I was wondering if someone could help clarify for me, because I have gotten two different impressions from reading the forums regarding aftermarket intakes/exhaust. The item itself is obviously advertised as increasing horsepower, but I've read in a few threads here that without an ECU reprogramming it will not add any power.

Simply put, can I get a Stillen intake and RacingLine Y Pipe and have a faster car? Or will it just be noisier because of the ECU appropriating for the parts and keeping the car running the same? Sorry if this seems like a newbie question but I'm used to cars that you can slap stuff on and it works, and first read on here that modifications may not add the HP they are supposed to.

 

Lotta views and no replies...good to know everyone else is just as confused about this as I am!

 

You do need an ecu tune for them to have a full effect. Other than that, your basically just paying for noise. However, you may feel a slight bump in power.

 

Does anyone know how to tune our ECU's yet? Is a Bully Dog my best option, or does that not really tune anything for our cars yet either?

 

Contact UPREV, they can tune our ECU!

 

No that definitely is true. I just installed a borla cat back and the racingling y pipe I am definitely notice a drastic difference. But you cant have one without the other because i had the y pipe first and i didnt notice anything. Of course tunning would make the increase a little more noticable due to the corrected air/ fuel ratio, but it is not 100% necessary to see gains. As far as the sound, the borla adds a great tune on top of the power gains

 

Has anyone had one done? Would love to hear some feedback from someone who has had it done...or better yet some before and after results.

 

Ahh, I see. Glad you let me know because I was thinking of just doing the Y pipe.

What about an Injen or Stillen intake? Any noticeable gains there without ECU tuning or mostly noise?

 

I think the majority of people on here will agree that the R2C intake is the one you should be looking at.

 

Any idea what those can run you? Just went to the website for the R2C intake and my only option is to contact a sales associate...which tends to scare me because that usually means it is expensive as hell.

 

i cant remember but i got mine for 245 i think. everybody who purchase the R2C went through the sale associate
ask to speak to ED and tell him you member from the org and he should get member discount

 

Yeah, I don't remember how I much I paid either, it wasn't that much. The only reason it says to talk to an associate is because their online ordering isn't set up yet. Call and ask for Ed in sales, he'll help you out.

 

Any mods to the breathing and exhaust of the VQ engines definitely needs a tune to correct the A/F ratios. A good tune (UPRev does some quality work from what I hear) will cost you some $$$, but well worth it in the long run to take advantage of the freer flowing intake and exhaust. Just a note- don't go larger than 3" pipe on the exhaust or it'll be drone city!

 

Really wish someone offered a tuner for this car

 

I have the r2c performance intake and i like it but i didnt notice any gains from it and that was the first thing i installed. It sounds nice though. I am sure it contributed to the overall power increase after i installed the y and cat

 

Yes it will be a faster car. Like i said after installing the borla cat y pipe and r2c i noticed a pretty dramatic difference. On the other hand if you can get it tuned with the new mods then your car will be able to use those mods to there true potential and notice even more gains throughout the powerband. your gains will be more consistant from low mid high bc of the corrected air fuel ratio.

I cannot vouch for the stillen cat back. After doing alot o research i decided to go with borla which i am very happy i did

 

From what I hear bullydog doesnt do much. They are designed more for SUV's. I would contact upRev and see if they can do anything. It will cost some $$$ ut will be worthi it if you are looking for more power and better driving experience.

 

Errr, not from what I've witnessed first hand from both 350 and 370Z friends of mine. I know of at least 5 different cars that had new intakes/exhaust/HFC's, etc bolted on and they only saw minimal gains at best on the dyno. The PCM can only do so much to adjust for the new free-flowing bits added to the car.

Unless there are 1/4 mile time slips before and after the mods to back it up, I'm not going to waste my time and money on bolt-ons that might shave .2 seconds off my time.

 

Dude I am telling you that The bolts ons that i have put on have def increased the the total hp, by how much i dont know. I have not put it on a dyno and i really dont care to because i am not trying to race my everyday car, I have my heavily modded yamaha r6 to take to the track. I have been thru many cars and bikes both of which i have always modified and i am telling you that i have noticed a pretty decent amount of power increase.

 

Smart,save your time and money.I can only say i feel a slight bump in power with enhanced breathing items i put on.Sounds good and looks good but just when you feel that lil bump in power the ecu takes it away and readjusts.Especially from a stop and i stand on it i can feel it pull back hard soon as i reach the flux capacitor stage of 88mph.then i lif of the tps a tad to get it to still pull mildly.It was a total waste of loot in my eyes.just my opinion of course.

 

I think you had mentioned a few months ago that with just the Borla CBE, you nicked .3 seconds off your E/T over stock? If that's true, that might be a worthwhile bolt-on thats proven to make a difference in power. Even if it costs close to a grand, .3 seconds off the 1/4 mile will turn my 13.93 pass into almost mid 13's.

There are a couple tuning shops in MD that I still need to check out when I have some free time. I'll see if they have the capability to tune the 7th Gen and definitely let everyone know their contact information to see if they can help out other folks here!

 

Isn't that from "Back to the Future"? lmao!

 

You just sold me on not doing bolt-ons - thanks for helping me save my money. Since you have a 94 Supra that does 10's I won't just assume you know what you're doing with aftermarket mods, but that you are very good at it.

 

I think this car has plenty of grunt bone stock. 290hp in a 3,600lb car isn't that shabby. I wouldn't rule out any bolt-ons just yet... keep your eyes peeled as I do for anything new coming to the aftermarket every few months. You never know what might come out in 2011 that could be worthwhile!

I see that you've got some suspension mods in mind at the bottom of your sig. I'm probably going to end up going the same route myself. Adjustable shocks, stiffer roll bars, larger wheels, grippier tires, etc. With better handling and the current hp, this car will be an absolute dream to tear up the twisties with.

 

I'm definitely going to keep my eye out for new mods, I'm an "addict" now and I've been all over the forums looking for ideas/reviews of products and this site is great!

The only mod I did to my last car performance-wise was an Injen CAI, and I absolutely LOVED it. Made the car sound great and definitely improved off the line - was a Sentra Spec V so there was only room for improvement lol. Having the ECU play such a large part of things is new to me, so I think I'm going from a different approach this time.

As you said, the car has plenty of power already - I primarily wanted the noise change from a new exhaust but definitely can't justify the mod JUST for noise...that's lame. Things like the strut bar/sway bar/sport springs will definitely make the car handle better, and considering it's weight that can only help I'm sure!

This car is definitely begging for rims too...gonna go 20's I think so I can still drop it and keep SOME ride quality hopefully...lol

 

you are correct but the temps had changed and sea level during the comparison.Plus there is also seat time to factor in.if I
went 14.3 stock and then went 14.0 and said there was a big gain fro mthe exhaust then why can a stock max do a 13.9?There is a few more factors that come into play.From past experience and some of the current new exotics I work on i am seeing a pattern of ECU changes being made. If anyone truly has paid close attention and/or used a logger like i have from stock and then full mods like i did you will agree that the ecu makes corrections faster with more mods.
If i were to do any mod to the max again to get any gains it would be just the intake as that will probably be the most and cheapest mod to get the lil bump in power the ecu will allow before pulling back on your leash.I sure wish I had that M56X now as that probably would have satisfied my need for a daily driver.But the price tag was insane!!!You can buy a 10 second AMG benz for that tag.

 

I'm always in contact with local Nissan/Infiniti performance shops in my area to see what they're willing to do. With some extra coin this summer, hoping that AAM can develop a true CAI system instead of the short-ram intake like Takeda, R2C, Stillen. They've already offered to build a custom exhaust for me with HFC's if I want. But thanks to the strict emission standards here in NoVa, the HFC's are a no-go.

If you go with a 20, you might be looking at a 40 or 35 series tire which will make the ride a bit harder. Personally I'm going with a Breyton GTS-AV 19" and a 255 tire when the time comes. Great looks, and still keep the stock ride quality. Best of luck on your future modding man, keep us posted on your progress!

 

Ah, I think I just lucked out then. Temps in the high 40's, low humidity and only 80ft above sea level at my track. I've got a few friends with some serious ECU software that I'd like to plug in the next time I hit the track. Still waiting on AAM Competition to get back to me on a true CAI setup in the spring. Will keep ya'll updated on whenever the hell that happens hahaha.

 

You are running a 13.93 stock?

 

Trust me, I was shocked. Got the timeslip to prove it too! Was hoping to run 14.2-14.5 bone stock, but when my first pass was a 14.12 @ 99mph, I knew I could crack into the 13's.

Here's a link to a few pics from the private track date: http://picasaweb.google.com/M4a1Must...October222010#

Car had over 10K on the odo. Just had a drop-in K&N filter and a FSTB on it at the time. Either the engine builders in Tennessee gave me a VQ37HR by accident, or they built one helluva VQ35DE for me

 

Has anybody did an UpRev tune? i got a bullydog chip in mine, it does rev a lil past redline with it. sounds nice,the VQ screams