My findings as of late.
07-12-2003, 09:26 PM
#1
Old Maxima Legend
Thread Starter
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Paraparaumu, NZ
Posts: 6,069
My findings as of late.
Like other Maxima owners around here. I have been making changes to my old gal. And here are my findings as of late.
Car was stock with only a JWT intake for years. At the beginning of the year installed a y and b pipe, magnaflow muffler. I took out for a test drive and BAM !!! I could feel more power !!
Then a few weeks later I had a run in with what im thinking was a 95 maxima auto. Had a rolling start from a light and we stomped it. I was amazed to see I was not trashing the guy. I had the stronger car but the guy could hang. To my knowledge he had no mods and I was only slowly pulling away inch by inch.
Feeling kinda crappy about that performance. I thought it must be time for a tune-up. Dropped the car off and wondering if I was being ripped off I hoped to find somekind of change. While I was there, told them to go ahead and clean the throttle body. ( Lesson: learn how to work on your car, or pay dearly to the stealership $$)
I was not expecting much, but I sure was hoping for something. I also was having trouble with the car dying at traffic lights and stop signs. That blasted poor idling thing that you hear people talk about. So, I had my fingers crossed and was praying for the best.
Got the Max back and took off for a test drive. MORE POWER ! Not like supercharger power but a better running car she was. My Max would have kissed me if she could.. And as the days went by I continued to see if the car would die at stoplights and traffic lights...problem was gone. And still no sign of the old problem.
Conclusion: Tuneups and cleaning the throttle body works. If you have rolled up the miles, since your last one, give it a try. So if all goes well im thinking of trying a dyno, dont know much about it but I think they will do some tuning..maybe a good time for good ground wire kit...who knows.
Feeling good about that work and still saving up cash .. Thought I would try the Test Pipe. My stock cat had been on the car since 97 and thought why not. Lets see what the TP can do. Had the TP installed took out for a drive and I noticed the overall sound of the exhaust had changed...I raced down a few roads searching for gains and thought maybe I could feel something but not sure. After all if there were some gains it would not be enough to feel.
Then my Frankencar midpipe arrived. I raced down to have it installed and once again hit the road for more test. I was really expecting that 3.5 ( I will kill Stephen King's Christine sound) and did not really get it with the 3.0. I did think the engine had an overall more tuned type sound. As for as gains, I still had that one eye brow raised thing going. Hmmmm, I thought ... I think I feel something.
Few more weeks roll by and I get my Unorthodox Racing Underdrive Pulley. Same thing over and over I know but have it installed. Go out for a few test and same thing ... Hmmmm, I think I feel something but not sure. I felt good about all the things I had done but didnt feel like I was in a rocket.
And finally a test. The other day I ended up at the same traffic light that I had faced off with the 95 Maxima. Quickly, I thought if this guy is GO, I should be able to notice any improvements. The other guy got rowdy and we took out into a quick battle.
This time I leaped out in front, let off a bit, jammed second, rocketed up 2nd gear, let off a bit and the guy would catch up and then I would hit it again, and immediately started pulling away "real fast". Then I just hit it and pulled off and then settled down.
What surprised me the most was how much "MUCH MORE" power I had since our last meeting.
I nickled and dimed my way with one mod here and there until WHAMMO, it was there but I never knew !
Another nice thing from it all, was to think . Man, this puts a smile on my face. This was money well spent !
I have a surgery coming up on the car. Changing out the front axles. My cv boots finally kicked the bucket after 134,000 miles - not bad ! After that, I look forward to enjoying the dragway. Doing some testing and a tuning. I really should have already gotten over there by now and it sure would have saved me alot of mystery. But it turned out nice this way.
One thing I can say is. I do think about getting a faster car, but this old girl (134,000) has taken good care of me,and in so many ways. She looks sweet inside and out, she is one hell of a sleeper ... I have cursed several Mustang v6 owners, walked countless other mid size sedans, and upset a "bottom of the line" Porsche Boxster!..haha, and she always stays on the road ...never braking down, nor leaving me stranded.
The Maxima is just one smooth japanese sedan.
Car was stock with only a JWT intake for years. At the beginning of the year installed a y and b pipe, magnaflow muffler. I took out for a test drive and BAM !!! I could feel more power !!
Then a few weeks later I had a run in with what im thinking was a 95 maxima auto. Had a rolling start from a light and we stomped it. I was amazed to see I was not trashing the guy. I had the stronger car but the guy could hang. To my knowledge he had no mods and I was only slowly pulling away inch by inch.
Feeling kinda crappy about that performance. I thought it must be time for a tune-up. Dropped the car off and wondering if I was being ripped off I hoped to find somekind of change. While I was there, told them to go ahead and clean the throttle body. ( Lesson: learn how to work on your car, or pay dearly to the stealership $$)
I was not expecting much, but I sure was hoping for something. I also was having trouble with the car dying at traffic lights and stop signs. That blasted poor idling thing that you hear people talk about. So, I had my fingers crossed and was praying for the best.
Got the Max back and took off for a test drive. MORE POWER ! Not like supercharger power but a better running car she was. My Max would have kissed me if she could.. And as the days went by I continued to see if the car would die at stoplights and traffic lights...problem was gone. And still no sign of the old problem.
Conclusion: Tuneups and cleaning the throttle body works. If you have rolled up the miles, since your last one, give it a try. So if all goes well im thinking of trying a dyno, dont know much about it but I think they will do some tuning..maybe a good time for good ground wire kit...who knows.
Feeling good about that work and still saving up cash .. Thought I would try the Test Pipe. My stock cat had been on the car since 97 and thought why not. Lets see what the TP can do. Had the TP installed took out for a drive and I noticed the overall sound of the exhaust had changed...I raced down a few roads searching for gains and thought maybe I could feel something but not sure. After all if there were some gains it would not be enough to feel.
Then my Frankencar midpipe arrived. I raced down to have it installed and once again hit the road for more test. I was really expecting that 3.5 ( I will kill Stephen King's Christine sound) and did not really get it with the 3.0. I did think the engine had an overall more tuned type sound. As for as gains, I still had that one eye brow raised thing going. Hmmmm, I thought ... I think I feel something.
Few more weeks roll by and I get my Unorthodox Racing Underdrive Pulley. Same thing over and over I know but have it installed. Go out for a few test and same thing ... Hmmmm, I think I feel something but not sure. I felt good about all the things I had done but didnt feel like I was in a rocket.
And finally a test. The other day I ended up at the same traffic light that I had faced off with the 95 Maxima. Quickly, I thought if this guy is GO, I should be able to notice any improvements. The other guy got rowdy and we took out into a quick battle.
This time I leaped out in front, let off a bit, jammed second, rocketed up 2nd gear, let off a bit and the guy would catch up and then I would hit it again, and immediately started pulling away "real fast". Then I just hit it and pulled off and then settled down.
What surprised me the most was how much "MUCH MORE" power I had since our last meeting.
I nickled and dimed my way with one mod here and there until WHAMMO, it was there but I never knew !
Another nice thing from it all, was to think . Man, this puts a smile on my face. This was money well spent !
I have a surgery coming up on the car. Changing out the front axles. My cv boots finally kicked the bucket after 134,000 miles - not bad ! After that, I look forward to enjoying the dragway. Doing some testing and a tuning. I really should have already gotten over there by now and it sure would have saved me alot of mystery. But it turned out nice this way.
One thing I can say is. I do think about getting a faster car, but this old girl (134,000) has taken good care of me,and in so many ways. She looks sweet inside and out, she is one hell of a sleeper ... I have cursed several Mustang v6 owners, walked countless other mid size sedans, and upset a "bottom of the line" Porsche Boxster!..haha, and she always stays on the road ...never braking down, nor leaving me stranded.
The Maxima is just one smooth japanese sedan.
07-12-2003, 09:55 PM
#4
Old Maxima Legend
Thread Starter
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Paraparaumu, NZ
Posts: 6,069
tb
Originally posted by 99maximagxe
great story. nice pic of the intake. Im guessing thats a frankencar? So throttle body cleaning works? How much do i expect to pay for a tb cleaning?
great story. nice pic of the intake. Im guessing thats a frankencar? So throttle body cleaning works? How much do i expect to pay for a tb cleaning?
,000
07-13-2003, 07:01 AM
#7
Old Maxima Legend
Thread Starter
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Paraparaumu, NZ
Posts: 6,069
Stealership stuck me like a pig 110 dollar for 5 dollar job
Feeling kinda crappy about that performance. I thought it must be time for a tune-up. Dropped the car off and wondering if I was being ripped off I hoped to find somekind of change. While I was there, told them to go ahead and clean the throttle body. ( Lesson: learn how to work on your car, or pay dearly to the stealership $$
07-13-2003, 09:07 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 685
What it seems to me is that smaller mods such as a test pipe, midpipe, B-pipe, UDP, ect while you may not feel their gains putting them on one by one, they do make a difference it would probely be more apparent on the "butt dyno" if you where to put them all on at once. But most people dont do that, they do them one by one. Where as the bigger power mods such as the Y-pipe, ECU, MEVI can be felt almost right away.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
hez8813
5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003)
11
03-12-2020 12:06 AM
Omar Abdurrahman Siddiqi
5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003)
33
08-26-2016 05:18 PM
pears
5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003)
15
09-18-2015 05:25 AM