OK i am slowly but surly building my turbo set up, but I was wondering where do you guys place your maf in a 4th gen. I mean I seen some people placing them on the charge side, and other putting them on the intake. Is there a difference? thanks in advance guys.

 

There is a big difference. If placed pre blower you will have a hard time running a blow off valve. U will need to either tune the car for the sudden rich condition or use a recirculating valve. If you run the maf on the charge side you can run a blow of of any type as long as its before the maf. Even on the charged side if you run your blowoff post maf you will have the same rich issue. I choose to run mine on the charge side so i know how much air is actually going into the motor. Personal preference.

 

also if placed on intake side and trying to use a piggy back will be impossible to tune.

 

I'm not sure about that comment, can you elaborate?
Running the stock maf on the charged side will max it out at 300hp+. Some people go with the z32 maf. My car idles good and I don't have any issues in regards to bovs.

 

Running the stock maf on the charged side will max it out at 300hp+. Some people go with the z32 maf. My car idles good and I don't have any issues in regards to bovs.[/QUOTE]


I will be running the maf out of a Q45. When you say your car is running fine, are you running the stock maf on the charge side?

 

What are you power goals? U do know that the q45 maf is rather large. I am running one as well.

 

Well I don't really have a power goal.... however I am going to be running a t3/t4 with a A/R.50 on the cold side and A/R .48 on the hot

 

That will be way too small.

 

Maxgtr2000 is running his maf on the charged side and his car runs fine but hes only running 7 or 8 psi and hes maxing it. On my S/C VQ35 4th gen Im running the 300zx maf and making around 13 - 15 psi depending on the temperature. Im not even close to maxing it at 7200 rpms at max boost on the charged side. I dont know anything about the Q45 maf but if its the same then use that on the charged side. Also, make sure you have either a good piggyback (emanage, utec, etc) or a nice jwt ecu tune because the ecu will receive much different signals than normal.
Zack

 

So according to what I've read so far, it seems as if placing the MAF on the charged side makes drivability/reliability (and tune-ability i guess?) alot more simple. Your only limitation is how much air the MAF is cabable of metering, which is dependant on the type/size of the MAF you're running.

Correct?

 

That is correct.

 

I recommend putting it on the charge side. I have a stock maf, and im in the mid/high 300's, being maxed out of course, but as long as your tune is where you want it your fine. Most wont recommend that of course, if u can get a z32 maf, or make your own for a couple of dollars and pcv piping.

 

this is EXACTLY the info i've been looking for. thanks a lot kzoosho and streetzlegend! +1 guys!

 

dumb question i know.. what is the charge side? differences? I feel dumb lol

 

The charged side would be the side that leads to the tb. No pre blower or uncharged side is before the blower inlet. I along with others choose to place maf on the charged side to know exactly what is going into my motor. IMHO its easier to tune.

 

Its easier to tune and wont run rich between shifts if you have a bov venting to the atmosphere but there is no guarantee on how long the maf will last. N62 MAFs (z32/q45) can handle it but from what ive seen on zilvia they dont seem to last in the long term. Of course depending on your power levels also.

 

Well looks like ill be picking up a Z32 MAF then. Shouldnt be a prob I have several buddies with them and tons of parts!

 

Whats the difference between the q45 & the z32 maf?

 

Depends on the year of q45, But they have a bigger housing. They are also harder to tune with b/c they are so linear at idle.

Q45 is 90mm
Z32 is 80mm

Z32 can run more power although it is smaller, it has a different voltage curve than the q45's.

 

i thought the MAFs will die faster if it's on the charge side.

any truth to that?

 

yes

 

I know i had to do all kinds of funky stuff to get my q45 maf to work.

 

I am just going to stick with the Z32 MAF

 

With the availability of the a32 maf being stock and no one really caring for it, it seems easier to find and replace it. I think the way the car is driven is a factor whether it will go out quickly on the charged side or not. If you are tracking the car and are going to be seeing alot of boost, might as well get the z32. I still have a full volt to play with even when I've been boosting it.