Wanted to make my 99 Calispec SEL (Auto) a little faster, which one is better, Budget or Warpspeed? And after i make my decision is there anything EXTRA i need to buy for the install? High flow cats? Resonator? OEM '02 exhaust? Anything? Any suggestions would be nice even FLAMES....lol

 

according to budget in the spring... they are not making their y-pipe for our cars any more. So by default... Warpspeed wins.
If your going to do the install your self.... o2 socket, pb blaster or liquid wrench, jacks, stands, o-rings, exhaust gasket (by the cat) have a supply of nuts and bolts on hand
swivel and assorted metric sockets

There is a great write up here it just took me a minute to find it.
cheers.

 

Thanks for the reply, i just bought a used Budget Y- pipe on E-bay and then i saw that there were a alot of users that had both. i only paid $ 87 for it. So here iam thinking i was getting a deal but now i have my doubts........

 

87 is a great deal if its stainless. I paid 125+30 in shipping for my stainless used budget y-pipe. sounds like you did really good.

 

Does Warpspeed still have a "bees in the can" sound? (the ones on ebay)

Or have they fixed that?

 

i personally like budget better but they are both good. you will be happy either. If i ever need a new one tho i will probably just go with a cheap ebay one as they work too.

 

I've had my Warpspeed pipe on for about 200 miles now, no "bees". I have oem style Bosal b-pipe and muffler.

Don't know about Budget, but Warpspeed includes (2) o-ring y-pipe to manifold gasket, (1) flat y-pipe to cat gasket, y-pipe hanger, and hardware.

 

After having quality issues with 2 warpspeed y-pipes and no customer service to work with me on their product I will choose Budget if available next time.

 

Dunno **** bout Warpspeed but have had Budget for bout 8 yrs....solid!

 

What was wrong with the quality?


I checked the site, they seem to have a new "cross-flex" section? Anyone tried them yet? (Warpspeed).

Also, is it true Budget no longer sells for maximas? that sucks.

 

Unfortunately a Y pipe does very little to a cali spec 4th gen. It does not remove the pre-cats. All your doing is sheading a few pounds and possibly improving flow slightly by design of the merge in the pipe. You're not going to feel much if anything performance wise. Even our intakes have slightly more restrictions in them, ie. the swish valves. They only operate when the engine is cold, but they still remain in the intake path.

If you really want more power in your cali spec 99, then convert it to a fed spec. You'll need fed spec exhaust manifolds, a fed spec Y pipe, O2 simulators and the fed spec lower intake manifold.

That will give you a very noticable increase in pull from your 99.

 

The first one I got was advertised as having their new flex section. When I received it I discovered the flex section to be poorly cut and frayed at the ends. Then the y-pipe developed the "bees in a can" sound after about 3 weeks after I installed it.

The second one had metal on the inside of one of the o2 bungs from the welding, and also somehow the threads were scored.

warpspeed never responded to any of my messages (email and voice) regarding their pos quality.

 

anyone know the site to warpspeed or budget? i'm new to the maxima world...

 

it's warpspeed performance.com
i just bought warpspeeds new y pipe with the new flex section and no bee sound. i also have the greddy sp2 cat back. big difference in sound and performance with the y pipe.

 

WOW that was the rain on the parade i was looking for to confirm what i have heard about the SEL, that they are in fact the s-l-o-w-e-s-t in the Maxima line. Thanks NJMax. Next thing i'm looking for: fed spec exhaust manifolds, a fed spec Y pipe, O2 simulators and the fed spec lower intake manifold.

 

NOt really. My SE-L came from Illinois so i got fed-spec :P

 

That's not entirely true. One precat does get removed when adding a ypipe to a Cali-spec max, and one doesn't. The precat that stays only robs about 2 hp tops, so gains are still realized with a ypipe on a Cali-spec max. This has been dyno tested.

IMO, doing the full on fed spec conversion is only for those who are looking to extract every last hp out of their max; the difference in doing so and not doing so is minimal. Again, this has been dyno tested and confirmed.

Has nothing to do SEL's specifically, it's 99 Cali-spec Maximas we're talking about.



OP:
Forget Budget
Forget Warspeed
Go with Cattman, you won't be disappointed.

 

Well, yeah, he could, but those are at least twice as much $$.

 

true... but you gots to pay to play. Quality is second to none with the cattman units.

If it was back in 99 and I had just gotten my maxima (it a 97) I would in a heartbeat spend the $$$ for the cattman version. But... it's not and the car is in no way new.

If a guy can save a buck or two on a 10+ year old car then yeah why not.

 

 

Wel, with all the input i'm glad that i bought the Budget Y, looking forward to having it put on the car. Do i need to have a high flow test cat on it or is it elim'd? Now i know why The
Wizard is "The Wizard"

 

Glad to see you got the Budget vs the Warpspeed.

A performance high flow cat isn't necessary by any means. It's optional. It does not get eliminated by default. Keep in mind that there's a trade-off with getting a performance cat, the trade-off being a) it's expensive b) it will affect your emissions noticeably and you may fail the smog check-up when the time comes. Is that worth ~1-2hp? That's up to you. If you do get one, I suggest you keep your OEM cat around for emission testing purposes.

As an option, you can get a test pipe (which is just a pipe in place of the cat) but this is bad for the environment and you will certainly fail an emission test. It's only recommended for track/dyno days.

 

I was under the impression, that if one removes their pre-cats in Cali, they will not be able to pass smog? Is this true?

Darn Cali, with our stupid Emission crap.

 

Technically, you would fail the visual test with the precats removed. However, 99% of smog shops don't check. With that said, yes you will wind up passing the visual and will pass the sniffer too. Just keep your OEM cat on, and you'll be good to go.

 

This maybe a stupid question, but is there anyway to elim any of the cats? Buy SS headers for a Calispec car.
Also, off the subject, what do you think about a "Voltage stabilizer" i've seen on E-bay, do those things really work and what is eaxactly their purpose?

 

Not following you when you say "any". I thought we've been over this.

You can buy a Cattman, Warpseed, or Budget ypipe for your Calispec Max and one of the two pre-cats will be removed. If you want to remove both, you can do a fed spec swap as mentioned above, but then you'll need a fed spec ypipe. Alternatively, you can by Cattman headers, SS headers etc and both pre-cats will be removed. Installation of full headers though is much, much more time consuming than just a simple ypipe.

Voltage stabilizers are a whole nother subject. Some say they're snake oil, some say they work. Search and form your own opinion. Personally, I feel they're a waste of money.

 

ok somebody direct me where to buy a SS y pipe for a 97 a.s.a.p. pm me please

 

Thanks for all your knowledge, and yeah we did go over all that, i had a brain fart. Still waiting on the Budget Y. When she's installed i'll put a post about it.

 

yeah i decided to get a budget y pipe, but i just want a little more get up from my 96 max (i guess its fed spec, it was bought in georgia) is the Y pipe the best way or maybe someone can give me a thread about MEVI? thanks..this website is a life saver

 

check the all motor forum on this site for information about the mevi and the 00vi.
For the $$$ involved the y-pipe is the best bang for your buck. Simple install as compared to a oovi or even an mevi. Goodluck with your search.
http://forums.maxima.org/all-motor/4...swap-info.html
oovi and mevi swap infortaion.

 

With all that being said i finally got my Y pipe and it was all spay painted, how can i tell if it's a Budget? i did see a serial number on it but no markings of a Budget. Any ideas?