Alright so I've got a little money to spend... shopping spree!!! I would like your opinions and expertise though

1. Is the Fidanza lightweight flywheel a good mod and worth the money?

2. What type of clutch should I get for a nearly-stock max? I've been looking at the ACT 6 pad clutch from Stillen, but that's kind of expensive. The Exedy clutch kit from Ebay seems okay, a bit cheaper. But there are also the F1 racing clutch kit for almost the same price... would that be too much? Which one would be the best one? (Together with the Fidanza lightweight flywheel)

3. Is the Unorthodox racing Ultra S Crank Pulley worth the money?

4. At Stillen.com it says the following;
TOKICO PRM PRF 89-94 MAXIMA F LFT
TOKICO PRM PRF 89-94 MAXIMA F RT
TOKICO PRM PRF 89-94 MAXIMA REAR
Since front shocks are separated but not the rear, does that mean they come in pair, or just that they are the same and you have to buy two?

Other than that I'm ordering the Stillen body kit. This summer I am gonna (try to) take care of the rust, mount the body kit and paint the car. Really hope I'll have time for all this...

Thanks to anyone that is nice enough to try and answer me!

 

imo, save the money and effort until things need to be replaced.

 

I'm replacing the transmission (5spd swap) so I need to change the flywheel and clutch anyways. Also the rear brakes, and for that I've found a set of 300zx rotors and calipers for a good price.

I don't need to replace clutch and flywheel but since the trans is still taken down, why not?

Also the rear shocks both have leaks so those need to be replaced. The crank pulley is just for more hp.

 

Just a regular Exedy clutch will be great. No need for a 6 puck for the street. If you have the money, a fidenza flywheel is awesome.

 

The exedy clutch is an OE replacement on eBay.

 

How are you going to mount the 300ZX calipers? They use a totally different e-brake system than our cars and I don't think Matt's kit works on 3rd gens.

 

The Fidanza is nice if you drive aggressively and/or go to the track. I would recommend upgrading to an Exedy Stage 1 or possibly an ACT Stage 1 clutch. I have an ACT, but it is pretty stiff. My ACT is not very pleasant if you have to drive in traffic. I think MrGone said his Exedy Stage 1 is much softer. Don't bother with a 6-puck clutch unless you plan on installing a turbo or a good shot of nitrous.

I imagine that you could get a better price on Tokicos than from Stillen. The fronts are specific to each side, while the rears are inserts that can be used on either side. Before you order, it would be wise to call ahead and see if you are getting one or two. If you are lowering your car with any kind of springs, you need to get struts all the way around or your stock ones won't last very long.

Please talk to Matt or Jeff before you do anything to your brakes. They will steer you in the right direction and keep you from making a wrong move with something that won't work.

 

Thanks (I am actually talking to Jeff about the brakes at the moment. Will keep you all updated on what happens.)

So is the Exedy stage 1 clutch is any different from stock at all?

Mizeree: I'm not really that sure, but as far as I know you need the brackets for the calipers and they should fit onto the max without problems... but as I said I'm not sure. I'll see what Jeff says.

Thanks all for your answers!

 

Rear brake upgrade. Use your stock calipers. Buy the 300z rear rotors and the bbk rear brackets from me. I hope the maximas in the USA are the same as Sweden!

 

Oh alright I didn't see your answer before I wrote you the private message sorry.

My guess is the only thing different on swedish maximas are what things comes as standard.

So I think I've understood this correct. What I need for the rear brakes is the rotor and the bracket, and for the front (if I'd replace that) I'd need calipers, brackets and rotors, right?

Sorry I'm a bit slow


Btw, if I'd like to replace the stock caliper for one that looks a little more sexy, does anyone know what to get?

And, to get away from the 'brake-dust-is-painting-my-rims-black' can I use another type of pad, like the hawk high performance pad or similar? And don't give me the 'stop using the brakes you wimp' answer

 

a litle off topic but is the e-brake supposed to lock the wheels??? mine does stop the car, so it will pass inspection, but shouldnt they lock the wheels up??? i know new cars do, but i dunno about my max.

 

My ebrake on my old max would barely skid the rear tires in snow, let alone stop the car. But it was grippy egnough to start a drift in snow ^_^ I would have fixed it, i still gotta check that out on my new max..

~Alex

 

It depends if your old car was a gxe or se (unless yor GXE had ABS). Drums vs. Disks. Disks lock better than drums. A lot better than drums.

 

mine is a 1991 SE, is this a problem that i have to get checked out??? id fel alot safer. yes, mine are disks.

 

No, not really, those are just oem replacements.

Exedy Stage 1 is a whole different story. I got mine from the group buy for $270 shipped and love every minute of it.

 

Same here. But I think mine's like that just because it's really rusty in the edges of the discs and they need to be replaced. Also the wire isn't tightened enough. And I need a new set of rubber sealing on all calipers... much that needs to be done. And, you wanna know the funny thing about that rubber sealing? At my local nissan dealer they charge $110 for one pair. That's 4 rubber pieces (2 per caliper). So if I'd buy them all, which I'd need, I'd have to pay $220. For 8 small rubber pieces??? ****e that's expensive...

I bet I can find them at another shop for like 5 bucks.

 

Btw, I think I've decided what to do...

Obviously I'll have to get the car to run properly without any problems what so ever. After that I think I'll concentrate on getting the looks in order... meaning the rust fixed and the body kit and paint job done. After that I'll be best off selling it away to some car sick kid that wants a cool ride. Don't know if it's possible but I would like at least $4500 for it. In that case it'll have to look and run very good though...

So I'm gonna spend my money on visible mods rather than performance... except for brakes and clutch which I'll need to replace anyway.

 

Alright so I think I've decided on what to get. At the very least I'm going for this:

Stillen body kit
EXEDY Stage 1 clutch
300zx rotors and brackets (to use with stock calipers)

And if my wallet allows it:

KYB GR-2 Gas Strut, Left + Right Front
KYB GR-2 Gas Cartridge, Left + Right Rear
Eibach Pro Kit 1.2"

The only thing I'm thinking about is if I should forget the clutch and go with the stock one and get the shocks and springs instead...

Opinions anyone?

 

I placed an order with Stillen today. The body kit is on it's long way from U.S west coast to sweden!

Now I'm waiting on Jeff to send me z31 rotors and brackets... oh it's fun to shop

 

So you do actually have the VG? If you had a VE I have a spare new Fidanza I need to sell but that wont help you.

Fidanza: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=321756 $337 from this guy
Brian, Internetautomart sells exedy stage 1's for $250 or $255 shipped IIRC, might be more because it's out of the country, might wanna send him a PM.

Jeff also sells a bracket so you can use Z32 300zx calipers with a 13" cobra rotor

Struts, Go for Koni if you can, they aren't too much more than Tokico's and you'll be very happy with them. DanNY swears by Shox.com. Brian, internetautomart.com is good aswell.

 

Yep, I do have the VG. Too bad, I'd bought that fidanza in a heartbeat.

Yep, Brian is definatly the guy I'll talk to since he was very helpful with my master kit. As he himself said, free support. Can't beat that.

I've also talked to Jeff and he promised to look into getting the brackets and z31/z32 rotors... but one question there...
You say Cobra rotors, is that a completely different thing or a nickname for z32 or something?

Right now it looks as though I under estimated shipping costs so I don't know yet if I can afford the Eibachs and struts, have to wait and see. But you mean the adjustable Koni's right?

Thanks for your input!

 

I just wanted to make sure. I think it was the New Zealand max's the 91's were VE's

Well the Z32 is the last gen 300zx, so you grab the front calipers (preferably the aluminum 30mm ones) then Jeff's front bracket and the rotors off a SN95 Cobra (Cobra = High Performance Ford Mustang Model, it has 13" rotors up front). Oh you also need the hub centric rings aswell, I forgot about them. Jeff sells those now aswell.

Yeah, the koni adjustable struts. If you can try to get those, you will be extremely happy with them.

 

I was talking about the ones sold on eBay as a stage 1 replacement.

 

OGM there is so much I want to do... if I had all the money in the world I'd place like a hundred orders right away

Thanks MrGone for your very understandable answer, outsiders like me really appriciate not having to guess what the hell ppl mean with their answers!

I'll look into those cobra rotors, seems interesting...