a popcharger, and get hot air, is this a hybrid of the negative features of both.

 

i have the top portion of a PR CAI installed and i'm thinking of putting the whole thing in because although it doesn't improve high end much if at all, i also have a y-pipe which is made to strengthen your upper end rpm's, in fact u feel it kick from 3k rpm up. So the combination of both worlds may make the car the fastest out of all setups....

 

Ok, people can debate all day about which intake, y-pipe & catback is better. Here's my brief rundown on what I've learned from the different products out there.

Intakes:
For auto's best thing would be a CAI. People agrue about which is better, but if you purchase a CAI, you can switch between the hybrid/frankencar and CAI
I have a 5spd and tried both. The hybrid does help a little more top end, but I love the sound of the CAI. Much deeper gurgle while the hybrid sounds like a your engine is ripping apart... (rat tat tat tat)<-my poor example of the sound it makes.
Also with an auto, low-mid range power is what you'll be using most during daily driving. Regardless, you'll get a 2-3 hp difference at different rpm's...(you really won't notice it)
-Pop charger intakes, will give the worst gains as it is closest to the engine.

Y-pipes:
I being on a low budget at the time brought a stainless budget exhaust. The 2 companies I like are warpspeed and budget. Again this depends on your preferences & more importantly wealth.

Budget= if you wanna go cheap ~$120 less- but use non-mandrel pipes -best bang for the buck
Warpspeed= use mandrel bent pipes = uniform pipe diameter = ~2-5 more hp -permormance and less expensive than similar y-pipes (Stillen & Cattman)
There's also others like Stillen and *Cattman*-which I'd personally prefer over Stillen. These 2 have pretty much identical gains as the Warpspeed. The Stillen flex section has had problems in the past-(haven't kept up on my Stillen current events)...hopefully they have been fixed. The Cattman y-pipe has had good reviews in the past. Both are mandrel bent as well.

Cat-back Exhaust:
Apex'i = quieter than Greddy 2 1/4 inch diameter b-pipe
Greddy = loudest -2 1/2 inch diameter b-pipe = best catback gains (from what I hear) ~2-3hp more
You can always go to an exhaust shop and have them make you a 2 1/2 inch mandrel bent pipe and put any exhaust you want on it.
There is also the Cattman catback. It's new to the market for the 4th gens. Haven't heard anything yet but I'm sure there is alot of good to say about it.
Stillen makes a catback as well... It is loud but not as much as the greddy

One should call/e-mail and ask questions on diameter's...(I ordered the Apex'i and didn't ask about it's diameter (I was assuming it was 2.5inches). When I recieved it I saw that it was 2.25 in. Even though I was dissapointed with the diameter, I am happy with the product and noticed good high end gains.
-2.5inch throughout is optimal for N/A applications. 3 inch is used for super/turbocharger.

If plannig on upgrading intake/exhaust you gotta remember that your exhaust is only as freeflowing as your smallest part, so... save up and mod the entire thing if you are looking for the best gains [intake, y-pipe, free-flow cat, b-pipe+muffler=catback]

In the end it depends how much money are willing to spend and how performance oriented vs. likes/dislikes in sound quality you prefer.

 

the best intake is VI!

 

Thanks for the input. I was actually thinking about doing what you said. I see that the cattman hybrid setup which includes a monster flow filter is just as much as a PR CAI which includes a Monster filter. So I was just going to buy the PR CAI and install it. Then switch it up to hybrid to see which one I like better. But now about the exhaust. Will that .5 inch make that much of a difference? I am willing to get the whole setup from intake to exhaust and if I wanted to I can save to get the top products on the market but at the same time I am willing to take moderate gains with somewhat quiet exhaust rather than get the big gains and have an exhaust thats louder than my 2 12's. But again, will that .5 inch difference between the Greddy and Apexi make that much of a difference? And also, what is yours and everybodies opinion on the blitz catback exhaust system for a Maxima?

 

If you buy a y-pipe that is 2.5 in. in diameter, it would make more sense to get everything else 2.5, than to go smaller and get 2.25. Keeping it uniform would make quite a difference. If you wanna go for the best performance, do that. Also if you're worried about the sound, remeber you can buy a resonated (dampens sound)b-pipe from courtesy nissan or other companies-stillen,greddy, cattman, warpspeed(i think they make one). Just look around and ask them. The tone or loudness of one's exhaust can be controlled by the muffler. Get a quiet muffler and go 2.5 throughout. I have not heard anything about Blitz exhaust...

 

How are you going to tell me don't get the 2.25 exhaust pipe since the rest of my exhaust is 2.5 if you have the same thing. You have the budget y pipe going to the Apexi WS exhaust. Thats the same setup I'm looking for.

 

Well, if I would've known better at the time, I would've done things differently. As I began modding my car more, I also became more **** about it and was always looking for a better way. If you really want the Apex'i, then get the b-pipe from somewhere else and purchase the exhaust from Apex. I met up with some guys up here who custom mandrel bent exhausts and learned alot from them. (FYI- if you have a 97+ 4th gen, the apex catback won't fit properly. I had to bend one of the hangers and an O2 sensor is placed differently, so you'll have to drill a hole and weld an O2 nut to the b-pipe. 95-96 are a perfect fit)

If you have any questions - feel free to PM or email me

 

Ok. So since you have the same exact setup I'm looking for from intake to exhaust, how does your car sound and drive. Is it true what they say about the PR CAI, that it is better for low end and in top end you it is worst than stock exhaust? Is your exhaust loud or does the Apexi really not make it that bad? I really wish I could ride in your car to see and hear for myself. I'm tired of asking so many questions. Let me know though about what I asked.

 

-What I feel would hold an intake back most would be the filter and availability of air. This is why closed hood dyno's should be performed. If the hood is open regardless of underhood temps (which I agree with Honda Tuning, because the whole debate from the RSX community is that with the large open ports found on the front of the RSX, HAI intakes will pull in cool air just like CAI once you start moving, that was not true for the well ventalated RSX, and it definatly would not be true from the all encompassing radiator, and undercar covering that I have seen on the max.) you have given the intake a huge source of air. Since air flows from it's least restrictive source, I'll bet most of it comes from over the hood when HAI are dynoed (but HAI's would be pulling air in from the small cramped space of the engine bay, where hot air is circulating, (put a blanket over your head and breath))
This is the exact reason why I think the CAI starts to cough in the high end. It is encompassed by the fender well (try breathing outside, and try breathing outside with a helmet on)

I personally think that the CAI is the better choice, and dyno's of the HAI's are so that they pull in the same temp air as the CAI, but have a much larger source (the size of the open hood, vs the samll space of the fender well) this is why I think they pull better at higher RPM on the dyno (there is more available air). If your going to dyno a CAI vs a HAI with the hood open, arrange the CAI so that it will have as much available air (so it's outside of the fender well.) I'll bet the HAI would still be a little better since it has no bends, but in the real world the intake temps are going to be different, and colder always means better.

-How does under hood temp change drastically while moving - when fabricating a custom intake I was looking for a place to run it to the front of the car. There is absolutly none unless you disconnect a light, or remove the radiator, the radiator covers everything. Also, when I installed my Y-pipe I noticed that the bottom of the engine bay is pretty much covered by protective plastic, so where is all this air coming from?

-Is the size of the throttle body note worthy. No matter what size or length intake you get it will have to pass through the throttle body. I would think that a porportional pipe would flow the same. IF you turn on an outside water faucet (the faucet represents the throttle body, and the hose represents the intake piping) wouldn't a hose attached to it fill up a bucket of water at the same rate whether it was two feet long, or if you cut it in half? I would think that the bends in the pipe would be more of a concern.

 

Ok. I am now jumping towards the CAI. I feel that everyone is saying either or but I'm seeing a lot of people saying that the CAI is better for autos and thats what I have and they say the sound is incredible. And it is also cheaper than what my other option was which is the Frankencar/Apexi Filter intake. Well my man Chris from Hempstead is getting his y-pipe put in with Jeff this week so I'll see what his car is sounding like and driving like after that install. But now another thing I am seeing is everyone is going to hybrid for the winter. Why? Is it that risky having a cold air intake in case of snow or some other type of weather during winter?

 

It is proposed that under hood temps reach outside temps once the car's moving. With the all encompassing radiator, the under car protective covering, and the filter located at the top of the engine bay where heat will rise, but not escape because of the closed hood, I don't see this happening.

You could try what I am going to do. Port the bottom of the stock air box so that it opens up through the fender. This would give you the same air that the Place Racing CAI draws in, but with the piping of a hybrid/popcharger, namely the best of both worlds.

 

where is the cheapest place for intakes?

 

Spend a little extra and get the stillen. It is a monster. However, it is not a good choice if you want a quiet intake. It makes my car sound as loud as an american V-8. The Stillen is much louder than my remus exhaust. This is very nice exhaust. Very deep sound, not loud, made mostly for german rides like porche and M3s, but makes a good transition to the Maxima.