i need things to do with my car any ideas?

[D_roc]

yea its summer vacation and i need to keep my self buys to ease off the pain so i need things to do. i already have HID kit, LED's and pretty much all the stuff to look good but need things that will actually improve the performance. so if i add a CAI will i get more HP and if so i want to make a custom intake so if any one has done it can you please post some pics and what are the main components i need

[Beancooker]

A Y-pipe is the best HP for your dollar on the '01's.

A CAI or a short ram will give a nice growl to the engine.

Strut tower braces are a nice addition.

Cat back exhaust.

And you can always go all out, and get springs/struts, or coilovers. Add some SFC's (sub frame connectors) and it'll be hell on wheels.

[DevonD]

Yup! Y-pipe all the way! Either intake you do I dont think your going to get much if any HP from it. Its more the noise it makes when your driving.. Its unbelievable! Im actually convinced that having an air intake makes these cars slower at higher speeds..just becasue when your driving fast the stock intake is ramming air into it self. and when your going that fast i bet there is a bit of suction inside the engine compartment and its harder for a cai to get that air. Just a guess though...

Also I have heard the underdrive pulleys are great! havent seen or tried them but others have highly recomended them!

[allensteiner]

short intake - it's not a ram intake - will take away some top end hp and decrease your mileage a bit. but it'll sound cool

NOS

[johnnyd6404]

short intake - it's not a ram intake - will take away some top end hp and decrease your mileage a bit. but it'll sound cool

NOS

I actualy gained mpg with my injen wai not too much but a deffinate inprovement... went from 20 to 21.5 city and 24 to 27 highway. And it deffinataly sounds better than nice the growl is amazing

[allensteiner]

i gained some bottom but lost top and mpg with a true cai on my corolla

[carmo]

Dont cheap on the air filter with the intake. I see airflow meters go bad on those things alot. Nismo CAI use K&N filters and I think AEM bypass breathers and that combo works well. Oh yea! Nitrous!

[johnnyd6404]

Dont cheap on the air filter with the intake. I see airflow meters go bad on those things alot. Nismo CAI use K&N filters and I think AEM bypass breathers and that combo works well. Oh yea! Nitrous!

So is the filter that came with my injen cai/wai (whatever you call it) junk? It looks very similar to the k&n but I am still wary about it, I have only put about 1k miles on it so far so if I should swap it for a k&n I would rather do it before it kills my maf. Also what is the part # for the k&n that would fit my injen intake(3")

[D_roc]

i don't want to spend $200+ for a intake so i want to make my own if so what size adapter will i need and where in the tube should i drill holes for the sensors, and do i have to leave a hole open in case the intake suck up water coz i'm thinking of hooking it by the front bumper

[carmo]

Not sure on the part# but k&n works better because they arent dry. You could try one of those new fangled dry screen mesh whatever the hell they are, high dollar filters too. These you don't have to oil.

The MAF just has to go between the throttle plate and the air filter. And leave what hole open for water. Cold air intakes can suck water into the motor and sure you could solve the issue with a hole in the intake but then you draw in unfiltered air across the MAF. If the hole is after the MAF then that air is not metered and the car runs like poop. Get an AEM bypass breather. If you want an intake that doesn't look like it belongs under a bathroom sink your gonna have to spend at least some money.

[ak03maxima]

am planing on keeping me max after all...

can i put some 01 tail lights on a 03??

[allensteiner]

why??? they're both ugly...

[ak03maxima]

well i got a 03 i dont think i can put some 90's .....

[McSteve]

K&N also offers a thing called a drycharger. It is basically a little sock out of microfiber which lets through air, but not water. IMO overrated (I live in AZ, except flashfloods not much water) and you have to suck up something like 2-5 liters of water to hydrolock. THat means you pretty much gotta be submerged in a puddle that your fogs are under water for a while.

InJen + K&N filter is a really popular choice amongst a lot of people. but i believe mainly for the different sound. I highly doubt it will do any performance wise. And last question, why would you have an oiled filter over a dry one? From what I heard K&N stock replacement filters (the oiled one's) can mess up MAFs because of the oil. They have quite the bad reputation amongst OEM parts guys here in Europe. Than that could be that they can only sell one K&N because they last for a lifetime if handled properly vs. stock which has to be bought over and over again and is not that cheap over here.

Also unless you are gonna custom make one, no CAI will be a true CAI. Even Cattman stopped selling their's because it wasn't worth it. Get a JWT pop charger and call it a day. $125 and most probably better than anything you can manufacture, Stillen's intake is pretty much the same thing

[allensteiner]

nope...sorry man. maybe if you retrofitted some leds into your stock housing it would look cool but...5th gen taillights are butt ugly!

[johnnyd6404]

am planing on keeping me max after all...

can i put some 01 tail lights on a 03??

Here are a few aftermarket tail lights

http://www.andysautosport.com/...atrix/

http://www.andysautosport.com/...sonic/

[snwbrdr435]

Please do not buy those "aftermarket" tail lights they are crap.

[snwbrdr435]

Also the reason a "short intake" will decrease your mileage is because your cant keep off it.

[allensteiner]

Here are a few aftermarket tail lights

http://www.andysautosport.com/...atrix/

http://www.andysautosport.com/...sonic/

still damn ugly i feel sorry for you 5th gen guys. aren't the lights in the second link illegal because there's no red reflector in them?

[D_roc]

i like the stock lights better wiht the black around them, just put some LED's in them and they look good

[allensteiner]

Also the reason a "short intake" will decrease your mileage is because your cant keep off it.

i thought it was because the more air you get in the engine the more fuel the computer has to put in not to run lean. and yes, there will be an unnoticeable gain from more fuel/air in the engine but the more fuel you burn, the less you'll travel.

[D_roc]

can i just let the intake sit byt he engine and hook up one of those black flexible hoses and run it to the front? that way will it suck up less hot air?

[allensteiner]

you got it son spectre makes cone filters with an open top where the plex hose connects, run it to the bumper and get one of their "funnels" - looks like a bowl with a hole in the bottom.

here's some more ideas for real power gains - jwt makes an upgraded ecm (at least for my gen) and cams. the cams will give you the best power gain of all the stuff you want to do.http://www.jimwolftechnology.com/

go with a lightwight flywheel too.

[D_roc]

have a question about the filter with the hole in the middle won't that big hole suck up a lot of dirt even with he funnel? also if i add a bypass valve is it true that the car might loose some power?

[snwbrdr435]

The part about it running rich is true but you also need to remember that if you get a y-pipe/ exhaust you can even it out. I find that with my current set up i get better mileage then i did stock. But thats if i can stay off the gas

[D_roc]

how much power loss is there wiht a bypass valve, leaving the y pipe for later need to gather up my tools first

[snwbrdr435]

installing the y-pipe was extremely easy, but i was using a lift at my friends shop, I think you could do it even if you only have basic tools any exhaust work is pretty self explanatory. Depending on what company you go with there may be some issues trying to get it to fit but nothing to hard.

[D_roc]

i have a lift in my house its just i need some air tools, coz my exhaust is rustet so i know i need a lot of wd 40 and good tools

[Beancooker]

As far as filters, an AEM Dryflow is all I use. I am not a fan of having to oil and all that crap. The Dryflow also flows more air, and filters out finer particles that an oiled filter.

On an 01 Maxima, the silicone sleeve that connects to the TB would need to be a 2.5".

Hardest part about fabbing your own intake for the Max, is the MAF connector plate.

I would recommend a short ram intake, since a true CAI is a lot of tubing, and will lower your throttle response. A short ram will give you better throttle response, and is much less of a PITA to install, and change filters on.

FWIW, look on Ebay and craigslist, and see if you can find a used Frankencar intake. Should cost you about $30-$50 used, IF you can find one. Also, if you find one, buy it asap. It won't be there tomorrow, if you wait. They're not so easy to find, plus fitment and sound, are awesome.