Today will be the test for power results from my 2004 Maxima SE with and without the Berk Intake. Results will be provided by www.HeavyThrottle.com here in NY using there Dynojet full chassis dyno. My 04 has currently 4250 Miles on it. Hasnt made it to the first oil change yet. And is also a 5sp Auto.

Keep in mind..... the test is a Bone stock car Vs The Berk Technology Intake provided by Bryan @ Berk.

Stay Tuned for the results.

If anyone would like to take some wild guess's as to differences in WHP. go for it.

i will try and take pictures of this all happening. but still havent figured out how to post them in here. so i think ill have to try my car domain for them.

 

Post the pics on Cardomain first and then i can show you how to post them here. Looking forward to the results.

Bob

 

Yes, can't wait

 

i would guess the berk is worth about 10WHP

 

I am a little concerned for your car...over 4k miles and you didn't change the oil yet?????? I would do that ASAP. Unless you are using synthetic oil. Even then you should wait till 20k miles to use synthetic.

I look forward to the results. I am guessing between 6-8WHP in boost.

 

Im very interested in seeing these dynos!

 

i've been waiting for this for awhile.. i just got the berk mid-pipe on monday.. hehe

 

Very interested in seeing how my Stillen Dyno stacks up against the Berk's numbers... I had my car dynoed last April...

 

where are the #'s????

 

Bump, I wanna see em too!

 

tease

 

I just installed my Berk yesterday & am really curious to see what your dynos show. I definitely notice a big sound difference when getting up around 4K rpms. As far as a power difference, I feel my take-offs are a little quicker.

 

ok guys, dyno testing done. i just gotta scan the sheets i took alot of video with audio footage with pictures of the runs and the install. i will have this all available on paper in a day or so.

Heres the #'s and its not what everyone has been waiting for.

Done on a Dynojet. made 12 runs. and could not get anymore then 2whp out of this Berk.

exact #'s are

Best Runs Without Berk
Max Power - 213.92 Max Tq 228.38
Max Power - 215.40 Max Tq 227.89

Best Runs With Berk & Midpipe w/ S&B Filter
Max Power - 218.45 Max Tq 228.44
Max Power - 216.32 Max Tq 232.19

Run Conditions 73.90 Degree's

 

those are some good numbers for a stock auto but i'm a little suprise the berk didn't give a little more hp then that but hey i like mines on my car anyway.

 

thats not to bad, those numbers are actually pretty good for an auto. Not many 6th gen dynos, it appears that the 6th gen may be putting out slightly more power stock that the 5.5 gens. The I would assume the berk would work best on a really 1/4 run because the scoop is pushing air at the filter, on a dyno it doesnt work to the full extent.

 

as for the oil change, car is being traded in for the 05. so i said screw the oil changes even though there free. nissan claims every 5k miles. but my new 05 will be done every 3k. still thought the berk was gonna give more whp but didnt matter how long i let the car cool down and how much time in between pulls. still was coming up with the same #'s.

 

Thanks for the info, you just made up my mind. Staying stock and saving some moolah. Not worth it in my opinion, and that being said....taking it off to go to the dealer for warranty work......again, not worth the hastle. Hell, if you like a little growl....Magnaflow mufflers are about all you get....that is sound I might add....nothing out there now for the Max that makes real power.

Since the mods are so slow...talk to me a few years later on when a SC kit is ready. All these intake and exhaust high dollar mods are crap for the price. No bang for the buck. You can all hate me but I speak the truth, installing a non CAI, or slapping on a K&N filter will NOT GIVE YOU POWER!!!! Installing a aftermarket exhaust will not GIVE YOU MUCH...but a nice sound. A nice sound does not mean more power. Hell, even on my LS1...the intake and cutout.....just sound I found out first hand.

Again, dont hate me.....speaking the truth.....if you want power, get a SC, hell, they make one for the 350, I imagine it could be modified to fit our car. An intake, filter and pretty exhaust note is not fast....just my 2 cents.

Granted this is coming from an EX-LS1 owner that from my opinion, would hold its own.

I enjoy this nice cruiser, power to weight is nice.....but this is no street racer, never will be. Drop all the bucks you want on headers, exhaust.....not going to happen without a SC. Just my 2 cents.

Hey, this car does what it was supposed to do....steady high 13 second low 14 second car with bolt ons.....not going to happen.

 

So your saying that this car will not run low 14s or can even touch high 13s? Well when you get a header you will benefit quite a bit from that or at least the 5.5th gen does. You need the other bolt ons to have maximum airflow. After that you could tune the car on a dyno and possibly gain some more power. I ran my stock 6 speed 14.3@96.5 with very good 60 ft. I have added a greddy exhaust, and have 2 intakes which I will be testing at the track and possibly dynoing in the future. Also added an UDP and now my car revs quicker. I think 13s will be soon once the header comes out. I need new tires though or 13s arent happenin.

 

Keep in mind that this test is with a S&B filter, not an Apexi filter which 95% of you have. 6thGenMax told me that the shop put the S&B filter on a flow bench and it proved to be very restrictive.

Those numbers aren't as high as they should be because of the filter. I'll get another test done with the real deal Apexi filter which will reflect more accurately what we are selling. I sold a limited number of these intakes with the S&B filters at the very begining, and now I'm a Apexi and K&N shop only now.

Another thing to is that this is an unbiased dyno run. If you guys notice, when you see dyno runs from the manufacturer they usually end up being a lot higher than when people like you and me go out and pay for the dynos themselves. No dyno tricks are being done here. 6thGenMax has no incentives to make these numbers higher or lower. They are just unbiased straight dirt dyno numbers.

When Glude hits the track, we'll see how he fairs with our setup, but once again, it'll be on a smaller K&N filter rather than the Apexi.

 

Is it not also possible that dyno results could vary from car to car ?

Bob

 

im going to be running the same test's on my 05 soon as it arrives at the dealer this month. just need to dump this S&B filter. also would like to get ahold of the injen and dyno that along side the berk results when and if i can get ahold of the apexi for testing.

 

Guys,
Carcus is pretty much right IMHO. The mods that we have available right now just don't provide much bang for the buck. These dyno figures don't suprise me much as most intakes, in an of themselves, on any vehicle, don't provide much noticeable power above the stock setups.
Now, if you plan to do a complete set of "breathing" mods (i.e. headers, exhaust, intake) along with some ecu tweaking (GET ON THE BALL TECHNOSQUARE), that intake will more than likely be quite useful.

 

Also, keep inmind that an intake mod should really be tested while driving, not while sitting still. You need air circulating for an intake to be tested correctly. Even facing a fan in the grill really won't give you the same air movement under the hood that driving down the street or track will.

Another thing to add is you can't just thow in an intake and expect 10 HP off the bat. the intake CAN give you 10 HP if you have also modded exhaust, etc.

 

Good Numbers IMO. I will have to go dig up my papers to see the exact numbers again with my Stillen and Greddy's. And I I agree with what Carcus is saying, not enough "real" power mods out there yet for the MAX - I want a SuperCharger and some aftermarket springs DAMMIT!

 

well..... all dyno testing is done with multiple fans. which will resemble more then enough air being forced into that intake. hood open and all. so you should have more airflow on the dyno then in a driving condition. so what ryansmaxima is stating isnt exactly true.

 

I dont believe this statement to be very accurate.

 

But exactly how fast are these fan(s) going? I highly doubt they create the same wind currents as you would get driving straight on a track Driving at a has a lot more power than I believe a fan has. Wind tunnel? maybe, but not a bunch of fans, industrial or not.

 

regardless..... if that was the case. they would have to put dyno's in windtunnels then. i have had the max on 2 dyno's , Dyno jet & The load bearing Mustang dyno. both resulting in the same results or just about. printer was broke on the mustang dyno so i couldnt get any print outs. but all cars are tested on dyno's. kinda hard to get WHP ratings on a highway doing 100mph.

 

im not sure i understand what Ryansmaxima is trying to say. i should dyno the berk intake vs my stock max on the highway?....... ive heard more impossible things before but never this.

 

I know, that is why I'm saying its hard to get a real Dyno reading with an intake anyway. THe only way an intake is really effective is if the car is moving. Although I don't doubt the dyno isn't far off from actual numbers, I just don't think its right to dyno an intake and base numbers off that, know what I mean? Dynos aren't exact, they simply provide a general baseline HP number.

 

I follow your general train of thought. However, for comparison purposes, the dyno is the way to go. If your car measured 200 whp on the dyno with a stock airbox and then measured 202 whp on that same dyno that same day, you can pretty much conclude that regardless of conditions, that intake is going to provide a 2 whp increase over stock.

So, what I'm trying to say is that the final horsepower number in and of itself is not really all that relevant. The relevancy lies in the delta between the baseline and final figure.

 

i understand where ryansmaxima is coming from. but then again take my other car for an example. i have a turbo civic. which obviously has a intercooler ( Huge one ) that obviously works with the cool air outside rushing through it to cool the forced air inside the cooler. now take that cooler off and run the car in the same conditions on the same dyno. LESS HORSE! Hotter air. not at cool. its the same thing if you take that same car and dyno it with 100MPH wind rushing through the front end with a cooler and without. Might be higher #'s but will be just about the same if not exactly the same Increase. Anything that you can do to a motor in a car can be dyno-ed to see the increase or decrease in WHP and TQ. regardless of the conditions. as long as the test is done at the same conditions each time the test is ran

 

Can't the same argument be held for the standard air-box also?? That is - that if the engine on the Dyno with the standard air-box produce x whp with a given air flow and the intake on the same engine on the same day with the same airflow produce x + y whp then the intake added y whp to the mix regardless of the airflow - as long as the airflow is the same for both tests then one would assume that the intake added the difference??

 

I'm pretty sure you hit the nail on the head there, and that's what other people are trying to say as well...

The stock intake will give you x hp while moving, and y xp while "sitting still" on the dyno. The new intake will give you x2 and y2 under the same conditions. The deltas are what matter. But it's all a moot point anyway, since I don't think anybody tests hp at the wheel on the move... that's the whole point of a dyno...

In spite of all that though, I think even a 5-10 hp increase at the wheel is pretty good from that sort of mod, but like others have mentioned, it doesn't look like it's worthwhile -- at least not for the going price, plus the hassle of the warranty work.

 

I added my Berk w/ Apexi intake over the weekend and I definitely noticed a power gain. The new sound when I drop the hammer is pretty much worth the money for the intake. I won't argue the numbers of the dyno, but there was an increase in power and the engine looks that much more prettier when you pop the hood

 

It simply amazes me how much some people will spend to gain so little extra power.
If you are interested in producing real horsepower, air cleaners, intake tubes and minor exhaust modifications are not the answer. It makes me smile when I see some people state that their 2004 Maxima is now pushing over 300 HP with the above mentioned modifications. They assume that each little horsepower gain adds directly on top of the one before. It ain't so! The car may sound better/different, however that doesn't neccessarily equate to a measurable increase in power.
The best way to gain substantially more HP is either high compression/high rpm naturally aspirated, supercharged, turbocharged, or nitrous oxide. All of these require a lot of work and $$$!(except for the nitrous, which is relatively cheap and can be very powerful.)
As to making more power at speed with the intake, this is referred to as "ram air", and yes it does really work. However at 94-98 mph, the resulting gain would be less than 1%. Ram air is really only worth it above 150 mph with a very powerful engine, where the increases are closer to 2.5% to 3%.
Also every 1000 feet above sea level, the power level drops by approx. 3% due to thinner air, so measurements for HP and 1/4 mile times are dependant on elevation as well.( In the 1/4 mile, every 10 HP = .1 second, every 100lbs removed = .1 second, on average)
There are a lot of factors involved in building a powerful engine and a fast car, but I think that the stock '04 Maxima already has a good combination of power, comfort and style. I'm leaving the engine stock until something comes along that will add at least 75 HP without too many modifications (supercharger). Even then, you have to think about serious torque-steer and longevity issues, not to mention voided warranty.
By the way, one of my other cars is a 1937 Fiat Altered drag car. 1180 HP blown alcohol Hemi, 7.3@186 mph 1/4 mile. It's for sale, in case anyone out there REALLY has the need for speed, and is more than a little crazy!
For what it's worth, the Maxima in my opinion is one of the best bangs for the buck if you're interested in a fast, comfortable four door car.

 

i got the maxima because my fiance is expecting twin girls next week. after looking at all the midsize 4 door cars around. this one was the best bang for the buck and i got it with every option except elite. the weekend warrior is my civic.. thats what i have my fun with. the max wasnt designed to be a street racer. its a layed back pimpin car. has the ***** when you stomp it. and has the looks when your creepin. thats all it should be used for. a mod here and there like suspension, exhaust, intake, wheels. were not lookin for 8 second pass's here in the thing. just looking to add alittle reguardless how much it cost. just like the M3, go call up dinan and ask for the intake that have, better dig deep to pay for it, over 500 for it. then when you get the box, your wondering where the rest of it is........ and doesnt give you much of a gain. but people buy it cause its dinan.

this thread was created by me for bryan @ Berk. the intake was donated for me to run the tests and send him all the info for him to provide with his intakes. hes doin a good job on the intake and this thread is getting way to out of line. i have posted the test for everyone to see. not argue about.

 

by the way, stillen blower gives a 3yr 36k warrenty. so no warrenty is lost!

 

Well not to sound *too* confrontational, but if you didn't want "arguing" (more like commenting) on the test results, you probably shouldn't have posted that in a public forums. I sort-of understand your point, but by putting things out in the open you obviously leave room for people to start talking about whether or not it's accurate and/or worth the price and effort.

Just my 2 cents on that issue...

Well I haven't tried personally, but I'm pretty sure that what people are talking about is taking the car in for service while this kind of mods are installed. I think (but I'll be the first to admit that I'm not entirely sure) that if you go to the dealership for service, and they see an aftermarket intake installed, they will not want to service your car -- at least not under warranty. So the "hassle" that some people talk about is actually have to remove whatever you bolted on so you can get the car serviced, then put the stuff back on afterwards.

I could be wrong though...

 

"I could be wrong though..."

I think you are wrong... My dealership installed my intake, exhaust and rear sway bar and warrantied their work. Everything on the original warranty is still intact unless they can prove that the mods busted your ride...

My dealership loves working on my ride and have also installed aftermarket products for free because they think it's the best MAX they work on - lol...