99 Maxima - looking for HP mods
 

Hey guys I'm new to the group but I have been working on Nissan's for a a little time. I need some help find alot of good parts to make it faster. I found some stuff but I need more stuff and I don't want to trust eBay. Im located in NC. If anyone can comment and lmk please.

Hey guys I'm new to the group but I have been working on Nissan's for a a little time. I need some help find alot of good parts to make it faster. I found some stuff but I need more stuff and I don't want to trust eBay. Im located in NC. If anyone can comment and lmk please. It's 10:24am rn also

Warpspeed Performance Y-pipe

DEFINE: STUFF


Even hand grenades can be useless without specifics. The best way to get help is to respect the time and effort of those that can and will help you.


Common Sense, right?

The easiest and cheapest way to gain horsepower is to do all of the deffered maintenence which is keeping the engine from developing the horsepower it should.

Things like taking care of any codes it might have now, or spark plugs,clean fuel injectors,throttle body cleaning,possible air leaks and similar things.

You should be able to go from 0to 60 in 7 or 8 seconds.

The cat back exhaust system would be tge next step.

Please be more specific regarding what "stuff" means.

Another hint..... you mentioned what time it was. This implys that you were impatient that you did not get an answer right away.

This forum is a volenteer effort. We reply when we have time available. Those who need help getting their car back on the road when they break down get first priority.

I have a manual silver 98 black interior fully maintained (replaced everything while doing these mods) and heavily modded last year with less than 500miles on it since all of this work was done. even got 2new front tires in those last 500miles. Bodywork special/someone that doesnt care about a flawless appearancs. I live in NW Ohio I'm probably gonna try to get $1800 out of it I quit driving it bc I bought a 3.5 swap off a member in Cincinnati that did the swap barely drove it and let it sit because it needed vacuum hose work and a bunch of suspension work.

-Mandrel bent Stainless steel headers and y pipe
-trubendz mandrel bent bent cat back with magnaflow resonator, resonated megan racing test pipe (cat delete), vibrant ultra quiet resonator, and a DC sports muffler
-NWP spacers
- adjustable coilovers (orange strut black spring, can't remember what they are called starts with a K maybe Koni or KYB)
-k&n SRI velocity stack intake
-stillen front lip
-r32 skyline style 1 piece headlights
-interior red LED conversion, gauges, doors, switches, etc
-nice bluetooth Kenwood stereo, changes colors, speakers sound great plenty of bass
-custom red stitched shift and ebrake boot
-skunk 2 shift knob
-window tint is old and bubbled, it's on there but you can peel it off if you'd like
-SE door badges
-amsoil tranny fluid
-mobil 1 synthetic and Mobil 1 filter
​​​​​​
​​​​​​175k miles but all the maintenance was done injectors knock sensor everything I could get done while it was apart even valve cover gaskets are new. Runs and drives smooth as butter

Needs body work. I've been thinking of keeping it bc everybody wants to haggle on book price which is just ridiculous to me. The car is mechanically in 10/10 condition, I spent over the book value in just parts and on top of that all the work I put into it. It needs body work if you are picky about that, some paint scratched off the bumper, dent on the hood, clear coat fade along the top of the doors, denting on the passenger rear quarter, and rust begginning at the bottom of the rear wheel wells. The interior is nice once cleaned out I've got OEM floor mats in good shape.

Would save you a lot of work and space in my drivewat, I'll take some pictures tomorrow if you're interested the only ones I got are pixelated off my facebook

Violator has done a lot of work on his car.

It is usually more cost and time effective to buy something like he is offering.

I'd be all over it if I was in the market for what he has done.

Welcome to the Org.

Are you new to forums in general? Your thread title makes absolutely no sense. You want to know about hp mods and your title is "99 4th gen maxima 3.0l vq30". We all know were on a Maxima forum, we all know what size the engine is, and the year, quit frankly, is only somewhat irrelevant. I've change your thread title.

Best bang for the buck mod is the y-pipe as CS_AR stated.

Since you have a 99, chances are your Maxima is a CA spec Maxima and not a Fed spec Maxima. You can easily determine this by decoding your VIN.

You have to ask yourself if want a few extra ponies and get the 95-98 fed spec Warpspeed y-pipe (but there's more work and $$ involved). The 99 has a really restrictive pre-cat on the front (radiator side) header. Replace the header with a 95-98 OEM fed spec header, add a O2 simulator, and now you can use the Warpspeed 95-98 fed spec y-pipe.

Best NA hp mod is the 00vi (00 means year 2000 Maxima, vi means variable intake) intake manifold swap, but it's very detailed and not for n00bs IMO or those unfamiliar with the Maxima. Only you know your skill level and if it's the right mod for you. 00vi can be found here in the classifieds, ebay, and junkyards.


There is a guy with detailed info about the 00vi swap, but his website is down or I'd share it with you.

The MEVI (Middle Eastern Variable Intake) intake manifold swap is a good alternative as well, just slightly less top end power. Less involved mechanically, but you have to know a little about how vacuum/check valve lines work and have some electrical knowledge. You'll only find a MEVI manifold by sale privately, not in the junkyards (unless you're really lucky) as only a couple hundred of these have been imported over the years.

Besides the Warpspeed Y-pipe, Magnaflow also makes one that still retains the pre-cats. This is important if you have inspection where you are. But since Magnaflow uses mandrel bends like the WS pipe does, you will still get the gains.



Also, Maximas are known to rust real bad. Especially the radiator support. That will shave a few pounds off, so you will realize the performance from the weight reduction :hide:

Aside from forced induction/nitrous, I have installed nearly every bolt on at one time or another. The 00VI is the best improvement. The 00VI should be the first mod for anyone keeping the VQ30. The stock intake plenum is awful.

If the MEVI was easy to find, that would be a great choice. There is nearly zero effort to install. FWIW, at the track my car was faster but no quicker after installing one.

After that go with headers.

It's all about getting air in and out.

Where would I find a proformance air intake manifold or what could I swap if with. Also the fuel injection and bar. What is the best proformance ones. Then rebuld kits for internal, timeing and automatic transmission rebuild kit .trying to either turbo of superchssupe in future

Check the classifieds for used HP intake parts.

How much money are you looking to spend?

These projects can turn into money pits fast..

Before you start pouring money into your old vq30, get a 2009 Maxima vq35"hr". Rated stock 290hp. That's over a 100hp, plus you can get a junkyard motor with little miles on it. You will sink just as much money into your old motor with modifications and restorations and be wanting more. That's what I did with my vq30 car and I regret it. Part choices will be more abundant with the vq35 too. Your starting point will be 70horespower over all of the exhaust and intake mods you could do. A forced induction (turbo or s/c) will probably end up costing around 2-3grand

No such thing. 00vi or MEVI are really your only options. Some members have done some really unique stuff like going with a a 350z IM, but lots of customization and I believe those guys are boosted.

W/o boost, no need for additional fuel. Even if you did every bolt on, you still wouldn't need more fuel. Stock injectors are quit capable.

Again, w/o boost, your transmission will hold up fine.

If you're serious, boost should be your first mod, not last. Otherwise, you'll be redoing work and selling off NA parts just to get to the FI stage. Supercharger was my first mod. Best 3k I ever spent. Today, that same kit can be bought used for 1.5k to 2k. You'll have an instant 100hp gain to start with.

So you can do all the small "bolt ons" to your engine, end up around210hp for probably $1500. Supercharge/turbo/swap an 09 engine in and you will end up around 300hp. Supercharge/turbo will end up costing ~2500 after tune give or take the quality of the kit you use. You could get an 09 engine for 500-800 bucks with much lower miles than you have on your vq30, gain around the same power as a turbo. Throw in plenty of cushion cash for other parts you may need but still will end up being cheaper than a forced induction setup and it will be more reliable without all of the extra parts, extra miles, and extra stress on the engine internals. If I started over with a basic vq30 I would go with an 09 swap in a heartbeat. During the engine swap installing headers/y pipe will probably be a lot easier too headers are a huge pita to do with the stock heatshields in the way

To be honest, If I were you, I'd keep it stock and just maintain it, it's much much more reliable that way and cheaper. If the exterior of the car needs a bit of work, then I guess it will be okay to fix it up if it's not too extreme.
Although, If you have all the funds and willing to accept the loses, then go ahead, no-one is stopping you from doing it. Do what is best for you.

Swaps are overrated IMO. Too much of a headache for me...too much downtime, too much customization to make things work, too many issues to work out. And if you live in emission nazi state like mine, CA, passing emissions with a swap requires going to a state REF and certification. No thanks...

I've been boosting maximas for a long time now. I have close to 400hp at the wheels on my 99 and 325hp on my 98 daily driver sc'd Maxima, and they are very reliable and I'm not worried about any "extra stress on engine internals". I have two other sc'd Maximas that are very reliable as well. All this talk about reliability is absolutely BS. It's all about having a good tune to go with the mods and proper installation/preparation/research before hand. And they're 50 state legal emission wise.

I speak for Ohio with the car I already bought with the 3.5 swap in it, doesn't even have a cat. But yeah for any emmisions states forced induction is probably the way to go. I just assumed he's probably got high mileage and a new engine would save him money with maintenance on his current one and be a good investment for the lifetime of the car. But it is called "forced induction" you're forcing air and everything is moving faster inside the engine than it was designed for. To each his own I got my swap car below book value with all the intake and exhaust work done on it, I'd love to build a nice turbo kit for it, but I might be waiting until the spring
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I have a few questions:

1) How many miles does the car have on it?

2) Is this a local (NC) car? If not NC, then where did the car spend most of its past life?

3) Was the car driven on city streets or country roads?

4) Any oil leaks?

5) Can you post pictures of the car and engine bay?

Answers
 

The car has 279xxx and the engine was rebuilt also but the person that owned it before me worked at O'Reilly's and kept it well kept and it has no oil leaks very clean engine bay. All city roads I stay in the city yes in NC also.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....5599440eaf.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....7f0543ff93.jpg

Since I don't see the four O2 sensor plugs running across the water pipes to indicate a CA version, this is most likely a Fed spec.

Do the cluster gauges have a white or black backing? The SE version has a white back.

Mine has a black back on the dash cluster. What do you mean by FED spec?

FED spec is the standard "Federal Specification" that had a more relaxed emission requirement compared to the California (CA) specification. Even though the spec is referred to CA, states in the northeast adopted the spec in later years. I know members in NY and MA who bought new cars that with the CA spec.

If you have a cloth interior and a black back on the dash cluster, you may have a GXE model. I didn't see GLE on the trunk lid.

The SE models have a white back on the dash cluster. SE models have some suspension differences that are appealing to other model owners.

You've got some good salvage yards in the Winston-Salem area that should have plenty of 4th gen Maximas and I30s for parts picking.

How are the CV axles on this car? Do you have any damaged CV axle boots?

Damaged CV boots that sling grease happens a lot.

Also at your mileage common wear/tear items that I've dealt with are:

1) power steering rack boots,
2) ball joints,
3) lower control arm bushings, (LCA replacements include ball joints)
4) tie rod ends (inner and outer)
5) wheel bearings
6) anti-sway bar end links and bar bushings

I like to make my used 4th gens safe to drive and handle well (e.g. with new struts and bushings) before I start down the engine performance road.

Be sure to check the cross-member connection to the radiator support that is next to the radiator for rust before go to far with enhancements. I've seen 4th gens that didn't show any outward signs of rust that have a rusted radiator support.

Check out these pictures of worn suspension components from my 98 model with roughly 235,000 miles.

Ball joint

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...psouwahvkg.jpg

Anti-sway bar end link

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps2oky34z1.jpg

Inner tie rod end.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps1sa2bht1.jpg

Hare are a couple of pictures after I replaced the worn out suspension components.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...psd84hjqfh.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...psfqicgidn.jpg

Before I'd even bring up any performance improvement mods with that kind of mileage, I'd make damn sure the rest of the car was solid as a rock and everything that needs to be done has been done and the car is as bulletproof as possible. That alone will be approaching a LOT of money. Never mind the mods for a few horsepower crumbs.



How about just a reliable car that the total price is in par with the value you'll receive?

I'd just make the car more reliable than trying to make horsepower out of it. If you want something cheap and fun, look at 240sx. Similar engine to the Maxima's. Again, if your willing to do it. Then by no means do it. No one is gonna stop you. Have the Maxima for daily use, and 240sx if you're looking for HP fun.

stock for stock, the 240sx has a horrible engine compared to the Maxima. Now in a 240sx, an engine swap is pretty much mandatory.

Cattman>>>>>>>Warpspeed :)

Most of the members above pretty much covered the basics.
Start with any repairs, routine maintenance, etc; before modding a 20+ y/o grocery getter.
I'd say once you're done with your maintenance and repairs, come up with a budget for the car. odds are you'll be reaching that limit you had in the back of your head when you started. Do some research on here before going with something as involved as 00vi, but again 00vi is the best bang for buck when performing the swap correctly...
2.Warpspeed y-pipe would be my next...
3.CGR intake would be next....
4.Exhaust from the y-pipe back...
5.I'd start replacing bushings with ES everywhere possible starting with the torque mounts...(might be a good time to inspect repair your radiator support, which more than likely, is rotted to oblivion.)
6.Tune

Yikes that power steering fluid is low!

Selling my whole 72k mile 3.5 engine swap package in the classifieds

Most of us have come to the same conclusion.

Our cars are mostly enjoyed pretty much as they were built. They are reasonably pleasant to own, and have plenty of power for normal driving or even for fun well beyond freeway speed limits
They can last a very long time if they are taken care of properly.

I see so many instances of new be owners showing us photos of their neglected engine compartments, then asking how to make the car faster.

​​​​​Defferred maintance will free up the horse power which has always been there.

I'm selling my complete 00vi setup here if you're interested: https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...lete-00vi.html

Well, you can spend a thousand on exhaust and intake bolt ons and spend $1000 and end up with 200-220hp. If you want 300hp I'm in the process of swapping in a 2k14 engine, I got a 15k mile engine from a local junkyard and the 2k14 compressor, alternator, and power steering pump (uses 4th gen hose) so I didn't have to do all the cutting and fabricating to get the pulleys to line up plus I now have new accessories. I went to an LQK yard and got my 02/03 dash and engine harness, 02/03 egas pedal, and I35 gauge cluster. You can just trim all the 02/03 harness you don't need down to a few that will plug right into your 4th gen harness and then you have to make roughly 20 manual wire connections. Then you need your old flywheel and an 02/03 flywheel and have a machine shop make a 3/8 inch spacer for the 02/03 timing ring off the flywheel to bolt to the 4th gen flywheel for the tranny. And you have to Dremel 2 little nubs off the intake cams

I've got all the info compiled for this if anyone's interested, I've got everything for my swap in the garage waiting on my headers. After Thanksgiving I'll put a space heater in my car inside the garage and wire in my trimmed down harness and hopefully put the engine in.