I'm looking into upgrading the performance of my 2000 Maxima a little. I'm ordering the Injen intake. What are some other mods I should do to get a little bit more horsepower out of my car and that are somewhat inexpensive.

I'm looking for an exhaust but I don't know what kind I should get. I don't want it sounding like a weed whacker either. Any suggestions? I was thinking about getting a high flow cat in addition to the exhaust.

 

best bang for buck besides nitrous is a y pipe. check to see if you are fed spec or cali in order to get the right one. cattman, budget and stillen are popular makes but i advise cattman out of experience. high flow cat will not do much for you but you wouldnt know that the way they are advertised. sound tone will barely change with a y pipe if you keep the stock muffler. higher rpm gains are typically in the 12-15hp range.

 

... I second what he said...

 

Is the Cattman cat-back exhaust any good?

 

i am sure it is a quality product and sounds great but it will not do a whole lot for performance. most if not all of the gain in the catback for our cars will come from the b pipe. personally, id rather have the y pipe and either a brand named b pipe or even a custom one bolted up the stock muffler.

 

Screw horsepower The best way to upgrade the "performance" of the maxima is in the handling department, the category where the car stock is weakest.

-springs (I would suggest Maxspeed, H&R, or Progress, personally)
-struts (I would suggest Tokico Illumina)
-Rear sway bar (RSB) - Stillen, Cattman, Addco, Progress
-Stage I lower tie bar - BlehmCo only
-front strut tower brace (FSTB) - tons of companies make them.

these suspension mods will make your maxima FAR more enjoyable to drive than an extra 20 hp (or less) will.....

 

handling will definately play a part in the enjoyment factor of the car but the most exciting curves around me are off ramps. definately do not avoid suspension upgrades but leaving the corner, you will be able to easily walk another 2k-2k1 with the same tranny if you have just a y pipe and they do not.

 

how do u check if u are cali or fed spec? and which one would be better for the two?

 

See this link to the FAQs....

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....935#post275935

Short answer, if ya have an 02, you're Cali spec... but take a look at the FAQ anyway, then you can tell for yourself next time....

 

true...but with my suspension setup, I'll already have 2 cars on you coming out of that off ramp and higher exit speed.... then you'll need more than a y-pipe

walking someone straightline is nice, but it's much more fun when sportscars can't hang with the maxima in the curvies

 

define sportscar. i can think of plenty below and above our price range that would tear us a new one in the twisites with them being stock. ive got all the suspension mods that i need so i would not be worried about being down 2 cars.

 

sorry I didn't mean "you" personally, sloppymax...I meant "you" as in someone with a maxima with a y-pipe and no suspension mods....I know you personally have suspension stuff done. Slip of the tongue...er....keyboard.

 

10-4. no offense taken but i would agree someone with a stock suspension is certainly lacking.

 

Stock suspension is horrible.

Stay away from the WaprSpeed Y-pipe. Too many fitment issues. I finally had mine removed yesterday due to all the knocking/grinding (which was getting worse).

 

I heard that 02+ dont benefit from y-pipes as well as pre-02 maximas. 5.5 gens already have a good y-pipe. Best bet for 02+ would be headers, plus they come with a ypipe.

 

That is probably true.... but ya also have to bear in mind that its still about 12-15 whp... which is nice... and that even though headers give much greater gains, it is not just the cost of the headers, but also the time (and for some, money) required for installation, and if ya really want to get the most out of them, some sort of A/F adjustment...

 

Get the Cattman Y-pipe and full exhaust. It is a well made, high quality setup that fits our cars perfectly with no fittment issues. Y-pipe=12-19 HP, Exhaust system=5-8 HP.
Sound will be a little louder than stock, but not as loud as most aftermarket mufflers for our cars.

 

Back to the 5.5 gen: what kind of gain will you get with a Y pipe? I've been thinking it's my next mod for the spring. I'm trying to keep mine looking as stock as possible. The other option is lowering it an inch all around (yes, I know that defeats the "keeping it looking stock" strategy, but it's still subtle enough that most people won't be able to tell).

 

IMO, dyno results seem inconclusive concerning y-pipe performance gains. I have seen anywhere from 1hp to 15hp listed over the last couple of years.

 

ive seen low dynos results with y pipes on 02/03 but never on a 3.0 (which the poster has) if properly installed without a massive exhaust leak. ive never seen one that showed less than 10hp peak gain with about the same results under the curve on a 3.0.

 

More details on this maybe? Anyone we know on the .Org? I don't mean to be a jerk or anything, but it'd be helpful to all of us interested parties if we understood more of why you think the dynos are inconclusive. That way, we can all understand better how is it that some people dynoed 1 whp gains while others 15 whp.... thanks. I come in peace.

 

Thanks... good to know... the only dyno I've seen for a 2k2 with y-pipe is Fezzik's and I think it was somewhere between a 9 & 12 whp gain or something in that region, sorry, I don't remember.... and now I own that very same y-pipe, since he got headers...

Too bad I can't put it on yet cuz my bolts on the cat are rusted shut....

 

Was Dave's (Fezzik's) dyno with a y-pipe or with headers? He has headers on his car right now.

The numbers I was stating were concerning the 3.5 motor and not the 3.0.

 

He did a dyno of both I believe, to show the gains from the y-pipe and then from the headers, and posted em in the same thread. Can ya do a search? I'm not a donating member (yet) so I can't, thanks...

And yeah, I'm interested in the 3.5 too... which is also what Dave has...

 

Yeah, Dave is local to me. The headers seem to be the best bet from a performance perspective. Saw him chasing a '04 Z (another local enthusiest) on our way to a meet and the Z could not pull away.

 

Yeah, I figured when I saw you were from Louisville too... anyways... I was just on IM with Dave and his thread is here:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....attman+headers

Apparently, the y-pipe gains aren't that spectacular, so you were right.... headers on the other hand... are definitely the way to go...

Now if only I had the cash and the time.... headers would be ideal... till then I'm just gonna live with my y-pipe....

 

Tell Dave I said he's a punk!

 

Haha... don't worry, I'm sure he'll see this post...