# Mods?



## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Anyone got any word on who's got mods and info on these cars? What can be done to "sqeeze" a little more umph or make it look a little more unique? Any input is appreciated.


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## Scodiddly (Nov 19, 2007)

My #1 desire at the moment is to figure out a way to disconnect the A/C from the defog setting on the heater. 99% of the time I don't want the A/C on when it's cold out!


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

Check this out for the Versa (AKA: Tiida):



IMPUL TIIDA

Computor









Brakes









Cat Back









Super Charger


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Sweet site. Wish I could read some of it.


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

Scodiddly said:


> My #1 desire at the moment is to figure out a way to disconnect the A/C from the defog setting on the heater. 99% of the time I don't want the A/C on when it's cold out!


theres a very good reason why that is like that.
when you turn on the defrost, you want dry air, not humid air. with the compressor running, youre getting dry air out of the vents and not humid air. that gets your window cleaned up much quicker and keeps it from fogging up.


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## Scodiddly (Nov 19, 2007)

AsleepAltima said:


> theres a very good reason why that is like that.
> when you turn on the defrost, you want dry air, not humid air. with the compressor running, youre getting dry air out of the vents and not humid air. that gets your window cleaned up much quicker and keeps it from fogging up.


To some extent yes, but for the most part no. 

Generally if I've got problems with foggy windows, it's winter. So there's heated (and therefore dry) air coming from the heater core. No need to add the A/C in that case. With my old car I was in the habit of leaving the heater control on "floor + defog", which was kind of nice in that my windows stayed clear and I didn't have the hot air blasting me in the face from the dashboard vents. Very rarely did I ever need to supplement the heat with A/C to clear up the windows.

Now one possibility is that the Versa has a *lot* of glass, so maybe that's why. Or maybe it's because it comes from Japan where you only see serious cold weather way up there in Hokkaido?


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

probably none of those reasons. almost every single newer car out there (and lots of old ones) will have the compressor come on when you turn on defrost. the reason i gave is exactly the reason why. just because air is heated, doesnt make it dry air. ever lived in a hot and humid place? same thing only its everywhere and not just in your car...


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## Scodiddly (Nov 19, 2007)

AsleepAltima said:


> probably none of those reasons. almost every single newer car out there (and lots of old ones) will have the compressor come on when you turn on defrost. the reason i gave is exactly the reason why. just because air is heated, doesnt make it dry air. ever lived in a hot and humid place? same thing only its everywhere and not just in your car...


Well, when air is heated the relative humidity in that air drops. So if you look at a typical winter in the northern midwest (I live in the Chicago area), it's probably a bit below freezing and above 50% humidity. If I heat that air up to 70 degrees (F) then the relative humidity is way below 50%. Plus it warms up the windshield glass, reducing the amount of interior moisture which will be condensed onto that glass. By contrast, the A/C core will be struggling to reduce the temperature and humidity of the incoming air by any significant amount. And while the compressor is on, it's taking power from the engine and reducing my gas mileage.

Now, you could make a case that running the A/C now and then during the winter will help prevent problems with the system - the owner's manual recommends doing just that. But I don't see the need to run it every day by default.

Hey, has anybody ponied up the ~$210 for the service manual yet?


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

I have the manual in PDF format. PM me and I can get it to you.


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

thanks for the science lesson, lol.
the mileage youre losing is minimal. do you realize that new compressors only take about 1 maybe 2 hp tops to turn? thats negligible hp loss. 
also, the a/c system runs off of recirculated air - not fresh air, therefore, the temp and the humidity levels that its dealing with are also negligible.
either way, whether you believe me or not, that is the reason why the compressor comes on for defrost.


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Can you two please stop measuring to see who's bigger and get back on the topic? :balls: Isn't this thread about mods? If it's not going to be hashed out about how to "mod" the heater-A/C system then you are both just adding crap to the thread that everyone interested in mods or bolt-ons has to read through.


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## Scodiddly (Nov 19, 2007)

Well anyway, I'd rather be the one making the choice about whether the A/C needs to come on by default, so that's the mod I'm hoping to figure out. Some of the folks here will be on the flashy side of things, some will want to wring the most moxie out of the engine, and some like me will want to fine tune the gas mileage.  While I'll almost certainly be considering things that make a 0.1% difference, that's where my interest lies. 

Speaking of fine tuning and gas mileage, how about those fake black plastic "fog light" inserts if you didn't buy whatever package had the fog lights? I haven't had any real free time to spend on it, but I'm thinking that just a smooth plastic insert would be better looking as well as a tiny bit more efficient.


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

scooterbob said:


> Can you two please stop measuring to see who's bigger and get back on the topic? :balls: Isn't this thread about mods? If it's not going to be hashed out about how to "mod" the heater-A/C system then you are both just adding crap to the thread that everyone interested in mods or bolt-ons has to read through.


how do you know that other people might be looking at their compressor as a feasible mod as well?
mods arent always about performance or looks or vice/versa. 
anyways, if you dont have fog lights there now, what IS there?


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## Scodiddly (Nov 19, 2007)

I should apologize about the A/C on defrost thing - I didn't really think about how we're likely in much different parts, climate-wise. I'm up in Illinois, in Chicago. It's pretty rare to have to defog the windows with A/C, since usually when you need the defog/defrost (up here we call it "defrost") it's much colder outside and the heat is desirable.

My dream is to find out that there's just a soft setting in the computer, such that next time I go in for maintenance I can just tell the service guy to change it to off by default. In reality it's probably not that easy, but worth looking into.

Regarding the fake fog lights, the base trim model ("S") just has a black plastic insert in the bumper, recessed a bit and shaped to look a bit like a lamp. Cheesy, and not aerodynamic. Black plastic that was flat instead of shaped like a fake light and flush with the bumper would be much better. If I can find the time I'll probably end up trying to cut and bend plastic to fit.


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Check out this site --> Nissan Versa Information Center- Sponsored by NICO

Listed under "tutorials", it has a pretty decent way to get rid of the ugly black "simulated" fog lights. Although it's a good write up, I would probably get a better quality light set then what he used. Also, if you go into the FAQ area of the site, you will find the factory manual available for view or download. 

Any more info and I'd have to start charging you. Lol


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

lol, if i could charge for advice given - id be rich!


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## Scodiddly (Nov 19, 2007)

Awesome, thanks! 

Well, if you want some kind of payback... there are a couple completely different forums (pro audio and DIY microphones) where I give away plenty of free advice. Hey, the system works - I can now read up on the Versa internals thanks to somebody else providing free advice.   

(why are almost all of the emoticons on the page here rude ones, with only one actual smiley?)


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

AsleepAltima said:


> lol, if i could charge for advice given - id be rich!


As would I.:cheers:


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Scodiddly said:


> Awesome, thanks!
> 
> Well, if you want some kind of payback... there are a couple completely different forums (pro audio and DIY microphones) where I give away plenty of free advice. Hey, the system works - I can now read up on the Versa internals thanks to somebody else providing free advice.
> 
> (why are almost all of the emoticons on the page here rude ones, with only one actual smiley?)


As long as everyone continues to pitch in their knowledge, it pays for itself for everyone involved. More than enough for me.


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## 07versa (Dec 3, 2007)

Regarding the fake fog lights, the base trim model ("S") just has a black plastic insert in the bumper, recessed a bit and shaped to look a bit like a lamp. Cheesy, and not aerodynamic. Black plastic that was flat instead of shaped like a fake light and flush with the bumper would be much better. If I can find the time I'll probably end up trying to cut and bend plastic to fit.


i would have to agree with that "fake" fog light thing can stand them... there not goin to bend all that well it`ll break ive tried it already and nissan wants like 300+ for fog lights for it and they want to install it... but if you find some place that has something that is flat with the bumper be sure to drop me a pm on where you got it


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