Stillen long tube intake is on its way.

[txgcoupe]

Should receive late next week.

Installation looks fairly simple.

http://www.stillen.com/product...=EX35

John


Modified by txgcoupe at 7:58 PM 1/12/2010

[JCL622]

that doesn't look like that is an actual EX engine bay. Though the gains are supposedly very limited, a intake system does make the car sound SOOO Much meatier.

please post pics and step by step of whatever mods you had to do to the intake kit for it to fit properly!!

regardless of the price/HP on the intake kit, i think the 370 price tag is worth it for the extra meaty sound it should create

[Poyzinous]

I installed it on my fathers EX. The only thing you'll have to do is cut the breather hoses to fit. And the Collar fitment is tight... Even though the parts are the same as the G, stillen should have given you ones longer by about a quarter inch. It fits fine though, and a week after install, it still looks solid. Here's a pic of after I installed mine... It does sound wonderful...

[txgcoupe]

Thanks for the heads up.

What should have been longer?

John

[JCL622]

I installed it on my fathers EX. The only thing you'll have to do is cut the breather hoses to fit. And the Collar fitment is tight... Even though the parts are the same as the G, stillen should have given you ones longer by about a quarter inch. It fits fine though, and a week after install, it still looks solid. Here's a pic of after I installed mine... It does sound wonderful...

how long did this take you? esp since you have two sides to work with. The most work ive done on a car was on a 3G TL and doing the CAI was so simple we simply turned the wheel, moved the battery, and pulled out the wheel well cover and snaked it up.

can you give a more detailed explanation of how you went about all of this? thanks

[txgcoupe]

Just as an FYI, here are the instructions:

http://www.stillen.com/product...t.pdf

John

[Poyzinous]

Well I have thousands of dollars in tools and years experience working on infinitis so I did it in a half hour. Its very straightforward though. Once you do one, the rest are easier. With the basic tools, you should be done in an hour. Don't do it when the car is hot. Oh, the rubber hose connecting the tube to the throttle body is what I think should be a little longer. I was going to send my stillen contact a heads up so maybe he could pass it to engineering to consider it. Its not defective though, it works fine. I just found the fit to be too tight.

[txgcoupe]

Arrived yesterday.

I'll pop it on tomorrow.

Sometime next week I'll swap out the muffler with the one from the G37.

John

[maps]

I just purchased an EX35 AWD Journey and am interested in potential performance upgrades but don't know a thing about them. I have three concerns, damage to the engine, warranty invalidation, and insurance invalidation.

The salesperson at the dealership told me their service department had two EX35's come in over the last year with blown engines due to after-market intake tubes being installed. He didn't mention what brand, etc., or if they were owner-installed, just that this had happened. He also said anything from Nissan Motor Sports should be OK to use but could not comment on other products. Any thoughts on this? Is he blowing smoke or is their a potential issue with the tubes?

I am also considering looking into after-market computer chips that might increase horsepower and torque. Anyone with experience with these? If installed along with new intake tubes would the combination potentially overtax the engine?

Do cat-back or other performance mufflers increase performance or are they just for the extra cool sound?

What suggestions to improve handling, especially cornering?

I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, or direct experiences with how the various after-market additions have affected either the new vehicle warranty or the insurance on the car. It is my fairly uninformed understanding that manufacturers and insurance companies are quick to deny coverage if they can find a legal way to do so.

THX in advance.

[Obsidian EX]

My wife looked at getting me the the Stillen cold air intakes for Christmas and having them installed by the dealer. She was told point blank it would void the warranty and "it's an expensive car to fix". Granted, they would have to prove that the CA actually caused any problems, and could potentially deny coverage based on that, but I don't want to have that type of antagonistic relationship with the dealer; best to be on a good footing! Further, one of the benefits to having a new car is the warranty. Personally, I don't want to do anything to lose it.

Check out the discussion on the Berk high flow cat; it seems to increase hp by ~10-15 hp, so that might be a way to increase hp a little bit. It also sounds a lot more agressive!

The links posted within the EX35/G37 muffler thread have some pretty cool sounding clips. That will probably be my course of action, as I'm more interested in a slightly more aggressive sound, rather than pure gains in hp....297 is good enough for me.

My understanding of modifications and insurance is that they can void any insurance coverage, if your company wasn't informed about them. Not sure if they would adjust your premium if you let them know, but I've heard of a few instances where they denied claims for things like trunk mounted spoilers (hardly performance enhancing), etc. My gut feeling (and it's just that) is that if your insurance company knew you had performance modifications to your vehicle and didn't find out about them until after the fact (i.e., claim time) you would have a much harder time getting your claim settled, if at all.

Cheers!

[JCL622]

I just purchased an EX35 AWD Journey and am interested in potential performance upgrades but don't know a thing about them. I have three concerns, damage to the engine, warranty invalidation, and insurance invalidation.

The salesperson at the dealership told me their service department had two EX35's come in over the last year with blown engines due to after-market intake tubes being installed. He didn't mention what brand, etc., or if they were owner-installed, just that this had happened. He also said anything from Nissan Motor Sports should be OK to use but could not comment on other products. Any thoughts on this? Is he blowing smoke or is their a potential issue with the tubes?

I am also considering looking into after-market computer chips that might increase horsepower and torque. Anyone with experience with these? If installed along with new intake tubes would the combination potentially overtax the engine?

Do cat-back or other performance mufflers increase performance or are they just for the extra cool sound?

What suggestions to improve handling, especially cornering?

I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, or direct experiences with how the various after-market additions have affected either the new vehicle warranty or the insurance on the car. It is my fairly uninformed understanding that manufacturers and insurance companies are quick to deny coverage if they can find a legal way to do so.

THX in advance.

the fact that you asked the service dept. is probably a good indication that maybe you want to research and work on something cheaper than to do anything to ur EX.

not knocking on you, just that ~ i'm all for ppl becoming "enthusiasts" and interested in increasing performance, or handing etc etc, but really, this is a "technically" high 30's, 40k car.Although I will answer your questions, i do highly suggest maybe picking something up from the junkyard and learning off of it. it helped me immensely when i was younger.

anyway, the only time anything aftermarket affects warranty is if the dealer can prove that a specific aftermarket part was the cause of the problem.

so in short, your dealership is f***ing with you. I mean even logically, sales of the EX...barely broke 20k right? if i remember , 2009 was like 16000 sold.....now amongst that 16000 maybe, this is being generous, but 700 EX owners are on this forum, and on top of that maybe 50 have modded? not including Katsu cuz he's not even in the US lol....the likihood of TWO EX's at the same dealership both with aftermarket intake problems? i'd say that's a very slim probability.

Now here's the break down of the most common performance upgrades.

Intake - i think i only know of Stillen that has a part. though i guess technically you can find any 07+ G37 and work with those parts, but the extra fabbing especially for beginners tends to be confusing. - what it does for the car ~ well almost nothing, gains have been shown to be nearly negligable if any, at like 2-3HP at the wheels. All it does is create a growl/deeper breathing sound.....think Chihuahua and St. Bernard.

There's supposedly a ECU tune by bullydog, and by that i mean Rio is the only one that wants to have it, and on the bullydog website, the only option of EX35 tuning is the V8 version of our car......which i have yet to discover. ~ in lieu of that, you're other option is the +2 adv timing. which shifts ur map/ignition timing so that it gives your car a bit more of a peppier pull. It has been proven to improve acceleration times, and if you advance anywhere from +2 to +5 it is generally acceptable. ~ it doesn't void any warranty though it did affect MPG. you can get a +2 tune with anyone that has a Command II/III or another nissan ECU tuner.

Hi Flow Cats/Exhaust. ~ well as txg posted, on paper it seems that everything is exactly the same between our car and the G37. So he's bought megan racing exhaust and will be putting it on today or tomorrow, and we will see how the fit went. ~ here's the catch. we know that our exhaust is restricted to quiet down our car. We DONT know where it is that it has been restricted (i think it's in the resonator and mufflers), so until we can free that up, the exhaust will mostly just be used to produce a deeper sound, though it may inadvertently free up 1HP or 2.

The HFC is made by Berk, and is also pretty much an exhaust setup. For whatever reason they have a dyno gain claim of 10-15HP, which further propagates my notion that our decrease in power from 303 to 298 IS from restricted airflow in the resonator and muffler. - but it is also about 570 dollars i believe.

in terms of power? that is really about all the options you have. another option you have for fast power, and don't give into all the propaganda of the term...is after...a nice good break in...maybe 15-20,000 miles, you could also hook up a small dry shot of NOS. but again this is delving into very very complicated territory and probably beyond what the majority of the EX35forum members would consider. But it is the cheapest and most powerful gain that you could get. I know plenty of people in our class of vehicles and higher who do carry a small NOS system just for those "moments" - it is safe, as long as you understand what you are doing. Which is pretty much the same for ALL things you modify or add on.

if you want to improve handling, get smaller rims and lighter rims. the RPF-1's are one of my favorite light weight rims, but it will affect your odometer reading. i would say get better brakes but i dont know if those set up with the tech pkg will be able to do this. unless you track i wouldn't get stainless steel brake lines.

and then the most logical one is to have a set of VERY sticky summer tires.

you can drop the car get stiffer suspension etc etc, but i dont have as much info on that as i did not look into it. I wanted the car to be at the height it is.

hope this helps, again, sorry for the harsh tone up top, its just, i always want to caution ppl who have little to none exp with modifying that it's a long and arduous hobby. You will never make money off your mod, and it's for you and your own enjoyment alone.

in terms of insurance, unless you get CPE coverage (Custom parts/equipment) it won't be covered in lieu of an accident or theft.

[EibachMBZ]

^ Well said~

[EibachMBZ]

Here are my few comments also:

Your dealership is F***ing with you.There are so many Infiniti dealers here selling Stillen parts over the counter and installed in the brand-new vehicles. Not only that they even carry parts and labor warranty.

Intake- You can get the higher flow drop in filters from K&N that will not harm your new car warranty. It will cost about $100 and the benefit is the engine roar after 3000rpm and save your filter replacement cost over the years. It will give you “0” power gain. That is why I cannot justify to spend almost $400 for a Stillen intake tube that will probably give you 1~2whp.

Exhaust – Berk HFC is what I have in my car for the past 6000 miles. No CEL, no problem. The gain is about 10whp and sound great. But yes, it cost $560. The Y-Pipe appeared to be the same, so that is something will help the air flow also. I am also waiting for TXG on his G37 test fit. I was supposed to do the same thing while back but I wasn’t able to find a used G37 coupe exhaust. If it fits perfectly with the correct exhaust tip location, than we will have more options.

ECU – Don’t touch it. I consult with the programmer/tuner at Techno Square. It seems like our ECU is way too complicated to tune. If reputable Japanese guy who work with all Nissan ECUs tell you that he won’t custom tune a single ECU, I cannot trust a company that sell over the shelf universal product.

Suspension – So far the only available ones for EX35 are from H&R and RS-R. H&R spring seems to be backordered for the longest time, my guess is they encounter some problem and decided not to sell them. RS-R spring and coil over for the Skyline Crossover just out about 2 month.

Insurance, it really depends on your insurance company. I have All-States and I am in good hand. They cover most of my after market parts like rims, body kits and exhaust system w/o adding any premium. Only thing they require me to pay more is the sound system.

[txgcoupe]

My dealership here in Dallas advertises they sell/install Stillen products. Big sign by the showroom for exhaust and CAI systems.

Am I worried about my install of the Stillen CAI. Not at all.

Will a Stillen CAI blow an engine. NO. Most likely blown for other reasons.

John

[Poyzinous]

Another benefit of the stillen intake (or any aftermarket performance system) is you don't need to spend $40 on oem filters every 15-18k miles.

[maps]

No problem with anyone's tone and everyone's input is greatly appreciated. I'm a dunderhead when it comes to knowledge about after market performance tweaks and worse when it comes to actually doing any of the work myself. I asked honest questions and got honest answers - just what I was looking for.

I think, really, that before I start making changes the first order of business is to get used to my new EX35 - give it a good break-in over the next year and focus on its capabilities and my handling of them. It's replacing a 2007 BMW 335i, a pretty tall order when it comes to performance and handling. If the BMW had a manual transmission I'd still be driving it, despite the many frustrations I had with its design, utility, dumb run-flat tires, and little things like the pathetically non-functioning cup holders and in-cabin electronics that seemingly haven't been updated in over a decade. All that and more is true, but man, that car had ferocious acceleration at any speed, the most amazing brakes, and it went through curves as if glued to rails... unless it hit an imperfection in the road surface, in which case the combination of the sport suspension and run-flats would cause it to bounce and chatter its way into the curve.

For an all wheel drive vehicle, my EX35 Journey has great acceleration, decent brakes, and handles better than any of the more than 15 other small AWD SUV-type vehicles I test drove. It also has the best cabin and electronics suite. I love everything about it except perhaps the extra stretch I have to make to grab the seat belt. I'm going to learn to drive the car and let it get several thousands of miles of use before considering making any moves on the after-market front. Until then, I love reading this stuff and thanks again for the input.

[txgcoupe]

Installed the system today.

WAILS like a Banshee

Only problem is... under full throtle at higher RPM's there is an extremely loud buzzing vibration coming from the driver's side of the dashboard.

I'll need to check it out tomorrow. The intake will go before I live with the vibration.

I did notice that the driver's side intake tube is not as snugly supported as the passenger side.

I'll report back again with an update.

John


Modified by txgcoupe at 9:11 PM 1/12/2010

[JCL622]

Installed the system today.

WAILS like a Banshee

Only problem is... under full throtle at higher RPM's there is an extremely loud buzzing vibration coming from the driver's side of the dashboard.

I'll need to check it out tomorrow. The intake will go before I live with the vibration.

I did notice that the driver's side intake tube is not as snugly supported as the passenger side.

I'll report back again with an update.

John

Modified by txgcoupe at 9:11 PM 1/12/2010

well it IS a dual intake system. post pics, and i HOPE you took pics during the install

[InfinitiSquared]

I saw John's set up - it looks sick! Can't wait to hear IT and the new exhaust install. Then it's down to my garage to put on the M's new Megan mid-pips and exhaust!

[txgcoupe]

Scott is going to have one nice sounding M45.

John