I'll be one of the first to pick this bad-boy up once it comes out! Only concern I have is with the gaskets. I don't exactly know if eliminating the lower gaskets is possible w/o some sort of air-leak? Or is this RTV stuff really that tough?

 

First off I have never heard of this mod before, but it does make perfect sense after reading about it. I think that if one was developed for the 3.5 and it had PROVEN results that it would become very popular. Based on the one for the 3.0 it seems to be a decent price for a relatively small but respectable amount of power increase. The nice part is, by the dyno, that it seems to be throughout the whole power curve, not just the top end.

The only problem I can see is that it may have clearance issues with the hood or strut bars (for those that have them).

Keep us informed on the situation.

 

5hp/8tq peak and gains throughout the power band? Not bad. Of course, price would be the deciding factor.

 

I'll be one of the first to pick this bad-boy up once it comes out! Only concern I have is with the gaskets. I don't exactly know if eliminating the lower gaskets is possible w/o some sort of air-leak? Or is this RTV stuff really that tough?

Hey Gene...

I did a quick Google/Amazon search on that:

Black Silicone RTV - Amazon.com: Loctite RTV Silicone Black Adhesive Sealant-300ml Tube: Tools & Hardware

Ultra Copper - Amazon.com: Permatex ULTRA COPPER Hi-Temp RTV Silicone Gasket Maker 3 oz. tube: Automotive

Black supposedly goes up to 450 degs F and Ultra Copper goes to 700 degs F, at least, that's what is advertised. Regardless, I doubt the intake manifold temps get anywhere close to that. I'm actually going to pick some liquid gasket up at some point when I check and retighten my headers, so I'll let you know how that holds up.

 

Puppetmaster... did someone finally volunteer though? These things are definetly on my purchase list. Our OEM gasket has absolutely no concern for heat dissapation... only air seal. Hope someone comes through...

 

One Maxima owner in FL and one in NC have volunteered, and I've offered to send him my spare IM and collector, so hopefully we'll be able to keep this moving. As you can see, he's already done a great job with the VE ones, so I think there's good reason to be hopeful.

I just hope these things produce results...

 

Yeah.. depending on the price... I'll be using these on the rebuild. Is it just me.. or is that Max IM freakin sick or what?? Nice polishin job!

 

This looks very interesting... I'm subscribing to see what happens.

 

Im not too far from the guy either, so maybe if he needs an altima, i'll go down there...

 

I'm looking forward to this. I have these on my NX2000 and the IM would be cool to the touch while running even after "spirited" drives through West Virginian mountains. I got mine from outlaw engineering. They have many different engine applications.

 

Hey Gene...

I did a quick Google/Amazon search on that:

Black Silicone RTV - Amazon.com: Loctite RTV Silicone Black Adhesive Sealant-300ml Tube: Tools & Hardware

Ultra Copper - Amazon.com: Permatex ULTRA COPPER Hi-Temp RTV Silicone Gasket Maker 3 oz. tube: Automotive

Black supposedly goes up to 450 degs F and Ultra Copper goes to 700 degs F, at least, that's what is advertised. Regardless, I doubt the intake manifold temps get anywhere close to that. I'm actually going to pick some liquid gasket up at some point when I check and retighten my headers, so I'll let you know how that holds up.

Wowza, crazy stuff.

I'm excited, but this is going to be like what.. 6 spacers? Freakin' crazy! I'm definitely excited!

 

im definitetly interested......

 

Does anyone know if the kit being tested/designed for the vq maxima going to fit the Alti's? It looks like the upper mainfold is the same but the 90' collector is different?

 

Does anyone know if the kit being tested/designed for the vq maxima going to fit the Alti's? It looks like the upper mainfold is the same but the 90' collector is different?

I am the guy that is making these kits for the Maxima. To answer your question, yes, they should fit the 3.5 Altima without any problems if you do not have an EGR system. I do have access to a 2002 Altima and all the intake manifold parts appear to be identical to the Maxima of the same year.

In the next couple weeks, I plan to start designing a kit for the 04+ Maxima since it has an EGR system. I am assuming the 04+ Altima is the same.

Thanks for everybody's interest. The kit should be available for sale before the end of April. Visit Nissan Works - Nissan Repair and Performance Modification Specialist or stay tuned to the thread in the 5th gen forum on Maxima.org for the latest information.

 

That Plenum is drop dead gorgeous!
A spacer would probably work best on a ported/polished upper/lower manifold. The added length to the runners would regain the lost torque due to the shelf removal. Other than that, I don't buy the reduced temperature nonsense. A fully warmed engine will have almost exactly the same plenum temperature. Even if it did reduce the Plenum temperature, the lower manifold and heads would have to retain that heat.

 

Other than that, I don't buy the reduced temperature nonsense. A fully warmed engine will have almost exactly the same plenum temperature. Even if it did reduce the Plenum temperature, the lower manifold and heads would have to retain that heat.

That's why I made sure I conducted full temperature and dyno testing on my product. The lower intake manifold surface temps were reduced by over 30 degrees while the upper intake manifold surface temps were reduced by over 40 degrees. Icing down an intake manifold consistantly yields better 1/4 mile times on some cars. It's been proven many times over the years on many different motors. But I've found that icing down the intake manifold on certain motors yield no change in track times at all.

My 1992 Maxima has the VE30DE motor, which is very prone to heat soak. Once the coolant gets above 200 degrees, the car gets VERY sluggish (over 7 tenths slower in the 1/4 mile). With the spacers installed, all heat soak symptoms dissappeared and hot lapping on the track isn't nearly as big of an issue anymore. It definitely made my car more consistant when I am forced to hotlap to the next round when bracket racing.

I understand it's different for every motor out there. Some are effected by high engine and high intake manifold temperatures more than others. And some motors show an increase in power when lengthening the intake runners or plenum volume.

There has been a lot of talk on almost every automotive forum about the physics behind the heating of fast moving air as it rushes into the combustion chamber. It's a very tough thing to prove. But having an intake manifold that is 40 degrees cooler will only help performance. By how much? That's the hard part to prove.

I simply show dyno numbers. I can't say with 100% certainty whether the majority of those gains were due to having lengthened runners or cooler intake manifold temps.

 

First off, I'm always excited about new modifications for the VQ35, and apprecient your support Aaron92SE. If what you say in your last post is correct, then maybe you are on to something. Couple your spacer with a colder thermostat and a bump in timing, maybe a decent gain can be expected.

 

very interesting

 

hmmmm

 

hmmmm

Boynton Beach? I am going to be in Lantana, FL next week.

 

Woo can't wait to get this badboy.

 

I'm Sold..make it and i'll buy it.PERIOD.AWsome IM polish-job BTW..I have an 05 SER A/T.
( BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME )

 

Very interested! Keep us posted.

 

I am interested also

 

isn't this the same thing that all g35/350z guys have been doing. Many are adding a spacer because some of the cylinders are lacking air and they've seen some good results.