MODIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS

[ace rothstein 81]

I am thinking of adding the cold air intake, hi-flow intake, a new exhaust system, as well as some springs so what brands would you guys recommend? I realize that some if not all of these are one's own personal preference kind of things, but not knowing one way or another, I'd really appreciate you guys' input and your personal preferences. I don't know if there are drawbacks to one and advantages to another, so I'd just be guessing. Anyway, thanks for your help.

[CodeRed]

As for the CAI i would go with either AEM or Fujita, both have pretty much the same curvature and will most likely produce the same gain in HP while boosting the roar of the engine.

For a new exhaust system you can get a cat-back system done at about ANY muffler shop out there. The price and performance may vary between place to place. The real question here is weather or not to get mandrel bent (this is where the pipes are bent instead of welded together) making the flow of exhaust fumes much smoother. While on the other hand you can go for the cheaper method and get cut and welded pipes.

As for springs I would go with the Tanabe lowering springs, because they have been on the Tiida for some time now and they most likely have worked out the kinks (if any).

Again, its all personal preferance. Hope this helps you in any way.

[ace rothstein 81]

Thanks for the advice. The CAI sounds pretty cut and dry. The exhaust seems a bit more complicated. I too like the fact that the Tanabes have been on the Tiidas. That's definitely a confidence booster. I appreciate input and I'm sure I will come up with more to ask you.

[Ever Victorious]

Slight clarification on the exhaust bit... you will always want mandrel bent if possible. The other style (what MOST exhaust shops will do, as very few have a mandrel bender) is called crush bent... exactly what it sounds like, bending the pipe by rolling or crushing it.

Mandrel bent pipe retains the same pipe diameter through the bend. Crush bent pipes get a little narrower in the bends, and don't flow as well.

Usually, because of the size of the machine necessary to make mandrel bends, you can only get bolt-on pre-fabricated exhausts with mandrel bends. (Like the new AEM one that Versaspeed will have shortly). Custom shops very rarely have the equipment, I don't even know of a single one in the Seattle metropolitan area, for instance.

Also, to complete the intake-exhaust system perfectly, you also need headers and a hi-flow cat. I have not yet seen headers available for the V, and a high-flow cat IS something that you want to talk to your exhaust shop about... after you have your exhaust and headers, so they can find an appropriate sized cat (of appropriate quality, NEVER buy a "hi flow" cat off fleabay as they are generally just regular generic cats).

With respect to the springs I would either go Tanabe (track record w/ the TIIDA) or Eibach (track record with every car they have ever worked on ever). It's really hard to go wrong with either of those. However, you will want to pair the new springs with new wheels and tires, and a strut tower brace, to make the best possible handling improvement combination.

As more parts are released for the V, more mods will be available. For instance, other fun suspension mods include stiffer anti-sway bars, performance bushings and end links, etc. And if some company can figure out how to legally reprogram the V's ECU, you can unlock not only the latent power of the V that is lost to its conservative programming, but also tweak to optimize the combination of mods you've put on to get the most power from multiple mods.

That be in the future, though.

[CodeRed]

thanks for clearing up the exhaust bit EV

[ace rothstein 81]

Thanks! That was very informative and I feel a bit smarter about these things now. As for the springs paired with the strut bar and new tires and wheels, how should I go about picking out the tires and wheels. Can you give me any advice on brands, sizes or what I should consider? I know I am asking a lot, but I feel that is part of the reason this board is here and I've never tried to hide the fact that I'm not the most knowledgable person when it comes to car upgrades.

[Ever Victorious]

For performance, your nearly unilateral criteria is going to be simple: weight. You want something that is a slightly larger diameter than the original wheel, that weighs as little as you realistically can afford.

Wheels are rotational mass on an engine because they connect through the drivetrain. If you can lighten them, you can see some of the same advantages as putting on, say, a light weight crank pulley. It's not as pronounced because it's not a part that is directly ON the engine, but a light weight wheel can be as significant of an improvement as a CAI as far as speed off the line goes.

Furthermore, a wider wheel allows wider tires, with a better, larger contact patch. a larger diameter allows use of a shorter sidewall, so the tires' sidewall will not flex as much. All of these characteristics help the handling and stability of the car.

I would suggest a 16" or MAYBE 17" (stressing maybe, because most 17's will be as heavy or heavier than the stock wheels, and the decrease in sidewall size between the 16 and the 17 won't make as much of a difference as between the 15 and 16) wheel. It's a 114.5x4 lug pattern, someone else here could probably tell you the offset and the maximum tire and wheel width.

As far as brands of wheels goes, Rota makes some pretty awesome lightweight wheels that don't look too bad either. Stay away from really blingy wheels, they tend to weigh a LOT.

Edit: I just paid attention and noticed you have a CVT. You can do engine mods, but don't expect them to be anywhere near as effective as they would be on a 6MT. Simple fact is that the CVT is designed to be a smooth, efficient transmission. That concept does not mesh with performance. The suspension mods will still give you the same bang for the buck.

[ace rothstein 81]

Yeah, I figured that about the engine mods and I have kind of been riding the fence about whether or not I wanted to mess with it. I'm kind of satisfied with not feeling the need for speed. The wheels, tires and springs would definitely be something I'm going to want to do.

I am planning on putting on the Stillen front lip spoiler and rear valance. From the pictures I have seen with them on, they look as though they are going to decrease my ground clearance significantly. Would have 16's make much of a difference for me on that or if I'm worried about it being too low should I shoot for 17's?

[versaspeed.com]

Ace,Check out my white Versa in the blog and picture areas and read some of the things I have done to it this should help you out. It sure made it a lot more fun to drive!

[Ever Victorious]

When you get a bigger size wheel, you're also going to get a tire that has a thinner sidewall. The net result: a wheel/tire combo with a nearly identical overall diameter. This does two things. 1) keeps your speedometer accurate and 2) doesn't change clearances.