Ok so there was this 2.5SL Altima today that took off on me and I went to go catch up to him and it seemed like my car wasn't moving as fast as it should. it was pretty difficult to catch up to the guy and I was flooring it. Once we came to the light and I slowed down there was this nasty smell like someone passed gas that I could smell inside of my car. Anyone have any Idea why the car is so slow?

Mods are listed in my sig.

 

Well I actually use shell gas all the time.... Ever since I used it and compared it to other gas companys I just never get the same MPG on a full tank so I stick with Shell now.

I usually drive my car hard expecially when on the highway I usually always go at least 80 as in CT there are cops all over the place usually you really never know where they could be hideing. But it just seems if I try to race up to someone it just feels slugish and idk y.

A month or two ago I was on the highway and there was a guy in a maxima I think just the SV model not the sport and I could not catch up to him. We were at a rolling start and he just took off I could not get up to him at all and I have a CatBack exhaust, intake and what not and it dosn't seem to help much at all.

 

hmmm i just have a intake....my car flies.....but ill tell you one thing only 5/10 cars are made with there full potential .....it might not be 5/10 but its dam near close to that....

maybe your loosing back pressure from the catback?

try take out the intake see how it feels.....

i never liked stillens catback i think its weak and ricey

make a post in nycmaximas i know there are alot of knowledgeable people there.....come to performance meet we will try and help you out there also

 

"hmmm i just have a intake....my car flies....but ill tell you one thing only 5/10 cars are made with there full potential .....it might not be 5/10 but its dam near close to that...."



I'd like to know where that info came from..............

 

I think the secret is the "passed gas' sulfuric? smell. This usually occurs with the interaction of a lot of unburned gasoline interacting with the catalytic converter. I would posit that that either your fuel-injectors are just dumping gas and not putting out the fine spritz or maybe you aren't running on all six cylinders and the unburned gas is just passing out to the exhaust. Given the lack of power I would think the later is more likely.

 

Sounds to me as though you either have a problem with your Injectors (Fuel to Air ratio mix) or with your Catalytic Converter. When you step on the gas does the car sputter as though there is a problem evacuating the exhaust gasses?

I had a problem like that with my 03 and it turns out that it was the Oxygen Sensor and I ended up needing a new MAF, which brings me to my other point because that is one of the things it could be.

Nissan is knowing for not making the best MAFs for all of our cars from the 3.5 Altima, to the Max and up to the Z.

 

You know I have the same mods as you with the exception of the Bully Dog. You know some performance mods can hurt the perfomance when installed. With the smell issue, I would look into what Ltleary mentioned. If not take the intake of and see what happens. I installed both mods at the same time so I do not know if performance would better or worse with or without the other. With all said, you should of not had a problem hanging with the Altima. Again, nor should you have had that smell penatrate the cabin, thats seems a lot if it got inside.

 

Actually, he shouldn't have had a problem dusting that 2.5 Altima at all, especially from the bottom end, I think at the last time I read about the 2.5 Altima its' HP was 180ish or so and the TQ was about 175 or the same as the HP, so we you do the math 3.5 with 290 HP, over 300HP (plus all his mods) and probably around 9-11TQ on the Intake alone and then throw in another 11-18 with his exhaust set up and you're looking at what about another 22-27lbs ft of TQ on top of what we already have stock.

Honestly, I wouldn't disconnect any of my mods because they are not the problem, yes you tend to lose a little bottom end TQ when you add an Intake but you make up for it because with the Exhaust because you can blow out the air as quickly as you can take it in.

This leads me to believe that his problem can be only one or a combo of a few things:
MAF and/or O2 Sensors-or both
Fuel Injector(s) DI/not working properly
Catalytic Converter problem

All of these can cause a CEL (Check Engine Light) to come on which is why you need to get the following done:

I'd take it to Nissan or buy a Bullydog Unit and get the codes for the problem(s) you may have and then get that fixed rather than removing the intake which would probably lead to removing something else and not getting to the root of your problem(s).

The smart thing to do is to have it test to see what code(s) you are getting.

 

EVERYONE knows that i have had plenty of situations that two of the same cars do not preform the same

thats where that came from

 

A couple things you have to consider here as well, When he passed you was he flooring it? because if he passed you doing 50 or whatever and you were do 20, of course its gonna be tough to catch him even if he did have the 2.5 especially on a city block( im assuming you guys were in the streets), If that would happen on a highway you probably woulda caught him because that woulda gave you enough time for your max to catch up.

 

What do you mean by sputter when giving it gas? Also wouldn't there be a code if the MAF was messed up?

 

Well thats just the thing i have no CEL on at all and I just had the 15000 mile maitence done to my car and everything checked out fine. So woulden't everthing be good? If I take it back to the dealer what should I tell them?

 

Yes it was in the city and I was behind him trying to catch up to him and coulden't. I was flooring it and he was and it was up a gradual hill not steep at all. I was flooring it and the RPM's were like up the car was loud as I would expect with the intake and the Exhaust then I just got this smell as the RMS's got higher which is that sulfuric smell I guess

 

You have no CEL and you just finished a Service and you still have performance issues?

That's strange and oddly enough if there was an issue then it should've been caught during the serivce.

Yes, there should and would be a code if you had any problems at all with a CEL unless it was just simply a matter of ensuring that the gas cap was tightened. As far as the "sputter" is concerned then you will feel it (and possibly hear it) when you step on the gas and the car kinda feels like it is blowing little poots, this you would feel through the gas pedal.

If I were you then I'd probably get it dynoed and try to ensure that your air to fuel ratio is set up properly, it sounds as though you could be running too rich on air and not enough fuel or too lean-not enough air with the fuel but I suspect it is too rich given the fact that you haven't done any injector upgrade and you've added an intake.

Still there's no way to tell unless you get it checked.

Good luck Bro

 

Monte made a great point about oil and I thought I'd expound upon it here with a little more details:

Great point!! When you give a car too much oil then this causes aeration in the cylinders and actually starves the car robbing it of power.

I'm not saying that any of these are the actual problem but I'm troubleshooting from here without actually knowing everything about your car or particular problem without using some diagnostic test.

 

I would suggest switching gas stations, I have seen a few newer cars completely drop down in power because of bad or tainted gas, go to autozone and get the fuel additive that absorbs waters, poor that in your gas tank.

Worst case I would take the intake off, but I doubt the air to fuel is messed up when your driving with the foot to the floor.

If this problem does not go away, I would even try contacting stillen, remember the customers who buy performance parts 1st are the guinea pigs

I know you said 2.5SL but are you sure, they all come with dual exhaust and a 3.5 Altima and an 09 Max are pretty evenly matched when you are in the streets.

My friend has a 09 V6 camry and I was messing around with him, my car was in DS mode and I could not even pull on him, he was pulling away from me, it's no actual measurement of the 2 cars cause we where never really lined up but still I want a rematch

 

I'm not sure what the problem is, but I wouldn't worry too much about the putrid sulphuric smell. My '00 SE and '04 SL both gave off that same putrid smell whenever I did an unusually hard acceleration. And the smell would immediately fill the cabin, even if the windows were closed.

This probably happened only three or four times with each of those cars, but there was never the slightest sluggishness with either of those cars, so I tend to think the smell may not be directly related to your car's sluggishness. The person who mentioned some interaction between unburned gas and the catalytic converter causing a smell may be onto something.

 

5 out of 10 is what you said. Come on.....show me a link or something cause not EVERYONE knows. If that is truely the case, I would like more details. 50% run worse?

 

i dont have to, just look @ this thread maxima getting dogged by 2.5 altima....pretty funny to me....worst part is you guys got your cars with almost every option ....you have a clue to how heavy those leather seats are? lolol.... 19 inch rims...... navi....(panaramic roof if you have it)


if you want ill meet you on the merric thats the only way you will really tell...

its actually worse then 5/10 mr Colnajoe to prove it car and driver did a test on the scion tc that after 1,000 miles it lost 30hp and 24tq .......soooooooooo you tell me how that magically happens ?

like i said not all cars are made equal .......... and your acting like a computer cant fvk up putting your engine together on the assembly line...oh no wait according to Colnajoe every engine is made 100% all the time right? lololol cmon bro get a clue

 

I know that you have an "S" but believe you me there isn't enough of a weight differential (power to weight) to say that a car that with 290HP would be outaccelerated by a car with 180HP that is as fully loaded as our cars are.

He just has a minor problem that needs to be diagnosed and his car would be fine, having 19 inch wheels and leather seats is not a penalty that would preclude him from being able to rundown or pass a car of nearly the same dimensions with less hp/tq, otherwise our car would be able to outaccelerate a Bently GT (it has leather everything and bigger wheels to boot).

Think about it.

 

KillaKam, don't feel so bad, the other day I had a Ford Expedition (of all things) glued to my rear bumper all the way to xxxx mph, I couldn't gain on him. I chalk it up to = you never know what they have under the hood.

 

Colnajoe:

Remember when there was a thread here a while ago that discussed the fact that some Maxima's here, when redlined, only stay at 6400rpm for a few seconds, while other Maxima's just stay at 6400rpm or higher? That's one way that cars are bulit differently.

 

lol Japanese horsepower and Bentley horsepower is totally different ...and im not talking racing here but this is common sense a 3.5liter nissan wont do anything to that bently after 30mph.

just go to dealer and get your car looked at .....or you could find a trustworthy mechanic to look @ your computer see what it says ..... i got a good place in newrochell ny for you to go to

 

kam... maybe he was a sleeper.( you know a car that looks stock but once that hood opens it has all types of goodies inside ) you never know dont feel to bad... by the way shell gas sucks!!!!! Hess, Sunaco, and or Mobil!!! 93 all the way!!...

 

Can I ask how old you are, some of the stuff you have mentioned sounds like a lot of juvenile misinformation, that is generally gathered from young guys sitting in school reading excerpts from car magazines

I think what your referring to is what some call a factory beast, they where more common in the muscle car error when manufacturing processes where less refined, and their was a larger room for error, with current cars I doubt that happens anymore, in years past when Domestic cars where dynoed they varied in horsepower, but one thing the foreign cars have been praised for is their consistency, you take a true bunch of car nuts who religiously compare their cars to the exact same cars, 335, 350Z, G35c, all have a ton of info available, these guys have dyno days, you can find 10 cars that all have the same hp numbers, so I don't see your argument where only 5/10 have the true performance, 5/10 of how many.

You mentioned a TC with a lower hp/tq rating, after a 1 years test drive review from a car mag, I would not judge any car that was routinely beaten on day to day, I read the same thing about a year old V6 Honda Accord, when new it had a 0-60 of 6.5 and after a year it's 0-60 rose to 7.5, it's simple a bunch of magazine employees with a case of rental car fever, Im sure these cars will also have shorter lives as well.

Lastly, I looked on both nissanusa and nissanhelp.com and the total weight difference from the S to SV is 23-25lbs, I highly doubt the S is gonna walk away from an SV

 

Guys, if I have to edit 1 more post in here about folks breaking the law by talking about driving over the limit, I'll shut this thread down. If you don't understand the reasoning behind this, maybe you should review the forum rules and FAQs. I don't make the rules, I just keep them from being broken.

 

OOPS, my bad.

 

There is some information in a thread about how the stock engine management will adapt to modifications such as intake and exhaust and gradually return to factory settings. The factory settings would be way off if there is an intake and exhaust added , I would think. Try resetting your computer by disconnecting the battery overnight maybe.

The real power of this car is in the 30-90 mph range( referencing legal drag racing... cough..cough) as the WOT sensor pulls it back below and above those approximate numbers. That said, a 2.5 Altima should be about 84 in the 1/4 mile and not even close, not close.

 

I hear ya, but half? I remember a couple of members saying that thier redlines were higher, did it make them quicker, or was it a gauge/electrical issue? I dont believe every car is built exactly the same, I'm sure thier all different in some little way (like your kids)but to the point that half of them are built so poorly that a Altima might beat them?

When I had my titan with intake and nismo exhaust, it was quick, but some titan owners put on so much performance stuff, it reduced back pressure or whatever and they ran slower than stock. Too much is too much, I think that is is problem, not a factory build.....MHO

 

Listen to STARR ^^^^ bad gas.....add some octane booster and some gas tank water remover A few times when filling up

 

It's a comparison based on hp/tq differential, a 2.5 Altima has 180ish or so HP and TQ and Max has 290/261HP-TQ, that is a huge margin in terms of what his power to weight ratios are in both cars.

The Altima in 2.5 form or 3.5 form weighs as much as a Max, so with all of the advantages in hp/tq one would think that this wouldn't have even been close.

 

Just think of the guy in a 2.5 Altima that can't run down a Chevy Aveo, or the guy in the Bentley who pre-ordered his car and waited an extremely long time to get it only to find out a Maxima is faster then him

 

Thanx guys I appreciate all of the input.. I will probaly be dynoing my car shortly at a car show that is coming up on the 20th hopefully I will find out some of my answers there. Sucks that a CVT can't be properly dynoed. Anyways I will update you guys as soon as I find out.

As for switching gas companies while quickness is a concern so is the bank account. I use shell gas cause that is the company that has given me the most MPG out of HESS, MOBILE, and SUNOCO. I use to use HESS very frequently cause they were always the cheapest but as soon as I added in the performance upgrades it was all down hill from there. Using any other company besides Shell give me at least 30+ MPG less.

 

thats false because i have 18inch wheels and the 19inch wheels and just that alone is a 20-25lb difference.....

 

Use 3rd gear that is a 1.11 ratio the closest we'll get to a 1.1 which is what you want for a dyno run.

 

I have used Shell gas off and on for sixty years with no problems. My current Shell credit card says 'Cardmember since 1962.' I had a Shell card in the 1950s, but let it lapse while in Korea for 13 months (cards were renewed annually in the 1950s). It so happens I have Shell in my car right now, as do many millions of other drivers.

If gas is the problem with your car at this time, it will be because you got tainted gas at one particular station, and not because one brand of gas is particularly inferior.

 

Ricer math

 

I currently have an 07 2.5 Altima as a loaner and I have to say, it accelerates pretty quickly once you get past the initial bite off the line. I think the CVT in all forms is just slow to fire up but the secondary push is smooth and fast.

 

How do you figure that? I used the estimates from typical Intakes and Exhaust ratings and added them to the baseline HP/TQ from our cars, I didn't say it was exact so there's no need to try and speculate that I'm some sort of Ricer simply because I did a little math based on known estimates.

FYI, Ricers don't drive Maximas and I'm too damn old to be a Ricer, maybe you should go Troll back in 6TH Gen Forums with that kind of talk.

Have a nice day

 

^ Thats ricer math.
Its like those craigslist ads..."2005 ACCORD FOR SALE...300+HP WITH INTAKE AND EXHAUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"