# Hello, I'm hoping I came to the right spot here...



## ladychari701 (Sep 10, 2004)

Hello, I have just joined this board today and I hope I came to the right category...
This is what my car looks like currently.








I'm hoping to get some ideas for further modifications. 
Since I'm pretty new to this field, I also have alot to learn on it too. 
I'm ready with a pad and pencil for suggestions. 
I added my reasons for the modifications in my first new thread under the new members section. 
So far, my plans are to repaint it dark blue and take the dent out from the trunk area. I also have 2 neon tubes ready to go underneath the sides of the car...

Need some more help though...

Thanks.


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## Nismo1997 (Dec 26, 2003)

get a HotShot Cold Air intake, Hotshot Header. And a stromung catback. if u dont wanna spend that kinda $ go to a muffler place and get a 2inch mandrel bend catback..

for the hotshot parts.
www.Hotshot.com

Also u can read up on www.sentra.net


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## kenshin138 (Aug 28, 2004)

Where to start...a few things:

1. You should realize that you have a car that isn't as "popular" as many others (ie: integra, civic, eclipse, etc.). This means you will have a harder time finding stuff that you want. Ie: you can't just go on ebay and find page after page after page of fenders, body kits, wings, etc.

2. Many people who fix up Nissans are more into performance than looks. This also means that many parts avaliable for the cars are more "go" and less "show". Based on your intro thread and the pic above, I will assume you are more into "show". That doesnt mean you cant add a little "go" to the car, but again, it depends on what you want to do with it in the end. Is the car an auto or a 5spd?

3. What are you really looking to do to your car? If its just looks, then it seems you have selected some wheels already. Problem is, when you put larger wheels on with thinner tires, the car will appear "taller" (also called 4x4 look  ). I would really look into lowering the car to clean up the "wheel gap" (area between top of tire and the wheelwell itself). Sadly, as posted many times our cars dont really "lower well" so you have a few choices. You could go with a minimal drop and be happy with it. Go with a larger drop and just deal with the poor riding, invest a LOT of money in a setup that may still not offer the lowering you want. Or...(I am sure to be the ONLY person suggesting this on this board), you could look at perhaps airbags or some other form of air suspension that will let you drive with the car as is, but slam it on the group for shows. This is more common on full luxury cars, lowriders, and certain styles of imports. It really depends on what you want to do with your car. If you go with a minimal drop, you could add a simple body kit to make the car appear a little lower, and make it look nicer. You dont have a LOT of choices, but they do make a few kits for the car.

4. I would really suggest looking around the forums and doing searches. That should answer most questions that you have.


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## stevja1 (Jan 25, 2004)

kenshin138 said:


> Where to start...a few things:
> 
> 1. You should realize that you have a car that isn't as "popular" as many others (ie: integra, civic, eclipse, etc.). This means you will have a harder time finding stuff that you want. Ie: you can't just go on ebay and find page after page after page of fenders, body kits, wings, etc.
> 
> ...


Haha! Airbags. On a sentra. That would be kinda cool to see. Not that I would do it to my car, but it would be different. 

There is a forum for the 'Looks' part of the car. Also, go to www.cardomain.com and look at some of the things other people have done with their cars. Some cool cheap things that are really cool are the mesh grill kits, and the halo headlights. I put together my own grill for free, and it looks alright. (Much better than the stock grill.) I would like to get halos sometime, but I want a 5 speed first. 

There are some pretty sweet body kits out there for our car. I just felt sick about spending $500 dollars on something that just makes my car look a little nicer. I'd rather buy a header or a turbo or something. 

As far as performance, your best bang for the buck is either a header or a turbocharger. If you have a standard transmission, I've heard that an aluminum flywheel does wonders for accel time.

As far as the suspension drop goes, I think that would help. I have the 4x4 look as well, and it sucks. If I get some spare cash sometime, I'll probably drop the car about an inch or so. Has anybody tried dropping the front of the car and leaving the back alone? (Or is that really dumb?)

Also, what kind of sound system do you have? You can get some pretty rad systems for not too much. It also adds to the coolness of the car.

I hope this helps.


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## 200SushiX (Jul 12, 2002)

Get rid of those chome wheels and get some decent
rims, IMO. Other than that it looks nice; maybe ditch
the stickers? But that's just me: I like the no flash look.


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## captain_shrapnel (Sep 10, 2004)

Considering that you are a seemingly a bit of a newcomer to performance parts, I would 1st recommend a good mechanic. Or a friend who REALLY knows what they are doing and can help you out. Also, a shop manual might not be a bad idea. Of course, if you wanna ditch all that and jump in, I vote for the Jim Wolf ECU upgrade. Gets rid of the speed limiter, raises the rev limiter, and just does nice good spicy things to your motor.


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## kenshin138 (Aug 28, 2004)

stevja1 said:


> Haha! Airbags. On a sentra. That would be kinda cool to see. Not that I would do it to my car, but it would be different.


I assume the car in the following pic is on some form of air ride. Unless its coilovers dropped ALL the way for a show:


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## ladychari701 (Sep 10, 2004)

thanks for all the suggestions...the first thing i wanted to elaborate on is the height of the car. there is a wheel gap there and when i look at the car from the back angle, it looks like a hunchback. kind of low in front, a little high in the back. im hoping to first take care of those...


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## Nismo1997 (Dec 26, 2003)

get KYB AGX struts and a set of tein s tech spring...i got them on my sentra and it handles like its on rails..


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## ladychari701 (Sep 10, 2004)

hello.
can some of these items be bought online or do i have to go to the dealer?


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## RivStar (Sep 5, 2004)

most of the guys on this board get their parts online...

as for dealers... i don't think i've ever seen any performance shops that actually has performance parts for the B14 in stock... a lot of them can order whatever part you want tho, however it may end up costing more...


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## blk240sxgp (Jan 24, 2004)

i say ditch the rims and stickers lol. those rims are slowing the car down, unless you want show? im the more go type  the ecu sounds like a good upgrade but then it would be smart to upgrade the fuel injectors. just a thought, not big on sentras personally ( i have a sil-eighty)


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## captain_shrapnel (Sep 10, 2004)

blk240sxgp said:


> i say ditch the rims and stickers lol. those rims are slowing the car down, unless you want show? im the more go type  the ecu sounds like a good upgrade but then it would be smart to upgrade the fuel injectors. just a thought, not big on sentras personally ( i have a sil-eighty)


I dont believe the fuel injectors need to be upgraded for quite a awhile. I have the JWT ecu in my SR20de and the only time JWT recommends an injector upgrade is when the nitrous daughter board is plugged in. In fact, even then, the stock injectors are solid for a 50 shot, 100 shot requires new ones.


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## jmann98 (Aug 20, 2004)

Umm, let's start over. For purly cosmetics of the car, try this sub-forum: http://www.nissanforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=117 and search the web.

Some of the sub-forums on this forum overlap, which mostly can't be prevented. Example: lowering your car involves replacing suspension parts. There is a suspension/brakes sub-forum for all Nissans, there is a chassis sub-forum for the b14 (95-99 sentras) that you are on, and there is a cosmetics sub-branch for all Nissans. And if you post the same question in more than one, the moderators will yell at you. 

There's a lot of different angles you can take with your car. The simplest way to brake it down is show vs. go. You can do both, but it sounds like you're definitely leaning toward show, with some go added in when its convenient and cheap.

I don't know anything about body-kits and wings, etc. but to address lowering your car, you can research suspension threads up the wazoo, but if you have the money, a Tein Basic set up is about $800 and is your best bet. Keep in mind: if you can install stuff yourself or have someone help you, this will be extremely helpful to your bank balance. If not, check w/performance shops before you buy for an estimate. Tell them what your goals are and what you are thinking of buying. If you're not getting good answers, call someone else. You could go cheap and cut your springs or throw on some $150 lowering springs for the same look, but this will give you lousy overall performance, and lead to damaged car parts. This is the truth, and it can't be avoided. Ignore posts to the contrary, even though you don't want to. For $800 your car will look good and handle VERY well. The ride will be tight and sensitive to bumps, but very controlled and fine over smoother roads. The Tein SS set up is more expensive and is good for racers, and Ground Control is a bit cheaper but not as a good value as the Basic. Keep your original parts! Shops will try to keep them. If you really want to throw your car around turns fast, look at a rear anti-sway bar and bending your beam up near LA at West End Alignment. A front strut tower brace looks cool under your hood, is cheap (see ebay), but probably won't help handling much. The Basic setup should be more than enough handling prowess unless you're looking to really push the car through the turns and/or race. Replace worn tires with performance tires if you find them sqeeling or loosing traction with this set up (and get a radar detector or a race track!). Ensure proper inflation at all times! Eyeballing your tires doesn't work.

For music, check crutchfield.com - it'll list what parts are easy installs for your model, particularly speakers. Then shop somewhere else. Deals can be had w/online shopping, but you're left to install. You can have good sound for around $300 (head plus 4 speakers). You don't need an amp unless you want serious sound and/or serious bass. Decide if you want an amp up front, and buy your head accordingly. Any salesman can elaborate on this. Make up your mind, and buy everything at once.

As for paint, you can go the $200 route, but you'll end up with lower quality paint job than what you have now. Be careful.

Cheap "go" mods include adjusting your timing (free with access to a timing light, plus premium gas), cold air intakes, performance mufflers, and a crank pulley swap (there are 3 other pulley swaps you can do, but they are of less bang for the buck). Research these. Definitely check out cold air intakes - sounds cool and a decent performance gain. Show AND go! The muffler will hardly make a power difference, but it can look and sound cool if you get the right one. Other mods are cheap if they happen to break: flywheel, exhaust manifold (the performance replacement is called a header), exhaust mid-pipe (aka b-pipe, aka cat-back exhaust), performance tires. Unless you have serious money to spend, mods like a header, cams, ECUs, and turbos are probably not what you're looking for. The right intake and muffler will make your car look better, sound better, and give you some performance gain. It'll make your car feel sportier even if you can't haul ass. Again, advanced timing and replacing the crank pulley are also good bets you can sorta feel. From there you're looking at serious money. There are no cheap shortcuts for power - another unfortunate truth. A header/cat-back exhaust would probably be next for a grand. Bring your credit card. 

Good luck!


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## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

kenshin138 said:


> I assume the car in the following pic is on some form of air ride. Unless its coilovers dropped ALL the way for a show:


That is/was Overlooked's car. It is/was bagged sitting on 19's.


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## nizzan4u2nv (Apr 14, 2004)

First off, before I suggest anything let me ask... What do you plan on doing with the car( ie daily driver, weekend warrior, drag, road race, autocross, show). What type of power do you plan on making? Its funny how people recommend all kinds of things without first evaluating the situation. 

As for mr sil80 i would suggest against posting false information.


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## ladychari701 (Sep 10, 2004)

i think im pretty much gonna treat it the way im treating it now...just take it to work and more than likely on my nature trips-pictures for my webpages. just point a to point b...but i still would love to make it look and sound nice
so maybe im leaning towards the if you got it flaunt it thing....


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## B14Boost (Sep 6, 2004)

SR20!!! :thumbup:


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

200SushiX said:


> Get rid of those chome wheels and get some decent
> rims, IMO. Other than that it looks nice; maybe ditch
> the stickers? But that's just me: I like the no flash look.


i agree the wheels are pretty busted. get either the stock 15in se-r wheels and paint them or what ever or get some 16in. i think anything other that for our cars looks bad also it makes the ride pretty harsh cuz u dont have any sidewall to soak up the bumps. and if you do just one thing to your car what ever it is i beg of you please no wings! at all not even a stock one pleeeeease


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## black96SE-R (Sep 11, 2004)

*neon lights you dont have a civic man*

dude ya go with basic bolt on parts hotshat cai and headers but please dont put on the neon lights thats a ricer thing to do, people with civics and neons do that not nissans. please dont ruin it for us ;-)


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## black96SE-R (Sep 11, 2004)

*ecu upgrade*

dont get me wrong i definatley think ecu are a awesome upgrade but my opinion is you should do that towards the end cause you can get your ecu tuned to your car and you should do it towards the end so if u do the ecu at the begining every time you add something it will change it. so my opinion do the ecu last so you can get it tuned to your car including the after markets shit. if u do the ecu last and get it tuned to your car you will get the most of of the ecu


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## ladychari701 (Sep 10, 2004)

just came by to say thanks for all the opinions...

i’m not sure if i posted this on earlier but i think i just want to have my car slightly modified now. funds are still short for me - im wondering if i will get this job i just got interviewed for this week. it pays 12-15 dollars an hour.

for now i will just get the dent taken out from the back and get the car repainted (seperately) only because i have been putting it off for the longest time. everything else will have to be put on hold until i get a new job...8.50 an hour for 40 hours a week is not, i repeat NOT enough!!!

until then, i will have those ideas in mind. i can’t afford all the fancy stuff though. of course, i do want the car to run smoothly like it normally does - but as far as looks go, just an extra kick would be good. i don’t think i intend to race it either...don’t matter what those people beside me at the stoplight in their fancied out car says. i just might have to go with the “show and go” routine... i do admit, that air intake idea sounds cool though...i wouldn't mind having my engine sound different...just hoping there is one made for my type of car...since there are not many mod choices for setra GXEs. 

also i have been trying so hard now to sell this Mugen Power Sticker. I got it as a gift from someone and I wondered what kind of parts Mugen made. Out of curiosity I looked at Mugen’s website, to find that they only make performance parts for Hondas. 
The sticker is brand new, 3’’ x 22’’ (windshield size) and it’s a design of the logo (Japanese symbols then their name) Very nice looking but I own a Nissan, not a Honda. 
I know I shouldn’t post this but if you guys have friends or anyone that owns a Honda with Mugen performance parts in it, I got a decal sticker up for sale. I want to get rid of it. 

I’ll be sure to keep everyone informed on when the “big bucks” come in so i can get started. 

thanks again.


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## captain_shrapnel (Sep 10, 2004)

Mugen stickers have no place in a Nissan forum. See if you can find a riced out Honda kid you could sell that to. Doubtful anyone here would want it. Good luck with your ride, may your upgrades come swiftly and non-defective.


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## ladychari701 (Sep 10, 2004)

that's what im tryin to do and that's why i want to sell it...it dosn't go on a nissan car. but because it's brand new, i don't want to throw it away.


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