Stillen B-Pipe

Not entirely satisfied with my custom modified Courtesy B-Pipe, I decided to give the Stillen B-Pipe a try. Although I had my Courtesy B-Pipe modified to eliminate the silly OEM Extension piece (see the full story) I did not like the fact that the B-Pipe hanger was misaligned and not fully insulating the pipe from exhaust vibrations. Although worried about running an exhaust without a resonator, my experience with the Maxima exhaust told me that as long as I left the stock rear section alone, all would be OK when it came to noise output. It turned out I was right! Changing out the B-Pipe on the Maxima is not difficult. All you need are a good set of sockets and wrenches, and some patience.

The Stillen B-Pipe comes in two pieces, which makes it very easy to put on without a lift. Courtesy Nissan should look at how Stillen designed this pipe and take notes. Note: There is an O2 hole in the forward pipe which only needs to be plugged with a supplied bung if your 4th-Gen Maxima does not have an O2 sensor behind the cat, like my car. No need for any ridiculous power-robbing OEM extension pieces.


Stillen-supplied hardware, above. I found it strange that Stillen did not supply bolts for their B-Pipe rear section, since their pipe does not have the bolts built-in like the stock B-Pipe. I used Nissan bolts, part number 081B7-0351A, which are very heavy duty and designed for exhaust systems.
INSTALL PICS BELOW:

First remove the stock B-Pipe. This can be a little tough without a lift, since it is hard to manipulate the pipe with so little room. I backed my car onto ramps which made things a little easier. Replace the cat gasket with a new one.

Install the forward pipe first, onto the cat and attach the rear end of the pipe to the rubber exhaust hanger. Let it hang loosely and don't tighten anything up yet. Cat nuts and bolts should be 14mm. Place the Stillen-supplied gasket on the muffler, as shown.

Attach the rear pipe section to the muffler and to the forward pipe section. Snug down all bolts but do not tighten yet. Make sure everything is lined up right, and place the pipe clamp at the junction of the 2 B-Pipe sections.

In what I have found to be typical Stillen fashion, their fitment is excellent. The B-Pipe comes with a 17mm bung to plug the O2 port if your application requires it. Mine did. The bar which is attached to the forward pipe fits the exhaust hanger perfectly.

I had heard some individuals report that they were unable to reattach the exhaust underbrace after installing both the Stillen and Courtesy B-Pipes. I found this not to be the case in both circumstances. There is clearly plenty of clearance between the underbrace and the B-Pipe. At this point you can go around and tighten down all of the bolts.
My opinions on the Stillen B-Pipe confirmed what I had suspected regarding exhaust and exhaust noise when modding the Maxima. As long as you keep the stock muffler the car will be quiet. I detected no difference in noise between the Courtesy B-Pipe (with a resonator) and the Stillen B-Pipe, which does not have a resonator. The exhaust sounds deep and menacing but it is not loud from inside the cockpit and does not have the annoying drone that came with the Stillen muffler. I would say that the Stillen B-Pipe is a perfectly acceptable solution for those who want a free-er flowing catback without the noise. Just remember to keep the stock muffler on!