JSMax

iTrader: (13)

So if you could do your motor mods again would you go about it the same way? If not what would you do differently?
Ok... here's my first post in the all motor section.

Some background... I have had my 1997 for about 8 years now and I am at a point where I am happy with the cosmetics and handling. This car is my daily and we have another car that I can use if I hit a snag and have an issue with an installation. I have done some mild bolt on stuff and just recently installed a y-pipe. Now.... I want more.

So... udp installed. Stillen intake.... installed. Y-pipe installed. Grounding Kit is on the way and should be here by the end of the month. Fart can muffler... don't like it but it's there to balance out the sound from the intake.

The question I have is what else can I do from here to increase hp? Intake spacer kit? Sure 10-12 hp right? safc? I don't really know if that's going to help my na project. What about widebands? Any usefulness for me? 00VI makes more power up top than a MEVI right? MEvi is easier to install though...
I have been doing a lot of reading on some of these power adders and I feel like my head is spinning in circles.

I have a budget of about $300 for parts (for now). So from you guys that have gone this route would you go about it the same way or would you have done something different?

Lets hear your thoughts...

MOHFpro90

iTrader: (11)

$300 wont score you an 00VI unless you do the basics(UIM, TB, IACV, modify LIM and rear valve cover).

Go 00VI before MEVI though. Much better.

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

I should have put in there that I am not at all concerned with storing parts in my garage for a while before installing them or waiting for a little while to free up more funds for the oovi.

maxine'sMan

iTrader: (6)

I have an 00VI that I can sell you for $300 + shipping.. But I am in Canada so it shoudln't be so bad.

KRRZ350

iTrader: (29)

Put that $300 towards an 00vi hands down that's what will get you the most for the $$ that you have.

And FYI, please try not to make generic thread titles, or at least start the first sentence with more info like "what should my next step be", it's nice when I can hover over the title and not see "this is my first all motor post and I have a '97 maxima", even better when I can gauge the thread from the title alone.

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

I should know better.... Thanks for the gentle reminder krrz350.
I will edit my post right now.
Maxine'sman:
Check you pm.
And is that oovi complete?

ajcool2

iTrader: (43)

I wouldnt do anything differently. All of my mods have been worth it so far.

+1 on the 00VI

liqidvenom

iTrader: (6)

I would have done cams but everything else i am happy with.

I would do what you can to get the car tuned once you get your mods underway. I drove my car for the first time today with advanced timing and it felt like a different vehicle.

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

SO should I look at OOVI first or VafcII first? I am rather confused at this point.

allensteiner21

iTrader: (6)

unless you want to drill a hole in the inside fender sell the stillen intake, get the cheap ebay style and i can tell you what you'll need to do to make it worth anything (sawing included) - unless it doesn't matter after the 00vi install. the udp, from what i've read, isn't worth anything hp wise. simple thing to do is put a breather on the front vc - lowers intake temp and doesn't put oily fumes in your tb and intake - and put a 470k ohm resistor in place of the ks (some will argue that as dangerous but mine has been working fine for the past few months) for a cheap timing advance.

nismology

iTrader: (8)

Moved.

mastere954

iTrader: (17)

I personally would have saved the money I have dumped in mods and went boost (turbo) from the very beginning. Don't get me wrong I DONT feel like I have WASTED my money in all my mods. I just feel that the car should be faster than what it is according to the money spent. So my advice don't do anything untill you have put together the options you are most interested in and research every option till you are fully savvy on the mod.

Ceasars Chariot

iTrader: (16)

300 big ones aye ? man thats a tough one. save up some more cash for an ecu upgrade. or take out a loan and get some tiny 16 inch lightweight rims.

if it were me, i would upgrade ecu, grab some lightweight rims and call it a day, its a daily driver right ? these parts will not change any of the reliability of the cars daily driving routines.

but again, your 300 dollar budget is the biggest hurdle i can see.

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

Allenstiener21... ebay style intake is typically made of aluminun and that piping will take on heat and increase the temp that the air going into the throttle body. Also, my stillen intake is way easier to clean than your ebay style. I do realize that my stillen is taking on warm (or hot) engine air at all times... But I really didn't start this thread to bash one style of intake and say this one is better cause and blah blah blah. For the record... the upd frees up 2.34 hp/lb removed from the crank on average. I forget what the weight difference between stock and unorthodox is but in my opinion it was totally worth it.

mastere954... thanks for your suggestion but in my case, boost is something that is out of my league... both for the money spent and the downtime that would come with owning a car that is not boosted from the factory. Besides I have a turbo car (mazdaspeed) and it's good at what it is. I am really trying to get into motor mods and make my car preform better. I view this as the next step in the evolution of my maxima.

Ceasers Chariot... I realize the 300 isn't a lot of cash to spend on preformance parts, but this is what I have to deal with right now. You have completed the 00vi... I saw your thread... would you do it again?
my rims are fairly light 18" and 19.75 lbs. they work good enough for me right now. When you speak of upgraded ecu, you mean to send it into jim wolfe for some advance tuning? I am wondering if by doing that they can tune for future mods? eg oovi? Start with the upgrade on the ecu and then go onto oovi? see there are so many options to choose from I am feeling a little lost.

thanks for the suggestions so far... keep them coming.

allensteiner21

iTrader: (6)

h8r... it's just a suggestion because selling it would free up at least $100 to add to your budget. i don't drive in stop and go traffic a lot and on the freeway my intake stays at close to the ambient air temp - i know because i hooked my laptop up to make sure it wasn't a complete waste of money.
selling the udp would give you some extra ca$h too - i just quoted from numerous threads about it not being worth the money.

just trying to "make" you some money, homes, to get you closer to that 00vi

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

I see your point. Thanks bro. I will keep my mods so far and if I have to wait a little while longer (till spring) for that oovi so be it. If that's the way i finally decided to go. I think my problem is that I am unsure as to what is the best way to go... Also winter is coming and I don't wanna have to freeze my butt off trying to install stuff. lol

JonBlz

iTrader: (11)

save up money and buy a supercharger bro theres always someone selling there kit

allensteiner21

iTrader: (6)

i feel you there, my water pump will wait till spring do you know if you want to stay na or go with boost though? i can give you a diy alternative to stillen's expensive sc...

mastere954

iTrader: (17)

gotcha. then I Agee with ceasars chariot. An ecu upgrade and some lighter wheels
Those two things I did and I can tell you they are worth every penny. I didn't read about you changing your catalytic converter. You can also get a high flow cat or even a test pipe. OOvi is another great option not too expensive either.

MOHFpro90

iTrader: (11)

JS, if you want to actually get into the motor, you can find a set of stock 3.5 cams. If you do do that route, then throw in some HR springs and double shim it while you're in there. Once you do that you open up the opportunity for an EU and the fun that comes with that. Your $300 wont go far with all of this, but it might get your cams installed and would definitely buy your cams, springs and shims.

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

SO should I look for an ecu that is user tunable (greddy e-manage?) of just get something that is done? like technosquare?
Does greddy e-manage even count as an ecu? I don't know. What about vafcII? So many decisions....

talisman311

Go with what Caesars Chariot says, he's doing something right. 190 crank HP stock and now running mid 13s in the 1/4 speaks for itself.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

tuning is important but a wideband alone is not going to give you a gain. You need a safc as well. OR you could skip the wideband and get it dyno tuned. The cool thing about a tuning device is that you can tweak it anytime you make a change.
I have spent alot of money over the years and read alot on the org and ultimately I've learned that the best way to find out whats important to you is to just try it. I realize money is an issue (i'm on a strict budget myself) but some people on here will exaggerate the gains of something ridiculous and others will be more realistic.
I dont mean to discourage but I want to be one of the guys who tells you not to spend your money on little things with expectations of it pumping out more horsepower. Proven items- the 00vi, the y pipe, those are worthwhile. Lightweight-anything rotational is just physics.
Okay now I'm rambling so to answer one of your questions, here are things I would NOT waste money on if I could do it over again.
1. paying 150 for a PR CAI. given its a good brand. Intakes are frickin TUBING with a FILTER...I could have had a 30 dollar one off ebay and never known the difference.
2. My greddy exhaust. Fitment is **** and really had no gains, just a noise maker. It sounds good when its not leaking but that's still 500+ bucks I'd gladly take back and just make an exhaust later in life.
Thats all I can think of...really all the mods and mistakes I've made have led me where I am today so I cant say I "regret" any of it.
The 00vi was cool but I really didnt like how it sat on the manifold, it just seemed like a hackjob to make it fit without going all-out and getting the DE-k LIM etc.

Maximus_95

iTrader: (8)

you can get an SAFC and a wideband to help you tune it, but honestly, you wont get too much hp out of it and talk about how expensive it will be. Probably more than 300.
if i was you, i would save that 300 and save a little more until you can afford an 00vi. That'll be worth it.

MaximaSpd85

iTrader: (14)

i would go some sort of VI before tuning or ECU. I just feel it would be more enjoyable without tuning than tuning would be without a VI. Plus, to take advantage of the VI you're gonna want to extend the rev limiter, and honestly i havent seen an ECU (TS, JWT, etc.) with extended rev for sale in quite some time. So an EU may be easier to get a hold of.

PS: look, i am in no way, shape, or form an a-hole, trust me, im cool. but i really dont get it! had the OPs join date been january 2008, this thread would have been locked a long time ago or the OP would have been flamed straight from the beginning. you guys need to make up your minds.

MOHFpro90

iTrader: (11)

Computer was down for a couple of days, so:

As everyone else has said, the 00vi is smart. Pair it with the 4th gen LIM/injectors and you dont need to tune, but you still get the gains. Flat out best gains for your money. Hell, you could get the UIM and TB for less than $300 and just modify your rear valve cover and LIM.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Damn......so many MEVI haters..... Take note that quite a few of the top dogs around here have MEVI's as well as 00VI's.......

With the price of MEVI's dropping to the $225 mark, and the ease of installation (no downtime for your DD), I'd seriously reconsider it before jumping on the 00VI bandwagon. Coupled with a JWT ECU, which JWT has lots of experience programming, and an extended rev limiter, I think you'll be a happy man. Expect to pay JWT in the ballpark of $700 though. Tried and true, good results, and no tuning or extra gizmos on your part.

UDP is not a very good bang for the buck mod, and has ill side effects. It should be the last thing you do when you're struggling to get every hp you can get.

19.75 isn't bad for 18's, but you can do a lot better. Lightweight 17" rims can weigh as little as 13.5ish lbs. Of course, this is way more than $300, but you could maybe sell your 18's with tires and start over and possibly break even in the end. Probably not likely if you really love your rims, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

I'm all ears allen.

EDIT: Is this the alternative you speak of??
http://forums.maxima.org/supercharge...ternative.html

I think you're getting confused. Greddy Emanage Utlimate or Blue is a piggyback and works with your existing ECU. There is no "looking for an ECU that is user tuneable" Now, JWT will take your ECU and reprogram it if that's what you're referring to.

Agreed. I never see JWT ECU's for sale lately either. EU is easy to get a hold of, but that opens up a big can of worms. Lots of $$, time, headaches, tuning,and knowledge is involved. But then again, I'm anti-JWT since they take way too damn long considering the amount of money they charge, and when you make changes in the future, you're at their mercy again.

You do have a lot to consider JSMax. In the end, you have to ask yourself how far do I want to go? Look at the big picture. Where do you want to be when it's all said and done? The answer to that will greatly affect which mods you choose today.

bigpulve+

iTrader: (11)

IMO the TS ECU is superior to the JWT.............except the rev limit part....

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

The extended rev limit is half the reason to get an upgraded ECU! Take that away, and it's not worth it anymore IMO.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

This could so easily be the perfect default answer to 99% of general "what should I do...?" questions. The forums are about cars...not psychology. Everyone has their own motives and goals and in many cases they are always changing. I know plenty of people who dump crazy money into cars and then sell them and buy something different a year down the road...I dont understand this at all but these are the same people who really dont know wtf they want nor do they think ahead and plan in a practical manner.

Wiz, do you have traction problems with your tires/wheels? I have been fighting the lightweight wheels/tires assembly fight but its a losing battle with the open diff at least. I have rx-7 wheels and I love the width and weight but the tire size selection is horrible. All 17's seem to be 7" wide.

Maximus_95

iTrader: (8)

TS does not make the ecu for the 4th gen maxima anymore....
and wizard, you are right, MEVI is also great, and the top guys that have them are the ones that also have a bunch of other mods that really help it out.
I think for him, for now 00vi would be the best bang for his money...
btw, hows everything doode?

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Yeah, I have somewhat of a traction problem with my wheels/tires. They are 8" wide FWIW.

Really good Peter! Hope your new project is coming along nicely.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

but you run 235's dont you? 8 inch wide wheels are hard to come by in 16 and 17 especially lightweight

MOHFpro90

iTrader: (11)

Check out either the Kazera kz-vs or the Kosei K1-ts. Both come(IIRC) in 17x8 and one of them comes in 17x9.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

oh hell I'm too cheap for this sh*t lolll. I wanted those kosei's awhile back but they are hard to find.

Maximus_95

iTrader: (8)

haha.... as of now... just doing some exterior "Look" mods. I ended up getting an auto this time, so no manual fun... but in the near future, put up a nice 2jzgte along with a tranny that may show up.
Did you end up going to the supra vegas meet?

MOHFpro90

iTrader: (11)

Tirerack actually had 17x9s on clearance, with a 35mm offset. $180 each I think. They weighed like 14lbs!!!!

Doubt they have any more though.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Nope, didn't make it out this year.




JsMax, after all the input that has been given by everyone, have you come to any conclusions?? any definitive plans?

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

the thing with plans is that they are continually changing. Right now... with winter coming I am going to start to stockpile parts so that I have some stuff to install in the spring. I am going to need a clutch replacement this spring so.... I am trying to pick up a fidanza lightened flywheel. Might as well do both at the same time right?

I figure that I will eventually go with the 00vi and I will wait to see if/when nwp does a spacer kit for it. For now that's how things sit. But that's still open to change. lol
So... no definitive plans as of yet.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. some things definately became a little clearer.

Oh... btw if I sold my 18's my Bank (wife) would have me strung up. She got those for me as a present so I am stuck with them. Not that I mind as I do love the color contrast.

fitbikerockin

ok im sorry, i havent been on this site since i got my maxima in january, but what is a MEVI and an OOVI? and do they really make that much of a difference? im not being an a hole im just curious because it seems like everyone has on or the other, and i dont want to be left out haha