New Altima Owner - And I'm ready to start modding ooo wee

[funkee]

Hey folks,

I have been lurking and learning a lot from a number of knowledgeable folks.

Please feel free to chime in on just one or two questions, if you have some good advice.

A few months back I purchased an '08 Altima Coupe 3.5 SE in a beautiful, but in impossible to keep clean black. I purchased the WRAP Security Plus warranty, so I'm being cautious about certain mods (no turbos yet).

I recently installed some after-market tail lights. I still have the stock ones in my trunk, and I am looking to sell them. .

They didn't align well at first, the left light sat too low in the bottom right corner and was scraping against the paint. I filed it down and added some rubber washers to help prop it up and make it look even. The other side isn't as bad, it looks good from the back, but from the top it's too close to the trunk lid. I'm not sure how I will attack that one.

I'm in Cali and the first three items on my list are new exhaust, intake, and wheels/tires, and I'd like to get some input and suggestions.

Exhaust: Cat-back or axle-back only; no y-pipe because it will void the expensive extended super warranty. I am leaning towards the Borla. Will it sound well without the y-pipe? There used to be a nismo 3.5 catback that I wanted, but it was discontinued. Is there any difference between the 2.5 (still available) and the 3.5 version?

Intake: I love K&N's warranty: they claim that if the dealer refuses the warranty, they will fight the dealer for you. But I really want a cold-air, and the only one I have found is AEM's. Any experience from other users on that one? Any subsequent problems with it? Warranty issues?

Wheels: I am looking at some Zinik and Eknei 19" and 20". I love the thin 5-spoke look, but I'm not ready to change my break disks and calipers yet. With the 5 spokes, the brakes are all exposed and so far the stock ones look s***; and I dont want to paint my calipers. I might upgrade them later as the funds come in. Any suggestions on good looking rims on a super black coupe?

Lowering: Is it worth lowering when I have 19s (or even 20s)? Changing up the springs is another warranty issue I'm running up against. But I want to do it, if the 20 still provides a large gap.

Tires: I have a few options to choose from. Anyone really like the ones they own that aren't too expensive? I want at least a W speed rating, and I'm open to suggestions.

Grille: I love the honeycomb look, but I don't like the chrome parts. Any tips on getting those the same matte black as the honeycomb grille? And is it possible to remove the Nissan logo but leave the honeycomb intact?

I'm very happy to join the Nicoclub and thank you for all the input you guys (or gals) can provide.

P.S. I may eventually go with a black and orange color scheme on the car (think: http://bit.ly/vIh1Gs) after I explore bodykits. The paint scheme will be of my own creation, and as a designer, I think I can pull off something even nicer than that. As the mods keep coming, and the fund keep coming, I'll keep y'all posted with pics!

Thank you to everyone!

[AlexM.]

Hey welcome to the forums.

Exhaust - there is a difference between the 2.5 and 3.5. They have to go with the respective engine sizes for NISMO at least. Top Speed makes their exhaust for 2.5 but all packages come with an extra piece of piping necessary for 3.5's. You might be able to buy or fabricate something like this for the Nismo exhaust as well.

Intake - I think people have been happy with their AEM CAI

Wheels / Lowering - Lower first. You don't want to get wheels without a drop.

Tires - Hankook ventus v12 are good for me and not too expensive.

Grille - I love the chrome haha. People have painted the chrome. You can remove the logo but the honeycomb does not continue behind it so no one messes with it.

The color scheme looks nice. I wouldn't paint the wheel faces orange though. Overkill. Maybe just paint the calipers / bbk orange.

[funkee]

Thank you for your reply!

Took the car to my mechanic today for the 30k and he keeps insisting that the intakes aren't worth while. He claims that Nissan devotes a ton of money into their designs and if they could get a few more hp or mpg out something cheaper like an intake or filter (versus and engine), they would have. The stock intake grabs the air from the grille but takes it into a closed box.

What do you guys think about that?

As far as a drops go, I see that Eibach springs are pretty popular. Can they be calibrated to different heights? Or does that just come with how the spring is made? Any others tips for doing a drop?

Thanks!

[2010alticoupe]

If you want to adjust different heights you will need coilovers. The springs lower your car an inch. As far as intakes go, they do not give a noticeable difference. They are mostly for sound, though it does more responsive with it on, IMO.
To give my opinion on the color scheme, I would suggest black wheels with hint of orange on the inner part of the spokes.

[SanoSuKe]

Wait, so you're selling your stock taillights or a/m?

[IBCoupe]

If you want to adjust different heights you will need coilovers. The springs lower your car an inch. As far as intakes go, they do not give a noticeable difference. They are mostly for sound, though it does more responsive with it on, IMO.
To give my opinion on the color scheme, I would suggest black wheels with hint of orange on the inner part of the spokes.

Almost this.

If you're aiming for more power, the intake's probably not going to help much. As stated, though, it does change the sound your car makes. If you're like me, however, and do most of your driving on the highway, you'll find, after you install the intake, that your MPG will see a minor shift (+2.5 mpg with my K&N - with the amount of driving I do, the intake paid for itself last month).

[funkee]

Wait, so you're selling your stock taillights or a/m?

I'm trying to get the new lights to fit right, because as I've measured they're not identical. And of course I cracked a piece trying to get the lights out of the damn sockets. If I can get it to fit right and no moisture gets in after a week or two, I will be selling my stock ones in a few weeks. You'll be first on the list.

[DAAN.]

The existing air box that comes from the factory is like sucking air through a straw.

1. A larger air intake opens up the possibility of getting more air into the combustion chamber which enhances the combustion process. More air needs more gas to give you that apparent 2-10 HP (lol @ $50-$300) increase at the crank.

2. A cold(er) air intake -if installed correctly- pushes colder air into the burning process - allow more 'efficient' gas burning, again minor increases in both hp / gas specs.

You obtained the opposite result, but again it is 'apparent' gains, not calculated / performed. In both cases, the on board computer will alter the specs to cope with more air / gas and less exhaust now, limiting your apparent 2-10 HP further.
On top of that, if an engine breathes easier, it needs to exhaust better too; some remove cat back exhaust (manages the necessary back pressure and 'frees' the exhaust from the combustion chamber better).

[IBCoupe]

The existing air box that comes from the factory is like sucking air through a straw.

1. A larger air intake opens up the possibility of getting more air into the combustion chamber which enhances the combustion process. More air needs more gas to give you that apparent 2-10 HP (lol @ $50-$300) increase at the crank.

2. A cold(er) air intake -if installed correctly- pushes colder air into the burning process - allow more 'efficient' gas burning, again minor increases in both hp / gas specs.

You obtained the opposite result, but again it is 'apparent' gains, not calculated / performed. In both cases, the on board computer will alter the specs to cope with more air / gas and less exhaust now, limiting your apparent 2-10 HP further.
On top of that, if an engine breathes easier, it needs to exhaust better too; some remove cat back exhaust (manages the necessary back pressure and 'frees' the exhaust from the combustion chamber better).

Racingline is next.

[Flores45]

Have fun modding! What part of Cali are you from?

[funkee]

Thanks for the input all. I think ill start with the borla exhaust and a drop. Then onto the wheels. Then finally intake, paint and brakes. I'm the south bay area by the way.

Ill let you know SanoSuke if I will sell the lights, if these don't fog up after my fix. Any offers?

[BadaBing7189]

i painted the stock honeycomb grill flat black im selling it on ebay for 99$ lol if your interested its yours it looks dope it really came out fresh

[funkee]

Badabing, it's possible. Do you have any pics? I wasn't able to find it using the link or searching on ebay.

It looks like the AEM CAI is CARB legal, but only for the 08 Altima according to AEM's site. That seems odd since its the same part, just on different years:

http://www.aemintakes.com/search/applic ... od=21-499C
Executive Order: http://arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/devices/eo/D-670.pdf mentions 07-09 Altimas.

I wanted to go with the K&N Typhoon, but I'm Cali and it looks like it it's not CARB legal. Can anyone in CA with the K&N comment?

[Ricko]

PM Sent

my 2.5 K&N is legal but it seems the 3.5 for some reason is not.
http://www.knfilters.com/search/legal_all_states.htm

[funkee]

PM Sent

my 2.5 K&N is legal but it seems the 3.5 for some reason is not.
http://www.knfilters.com/search/legal_all_states.htm

Hey I can't reply to PM's yet apparently probably because of my noob status . Can you PM me your email so we can discuss? I dont want to post my addy to the web and all of its trolling glory.

[Ricko]

Doh! haha, its [email protected]

[BadaBing7189]

yes i will post pics by tomorrow

[dangeris]

You need a set of Dangeris Lumenation headlights!..for your next mod...