New VQ40DE Frontier Intake Manifold Spacer - Please share your comments

[Aaron92SE]

My name is Aaron Kimball and I am the owner of NWP Engineering, Inc. I have been given special permission by the administrator to post this thread to see if there is interest in having another vendor produce and test intake spacers for the Frontier.

We specialize in designing and producing Thermal Intake Spacers for many Nissans, including the Maxima and Altima. All our spacers are flawlessly port matched to the stock intake ports. They also follow the exact same exterior contours of the intake manifold, resulting in a VERY clean install. The other big aspect of our spacers is that they prevent heat from transferring from the heads to the intake manifold. Our kit for the VQ35DE lower intake manifold temperatures by an average of 40 degrees with average HP gains of 10hp and 12 ft-lbs of torque.

But, since the VQ40 has a plastic composite intake manifold, our phenolic laminate material would not be necessary since heat isn't much of an issue. But, I am interested in developing an intake spacer kit for the Frontier. We thoroughly test our products before releasing them, including conducting very accurate dyno testing. We will do at least 3 dyno runs before and then 3 dyno runs after to determine average gains, not just peak gains. And for the VQ40, we will develop several prototypes of various thicknesses to see which provides the highest power gain.

As far as pricing, I should easily be able to stay under $230 for the entire kit, depending how the design process goes. The kit will include one aluminum upper intake manifold spacer, lengthened bolts, other hardware and fasteners that may be needed, installation instructions, and of course, NWP Engineering decals. The actual thickness that we decide on using for this spacer will depend heavily on how our dyno testing goes. It could be only 1/4" thick or it could be as much as 3/4" thick. We also may be able to offer two Thermal Intake Spacers that go between the heads and the lower intake manifold to prevent heat from transferring. Every little bit helps.

Here are a couple pictures to show the quality and precision of our products.

This is the Variable Intake Block Plate for the FWD VQ35DE. It is CNC machined from a solid piece of 6061 aluminum. Note the quality of the raised NWP logo.


This is the Thermal Intake Spacer Kit for the FWD VQ35DE Maxima, Altima, I35, Murano, and Quest. The spacers are made of a high quality phenolic laminate.


This is the VQ35DE Thermal Upper Intake Manifold Spacer on the stock lower intake manifold to show how well everything is matched.


I already have a 2006 Frontier KC 6spd VQ40DE test vehicle lined up in order to get this project off the ground. Please post to express your thoughts on having a new intake spacer kit developed for your truck. If there is interest, I will become an official vendor of this forum and will start with this project immediately.

We strive to offer the highest quality products possible and the best customer service you have ever experienced. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you for your time,

Aaron Kimball
NWP Engineering, Inc.
NWP Engineering, Inc - Custom Design and Fabrication - Automotive Performance Specialist

[Devilrunner665]

how about the 2.5 motor?

[dubie2003]

Looks like a great idea.

Does the phenolic laminate material deform to make a good seal between the parts to eliminate leaks or is there a gasket that we would have to use?

How do you plan on supporting the Throttle Body side of the Plenum once you raise it up?

Also, what other parts do you make for other platforms that you might be able to make for us?

[BlackTigerSE]

I already bought the "other" Intake manifold spacer
Spent $230.00 and got it repaired for $35.00. Grrr. x2, what other parks do you make for other platforms that you might be able to make for us?

[dubie2003]

Originally Posted by BlackTigerSE

What other parks do you make for other platforms that you might be able to make for us?

I surfed their website and they have a Variable Intake Block Plate for the FWD VQ35DE. I think we also have something similar. This might be something they could make for us.

[Aaron92SE]

Originally Posted by Devilrunner665

how about the 2.5 motor?

I can definitely develop parts for the 2.5 if there is demand.

Originally Posted by dubie2003

Looks like a great idea.

Does the phenolic laminate material deform to make a good seal between the parts to eliminate leaks or is there a gasket that we would have to use?

How do you plan on supporting the Throttle Body side of the Plenum once you raise it up?

Also, what other parts do you make for other platforms that you might be able to make for us?

For the VQ40, your upper intake spacer will be made of aluminum. But, it is possible that I will design phenolic thermal intake spacers to go below the lower intake manifold to help prevent heat transfer. This material is very tough and doesn't misshape over time like other thermal spacers, which are usually made of white teflon or nylon 6. I have done a lot of testing with these materials and they do seal great without any gaskets, but since they are so soft, they really misshape and start to break down in less than 6 months. So you won't really be able to reuse them indefinitely. But with the phenolic laminate we use, you can reuse them as many times as you want since they will never break down. They will easily outlast the life of your vehicle. But since they have such a high tensile and impact strength, you will need a very thin layer of black RTV on both sides to prevent intake leaks. This has been proven time and time again to hold up well even on turbocharged applications running 10psi or more. We have even tested the Permatex Black RTV Silicone Gasket Maker up to 8psi of manifold pressure without any leaks. Also, there is a better product now on the market made by Permatex called "1 Minute Gasket". It is a much better gasket maker and I recommend that to all my force inducted customers who could possibly see over 10psi of boost one day.

As far as the intake manifold supports, on all our other kits, you will need to remove them to install the spacers. They will no longer bolt back up. We have also tested this thoroughly without any problems. As far as the exact design of the VQ40 Kit, I can't answer too many technical questions just yet since the prototype kit has not been designed yet. But I am open to hear your suggestions and will take them into consideration when designing the kit.

All the products that we currently produce for other platforms are listed on our website. We mainly specialize in Intake Spacers. But we have several other ideas for future projects that could probably be made for the Frontier as well. If anybody has a particular idea for a new product they would like made, please contact me.

Originally Posted by BlackTigerSE

I already bought the "other" Intake manifold spacer
Spent $230.00 and got it repaired for $35.00. Grrr. x2, what other parks do you make for other platforms that you might be able to make for us?

Right now, our main product is Intake Manifold Spacers. If you have any particular ideas for new products, please let me know.

[RedAlert]

To support the intake on the passenger side would be easy to correct. Once you look at your test vehicle, you will see how. You'd only need to machine a small plate with 4 hole in it and supply two of the bolts. Bolt the new plate to the old one, then reuse the factory boltsthrough the new plate and into the upper plenum. Should work like a charm andbe easy to do. I'm definitely interested in an IMS. And just for some info, the upper plenum has orings that seal it to the manifold, so RTV on the top part might not be needed, but only testing would tell.

[dubie2003]

I am susprised to hear about using RTV but if it works, then I support it.

[07Frontier]

I would be interested in one, depending on final cost. Also, since I am about an hour or so west of you, I would be willing to come down if your other test vehicle falls through.

[mudpunisher]

what about the 3.3?