Nissan's fullsize Titan truck is impressive, to say the least. The truck has great power and road prowess in stock trim. But, what happens if you lose your mind and add 11 inches of lift and 37-inch tires? You would be a Sport Truck editor who was missing how peppy the truck was before the added inches.
There are a few ways we can get the truck closer to its former demeanor, such as re-gearing the rearend or adding more power. We are partial to the latter option, adding power. One problem with that is we already have a Gibson exhaust strapped under the truck, which only really leaves us three options: an air intake, nitrous, or some sort of forced injection. Again, we are partial to the latter, so we did a little research and found out that Stillen in Costa Mesa, California, offers an intercooled supercharging system for the Titan's V-8. We have worked with Stillen on many occasions and have been nothing but happy with the company's parts and quality of work, so this was sort of a no-brainer. We set up a time for the installation and asked if there was anything we should do beforehand. The technician informed us to change the oil and have just a few gallons of super unleaded in the tank.
The install was very involved, and unless you are very skilled mechanic with a monster set of tools, who isn't afraid to splice into the factory wiring harness, you might want to leave this to a professional. The install took a full day without hitting any snags, but if we would have run into any problems, we would have been there for two days, again not an install for the faint of heart.
Once the job was complete, we strapped the truck to the dyno and listened to the blower whine screaming from the Titan for the first time. Not only did it sound awesome, but the numbers were no slouch either, with 390 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. That is an increase of 113 hp and 80 lb-ft of torque from one modification. On the road, the grunt of the Titan was back, and when we put the pedal to the floor, the truck took off and pulled through the rpm range. The one thing that did freak us out a little bit was how well this truck ran with the big lift kit and tires-it was almost scary. Don't get us wrong, because we love fast trucks; it's what we are all about. But, man, there will be two things you better have if you build a truck like this, great brakes and concrete nuts.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?The Stillen system is based off of an Eaton supercharger, much like you would find on Ford's Lightning. The system features a water-to-air intercooler to combat the heat created by compressing the air, and in turn, allowing for more power with less chance of detonation. Stillen also provides a little electronics box that will keep the factory computer from freaking out and will also change the tune so all this new power can actually be used. The rest of the stuff is a little less exciting but of high quality, and everything went on perfectly.
1. The first step in the...
1. The first step in the installation process is going to be the fuel pump assembly that is hiding in the tank. To access it, the tank must be dropped from the vehicle. Luckily, our truck has a body lift on it, which makes getting to the hoses, and so on, very easy. If you don't have a body lift, you will have to drop the tank partially and then unhook all of this stuff.
2. After we loosened the...
2. After we loosened the two 17mm nuts on the tank straps, the unit was lowered out from under the truck. The outer ring needs to be rotated counter clockwise with a hammer and a brass drift. But, before you start tapping on the ring, blow the tank off to prevent debris from falling in your fuel. Also, be sure to put a few marks on the ring and tank, so you can put it all back together the same way it came out.
3. Here is what is going...
3. Here is what is going to come out of the tank; it's the fuel pump and sending unit system.
4. The fuel pump is sitting...
4. The fuel pump is sitting in the bottom portion of this setup, next to the pressure regulator. The pump is equipped with a crimp-on hose clamp. This needs to be cut off the short hose on the pump.
5. The pump is retained in...
5. The pump is retained in the assembly by three tabs. A flat-tip screwdriver and a careful hand got it out.
6. The Stillen system comes...
6. The Stillen system comes with a new fuel pump that provides more volume but retains the same psi ratings (A). The pump will come out of the bottom of the assembly, and the new pump slides right in to take its place (B). There will be some trimming needed to one of the little rubber spacers, but the instructions will tell you just what to do.
6b.
7. Once the new pump was...
7. Once the new pump was installed, the assembly was put back together and reinstalled back in the tank. The tank was put back in the truck, and everything was hooked back up so the truck could be fired up. This way, you can check the functionality of the new pump. If the truck starts three times, you are good to go.
8. Moving under the hood,...
8. Moving under the hood, the battery, the serpentine belt, the engine cover, and the grille were removed, along with the factory air-intake system, in preparation of the intake removal. The coolant overflow tank was unbolted and set to the side, and the upper radiator hose was popped off.