i am planning for the following mods, but i dunno $hit about them so please tell me which one to get, cuz there are a few from different brands for each:

cold air intake
y pipe
cat converter (maybe, dunno what it does)
b pipe(maybe, dunno what it does again)
muffler(want the quietest one)
springs, struts(what the smoothest one)
kit
front strut bar, rear strut bar if it does adds a lot
rear sway bar

please give me opinions on each and tell me which ones to get, but i thin i will get the cheaper ones ar custommaxima.com

 

We should try to find a Canadian place to get the stuff. I would certainly be up for a GB if I didn't have all the customs and exchange rate headaches.

I am definately into FSTB and possibly RSB. Hopefully turn the tank into a great handling tank! ;-)

 

As for a CAI, you have 2 readily available choices, Placeracing, available from Stillen, I think, or Cattman has his own version too, about 200 bucks for both.

Y-pipe, same 2 choices Stillen or Cattman, I myself ordered the Cattman pipe, from the sounds of others it might be the better pipe for my area, ei. wet and snowy.

As for anything related to cats, mufflers, ect... wait till you get the y-pipe first, then start adding things to the exhaust, otherwise when you get around to adding the pipe, it might be extremely loud, and I am paranoid about passing my emissions tests, so the y-pipe is as far as I will go for now...

Srings/struts, well I have still have the SE stock setup, works for me now, I forsee getting stiffer ones, but I don't have any money for them. But It sounds like everything will get alot stiffer with them installed. So if you are looking for a smooth ride, stick with your stck setup.

Front Strut tower bar, and the rear sway bar, deffinately a must, stiffens up your handling greatly. You will have a sort of a confidence build up in your car after that.

Mods all depend on what is most important to you. Speed, handling, looks, sound. Find out what you want then, start modding in that direction, I know speed was a little more important to me, but eventually I will have modded everything I can when I am done. Hope that helps.

 

thanzx matticus for all those opinions
i am planning to get all those mods

 

Stillen does not offer cold-air intake for our cars. Stillen only makes Hi-flow filter...
As far as I know, Cattman's CAI is made by Place Racing..

Y-pipe's almost the same but with Cattman's, you may have to deal with O2 sensor clearance issue(the hole for the 02 sensor on Cattman y-pipe is located at the bottom of the pipe..instead of Stillen's side mounted location...)

Cat...well, this really doesn't add much horsepower, almost close to 0. but an aftermarket cat will quiet down your car if you have a loud muffler or a catback exhaust system on your car. many of my friends have RT cat and GReddy set-up and it drones far less than with stock cat.
A cat exist for the smog purposes, keeps air clean and if it weren't for the EPA folks, I may have chosen to go for a stright pipe set-up long time ago...

Exhaust, well, if you want the quietest one, than it's probably your stock ones.. any modification to your exhaust sytem will increase the sound level inside and out. especially with a y-pipe. but if you insist on getting the quiet mufflers, stay away from cat-back exhausts. just get a rear section muffler. this will not net the same amount of hp gain as the catback set-up, but this is the quieter way.

Front and rear strut bar, the front helps to stablize your car under extreme turns, but you can't really feel it otherwise. it doesn't stiffen up your car at all. Many people have mixed opinions about the rear strut bar. some say it helps alot and some say the advantages of the rstb on maximas are almost useless...due to the rear beam axle design. but i think before you get your rstb, go for the rsb. it's around $250 for this mod, but it's a helluva of difference...well, at least it was for me..

Springs, if you want soft ride, i'd say go for the H&R springs. these are known for their nice ride.
(if i might add, get the shocks at the same time. i'm thinking you want more comfy ride, so go for the Tokicos)

 

i wanna know more about what you were talking about on the y pipe, what is the o2 sensor and what does it do????
will i pass emmision tests after buying the y pipe and the muffler???

 

on a stillen y-pipe, the hole for the 02(oxygen) sensor is located on the side of the pipe. on a cattman's y-pipe(my friend has a y-pipe, purchased in Jan. 01), the hole is located on the bottom of the pipe facing the street.
this could be a problem for you if your car is lowered becaues your y-pipe is much more exposed to road hazards(cones, stones, debris, etc..) and prone for a damaged O2 sensor. now, i am not suggesting that all cattman y-pipes are constructed this way, but just to inform you of all my findings. one more thing, the cattman y-pipe is more expensive than the stillen ones, however, they are made out of stainless steel pipes.(stillen's y-pipe is manderel bend ceramic coated).
02 are there for the smog purposes. it monitors gas and other emission related problems. if you break this, an O2 sensor is not cheap to replace.(this will run you about $300).
you probably will pass smog with the y-pipe as long as your car is warm(meaning, your car is running at the normal operational temperature), but i am not sure if you will pass smog with the y-pipe&muffler combo. but since you don't have to worry about your first smog till the 4th year of ownership, i say let's forget about all that and enjoy~

 

i would get the fstb, rsb, y-pipe, and intake for sure. those are good performance products for the money. for springs, like irvine78 said, h & r's are good for what youre looking for, but i would definetely get the struts together. i only installed the springs first, i paid $150 to install it. my stock struts are about to wear out and when i replace my struts, i will probably have to dish out another $150. as for mufflers, i heard the apex are the quietest one.

 

yeah, i think cheston told me that a WS(World Sport) system from APEXi is one of the quietest exhuast system around....i believe it is also cheaper than the GReddy catback...

 

so do i just get the y pipe and the muffler?????
is there anything else that i should buy that would make me pass the emision test or make the car quieter?????
what is the b pipe? cat converter? resonator? i have no idea what those do