this..

 

sometimes you run with what you have, lighter faster cars cost more.
My summer project is probably going to be putting the Sport suspension onto my Grand Caravan. can't get a light/practical car for what I paid for it. plus it's my daily driver so improvements in handling (boy does it need it) are the order of the day. it has enough power for it's usage, but too loose in the handling dept.

 

+1 on the stroke of logic. 3rd gens are fun to drive and great cars, but i agree it you want to go fast get a lighter fast car. im looking at an MG Sprint thats near by my apartment. would move realy well with a bigger motor. but not so big as to kill the handling.

 

They don't have to.
running S13/S14 cars can be had for $1500 around here. with a few mods, they can be just as fast as a VE in the 1/4 and they will handle MUCH better straight out of the box.

... or you could go domestic if you want speed. nothing beats an old Fox body Stang for speed/$. (You can run 10s for under $5k total investment)...

The main point of the Maxima is that it's a comfortable, "sporty" FWD 4 door sedan that will transport 4 comfortably.. It's not a sports car. never was, never will be. wasn't designed for it. trying to turn it into a race car just doesn't make sense. As I've said before, I spent a LOT of money to learn the hard way that they just won't be what you people think they 'can be' even with $10k in mods...
At the end of the day, it's still a heavy FWD family sedan with a lot of mods and a stiff suspension that eats tires.

 

The stock mat in the trunk has got to weigh at least 50lbs.. mind you that was after my beer accidentally exploded in the trunk.

 

Listen...you don't have to tell me what this car is, or how it's never gonna be faster than "X" car because it was never made to be.

In my opinion, thats not the point. Having a "fast" Maxima, compared to most other Maxima's is fine with me. I know I'm never gonna go head to head in a drag with an EVO X, and I know I'm never gonna beat a heavily modded Miata in the twisties. That isn't why I do it.

I do it because I love my car, and I might as well make the most of what I can, to do what I want. Yeah, I could buy a two foohteee and have a rwd car with tons of aftermarket support and put little money into it.

I don't want to.

So if you think we are "polishing turds" what are you still doing with yours? Sell it and buy a Lotus...otherwise...let me do what I want...and keep making parts for my car.

 

You can do what you want with your car. just don't waste time trying to make it a race car. never was, never has been, never will be. aftermarket support is dwindling by the day for them as well.

What am I still doing with one? After I smarted up and bought a track car, I used it for the daily driver until I bought a new(er) car.. Now the Max sits parked in the dirt in my back yard until I feel like doing something with it.

 

1500 is a lot more than some people can afford at one crack, some of us wrangle $500 for the car and can slowly put money into it. Can't get a running S13 for that kind of money around here. a motorless camaro goes for $500 in these parts.
Budgets are all relative, mine is low and tight so run what you brung is the name of the game.

 

Matt speaks volumes and has done more for the 3rd gen handling than anyone, anywhere. He is right it isn't going to be the handler that a S13/S14 can be for less money.

But Matt that doesn't mean it doesn't have it's charms. You loved and enjoyed yours for so long, and maybe will again someday. What you say is true, it will never be something else, but we can all improve on it if we want to. I spent more than most here, if not more than all, I don't regret it. I could buy a Fox-body if I wanted. I could buy a 240sx. For the money I have spent I could probably have purchased a Silvia. I like being different. That is something the Maxima gives me. Plus I can get parts to fix it anywhere. Outside of this forum how many nice, modified Maxima's do you really see? Even at Maxus, how many? I consider it a niche car. It will never be worth much more than KBB to most, but to those of us that love our cars, they are valued.

 

I got mine down to 2750lbs without driver. With the VQ35, I will lose even more weight.

 

Drift tax is bull****.



And Matt...don't take my words as insults. They are not.

Like I said before, you don't have to tell me what my car is or isn't, but if I wanna make the car I'm driving faster than it is...I'm damn well gonna try.

 

Isn't your S13/S14 another 20+ yr old turd as well? It's just lighter...by the way how light is it? My "85" Shelby Charger is gonna be around 2200 lbs with a few things removed ( no rear seat, rear carpet, rear sound deadening insulation) and I should have a good 320hp turbo 4 ...

 

As for carbon fiber parts. I purchased a CF hood 3 years back from Fiber Images, but the dealer is now gone, so since FI only sold thru dealers and the only dealer I could find to order doesn't exist anymore, then getting a CF hood would be difficult and expensive at best. It does save a lot of weight from the front and top of car.

The trunk lid isn't really very heavy on our cars anyway. I looked into having a CF trunk lid made when I got my hood and it was in the neighborhood of $2200.00. No way would the benefits be worth that expense. Besides, as it was pointed out, the front is where you want to lose weight. Maxima's are a nose heavy pig.

Listen to what the OG here have been saying, they have tried it all before. It will only save you a pant-load of money and frustration.

 

Just fill the tires with helium and call it a day

 

flat tires don't weigh less than full ones do. Helium won't stay in the tire IIRC.

 

sorry I probably should've used some smileys..I was being sarcastic

 

i weighed myself at the truck stop off the side of the freeway iin everett i got out and it weighed 2980 on the dot. idk how much gas i had. pretty heavy haha

 

heavy?!you kidding?! that's effing LIGHT for these cars!!! you should be jumping for joy if that was accurate!

 

i would add about 20lbs. the truck scales are not finely calibrated. i took my car to a local dirt track race shop, they reluctantly weighed it at 3150+. near empty tank, no driver, no a/c parts and nothing in the trunk not even the spare tire