m going to buy this 1991 GXE....but i m confused cuz at the same time i m gettin VE for cheaper than gxe and ve is in better condition too....but i wanna try gxe...both are automatic....which is better in u guys think?
GXE OR VE?

 

Well specs wise the VE is better. You are looking at

VG (89-91, 92-94 GXE) - 160hp 182ft/lbs
VE (92-94 SE) - 190hp 190ft/lbs

From what I've heard the automatics are crap no matter which you choose. I haven't had a problem with mine but when I mentioned to my dad that these trannys aren't supposed to last long he was like "why the heck not? this thing was recently rebuilt" which pretty much proved my point with my 127K mile car having a rebuilt tranny.

 

If the VE is newer, in better condition, and is cheaper than the GXE. I see no valid reason to buy the GXE. Automatic's in VG's (GXE) are absolute crap and with any high mileage... if it hasn't gotten replaced already, it will most likely need it soon. My VE auto has 160k miles on the transmission and is doing perfect. It's the closest thing Nissan has to a bulletproof tranny and it's gotten my thumbs up. The VE tranny is basically the same as a 4th gen auto with a different housing; much stronger than the VG transmission.

VE's have a few things to look out for; if it has high mieage, be sure to check for clacking VTC's... it makes the car sound like a diesel... if it is extensively loud than the VTC's will needed to be replaced/rebuilt/grounded, grounded obviously being the cheapest (pretty much free), and will effectively disconnect them from operation completey; if it is just a mild clack, or only on startup, I wouldn't worry about them; not so much that I wouldn't buy the car anyway.

 

not to mention a GXE has a slushier suspension than a ve (since ve is a subset of SE), and most GXEs come with drums out back...

 

You know it, I hate looking at my drums. Wish there was some writeup here with how to put SE discs or something on it.

I tried testing the rear brakes using the handbrake and I seriously think engine braking is 3x faster so I don't know why people even call it an emergency brake when in an emergency pulling the shift lever to 1 or even 2 would probably do more for you.

I do not in anyway recommend engine braking, I've tried it only to get to know what my options are in an emergency situation.

 

why gxe has more torque than its HP but not SE?

 

ebrake controls rear brakes. engine brake controls front brakes. brake balance is better in neutral than it is in 1st gear, because you have more rear bias... something a stock GXE lacks. excessive rear braking (yanking handbrake in a car modded for z31 rear brakes while in neutral), or excessive front braking (nothing but a 1stgear engine brake) can both cause loss of vehicular control. I DCDS into 3rd when coming to an expected stop, because it shuts off the fuel injectors, and lets me take off at a much lower speed if i need to suddenly move again, rather than leaving it in 5th, or putting it in neutral.

to put on SE discs, just swap over both rear struts with brakes attached, and the ebrake cables. bleed, and drive happy.

GXE is only VG. SE can be either VG or VE. GXE has the same power/torque/engine as the 89-91SE. The VE on the 92-94SE has higher compression, 2x the valves, and a slew of other differences... it's an entirely different engine. so its powerband is consequently different.

 

kool and gxe have comfortable suspension than SE rite?

 

On this old of a car, the differences will probably be next to nothing; but orignally... the GXE has a more "luxury" suspension (BOAT), while the SE had stiffer springs and thicker sway bars (Le' Gude!)

In this situation I'd Opt for the VE... (coming from an owner of both a GXE, and SE(VE).

Also, the Rear disc conversion isn't that hard... it is time consuming and pretty labor intensive, and having an impact wrench makes it a LOT easier.

ps. http://mattblehm.com/faq/rear_disc_conversion.html

 

OK here is the real skinny (from a guy who has owned 3 vg and one ve) I have a ve reight now and I've never had more fun driving a car accept my vg 5 speed with extensive hp mods. The only thing you need to look out for, major league, is the vtc clacking. If you pm me I'll tell you how to remedy that. Anyway a ve is more responsive at high rpms than the vq power plant in the 95 to 99 Maxima. I usually leave them 4th gens wanting (to catch me) on the highway. The vq is a little lighter and we get you off the line (or at the light) almost every time. If you hp mod your ve you don't have to worry about (stock) vqs at all. Buy the ve the tranny will take more of a beating. The most important thing is the ve has a timing chain where the vg has a timing belt. Iv'e lost a couple of vg motors due to timing belts breaking.

 

Thanks for the info on the disc swap. This has me rather excited assuming I can find the parts since the SE is harder to find than the GXE and I don't really know where to start looking. All I know is discs are worth it. Only thing I hate about discs is I have to clean my front wheels all the time and my rear wheels are spotless most of the time.

edit: I'd imagine the VE suspension would be better for anyone who is interested in performance more than comfort. I haven't personally ridden in a VE but the GXE's suspension is too soft for my tastes stock. With the front strut tower bar it's nice but I want to beef it up some more still.

 

i wish VE had GXE suspension mode option...

 

the thing between GXE susp vs SE susp is kinda simple. I've had a GXE since 2006. On Feb 12 of this year, I went and bought my parts car, an 89SE. Even though the 89SE was rusty as hell, I was disappointed to know that I had to retire it... because the ride and handling and stuff was so much better. And the brakes pwnt the hell out of my GXE's brakes. I'm still taking the springs off the SE, and its swaybars, and rear struts for the brakes. But for the trouble, unless you have some great attachment to your GXE like I do, do yourself a favor and get an SE from the getgo. It saves you that much time and money so you can mod it instead of repairing it.

 

+1 this is why I bought my VE instead of dumping more pointless money into my GXE for something that was already nearly out there stock (VE).

Why someone would want GXE suspension is beyond me, but if you want it bad enough... go to a junkyard and steal the strut assemblies off of an old VG with a shot transmission and put them on your car; be sure to take the rear drums their fitted with too... remember to take hammers and drum removing screws so you can pop the seized drum off of the assembly, then get ready to replace those faulty wheel cylinders!

Honestly, it's not a night and day difference between the GXE/SE; they both were released to the market as front wheel drive "sport-sedans" for the average joe. The SE's suspension isn't like riding on a skateboard or anything.

 

my wheel cylinders are less than a year old and the brakes still suck. i'd hate to drive on it when they were actuall siezed! but alas, overhals are in the works. so between having better brake bias and stiffer springs and non-blown struts maybe my car won't act like it's trying to bottom out in the front every time i stop. (trust me... it's scary as hell to try and stop my car on the highway if something happens in front of me)

 

If the GXE has ABS (like mine) it has 4 wheel disc brakes anyway..but I second the motion that GXE suspension > SE suspension. Ride quality > handling.
Actually, IMO, GXE cars > SE cars in most categories..touchpad keyless entry instead of garbage keyfob aftermarket keyless entry (only option for keyless entry on an SE), black gauge faces, softer suspension, factory body color mirrors, factory chrome trim..If it was the only vehicle I had, then the automatic is +1 as well, but since I have another automatic then having a 5 speed would be nice (I plan on a 5 speed swap for my GXE)..I have a gimp left knee that sometimes hurts a LOT when I clutch. The drum brake issue is non-existent for me, since my GXE has 4 wheel disc brakes from having ABS..

I have sentimental attachments to my car anyway, but even without them, I would spend more money on swaps for a GXE rather than buy an SE.. It all comes down to personal preference. My GXE doesn't ride like an '84 cadillac eldorado with the air bag "touring suspension", but it handles a lot tighter..I wouldn't use the word better, since every old cadillac I've ever driven will handle a 90* turn at a higher speed better than any other car I've been in, including a 240, it just requires faith in the car and clenched teeth because it doesn't FEEL like its going to hold..

 

+1 on That, I love my 4-wheel Disc ABS; but you have to take into consideration a very low number of GXE's came with that... most were drum. Where as I haven't seen a VE with drums in the rear, usually discs, give or take ABS on certain models.

What no one is taking into consideration is that these car's have at LEAST (If it's a 1994) fifteen YEARS on a stock suspension, that is far too long to expect much out of it. I like a nice mix of handling and ride quality and from every place I've read I've heard Eibach springs are the best bet for that. I got Tokico struts because I got a deal on them; but would prefer Koni. I figure if it's going to be a "sport" sedan, I would like the car to feel as glued to the road as I can get it, not swaying back and fourth on blown shocks just because it's "comfy" - I had a scare when driving my old GXE on the interstate the other day when I'm used to compensating for my updated suspension.

I guess it all depends on what you want out of it, I do sometimes miss leaving my keys in the car like if I went to the beach or something; but it's nothing I lose sleep over. I guess you have to decide if that is a major determining factor on whether or not you'd purchase the car. The Black/White face gauges can be swapped for under $40 and within 20 minutes with bulb color of choice. I could give or take the body colored mirrors, though in my personal opinion the black has been much easier to take care of paint wise; and I hate chrome on car's in pretty much all aspects other than a hint here or there on the interior or something.

VG Auto's, generally... just suck. It has been gone over so many times and it is almost a known fact, some people get lucky with them, and other people add auxiliary transmission coolers which can prolong the inevitable. But they will eventually fail. My GXE has had it's transmission rebuilt two times (meaning three auto's total)

Hmm... in aspects of performance, body-roll is the LAST thing you want when going around a corner/ 90 degree turn. Cadillacs are absolutely not meant for cornering at high speeds, and all that is happening is that the struts are compressing (because they're soft) to a point (on the side where the weight is transferred) so the entire body is leaning in that direction while the suspension is compensating for everything else (which isn't healthy to do for other suspension components)

Having a spring/strut assembly that is soft enough to absorb bumps/uneven pavement, but is stiff enough not to flex very much when stress is put on that side of the vehicle is ideal when looking for a mix of comfort and performance. Anything else like thicker sway bars (Suspension Techniques), Front and Rear Strut tower Bars, and Subframe connector's will significantly help the CHASSIS absorb bumps/uneven pavement as well, meaning if you have a stiff suspension setup that is transferring stress to the chassis, those will help minimize jolts and jitters.

 

I'm aware the auto transmission on the VG especially, but the VE as well, are both very weak transmissions..but if you had a left knee that would randomly feel like every bit of connective tissue in it was just ripped apart, you wouldn't want a 5 speed car as your only car..Since my truck is an auto, and I'll probably always have a vehicle with an auto transmission as well, my GXE will probably see a 5 speed swap.

Admittedly I've fallen out of touch with whats offered now, but the last I'd heard, all aftermarket springs for these cars were lowering springs..IMO these cars sit PLENTY low, I frequently scrape the front "frame" on your average 5" deep pothole..I couldn't imagine trying to drive it if it were lowered any..

I may eventually buy a fstb and rstb for my car, but I doubt I'll do much else as far as handling improvements.

If I were looking to hit curves at high speeds on a regular basis, I wouldn't look to a cadillac to provide that, since that DOES put extra wear on everything (especially tires..6000 lbs of 1970's steel putting all that weight on a pair of tires sure can't be good for longevity) but its good to know that if you blunder upon a sharp turn in a '78 cadillac coupe deville when you're either being stupid and not paying attention, or when *someone else* has taken out the "20 mph turn ahead" warning sign in a drunk driving stupor and you happen across said turn at night without warning running 55 mph, that turning the wheels, gritting your teeth, and holding on for dear life will generally get you through it..

 

I think I sorta caused a hyjacking of the thread..sorry

 

VE Auto's are quite sturdy... the only thing transmission wise on VE's would be the 5-spd, which is because of the **** ISB that both the VG/VE's share. The auto however is completely different or so I've read.

 

dont buy the VE stay with VG auto your gonna hear alot of guys saying VTC's have a lil problem but these are a major part problem that vg has no similiar problem to compare to it the timing belts on vg's are pretty audible (high pitched squeal) way before they snap and are not expensive to replace meanwhile every VE ive seen in real life goes clack-clack-clack because they breakdown (yet still work fine apparently) so easily youre eventually just gonna have to ignore it or spend a ****load of time and money in the garage learning to rebuild this part

the VG has its torque way down low and even with the auto it gives the engine a real kick when you shift gears and im pretty sure gets better acceleration than a VE or VQ up to a certain speed. now the transmission maybe weaker then the manual but a swap is possible and apparently gives about a 15% increase in power match that with a few cheap mods and a vg with a manual transmission swap has better HP better low end torque and IMO better suspension system

the fact is the only thing truly better about the VE is the tranny which can easily be swapped into a VG for less than the lifetime cost of maintaining VTC

(never owned a VE just driven)

also KONI makes an adjustable strut that can raise the suspension a good inch if youre not interested in a drop

 

i drove VE and GXE both yeasterday and VE was way too quicker and responsive than GXE....VE was even quicker than THE VE i have ritenow....thats wat i want, FAST CAR ....no disrespect to GXE...but thats wat i felt yeasterday wen i drove both cars...

 

The VTC's usually start clacking at around 140-160k miles... if they're grounded when they start clacking or shortly there after- they're not a problem. If completely ignored for a VERY long time by a neglectful owner then I would be hesitant. Though I've rarely if ever saw a VE engine dying specifically because of VTC failure, actually none that I can think of. VG's timing belts do not squeak before they break, they need to be replaced every 60-70k miles and if left unkept, will snap; causing probable harsh damage to the engine. If you have a shop do this along with the water pump, it will be around $400+ every time. (My cousin just had Nissan do his timing belt w/NO water pump for $600.)

The VG GXE is the slowest form of a Maxima 2nd-7th gens, period. It does get 182lb ft. of torque pretty quickly (2800rpms),which probably adds to the failure of the transsmision. But the high end on VG's is quite poor. Where as the VE has the worst low end, but best high end of VG's and non DE-K VQ's. I prefer the high end to low end where I live, which is why I sold my GXE to my cousin.

I think what it is, is that the VE is not for the faint of heart. It can be a finicky engine at times, but once you read up a little on it, it comes down to it just being an engine and when treated properly is the most rewarding/giving engine I've ever driven. I think a good running VE has a LOT of personality when driving it, where as automatic VG's are pretty much all the same.

 

It is all up to personal preference. I prefer a VG for the torque and build-ability. The VE guys like the factory numbers and high revving. It is, and always will be, the great 3rd gen debate. Each engine has it's strong points. The VG auto is crap, the belts do need replacing every 60K miles, this is not debatable, but it is a very strong engine. The VTC's go clackity-clack. That is all, beyond that the cars are the same.

 

the only person I know of who has had major VTC failure was Michael. he bought at least 2 VEs that had blown the VTC caps. That being said it is an extremely rare situation as compared to a timing belt snapping.
Looking at static numbers on a paper the VE has more HP and Torque. both of which PEAK at higher RPM. The VTCs allow the VE to make power all across the RPM band but still make great power up high. with a bunch of searching you can come across comparative dyno charts of the 2 motors.
To date I have not driven a VG maxima. I have driven several VE maximas and a couple of VQ maximas and L maxima. The VE is by far the most fun and useful on the highway. around town, it's not as much fun because you can't spend time winding out its legs.
Drive them both and make your decision based on that particular car you are driving.

 

see, you COULD have driven mine... except for the extra pedal and stuff. but having a slightly weak lowend does sorta help when launching so you don't spin tires as bad, and then once you are all hooked up at like 2000rpm anyways, you can just give it the beans and have traction the whole time (VE). On a VG if I launch rough it'll spin like an idiot, and either gotta lift or just put it in 2nd... maybe VLSD would help tame that, but that's just the nature of a lowend-biased engine.

 

yeah...launching with the VG is a deathwish at least with the tires I have.

 

that bad even on a/t? I mean if i punched it i could chirp... but a vg5 will spin tires until the cows come home if you don't lift. i can chirp 2nd sometimes... but not 3rd.

 

Lets just say my grandfather spun the tires a couple years ago.

Here is how I would like to drive
brake.gas
but thanks to the torque I have to do this
brake...gas
it doesn't matter if I don't even hit 1200rpm, it will spin tires if I don't let it roll.

 

i have to drive like that not to avoid tirespin, but because i have a 5spd with fubard motor mounts, and quick pickups and drops of the throttle are VERY jarring.... my steering wheel is not my lover, therefore i try to avoid humping it whenever possible . that and i haven't ever adjusted my clutch pedal the way i wanted it, so it's really stiff and catches at THE abosolute top, and it's just really hard to let go of the clutch precisely when it's that stiff and i'm leaning (badly... fixing in a few months) in a turn.

 

I remember when I first got my VG it had nearly bald tires, if I were to punch it right from a stop it would screech all the way down the road, or if I was pulling out of somewhere to get on a main road to get with the flow of traffic there I was making a scene. Hah, it was kind of fun but got annoying after a while. When my VE had crap Walmart tires I always caught rubber downshifting from 2-1 (Auto) getting on the interstate or something (I always gun it to get on) where as now it tracks fine if I gun it going straight... if there is ANY kind of turning or merging involved the VE powersteers like a *****.



**** camber alignment + powersteering over a few months does in a VE. Good thing I found 4 brand new 225-50-16 Kuhmo Ecsta AST's for $100

 

Thats disgusting, I whine about how bald my front tires are and they have a ton of tread by comparison after like 3 years. Sometimes mine spins on a downshift, traction loss is negligible but it's still annoying.

 

yeah the VG auto definatly chirps if you slam your foot down the tires will start to burnout even if you do roll it through first gear if you even slam on the throttle in 2nd lets say tring to get on the highway then your gonna burnout again i remeber i was on the BQE in ny and i had to merge lanes in horrible traffic finally i got so pissed off i flooored it and burned the **** out of my tires in 2nd gear
burnout is almost a nickname of mine thanks to the VG

 

rock-solid advice.

 

i think VG engine got more potential than VE engine...correct me if i m wrong...

 

Well its fundamentally the same engine but going on stock internals and a turbo setup I'd think the VG with it's 9:1 compression ratio would do better.

The point of the VE was that the VG30DE wouldn't fit under our hoods, but Nissan felt like they needed a beefier DOHC engine and since they couldn't just tack a D in before the E because that would give it the same designation as the Z32 300ZX NA engine. So they just picked the letter E and put it in place of the G.

It's probable that with the right internals the DOHC would have a little bit of an edge on us but I'd rather have the VG. Simpler and therefore less prone to failure IMO.

 

I'm on my 3rd VG auto transmission if that helps.
Oh, and the VE has power to both wheels instead of one like the VG.

 

ahh the great vg/ve debate.
imo both engines are great.

once i had replace tons of parts on my ve (missfire @ 1200rpms but made full power above that...oh yea and advanced timing).

a friend of mines with a stock gxe was able to keep up with me.

both was auto.
as for the vg auto if you cahnge the fluid on a regular bases the tranny will last longer.
changing a timing belt should'nt fault the vg either.

i've done the rear disc swap.
was'nt that hard if you have some skills.

i like the fact that i have the se look and ride but i also like the keypads.

either way both are used cars thats gonna need some work....and both are good choices, imo

 

Just go back and read Brian's (Internetautomar) posts.

He makes the most sense. It will depend on the car you want and what you want to do with it, along with the condition of the car.

I have been on this board for over 5 years and owned two VEs going back to the mid 90s and I have read quite a bit about both VEs and VGs.

The VG auto trannies generally don't hold up very well. The VE autos are better. It's always nice to have a VLSD, but it's not the end of the world. Millions of Honda drivers run that way.

The VE engines virtually all develop VTC clack, but mostly it's just annoying. My VTCs clack once in a while, but my car still moves when I want it to. They are still extremely reliable on the whole. If you can put up with the clacking (or want to fix it) it is a fantastic cheap sporty sedan.

VG engines are some of the most reliable ever made. If you change the T-belt and keep up with maintenance, I think you could get an honest 400k out of most of them. They have good torque and people that drive both prefer them around town.

Personally, I like having the strong top end. I like to drive on the freeway and it was very fun a few years back when I took my car to the track and surprised a lot of import owners.

 

what do you mean? VG has only power to one wheel? u mean F1WD ?