I would bet you could find a tutorial on how to install a cold air intake, but its hard to say if it would still be warranty friendly. They may require a certified Nissan Mechanic to install it. But hey, screw the warranty, void that sucker.
You believe in Nissan's reliability, don't you? I mean, thats one reason you probably got the car, right? I would suggest finding a Nissan Altima forum and digging around a bit. Find out what modifications are safe and what you could expect the best gains from and go from there. That will steer you away from bad modifications that could lead to something going boom, and you can learn where you money can be best spent.
I mean, your installing an exhaust thats probably not even an inch larger than your stock one. Is that going to blow the car up? No. Is it going to making such huge amounts of power that your going to rip those gears into shreds? No. I doubt most standard bolt ons will not be dangerous. If you start messing with the ECU, then things can get ugly. Dangerous timing, AF ratios, high EGT (whatever the hell that means, but from I've read, it seems bad), and those sorts of things are going to mess your engine up.
I'll use myself as an example. In Feburary of 2004 I bought a brand new WRX. I didn't have any money at the time to modify so I kept it stock for the first few months. I got a promotion and then had a good deal to spend on miscellaneous, stupid, crap for the car. However, I went around ClubWRX and saw what was the safest and cheapest way to get what I wanted, went for it, and never looked back.
I bought some basic things, wheels and tires, rear sway bar, turbo back exhaust, and a turbo timer. I've never, ever seen a person post something like, "I blew my engine, only mod: exhaust". Quite frankly, it just won't happen. I do however see, "Another EJ20 bites the dust" every once in a while. But these are the guys who are pushing 350hp at the wheels, and have wild and somewhat dangerous tunes and are throwing 20+ PSI at a engine block that is accustomed to only see 14.5. Of course they realize that this may blow a piston, or bend a rod, or something. They also have enough cash and time to go and buy a USDM STi engine.
This is what is mainly keeping me away from engine tunes, and why I doubt I'll do anything of the sort. I know I'm going to keep a very mild set up and I seriously doubt I will blow my engine. I trust Subaru's reliability, so much in fact I went in today and cancelled my extended warranty so I can pay the car off sooner.
So what I'm trying to say, is be reasonable.
Do some research and find out whats the safest, most cost-effective way to get some good horses out of that 2.5L. Your probably not going to blow your transmission, or engine away with some simple bolt ons. But also, be responsible. If you do plan on doing some wild tune, or drop a SR20DET, don't expect Nissan to pay for it. They won't and you'd be stupid for thinking so.
Have a fun time modifying the car.
👍
j/k
