For a guy that doesnt race or drive fast and rarely see's above 3k rpm's u sure gotta lot of $h*t in ur car...... or did u get the pipes and exhaust for your car to "look better"

 

I guess that is kind of what I was thinking.....not many people talk about "true" cai. Mostly, you just hear about that Injen thing, and from what I understand, it is simply cosmetic. I would actually rather keep mine stock than that.

 

I hear the lightened flywheels work miracles on auto maximas.

 

I guess the car is more of a hobby for me than anything else. Anytime I have a car (even a daily driver), I can't seem to just leave the damn thing alone!

 

Dave, I know that you have done a lot of research and experimenting with intakes and different intakes setups. Would you say that this CAI setup is the “best” intake? And do you feel that using either a Stillen or JWT popcharger intake (which as you know keeps that resonator intact) is better than hybrid setup like the Frankencar? Hybrid intakes supposedly give good mid-range power without the low end lag of a pop charger or the high end loss of a CAI. But I don’t really believe that is all true, I think you still might lose some low end with a hybrid because you remove that resonator. A pop charger which does not remove that resonator is known to cause a low end lag (esp. with autos), which does not make sense because that resonator is still on there, or maybe the lag is caused solely by the hot air that it sucks in. It just does not make sense to me why a hybrid which sucks in hot air AND removes the resonator would not have a low end lag, but a popcharger which sucks in hot air but keeps the resonator would. Honestly with all the myth’s/talk about intakes it almost seems like you are just better off with the stock one. BTW I remember a while back you had a big thread about you experiments with intakes, hacking the stock air box and such, do you have a link to it?

For those wondering what the resonator looks like you can see some good pics of it in the link below, it is the peace between the MAF sensor and the accordion intake tube that attaches to the TB.

http://www.greghome.com/Greg's%20Garage/1999%20Nissan%20Maxima%20SE/Stillen%20High-Flow.htm

 

Well, I did it. I put back on the stock resonator, but still have the PR tube and K&N filter on. Immediately, I noticed some lowend power back. I'm not going to BS you guys, and say my lowend is unbelieveable now just by putting back on the stock resonator, most of you guys know better. However, it's much better than before with just the whole PR CAI. Don't know if the car is faster or not, but it definitely runs smoother in the lowend now. This is just my butt dyno, so I got nothing to back it up. I'm satisfy with it so far.

 

I have only been a member of this website for a month and knew absolutely nothing about mods when I joined, and now can proudly say I have graduated to knowing next to nothing! That being said I have recently bought a K&N panel air filter and a Budget Y-pipe and quite like the performance the combo gives me. I don't want a CAI as I don't want an increase in noise levels. I am more than satisfied with what I have now as there is no change in sound at idle or at cruising, just when I put my foot in it. I was considering putting exhaust wrap on the flex section of the Y-pipe but Budget has advised me not to because of problems they have had to contend with as a result of water retention doing damage to the flex section. So I won't be doing that. I was considering it to protect the flex section and dampen the sound.

What benefits would a hacked air box give me? I have read that there is definitely more noise which is what I don't want. Does it put more air through the panel filter? If so, is there a way to open it up without generating a lot of incremental noise. I don't want it to keep me awake when I'm driving, lol!

 

I feel the same way dude. I have no idea what I want as far as intakes go, but I think I'm gonna hack my stock airbox and leave it at that.

 

I know exactly what you're talking about. That resonator does seem to serve a purpose other than to reduce induction noise and look ugly under the hood. I've switched between the mid pipe and resonator on my CAI about 6 times now. Everything feels so much smoother with the resonator in place. With the midpipe, when I push the clutch for an upshift/downshift I can feel a grainy vibration (nothing huge) thru the clutch pedal and shifter. With the resonator on, nearly all of this vibration disappears. I can't explain it. Acceleration from 1500rpm to 4500rpms feels more linear, low rpm shifting is smoother, and basic stop light get up and go improves. I really don't see much downside to the resonator other than it quiets the intake a little and slightly reduces the snappiness of initial WOT from a roll. After 5000rpms, I can't tell a difference between the resonator and midpipe. I have a hard time believing the resonator is very restrictive because it's a straight thru design plus famous intake companies like AEM (V2 series intake) and Mackin Industries (ARC "Super Induction) are now incorporating Helmholtz resonators into their systems to improve low to mid range power.

Here's an article explaining the basic principles of the Helmholtz resonator:

http://pdmec4.mecc.unipd.it/~cos/DIN...suonatore.html

 

Yes, I have done way too much experimentation with intakes and yes, the CAI is by far the best for me. Driveability is greatly improved especially in hotter weather. Gone is that boggy sensation like your motor is choking when it's 80+ degrees out and you just left from a stop light. The CAI pulls in ambient air at all times and the hybrid/POP is stuck breathing in underhood air which at times is very hot. Not until you're at a cruise do the underhood temps drop to within 15-20 degrees of ambient.

With the resonator in place, the car will drive a little better.

I have no idea where or who perpetuated this myth that the hybrid doesn't suffer from poor low rpm driveability. The truth is it does suffer. Believe me, I ran hybrid for nearly two years. The midpipe will increase induction noise and vibration dramatically therefore you definitely get the sensation of going faster. Some people do like the sound though and at the track, you don't really have to deal with the low rpm driveability issues assuming you have a 5 speed. I don't have an automatic so I don't know how it would drive with the hybrid. I assume the hybrid can cause an initial bog right when you roll into the throttle.

I agree. The stock intake really isn't that bad at all. The hacked airbox is pretty sweet because it's cheap and does offer slightly better drivablility than the POP/hybrid. I have no idea why, but I think it's related to the large air chamber directly above the panel filter. As for the link, I'd dig it up for you, but even us donating members can't use search at the moment. I get some sort of error message saying the database can't support the inquiry.

 

I honestly think that the hybrid intake setup is the worst of the intake designs (well maybe that and the Injen), but there are many people out there who are satisfied with their hybrid setups (along with Injens as well) so good for them. IMO if you must have an intake (they do sound great, and look cool in your engine bay) than a CAI with the stock resonator is probably the way to go, but if you don’t want to cut a hole in your fender for the CAI, just stick with a simple (and cheap) popcharger.

 

When I first read the subject of this post, I was like, "silly question" but now I see that there are in fact a few good answers to it. Reducing bog and maxing intake efficiency, and probably most important of all and the one that made me rethink my stance was- the light wheels and tires. Just to try to illustrate-

If you currently have 17 lbs 16" wheels and 28 lb tires (a bit of a heavy example but hey) and go to 15" 12 lbs wheels and 22 lb tires you are saving (guesstimate here) around say...400-460 lbs to the car's performance. Like removing two rather heavy passengers and we have all probably noticed the difference there. (Or like not having 4 hot chicks in the car- also very noticable difference; haha)

I personally am looking forward to getting lighter tires to go with my light rims (prozes T1-Ss), in effect dropping abouy 128 pounds in my HP/weight ratio. That will be a good day!

 

we could all run on the treadmill more often too, that would make our cars lighter!!!

 

Keep in mind the weight reduction effects of lighter rims are felt most in 1st gear, some of 2nd, and nothing in the upper gears. Also, you cannot factor in the rear rims into the equation because the engine is only having to tow the rear rim/tires. There are some gains to running light rear rim/tires too, but the effects aren't near as much as light rims/tires attached to the drivetrain.

 

Speaking of weight, I got to weigh my car one of these days. How much do you guys think a fully loaded 1996 SE weighs? That is without anything being remove. Only thing I don't have are heated seats, got every other options. I'm running on the stock sawblades. 3200-3300 lbs? Mind you, I have an automatic, so it's going to be heavier.

 

Doesn't it indicate the curb weight on your registration? I suspect your car is around 3,200 lbs. and a 5-speed is about 100 lbs. less.

 

My DMV says my car weighs in at 3005lbs and NADA.com supports basically the same thing (~2990lbs). I weighed my car on an insured CAT truckers scale and the slip indicated a 3240lb weight. That was with me (190lbs), 35lbs of subframe connectors strapped to the bottom, 1/2 tank of gas, tools (20lbs), work related gear (15lbs), spare and jack (25lbs). My car is a 5 speed, power seat, BOSE, and moonroof. My race weight is probably around 2920-2940lbs without me in the car. I'd imagine and automatic will weigh ~-30-40lbs more because of the additonal fluid needed to operate the auto.

 

Is the JET ECU reprogramming any good?

 

nooooooooooooooooo

 

I took a look at label near the front driver door to see if I can find out the weight of the car. Here is what it says:


GVWR 4273 LBS.

GAWR FR. 2352 LBS. RR. 1953 LBS.


So what does this mean? My car can't weigh over 4k LBS. can it?

 

I just recently hacked my box. I used a cut-out tool on my drill and just made a 2.5" hole in the driver side of the lower airbox. Sound is not much louder, but is slighlty more aggressive and growly, ONLY when really on the gas. Under normal driving conditions, it sounds stock.
Also, I cut the round hole to try connecting a section of shop vac hose and running it up behind the headlight. I did try this, but it added virtually no additional sound over stock.
Throttle response is at least as good as stock, maybe slightly better, and it does sound nice now. Not loud, but more aggressive. I like it.

 

Interesting point, thanks for pointing that out.

Although... as I write this it strikes me as a bit debatable, since the rear rims/tires still need to accelerate just as much as the front and will have equal amounts of inertia... Acceleration via drivetrain or via tow should be similar difficulty unless there is some other factor that I am not aware of...?