Description & Ratings

• Body

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  I installed a carbon fiber hood and trunk lid on the Altima. The hood is held down with flush hood pins to keep the sleeper look and since the car is black, the carbon fiber is fairly subtle. As the car has been sitting with only a weekly drive by my brother lately (no normal waxing like when I usually baby it) the clearcoat on the hood has started to wear off and chip; it needs to either be coated or painted altogether. The trunk lid is also fading and could use another clearcoat, though the clearcoat isn't chipped like the hood. I've also installed a custom upper grille, custom eyelids, side skirts from the SE model, clear headlights, clear parking lights, clear side markers, and a mesh grille in the lower grille to hide the front mount intercooler. The windows are lightly tinted to comply with Virginia laws. I removed the Strada front lip (the front lip in the pictures) as it was broken by one of my relatives when they drove it.

• Engine

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  This engine has been fully built and turboed. The block has been bored (engine is approximately 2.7L now) and the compression ratio has been dropped to 8.5:1. All parts used are of the best quality (forged where possible) and installed by a professional shop and a mechanic who has been working on Nissans for many years. In fact, my build is nearly identical to his which is in his 420 whp 240sx. I've included a scan of the parts and labor used in the pictures page. I now put down 392 hp at the wheels at only 14 psi! As we were dynoing the engine and testing how much it would put down, the clutch slipped when we turned the boost up another notch... that's why I'm at only 14 psi and only 392 hp. The air fuel mixture is still fine with my 550cc injectors and I'm sure this car could hit over 420 whp (with a new clutch) before the injectors need to be upgraded.
  
  The transmission is a hybrid of the Altima and the GTiR resulting in a MUCH shorter 1st gear, quicker through the gears and reduced gap between 2nd and 3rd gears (hybrid specs: 1st 3.285, 2nd 1.850, 3rd 1.272, 4th .954, 5th .740, Final Drive 4.125). The clutch is an ACT street/strip clutch. It keeps the shifting drivable (even in DC traffic), but does limit the power the car can put down. The car also has a B&M short shifter.
  
  The exhaust is essentially a 2.5" custom exhaust from the manifold all the way to the tailpipe. The parts are (from downpipe to tailpipe): Stillen downpipe; Magnaflow Hi-Flow catalytic converter; 2.5" custom piping; Magnaflow muffler; custom tailpipe; Apex'i Active Tail Silencer - this thing is really cool, keeps my exhaust nice and quiet, but opens up when I put my foot down... check out Apex'i's site for a full description. The muffler and tailpipe have been powder coated satin black to maintain my sleeper theme.
  

• General

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  I've had this car since February 1998. What started out as changing the wheels and tires has turned into a hobby that has encouraged me to drop around $25,000 into this car. 11 years later I have a 392 whp car that surprises the heck out of everyone that decides to test me.
  
  Regarding the mileage, the odometer reads around 214,000 miles. However, the engine was built and replaced at 200,000 miles, and many other parts were put on/replaced even more recently (wheels/tires, suspension, etc.)
  
  This was my daily driver in which I drove at least 52 miles/day to and from work - half of those miles were spent in Washington DC traffic. And even in DC traffic conditions, I still averaged 24 mpg on my city/highway commute. It is a VERY reliable and VERY fast car. If you have any questions regarding the reliability of this car, feel free to contact me or the shop where I had all of my engine work/tweaking done that I don't do myself (bandtmotorsports.com) - just let them know you're asking about Shane's black Altima and they'll know who you mean.
  

• Interior

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  The interior is mostly stock. There is a three gauge pillar on the driver's side with air/fuel, boost, and oil pressure gauges. The shifter is the B&M short shifter with a leather shifter boot. I have soundproofed the entire interior (trunk included) with the exception of the doors and the roof.
  
  The stereo head unit is a Kenwood KDC MPV8025; the front speakers are Alpine (can't remember the model right now); the rear speakers are Kenwood KFC HQ135's; the sub is a 10" Kicker Solo Baric in the Solo Baric Box (less than 1 sq. ft.); the amp is a Rockford Fosgate 250 a2; and the wiring is mostly Monster Cable. There is also a direct iPod connection in the glove box (not those cheap radio transmitted iPod hookups... a direct port from the iPod to the head unit) that can be controlled on the Kenwood head unit.
  
  The bad - the passenger door locking mechanism is messed up and needs repair - the passenger door won't unlock or open. Also, I replaced the carpet with new black carpet, but it doesn't quite fit like it should, so there are a few places where it bunches.

• Suspension

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  I swapped the stock struts and springs for Tokico Blues and Ground Control adjustable springs (made by Eibach). The endlinks are custom adjustable endlinks that are lifetime guranteed. The car has a front strut bar, a lower a-arm brace, and a rear sway bar. Most of the bushings have been replaced with the Energy Suspension bushings made for the Maxima.