[5speed_Frontier]

Alright guys I did all this pretty recently and figured I'd do one post about all my performance mods so far on my little 4 banger. So basically what I've done is installed the doug thorley long tube ceramic coated tri y racing headers, my own custom intake with extended MAF wires, I bumped all my cat-back piping up to 2.25" leading to my flowmaster 40 with a turn down pipe, and also when doing that piping I used two 45 degree bends instead of the stock layout with 90 degree bends. Overall, my 4 banger is like a practically new truck. I definitely feel a power gain in the lower gears like 1st-3rd with a lot more throttle response. And once the revs get right up to about 3000 to 3500 there is a huge pickup that was never there before. Also, id like to mention that the truck is insanely loud now and sounds pretty good. Its still a 4 banger so it sounds a little ricey when you rev it up while its sitting there or once you get past 4,000 revs or so. My friends say it sounds more ricey inside the truck. This is true because I had them drive it by me a few times and it sounds way meaner when it drives by me and I can hear it around the block. Hahahahaha. I will also report that I've been running this setup for a couple hundred miles with no check engine light. I thought my check engine light would come on from removing the primary cat and installing the headers, but it still hasn't. Crossing my fingers it wont ever come on. 

Now here is a picture of the doug thorley headers which I got from Devilrunner. They installed pretty easily. Which is good cause I'll have to put on the old ones when I have to get smogged cause they aren't smog legal since they replace the primary cat. I used anti-sieze on all the bolts. When installing though I did have to go and get grade 8 hardware to connect the bottom to the exhaust flange since the old headers had studs in them. Also, when I installed them I used brand new nissan gaskets on both sides for safe keeping. I had already installed the intake when I put this on, but it made a huge difference compared to what the intake did. I would say this is where my most noticeable power gain came from. Oviously. And sound too 

Now here is a picture of my custom cold air intake. I basically used the same design as the one in this thread here.
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f19/05-cai-breakthrough-finally-28673/
Also, I'll attach some directions for it that I made for anyone else looking to do it to there 4 cylinder. Mine is basically the same except I when I extended the MAF wires I soldered and heat shrinked everything of course, but I had to extend them something like 20". Also, I recommend using some silicone on the vacuum sensor adapter to hold it in there better. Im sure the intake has give me a little better economy and a little more throttle response. Maybe like 1-2 hp hahaha. But it gives it a nice turbo-like vacuum sound too.  Now Im not really done with it yet cause i actually did score a heat shield for it. I just have to modify it some more to fit.

Here is that heat shield.

Now my exhaust is pretty simple. I already had the flowmaster on there for a while, but i just redid the piping. Basically from the secondary cat back I bumped it up to 2.25" piping with just two 45 degree bends instead of two 90 degree bends. Leading up to my flowmaster 40 with a turn down. I love the sound of it now and it is seriously loud. I already set of a car alarm However, it is just a little ricey, but I cant get rid of that being a 4 cylinder. Here is a few pics of the exhaust.

Here is a couple quick movie clips of my exhaust. None of them really turned out very well. In order to experience the sound and loudness you have to see it in person, but these videos should do for now. Ill get some better ones later including a drive-by which is when I think the truck sounds really good. Especially when I'm getting on it in the lower gears. Ya yay!










WOW!!! That was a really long post. Probably my longest ever. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[ToddG]

Nice write up and good work.
I think that's the most work that I've seen done to a 4-banger Frontier other than Devillrunner's of course.

Two things:

1) if you exit the exhaust pipe out the side of the truck instead of directly under it you will cut down the cab noise significantly.

2) you could throw a resonator into the exhaust piping to tame the sound also if you wanted to.

Once again, nice write up and thanks for taking the time to share this info with the community.

 

[Idleone]

Nice write up and good work.

X2. And a very nice truck to go along. Very tasteful mods. Next months TOTM

 

[5speed_Frontier]

Nice write up and good work.
I think that's the most work that I've seen done to a 4-banger Frontier other than Devillrunner's of course.

Two things:

1) if you exit the exhaust pipe out the side of the truck instead of directly under it you will cut down the cab noise significantly.

2) you could throw a resonator into the exhaust piping to tame the sound also if you wanted to.

Once again, nice write up and thanks for taking the time to share this info with the community.

Thanks man. Yah I'm good friends with devilrunner now since we live so close and his XE is rad. However, even though I've never seen it, we also got to give props to slytuna. He's got a lot done to his XE too which gave me a lot of inspiration for mine. I was thinking about exiting out the side, but it's just not really my style I dont think. I actually really like my truck being loud and disturbing for now. Hahahahaha. I have been thinking about a resonator though to get rid of the loud ricey sound. But Im proud of my 4 cylinder so theres no reason to hide it because it is a rice burner after all. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[5speed_Frontier]

X2. And a very nice truck to go along. Very tasteful mods. Next months TOTM

THANKS MAN!!! That really makes me happy hearing it from you. Your truck is fricken sick! Im on the quest to take the XE trucks to a new level. My dream is to one day get TOTM. I am very pleased you even mentioned that already cause I got a lot more stuff planned for it. Like an underdrive pulley, electric fan, fiberwerx fenders when they come out with the smaller bulge ones, and a full titan swap. Thanks again everyone. I hope some more XEs will rise up and attempt some of these things. They are 4 cylinder trucks, but they definitely have the beast within. Hahahahaha.

 

[ToddG]

Thanks man. Yah I'm good friends with devilrunner now since we live so close and his XE is rad. However, even though I've never seen it, we also got to give props to slytuna. He's got a lot done to his XE too which gave me a lot of inspiration for mine. I was thinking about exiting out the side, but it's just not really my style I dont think. I actually really like my truck being loud and disturbing for now. Hahahahaha. I have been thinking about a resonator though to get rid of the loud ricey sound. But Im proud of my 4 cylinder so theres no reason to hide it because it is a rice burner after all. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

Sheeoot, forgot about sly.
Mainly my comment was aimed at how you built up your performance being it's a 2.5L.
Anyway, good stuff.

 

[5speed_Frontier]

Sheeoot, forgot about sly.
Mainly my comment was aimed at how you built up your performance being it's a 2.5L.
Anyway, good stuff.

Yah I just didnt want to leave his truck out. Sly's and Devilrunner's are two of my favorite XEs.

Thanks again

 

[DEADMORE]

XE unite.

Actually i'm motivated by your post.
Does anyone have HP approximations?

 

[NissanTy]

nice work, not to many people pay attention to the 4 bangers. does the superchips or any of the other tuners work for the 4 cylinder trucks as well?

 

[5speed_Frontier]

Im not sure at all, but i would guess maybe 1-2 from an intake and from what i think Devilrunner told me from a dyno maybe about 10hp from the headers. Really not sure though. I can definitely feel a difference though. But not much horse power response from performance add ons to a 4 cylinder. But I believe its worth it.

nice work, not to many people pay attention to the 4 bangers. does the superchips or any of the other tuners work for the 4 cylinder trucks as well?

The only ones I know of that work as of now is the bully dog power pup or the bully dog gt gas tuner. But I think all those really do for the four banger is the 2 degree advance and maybe some idle adjustments and stuff like that.

 

[5speed_Frontier]

XE unite.

Actually i'm motivated by your post.
Does anyone have HP approximations?

thanks dude. Dang I've never even seen your truck on here before. YES! Another sick XE! I like the truck man. Love the bumper too. Nice job. XEs UNITE! for sure.

Just to let you know devilrunner let me in on a secret that "XE" actually stands for "extreme". So don't forget to tell everyone that.

 

[Devilrunner666]

xtreme!...lol i love it......dude, there is another guy that has in XE in south orange county that is the same cab and color as mine( i dont identical cause he doesnt have fiberglass fenders).....i havent seen or heard from him in awhile

 

[rdrfronty]

Great job! Looks like very clean & nice mods. Have you done any 0-60's or such yet. I'm curious how well a nice modded 4cly frontier runs. Keep up the great work man.

 

[5speed_Frontier]

Great job! Looks like very clean & nice mods. Have you done any 0-60's or such yet. I'm curious how well a nice modded 4cly frontier runs. Keep up the great work man.

Nah dont know if I'll do any 0-60s yet. My truck isny really set up like a street truck, cause of the bigger tires. Slytuna would be your best bet for a truly moddded 4 cylinder, but hes not really set up for the street either. Cause he also has the underdrive pully and electric fan i think. But you could get a decent increase in time im sure for the 0-60 with the mods ive done. All depends how you drive it.

 

[5speed_Frontier]

Hey guys I just worked for like 6 hours on something for my intake. It came out super clean. Ill surprise you guys tomorrow with some pics and an update.

 

[kahfamily1]

thumbs up

 

[5speed_Frontier]

Alright guys here are some pics. Not so great cause of the sun, but so you can see it. Basically I didn't think that I would be able to fit that heat shield that I scored for $5 in there, but after a lot of work I finally did. I went at it by bending it, bending brackets, finding the right bolts, drilling new holes, and attacking it with the makita grinder. It actually took me a lot longer to get it in there than I thought it would. I had to trim it like everywhere and really macgyver it to fit. But the end result is that it fits pretty well know and I have the rubber sealing up perfectly with the hood. The only bad things about it is that since it wasnt made for this truck and intake setup so the hole 5" hole is a little big for my 3" intake, but it made it easier to fit. Also, it doesnt fully surround it up front, but Im sure it is protecting it from a lot more heat. Also, it makes it look a lot cleaner and I think im the only 05+ 4 cylinder with a custom heat shield fitted on this intake setup. Heres the pics.

 

[bimmernut318]

Good Job man, Nice to see the effort!

 

[5speed_Frontier]

Good Job man, Nice to see the effort!

Thanks!

 

[5speed_Frontier]

Wow you guys. I didnt think this heat shiled would really make that much of a difference. Idk if its really the heat shield thats doing it, but driving it around today all the sudden around 3,000rpm now there is this weird sort of pick up. Its kind of like a jerky drag and then shoot forward. Like not the actual car doing that but like the engine or something. Basically its just a jerky more dramatic pick up at about 3,000. And this only happens when Im stepping on it and obviously after its warmed up. Could this really be the result of just a heat shield?


On a totally different note. Now ive got more squeaks in the truck tonight. After washing it today I dont just have a squeak in the front i have some really bad squeaks coming from the rear. Might have to try some white lithium grease like ive seen some people suggesting. Anyways, sorry for threading on my own thread.