I purchased a 2004 X with 45000 miles last week. It was all stock from dealer. I am wanting to slowly mod this car in all ways but performance will be the first focus.

To make this easier for everyone to understand, "I AM IGNORANT TO ANY ASPECT OF PERFORMANCE PARTS, AND ENGINES!" But I am slowly learning from reading on this site. I found this site at about 6:00 PM last night and probably have read 6 or 7 hours worth of post and FAQs. So, any and all criticism and advice will be greatly appreciated!

I had a AEM cold air intake put on the car last week (two days after purchase) and am looking at a few other options for the next couple of weeks.

First questions are about the plenum spacers. I have seen a couple different brands to choose from and different sizes as well. Motordyne seems like the most popular from what I can tell, but any input on brand and size would be great. Example, like while reading in the FI section I noticed a lot of 5/16 sized and on here I see some 1/2".

Second. Exhaust. I know there are many different opinions on this issue so lets just make it simple. I remember reading somewhere on here that just an exhaust system alone can be a waste of time without doing something to the mid exhaust. Any elaboration would help this.

Third. The MREV2. It shows that when paired with the 5/16" spacer will add decent HP for the money. Is this the only combination for these two mods?

Last question for tonight. Chips and/or programmers? Best for the money?

Thanks all and sorry such a noob!

Alex

 

Just have to admit to something that had me confused until I gave up.

I commute over 150 miles/day. Was ready to return home the day after I had bought the car, but I needed to fill the tank up first. Well I sat at the pump for over 10 minutes just trying to figure out how in the hel! to open gas door. Ended up having to go back to computer lab to do internet search to open the thing. I did push on it trying to open it but all the doors werent unlocked.

Something the dealership should have diffinatley informed me about since my manual is on order!

 

LMAO on the gas door. Same thing happened to me - I was looking inside for the button/latch like on my old car.

A week later I got a call from my wife who was in a state of panic at the gas station. She, like you, had the doors locked.

Can't help you with the performance stuff, mine's stock for now (though the warranty just ended, so maybe...).

Oh yeah, and FYI the retarded looking yellow symbol on the dash with an exclamation point means a tire is low. eg (!) That was the last thing that sent me looking for the manual.

 

yeah i am familar with that. Wife drives a versa and it stays on for some reason.

 

Plenum Spacers: Many of us 1/2" owners have had the MD spacer prior to 5/16" option... that is not to say that I would go 5/16" if it were available at the time - your car's performance is the sum of all its parts/mods... the combo I have has worked very well for me... 5/16" is a very common choice because independent dyno tests have resulted in moderately higher mean avg versus peak gains - however, it depends on the accompanying mods. Honestly, I would bet money you wouldn’t tell the difference between the two when driving (if that’s all you had). Another reason people like the 5/16” over ½” is for clearance – for some reason some people like to keep the engine cover on (which is peculiar since the spacer is a performance mod and the engine cover theoretically is a performance robber by trapping heat). 5/16” also helps with clearance of strut bar. I have ½” with supporting mods and recommend – but 5/16” is just as viable. Again, you wouldn’t know the difference in daily driving.

Exhaust: Cat back (which is from the catalytic converters all the way to rear section/muffler) is recommended. It’s a bit more expensive than mid pipe/y-pipe, but worth it IMO. Stillen has 2 variations “Gen1” and “Gen2”… both yield good gains (and as stated above, with proper supporting mods either are a good choice). Gen2 was designed to address customer concerns about sound volume and drone. I have Gen 1 (gen 2 wasn’t developed when I got mine)… When Gen2 first came out even Stillen admitted Gen1 made slightly more gains than Gen2– but since then it is reported they are comparable… like the spacers, I almost guarantee you couldn’t tell a difference from casual (even spirited) driving. If you like aggressive sound, gen1 – if you want more subtle, gen2. BTW, when researching exhausts, don’t get confused by coupe reports… For the coupe the exhaust system is entirely different and what works on them has zero to do with sedan. The only other consideration I would suggest is waiting to see how Motordynes new exhaust performs for the sedan.

MREV2: This is a modified lower collector (the bottom part of your plenum) made by Motordyne – there are so many things you should consider prior to this that I would suggest skipping it for now… it is a very viable mod (basically a must) for the Rev-up motor, but you have non rev-up). Once you have maxed out all you other options, a modified lower collector will provide minimal gains (and again, with proper supporting mods can help get that extra edge you need to win a race or hit your tuning target). BTW, I have a modified lower collector (similar to MREV2) and it did lean out my A/F a bit, so I know it works… but you should consider it later.

Tuning: You referenced “chips” and “programmers”… Programmers would be more accurate as there are no viable plug in chips for the VQ. There are several products available to re-flash your ECU and several stand alone units to control critical functions pertaining to performance… from what I can ascertain, you wouldn’t need a stand alone even for you future considerations – so TechnoSquare or Osiris by UpRev would be highly recommended. I’ve had both and strongly recommend either for peak performance to tie in all your mods… I currently run Osiris primarily because its more versatile – it allows for multiple maps (different tunes) that can be toggled on the fly via cruise control buttons – and the developer offers email flashes that you can download to your ECU without any down time for the car. TechnoSquare is a very competent and worthwhile option and will also maximize gains based on mods, but if you live out of the area you will need to remove the ECU and send to them. Again, both will provide good gains. There are a couple of others that may or may not still be around… but I would only deal with the 2 I mentioned (giving the nod to Osiris). One thing to consider though… Every breather (intake/exhaust) mod you make can affect the way your ECU reacts – sometimes the ECU over compensates for a lean condition (resulting from a worthwhile intake or exhaust mod for example) - this will actually have a negative effect on performance… there have been reports of people saying certain mods made them lose power – however, they didn’t have a proper tune to take advantage of the mods. An example is HFC (high flow cats) – when mine were installed the car was a slug because there was more exhaust flow and I was lean – the ECU pulled timing to prevent ping/knock and this hindered performance. At the time I had TechnoSquare so I took the car the Tadashi (their tuner) and he tweaked some things (primarily adjusting air/fuel ratio) and the car had notable increased torque! So wait until you finish the majority of your mods before tuning.

Gas Door: kinda cool that it locks/unlocks with the doors

Wow - that might have been the longest post I've ever put up

Good luck, happy modding

 

Excellent post OCG35, I know this will be something I reference when considering my mods/direction of my car. Thanks for the info.

 

Thanks a bunch OCG35! I still have one question though. When I was researching prior to my post I only found one place to buy the osiris and there were like 3 or 4 different options. Which option should I buy, and if I remember correctly it was around $900. Does that seem correct?

Again thanks a bunch I just now have to call my friend at the shop to get my exhaust on order. That was easy. For some reason I thought I was gonna need to build the seperate sections of the system to have noticable gains.

 

RE: understanding performance parts, engines, ect. ...

You can think of your engine as a big air pump. It sucks air in, mixes it with fuel, and makes the mixture go *kaboom*. We use the kaboom to make the wheels turn round, and then push the byproducts out the back of the car away from the cabin.

The more air you can get in and out of the engine, the more power you can extract out of it. Upgraded intakes and exhaust systems can achieve this. We call them "breather mods". The upside is increase in performance. Consequences in that can be increased noise (which may be a good thing, depending on who you talk to), cost, and possible decrease in efficiency and/or added fuel consumption.

What happens if we get more air in and out? More power? Sure. But we also need to maintain the ratio of air to fuel in the combustion chambers (A/F ratio) so the car runs optimally, in order to get that power, keep the combustion process happening in the right heat range, and keep the car emissions compliant. Modern cars have computers that do all this for us. They are programmed to automatically adjust things within a certain range, but that can only go so far from the stock maps, which were designed with the stock parts of the car in mind.

What this all means to you is that it's a good idea to decide what your goals are before modifying the car in any way. This will save you from pointless purchases in the long run. It'll also save you from putting parts on the car that will possibly not add any benefit without supporting mods, or use up more fuel, or lower efficiency without any benefits. You're off to a great start.

Maybe you just want some easy to install, low-cost breather mods that will give the car a more aggressive sound and give you a little bit more kick. Maybe you plan on learning more and going a bit farther with performance upgrades. Like we said, when you get to a certain point, the car is no longer running optimally. When this happens, you need to have the computer "tuned" to run optimally with your specific setup of modifications. There are a few ways to achieve this, but it's just something to keep in the back of your head right now.

Decide what your goals are, what you plan on spending, ect. and do some reading on what people with similar setups are doing with the car's software, what your options are.

At the risk of overly-complicating something that may not be all that complicated in your case...congrats on the car, and enjoy it.

-Nick

 

The price of Osiris depends on whether you buy the software and Cipher cable and do the tunes via email – which is a simple process of sending UpRev data you acquire from the Cipher cable and email to them, then they email a tune suitable for your cars condition…. Or you go to a certified/authorized Osiris tuner.

If you go to a tuner you don’t need the Cipher cable… you only purchase the Osiris license and pay for the tuning time (mine was $650 or $700)… I recommend using a tuner (if you have one close enough) – they can get more detailed for you specific car while on the dyno than the email tunes.

The email option is a very good alternative in the event you are not within driving distance to a tuner… the cost is $700 and includes the Cipher cable and 4 e-tunes (I’m pretty sure its 4, but you might want to double check)… and unlimited additional e-tunes for $50 (ea)… this option also includes full customer support from UpRev

The $900 option is a new version that they just released – they call it “Pro Tuner”… it has a few enhancements for FI (forced induction) applications and is able to be used by the end user (meaning you). I would advise against this for your particular needs. It’s a very good option for FI cars and owners that like to tuned themselves… it provide no customer support (in terms of tuning) from UpRev

Take a look at their website: http://www.uprev.com/dealers.php and see if there is a tuner near you… then talk with that tuner about your goals – a good tuner can be as big an asset as anything else you do to your car. If there is no tuner near you, the email option is a worthwhile choice.

Good luck, let us know how everything turns out!

Edit: the additional tunes from UpRev are $50 ea - I just realized the way I originally worded it sounded like unlimited number of tunes for one $50 fee