[BrentKingah]

The 2015 Versa looks lifted stock. I want to drop that bitch so bad (not slammed). I want a respectable drop but that would look stupid with hubcaps, so I'll need wheels. BUT the stock versa is SLOW and the acceleration and handling puts me in bad positions when I really need to get places. I, by no means, want to race but I want a car I can get out of a sticky situation with it taking me an hour. I have a few questions....

What are the best methods to increase acceleration/handling?

Can I install a Short Ram Intake myself having no pior knowledge on working on a car?

Does "chipping" an engine work and whats the best chip for the versa?

is CARiD.com reliable because the reviews are bad but the website is amazing?

Do I need any modifications to put 17x7 or 18x7 wheels on or can I slap em on?

How many inches is a respectable drop that I can take speed bumps and parkinglots no problem?


If this is in the wrong place to discuss please tell me I am new....

 

[RedAlertV]

Well performance wise you're screwed lol. Not a lot out there for the new sedans. Heck there isn't a lot even for the first Gens. In any case, you can start off by doing CAI or SRI whichever one you prefer. If you can try to get a custom exhaust done or at least enlarge the piping a bit, these two things might not give you the ponies you want but it's a start. Go check out versaspeedshop.com. The owner, Bob, can point you in the right direction when modding. I'm not sure what kind of springs they have for the new sedans since I have a 1st gen hatch but I have Tein on mine and they are awesome. As for the wheels I don't think you'll have any trouble fitting the sizes you mentioned, wider wheels is where it gets tricky. Best of luck

 

[[email protected]]

Not a heck of a lot available for these cars! But here is a link to my website. I run NissanRaceShop.com - we are a subdivision of the parts dept here at Fontana Nissan.

I'm happy to help with anything you may need...just ask!

Versa | Product Categories | Nissan Race Shop

Scott

 

[BrentKingah]

Well performance wise you're screwed lol. Not a lot out there for the new sedans. Heck there isn't a lot even for the first Gens. In any case, you can start off by doing CAI or SRI whichever one you prefer. If you can try to get a custom exhaust done or at least enlarge the piping a bit, these two things might not give you the ponies you want but it's a start. Go check out versaspeedshop.com. The owner, Bob, can point you in the right direction when modding. I'm not sure what kind of springs they have for the new sedans since I have a 1st gen hatch but I have Tein on mine and they are awesome. As for the wheels I don't think you'll have any trouble fitting the sizes you mentioned, wider wheels is where it gets tricky. Best of luck

The SRI I see for 2nd gen versas looks good but how would I install it with the battery and brake/clutch fluid blocking it?

 

[BrentKingah]

Have you ever done any work on a 2nd gen versa? Because if I buy the Injen intake, It doesn't seem like it will fit with the brake/clutch fluid container and big ass battery thing in the way.

 

[rstolz]

CAI's don't add much on their own, generally you're actually better off just getting a high flow drop in filter, UNLESS, it's a true CAI that pulls air from outside the engine bay.
The stock system is set up to pull in cold air from outside.

Additionally the increased pipe diameter of the aftermarket systems increase volume at the expense of velocity. Intake air velocity is what gives you your low end torque. If you install an aftermarket intake, you MIGHT get 1-2 hp at the top of the rev range (4-6k rpm), but you will actually end up slower in the sub-3k rev range.

Adding larger diameter exhaust is a compounding effect. you may get another 2-4hp, but you'll be slower sub 3k RPM, and a bit quicker 4-6k rpm.

I would suggest some chassis reinforcement. Simple things like a strut tower brace really help stiffen up the car and control body motions.

 

[BrentKingah]

What about dropping the car about 2" and putting some 17"x7 high offset wheels on? will that improve handling?

 

[rstolz]

Handling performance, yea, a drop like that limit body roll, but you'll lose some comfort. Driving at the limits may induce wheel lift as well on the front inside when cornering hard.

larger diameter wheels make for a good look, but do nothing for ride quality. low profile tires keep the tire from rolling over itself, which is good on hard corners

everything's a give and take. Think about what you want the car to be, and what you want to do with it.

Everything I've said is really only pertinent if you care about the performance. If you're more interested in style, then adding a tower brace, stainless exhaust, a CAI and a 2 inch drop with 17's will LOOK fantastic.

But what you will have done in terms of performance is this: the car will have a peakier engine, with more power/torque up top, with less below (it'll feel slower sub 3krpm). As far as handling you will have made the car a lot stiffer, and more jittery, harsh, especially over rough pavement. However, it will corner much flatter and turn in will be much more crisp. Body roll will be much better controlled.

 

[07Versa6MT]

HR15DE is really only for fuel economy. Yeah it's going to be down on power. I've got an MR18DE first gen hatch so i can only imagine how slow an HR15 is on a second gen, especially since it probably got even heavier. Power on the stock motor is only going to come from packing tons more air in, and even then the stock cams and spark maps will limit the full potential of forced induction or any air/fuel delivery mod in general, bottlenecked if you will.

All lowering springs really do on an otherwise stock vehicle is reduce body roll. You could see about making your own front adjustable sway bar links out of heim joints and some steel bar stock, as with the lowering overall swaybar preload will increase since the link dimension hasn't changed but ride height has. It will preserve factory softness to take the preload off the sway bar.

Weight reduction is the best way to make these cars faster, take the spare out and replace it with plugging tools and some tire plugs, and a hand pump.

Could take the TB off and gradient/blend the throat of the TB with the manifold.

This is all dependent upon how serious you are about performance... do you want it to be faster? Realize that on a dinky motor like this, it will be a large number of small things that adds up to a noticeable performance increase.

Measure the stock exhaust diameter, increase if necessary, replacing the mid resonator and rear muffler with smooth, straight through designs goes a long way to improving low end due to scavenging. With straight through resonators or mufflers, it doesn't have to increase sound as a result, remember that. I currently have 2.5" from cat pipe back, no mid resonator, and a long resonator originally from a Camry as a rear muffler. This delivers a good all around powerband, still plenty of low end, but doesn't choke the engine at top end either like most stock systems.

 

[Versa12]

The 2015 Versa looks lifted stock. I want to drop that bitch so bad (not slammed). I want a respectable drop but that would look stupid with hubcaps, so I'll need wheels. BUT the stock versa is SLOW and the acceleration and handling puts me in bad positions when I really need to get places. I, by no means, want to race but I want a car I can get out of a sticky situation with it taking me an hour. I have a few questions....

What are the best methods to increase acceleration/handling?

Can I install a Short Ram Intake myself having no pior knowledge on working on a car?

Does "chipping" an engine work and whats the best chip for the versa?

is CARiD.com reliable because the reviews are bad but the website is amazing?

Do I need any modifications to put 17x7 or 18x7 wheels on or can I slap em on?

How many inches is a respectable drop that I can take speed bumps and parkinglots no problem?


If this is in the wrong place to discuss please tell me I am new....

In all honesty, if you don't have any mechanical experience your best bet is to trade it for a different car with more power from the start. Not only will getting the car to make any sort of power require a ton of parts but the amount of money will be phenomenal. In addition, it appears that you will need someone else to install any modification you want which is super expensive. The vehicle was built solely for fuel economy and a cheap selling price to try and bring new consumers to the NIssan brand - hoping that when they make more money in the future they'll buy a more upscale Nissan.

Cheap - Reliable - Fast. In the automotive world, you really can only pick two out of those 3.


Improved acceleration: Supercharger - power right off the line. Expensive. Lots of work required. Or, reduce a substantial amount of weight from the vehicle.

Handling: Coilovers, thicker rear and front anti-sway bars, wider tires.

Short ram intake: It is pretty straightforward....remove the old intake and install the new one.

Chipping: NO. Chipping a car isn't a thing. It is stupid. Any magical chip you see is going to be a $.10 resistor in a black box that will try to force more fuel in the motor in hopes of gaining horsepower. Wont work.

CarID: No experience there

Wheels: Research

If you install a header, exhaust, and intake you will probably see an increase of around 6-10hp at the wheels...maybe. Like I said, the only real way to get some power is through forced induction or nitrous which requires alot of money and a professional to install in your situation. $$$$$$$

Speed bumps: How big are the speed bumps? We have no idea what obstacles you run into in your town. I can go over some decent sized speed bumps in my Honda which has about 2 inches of ground clearance in the front....but only if I go about 2mph and at an extreme angle.


I have a 2012 Versa Sedan and have never had an issue with handling or power. Sometimes I have to time passing people but other than that I have never once had an issue with lack of power or handling.

 

[jas32]

Similar to what Versa12 said, I think you might have bought the wrong car!

People who normally buy the "lowest priced new car in the US" typically do not turn around and get them modded. Thats the reason why there's only a handful of go fast parts available. Not enough demand for parts specific for the Versa. Wheels and tires are a different story since those can fit several other cars.

A used Neon SRT4, Mazdaspeed3, Focus or Fiesta ST would be a blast to drive with little or no mods. Obviously you can't get 40MPG in those cars.

Always an issue of compromise.....

 

[VersaChris]

Performance wise- flywheel, crank pulley, header, exhaust, intake, throttle controller, throttle body spacer, Jet maf, there's a supercharger somewhere out there too and a boosted v was sold not too long ago or you could Do the mr20 swap

 

[trick]

I upgraded to a drop-in K&N filter and am very happy with it. It was a practical and performance upgrade. None of the stores had a disposable replacement in stock & they cost $30 each time anyways. Crazy cost for a tiny sucker. So I got the K&N on sale for $40. Surprisingly, it did add noticeable performance. Mid & high-end throttle acceleration improved. Best part is it won't void warranty and is the cheapest & easiest upgrade to do. I didn't really notice a MPG increase, but it def. didn't go down either. So good upgrade for the commuter type driver as well. :driving:

 

[07Versa6MT]

It's not because of any of the above reasons, it's because it just happens to not be a well loved car. Partly because of the rocky Mexican assembly quality control issues, but mostly just because... Gaining power is no different than any other 4 cylinder FWD car out there, head, cams, exhaust, intake, all fine tuned to work with each other for what kind of power delivery you want. Want high end? Open everything up wide open, make a custom intake manifold with shorter runners, or even ITB's off of something else that could be made to work.

Fortunately the Versa has one thing to it's advantage, weight. A light car doesn't need a huge power increase to feel fast. I'm doing an MR20 swap with a port and polish and Versaspeed lightweight flywheel and i'm sure that will feel fast enough for that car. This is almost in a sense a better platform theoretically than Civics, because Nissan designs motors to be more well rounded, less peaky. I love low end, and hate motors that are dogs until 5000RPM.

 

[rstolz]

speaking of, where are your updates? I only poke back in now to see if you've got anything new on your swap, and i am sorely disappointed, sir, you must quicken your pace to keep me satisfied!

:stickpoke::eatpopcorn:

 

[07Versa6MT]

speaking of, where are your updates? I only poke back in now to see if you've got anything new on your swap, and i am sorely disappointed, sir, you must quicken your pace to keep me satisfied!

:stickpoke::eatpopcorn:

Starting to do everything i can do in a parking lot to get it ready for a swap. Luckily i work at the same shop as my roommate so it can be out of comission until everything is perfect. Working on piddly shit now too, need to remove pilot bushing to accept manual input shaft which is proving to be extremely hard. I will probably end up using burr's to cut the damn thing out. Need to buy flywheel bolts also because the stock flexplate bolts only catch 2 or 3 threads with the thick alu flywheel. Lower mileage tranny arrived at my shop yesterday, will take it home with my roommate after work tomorrow, then prep and paint it same color as block (Tremclad Key Lime).

I wasn't going to paint the head because there's so much masking, but i did it anyways, so that was baked in the oven a couple days ago to cure the paint. The MR20 water distributor pipes for TB heating and CVT cooler outlet were removed, the one TB pipe coming out of the larger heater core pipe was sawed off and i brazed it closed, then just grind it down to look half decent. The other two i drilled out to accept an M12x1.75 tap, i have some threaded rod laying around that i used for my DIY adjustable front sway bar links so i sealed threads with JB Weld, threaded that in till it bottomed, then chopped them off flush and ground it down. Then painted it all of course to cover everything up nicely.

Timing cover is painted and the paint baked to cure, new crank seal installed. Basically just need to torque the head down and put the cams in.

So yeah like i was saying until i find a hoist to rent for a weekend, i'll be working at doing everything i can that i don't need a hoist for and the car can still be mobile. Removed axles and cats/downpipe tonight. Just bolt struts in afterwards to make it towable/mobile. Manifolds can come off, harness unplugged and layed aside, torque mounts, hoses, fuel line, all accessories. Doing it this way is probably for the best anyways, just have to make sure i take lots of pics and bag everything. It'll minimize any overage time when i rent a hoist for a weekend, and hopefully by the Sunday night i'll have a mucho improved car.