# Just another uneducated newbie... :)



## darkmagevivi (Nov 4, 2007)

Hey there, everyone. I'm brand new to the forums, though I've frequented them for several months now for information. I'm a new Altima driver, switched over from a manual 03' civic ex with mods. I know these are SE-R forums, however, I drive a 2005 Altima SE 3.5 (auto), and these forums are about as close as I could get, and considering the engines are the same, I figure you can help me with some basic questions.

Before i get started. Wow. When I went out to go pick my new vehicle, I had narrowed it down to the BMW 323i or an '05 Miata. Being a fan of standards, I leaned toward the Miata, as I was looking for performance, and fun, but it isn't that practical. For the hell of it, I tried out the Altima, as I have always been a fan of Nissan and their older skylines and newer G35's. I was blown away by this vehicle... definitely did not expect the performance that it gave me, which surpassed that of the BMW and the MX-5. Bought it hands down. Auto, yes, which I said I would never drive, but I settled. And the Autostick is a nice little feature..

Anyway, enough with the introduction. I've been looking into performance parts for my vehicle, which is an area that I am fairly new to. I know many basics, but unfortunately, I am not the most engine-wise person in the world. I know the Altimas are somewhat limited in what can be put into them, but I don't know how much so. I want to increase my performance (of course  ), but don't know exactly where to look or what to look at.

In doing my studies, I've outruled the possibility of a turbo/super kit for the car for now, as it seems almost impossible to find at the moment. I did find one super kit for an 05 SE, but, unfortunately it would have cost me 5k.

First off, some basic additions. CAI and exhaust. I'm not looking for some fancy, loud as all hell exhaust like all of the ricers have, but exhaust for pure performance. I've lookied into both of these additions, but don't know what to go with. Of course I looked first into the NISMO CAI and Catback exhaust system, but I see varied opinions online on whether the NISMO parts are choice or whether to go with other setups. I would really like some input here, as this is something I am ready to purchase now What is everyone's opinion on the best performance exhaust and CAI for an 05 Altima SE?

Secondly, I don't know much of anything about the area of headers and cams, but see people frequently mention installing the NISMO headers and cams. I need some educastion in this area; what exactly are headers and cams, and what do they do? I don't understand the mechanics of them at all after reading a few pages on Wiki.

Lastly, any other additions or modifications that would suit my car for increased performance? I'm looking into the Nismo suspension kits, but haven't heard a lot about them.

Sorry about all of the questions... I searched around first, and found a few psuedo answers on the boards, but not what I was looking for. 

Thanks a bunch everyone! I'll be around these boards for a while now that I'm registered. 

-Darren


----------



## YAC (Oct 20, 2007)

if your going to get a cai get the nismo.as for the exhaust go mossy,these are basically what all the altima guys including my self are using.i dont have headers or cams so no input there.it would also be a very good idea to get the nismo suspension it will get rid of the huge gap between your front wheel and fenders and also improve handling quite a bit.also i dont have one yet but will soon purchase a carbon fiber hood looks cool plus its not as heavy.i wouldnt mind getting a turbo charger either but like you said 5k and thats not including install and tuning plus my wife says no .lmao.good luck.maybe i helped maybe not gave it the college try you know .later.


----------



## thezman (Nov 3, 2007)

*headers and cams*

Headers are refering to replacing the exhaust manifolds with "headers" they provide smoother exhaust flow which reduces back pressure and lowers temps as headers are made of tube steel instead of cast iron which doesn't dissipate heat very well for your application you will need to get a quality header wrap to keep the exhaust heat from damaging other things under your hood (plastic items, hoses, spark plug wires, electrical wires, etc....). 

Cams are the mechanical shafts that control when your exhaust and intake valves open and close. Changing cams can make the valves stay open longer allowing a little more air in among other things. Cams are driven by either a "timing chain/belt" called such because it syncronizes the valve movements with the movement of the pistons. If the timing chain/belt "jumps time" your pistons may hit the valves usually bending the valve, which means the valve can't seal properly, loosing compression, which equals power loss. Occasionally in a jumped time situation the valve can knock a whole in the piston, break the cam or "drop the valve" which means that the valve comes loose from it locks and falls down into the cylinder. I'll just say that this is catastrophic for your engine. 

Hope this helps you both of these things will give you a minor power boost if you choose to add headers you may consider having them ported and polished. this means a shop grinds the exhaust exits from the head so they are exactly the same shape and size as the headers again smoother exhaust flow.


----------



## darkmagevivi (Nov 4, 2007)

Thanks to the both of you for the input! It was all helpful and informative. I have a pretty nice understanding of the headers/cams now, as well. Maybe it's just me, but would it even be worth it in the long-run to get headers/cams? So far they sound like they don't make much of a difference in peformance, just minutia. Opinions?

As for the CF hood, I have been looking, but am unable to find one for an 05 Altima SE! Has anyone else had better luck? If so, please point me in the right direction(s), because I am definitely interested!

I figured the NISMO CAI would be choice. Few have told me that putting a CAI on my vehicle would be pointless since I don't have a turbo/super, however, I feel that this has got to be false/illogical... Just wanted a confirmation on this.

I really like the look of the catback system, but I'll have to check out the mossy. Is it for sure a better selection, or is it just preference? 

And last but not least... Anything else that anyone recommends as far as performance mods that I haven't learned about yet? Like I said, I'm fairly new to mechanics of vehicles, but I'm soaking it in like a sponge. Anything and everything informative helps. 

Thanks a bunch!
I'm definitely enjoying the boards.


----------



## jasonsBLKser (Jan 22, 2007)

headers/cam

I am running the HOTSHOT headers on my SER and just those made a very noticeable difference. I havn't dyno-tuned it or anything but I can tell you it is deff worth the money. its like night and day with your acceleration. as for the camshafts they are expensive (about 900 bux from brian crower) but i can guarantee you if you are really getting into the performance part of modding your altima they they are going to be a great addition. its a performance mod that not only gives you HP but also builds your motor a little bit... not as much as say a stroker kit but it does help. I plan on purchasing them for my altima before the end of the year. 

Jason


----------



## darkmagevivi (Nov 4, 2007)

jasonsBLKser said:


> headers/cam
> 
> I am running the HOTSHOT headers on my SER and just those made a very noticeable difference. I havn't dyno-tuned it or anything but I can tell you it is deff worth the money. its like night and day with your acceleration. as for the camshafts they are expensive (about 900 bux from brian crower) but i can guarantee you if you are really getting into the performance part of modding your altima they they are going to be a great addition. its a performance mod that not only gives you HP but also builds your motor a little bit... not as much as say a stroker kit but it does help. I plan on purchasing them for my altima before the end of the year.
> 
> Jason


Thanks for the info.  I'm interested in the camshafts, but like you said, it's really expensive. I looked into the nismo ones, and I believe they are about 900, and plus to get it installed professionally, you're looking at about ten hours of labor, which is easily a grand. Yikes. Plus I hear it's a really risky operation if not insdtalled correctly... Maybe one of these days...

Any word on a carbon fiber hood for the 3.5SE? It's impossible!


----------



## jasonsBLKser (Jan 22, 2007)

what year is your 3.5SE? I have a CF hood for sale right now for the 02-04 models


----------



## darkmagevivi (Nov 4, 2007)

jasonsBLKser said:


> what year is your 3.5SE? I have a CF hood for sale right now for the 02-04 models


Awh. 2005.


----------



## bigballer954life (Dec 1, 2007)

darkmagevivi said:


> Thanks for the info.  I'm interested in the camshafts, but like you said, it's really expensive. I looked into the nismo ones, and I believe they are about 900, and plus to get it installed professionally, you're looking at about ten hours of labor, which is easily a grand. Yikes. Plus I hear it's a really risky operation if not insdtalled correctly... Maybe one of these days...
> 
> Any word on a carbon fiber hood for the 3.5SE? It's impossible!


yes there is a carbon hood for the se 

RAIDEN series carbon fiber hood for Nissan Altima 2005 - 2006 [NA05BMRDNCFH] - $625.00 : AITRacing.com, The Body Kit Distributor


----------



## darkmagevivi (Nov 4, 2007)

bigballer954life said:


> yes there is a carbon hood for the se
> 
> RAIDEN series carbon fiber hood for Nissan Altima 2005 - 2006 [NA05BMRDNCFH] - $625.00 : AITRacing.com, The Body Kit Distributor


Yay! Thanks a bunch. And they have body kits! You're a life saver. Any other carbon hoods anyone knows of for an 05 SE, definitely keep me posted.

Also, more questions... The Altima's VCS.. I'm told can be turned on and off easily, but I've no idea how to go about this. I read something about a switch for it, but can't seem to find one. Is there a way to do this on the SEs? Or is it just an SER feature?

I've found that the main problem with finding charger kits for the 05 Altima is engine room; not enough of it for a turbo. But the one kit I did find specifically for it costs 5K+, which is outrageous, and comes with all the equipment needed to rewire the battery to the trunk of the car in order to make room. One thing I do know, is that rewiring a battery properly to a trunk is not hard at all... Do you think just about any turbo kit would do for an 05 alty as long as my battery is rewired? Given that I buy the proper size turbo and all. The full kit for the alty is just way too expensive for my taste, but sounds so enticing with [email protected] or [email protected] Surely there is a way to get this car modded safely!


----------



## thezman (Nov 3, 2007)

Yes headers are a little expensive and turbos are alot expensive but it is all relative to the power you get from the operation. Headers give you a (relatively) small power boost but you get a much better sound and you car breaths much better which is important for other operations (like turbos). As for headers being "dangerous" this is mostly from bare headers melting componets under the hood wrap them well and you should be safe if you make sure nothing is laying on the pipes. Next danger is improper seals where the headers come off the heads a bad seal can cause you to burn a valve, where it ties into the exhaust system (should be welded) leakage tends to cause backfiring due to low back pressure, especially when you back off the throttle after a hard acceleration sucks fresh O2 rich air into a hot fuel-rich environment......"boom!!!!" this won't hurt you engine the first few times anyway is very bad for the rest of the exhaust though. that is the main dangers i'm aware of in headers. Good Luck.


----------



## Dlerea (Dec 4, 2005)

VIS racing makes a hood for our car. Here it is on my car, I love it.. perfect fit and just looks SEXXXY


----------



## thezman (Nov 3, 2007)

ok with all those high dollar exterior changes how much money have you put UNDER the hood.


----------



## Dlerea (Dec 4, 2005)

thezman said:


> ok with all those high dollar exterior changes how much money have you put UNDER the hood.



Mods are on my sig. Stillen is coming out with a turbo early 08' which I am excited for, flywheel and hd clutch, and ecu are all in my future. Any other suggestions are always welcome.


----------



## darkmagevivi (Nov 4, 2007)

Amazing, thanks everyone. I keep learning more and more with everyone's posts. I'm really into that carbon fiber hood you have; I've been trying to find one that looks just like the stock hood, except CF. Is your alti a 2005? I'm searching the site for an 05 Alt hood, but to no avail.

I won't be installing my headers on my own... do you think if I take it to a good mechanic they will take care of the proper wraps and placement and everything? Or do they often do shotty jobs at this? I would assume install wouldn't be all too expensive, if I read correct, it's a fairly short & simple operation.

05+ Altima turbo in '08? Any idea when it is to be released in this upcoming year? Hopefully it's much, much less expensive than the one that is available... For 5K+ I would much rather trade my car in and buy a much better performance car! Not that I don't love my Alti and the surprising looks I get when it blows people away, but I'm pretty partial to trading in and upgrading to better, faster vehicles when good offers arise...

Any preference on stock tire pressure for best performance & mileage? Pretty lame question, and miniscule at that, but every tire has a sweet spot. Just curious as to the common opinion. 

Thanks everyone! You've taught me lots!

-Darren


----------



## Dlerea (Dec 4, 2005)

darkmagevivi said:


> I'm really into that carbon fiber hood you have; I've been trying to find one that looks just like the stock hood, except CF. Is your alti a 2005? I'm searching the site for an 05 Alt hood, but to no avail.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



My car is a 2005, Will ask the shop that ordered it for me if it was a special order, I am sure they can do the same for you. 

As for the Turbo, Stillen says that they should have it by early 08' and told me to give them a call in Jan. to check up on them.. Will keep you posted when I hear more info.


----------



## thezman (Nov 3, 2007)

well most likely the new turbo is going to be even more expensive. in my experience there is no such thing as a low price turbo. especially when you are talking about a add-on for a car that never had a turbo to begin with. If you go to a Cheap shop you will get shoddy workmanship a good way to avoid this is look around the shop is the place fairly clean? is there insulation falling out of the walls? ok there are going to be car parts laying here and there but do they look like they go with the cars near them? If the proprietor is sporting a ragged 3 day beard and looks like he's been wearing the same shirt for 2 days strait go elsewhere. For my car i'm fond of going to shops that do work on the exotics, BMW, Merce, land rover, Jags, etc they tend to be more competent, have clean organized shops all the mechanics have haircuts and trimmed facial hair. They also cost more BUT they stand behind their work, and will do the work in a timely manner, and its done well when they get done with it. (still less than a Dealership though.)


----------



## Dlerea (Dec 4, 2005)

thezman said:


> well most likely the new turbo is going to be even more expensive. in my experience there is no such thing as a low price turbo. especially when you are talking about a add-on for a car that never had a turbo to begin with. If you go to a Cheap shop you will get shoddy workmanship a good way to avoid this is look around the shop is the place fairly clean? is there insulation falling out of the walls? ok there are going to be car parts laying here and there but do they look like they go with the cars near them? If the proprietor is sporting a ragged 3 day beard and looks like he's been wearing the same shirt for 2 days strait go elsewhere. For my car i'm fond of going to shops that do work on the exotics, BMW, Merce, land rover, Jags, etc they tend to be more competent, have clean organized shops all the mechanics have haircuts and trimmed facial hair. They also cost more BUT they stand behind their work, and will do the work in a timely manner, and its done well when they get done with it. (still less than a Dealership though.)


Well said ZMAN, I won't let anyone touch my car that wounldn't treat it with the same respect that I do, it may cost more but the piece of mind knowing that it will be done RIGHT the first time around is well worth it.


----------



## thezman (Nov 3, 2007)

well i'm pretty sure we treat our cars a great deal differently lol i work mine over from the mechanical side and deal with the visuals last of all but it runs like a screaming banshee from the best rubber i can afford on the ground, all full synth oils and gear lubes, flywheel, brakes (no luck finding aftermarket performance calipers for my Z yet) OH the drilled and slotted rotors are a waste of money they are very prone to warping and cracking if used in heavy braking high heat applications, they look good though. You are better off with high quality street performance pads, most reviews i've seen say the porcelins aren't aggressive enough if you really want to you can go to drilled rotors they aren't nearly as weak (less metal removed from the rotor) still prone to cracking etc though. I'm more the backstreet racer type.


----------



## Dlerea (Dec 4, 2005)

Zman, remind me not to pay you a compliment... and take some advice, do not judge unless you know what you speak of.


----------



## thezman (Nov 3, 2007)

hey don't pay me a compliment. I'm not judging, you have lots of style mods you said your mods are listed in your signature, everything there is either visual or sound related, you speak of respecting your car, I drive the dogsnot out of mine and rebuild or repair when i break it its got dents and scratches all over yours is immaculate i'd bet, to each his own i'm in a 86Z you are in a 200? altima totally different cars for different drivers wasn't trying to bash your style just pointing out the differences. and a spot of advice on the rotors. we both value quality shops though so some things we do have in common.


----------



## darkmagevivi (Nov 4, 2007)

Alright, well I'm ready to purchase my CAI for my vehicle, TONIGHT! Any suggestions on where I should look for the best value in purchasing a new Nismo CAI? The Nismo website itself is a bit pricey, but of course reliable. Nismo site charges $320.00 with shipping (284.75 + 34.25shipping). The AAA Nissan Car Shop I found on Ebay charges $276.00 with shipping (256 + 20.00shipping). Anyone know of any better places to look online that are reliable. Also, I'm not a big Ebay person, but the shop I found on ebay seems rather reliable. Had I had any problems with my new CAI, would I still have a warranty from Nismo on it since it is new in box? Do you think the fact that I got it on Ebay would void it or hinder anything?

Last but not least... I hear the Nismo CAI's are best for my 05 Alti, but that they have an oil filter which is ultimately bad on the engine... Someone had told me i could simply get the Nismo CAI and purchase an AEM air filter to put on it... Is this correct, and easy to do? What are my chances of just finding the AEM air filter sold sep?

Thanks again everyone!


----------



## OchnofConcrete (Jan 7, 2008)

*adding cams?*

ok here's the thing most ppl don't realize about internals on an engine... you're talking about a SYSTEM. one that won't work if one thing is wrong....
if you're gonna do cams.....
which the whole reason you're changing cams is to a: open valves furter, b: open valves longer, c: change timing when valves open.....the whole reason for changing cams is so that your engine can suck in the correct fuel/air mixture for the compression chamber size/ and compression acheived.
this all ties into what type of pistons you use... how far up the bore (which if it's over bored decreases compression until you change other components like the pistons and valves/valve timing)...and everything else... even down to what type of head gasket you use and the torque put on the head bolts/length of head bolts because even the milimeter width of a headgasket changes the compression ratio.... everything is involved in everything.

taking a brand new car and modding the internals is best because you don't have to worry about crank bearing being old/ oil seals being old... bolts that are old and snapping heads off. but the thing about new cars is that the aftermarket doesn't have a wide variety and plethora of info available compared to an older model car that has a large underground/aftermarket following. so in a new car, the parts and assemblage is stronger, but in some cases it's about as technical guesswork as a race shop trying to tweak an extra half horsepower out of a 900 hp car wi/o losing power in the process of dissassembly/assembly... 

but for your application, if you even consider Cams... FIRST CONSIDER THE EFFECTS!!
like i said Cams adjust valve timing, travel, and open-to-close length. they do all this by simply changing the shape of the Cam Lobe (looks like an egg) on the Cam. this lobe rides on the valve lifters and this is how it changes timing, travel, and length.

but don't forget what this does!!!

say you put in some performance racing cams...

now you have different valves workings... which....does what? ..yes, allows for more fuel/air mixture into the chamber and when. but basically this is a 900 waste of money if you don't 
~change pistons/piston rod/rings.....and the biggy... the cylinder bore.....all the way down to the crank... and how much windage you get on the crank/whether or not it's balanced again and wieght reduced///which at the same time you'd be wanting to weight reduced the flywheel... or is it weight increase flywheel... i'm currently researching flywheels for this very reason.
~FUEL INJECTORS AND YOUR ENTIRE AIR INTAKE SYSTEM!!!!!......because the Cams allow more fuel/air in (into that enlarged bore.....compounded by the compression and fuel/air velocity mixing as it enters the chamber, and piston travel, headgasket size, and the other biggy and extremely expensive Cylinder Head upgrade.).....but common senser here ppl... if you're puttin on cams that allow for more air/fuel, and your head and block have now been upgraded to compress and have the space in the chamber for this increase in air/fuel... think on what happens when you've increases how much goes in, but the parts that are giving it to the engine aren't upgraded as well.
it's like saying i've got a bucket that holds 1 gallon, but what you're using to pour the gallon into the bucket is only 1/2 a gallon. ....you end up with a gallon bucket with only half a gallon in it................................
so you have to upgrade injectors....fuel pump and pressure regulator....for highend apps a second inline fuel pump... and a hella fuel filter..... the injectors are catagorized for different apps depending on what you did to your block and head. they have longer pulse widths/higher pressure resistance/and larger flow... all things you have to take into calculations of a system your modifying.
now..... the air system. a better air filter... and short intake to get the air there faster/a larger intake to get more to take in effect the larger cams. then you have to realize that with all this... it still may not be enough for the block/head/cams if you don't add forced induction.... and of course if you've already spent this much on trying to add a hundred horses... which would be foolish cuz you might as well do all this the right way and it ending up to be 300-500 horses added on

~~~and with all this, what else happens??? common sense ppl... you literally have a contained explosive device under your hood and your making the explosion bigger.....

~~~ding ding.. it gets hotter... this is when you add HEADERS, this is when you add Cold Air Intake, this is when you add an Oil Cooler, this is when you add *if you were smart enough to realize this when you were boring the cylinders, you also ported the cooling chambers* a better cooling system.... the hoses/the radiator/the waterpump/the cooling ducts.

so you may laugh at the guy that all he added was some racing fuel and a muffler... maybe a cold air intake on a stock engine... but he'll be laughing at you when you add performance cams for 900....2000 for you cuz you don't know how to do it yourself....because you'll have lost power instead of adding it.

if you want to modd an engine... have one sitting on an engine stand for months on end as you slowly buy all the parts you're going to PUT IN AT THE SAME TIME.... and then of course... you'd be even more idiodic if you put them on slowly one at a time instead of a serious build all at once... because you'll have a year's worth of lent inside your block instead of cleaning and preparing the right way, on the right schedule.

and believe me... i left way more info that i wrote down, out of this thread, because there's just too much to write down.

one example... trueing the block, and what ppl call blueprinting....is not usually what the true definition is... blueprinting is every nook and cranny down to the atom... literally... is inspected/overhauled/and strengthened to be able to handle the additional power you're putting in the engine.

it's plain simple. you put perf. Cams on a stock motor.... unless they are aftermarket tested and tried CAMS MADE FOR STOCK MOTORS you're only going to ruin your engine.

you want power for cheap? go buy a better car.
you want power in the car you have for cheap? bolt ons. and ones that don't effect actual engine technical mechanics.
you want power in the car you have the rips up the street?.....

build an engine from block up. ..and extremely maticulously 10th check everything. everything spec/ every torque/ every part/ every mating surface.


----------



## coloRODan_SE-R (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi guys im new to. I want to get about 300hp maybe with a smaller turbo kit and also make that ugly gap in the front fender go away! 

Wat do you reccomenfd? I am stock exept for the nismo intake. Oh and wats good for exhaust? I dnt want nothing too loud just a lil less restricting.

So i guess wat u thinki sbest for turbo kit, suspension and exhaust?

Thanks alot guys!


----------

