Page 1: Current SpecV information and updates
Page 2: Audio
Page 3: Exterior
Page 4: Interior upgrades
Page 5: Candid car pics

Work in progress page for my 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R SpecV.

Day 1 pic (nothing special, just a stock SE-R SpecV):

Current pics:

I purchased this car to use to have a car that was fun to drive on my long commute to work. It replaced a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 that I bought to use to supervise construction. I realized that a $35,000 truck was NOT he best work truck, so I bought a 1990 Ford F250 Diesel for work, and bought this car to use to make the 100 mile daily commute. In the summer of 2006, I left contracting and sold the Ford, so this is my primary vehicle. Though I have considered selling it, I am keeping it (for now) and have decided to do some more involved upgrades than I had initially planned to do. These plans will be chronicled here, just for fun.

When I purchased this car, I was actually looking for several vehicles other than a SpecV: a 2002-03 Maxima, a 2002-2004 Subaru WRX, or an Infiniti I30t. I found this car on a whim, and after pushing out of my head that it was only a Sentra, I drove the car. The price was good, and I like the features, plus I could get out of my Silverado before another $500 payment was due, so I went with the SpecV. The car was 100% stock when I bought it, but I went to work quickly to change a few small elements of the car.

Several factors played into the purchase of the SpecV over the others in consideration. Cost was one, as was availability. I really like the looks of the SpecV, and the car handled well for an �economy� car. Getting 30 MPG for the commute was not a bad mark, either. I liked the 6-speed manual transmission, the limited slip differential, and the sporty interior. The factory 17� rims were nice looking, and the overall feel of the car seemed to be what I was looking for.

What modifications are on the SpecV now?

Performance:

Performance-wise, the car is mostly stock. The 6MT and LSD make the car pretty fun to drive, right out of the box. I am, however, on my second engine. The first one was recalled and replaced with a brand new, 0 mile crate motor directly from Nissan. This was done at 50,800 miles. Shortly thereafter, I had to replace the battery and alternator, but that is a story for another day.

On Sept 30, 2007, I installed a Hot Shot Header on the SpecV. After the end of the 60K powertrain or 12-month, 12,000 mile engine warranty, I decided to do this not for performance reasons, but instead due to reports of failure in the OEM pre-catalytic converter contained in the factory exhaust manifold. Swapping in an aftermarket header is a good idea for reliability, and it adds a few (12, maybe) horsepower. This makes the car a bit too loud for my daily commute, so I will be adding a high-flow cat, Magnaflow reasonator, and HKS Dragger-style exhaust as soon as the resonator arrives.

Suspension:

The car was 100% stock in the handling department for over a year. In November of 2006, I ordered and received something of a Frankenstein setup: a set of NISMO S-Tune performance springs and a set of Koni Sport (Yellow) struts.

On March 31, 2007, I finally got around to installing them. Normally, the springs come only as a part of a package that also includes KYB-made Nismo struts, but I found a set that allowed me to use the Koni struts in place of the NISMO struts, to add a bit of adjustability to my setup. While these only lower the car by 1� in the front and 0.6� in the rear, I think that they close the wheel gap just enough to improve the looks, and the changes in spring rates (185F/300R) as well as the lowered center of gravity AND the increased damping forces exhibited by the Koni struts make huge strides in improving the handling of the SpecV.

The car also has Brembo rotors all around, stopping with the assistance of ceramic pads. on the front.

Exterior and Rolling Stock:

I recently switched to the 17 x 7 BBS RK rims in a polished finish. Still only 17 lb., these are a unique look for the SpecV, as they were custom drilled (114.3mm on 4 lugs) by BBS to fit my application. They were actually bought by someone else who decided not to use them, but their indecision was my gain, as I got them at a very advantageous price.

Surrounding these are a set of "W" rated 215/45/R17 Toyo Proxes4 tires. I needed something that would run well in good weather and would at least be passable in the winter.

To assist in stopping, I have swapped in Brembo rotors and ceramic pads. These are not the factory upgrade Brembo brakes, just Brembo rotors.

Visually, I have not done much. I removed all but the "Nissan" badges and the small "SpecV" badges on the doors, removed the "Hamburger" from the front grille, and had 35% tint installed. Overall, the car is pretty low-key.

Page 1: Current SpecV information and updates
Page 2: Audio
Page 3: Exterior
Page 4: Interior upgrades
Page 5: Candid car pics