sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

These are the ones I use. They are 4 ply silicone, good stuff. http://www.siliconeintakes.com/produ...730f872ebac30f

Now for the reducer, I used... http://www.siliconeintakes.com/produ...730f872ebac30f

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Thanks bro, good links. I got ahold of the truck shop we get parts from at work, I know one of the parts guys he's probably just going to give me a foot of it. It'll be Coolant grade too, I'm just worried it may be green lol.
Even if I have to pay for it, I get fleet price, it's only $4/foot, and a foot is more than I need.
I may pick up that step coupler though. Thanks again for the link. I've got a bunch of inquires out for pricing on the pipe.

knight_yyz

iTrader: (40)

190 bucks for mandrel bent tubing is a decent price. Figure most shops shops charge 95 an hour for custom work. The tube isn't free. And the mandrel bend tooling needs to be set up. A program has to be written for the bend. If you go to the shop and his machine is setup for 2.5 inch tubing it will take at least an hour to setup the machine. You have the bend radius die to install which determines the radius of the bend, the collet, the clamp die the bend die and the follower block all have to be set up and installed to the machine. The wiper is the hardest part to set up because if it is not setup properly, the bend will either tear or stretch too much. Then after it is all set up you have to make a few test bends. There is springback to consider. The mandrel has to be set up properly as well. If it leaves the bend too early it will damage the bend, if it leaves too late it will break in the tube. The mandrel does not stay in the bend until it is finished. It starts to slide out of the bend 60-80% before the bend is finished.

Vibrant Performance makes kits for what you are looking for
http://vibrantperformance.com/catalo...Path=1022_1072

or
http://vibrantperformance.com/catalo...Path=1022_1065

or
http://vibrantperformance.com/catalo...Path=1022_1066

Although I can't find it on their website, I am sure that vibrant has a boxed kit with a few pieces of 90's, 45's and straights for making intercooler piping. The sell the kits by OD size

For silicon couplers I use this guy all the time. Free shipping to Canada, which is pretty rare these days
http://stores.ebay.com/ZENARacing/Si...=p4634.c0.m322

http://stores.ebay.com/ZENARacing/Un...=p4634.c0.m322

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Wow thanks Knight I'm getting that step coupler from your link right now. Freakin sweet bro.

As for Mandrel price, I know it's not too bad for custom work, but when I can buy CNC'd bends for $20-50 each, why would I pay that much? If I was incapable of doing the install and cuts myself I'd take it to him without question. He is a great guy, and definitely knows his stuff.
I forgot to mention he was quoting to make a MAF adapter too I think, not sure though. Either way I'm making my own, unless you guys know where I can find the PROPER one for a good price (less than $20 shipped). I've tried a couple from speed shops in town and the bolt pattern is incorrect.

Thanks again man.

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

That's why I advised him to buy pre-bent tubing and take it to someone who can tig weld. Much cheaper.

knight_yyz

iTrader: (40)

For a MAF adapter buy the Vibrant one from a subaru and drill your own holes. 3" square bolt pattern, 9/32" or 7mm hole size.
http://vibrantperformance.com/catalo...roducts_id=388
BTY the nissan version is for 99 and under so don't buy that one.
I had a picture of a subaru MAF adapter with the holes drilled in it but I can't find it

There is a really nice MAF adapter on ebay for the 350z (same bolt pattern) for 7 bucks, but the a-hole wants 23 bucks to ship it by UPS
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NISSA...Q5fAccessories

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Thanks, good info. I'll just make my own $20+ for that? Um, no. I wouldn't pay that for a coupler I'm not paying that for a piece of steel with a small tube on it.
I can make that in 20 minutes maximum, I'll just plan a weekend to go into my work once I find some tube and do everything there. I'll post pics wen I get there, thanks for the help gents.

NissanTun3r

iTrader: (3)

awesome thread

315max

hey guys, i just replaced the stock airbox in my 4th gen with a filter from advanced auto. i made my own MAF adapter from the metal bracket inside the airbox the the MAF bolts to. i welded a 4" pipe right to the bracket and threw the filter on the pipe. im thinking about building a box around the filter that will completely close it off from the engine bay when the hood closes on it, the cutting a hole in the hood right above where the filter is and puttin a little scoop to force the air right inside the box. what are your guys ideas on this?

CMax03

iTrader: (3)

Build in a water separator as well.....But I've be thinking about the same thing.....True CAI/ram air......

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

My thoughts? A great thread just went downhill in one post.

Don't ever, ever, ever put a 'scoop' on your maxima. If you do, please kindly delete yourself from this forum and try very hard to never take a picture of it, I don't want it surfacing on the internet and people thinking there are maxima owners out there that would do something so foolish.

Here's some advice, do everything you thought about doing except touching the hood. And feed the 'icebox' like I listed previously in this thread.

And FYI, 'RAM AIR' is more of a marketting scheme than anything. The acutal benefits are so little, that they hardly register at all until you are driving over 100MPH.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

Pretty much. Nissan only claims 3 HP gain over 60 mph (on the new M hybrid, iirc).

Too bad the whole front end couldn't be a scoop

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

Not to get another gay argument started, but properly functioning ram air intakes can make great gains at 60+ mph. However it's almost impossible to set up a properly functioning ram air intake without having a large bellmouth or similar sitting out in front of the car before the boundary separation around the bumper/hood occurs. Aaron92SE used to gain 2mph on his 3rd gen with that 1 mod alone...

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

Maybe I should try to adapt a Chevelle cowl induction hood to my Maxima...

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

I never said anything about hood scoops.

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

You were talking about ram air though. Cowl induction is very similar to ram air, in fact, engineers at GM thought pulling air from the base of the windshield was even better than ram air.

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

Oh I know it's the same concept, but it would be the dumbest thing you could ever do to put a cowl induction hood on a maxima for ~2-3% gains at speed. That was my point.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

I was implying that it's not 'usable' gains for vast majority of us. And for those that run the 1/4 or 1/8 on the regular, it's only 'usable' for the time you're running.
Thanks for clearing the specifics up, I say /discussion on that portion.

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

The camaro/firebird guys who make them under the front splitter and come up behind the radiator into their lid claim gas mileage gains at highway speeds. If someone figured a way to rig one up on our cars without it looking ridiculous, similar gains are possible

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

They run CAI intake ducts into the front splitter on either side? I know that is common. I would suspect it to be close to impossible to properly gauge if that's an effect of ram air or just cold air intake/different intake design. Splitting works well for big displacement V8's but do you really thing there'd be any benefit to that set up on a N/A maxima? I'd suspect it would damage the velocity and intake tune more than it would benefit by added air.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the set-up you're referring to.

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

Nah I'm not talking about CAI ducts. CAI is not ram air. Talking about the single rectangular ram air that they make out of sheet metal that goes behind the front splitter (this is part of the bumper) then up into the lid. I read 5-10 threads about it on ls1tech a year or 2 ago when I was doing some research and they were getting very scientific about it for measuring gains.

You can guage the effect of ram air by measuring air pressure with a guage inside the box (since it has to be sealed). At least a couple of those threads had actual measurements that showed a few inHg above atmosphere at ~60-70MPH. That seems like a tiny amount, but it has a measurable effect on power just like a lower DA would.

Now when talking about velocity, you have to remember that the MAF/TB/IM are all still the same size and using larger intake piping has the effect of a venturi by causing a high pressure area just before the first lower diameter "restriction" due to the lower velocity in the bigger pipe. The actual velocity through the TB and elbow does not change, but the available air right in front of them does and even comes with a complementary pressure differential to make it flow easier.

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

I know you're going to respond with another refute, but I'll just tell you ahead of time that I'm sticking to my guns. IMO if a maxima owner were to set up a properly functioning ram air (this takes way more than just choosing a spot and making one), it could see gains at speeds at and above 55mph. Now finding a spot for the inlet that will actually get pressurized air and isn't overtly obvious takes some dedication and testing that I doubt any of us is willing to do. Those LS1 guys, though...

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

Looking again at LS1tech, it seems they've changed their style on the ram airs... They are now putting them in front of the radiator and stealing some of its air. This is smart because the factory engineers design the radiator inlet to be in a good positive pressure area. For any of us to pull that off, we'd have to go around the radiator at the side or turn the whole lower grille into a scoop.

knight_yyz

iTrader: (40)

It could probably be done through the fog light openings. if your filter was behind the drivers foglight, and all boxed in...
I had a ram air setup on my old toyota tercel. Looked like utter crap, but it did work. If I closed the opening to the vent there was a noticeable drop in horsepower on the highway. So it could work with a 6 cylinder assuming you can find a good spot

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

I believe it may be Jime, or another one of the drag racers who did something like that. I'd personally like to retain the fog lights, but the lower grill looks like a prime target.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

If the 'ram air' is run into a sealed box, would you not just consider that CAI?
Sounds like the same set up as a 'icebox'. Very measurable though if it's a sealed box of course.
And a positive pressure is not easy to acheive, so I'd consider that signifgant.
Maybe I'm still interpretting the set up wrong. Doesn't matter.
I am certainly not trying to 'refute' sorry if it's coming across that way. I'm just trying to understand the reasoning.

I guess it's just not relevant to me personally, and I doubt most guys on here would ever notice any difference in 'ram-air' effect vs. a CAI . You'd have to be squeezing out every thing you can (like you lol) to bother with 'ram' air. That's IMO of course.

You're so full of Intake knowledge boy it's starting to seep out your ears

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

A CAI does not have to be sealed before the filter in order to function the way its supposed to. For a ram air to actually work, it must be sealed from the inlet to the TB, regardless of a filter being somewhere in between.

Especially in the import world, many tend to value efficiency at its max. It's pretty efficient to have that "perfect" intake setup that gives cold air at low speeds and pressurized air at high speeds.

I agree that the vast majority of these forums would not do a ram air intake and have been saying that from the start, but to say that there are no gains is a little silly.

I mean... look at people saying they "feel" 3-4hp gains from intakes. If you can feel that, you can certainly feel a ram air. Regardless, I think you should know my standing by now on the butt dyno. I don't care if you can feel a mod or not (in many cases, not being able to feel it can be a good thing) if it improves power when it counts.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

That's probably as clear as someone can explain the difference.

I guess it could be said that if you seal a hose onto the end of a 'pop charger' filter, and extend that hose to a snorkel type device somewhere ideal on the front of the vehicle, and everything is sealed in that ducting, then you have essentially met the requirements of 'RAM air' AND CAI.

I think the most distinguishable difference is that 'RAM' air uses a large compartment (box, etc) and large ducting to create an especially large volume of air before the filter/intake pipe, is that correct?

It's all semantics, I guess I just always cosidered a true CAI and 'ram air' to be essentially the same beast, hence not feeling that 'ram' air has any benefits over a good CAI. But apparently that's not the case. Thanks for setting me straight on that.

Ugh we feel the same about the 'butt dyno', I assure you. I don't think ANYONE can 'feel' the difference in any less than a 10 HP gain, if that gain is made in the same RPM range, etc.
I think intake/exhaust is the single most deceiving when judging 'change in power'. The NOISE changes, so you 'feel' that it's more powerful, throaty, enter adjective.

I think what people DO notice with some merit, is shift in powerband activity, changes in how quickly and when the power comes on are things that you WILL notice a difference in, especially from Intakes, and exhaust work. This is why I bothered Sparks to explain some of the Intake dynamics while I was reading furiously. I think the most important part for each individual is not 'how much peak Power you make, but WHERE it's made'. Is it in a usable RPM range for YOUR applications?

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

The real difference between a ram air and CAI is that a CAI pulls cold air from somewhere outside the engine bay, while a ram air pulls air in a location that causes positive pressure at speed. Both pull cold air, but only one creates positive pressure.

CMax03

iTrader: (3)

A convergent design inlet duct works best having the entrance smaller in area than the rear side of the duct so the air can't crawl out but only be compressed in giving you positive pressure to feed your intake and essense created more power more like a supercharger & with cooler air......supersonic inlets are designed similar to this to slow the supersonic air down before entering the compression section.....

ifti_sit

iTrader: (3)

Well..its pretty logical that CAI draws cold air than rams..I just wanted to state that I actually did a testing to justify this statement.

I have Injen CAI which can be converted into Short RAM.
I used Torque on my Android and Bluetooth OBDII to read ECU data.
Short RAM
From a complete cold start ( 4 hours resting )- I drove the engine for appx 10 miles.
Final Coolant Temp : 194 F ( when I stopped )
Intake Air Temp highest was = 154 F. Lowest =88 F

Ambient Temp = 68 F

CAI

After few days. I did the same thing. Just changed it to CAI.
Drove the same route for appx 10 Miles.

Final Coolant Temp : 192 F
Intake Air Temp highest :78 F Lowest 64 F ( When speed was appx 55mph)

Ambient Temp : 62 F

highest temp of intake temp mainly occurs when you are in STOP.

So, this is pretty clear CAI draws much much colder air..I was looking at the real time data while I was driving and was little happy with the output..

I am sure the data will slightly vary from different setup of Short RAM. But dont think it will match CAI vs Short RAM setup..

If cold air is good for your engine - then I will vote for CAI..be in engine performance in HP (.01 HP or 10 HP) or engine longevity or MPG..

Just wanted to share this..

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Great info thanks for sharing.

The Injen is not even a 'true' CAI either, temps with a 'true' CAI should be even more astonishing.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

For the 6th gen it is, and that is what this poster has I believe.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Hmm well if that's the case then that is completely pointless information to us.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

sparks03max

iTrader: (7)

The information was a comparison of a true CAI to a short ram. That does apply to us, even if we can't use the same CAI.

Sneaky Green

So basically the only way to have the most efficient setup for an intake it to construct one that reaches from the throttle body to in front of my wheel well above my fog light with some hole cut there for air.? Hmmmm So I shouldn't order my berk intake now and start taking my foglight out and relocating my battery.

ifti_sit

iTrader: (3)

Guys, I know I am from 6th and jumped here..Thats why I did not share the intake details..It actually goes till the lower fender, and the fender has little circular holes which helps outside air feeds to the filter..I cant image far better setup which will intake more colder air - may be 4-5 F difference.

The reason I shared this info is CAI vs Short RAM in terms of cold air to engine.
And NOT True CAI vs Short RAM design.

In anycase, if this is not helpful,just ignore it.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

It's helpful on a comparative level, that;s why I didn't delete it and it also verifies what sparks did not too long ago.


General principle still applies.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Yes it re-affirms the difference.

On the note of my project:
I got everything in that I need to make my CAI except the filter/velocity stack. I will likely use my big K&N cone filter that I had installed for the time being. I'm hoping to get into work to fab it up The weekend of the 2nd. Can't wait to check another project off my list!