New VQ40DE Frontier Intake Manifold Spacer - Please share your comments

[Aaron92SE]

Originally Posted by 2WD_NISMO

Smooth or rifled bore?

We will most likely experiment with smooth throttle body spacers. But this will be after the first kit has been developed.

Originally Posted by tomtom

Understood, I am just saying that the fact that you are experimenting with a variety of thicknesses and combinations to come up with one that works best for us is awesome! I don't subscribe to the notion that more is better, in fact I often assume that "less is more" So if its upper and lower spacers, spacer and tbs, spacer only we can feel confident that you've experimented with a variety of combinations and come up with the best one.

As for what the majority wants, I agree with the notion of creating a poll to determine that. My vote would be for power over speed, and frankly with gas prices where they are improved fuel efficiency would be a great selling point too.

BTW - Thanks for doing this I hope that it becomes a win-win situation.

A gain in gas mileage is always a plus. But I have yet found a way to noticeably increase gas mileage with just using intake spacers. But, the improvement in airflow with our port matched spacers and increased low end and midrange torque will definitely help gas mileage at cruising rpms. But we have not been able to prove a noticeable gain. One thing is for certain though. That with all our spacer kits, not one of them has shown a decrease in gas mileage. It can only help.

Also, when you say 'power' over 'speed', what exactly do you mean? Some people think 'peak HP dyno numbers' when they hear 'power'. These spacers will not increase the engine's peak HP numbers. But they will significantly increase the low end and midrange power. They will most likely sacrifice a little top end power though. That is why we have to test more than one thickness to see which is best for this engine.

Also, when you say 'speed', do you mean strictly acceleration numbers? Speed and Power tend to go hand and hand. But some people are willing to give up, say, 5-10hp above 5K rpm in exchange for an increase of 30hp below 5K rpm. That is probably b/c they tow a lot or do a lot of off roading and spend a lot of time below 5000rpm. But some people are solely interested in the truck's ability to accelerate as fast as possible from 0-60mph or in the 1/4 mile, which involves spending a lot of time above 5K rpm. If that is the case, a big top end loss is unacceptable. I definitely vote for improvement in acceleration numbers regardless of what kind of shift you see in the torque curve. So a thinner spacer would be needed for this, probably between 1/4" to 1/2" thick. But, for those that are willing to sacrifice top end power in exchange for lots of low end torque and more throttle response, a 1/2" - 3/4" thick spacer may be best.

Thanks for your input.

Originally Posted by ToddG

0-60 would impress me more than what's going on at 90+mph like in the 1/4 mile.

Remember, it's not how fast you go it's how fast you get going.

Yes, I agree. So, a large shift in the torque band probably won't be best for making the most power in the area used most between 0-60 or 0-95 (like in the 1/4 mile). Sure, a thick spacer will provide a huge increase in throttle response and partial throttle power and your truck will certainly "feel" fast from stoplight to stoplight. The fun factor will be there. But it may hurt top end power so much that your 1/4 mile times could actually be hindered.

So one thing I will determine during testing is exactly which area of the power band is used most during wide open throttle acceleration runs. Once I determine the area that is used most for 0-60 and 0-95mph runs, then I will be able to know which spacer will actually make your truck faster, rather than which one just makes it "feel" faster.

[bigdog]

Originally Posted by Aaron92SE

Also, when you say 'power' over 'speed', what exactly do you mean? Some people think 'peak HP dyno numbers' when they hear 'power'. These spacers will not increase the engine's peak HP numbers. But they will significantly increase the low end and midrange power. They will most likely sacrifice a little top end power though. That is why we have to test more than one thickness to see which is best for this engine.

Also, when you say 'speed', do you mean strictly acceleration numbers? Speed and Power tend to go hand and hand. But some people are willing to give up, say, 5-10hp above 5K rpm in exchange for an increase of 30hp below 5K rpm. That is probably b/c they tow a lot or do a lot of off roading and spend a lot of time below 5000rpm. But some people are solely interested in the truck's ability to accelerate as fast as possible from 0-60mph or in the 1/4 mile, which involves spending a lot of time above 5K rpm. If that is the case, a big top end loss is unacceptable. I definitely vote for improvement in acceleration numbers regardless of what kind of shift you see in the torque curve. So a thinner spacer would be needed for this, probably between 1/4" to 1/2" thick. But, for those that are willing to sacrifice top end power in exchange for lots of low end torque and more throttle response, a 1/2" - 3/4" thick spacer may be best.

So when I say "power" I mean pulling power or low end torque, and when I say "speed" I mean top end speed. For me going 105mph makes no sense, so I don't need to more top end. If that is what I wanted I would buy a viper not a frontier. So I am definitely in favor of losing a little bit of the top end in exchange low end torque and throttle response.

[bdhaeh]

IMO, this engine loves to rev, the powerband on my truck only kicks in once it hits 3.5k - 4k rpms. This is also the rpm range in which the truck shifts to in WOT runs, at least with the auto tranny. My only complaint about my truck is the perfomance below that range, this is mostly due to the WOT throttle restriction and the VVT. I spend most of my driving below 2.5k rpms in order to save gas, so any gains in the bottom end would be great.


.

[Aaron92SE]

Originally Posted by tomtom

So when I say "power" I mean pulling power or low end torque, and when I say "speed" I mean top end speed. For me going 105mph makes no sense, so I don't need to more top end. If that is what I wanted I would buy a viper not a frontier. So I am definitely in favor of losing a little bit of the top end in exchange low end torque and throttle response.

I gotcha. When I say "top end", I am not referring to speed in anyway. I am only talking about the powerband. For instance, the term "top end power", may mean the amount of power you make between 5K rpm and the rev limiter. It does not matter which gear you are in or how fast you are moving.

So when I say "low end power", I am talking about the power band between roughly 1500-3500 rpm. So, whenever you see that on your tachometer, that is considered low end power. It does not depend on which gear you are in. If you are revving around 3K rpm, you will have increased power. So, if you are pulling a trailer on the highway in 5th gear at 60mph, this increase in low end power will be very helpful since you should be revving between 2K and 3K.

But I will be sure to accurately test everything in order to come up with the best overall power gain possible.

Originally Posted by bdhaeh

IMO, this engine loves to rev, the powerband on my truck only kicks in once it hits 3.5k - 4k rpms. This is also the rpm range in which the truck shifts to in WOT runs, at least with the auto tranny. My only complaint about my truck is the perfomance below that range, this is mostly due to the WOT throttle restriction and the VVT. I spend most of my driving below 2.5k rpms in order to save gas, so any gains in the bottom end would be great.

Thanks for the input.

[ToddG]

Don't forget that quite a few of us have manual transmissions.
I know the gearing is different for sure (final drive ratio anyway).

I'm not sure exactly how (or even if) that would impact the "sweet spot" on the spacer thickness, but thought I'd throw that into discussion.

[Aaron92SE]

Originally Posted by ToddG

Don't forget that quite a few of us have manual transmissions.
I know the gearing is different for sure (final drive ratio anyway).

I'm not sure exactly how (or even if) that would impact the "sweet spot" on the spacer thickness, but thought I'd throw that into discussion.

Yeah. All dyno testing will be done on a 6spd Frontier. The gearing is definitely way different. So it may effect the acceleration numbers that we get from 0-60mph. But the dyno results will still be the same.

[bigdog]

Originally Posted by Aaron92SE

I gotcha. When I say "top end", I am not referring to speed in anyway. I am only talking about the powerband. For instance, the term "top end power", may mean the amount of power you make between 5K rpm and the rev limiter. It does not matter which gear you are in or how fast you are moving.

So when I say "low end power", I am talking about the power band between roughly 1500-3500 rpm. So, whenever you see that on your tachometer, that is considered low end power. It does not depend on which gear you are in. If you are revving around 3K rpm, you will have increased power. So, if you are pulling a trailer on the highway in 5th gear at 60mph, this increase in low end power will be very helpful since you should be revving between 2K and 3K.

OK, well it sounds like we are getting our syntax straight, but already had the same vision. The 1500-3500RPM range is definitly where I spend most of my time and if you can get me to 60mph with a lower rpm then that has to equate to fuel economy, not to mention more towing power, and more rock climbing power. I hope that your dyno proves out, becuase this will be a very exciting addition to our trucks.

[Aaron92SE]

Originally Posted by tomtom

OK, well it sounds like we are getting our syntax straight, but already had the same vision. The 1500-3500RPM range is definitly where I spend most of my time and if you can get me to 60mph with a lower rpm then that has to equate to fuel economy, not to mention more towing power, and more rock climbing power. I hope that your dyno proves out, becuase this will be a very exciting addition to our trucks.

Yeah. Only dyno testing will tell. There are no guarantees, but I see no reason why I will be unable to find something that provides a solid low end and midrange power increase.

[dsef82]

when the testing is done please show the dyno chart with the rpm across the bottom. I have seen some with speed and that does not help.

[06_footy]

Originally Posted by tomtom

So when I say "power" I mean pulling power or low end torque, and when I say "speed" I mean top end speed. For me going 105mph makes no sense, so I don't need to more top end. If that is what I wanted I would buy a viper not a frontier. So I am definitely in favor of losing a little bit of the top end in exchange low end torque and throttle response.

me 2 but i would love some high-end if im running through some fire roads.