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Old Oct 3, 2001 | 02:59 PM
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Air filter question

Finally i have made decision to buy ractive and found one dealer who sells ractive for $20 and ractive heat shield for $30.

I am attaching pics here.

The question is which one of them is the best and suitable for maxima????
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 03:01 PM
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Re: Air filter question

Here is picture of heat shilded ractive filter

I will appreciate for your advices which one of them is better?

Thanks!
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 04:32 PM
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I would get whatever color best matched my accent colors, and as for the heat shield - I don't know if I'd get one. The air is still comming from inside the engine compartment so it wouldn't help with that. I don't know if it produces a venturi effect or not and even if it did I would prob. save the extra money and get a FSTB if I didn't all ready have one. Hope this helps
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 05:01 PM
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These seem cool for the $$. I don't no how long they last and if they will provide the cleanest air for your car? Try it and see if you like it, if not, scrap it and buy something (again) that you know will work!!
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 06:53 PM
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I already have FSTB But what i am trying to learn if heat shielded filter will have any advantages to non heat shielded filter? I do not care about looks or colors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who is pretty good with those stuff can give me a real expert advice? maybe daniel martin?
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 07:25 PM
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Originally posted by cooler2000
I already have FSTB But what i am trying to learn if heat shielded filter will have any advantages to non heat shielded filter? I do not care about looks or colors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who is pretty good with those stuff can give me a real expert advice? maybe daniel martin?
I have scant knowledge of these products, so am not able to advise you on this question. My own Maxima has no engine mods. I am happy with the power made by the stock VQ30DE engine.
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 07:30 PM
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Originally posted by Daniel B. Martin
I have scant knowledge of these products, so am not able to advise you on this question. My own Maxima has no engine mods. I am happy with the power made by the stock VQ30DE engine.
Daniel main reason i am looking for this stuff is to improve my car milleage, cuz right now i am getting 11.5 miles per gallon, which is very bad milleage 100% city driving in NYC. When I get highway, then milleage improves and climbs into 25-27 miles per gallon. i cannot figure out why in city driving its 11.5 gallons not 21 gallons like other members report their city milleage.

I checked my car whole gas line, no leaks, nobody steals my gas since its parked in garage and so on.
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 07:36 PM
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Originally posted by cooler2000
I already have FSTB But what i am trying to learn if heat shielded filter will have any advantages to non heat shielded filter? I do not care about looks or colors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who is pretty good with those stuff can give me a real expert advice? maybe daniel martin?
If you want cool air go CAI. Other than that you can go just regular pop, for increased gas milage and power/noise.
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 07:38 PM
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Originally posted by yourmove
If you want cool air go CAI. Other than that you can go just regular pop, for increased gas milage and power/noise.
i want increased milleage so which one of those filters is good?
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 07:49 PM
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Originally posted by cooler2000
i want increased milleage so which one of those filters is good?
Go pop, you do not get cool air but you get milage/noise/pwr. You go CAI you get all that (Perhaps a bit more) and a 3" hole in your fender wall! I have pop and like it, however I wouldn't mind CAI!
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 09:18 PM
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Originally posted by yourmove
Go pop, you do not get cool air but you get milage/noise/pwr. You go CAI you get all that (Perhaps a bit more) and a 3" hole in your fender wall! I have pop and like it, however I wouldn't mind CAI!
jeez, nobody so far have not answered my question!

I have an adapter, but need to get a filter, and i understand it will be "pop"

so by looking at those 2 pictures which one of them is good one for pop setup?????

Thanks!
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 09:32 PM
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Originally posted by cooler2000


jeez, nobody so far have not answered my question!

I have an adapter, but need to get a filter, and i understand it will be "pop"

so by looking at those 2 pictures which one of them is good one for pop setup?????

Thanks!

flip a coin.

probably the one without the heatshield because there's more filtering area and the heatshield doesn't do much good anyway. the last time i checked, the position of a regular pop charger was already secluded from the main heat source. it's between the battery and the fenderwall. the heat shield isn't helping much anyway because the air in the engine bay is still hot. my $.02
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 09:46 PM
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All rite, I will get ractive without heat shield, just pay $19.95 plus $4.45 for s/h, and have already adapter which costed me $20 with s/h. So basically comparing to custommaxima.com pop charger $115 i am getting a good deal where i will pay for whole setup $25+$20=$45 bucks.

Anyone who wants info on how to obtain this setup instead of paying rudiculous $115 to custommaxima for same setup let me know.
Old Oct 3, 2001 | 09:51 PM
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I got the Heat Shield. I love it, both power and sound. Plus it gets the job done for for a decent price. Try it out and let me know how you think. My mother really likes driving my car, and she has made a couple of remarks about the way it sounds. It even caught the eye of my father who use to race cars. Just my 2

K
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 04:48 AM
  #15  
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Originally posted by cooler2000


Daniel main reason i am looking for this stuff is to improve my car milleage, cuz right now i am getting 11.5 miles per gallon, which is very bad milleage 100% city driving in NYC. When I get highway, then milleage improves and climbs into 25-27 miles per gallon. i cannot figure out why in city driving its 11.5 gallons not 21 gallons like other members report their city milleage.

I checked my car whole gas line, no leaks, nobody steals my gas since its parked in garage and so on.
If you stock air cleaner filter is clogged, replace it with another stock filter. A fancy filter will not improve your fuel efficiency at all. Not one bit.

Your relatively good mileage on the highway indicates there is no fundamental problem with your engine. If you had bad fuel injectors or bad Oxygen Sensors or a clogged catalytic converter these problems would affect highway mileage too.

Please consider these possibilities ...
- Your city travel has even more stop-and-go than others. Therefore your MPG is not directly comparable to theirs.
- Some members report 21 MPG. Some report less. Some just don't know and don't care what their MPG is.

Don't spend money on a fancy air cleaner, thinking it will fix your fuel consumption problem. That would be like getting a haircut in hopes it would get rid of a toothache.
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 06:18 AM
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Originally posted by Daniel B. Martin
If you stock air cleaner filter is clogged, replace it with another stock filter. A fancy filter will not improve your fuel efficiency at all. Not one bit.

Your relatively good mileage on the highway indicates there is no fundamental problem with your engine. If you had bad fuel injectors or bad Oxygen Sensors or a clogged catalytic converter these problems would affect highway mileage too.

Please consider these possibilities ...
- Your city travel has even more stop-and-go than others. Therefore your MPG is not directly comparable to theirs.
- Some members report 21 MPG. Some report less. Some just don't know and don't care what their MPG is.

Don't spend money on a fancy air cleaner, thinking it will fix your fuel consumption problem. That would be like getting a haircut in hopes it would get rid of a toothache.
Daniel, I have replaced stock air filter about 5,000 miles ago and was informed by dealer that it must be changed every 20,000 miles??? If you never been in NYC, its very intense stop-go where drivers have to stop every 2-3 blocks for red light then go. Also I always try my best to keep my trunk empty in order to improve my milleage but no matter what i always get 11.5 miles per gallon, but my friend on his older 1995 nissan maxima gets a little bit better of 14.5-15.00 miles in city, we live in same building and drive same city, but he is much more agressive driver then me. He always speeds up from start and suddenly stops, while i drive very carefully such as taking easy to start up and easily brake still different milleage. my car is maxima gle 1997. maybe 1995 is much lighter then 1997?
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 06:22 AM
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Originally posted by cooler2000


Daniel, I have replaced stock air filter about 5,000 miles ago and was informed by dealer that it must be changed every 20,000 miles??? If you never been in NYC, its very intense stop-go where drivers have to stop every 2-3 blocks for red light then go. Also I always try my best to keep my trunk empty in order to improve my milleage but no matter what i always get 11.5 miles per gallon, but my friend on his older 1995 nissan maxima gets a little bit better of 14.5-15.00 miles in city, we live in same building and drive same city, but he is much more agressive driver then me. He always speeds up from start and suddenly stops, while i drive very carefully such as taking easy to start up and easily brake still different milleage. my car is maxima gle 1997. maybe 1995 is much lighter then 1997?
Replace air filters when they are dirty.
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 06:28 AM
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what really helped me to improve my gas mileage is replacing the fuel filter, when I got the car I would get about 15mpg city and 21 highway (if I'm good), but after changing the filter I'm getting around what everybody else is doing, 21-26(27)

good luck
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 06:29 AM
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Originally posted by medicsonic


Replace air filters when they are dirty.
Last time when i replaced filter it was a little bit dirty like one small streak line there and it had 37k miles on it.
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 06:33 AM
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Originally posted by Vinipux
what really helped me to improve my gas mileage is replacing the fuel filter, when I got the car I would get about 15mpg city and 21 highway (if I'm good), but after changing the filter I'm getting around what everybody else is doing, 21-26(27)

good luck
did that too, i always replace fuel filter every time i change engine oil in my car. still i am getting 11.5 miles in city! its like full tank for 160 miles then again fill up for another 160 miles and so on. Every time i fill up its for 14 gallons. so if you do math its 11.4 miles
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 06:48 AM
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Originally posted by cooler2000


did that too, i always replace fuel filter every time i change engine oil in my car. still i am getting 11.5 miles in city! its like full tank for 160 miles then again fill up for another 160 miles and so on. Every time i fill up its for 14 gallons. so if you do math its 11.4 miles
you replace your FUEL FILTER EVERY OIL CHANGE? dude, you definatly don't need to do that every oil change, this is one of those 20-30k jobs, besides the fact that its a pain in the *** to replace, are we talking about the same filter? the one that's right near the firewall?
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 06:58 AM
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Originally posted by cooler2000
Daniel, I have replaced stock air filter about 5,000 miles ago and was informed by dealer that it must be changed every 20,000 miles??? ...
MedicSonic said Replace air filters when they are dirty. This is good advice. Inspecting the air filter and replacing it takes only minutes. This may be done at curbside by you, without special tools. Instruction are given in Chapter 8 of your Owner's Manual. Doing this kind of easy maintenance will save you money, compared to what the dealer charges.

... If you never been in NYC, its very intense stop-go where drivers have to stop every 2-3 blocks for red light then go. ...
This is what kills your mileage. I know NYC traffic and road conditions only too well. Driving in NYC is brutal on the tires, the car, and even on the driver.

... maybe 1995 is much lighter then 1997?
The '95 is lighter by only a few pounds, not enough to make much difference in fuel economy.
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 07:03 AM
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Originally posted by Vinipux


you replace your FUEL FILTER EVERY OIL CHANGE? dude, you definatly don't need to do that every oil change, this is one of those 20-30k jobs, besides the fact that its a pain in the *** to replace, are we talking about the same filter? the one that's right near the firewall?
If its free why not change fuel filter? It is already included in price of oil change, and i always put syntetic oil and change every 6k miles and my mechanic always gives me free gift of oil filter, so total price for syntetic oil + labor is $65 bucks for whole job. He already checked throughly whole car for me to determine why so bad milleage, and told me its acting like brand new, nothing wrong. Oh well i have to accept it and live with it!
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 07:05 AM
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Originally posted by cooler2000


If its free why not change fuel filter? It is already included in price of oil change, and i always put syntetic oil and change every 6k miles and my mechanic always gives me free gift of oil filter, so total price for syntetic oil + labor is $65 bucks for whole job. He already checked throughly whole car for me to determine why so bad milleage, and told me its acting like brand new, nothing wrong. Oh well i have to accept it and live with it!
Do you mean the oil filter or the fuel filter?
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 07:09 AM
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Originally posted by medicsonic


Do you mean the oil filter or the fuel filter?
Bingo! I always changed oil filter but did not think about fuel filter! OK soon in 1k miles there will be oil change again for me so i will replace fuel filter too. Just curious how much fuel filter costs and does it matter if i get a generic fuel filter sold by any car stores? Hope fuel filter will improve my milleage, right now its 43k miles and I drive like 450-500 miles per month.
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 07:10 AM
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Originally posted by cooler2000


did that too, i always replace fuel filter every time i change engine oil in my car. still i am getting 11.5 miles in city! its like full tank for 160 miles then again fill up for another 160 miles and so on. Every time i fill up its for 14 gallons. so if you do math its 11.4 miles
Perhaps your Maxima has "tired" Oxygen Sensors.

There are test instruments made specifically for testing Oxygen Sensors. In addition, any technician with an automotive oscilloscope can test your sensors.

There are two degrees of failure.

1) The Oxygen Sensor is "dead".
The signal from the Oxygen Sensor is outside the normal range, or completely absent. The Engine Control Module (the computer) turns on the Malfunction Indicator Light and stores one or more Diagnostic Trouble Codes. This failure mode is obvious because of the dashboard warning light.

A dead Oxygen Sensor is a severe failure and should be repaired promptly.

2) The Oxygen Sensor is "tired".
The Oxygen Sensor still works but it responds slowly to changes in the oxygen concentration in the exhaust stream. There is no MIL or DTC. This failure mode is less obvious. The symptoms are increased fuel consumption, decreased engine power, and a feeling of sluggishness. The throttle response is not crisp, like it was when the car was new. An Oxygen Sensor may become tired due to high mileage or being "poisoned" by exposure to various substances including leaded fuels, anti-freeze, anti-seize, RTV sealants, and the residue of burned engine oil. A "tired" Oxygen Sensor is still doing its job, but not performing well.

A tired Oxygen Sensor is not a severe failure and the car may be operated safely.


You may have your Oxygen Sensor(s) tested. There are electronic testers made for this specific purpose. In addition, a technician with an automotive oscilloscope can test Oxygen Sensors. The signal from a healthy sensor varies from a low threshold (around 0.2 volts) to a high threshold (around 0.8 volts), and it sweeps back and forth between those extremes about 10 times per second. If the scope trace shows the Oxygen Sensor signal failing to reach either extreme, or oscillating between them at a frequency slower than 10 cycles per second, that is evidence of a "tired" sensor.

I've read that a bad Oxygen Sensor can sometimes be rejuvenated by removing it, clamping it in a vise, and heating the sensing tip red hot with a propane torch. This is said to burn off a crust of deposits which interfere with its operation. I've never tried this torch trick myself, so cannot vouch for it's effectiveness. If you have a sensor which is already dead, you have little to lose.

For more information about Oxygen Sensors see:

http://www.volksparts.com/o2sensors.htm
http://members.aol.com/carleyware/library/o2sensor.htm
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 07:15 AM
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Normal operating temperature

Originally posted by cooler2000


did that too, i always replace fuel filter every time i change engine oil in my car. still i am getting 11.5 miles in city! its like full tank for 160 miles then again fill up for another 160 miles and so on. Every time i fill up its for 14 gallons. so if you do math its 11.4 miles
Are you confident that your engine reaches normal operating temperature? If the engine never gets properly "hot" the Engine Control Module will not go into Closed Loop Mode. That means it ignores the accurate signals from the Oxygen Sensors and uses a computer-stored approximation instead. This will diminish engine power and increase fuel consumption. A stuck-open thermostat is the cause of an engine which never fully warms up.
Old Oct 4, 2001 | 07:24 AM
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I do not think so that i have tired oxygen sensors, car always smooth and responsive, not slow. also it has only 43k miles. as i heard oxygen sensors tend to fail when car is around 60-80k miles. but i will check it when i will change oil in 1k miles since mechanic is a friend of my family and he always does all work for me.
Old Oct 5, 2001 | 09:25 AM
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heat shield

I have the heat shield filter, but i got it for free so i didnt complain. I have also raised the question of will this be better than a regular intake filter because the filter surface area is smaller. It sounds good and I did feel an increase in torque and maybe a little more hp.
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