d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Matt Blehm's Stage 2 lower tie bar for the 4th gen apparently will not clear Cattman headers, so it got me thinking whether it'd fit with a 3.5 swap. Thoughts?

Sorry if this is the wrong forum, I just couldn't think of a better place to post this question.

JClaw

iTrader: (17)

The cattman headers are at the exact same position whether it's 3.0 or 3.5.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Right.... silly me.

What headers are people using for the swap then? Are the stock 3.0 headers any good?

JClaw

iTrader: (17)

The stock 3.0 manifolds suck but will work fine. Krismax and Nismo3114 use them. They will rob you of about 25whp compared to headers though.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Hmmm... so it's down to choosing between 25whp and chassis stiffening...

Thanks for the help, guys!

Terran

iTrader: (6)

You could get warpspeed SFC's and probably not even care that you don't have the LTB.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Was planning on getting those too. They attach to a different part of the chassis from the LTBs though, so I was thinking an LTB would probably help as well. I'm not really sure where the flex trouble spots in the A32 chassis are.....

Any opinions on how much of a difference the LTB(s) make with SFCs?

JClaw

iTrader: (17)

What are you talking about? I installed my Cattman headers and they clear everything. If anything, they take less place than the stock manifolds and look 100 times better.

nismology

iTrader: (8)

Look at the thread title. He's saying the Cattman headers won't clear the stage 2 LTB. I doubt you have one.

Another thing...who said the cattman headers will make 25 extra WHP over 3.0 manifolds/aftermarket y-pipe?

JClaw

iTrader: (17)

Not on a 3.0. On a 3.5. Look what he asked:
Y-pipes gives virtually NOTHING on a 3.5. Headers are the only way to go with a 3.5. Ask the 5.5 gen guys.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Not sure if these comments are relevant here. Or maybe there's been a mix-up. Here's the conversation so far:

- I'm considering getting a 3.5 swap.
- I also want a Stage 2 LTB.
- I know that the Stage 2 LTB won't clear the Cattman headers.
- I am therefore wondering whether the 3.0 headers will be good to use on a 3.5.
- I am also wondering if other headers will clear the Stage 2 LTB.

- JClaw contends that 3.0 headers on a 3.5 will rob 25 hp compared to.... something (not sure what... Cattman? Stock 3.5 headers?)
- Nismology questions that contention.

It doesn't matter what the 5.5 gen guys use because their exhaust system is set up way differently from how mine will be. The reason y-pipes do nothing for them is that their stock y-pipes are not the biggest limiter, and it has nothing to do with the 3.5.

I'm asking about whether I will still be able to make good power with stock 3.0 headers so I can use the Stage 2 LTB, or if any other headers will clear the LTB.

JClaw

iTrader: (17)

Yes it does. Y-pipes give good bang for the buck on a 3.0, but not on a 3.5. All 2000 to 2003 maximas use the same exhaust, regardless of the motor. Nissan didn't make the 02 exhaust bigger for the bigger motor. It's the same.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Right. But I don't have a 2000 to 2003 Maxima... I have a '95.

JClaw

iTrader: (17)

The 1995 to 1999 might be exactly the same as the 2000 to 2003, it's just that the 00-03 had to be changed a bit to correspond with the chassis, not the engines. What I am getting at is that the 1995 exhaust manifolds are just as restrictive as the 2003 manifolds, but because of the .5L difference in displacement, the Y-pipe is the weak link on 3.0's, and the manifolds are the weak link on 3.5's. The 3.0 doesn't outflow the manifolds enough to justify headers IMO, and the opposite is true for the 3.5L.

You can keep your 95 manifolds and it will work fine, Nismo ran 14.0@100 with them, but installing headers afterwards if you decide to do so will be a pain in the @ss, whereas doing them while doing the swap is a piece of cake.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Ah, okay. Thanks for clarifying.

nismology

iTrader: (8)

The reason that y-pipes don't do anything on 3.5's is because they don't remove the front pre-cats. The pre-cats are built into the exhaust manifolds so they HAVE to go with aftermarket headers to eliminate them. If you use 3.0 exhaust manifolds with an aftermarket y-pipe, you won't have that issue. So again, can you prove that there is a 25 WHP advantage with headers over port-matched 3.0 manifolds/y-pipe on a 3.5? Or even 10 WHP for that matter? If not, he should stick with the 3.0 manifolds and use the stage 2 LTB.

Just to be clear, I'm challenging this statement

JClaw

iTrader: (17)

Feel free to challenge it

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....ghlight=header

Stock manifolds suck. It is nissan's own cheap way of distancing the maxima from the 350z. And as Brian Catts says in that thread, they probably kept 'em same from the 3.0, it's just more restrictive for the 3.5.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

That's a comparison between stock 3.5 manifolds and Cattman headers. Yes, stock 3.5 manifolds suck, and yes, they probably did keep them the same from the 3.0 but make them more restrictive. That's already been said -- they're more restrictive because they have pre-cats in them. Of course Cattman's headers make a big difference over the stock 3.5s, but there's no evidence that says how much of that is due to just not having pre-cats. Stock 3.0 manifolds do not have pre-cats, so they won't be as restrictive as stock 3.5 manifolds.

We're not talking about stock 3.5 manifolds. We're talking about using the stock 3.0 manifolds on the 3.5 in a 4th gen to permit fitment of a Stage 2 LTB.

nismology

iTrader: (8)

He doesn't get it i guess.