CHIGGARMAX

Can't really find the right answer.
Question:
I am running stock intake with automatic but the car feels it has no passing power in 70-80mph at 2.5k rpm. What kind of intake will solve my problem?
Reason:
Couldn't outrun gs300 on the highway

thanks,
chiggarmax
95 gxe auto

kj043

iTrader: (1)

frankencar intakes
These intakes are good all around in my opinion. Gets rid of your stock air box and resonator (behind maf)

or you can just get a popcharger type intake, ie. stillen, jwt. which is good in the high end, but lags a little on the low.

Street Reeper

Check out Honda Tuning for an indepth look at intakes, as far as hybrids (short rams) don't listen to the hype and check them out for yourself. I got the same thing when I asked about intakes. People said CAI gives low end power but sacrifice high end, Popchargers sacrifice low end but give good top end, and hybrids give a better balance of both. I even reccomended them to another maxima owner without researching it for myself first, which caused me to get slammed by another auto enthusiast. Just use common sense and look at my take of HYBRID intakes below.
FYI: Go to the web sight reccomended (for the hybrid) and look at the before and after dynos of the intake. Do overlays and you will see that they LOSE power over the STOCK AIR BOX until 5,000rpm, so if you want more power at lower RPM then I would look else where. The best intake is CAI even though it may not flow as good as a short ram, it produces more hp, like I said look at honda tuning to get through the hype, they do some solid testing.

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?

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

A y-pipe will help you more than an intake in that range.

chigga

iTrader: (2)

nice name CHIGGARMAX, lol but i have 98se auto and i have the frankencar with mid pipe. this is all u need playboy. good low end and when u floor it at high speeds, u get a nice lil punch too. i say u should go wit the frankencar. if u have any ?'s, jus pm me...us automagiks gotta look out for each other....

Street Reeper

Have you looked at the dyno's, or are you just going by sound?

CHIGGARMAX

Thanks chigga,
I'm a lurker, only post when I can't find the answer or I need to verify some info.

I know this subject is very subjective. because when maxima had only pop chargers, everyone was saying it was the best, then cai, homemade hybrid, injen cai, frankencar. Usually the feedbacks are people with 5sp but not from automatic.

Don't I need to upgrade my intake when upgrading ypipe,rt cat, b pipe?

Thanks for all the inputs!!

Chiggarmax
95 auto-lurker

pearl97

I have to agree. I am auto w/ Frankencar intake and it does see to pull harder at the high end. If you drop out of O/D and stomp on it @ highway speed, it seems to want to go, and go. Oh yeah and it sounds bad@ss.

chigga

iTrader: (2)

i gotta try that, whens the best time to take od off??? and yeah it does sound luvly.....

Street Reeper

I'm a 96 auto. I'm not trying to win a popularity contest here, or promote anything, just trying to help others out, because I was mislead when I was in your shoes.
I went through the same thing your going through right now as far as feedback. People usually would reccomend what they have and would say what others said without really thinking about it, or researching it for themselves.

CAI that cuts into the fender, or when the weapon R cold air box comes out for the Max (WHICH IS A TRUE HYBRID SETUP!) would be your best choices, hands down.

My choices in order:
-Hybrid (short ram intakes) get hot air and have MORE piping then popchargers
-Popchargers have no piping but get hot air
-CAI doesn't flow as well but produces more hp
-Cold Air Box (this would be a hybrid intake (mid pipe connected to filter) that was enclosed in a box over the fender, the space between the fender and the box would be removed so that the intake would only be getting outside air.) This would be an intake that had little piping and still got cooler air, a true hybrid.


The Y-pipe will give you about the best hp for your dollar. An intake will capatilize on the faster moving exhaust gases. If your speed oriented and don't have a lot of cash I would get this first. You can play with your stock intake to make it more free flowing while you wait on your aftermarket intake. The stock unit has an extra outlet where a secondary source of air can be fitted, this source is currently connected to a resinator box that keeps your intake quiet. Unhook this and run a 3inch pipe with an opening under your car, the best air flow occurs under your car, and over the roof of your car, hood scoups aren't functional. As far as the main cats, I would leave them, it only adds about 1+ hp, sounds bad, and your car will not pass emissions. The B pipe I would do as a last resort, it doesn't offer very much hp unless your going forced induction.

As far as the overdrive button on one of the other posts talking about highway speeds, all automatics do that to my knowledge, get going about 60 with your over drive off light ON, now push the gas and turn the over drive on (over drive off light OFF) your RPM's will bounce up about 3,000 giving you better pull on the highway. This is a good way to get some extra power if your launching at highway speeds. However, if your going to race at high speeds I would start at 60-65 on the highway.

FYI: for racing
From a light, hold the brake down so your car won't move, in drive or first rev the RPM's up to 1500-1800 (depending on what kind of tires you have) and hold. When the light goes green let off the brake and punch it.
At low speeds the max automagic really launches hard if you down shift into first going 30. Get going thrity in drive, punch it and drop it into first, thats about the best launch for a street start.
The first gear lasts up to 40-45 so if your going over this I wouldn't try it.
Second gear launches good at 55-60. I wouldn't drop it into second going over 60.
If on the highway and going around or above 70 you can try the overdrive button thing I talked about earlier, but the max auto is hard up until about 80-90

If you do any of this use your head and don't put yourself in a situation that is going to endanger you or others, we have enough knuckle heads out there giving us a bad name already. Search for Drop Resistor, it's an easy mod to make auto's shift harder. It makes your car shift much faster and harder, but should only be done if your going to race. It would do damage if you always had it off. There are others that are trying to pioneer a constructive way of doing this, just search.

I hope this helped a little, good luck and great car, 95's had lower emission standards then 97-99, and 2000-2001 where much heavier than the 4th gens. Only the 3.5's (which are just awesome) have posted better numbers stock.

slimer

iTrader: (13)

holy info batman

Street Reeper

Just as it says under my name I am a Maxima Fanatic. I can't get over these cars, and how underrated they are. I tuned eclipse turbo's as my first import exprience about seven years ago. These NA V6 engines were new to me too about two years ago (I used the word 2 in every way in that last sentence) Just trying to sum up what I have learned for those interested in automagic performance, so he can represent and have fun with one of the best V6's in the world, without having to go through the guess work as I did.

slimer

iTrader: (13)

i just went out and tested your tutorial for the flat start and it works much better than what i was doin b4, thanks. i didnt know that my brakes/transmission could handle the 1500-1800 range for the start. i blew up my 3rd gen's transmission, so im bein careful with my new one.

kj043

iTrader: (1)

street reaper

the midpipe from my 'hybrid' intake replaces the resonator and accordian section, which i was led to believe was restrictive.. is it? if so, then how is there more piping with a midpipe as opposed to a popcharger and the stock resonator section? i would think that it would only free up the air flow, so even if it is warmer air than a cai, it is not as bad as having just a popcharger.
im not arguing against cold air intakes at all.. i would get one if i wasnt opposed to having to cut a hole in my fender, but i do think my 'hybrid' does perform better than a popcharger alone because of the freeing up of the restrctive resonator section.. is this flawed in anyway?

Street Reeper

This is a good question. As far as the accordian section and the resinator, I have looked through those and there seems to be no restrictive pieces. The opening on both ends of the thin box (resinator) are not smaller then the openings on the throttle body, and the accordian section I wouldn't think would be restricitve. I also see accordian sections on a lot of proffesionally modified cars from import to domestic, I don't think that this would be restrictive.
As for the thin black box it may act as an intake plenium, in sport compact, and other publications, there biggest obstacle with some cars is that stock air boxes work as a plenium where air is stored (an air/fuel controller was needed to produce more hp in all RPM ranges.) Some aftermarket intakes have lost hp in different RPM ranges because of this effect that is engineered into the original design of the intake. Most intakes will produce more peak hp but this is not ideal.
Peak hp is only measured at a certain RPM. However while racing you will be between 4,000-7,000 rpm after you launch and upshift. This is where you want more hp in all rpm ranges. Just like turbos, if you wanted a fast 0-60 you would want a small turbo that provided instant boost so you could have instant power. This is very different from a very large turbo that has a lot of lag. However the larger turbo would show more peak hp but would get you killed against a smaller turbo from 0-60. This is why consitent gains are more important than peak hp.

Also, popchargers have velocity stacks that smooth out the flow of air, and compress it to a degree; the opening of the velocity stack is much larger than the ending.

All of this aside you can look at their dyno's. They lose hp until 5,000rpm, this could be from the loss of the plenium, or the hot engine air (which is minimal in dyno testing since the hood is up) your engine bay temp will not change dramatically even at speeds. The car has a protective covering under it, and the whole front of the car (even the front grill) is covered by the radiator, and the radiator blows hot. I was looking for a way to run the intake to the front of the car but it is not possible unless you remove a headlight.

The hybrid design is not bad just flawed. As I said in a previous post an ideal set up would be a hybrid intake, with a box covering it and the fender well, and the space between the fender well and the bottom of the box would be removed.(search on the internet for weapon R, go to their home page and look at intakes, the cold air box is the design I want) This would give you nothing but cool air and a straight shot to the throttle body, so as soon as a cold box is designed, you will have the optimal intake. Right now though people are selling parts that are taken from others, it's easier to do this than to engineer somthing of your own. The hybrid intake has no R&D behind the midpipe length, and has no other parts that are designed specifically for that application.

I hope that you can see that I only want to help others, as I had to swim through all the hype. Some of those manufactures are sponsors here so I know this could potentially make me an outsider on a sight I really enjoy. But I want maxima owners to get the facts because I love these cars so much, understand others desires for only putting the best on theirs, and challenge aftermarket producers to make a better product.
Just look at the dyno's, and remeber the RPM's that you need for racing, thats all it took for me.

JPMax

iTrader: (10)

I was thinking.. on the stock intake.. since there is that pipe that goes down into a resonator box.. could you add a pipe to that and direct it to the opening for the driver side fog light?

Take the fog lights out. of course.

Think that would help any?

Street Reeper

I just ran mine right under the car. This is where a ton of air flows and it keeps the pipe straight. See my previous post for details, and it does work.

JPMax

iTrader: (10)

Hmm.. true. I'll add it to my list of future mods.
Does it add a lot more noise since you're not using the resonator box?

Street Reeper

Suprisingly no. If you just disconnect the pipe that leads from the snorkel to the resinator under your battery it will be a little louder above 4,000. But it will be sucking in hot air. With the pipe leading down under the car it gets a sort of ram air benefit, and gets cool air. I highly reccomend this mod, my strongest point in the RPM range is 5-7000, where most people say that the VQ chokes off. My intake manifold is also unusually cold after many runs. This mod cost me 20.00 and hour to cut and install, I highly reccomend it. Hopefully I can get a digital camera and post what exactly I used.