Posted: Aug 27 2007 at 5:11pm | IP Logged

you would be surprised how much metal weighs... I remember when i helped my friend rebuild his 4runner, it was a frame up restoration since he rolled it. with The body stripped to the cab, with no interior or glass, it took 6 people to pick it up and flip it over to undercoat the bottom.  Next time you get the opportunity, close the tail gate of the Tacoma and then close the tail gate of your frontier... there is a huge differance, i know mine is heavier than a 2500HD tail gate. Also, with this in mind, i think that they may have ... chinced out on a few other areas, Like the plastic fender flares..  I personaly think it looks very.. saturn like... to much plastic..

For building torque, obveously your best option is to get the Stillen supercharger. Roots style blowers are well known for the torque adding charactoristics than HP since the power is more designed for a motor with a lower rev span...and needs air imediatly to fill the longer stroke, than a high rpm motor with a shorter stroke.

Headers are a great choise... they do not have a shorter life span than a factory manifold... but again, you get what you pay for... Im sceptical of who i buy from because it is an art to weld tubular manifolds because of their expansion rates and how they affect the weds at the flang and the collector. the Nismo R spec headers... are guarenteed ... since you actualy can order the vehical from the dealer with this option... they dont tell you alot when you buy the vehical. I've heard good things about the MSA headers, but I'd rather have a nismo part over some aftermarket company when under warranty still. But sticking to an N/a application you cant realy build astranomical power like .. well a diesel thats again.. .turbo.

If you want better mpg... dont modify it, dont off road it, and dont floor it... it will never work as well as it was designed to by several people that work alot less than we do.

Posted: Aug 29 2007 at 7:59pm | IP Logged

yeah, I'm with you on the metal issues.  I just happened to find a Taco for sale on the side of the road and just out of curiosity, I tested the tailgate,  cheap and light.  This got me to thinking, what could Nissan possibly have added to make it so bloddy heavy, and why?  Is it possibler that it is crach rated?  what are the load limits of the two?  The Taco feels empty, and the Fronty feels liek a vault door!  I know sheet metal adds up, but is ours thicker?  I do enjoy the comfort ofd better balanced braking and such acheived from a far more well-balanced vehicle, but 400lbs!?  And it's just the inside toboot!  MInd you, in the tailgate has that much difference, what about he parts we can't test, like the doors?  What about the internal rtoll cages?  What about frame platforms?  They both have rack and pinion steering, and alloy wheels.  What about the hood?  I', still amazed and would really like to know the crash ratings of them both.

I am very familiar with superchargers, especially roots style.  There is no contest as far as a I am concerned,.  If I wer to buy one it would be roots.  But then the mpg fators pops up agfain.  More air needs more fuel.  it never ends.   I would never consider a turbui though.  THye seem great, something for nothing, but remember exhaust temps and engine bay temps.  They also cause major rust problems due to excessive heating and cooling cycles.  Although they are cheaper and easier to mount.  Guys are mounting them under the cab now or under the box.  Lots of piping!

I have no personal experience with headers, just hearsay.  I hear they crack readily cause they turn very brittle after so many cycles and they do not handle offroad vibrations well at all.  They also are vrey hard to keep torqued up.  PLus, engine bay temps go up again.  now are we looking at heat wrap opr hood vents?  Where does it stop?  I know the technology to get better mpg is buried in the truck somewhere, I just have to find it.

I am also going to rip out the extra exhaust balancer weight in the rear.  Why a puck with a nail in it?  How stupid is that.

I did not know that there were NISMO headers!  for our trucks?  Worth the $$$?  The science behind headers astounds me.  Ther eis so much to take into account.  Diameter, length, collecter size and  shape, materials, routing, scavenging, backpressure, air velocity etc.

What is the point to cat back exhaust mods?  Even with massive pies and free flow mufflers, the cat is still the hightest restricion, so what thew point?

Posted: Aug 29 2007 at 8:59pm | IP Logged

IM not sure if this would realy classify as a new thread, but anywhats, I've seen some crash tests of the extera, and ... it didnt realy do any visible damage to the cab... yeah front end damage to a partial front/ side impact, but not alot of absorbsion. Lifted the rear tires insted.  I've actaualy read up on headers a while back, and there realy is a science behind proper construction of them, not only for there performance, but there stregnth. metal does have a grain to it, and it does expand in cirtan directions unlike what some people think where it just expands in all directions from the shap that it presantly is. Also the metal that they use for the welds and for flanges, if differs from the tubing its self. alot of companys will use a sub standard steel or cheap stainless sticking on there welds for cheaper and more economical fabrication, although the Nismo R spec's are tig welds, and very smooth. Also the collector is shaped and ported on the inside, grinded by hand. I payed $580 for mine, but since i've done alot of my 84 300zxt's restoration threw them, i get parts for trade value between dealerships. Honestly, i dont have my headers wraped or even had to retorque them... the've been on for at least 5 months now... i gave everthing that... im not sure... i'll put it tighter torque into it...  and i did the same to my 01 prelude with the Mugen/jamsa  headers,  and nothing lossend up. But my friends 350 jeep has been re torqued 8 times in 2 months... i think its a v8 or american thing... or just the fact that it was put in a dodge product....

I dont personaly think that Turbo's add to rust... yes i think that heat cycles change things, but if anything they bring the carbon in the metal to the surface thust inhibiting damaging rust... it sorta slows it...  my 84 300 has no rust anywhere near where the turbo was ... not even any damage to the paint... but there was a hood scoop right over the turbo so heat has a place to scape after not moving.  Plus alot of piping is true, they didnt come intercooled till '90  the longer your ic piping is , the more lag you have and the posibilitys for surging the compressor you have between shifts, even with a blow off valve.

I do think its important to get a cat back, because the headers only go to the cats, the y pipe is still very restrictive, take a look at the collector where both banks dump together on the pasenger side just before the muffler, the two pipes are crushed into half circals and welded into a ... sligtly larger pipe, this is where they should have been pie cut , coped and welded to a colector pipe, then a flange then a larger pipe on the other side... or... dual inlets on the muffler and a single larger out... cats are a restriction, but this heasitation is all after the cat... and if there is no pressure droping after the cat, than the first initial presure drop is alot less dramatic, though it causes the exhaust temp to be higher... agian... wich can burn out cats prematurely, but hotter gases flow faster... thus... sucking in more of that cold air on the other side... again... it never ends. I think thats why some dealerships just dont try... like the Ranger... still a 4.0... still 190 hp...