I just bought me a new cherry red '93 SE and
I wanna make that bad boy handle better...
I'm used to the great handling of my old G20 and MR2...

Anyway to make the Maxima handle less like a pig
and more like a sports car? I looked at the shock
options and I'm a bit depressed....
no Illumina/Ground Control?

Any other options? I mean, I'm definitely getting
a rear swaybar... gotta dial in the severe oversteer, hehe

I know of the Stillen and Courtesy front strut bar, but anybody make a rear strut tower bar?

-Alex

 

You're never going to make it handle like a G20, because the engine weighs around 250 lbs more and the wheelbase is 4" longer. It will always feel big and heavy on very tight twisties and fast transitions. New struts will help any floaty feeling. After struts, the two most important things, to make it stick in corners, are wider tires and a FSTB. With stock wheels stickey 215/60's would work well. There are a number of combinations if you go to aftermarket 16" wheels. For best handling go for light wheels. 17" wheels may have a snappier feel on transitions, but are no better for max g's, and make things worse and anything but very smooth pavement because of high unspring weight. I think lowereing springs are in the same catagory as 17" wheels: good for looks, maybe feel, but not much better performance. A bigger rear sweay bar will cut down on the understeer. No one makes a RSTB, because the struts are mounted by a solid bukhead and don't need, or would benefit from one.

 

I have to disagree with brub on the spring issue... I noticed some pretty major changes when I changed my springs and struts.. given, I replaced them at the same time, but the springs still make it handle noticeably better. I've driven several Maxes with new struts and stock springs, and they still felt like pigs.

Basically, here's your list of options:
struts: KYB (decent), Tokico (better), or Koni adjustables (best)

springs: Eibach (1.2" drop, stiff), Suspension Techniques (1.5" drop, almost as soft as stock), Intrax (1.75" drop, dunno about ride), and Sprint (2" drop, dunno about ride).

sway bars: suspension Techniques front and rear set ($250)
Addco rear sway bar ($175)

strut tower brace: Courtesy ($60), Stillen ($160)
keep in mind, they both perform the exact same function and do it just as well as the other, but one has <I>STILLEN </i> stamped on it, the other doesn't.


I saw dramatic improvements in handling with each upgrade on my car, and the biggest help was going to 16" rims with 225/50 tires. the only time I get understeer is when I want it now. no whining or complaining or leaning, it just turns.

But no, you won't get the type of handling like you had on your other cars.. the Maxima IS a pig compared to those tiny, sporty cars.
We have a guy that's currently speaking with Tokico about getting a set of illuminas made- dunno whether it will happen or not though.

 

Doubt it...Just like APC with me and the Altezzas....WHEN they get around to it....which in business terms means it's not gonna happen.

 

no offense here, but when you're trying to get parts prototyped, there's a big difference between some "kid" looking for Altezzas, and a representative of one of the largest Aftermarket Nissan parts dealers in the country that has stepped up with corporate backing to start the project. If you can get a place like Courtesy Nissan to call them and say "If you'll make these, we'll buy #xxx sets right now, and will have a demand for xxx in the future."

That's much more credible than a kid saying "Me and all my friends want them, and if you make them we'll buy 'em!

So far, he's got energy suspension to produce a front end bushing kit (still working on it), and engine mounts should be out by the end of the month.

 

I think going to a 225/50-16 or a 225/60-15 (on 7" wide rims) would give comperable grip, and be better than stock. They would feel different though, aside from the slight difference in dia. The 50 series tire has to be run at a higher tire pressure and with the shorter shoulder will have better snap on turn in. The handling penality you pay for the sharp feel, of the bigger wheels, is that they won't run at the higher slip angles of the smaller wheels. The result is that as you reach the limit with the 50's once they let go it's hard to get back. With the 60's the breakaway is going to be more gradual. For the track, 225/50 is better; I'm not so sure for the street. Also, for the miserable streets I drive on, I'd rather have the cushier ride of the 15" wheels. It's also why I'll stick with stock springs. A real hard suspension and stiff tires can't keep the tires firmly planted on crappy roads: they bounce and skip and you go slower through turns. You really have to optomize the car for the type of driving you do and roads you do it on. If you live in the NE, and do the hot setup for So Cal, you may not be to happy when you're done.

 

True, very true..
fortunately roads are pretty smooth around here. not a lot of traffic on the highways either, so you see people cruising between towns at 120+ often times.. average speed on the highways is about 80-85. usually when I "slow down" to that fast, I'll get passed by 5 or 6 cars going considerably faster than that. usually I'll drive between 95 and 100, and slow down to 85-90 when I pass people.

good thing there's no potholes around here, eh?

 

Any idea when the front end bushing kit will be avalible? i would be interested in that.

 

I dunno yet.. they tried using some parts off the 4th gen kit, but they didn't fit, so they're going to have to custom make most of the bushings for our cars.. they may have even scrapped the whole project- not sure yet.. I haven't talked to Kaleb since before Christmas, but I'll try and find something out soon.