The ActiveTuning Blog

PXNI On Sale

Dave P. — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:19:00 +0000

We're currently offering $10 off and free shipping on the PXNI auxiliary-input unit. If you aren't sure what it does, it lets you have a direct audio input on your factory Nissan/Infiniti radio so you can plug something like an iPod/MP3 player in. Please check out the product page for compatibility with your vehicle.

Nissan Quashqai Doing The Half Pipe

Dave P. — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:05:00 +0000

Here's a couple of pretty cool commercials from Nissan:

Customer Gallery Updates

Dave P. — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 18:37:00 +0000

It's that time again! I've added a bunch of pictures to customer galleries: Altima S5 Grille Altima Luxury Grille Altima LED Side-Mirror Covers Maxima S4.1 Grille If you have one of our products installed and would like your pic on our customer gallery, simply go to the product page, view the gallery, and click the link to submit your picture.

2007 Nissan Altima In Person

Dave P. — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 00:28:00 +0000

I swung by my local Nissan dealership this afternoon to find 3 2.5 2007 Altima's sitting in the lot. This was my first time seeing the new model in person. Personally, I think it looks nice, but I think I like the older ones better...but who knows, it may grow on me. I did think that it was great that the 2.5 now has dual exhaust, it makes the rear look much better on both the 2.5 and 3.5 models. The pics were taken with my Treo, so they aren't super clear, feel free to click on them for a higher resolution version:

Nissan Sentra SE-R To Debut 11/29

Dave P. — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 00:25:00 +0000

PRESS RELEASE 2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R to Debut at L.A. Auto Show [Nov. 3, 06] NASHVILLE (Nov. 3. 2006) – Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced that it will introduce two exciting new performance vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show, November 29th, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. All-new for 2007, the Nissan Sentra will once again have SE-R high performance models; both SE-R and SE-R Spec V. As a pioneer model in the field of sport compact cars, the 2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R offers more power, performance and technology to this highly acclaimed model. The SE-R Spec V model will be powered by a specifically designed high-output version of Nissan's 2.5-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine. Additional information on the SE-R with be announced at the LA Auto Show on November 29th. Nissan will also showcase another uniquely styled, exhilarating performance-oriented vehicle, which marks Nissan's entry into a previously untapped customer segment. Details on the second world debut vehicle are being withheld until Nissan's press conference on November 29 at 10:00AM PST. In addition, Nissan will participate in the 2006 Hybrids and Green Cars/LA event that takes place during the media days portion of the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday, November 29 and Thursday, November 30. This event will allow attendees an opportunity to drive many advanced technology vehicles from various manufacturers. Nissan will showcase three products at this ride and drive, including the 2007 Altima Hybrid, the X-Trail Fuel Cell Vehicle and the 2007 Armada Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV).

2007 Nissan Altima Pricing

Dave P. — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:39:00 +0000

Nissan released the pricing for the 2007 Nissan Altima, due to go on sale sometime this week at dealerships. Prices start at $17,950 for the 2.5, and $24,000 for the 3.5 SE with 6 speed transmission. Full pricing details can be found on this PDF file.

07 G35 Sedan Pricing Announced

Dave P. — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 19:17:00 +0000

- Base Model Pricing Unchanged; Most Popular Model and Trim Combination $700 Less Than Comparably Equipped Outgoing Model -

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 27, 2006) – Infiniti today announced pricing on the all-new, second-generation 2007 Infiniti G35 Sports Sedan, which is on sale now at Infiniti retailers nationwide. The 2007 G Sedan offers new exterior and interior designs, a more powerful standard 3.5-liter V6 engine now rated at 306 horsepower, a refined suspension design and a number of new standard luxury amenities – yet the base price remains exactly the same as the 2006 Infiniti G35 Sedan base model. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the all-new 2007 Infiniti G35 starts at $31,450 for the rear-wheel drive V6-powered Infiniti G35 with 5-speed automatic; $31,900 for the Infiniti G35 Journey model with 5-speed automatic; $33,950 for the all-wheel drive Infiniti G35x AWD with 5-speed automatic transmission and Infiniti Intelligent All-Wheel Drive; $32,250 for the Infiniti G35 Sport 6MT equipped with a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission; and $33,450 for the Infiniti G35 Sport, featuring a 5-speed automatic transmission with solid magnesium paddle shifters. The 2007 G35 Journey model with the optional Premium Package, which is projected as the most popular model/trim combination, is priced $700 less than the comparable 2006 model and includes the Infiniti Studio on Wheels by Bose® Premium Audio System, 10-way power driver’s seat, Bi-Xenon headlights, and Intelligent Key with Push Button Start – features that were not available on the 2006 model. “This all-new 2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan adds the features our customers want, along with enhanced performance, technology and interior warmth – all wrapped in a stunning new exterior design.” said Mark Igo, vice president and general manager, Infiniti. “The all-new G35 is an even greater consumer value than the first generation G, which is saying a lot.” Available packages for the 2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan include Premium Package, Technology Package, 4-Wheel Active Steer package, 18-inch Performance Tire and Wheel package, and Infiniti Navigation Package with touch screen, voice recognition, XM® NavTraffic™ with real-time traffic information and a 9.6 gigabyte Music Hard Drive. Options for the 2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan include Satellite Radio (choice of XM® or Sirius), Sunroof, Rear Spoiler, and genuine African Rosewood Trim.

2007 Infiniti G35 S Sedan Unveiling

Dave P. — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:08:00 +0000

My local Infiniti dealership got a hold of the new 2007 Infiniti G35 S sedan, and I was there for the unveiling. The car is a huge improvement over the previous model. It's much "beefier" looking, it reminded me a lot of the new IS and GS Lexus models. The navigation interface was much cleaner, and was touch screen. The gauges looked amazing lit up. Interior was vastly improved in terms of quality. The use of the "M" style headlights looks great. I was a little worried that the bubbles on the taillights from the press pics was not going to look good, but the rear looked very nice. Way to go Infiniti, I cannot wait to see how the coupe looks! Here's a few pics, click the pic of a high-res version:

London Car Diary

Dave P. — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 20:32:00 +0000

I spent the weekend in London, and was amazed by the number of high-end cars I saw driving around. Here's a diary of some of the things I've seen, very notably the Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari F40. There are many cars I saw that I wasn't able to get pictures of like a Mercedes SLR, Aston Martin Vantage/Vanquish, and many others...but I think these pictures will be good enough! It was not unordinary to see 20+ Bentley's, 10+ Ferrari's, and a few Lamborghini's in a day. There were more Mercedes and BMW's driving around then any other car make. It was like a rolling car show. Now without further delay, the pics: Bentley Longbase. Bentley Interior. Older V12 Jag. Ferrari F430 Sighted! Maserati. Civic - Euro Style Aston Martin DB7 Maserati BMW M5 Interesting modified Benz Smart Car - Brabus Edition SL55 AMG - I saw a few SL65 AMG's, but I wasn't able to get a picture. Porsche Turbo Can't remember who makes this, but it's an electric car smaller than a smart car. Vauxhall Astra - what I believe the Saturn Sky is based on in terms of front-end looks? Another Ferrari spotted. MG TF. Defender. Best picture I got of a Porsche Cayman New Ford Focus SVT Awesome Porsche. I believe the rear badge said RF? Post a comment if you know what kind this is. Porsche Cayenne Gemballa GT Rolls Royce dealership with a couple of Phantom's. Bentley was right next door. 1 of around 70 Bugatti Veyron's ($1.1M) parked next to a Rolls Royce Phantom ($320k base price). Front shot of the Bugatti Veyron 07' S65 AMG Mercedes. MSRP starting at $182,275. Lamborghini of London Ferrari dealership A night shot of a Ferrari F40 driving around Oxford Street! I believe this is the TVR Sagaris - I was only able to get this picture. I saw a few other TVR's throughout the weekend, but didn't have the camera out in time. Acura NSX - aka Honda NSX Nissan 350Z - JDM Style Lime Green Lamborghini Gallardio At Harrod's Bentley Continental GT - This was by far the car of choice in London, this was the high-end car most seen. Continental Flying Spur Longbase Ferrari Superamerica Ferrari 612 Scagelietti BMW 1-Series The new BMW M6 One of the many Ferrari F430's seen during the weekend. This seemed to be the Ferrari of choice in London. Older Rolls Royce Maserati Quattroporte BMW 5-Series Police Car. I didn't grab a picture, but I also saw a new bodystyle 5-series police car....quite sexy, although not as sexy as a Lamborghini Gallardo police car. Aston Martin DB9 Rear Aston Martin DB9 Front Lamborghini Gallardo Sweet Range Rover Sport BMW 8 Series Ferrari 360 Modena Rear Ferrari 360 Modena Front Alfa Romeo, which will be coming to the US Alfra Romeo Front Shot A few Lambo's for your pleasure Smart Car Roadster Silvia Style

Ford GT

Nissan Altima Coupe Spy Shots

Dave P. — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:00:00 +0000

Vince from Hollywood Extra caught a possible Altima Coupe during some sort of photoshoot. Taking a look at it, there is a major resemblance to the Infiniti G35 Coupe, but with an Altima front end. We'd be very interested to see if Nissan decides to release a coupe version of the Altima or not. Autoblog is hoping that it may be being prepped for the LA Auto Show in December.

Nissan Launches In Second Life

Dave P. — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:56:00 +0000

The online craze, Second Life, that allows you to be a part of a virtual world now lets you drive around in a new virtual Nissan Sentra. You simply have to IM Toast Alicious for a key, which will enable you to go to the vendor on the Nissan sims to get your own. The cars are customizable through a menu system, and so you can change the colour by clicking on the car. More info here.

Nissan Altima Crank Sensor Recall Being Reviewed

Dave P. — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:57:00 +0000

The 2002 and early 2003 Nissan Altima's had a recall to replace the crank position sensor. The problem caused by the sensor would not allow the vehicle to start or would stall it. When I had my 03 3.5 SE I had to replace the sensor, although I never had a problem. According to this AP article, the government has had 29 more complaints of 03 Altimas that were not originally included in the recall. Nissan said it would fully cooperate in the investigation. Recall Info 2002 Nissan Altima Base Recall ID from NHTSA: 03V455000 Recall Date: 11/17/2003 Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Potential Units Affected: 630000 Summary: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR CAM POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS. Defect Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" WARNING LIGHT TO COME ON, CREATE A NO START CONDITION, CAUSE REDUCED ENGINE POWER, OR CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(S), AND IN SOME CASES, THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR(S). VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS NEW CAMPAIGN. THE REPLACEMENT SENSORS USED IN THAT CAMPAIGN ARE ALSO AFFECTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200. Notes: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC., R3021/R3022

Nissan Debuts 2007 Altima Hybrid Edition

Dave P. — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 15:36:00 +0000

Nissan debuted the 07 Altima Hybrid at the OC Auto Show yesterday. This is Nissan's first official hybrid vehicle, with sticker showing 41mpg city and 36mpg highway. Read more here.

2009 Skyline GT-R Pics & Video

Dave P. — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 03:28:00 +0000

Edmunds was able to get some video of the Skyline GT-R in near-production skin being tested on the Nurburgring test track in Germany. Notice the Porsche 911 Turbo on the track with it...this should be a good indicator of the performance comparison. The page also has some interesting text and commentary. Check it out.

05-06 Frontier/ Pathfinder/ Xterra Dash Kit Added

Dave P. — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 03:11:00 +0000

I'll be adding a bunch of new dash kit applications over the next couple weeks as well as possibly some audio harnesses. I'm wondering if there would be demand for a dash kit/audio harness package? In the meantime, the first is Best Kits 05-06 Nissan Frontier/Pathfinder/Xterra kit which we're offering free shipping on.

AT Sponsored NX2000 Wins National Championship

Dave P. — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 18:10:00 +0000

Dan Gardner and JD Nissan NX2000 Win National Championship National Auto Sport Association (NASA) TTF Championship Won by 158 Thousandths of a Second

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. - Just a few short days ago, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Dan Gardner, driving the Jackson-Dawson Nissan NX2000, took the championship honors at NASA's inaugural national championship event. Gardner won the TTF class by a scant 0.158 seconds in one of the most highly-contested battles in any class. Gardner and his team emerged victorious after fighting off mental demons that resulted from three spins and almost hitting the pit wall on a rain-soaked test day the day before competition began. "When you look at the in-car footage, it's truly scary watching us almost hit the pit wall," said Dan Gardner. "Then when you compare it to our winning footage on Saturday, it's amazing we actually got there. That track is like ice when wet, and there are a lot of bad things that can collect you if you go off. This was a mental victory above all else." Prior to shipping the car out to Ohio, Gardner and crew chief, Chris Viscovich, meticulously prepped the vehicle and continued their massive spare parts acquisition, which included securing items such as:

Control arms
Axles
Brake calipers
Brake lines
Radiator
Rocker arms and shims
ECU
Shocks
Knuckles
Wheel hubs and bearings
Throttle body
Brake rotors and pads
Drive belts
Wheels
Tie rods
Fuel rail with injectors

In total, the team would take 90 gallons of spares with them to Nationals in order to be prepared for any contingency. In fact, crewman Blair Judson (an Ohio local) had on-hand a spare engine and transmission should that be required as well. "You don't come 2,500 miles to let a mechanical failure cost you a championship," said Viscovich. "Even if it took working all night every night on the car, we weren't going to surrender regardless of the nature of the failure." Like many times in racing, when you come the most prepared, nothing ever goes wrong. And that was certainly the case for the four days the team spent driving one of the most challenging tracks in the United States. The only items that were done that were more than basic checks were swapping out a set of front brake pads, changing the brake fluid/bleeding the brakes, putting in new spark plugs, putting the rear swaybar on full stiff, and resetting base ignition timing. Nothing ever failed, a testament to the thousands of hours of work the team has invested over the last year and a half on the vehicle. This is a vehicle that has over 200,000 miles on its chassis. Crew chief Viscovich patiently went through the entire car each and every time the car came off track, and performed an even more in-depth inspection at the conclusion of each day. "If it wasn't for Chris nothing that we achieved at Nationals would be possible," said Gardner. "His countless hours over the last two seasons, and his meticulous inspections at Nationals were invaluable. In essence, you not only put your success in the hands of your crew chief, you put your life in his hands as well. There's simply not another man on this planet that I'd entrust my life to, on or off the racetrack." The team carefully tracked the weather forecast prior to leaving for Ohio. Things were not looking good, especially for test day, a day the team had hoped would bring familiarity with the track along with good tire temps and pressures…not to mention some baseline lap times. A storm system was settling over Mid-Ohio, and when the team arrived at the track on Wednesday morning the track was soaked and the ominous sky portended more rain. A quick session or two had Gardner frantically sawing at the wheel to keep the car from looping end over end. Coming onto the front straightaway, Gardner felt the car twitch and head straight for the pit wall. A mad shuffling of the steering wheel finally got the car straight again, unscathed but leaving Gardner nerve-wracked. Helpful professional race driver and instructor, Tommy Byrne, reviewed the team's in-car footage, and quickly concluded that the rear bar needed to be disconnected for the wet conditions. He then proceeded to hop in the car with Gardner and show him both the wet and dry line. After coming into the pits, Gardner hopped into the driver's seat, and although the car felt a bit better, he was tentative with the throttle which kept the car sliding on turn in. Further, thunder started to boom, while lightning filled the sky repeatedly. It was time for a mental break. The team decided to get competition tech inspection out of the way, so there was one less thing to worry about as the day went on. Following tech, and toward the very end of test day, the sun peaked out of the clouds. Gardner jumped on the opportunity to drive a somewhat dried out track. This turned out to be a good thing, as Gardner gained a bit of confidence during one last 20 lap blitz. He wasn't turning super-fast lap times, but the car was stable and he again began to get comfortable with being on-throttle. Times settled right around the 2:00 minute mark. Yes, the track was still a tad wet, but the times were around 10 seconds off what the team predicted would be needed to secure a win. The team's practice session on Thursday, the first competition day, left them with a time that would place them at an unimpressive fourth on grid in class. The track was still wet in the morning, but would get a bit better throughout the day. For the first competition session, the team turned a 1:57.094, still seven-tenths behind the third place driver, Ken Brewer in a Toyota MR2. Again, the team was gridded fourth, but Gardner turned up the wick a bit and ran off a 1:55.014, almost a second ahead of Brewer. This secured the team the number three spot on grid for Friday, right behind the Midwest Regional Champion, Bill Marquardt, driving a Mazda Miata. On Friday morning, Gardner asked Viscovich to hook the rear swaybar back up, as it looked like the day would be mostly dry. The practice session wouldn't count for grid, but preliminary times of 1:53.xxx let Gardner know that he'd be hot on Marquardt's tail for the first competition session of the day. Gardner wanted more oversteer, so with the front bar set on full soft, he had Viscovich go full-stiff in the rear, for as much rotation as possible, short of disconnecting the front bar entirely. On the out lap of the first session, Gardner gave the red Miata some room, but once the green flag dropped, Gardner made the decision to create some space up front, rather than try to battle for position with Marquardt later on. He rushed a long line of cars into the Carousel, dipping inside of the Miata. Coming out of the turn Gardner nailed the throttle and pulled the Miata slightly on the front straightaway. Marquardt would then tuck in behind Gardner going into Turn 1, and Gardner would not see him again. When the times came in, the team had posted a 1:52.226, just 0.074 seconds behind the leader, Steve Fuss, in a 1,900-lb. VW GTI on Hoosiers. During Friday's final competition session, the track started to fall off, and despite driving hard, the team was only able to turn a 1:53.176. Fuss's times had dropped off as well, along with most of the competitors, and that would give Gardner the number 2 grid position behind the leader for the first competition session on Saturday, the final day of competition. The team was able to use their in-car footage on Friday night to figure out how to find that last little bit of time that would be needed to win the race. Driving coach, Eric Fletcher, graciously volunteered his time, giving Gardner pointers on how to drive the track to gain time. He also provided Gardner with mental exercises to help visualize what needed to be done. Gardner also made a call to John Wu, engineer at tire sponsor Nitto. The team had two sets of NT-01 R-Compound tires. One was the set that they had been using, with several heat cycles, but less tread depth. The other set was a fresh set with full tread depth. Wu told the team that he thought that the new set shaved to 2 or 3/32nds would be fastest. The team scrambled that night and the next morning to find an onsite or offsite vendor that could shave their tires for them. It was not to be. No shaving machine could be found, and so with a little bit of wind taken out of their sails, the team elected to run the new tires as is for the competition sessions on Saturday. At Fletcher's advice they also replaced the front pads and swapped brake fluid, performing a thorough bleed in the process. Staged behind Fuss for the first competition session on Saturday, the team knew that if the track grip dropped off late in the day, this would be their only chance at victory. Viscovich wrote "Speed of Light Fast Tires" on the new set to help encourage them along while Gardner sang out "How to Save a Life" by The Fray to try to stay loose and relaxed. The song had somehow become the team's theme song throughout the competition. Gardner was right on Fuss's bumper for a lap or two before a higher class Porsche and Mustang split them up. Gardner kept driving his lines, hoping to gain on Fuss by posting faster and faster lap times. The green oil temp warning light came on, indicating temps in excess of 250 F. A catastrophic failure wasn't likely, and Gardner knew this meant he was driving the car harder than he had before. Still he could not gain on Fuss. Lap after lap he drove harder and harder, but the tires were starting to go away, and he didn't think he had beat out the leader. When he came into the pits he told Viscovich, "Chris, I didn't do it; I couldn't catch him. I drove the car as hard as I could." Meanwhile, Viscovich was taking tire temps, reporting back temps in excess of 200 degrees F, evidence that Gardner was driving the car extremely hard. He finally came to the driver's window and said, "Dude, you did it. They announced it, you beat him, you pulled ahead." Gardner got out of the car and looked at the live results, which still showed Fuss ahead, but that was apparently only the last lap recorded in the session. Judson and Viscovich told Gardner to go to timing and scoring and see for himself. Gardner scanned the posted times and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He had run a 1:51.247 to Fuss's 1:51.405. He looked at it over and over again to make sure he wasn't reading it wrong, before running back to the garage. He picked up Viscovich in the air, celebrating for a moment, but knowing there was still one final session to run. The team hoped the track would start to fall off, but it was not to be. Indeed times for the group ahead of Gardner suggested that they were comparable to earlier in the day. There would be one last battle. Gardner was now in the number 1 spot on grid, and would have to deal with Fuss right behind him. As the cars took to the track, Gardner again started singing to calm his nerves, but stopped as soon as the green flag dropped. Fuss locked his brakes momentarily going into the Carousel as Gardner took the inside line. The two just about rubbed mirrors, staying side by side as close as two cars can get through the turn and into the kink leading onto the straightaway. Gardner decided to alter his double apex line rather than risk a collision with the VW. In doing so, Fuss got a brief run on him coming onto the straight, and pulled ahead just barely as the two got ready for Turn 1. Gardner gave Fuss an eyeful of Nissan lap after lap, as the two ran within thousandths of a second of eachother. Toward the end of the session a TTE Focus and Mazdaspeed Protégé split Gardner and Fuss, and the rest of the session was run slower, as tires and brakes started to fade away. All cars were required to go to impound after the last session, and Gardner and Fuss emerged from the cars shaking as they immediately embraced one another. A true battle had been fought, and neither knew what the times were. When the times finally came in Fuss had ran 28 hundredths of a second faster. The times, however, did drop off. Gardner ran a 1:52.019 to Fuss's 1:51.991. And with that, Gardner's 1:51.247 would be the lap that secured the victory. Both first and second place in TTF would be coming back to California, but the championship would go to Gardner and the SoCal region. "Somehow we did it, " said Gardner. "We had to fight every bit of the way. Steve was a great competitor. We were gladiators, and there was honor. If I had easily walked away with the championship, sure, it would have meant something, but it means so much more to have fought this hard for it. 158 thousandths of a second! We did it!" But driving the car was but one piece of the formula. Chris Viscovich made sure Gardner could keep his mind on driving by taking on every drop of responsibility for the crew activities. "I told Dan I would make sure he didn't have to think about working on the car," said Viscovich. "I just wanted him to focus on driving and staying relaxed. We all have a job to do, and when everyone does it well, great things can happen. Well, great things did happen. Nissan power, baby!" Title sponsor Jackson-Dawson was on-hand to witness the victory. Their support made a lot of things possible, and the team was excited (if not a bit under pressure) while they were there. "Winning at the first ever NASA National Championships is really something," said Dennis Kiser, Vice President - Client Services, Jackson-Dawson Communications. "Even the best guy doesn't win every time, but we believed Dan could do it. We're just happy to be a part of this all. A National Championship…what more could a title sponsor ask for!?" The JD NX2000 is currently fitted with

Nitto 205/50R15 NT-01 tires
Recaro Pole Position Seats
Progress Technology coilovers, front and rear swaybars, and lower control arm brace
Mossy Performance: OEM parts, Crown stainless brake lines, Unorthodox Racing pulleys, Hose Techniques silicone radiator hoses
Carbotech Panther XP10 brake pads
Optima RedTop battery
Hitachi alternator and starter
G-Force 5-point harnesses, racing suit, gloves, and helmet
Active Tuning grounding kit
The Tire Rack Kosei K1-TS 15x7-inch wheels
Custom Steel water temp sender adaptor

In addition, tire mounting, balancing, and repair are performed by America's Tire Co., graphics are done by G5 Designs, car care products are supplied by Mothers Polish, and dyno testing services are supplied by Harman Motive. Images of the racecar with new graphics at Mid-Ohio can be found at http://gallery.aboutgardner.com/gallery/Mid-Ohio-Championship-September-2006.

2006 Maxima Dash Kit Added

Dave P. — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 02:17:00 +0000

Update 9/30/06: We are currently listing compatibility with only 04-05 models due to news of color being off with 06 models. The dash kit we carried for the 04-05 Nissan Maxima is now confirmed to be compatible with the 06 models. Our product page has been updated accordingly.

2007 Nissan Maxima Pics

Dave P. — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:08:00 +0000

Update 4/16/2006: More pictures can be found here and here. Maxima.org got a hold of the 2007 Nissan Maxima pictures. Check out the page for a ton of pics, and post your comments below!

Scion Fuse Sneak Preview

Dave P. — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:38:00 +0000

We reported on a Scion sports car coming out in this years NY Auto Show. Here's a sneak preview picture: More to come later! It definitely has the potential to look very good.

ActiveTuning Apparel - Would You Be Interested?

Dave P. — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 02:35:00 +0000

At our past meet, it seemed like a good amount of people would be interested in purchasing some ActiveTuning apparel (ex: shirts, hats, etc). I just wanted to see how many of you would really be interested. Simply answer the poll below so we can get a better idea:

Vacaton Time - Delayed Shipping Times

Dave P. — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:16:00 +0000

Mike will be travelling out of town from this Friday until 9/15, so everything shipping from our WI location will have about 2-3 weeks tacked onto the amount of time before it can shipped as of today. This includes grilles (upper and lower), struts, shocks, the ALXT aux-input plug, and a few more items. For your convenience, you can see an estimated amount of time before a product ships on the product page. You are always more than welcome to contact us should you have any further questions.

AT Blog RSS Feed

Dave P. — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 02:01:00 +0000

We've not got an RSS feed avaible for this blog. Simply add the feed, and you can stay up-to-date on the latest headlines from us. Here's the URL for the feed: http://www.activetuning.com/blog/rss.xml

Nissan's Next Generation VQ35HR Details

Dave P. — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 03:08:00 +0000

Nissan just released some details on the upcoming new version of the VQ...the VQ35HR. We'll see it first in the new 07' Infiniti G35. You can check out more pics, and even sound clips from the FreshAlloy thread here.

NISSAN DEVELOPS NEW-GENERATION V6 ENGINES --Engines to power all-new Skyline to be released this autumn--

TOKYO (Aug. 22, 2006)--Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., has newly developed two new-generation six-cylinder V-type engines for front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles featuring powerful performance and improved environmental friendliness. The 3.5L VQ35HR and 2.5L VQ25HR engines will be built at Nissan's Iwaki Plant in Fukushima Prefecture and will be equipped in the all-new Skyline to be released this autumn in Japan, as well as the US where the model is sold as the Infiniti G35. Featuring newly designed engine blocks and other key components, the engines offer smooth transition to top-in-class level engine speed of 7,500 revolutions per minute drawing upon the "smooth transition" concept of the popular VQ engine, the only engine in the world to appear on Ward's 10-Best Engines list for 12 consecutive years. The engines achieve a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to vehicles equipped with the existing VQ engine and top-in-class Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle level emissions. SU-LEVs have 75% or less nitrogen oxide (NOx) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions than those stipulated by Japan's 2005 exhaust emission standards. The letters "HR" in VQ35HR and VQ25HR stand for "high revolution" and "high response." Nissan began VQ engine production in 1994 and has produced a cumulative total of 5.5 million units as of last fiscal year, ended March 31, 2006. Main specifications of the VQ35HR and VQ25HR engines: Smooth transition to top-in-class level engine speed of 7,500 rpm

Reduction of weight and friction through adoption of asymetrical piston skirt configuration
Reduction of piston-side force through lengthening of con rod
Addition of rudder frame, newly-designed cylinder block with significantly improved rigidity

Thrilling revving sound and top-in-class output

Adoption of perfectly symmetrical intake system
Adoption of continuously variable valve timing control (CVTC) for intake side and electromagnetic valve timing control (e-VTC) for exhaust side
Reduction of intake resistance through adoption of symmetrical twin intake system and straight intake port
Adoption of isometric exhaust manifold and perfectly symmetrical exhaust system

Improvement of fuel-efficiency and emission cleanliness

Reduction of friction through adoption of world's first hydrogen-free, diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating
Adoption of catalyst substrate with ultra-low heat mass, super-ignition iridium spark plug and fast light-off O2 sensor control

Drastically Reduced Ship Times For S Grilles

Dave P. — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 06:11:00 +0000

We've finally almost completed the complete transition with our new fiberglass manufacturer. The benefit to this is drastically reduced wait times for any of our S grilles! In the past we've had as much as a 3 month wait before a grille was shipped, this is now down to about 1-3 weeks PAINTED. We are even planning to stock certain grilles and color combinations for practically immediate shipping. As you can see, we're very excited about this! This also takes a lot of weight off of our shoulders, which can hopefully go into new product development. Look for more new products coming your way!

Meet Coverage

Dave P. — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:35:00 +0000

I finally got some time to upload some pictures from our 2nd Annual Nissan/Infiniti Meet! You can check them out here.