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Decades

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Posts posted by Decades

  2. Posted · Edited by Decades

    TJS6,
    I received the exhaust last week but was unable to have it installed until today. Todd at Tidewater Z is putting it on and he had to make some alterations to make it fit. I think the flanges would need to be re-oriented, he had to add some tubing due to the Quigley transfer case, and add some tubing aft of the muffler/resonator. That changed the locations of the hangars so they had to be changed, too.
    I'm surprised- I laid it out last night and eyeballed it and it didn't seem different, but an inch or two here and there translates into a good bit of fabrication to make it fit. I'll post pics in my gallery once it stops raining here, turns out I won't be picking it up tonight due to a family issue on my end.
    I am still waiting on the Uprev tune before the "after" dynos.
    Decades

     

    Also, I've put two tanks of gas through it since the supercharger install, but before the exhaust.  The first tank I calculated 10.6 mpg, the second (driving it like I usually do) was 12 mpg (27.2 mph indicated as avg).  probably 80/20 city/hwy for both.  I'm still less than 2500 miles, and with the exhaust it may get better.  The two tanks before the supercharger were both 11 mpg, still mostly city driving but including two sets of dyno runs.  All of these mpg calculations take into account the larger tire size (6% greater than metered; the original tires were 6% less than metered based on speed metered vs. handheld GPS.)  I've yet to go on a long highway trip since changing the tires and putting on the supercharger.

     

    My initial impressions of the supercharger are very positive.  Driving normally I wouldn't suspect that it is supercharged, but it does pull right from the start.  It is very easy to find RPMs above 2.5k from a normal start when before I was rarely above 2.1k.  At idle the engine feels/sounds a little noisier or maybe has more vibration to it.  It may be my imagination but I feel like it is coming from the serpentine belt.  Only as the RPMs get above about 3k can you hear the whine building under harder acceleration, and the power seems very linear.  I've yet to actually floor it, but I suspect that there is an interlock preventing full power until around 40 mph like there might be on 2WD Titans.  Sometimes there doesn't seem to be a change at that speed, but I've noticed an abrupt change more than once right at 40- not a downshift, but a surge in power.

  3. Posted

    TJS6,

         I'm interested to see easy or difficult your Banks intake fits- any reason you went back to the Volant, and why you are not trying the Volant on the NV?  I didn't see a Banks unit for Nissan that has the scoop.  Are you supposed to cut out those elliptical spots in the front of the Banks air box also?

    Decades

  4. Posted

    TJS6,

         Thanks for the recommendation- from what I've seen on Titan forums it looks like the Banks exhaust is a favorite but the major criticism is that it is loud- is it?  I may be giving up some power for less rumble, but I've ordered the Stillen exhaust for the Titan (I think it is the crew cab, long bed, whichever one was for the longest wheelbase truck) w/ the single passenger side exit and it should be here next Tuesday.  I hope to have some post-install dyno numbers soon after.

         It has a K&N filter in the stock housing now, I am thinking of going with the Airaid intake, since Xavman was able to install that with only an extra spacer needed- http://nissannvforum.com/topic/134-upgrading/

    Decades

  5. Posted · Edited by Decades

    If any are interested, some details are on this Facebook page (not mine):

    http://www.tidewaterz.com/

     

    Bottom line: it will work, but with modifications/fabrication.  Todd at Tidewater Z did the install and documented the project for Stillen.  I just picked it up tonight, and I probably won't have after dyno data for a few weeks.

     

    The power to weight ratio (with power numbers from Stillen's dyno chart) puts the supercharged NV at close to a stock Titan.  I've only put less than 40 miles on it so far, but I love that sound!

    Decades

     

    Edit: some pictures are up in my gallery.

    Tatunka reacted to this

  7. Posted

    Tatunka,

         Here is the article I showed my dealer about the sliding door power door locks: http://www.vitafamiliae.com/nissan-nv-update/ (in the comments, there is a commenter "Carla" on March 3, 2013 that has the same problem mine did new.)  They replaced some hardware inside the door, although I did not find out what- I was just happy they didn't try cleaning and aligning the defective parts.

         I also verified that my turn signal lane change function is not working either, although I only tried it at low speed (I would not expect the feature to only be enabled at highway speeds, but just in case.)

    Thanks for checking this out!

    Decades

  8. Posted

    Update 2-

         More numbers.  I weighed the van on some truck scales today, so that the front wheels were on one pad and the rear wheels were on another.  I put the seat back in for a weight, too.  The gas tank was filled up 30 miles prior so it was still reading above full.

    The weights were:

    With all of the seats in: 7380# (3620# Front, 3760# Rear)

    With the driver's side of the 4th row out: 7260# (3620# Front, 3640# Rear)  That seat weighs 120#?

    I've been keeping the front tires at 55psi and the rear at about 73psi (that is how it was when I picked it up from Nissan.)  With the even weight distribution, should I be keeping both ends at the same pressure?

    Also, now the speedometer is reading about 6% low vs. handheld GPS @ 50mph (53 indicated by GPS) which is spot on from what a tire size calculator says it should be.  There doesn't seem to be any additional road noise from the new tires. I've been told that Hypertech makes a speedo calibration module that may work on the NV.

    Decades

  9. Posted

         I have 5 kids, the oldest is 10 but the youngest takes up the most room because of the enormous car seat.  In a seven-passenger minivan, we are crowded.  I got the NV because it can fit all 7 of us, plus whatever we wanted to bring with us on long trips in comfort.  I also can pull out all of the seats and haul lots of stuff.  With the NV I can check off a lot of boxes for what I need in a vehicle, plus a lot of occasional wants.  As my kids turn into adults, they will still fit in this van, with lots of stuff.

         The 8 airbags and rollover safety is what sold me, and I was comparing it more to the Suburban/other large SUVs than other vans.  On the downside, I think carrying stuff on the roof will be harder than with a SUV-height vehicle, and the 7+' tall van will prevent me from using a lot of parking garages, too.

     

    Decades

  11. Posted · Edited by Decades

    Tatunka,

         I have a 2013, and I noticed that the MPG function is missing on mine also (and I did look for it in the manual, too- it says that it is supposed to be there!)  I also had an issue with the sliding door not locking/unlocking with the remote- I knew to look for that one based on an online review, and the dealership took care of that by replacing some parts in the door.

         I noticed that in rain, my sonar goes off intermittently, and also when in traffic (at stop lights) I sometimes get beeps when in drive when someone pulls close behind me.  I didn't know that it was supposed to be different, so I just shut it off if it gets annoying (I only use it to park.)

         I did have a sticker/tag that describes a procedure to shift the electronics from "dealer" mode that is supposed to be performed when the vehicle is purchased, that may have something to do with it (maybe Nissan doesn't want customers seeing the MPG from the test drives!)

         I haven't noticed the other ones, but I didn't know to look for them (I only looked at the owner's manual to check the engine break-in period and to figure out how to power the outlets.)

    Decades

     

    Edit- Ok, just tried some of the other functions- my driver window auto up doesn't work either (and there is no detent for it) and I did try the reprogram, too.  I also did (re-performed?) the procedure to shift it out of Transit mode/long term storage, didn't seem to change anything (and didn't see where on the fuse block that the thing needed pushing down, so I figured it was done at the dealership.)

    My hazards do blink when the van is unlocked (it honks and flashes on locking.)

  12. Posted

    Update 2-

         Just some numbers for those that are interested:

         With the stock tires, the upfit and lift changed the front by 2 1/2" (I measured from the bottom front corner of the Passenger side door on level asphalt before and after, this is the difference) and the back by 2 3/8" (measured from the bottom back corner of the sliding door, when closed.)

         I did these weights with a bathroom scale, so they don't add up 100% but they seem close.  The TransForce HT 245/70R17s that I took off weighed 40.3# (I only weighed one of them, rubber only) and the stock spare weighed 74.4#.  The Nitto Terra Grappler LT284/75R17s weighed 62.3# (rubber only), and the spare weighed 98.6#, so the steel wheel weighs about 34 - 36#.  Each tire is about a 22 - 24# difference, so by swapping tires I put another 125# on the truck.  The upfit was said to be around 400#.  I did not weigh the van before I took it up there.

         I also pulled the driver's side of the rearmost seat out- (that thing is heavier than I expected it to be!) and moved the driver's side 2nd and 3rd rows to the next notch back.  I also pulled the headrests from all but the outsides of each row, and I can at least see out of half of the rear window now.  So now it is configured to seat 10 with headrests for 7.

    Decades

  13. Posted · Edited by Decades

    Update-

         I picked up my van from Quigley this morning, it was ready last Friday and I dropped it off on 7/12- they told me when I dropped it off it could take up to 8 weeks, but it was finished at about 6 weeks.

     

         When I drove it up there, it was raining pretty badly for the what seemed like the whole trip, and I calculated that I got 15.9MPG; however my speedometer was reading about 6% high at an indicated 65MPH, so that may be optimistic.

         Quigley's blue van on the website now has a 2" lift and BFG Rugged Terrain 285/70R17s on the stock wheels- I verified that those would still allow the sliding door to open, and they looked right with the lift, so I decided to change the tires out, too- those would also have corrected the speedometer calibration issue to within 1%.

         I drove back this morning (no traffic pretty much the whole way) and I calculated 17MPG!  I kept it at around 2100rpm except when passing (same as the way up), and I had the stock tires on it, so the calculated MPG is 6% optimistic.  The two reasons that I can attribute to the better MPG on the way back after the Quigley install is that I wasn't pushing rain, and I didn't need to keep the wipers and lights on the whole time.  Also, I filled up at a Shell station that said 10% Ethanol, but the Sonoco in PA said that it "May contain up to 10%", so it may have been real gas for the return trip.  The engine had right around 1k miles on it when I left PA so it is still breaking in, too.

        I had ordered 5 Nitto Terra Grappler LT285/75R17s for it this week when I knew I was going to pick it up after seeing the blue one at Quigley, and they were installed this afternoon.  The spare fits in the normal spot too, but I may have to add a heat shield to the exhaust on the passenger's side to keep it safe and for peace of mind.

    Decades

  14. Posted · Edited by Decades

         The one I looked underneath at the dealership was a V6, but the exhaust layout looks like it follows the same routing as the V8 Titans.  The wheelbase is different from both the short and long wheelbase Titans, so a cat-back exhaust likely won't be a direct bolt-on.  There is another thread on this forum where a member posted his modification to allow an Airraid intake to fit- apparently the engine compartment is wider on the NV than on the Titan, so he used a spacer and now it fits.

     

    edit 8/26/13 : It was this thread- http://nissannvforum.com/topic/148-cold-air-intake-kit-for-2500-v6/ - I guess it was you, Xavman!  How is it working out?

     

         Is the ECU reset the same as the Titan?

    Decades

  15. Posted

    KMGLTZ,

         I agree that a lift will reduce the MPG.  I'm keeping the stock tires, so that should not be factor.  Quigley called it a 2" lift- I do not know if it is right at two inches, a little higher, or a little lower.  I'd be happy with 13MPG with a 2" lift, but it will be what it is- Quigley should have the van on 7/12, I might get it back 4 weeks later. 

         It is too bad that Nissan doesn't put the direct-injection 5.6L engine from the Infinity SUV (I think it is the QX56) in the NV or have it available as an option, and what I've read the diesel engine that may be an option on the cargo versions of the NV in the near future isn't planned as an option for the passenger version.  That info has as much credibility as me repeating it, so I may regret going with a 2013 if the 2014 or 2015 has a diesel option.

    Decades

  16. Posted

    Sampson,

         I hope not- the difference between the 2WD and 4WD Nissan Titans is around 2MPG; the Quigley conversion only adds around 400lbs.  I've decided to go with the 2" lift kit also, so it will likely be a bigger difference than 2MPG, but I will post data in case that is a contributing factor for anyone else thinking of getting the Quigley upfit.

    Decades

  17. Posted

    KMGLTZ,

         I think the Quigley upfit is only supposed to be done through the Nissan Commercial Vehicles dealer.  They are near Harrisburg, PA.  Their website is Quigley4x4.com.

         I'll provide my MPG when I get it.  I know having a smooth roof should make a difference, I don't know what to expect for how much of a difference.

    Decades

  18. Posted · Edited by Decades

    KMGLTZ,

         I'm going to have to go with the V8, too-  I'm going to get a Quigley 4x4 upfit, and they only do V8's.

         I test drove the V6, I did not drive it long enough to get a feel for the gas pedal, but it merged onto the highway just fine.  I'm expecting to get about 15mpg with the V8 if I keep the ride height stock; I am more or less comparing it to a Suburban rather than other full-size vans except for the increased front cross-section.  How is your MPG?

    Decades

  20. Posted

    Mine will replace my Mazda MPV as a "utility" vehicle, but still be able to haul the whole family (wife and five kids) plus all of the gear for vacations, and tow something if I need to.  I also shouldn't need to rent a flatbed from Home Depot to get building materials home.

  22. Posted

    Hi all,

         I'm looking at getting a NV 3500 SL Passenger, just found this forum tonight and signed up.  I've taken a V6 for a test drive, it was actually almost exactly as I expected after watching pretty much all of the YouTube videos featuring the NV.

    Thanks for the Forum, hopefully I'll have something to contribute soon.

    Thanks,

    Decades

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