Im looking to get a more responsive handling out of my maxima on a tight budget. My question is where do you suggest I start, what mods, and what parts/bushings to replace to get the most bang for the buck.

 

where are you starting, stock?
Energy suspension bushings all around (rear parallel links for a 3rd gen, front control arm bushings for a 4th gen (really)). new struts (tokico recommended), eibach springs.
ebay front strut tower brace.
can't remember sway bar options...

 

Yes starting completly stock...car has 139k miles on it and has total prostitute steering(loose)

 

ebay front strut tower brace is a good start, 15 bucks plus shipping and i could feel a huge difference on sharp turns, and as said rear sway bar and Eibachs

do you have a GXE? if you do, you can swap springs with a SE, SE springs are stiffer

 

ooh, good call. not as good as eibachs, but better than stock, and cheaper, too..
may consider new ball joints, and tie rod ends, as well as an alignment.

 

lmao holy crap 9 guests viewing right now

i might do the SE spring swap next time a SE goes to the junkyard, really with the strut brace sharp turns feel fine but a bit more stiffness would be nice, but i might even keep my GXE's. (never EVER cut your springs though, thats ghetto and the 16 year old with a riced Civic way out). if things significantly change after i go turbo and i need to go a bit lower i'll get Eibachs but really i cant see how things will change

apparently the rear strut bar helps a ton with handling, a guy on here wrecked his 3rd gen and had the rear bar for sale but wouldnt ship up here. otherwise i havent seen many for sale

another thing is for anyone wondering, coilovers wont work for 3rd gens because how theyre designed, you will most likely blow your struts

and with strut braces, really it doesnt matter if you get a $15 ebay one or a $200 or whatever Stillen. same thing as generic brand aspirin and brand name, youre just paying more for a companies logo stamped on it.

 

1st off define tight budget? How much can you spend?

 

Im trying not to spend more than $200

 

You'll want to check the bushings on you control arms, if they're bad they can make the car really sloppy. When I replaced my bushings it made a huge difference in handling.

 

Bushings make a substantial difference for not a lot of money, IMO...

 

$100 should do all four corners
ebay fstb $25
used SE springs: $50 (?) if bought locally, or junkyard

 

Suggestions on a retailer or a certain set of bushings?

 

courtesy parts ES bushings:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/energy-...ml?cPath=1610&
http://www.courtesyparts.com/energy-...ath=1783_5831&
(^will need modification to fit, see stickies)

ebay fstb: any ebay store with good ratings.

 

nc90gxe recently installed an Addco rear swaybar and said it made 'all the difference in the world' and that he doesn't hardly need to slow down for turns anymore.

 

Any Difference between the SE and GXE FSTB?

 

depends what year. 89-91, no cuz the SOHC VG was the only engine option. starting in 92 (and through 94), yes, because that's when the SE gained the DOHC engine (aka VE), whose intake manifold is in the back of the engine bay instead of the front, therefore the FSTB has to be able to go up-and-over the intake manifold. I have a bar that will work on a VE i think.

 

I have a GXE so does that mean either strut bar will work on my car since the intake manifold is on the front of the engine?

 

Correct, since you have a GXE either bar will work

 

er yea... i should have said "doesn't matter on GXE, but for SE {what i said}"

 

strut bar for VE -


strut bar for VG -


for sway bars, you can get the suspension techniques set also - found on shox.com, ebay, etc

 

front / rear bushings made a BIG difference in handling. Way more than a strut bar.

Plus you get the chance to play with fire

 

 

Free option.
Grind out the glue on the caps of the strut towers and around the panels, drill holes, weld it back together.
That epoxy **** stretches pretty badly.
Haven't done this on my Maxima yet, doing it on my other car though, have seen it in action, it almost eliminates the need for braces.

 

I just drilled mine out, like wayne did. probably slower to take them out, but I guarantee I didn't have to wait for it to cool down, again (actually, come to think about it, I just pressed tehm out, they were so shot...).

 

I recommend not using the bushing punch loaner tool form Autozone, or anything like it. If you know a shop than can press them in, utilize that connect first, even if it cost a little bit. It's hard to use those punches with precision, hence a sore hand or two, but you may get some guns out of the deal since it takes some serious punching. I never thought to heat them up when I was doing it, but that's the DIY method I would approach now, if I couldn't afford to take em to the man with the hydraulic press.

 

7 minute gap double post

 

whoops! fixed, not sure how that happened.

 

Like Chrome said a strut bar. Felt a difference when I put mine.

 

what exactly are you talking about.... what epoxy?

 

As far as I'm concerned the bushings would be the least expensive mod.... but the following are absolutely necessary:
1. Wider rims
2. Wider tires
3. Sway Bars F/R (ST) or rear only(Addco) with poly bushing on the front mid section bushing
4. Lowered coil springs
5. Quality struts better dampning than stock.....
6. Lower strut brace (Blehmco)
7. ES bushing upgrade F/R or Spherical bearing parallel links setup (Blehmco)
8. Rear sway bar links (Blehmco)
9. For the extreme... Subframe brace (Warpspeed)
10. FTSB
11.RSTB (Blehmco)
Hope this helps.... but this is an awesome handling car when upgraded!

 

I am also curious as to what you have described, it doesn't sound too safe....................

 

i havent tried that method
but i have drilled em out(tried not to scratch the insides)
last time first i drilled some (to make softer)then used a big clamp and sockets to press them out
even though i lubed them they squeak a little,and i had to go back and add washers on the side that had none because one half of one bushing kinda moved out

 

Look at where the panels join together in the engine bay (the sheets of metal, together...not where it joins chassis or firewall), and look at the hats on the strut towers.

Its epoxy...almost all Nissans of the era are produced this way. Very common mod for imports is to take to that glue with a grinder, and weld it back together..it reduces flex alot. Strut brace will help just as much...and the welding isnt really considered worth the time unless you have to empty the engine bay acessories for other reasons.
Few other places along the chassis and firewall you can weld as well.

Regarding strut braces....has anyone seen one for the 3rd Gen that bolts to the firewall ? I find those alot better than theb races that just go from one strut to the other. I've seen these for imports as well...but not for a 3rd Gen.

 

have any of you poly folks went and drilled and tapped in grease fittings on the factory arms/links?

like here


I know you should grease it up before you press in the new bushings, but with the fittings you could periodically grease it every oil change or so. Since its my daily driver, any squeaks from this car are going to bother me and some point or another Anybody have bushing squeaks to speak of?

 

I've had ES in the back for about two years.
the squeaking is not too bad, unless I get on some Podunk road, then it squeaks continuously. if you figure out how what zerk fitting to use, let me know (constantly in BFE).