White 2012 3.5 Altima Coupe 6MT Start to now - PICS PAGE 1

[Innovazn]

Greddy Spectrum Elite Exhaust FTW for a Catback.

Tanabe FTW for an Axleback. (though Borla is pretty sick too)

I installed my y-pipe and catback using my ramps that I have for oil changes. A non-lowered Altima will have no problems getting onto any basic set of ramps you can get at a local auto parts store. For the y-pipe, I drove the front wheels onto the ramps. For the exhaust, I backed up the rear wheels onto them. Cake. Took me 30 mins to install each. Since your car will be newer than mine was when I did it, I don't anticipate having to break any bolts or anything.

Im confused..... I thought the Y-Pipe goes down to the axle back?

[RicerX]

Negative sir - y-pipe meets the end of the catback. the axelback is basically just the muffler assembly. The pipe between the muffler and the y-pipe is what comes in a catback setup.

[Innovazn]

Negative sir - y-pipe meets the end of the catback. the axelback is basically just the muffler assembly. The pipe between the muffler and the y-pipe is what comes in a catback setup.

AH..... k that was what confused me... Looks like im looking into catbacks now

[SanoSuKe]

I will look into borla and tanabe. And since the Intake was brought up.... K&N Typhoon or the AEM cold air?

They're both pretty awesome, tho I have a K&N. Just make sure you get the CAI not the SRI, gives ya a little bit more HP.

[Innovazn]

I will look into borla and tanabe. And since the Intake was brought up.... K&N Typhoon or the AEM cold air?

They're both pretty awesome, tho I have a K&N. Just make sure you get the CAI not the SRI, gives ya a little bit more HP.

AEM looks neater cuz its got a port that takes on the outside air....

[AllenB]

I will look into borla and tanabe. And since the Intake was brought up.... K&N Typhoon or the AEM cold air?

They're both pretty awesome, tho I have a K&N. Just make sure you get the CAI not the SRI, gives ya a little bit more HP.

Agree with Sano about shooting for a "cold-air" vice "short-ram" (CAI/SRI) but in truth there are very few true CAI's for our car thanks to the engine bay layout.

Both the K&N and the AEM are technically really short rams BUT they compensate by using the factory fresh air intake (the K&N uses the factory ducting) and port the air to an area created by a heat shield. Together, these parts work to get the coolest air available under the hood. A true CAI would get the filter far away from the engine's heat. Again, pretty tall order with the engine bay layout without cutting stuff and looking rough...

I personally went with the K&N for two reasons:
- I preferred the looks and heat shield design.
- I found a kit available used so it was less expensive (board member here sold his car).

IMHO, buy one or the other based on looks and better price; performance wize they are the same thing.

/r

Allen

[Innovazn]

excellent.... I will make some very important decisions this friday and start ordering parts so its not such a long wait... My dealership has called and advised me my car is passing through Nashville Tenessee and is estimated to arrive on April 30th. I will then be picking it up on May 1st and enjoying that b**** for about 2 weeks before i change its life forever.

[funkee]

The y-pipe connects to the mid-pipe, which connects to the axle-back exhaust. A cat-back exhaust comes with an after-market mid-pipe. If you get an axle-back, you will end up using the stock mid-pipe.

As far as intakes, I recommend K&N. The K&N heatshield connects to the stock plastic air duct. Although the AEM has a pretty aluminum air duct, the aluminum absorbs much more heat from the radiator than the plastic air duct, heating up the air before it gets to the air filter.

[Innovazn]

The y-pipe connects to the mid-pipe, which connects to the axle-back exhaust. A cat-back exhaust comes with an after-market mid-pipe. If you get an axle-back, you will end up using the stock mid-pipe.

As far as intakes, I recommend K&N. The K&N heatshield connects to the stock plastic air duct. Although the AEM has a pretty aluminum air duct, the aluminum absorbs much more heat from the radiator than the plastic air duct, heating up the air before it gets to the air filter.

interesting..... Will be noted.... So i should go cat back opposed to Axle or would the stock mid pipe be sufficient? Cuz i mean if the stock pipe is say 2.25in... and the cat back is the same, there really should be no issues right??

[YoungCoupe]

I believe all the intakes are about the same.

[funkee]

The y-pipe connects to the mid-pipe, which connects to the axle-back exhaust. A cat-back exhaust comes with an after-market mid-pipe. If you get an axle-back, you will end up using the stock mid-pipe.

As far as intakes, I recommend K&N. The K&N heatshield connects to the stock plastic air duct. Although the AEM has a pretty aluminum air duct, the aluminum absorbs much more heat from the radiator than the plastic air duct, heating up the air before it gets to the air filter.

interesting..... Will be noted.... So i should go cat back opposed to Axle or would the stock mid pipe be sufficient? Cuz i mean if the stock pipe is say 2.25in... and the cat back is the same, there really should be no issues right??

The biggest gains will be from the y-pipe, which deletes the last unmetered catalytic converter. A cat-back exhaust may give you a very slightly wider diameter mid-pipe. You will most likely not see any gains from a wider mid-pipe, and it's even possible to end up with a loss of power due to less back pressure.

I have the Borla axle-back exhaust with Y-pipe, a K&N up front and an UpRev tune. My mid-pipe is stock, and the car is a freakin' rocket. I can't wait to run this baby on the track and see what the 1/4 mile is. The UpRev tune was great as well. The added torque in the low-end makes the car rip off the line.

[Innovazn]

I wil keep that in mind and see what othersay... Now i noticed people had the Stillen Side skirts and rear skirts or what have you... I just placed an order on the Stillen front lip.... and ill probably need the other 2 pieces to make the car not look all awkward... anyone got any idea if its available for the 2012?

[Innovazn]

Anyone know where i can find 2010+ Eyelids? I seen some guys with the full covered portion and some with partial... Trying to find something which is non transparent and hopefully able to colour match if not black out.

any help, links, or direction would be greatly appreciated.

[Innovazn]

And anyone know how low I can go in terms of Drop before i start scraping those speed bumps?

Racing Line has Springs that drop the front 1.6" and rear .75. Is that still acceptable? And Eibachs?

[funkee]

It really depends on the speedbumps. Even with Eibachs you'll find yourself scraping here and there.

Around my work, the speedbumps are big but gradually sloped. I can get over them without a problem. Then there are these messed up trapezoidal shaped speedbumps. They're not high, but I can't get over them without scraping; and man does it sound bad. Also the spikes in some parking lots, where you can go forward but it will blow out your tires if you reverse? Those are nasty.

My drop is about the height of Eibach springs, but I'm running BC Coils. It's about a lil bit more than a 1 finger gap, but less than 2.

[Innovazn]

-sigh- It's going to be weird not being able to drive over meridians...

[AllenB]

-sigh- It's going to be weird not being able to drive over meridians...

But you drive over meridians every time you drive east or west; What will change??!!


Sorry, the inner Navy smart-a$$ in me just couldn't take it...



/r

Allen

[Innovazn]

I used to drive over the curbs, parking thingys, the low end lane dividers and stuff with my old truck.... Is it suggested to lower? or should i just maintain stock height with the stillen lip? I just want to avoid any risk of scraping.

[AllenB]

I used to drive over the curbs, parking thingys, the low end lane dividers and stuff with my old truck.... Is it suggested to lower? or should i just maintain stock height with the stillen lip? I just want to avoid any risk of scraping.

I was just poking at you, since "meridians" are lines of longitude on a map/chart/globe... Guessing you ment medians!

Bone-stock, you will be very aware of curbs and parking "stoppers" in a parking lot; forget any other shenanigans. If I want to tackle curbs, medians or anything other than well maintained areas, I'll take my truck!

I can tell you that I have zero interest in lowering my A/C after driving it a little while and have managed to scrape the front at stock height. Any lower IMHO and it would be a bear to drive; forget getting it onto ramps for routine maintenance.

I understand the aesthetics of lowering but contrary to what some may think, this is not a "sports" car. I have fought with low clearance cars in the past (even my stock SRT8 was a bear) and it just makes for a poor ride day-to-day and headaches.

To each his/her own but I would be carful with suspension upgrades that sacrifice any ride height. If it is for better handling, then sure but the trade off may be more of a PITA than it's worth. The stock suspension is pretty tight and handles well (for what it is) off the lot.


/r

Allen

[Innovazn]

Note taken.... Ill see how this car feels off the lot... Get the lip and put it on first and see how things roll/looks....

8 days... And works been taken off so i can enjoy the car for the day (and mess with it a lil bit and grab some quotes from some stores and maybe get some 12V work done on it

[funkee]

Only thing that bothers me day to day are the parking stoppers. Other than that, going very slow and at an angle lets me clear most driveways just fine.

There is a forum member who had to take off his front bumper to get on a flat bed truck - he was so low.

This is my height, and I don't think I can afford to go any lower. It barely gets me over most of those parking stoppers. If not for that, I would seriously stick out in every parking spot because I can't pull in as far as other cars.

[Innovazn]

so... should i just leave it stock height then? :s

[funkee]

I think the look of the car will benefit from a drop. But it's really up to you. You'll end up scraping the bottom of your car once in a while, but hey it's the bottom of your car - who is looking? Eibach spring height is fine in my opinion, although the springs put added pressure on the stock struts. I went with BC coilovers, which have after-market struts and springs. They allow you to adjust the car's height, but are more expensive.

[JdsCoupe]

I'm going to sound really dumb here, but what are parking stoppers?

[Innovazn]

Those yellow thingys at the end of each parking stall that stops you from parking like a china man

[sndtgr08]

Its called a Wheelstop. Its usualy a 200lb block of rebar and concrete, thats been drilled and pinned to the pavement. It is there for STUPID drivers. Its to prevent stupid drivers from parking on the side walk, or hitting the building or knocking down the damn handicap signs. It is not there to guide you, or to tell you when you are in the space. Its not there to ram your car into everytime you park. Its not a footrest for your tires. Be an a$$hole like me, and take all 4 spaces. Then nobody can park close enough to ding you with there door.

[JdsCoupe]

Its called a Wheelstop. Its usualy a 200lb block of rebar and concrete, thats been drilled and pinned to the pavement. It is there for STUPID drivers. Its to prevent stupid drivers from parking on the side walk, or hitting the building or knocking down the damn handicap signs. It is not there to guide you, or to tell you when you are in the space. Its not there to ram your car into everytime you park. Its not a footrest for your tires. Be an a$$hole like me, and take all 4 spaces. Then nobody can park close enough to ding you with there door.

ohhh okay. a lot of places in jersey dont have them, but i do know what you're talking about. thanks for clearing that up.

[Innovazn]

I need some help...

question 1 : I am already getting my C-Mod Grille painted... SHOULD I paint the mesh to match?! or leave it black?

question 2 : Tinting my tail lights... Matte Tint? or Gloss tint (like the ones used on windows)

question 3 : Eyelids... Matte Black? or Colour match to hood? (stock Qx3 White)

Multiple replies and suggestions appreciated


anyone?

[Innovazn]

anyone?

[Ranga14]

1. Leave it black.
2. I sprayed my tails matte black, I <3 them.
3. Color match the eyelids.