I have a 97 GXE, currently with a SE oem spoiler and a stillen intake. I have around $900 to blow on my car so I just wanted to hear your suggestions. Right now I can't decide on whether to get a y-pipe and catback first or whether to get the Tokico Illumina suspension kit from custommaxima.com first. I can't stand the wheel gaps and the handling on my car right now, but I also love performance. I just can't decide; what would you do?

Also I have a few other questions:
1. Is a catback worth buying for performance? Especially the b-pipe. Is the b-pipe not worth getting at all.
2. Does the 5th gen muffler give you some good performance and how could I get that to fit my Maxima. Also any suggestions on where to find one?
3. Would an Unorthodox UDP be a good mod to do and how many belts would I need to replace for it. Also is the installation difficult to do yourself and how much would a body shop usually do that for?

Thank you for your time and sorry about all the questions.

 

hmm... good question i am a fan of performance also but from what i know the Y-Pipe isn't all that good and well the cat-back, well the maxima's all, well i thinkall 4th gen's have stainless piping... But i think lowering it would be a greAT EXPENSE!!!! It also depends on if you want the body kit on yours also?? I love the skyline kit myself... But hey i think others may have better ideas than I...

 

Thank you for your reply. Yeah it can be difficult to decide.

 

Was going to do a leather conversion, but that fell through. So I have roughly the same dilemma.

This clip makes me want to do the exhaust. Yet my monster truck looking car urges me in the suspension direction.

 

I am sorry "akadiablo " but you are VERY WRONG.

"what i know the Y-Pipe isn't all that good "

The Y pipe is the best performance mod you can do.

Maxjm with 900$ For performance this is what you should do.

intake of your choice, Y pipe, High flow cat, Catback exhaust, and a technosquares ECU. If you have any money left over the the motostrom Undriver pulley. With these mods you will drop close to a second or more on your 1/4 mile time since you are a gxe which is the lightest weight max there is. If you are going for performance you do not wan to get leather, its very heavy.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck.

 

If I went with a y-pipe and a catback what catback would you recommend?

 

get the suspension

 

um... another new guy got some bad crack.

it is one of the cheapest performance mods you can do with one of the biggest gains. budget exhaust makes a very cheap one that is reliable and adds a good boost of power.

 

depends how loud you want it, and what kind of sound you want. none of them add much power, so that isnt a big choice factor really.

compare the cat backs for the 4th gen here, and see what works for you
http://maxmods.dyndns.org/?MaximaCatbacks

 

with 900 you can get a y pipe
200
and a set of used springs and shocks
I got mine for 350 for h&r springs and kyb-agx shocks.

thats 550 plus say 300 for installation if you dont do anything yourself. thats about 900 total....you can do both!

 

a y pipe is def. worth the money (one of the best mods for the maxima) and the tokico kit is great too. its all boils down to whatever you really want to get done first. but if i were you i'd go performance, just b/c i love making my car go faster, and i dont mind if my car doesnt look good for awhile.

with $900 you can get the MEVI and JWT ECU
or why dont you just get both the Tokico kit and a Warpspeed or Budget Y pipe, problem solved.

 

I agree. I think I will just get the budget y-pipe first and then buy the Tokico suspension kit from www.custommaxima.com a couple of weeks later. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

You always have to think of suspension first.

Wheels/tires are also part of the suspension. I would suggest that you make sure you have good rubber. Also a lighter wheel will not only help on your acceleration, but also looks and handling.

The other suspension components such as springs, shocks, camber adj, STB, bushings, sway bars...also somewhat including rotors/calipers as unsprung weight.

They can all make a big difference in how your ride handles...and need to be upgraded first in order to allow you to effectively put extra power you may make, to the wheels and pavement. Just be careful that you dont make the mistake of lowering the car too much...or putting on a harsh spring combo. This can actually REALLY hurt your handling, especially on streets. Some of these stiff suspensions are ONLY made for track. You will end up sucking more with a stiff suspension, swearing becuase it hurts on pothole, breaking components, bending rims and possibly kill yourself and others. Be careful and dont do anything crazy for street.

 

Ok, you DO NOT know what you are talking about. The y-pipe is one of the cheapest and best bolt on mods you can get. It's well worth the money.

Also, as far as a 5th gen muffler goes, you wont get any performance from it. Check the FAQ's for some important information about all the mods that are out there.

 

Do you think getting the Tokico Illuminas suspension kit from custommaxima for $589 would be fine? Or should I go with some different springs (maybe H&R) and stay with the Illuminas.

 

Get the y-pipe first b/c you'll get better MPG and that means you'll be saving more in gas money and that means that the y-pipe will pay for itself after a while

Get the suspension next so you can get better handling

 

Y-pipe, microvision tv (189 shipped), dvd player ($125), single din hu ($150)

 

the new Tokico Illumina suspension kit is pretty awesome. the write up on the main page with install is great too...definately interested in that

 

Thank you all for your help. I decided to go ypipe first and then I will probably order my suspension sometime soon.

I just called up Budget today and sent email information of my address for the y-pipe. Are they supposed to send an email to you or call you? I am just worried that maybe my email never got to them.

 

Yeah they will send a email confirmation to you (i asked for one when i payed them). They have very good customer service. Trust me you will have a blast when you recieve your y-pipe in a weeek or so.

After recieving the y-pipe get springs to get rid of the 4x4 look. Fugly with it on stock springs.