I have a Sentra 1.8S and i run it hard sometimes.

What do i need to do (besides running it hard sometimes) to make sure it stays tight and in good shape. Like what tools should i get or what places do i need to look for.

thanks in advance

Get a basic tool set, I have a 128pc I keep in my trunk at all times. It ought to have plenty of sockets, a few wrenches, screwdrivers, wire brush (corrosion on battery terminals), tape, and some wiring stuff.

Really, if you run it hard a bit, the best idea is to simply start running synthetic (Mobil1 is my fav) oil and maybe a higher octane gas (though gas really won't matter unless you have more serious modding).

The BEST thing you can do is to make sure you give the car a good warm up period before driving hard, and a good cool down afterward. Warm up varies, some people say you ought to drive as much as 12 miles before going hard at all. On a mostly stock car, this isn't as huge of a deal, so don't push it past 3000rpm if you can help it til at least the water temp is up to normal. Preferably, wait 10ish minutes of drive time (just sitting running for a minute or two is a good idea too before you drive at all) before doing anything drastic.

Cars are pretty tough, some basic stuff like good oil and warm up/cool down is all you really need til you get heavy mods.

yeah, 12 miles is the accepted value for warm up to completely warm up the oil, but that takes all engines into acount. we with 4 cylinders also have less oil to warm up so you dont have to go as far to warm it up all the way. it also depends on what weight and temp it is outside