finished the install.. I took my time since I was by myself so I made sure everything was right.. took about 5-6 hours.. I could see it done in about 2-3 if you're experienced.

so far everything seems fine. I ran it hard once (I'm exhausted so I didn't want to stay on the road long) and it FELT like it pulled just a bit harder in 1st gear.. didn't get much higher than that around the neighborhood area... I'll do a little more tomorrow.. I also noticed a little more whistling sound coming from the CAI I believe... I can't imagine the spacers would cause that, so I gotta make sure it's all together tightly. Oh, and after driving it around a bit (also after it idled up to temp) the upper intake manifold was pretty cool... hardly warm at all..

that's all I can think of right now.. I'm going to pass out now. I'll post more after I wake up.

 

went back and read some of the first posts.. chernmax said something about the bracket that attaches to the back of the manifold... I didn't even think to try and see if it'll bolt back on... I just took it off...

also, there's hardly any room behind the manifold, especially once the spacers are on, since they'll move the manifold up and towards the rear of the car.. small hands/arms are a strong suggestion, so pick up some while you're out getting the RTV.

I'll post a few pics in the morning too... ok, now i'm passing out.

 

Great job bro...

 

So can a 6th Genner order the IM set now???

 

That is one thing I looked closely at with Ritz' car. The engine bay is MUCH more cramped than the 5.5 gen. There is definitely less clearance above the IM. I did make sure there was enough hood clearance to satisfy a 3/16" raise in the IM. But trying to fit a FSTB in there is going to be tough, even without the spacers. Things will definitely be tight. My suggestion is to raise the bar as high as it possibly will go with some washers. Let it touch the hood when it's completely closed. Then hope that spacers fit with the bar installed. If it doesn't, then you will either have to lose the bar completely or remove the UIM spacer, which I think is the most important one!

I am going to let Ritz ride around for a few more days and test things out before I release them for the 6th gen. I want to make sure everything is completely tested before taking orders. As soon as they are released for the 6th gen, I will add it to the website to reflect that they also will fit the 04-07 Maximas.

On the 5th gen, this bracket definitely will not fit. And since the 6th gen has the same exact bracket and same elbow, it will not be possible to reconnect this either. First, you are raising the UIM by 3/16". That will make it not line up to the bolt holes on the bracket. Then, when you install the Elbow spacer, it pushes the elbow towards the firewall by a 1/4", which makes it hit the bracket. With this bracket still in place, you will not be able to properly tourque down the UIM bolts to make it sit level. So the bracket must be removed. This is specified in my installation instructions also.

But WAY TO GO getting them installed so quickly! I don't mess around, do you?! Please contact me directly if you have any concerns with your test spacers.

 

Will you be providing updated instructions for 6th gen folks?

 

Yes. What I will do is make one set of instructions that accomodates the EGR system on the 6th gen. It's the exact same set of instructions to follow. The only changes is you have to remove the 4 bolts on the EGR tube to remove it. And you have to remove one bolt on the backside of the UIM that secures the flexible EGR tube in order to remove the UIM from the engine. Then you put those bolts back once the spacers are installed.

I am not accepting orders for the 6th gen just yet. I want to give Ritz a few days to make sure no minor problems arise.

 

Cool and smart move!!!

 

I got mine installed!! Intake temp is about 40 degrees lower now according to my digital laser thermometer. I feel more lower end pull and more response. Having the Kinetix intake made the job very easy. I have no fitment problems, including my strut bar.

 

Dues your car should have some serious horsies in the engine bay now.

Kamski

 

sweeeet!

and I agree.. bit more low end and better throttle response, it seems. still going just fine for me. I've been trying to test my MPG.. no definite results yet, but so far it SEEMS to get just a hair better..

Deus, notice any whistling coming from your engine/CAI at ~1/3 throttle now? I haven't had a chance to look at mine, but it's whistling like a turbo..

 

Ritz,

There is a shop that just opened up the street from me, and they dyno for $35 for 3 pulls........Just throwing it out there.

 

No whistling in my engine. Not sure of my mpg yet either. Will know more next week.

 

Maybe next thing Aaron can do is make a cheaper version of what Kinetix made

 

Best thing to do for that is make a FWD Z33 IM, rev up version.

 

On a cold engine, the spacer will not necessarily give more power but it will keep it consistent, hot or cold. As the engine warms up, it starts to make less power (hot air has less oxygen). For each 10 degree air temp rise, power drops about 1%. The spacer should give 6-9 whp back.

 

so is this up for sale yet?

 

I will add these spacers to my website to reflect that they also fit the 04-07 Maxima. But yes, if you want to order now, I am accepting orders now for the 6th gen. They are expected to ship approximately May 7th since they are on backorder.

 

Aaron, for those with Kinetix manifolds, I dont need the one spacer for the OEM manifold, the one with two openings FYI.

 

How would all of this effect the ECU "re-learning" its parameters???

 

I disconnected battery while i did it.

 

oh, ok? lol

What I'm trying to say is will the ECU re-learn and set itself back to normal settings after a week or so? Just like with the intakes and exhausts and all

 

i didn't... didn't seem to matter for me.

 

How long does the install take? My only mod for the Maxima so far is the Fujita CAI. I'm just wondering how much time I have to set aside for this project.

Anyone else have problems getting the engine cover off? I tried to wrench mine off the Murano this weekend and it felt like I was stripping them...so I gave up.

 

Engine cover comes on easily with hex wrench. If you suspect they are stripped, try pulling up on the cover while you are undoing the bolts. Total time for me was a couple hours. The RTV application took some time because it needs to be done carefully. The bolts behind the intake are particularly difficult due to lack of space. Now is the time to buy a Kinetix manifold.

 

I need to see a 3rd party dyno before/after of the Kinetix before I drop 650 bones on it...

 

Yeah, I knew that. But this is sold as a kit that I can't seperate right now. I can leave it out, but the cost will still be the same. It will complicate things if I start making individual prices for each piece. I am getting them machined as whole kits to keep things simple.

You can download the installation instructions from my website.

 

wait so just making it 100% sure. The vq35de for 02-03 WILL fit my 6th gen right? im about to order them....

 

any dyno results on our 6th gens?

 

Yes, the 02-03 kit WILL fit on your 6th gen! The 6th gen has an EGR tube that does not impeded on the installation of the 02-03 kit. The spacers are on backorder until May 7th. So if you order now, your kit won't ship until that date.

There are not any dyno results for the 6th gen specifically. But dyno testing was done on the VQ35DE 5th gen which is identical to the 6th gen except that it has an EGR system, which won't effect HP numbers noticably. There are still temp decreases of at least 40 degrees and a nice low end power increase!

 

nobody wants to answer my question...?

"What I'm trying to say is will the ECU re-learn and set itself back to normal settings after a week or so? Just like with the intakes and exhausts and all"

 

No one has it on a 6th gen yet, so it's hard to say. There's really nothing to adjust to. Cooler temp, yes, this sensor is in the MAF and is always adjusting with respect to air density, so taking a week to relearn seems a bit extreme.

 

Where can you get a Kinetix for 650? The best I've seen is a group deal (8 min.) for $750 delivered. It supposedly lists for $1K and sells for $840 on Kinetix's website. It is alot of money but I figure it costs close to the group deal rate just to polish the stock IM like Ramburg's (his IM looks amazing!). The cool sound and a few extra ponies is icing on the cake - oh, OK, the power gains is #1 for me, but people spend more on cat-backs and get less of a performance gain. It would be nice to see unbiased dynos but the science behind a tuned IM makes sense (if done right). Anyway, I'm anxious because I need a phenolic spacer and would like to get the Kinetix for an easy one-time install (and guaranteed fit). Is anyone else up for a group deal yet?

 

It was a typo...

Still a lot of dough. My wife would kill me. However, I am planning on getting it

 

hahahahaaaaa

 

What? Ritz and Deus have this on their car...unless you mean that no one has had it for a few weeks yet, then I understand.

 

Oh yeah, I knew that

So, ask them, but this still stands

 

NmexMAX is right. There isn't really anything to adjust. Even when doing a catback exhaust or new CAI, the ECU adjusts instantly to the new airflow the engine is getting by the readings from the MAF.

So, it doesn't take a week or so for the ECU to relearn the spacers. The gain in power will be felt just as soon as you do the learning procedures I have in my installation instructions. Once the idle and everything seems normal, then the low end and midrange power should be felt instantly. And the 40 degree IM temp drop will be noticed immediately.

 

aha! damn it...this may be a possibility for me in the near future...

 

The install instructions scare me. Although I'm sure once I start tearing apart the intake it will all make sense.

I'm especially freaked about dropping something into the cylinder. lol Man that would suck sooo much. I guess its just a matter of being careful and not rushing through the install.

I'm down for one once a few more people have installed theirs and used it for a while. Well...unless some crazy group deal goes down shortly.

CM