# What's the most psi I could safely run on a bone stock 02 v6 maxima on 91 octane?



## Dude...where's my Z? (Apr 3, 2009)

Hi guys.

I sold my 350z about a year ago when my mom replaced her 2002 V6 Maxima with a brand new Prius (lolz), and she gave me the maxima (I was in a little bit of a financial crunch, so I decided to downgrade till I'm richer).

Anyway, so now I have this v6 maxima. My mom was the sole owner, so it's obv in good condition and hasn't been drag raced or anything (my mom drove it the way you would expect the avg mom to drive a car (slowly)).

Anyway, it was advertised as having 255hp if I remember correctly from the factory, which is pretty good. But of course, I can't just leave it stock, I mean, come on now, this is a great situation to put together a bit of a sleeper here. It looks slower than a snail, since it is completely stock, even cosmetically speaking, doesn't even have sick rims or low profile tires, just your standard v6 2002 maxima. So I think it would be a lot of fun to at the very least try to get her up to 300 wheel horsepower.



Anyway, here is my question:


At what point would I need to start switching everything out (as in, needing to get new engine internals, new transmission, new axle new this new that) in order to keep things from breaking due to the car producing too much more horsepower than the parts were designed to handle from the engine's stock 255 horsepower?

Like, what is the most power I can make and still be safely lower than the minimum required to start breaking stuff that doesn't get upgraded?

Can I put on a small turbo and run fairly low boost, just making maybe an extra 60 or 70 horsepower without needing to get forged pistons and connecting rods and a new transmission and so forth?

Or if I went the nitrous route instead, could I get away with a 50 shot with everything bone stock other than getting the injectors and spark plus appropriate? What about a 75 shot? etc

I'm just trying to get a feel for what, in your experience (because I am pretty sure you guys have seen people in EXACTLY this situation before at some point or another, so you guys know from experience) I can get away with here without having to spend a zillion dollars replacing every moving part in the car so that it doesn't break when I punch the gas pedal.

Okay, thanks.


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## HoLiC (May 10, 2010)

My best advice is to never do a turbo without forged internals...

Even if you can run at fairly low boost, you're going to completely wreck the tranny.


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

I can't tell you what boost you can run without knowing everything about the setup......ESPECIALLY the size of the turbo. All you're gonna do is create a wheelspinning monster anyways.


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## SleepyS13 (Apr 10, 2009)

Think about it. PSI is relative to the amount of room you have to stuff air into, correct? I bigger turbo putting out 5psi is going to technically have more air than a smaller turbo at 5psi.

Nitrous is cheap HP, but will cost money to re-fill. It really all depends on what you want.


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## spinnanz (Mar 29, 2011)

SleepyS13 said:


> Think about it. PSI is relative to the amount of room you have to stuff air into, correct? I bigger turbo putting out 5psi is going to technically have more air than a smaller turbo at 5psi.


a bigger turbo making 5psi at X rpm will only be moving more air than a smaller one making 5psi at the same rpm due to a bigger turbo creating less heat, so the air is denser (as its cooler). 

I know for fact you can turbo non turbo safely as its done here in NZ to skyline/cefiro/laurel motors all the time. Generally though its always done by ALWAYS fitting an intercooler, turbo injecotrs and a re-mapped ecu. The re-mapped ecu needs to be tuned specificly for a high comp motor, using a turbo ecu will NOT do as its for a low comp engine. At only 7psi you are near doubling the amount of air going into an engine, stock injectors will never keep up


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