Feedback on my impending mods
 

I posted a similar thread on the Northwest forum, but preceded it with a question regarding where to get a tune in the Seattle area.

However, I figure my Nismo brothers may be able to more effectively answer the latter part of my question:

My FI CF exhaust should be on the way within the week, I already have Berk HFCs installed, and I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger on the Z1 post-MAF tubes + K&N drop-ins and Motordyne M370 intake manifold. Does this setup collectively warrant a tune? Does anybody have close to this exact setup on their Nismo? I'm curious about subjective and objective results... or if anybody thinks I'm making a mistake with any of these mods. This probably all I will do to the vehicle performance-wise.

Yes, it warrants a tune,

But out of curiosity, why not go with something like the Stillen G3's instead of the K&N's and post MAF tubes?
Personally I'd rather have G3's over the intake manifold

I recommend a tune!! I gained some good numbers after getting the tune.. I have Stillen CAI, FI Test Pipes and FI Exaust...

From the dyno results I've seen on the manifold, it looks like power and torgue are up pretty much across the board with the exception of the top 200 rpm before redline. From what I've seen on the FI exhaust, you gain power at the top end at the expense of some low-mid range, so I'm hoping to offset that.

As for the intakes, I've always seen questionable results regarding intakes. How much of an improvement (if any) are the G3s over the stock Nismo intakes? I honestly haven't done a lot of homework because I know they involve some modification to the bumper which I don't have the skills to undertake myself; are the dyno results consistently positive or are they inconclusive?

Thanks!

Did you post your before/after somewhere? I'm curious what kinds of gains you saw since my FI CF CB, Berk HFC, and potential intake mods are somewhat close to what you've done.

You don't need a tune. Reset the ECU and let the ECU work... I don't know why people think you need a tune for breathing mods. A tune is going to yield more HP on a stock car. But you have to add the cost of a license and the tune and it's not worth a few HP. Your cars ECU will get you more HP with the breathing mods.

LMAO!!! I love you!!! And I can't rep you again... But :tiphat:

I said the OP's mods warrant a tune, but MOST should know that I'm 100% against the tuning of our cars UNLESS you NEED the other BS features of an 8k redline, a valet tune, a speed limiter taken off, and the "throttle delay"


(Oh, and if you're like me that expects a catastrophic engine failure... Your tune will void your warranty... If anyone wants to have a civilized conversation on this topic, feel free to PM me, and lets not clog the OP's thread)

Correct me if wrong, the UpRev tune actually keeps the stock map so you won't avoid the warranty as long as you set it back before you bring the car in if anything goes wrong.

I'm all about saving some dough. :) How do I do this?

Do I need to reset the ECU for cold air intake and aftermarket exhausts?

Yes, it does, BUT, when you go back to the stock ECU settings, Nissan will go, hmmmmmmm... The ECU was just reflashed... I wonder what this guy was doing........... And you're now screwed

Yessir, it would be smart. Just disconnect the negative terminal of the battery

Thank you! To let you know, you are scoring browny points closer if getting my calipers. Hehe

I just disconected the negative side of the battery to reseet my ECU. um...did i just voided the warranty on my vehicle? if so, you can say goodbye to your calipers. LOL

Just keep saving for Stillen supercharge. I believe it's 6k to do that for 500+Hp. And Stillen will give you 3 years warranty on your engine. You like?

Then just bring a box of dunkin donuts to shut his mouth and get the problem fixed damnit.:icon17:

:icon18::icon18::icon18:

Sometimes the ECU can't compensate for bolts ons, sometimes it can. Example, my 350z was running dangerously lean in the upper rpm range with just bolt ons prior to my Uprev tune. My spark plugs were burnt up pretty bad as well. After I got it tuned everything was kosher. So IMO a tune is worth it. Yes, you are correct, a tune usually only nets you a few hp, buuuuttt, it also cleans up and sets the a/f ratio where it needs to be, along with other great benefits such as eliminating throttle lag, adjust the redline, ect ect....

OP.. put it on a dyno and see where your A/F is at... guaranteed its going to be lean.

It's like a computer. Disconnect it from the power and your info is still there, the RAM has now been deleted though. So next time you boot the computer it has to put the info back onto the RAM to work properly (I know, in a computer this happens in NO time)

Stillen lies BTW, they might get 500 at the CRANK, but I think the highest numbers on this forum with a modified Stillen kit was around 460~ WHP

Yeah that's about right. Stillen kit doesn't give you some crazy numbers. But therefore their reliability is higher then other kits. And they are Nissan's partner. The 3 year warranty gives you extra peace of mind which is nice.

This.

I would like... except I think it's $6000+labor+supporting mods (exhaust, etc.), right?

Question: Is there a fuse that has this same effect? My friend that helps me do all work on my car asked me to determine this before we used the battery method. Thanks in advance!

I'm sure there is somewhere, but the battery is easier

OK, exhaust ships today... so does it make sense to just leave the negative terminal unhooked during installation?

Would y'all characterize this as a "must do" to get the most out of my existing mods (Berk HFCs and FI CF CBE) pending a tune?

Finally... if/when I do get a tune, what do I need to know from a warranty perspective? Does everything drivetrain related just become voided? My car is serviced at a dealership, so it's not like they won't notice the angled CF cans. :)

Bump... do most of you guys just leave the negative terminal unhooked during install?

Nah, there's no way a dealer could say you voided your warranty by disconnecting your battery.

What if your battery got discharged and died, whether by wear and tear or because you left your head lights on overnight or something?

That would suck!!!

Yup. I did. Thats mostly a safety precaution when working on any car, just to make sure there are no live leads on the car while working on it. The second reason when installing a CAI is to reset the ECU.

Yes

This has been beaten to death a million billion times...
A tune isn't JUST for the HP gains (if any)...
I'm 100% against a tune because it plays with your warranty
PM me if you want to know why. I don't want to clutter this thread

A tune does not void your warranty unless they can prove that it directly caused the problem, IE you raised the rev limiter to 10,000 then blew it up trying to rev that high. It all depends on the service manager (heck they can try and void your warranty for ANYTHING not OEM on the car, but you can always dispute it with Infiniti customer care or just go to a different dealer)... but I know 2 of the local dealerships Beaverton Infiniti and Infiniti of Fife are mod friendly.

I've personally been to Beaverton Infiniti for warranty service with full boltons and a tune and they didn't bat an eye, I have a friend who had warranty work done on his supercharged 350z at Infiniti of Fife... Not sure about Kirkland tho.

I have to agree with this. Normally dealership will let it slide. Especially when you have a good relationship with the dealer. Coz they get paid anyways for warranty works. They don't care if the money is from you(customer) or from Nissan. So why not make you happy so that you will keep bringing in the bussiness.

But yeah, unfortunately not all the dealerships are friendly. So pick a good one and stick with it.

Oh, sweet, you guys are from WA!

So, I normally take my car to Campbell-Nelson up in Lake Forest Park. Have you heard anything about their demeanor regarding mods?

I haven't heard anything either way...