Project Bluebird: 2014 Metallic Peacock Nissan Note

Z_ealot

ok well first off i know i'm copying from Waizz's thread, but seemed the best way to start off this type of thread anyways little background on the car: as some of you may or may not know i previously owned a Monterey Blue 370Z, but due to circumstances she is now in the big junkyard in the sky, had my heart set on another 370Z, but didn't work out in my favor..at least not for the time being, so after thinking about it and seeing how beautifully waizz's project came together and how much he liked his Fit i decided to try what in all honesty is Nissans attempt at going after the honda fit and to my surprise Nissan actually did a fairly decent job of putting together a car that was in a class i like to call "slow car that's fun to drive fast". In any case as time permits and as i come across aftermarket parts that will work with the Note i will be updating this thread periodically, so far though i have already had Injen do some R&D on the car and actually was impressed with what they were able to do....with just an intake they were able to achieve an approximate 8whp increase in HP and about the same for torque and after driving a few hundred miles to let the ECU recalibrate itself i have to say i am enjoying the car even more now. Anyways on to the pics.

As the car sits now (sorry waizz had to steal the pic from you) :

kenchan

you mean a slow car that's fun to drive fast in slow motion... lol

speedfreek

See I liked Waizz's Fit so much I bought one just like it for my DD. The new notes definitely look alot better than their predecessor. It will be interesting to see what you do with it.

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Z_ealot

Don't be hatin Ken lol

7speed

Yeah it looks like the Leaf and Fit got into it and this is their child.

Can't wait to see what you turn it into. The most important question cvt or rowing your own?

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09 370z 6spd traded 1/12/15 for 15 Challenger RT 6spd

Z_ealot

I know it's heresy around here to say it but I opted for the cvt as you can only get the upscale features with the cvt such as the fog lights and heated seats and such but surprisingly this second generation cvt that nissan developed is much more responsive than the one I remember in the altima rental I had for a week...I think the main factor in that is the new set of planetary gears they put in this new generation cvt

Z_ealot

sound clip of new prototype injen intake

kenchan

zealot- sorry, i cant watch youtube at work...

btw, where are these Note's made? my 09 FitSport is getting kinda old and planning to replace the car next year. i want to get my wife the new accord sedan , but she wants a hatch again. And the '14 Fits are going to be made in mexico (currently made in Japan) so im not sure i want to buy the first model year...

the only other choice is the impreza hatch (i think the '14-'15's are made in japan), but subaru dealers in my area have been a pita. wife can't drive MT so cvt is fine.

Z_ealot

sorry to tell you, but Nissan followed the same path as Honda when it came to where the car is assembled...all drivetrain components are still made in Japan for the Note, but the rest of the car is assembled in aguascalientes mexico. that aside i have over 5000 miles on the car now with not a single problem and no rattles, very solid build quality considering where the car is assembled. also i think Nissan in mexico uses a different paint mix as in that same 5000 miles i have yet to see one chip in the paint on this car compared with my Z which suffered paint chips within the first few weeks of ownership.

kenchan

sounds good!

huh, my z only has 3-4 chips over the course of 4yrs ownership, so im not too worried about the paint. will clearbra the front bumper on all future cars i buy anyway.

Waiz

Nice name for the car Mike, in for updates as you go along

I believe I have another photo I took of you car I will dig it up when I go home

Z_ealot

lol, well i figure since most people mistake the color for blue for some reason i would run with it, come to think of it though it does have a blue hue to the color when the light hits it the right way and since its light weight and agile like a bird the rest just came together for some reason

Z_ealot

Not the same color as my Note, but this is the direction im planning on going with my Note but with better rims of course the only bad thing is there is yet to be any access at any dealers to the JDM parts catalogues for the Note

Waiz

Here is another pic for you Mike



Wow, the intake sounds really, really good!

Digging the sideskirts in the white car, that would look really good with your Type-C's that you have planned

Any change in MPG? I just have the drop-in K&N filter and I might have to think about getting a real intake after how good yours sounds

Z_ealot

thanks again for the pics wais, and yes as a matter of fact there has been a change in MPG, along with a gain of around 8whp i now average around 2mpg better than with the stock intake so am now consistently getting around 43 to 44mpg on the highway and now looking at the color of the car in your latest pic i can now say i chose the right name lol...i had no idea how blue the car looks in certain light until this pic