Hey there, I'm set in buying a 1997 Nissan Maxima SE. I'm going to invest in some mods but to be honest...I'm truly new at this. From low profile tires to engine mods....what should I do? Sorry if this is too general. Thanks...Appreciate the help.

 

Since the handling is the maxima's weak point, I'd attack that first with shocks, lowering springs, and a Rear Sway Bar. Should take away the boat like handling and 4x4 wheel gap. Some bigger rims and high performance rubber should help you a lot too.

 

Read el stickio's on the top of the 4th Gen Forums... it should answer most if not all of your questions

 

it all depends on how much you want to spend, s3roush628 has a good start for the car, but i think the first mod should be clear corners, they are cheap and improve the look a lot.

 

clear corners(diamond cut only!), red/clears, intake, y-pipe, cat-back, FSTB, RSB, lowering springs and adjustable struts, body kit(eurothane preferred), wheels(17" min, 18" preferred), dash kit, shift ****....you know, the basics.

 

For tires, I would go with the Falken Azenis Sports (motorcycle-type tread) 215/45ZR-16. These are unbelievably sticky and cheap, relatively speaking. They are only $108 each(free shipping) from www.tires.com. They have really stiff sidewalls and are great for handling. They would, of course, go well with aftermarket struts and lowering springs, but they will help you a lot even with stock struts and springs. Tires are a great thing you can do to improve your handling.

Also, I would recommend the Rear Sway Bar. You could probably get one used for like $100 or so. They are easy to put on.

Lastly, get a y-pipe. They are too much fun. You can put this on yourself as well.

That should be good to get you started.
Total price for all that(without the struts and springs):
1. Tires=$444 shipped (with valve stems....I just bought them)
2. RSB=$100 installed( you will have to put this on)
3. Warpspeed y-pipe=$160 in group deal...keep looking
TOTAL: $704

That is a great value for how much that will do to your car.

**You can always add small stuff like Diamond Cut clears for like $30 and Front Strut Tower Brace(steadies steering a little...corrects torque steer.) for like $25 shipped from ebay.

Hope this helps.

 

Good advice... Since it's also fresh in my mind from another post I would suggest getting a K+N filter ($30ish?) and, depending on if you want a much meaner growl, do the ghetto airbox cut ($0). This with the Y-pipe will make your car sound more ALIVE, shall we say?

 

Brudaddy, didnt those lower profile tires with the stock rims decrease the overall diameter of the wheel/tire package, messing up the speedometer and increasing the wheel gap? Thats the problem i faced when i considered lower profile tires with stock rims.

 

http://maxmods.dyndns.org/ shows mods for max from one of our very own max member.

 

* lightweight rims
* suspension upgrade (springs/shocks)
* cattman headers
* upgraded ecu

 

You don't want lower profile tires unless your increasing rim diameter.

 

yeah, it will throw the speedo off a little.....so what?
That does not matter that much.
These are excellent tires and that is the only size that they come in for 16" wheels. It is worth it. That is cheap for a really high performance tire anyway. $108 ea.
When I am showing 60mph on the speedometer, I will actually be doing like 57 or so. Not that big of a deal.

 

Hey, can you elaborate on the corners, y-pipe, cat-back, FSTB, RSB, Struts...I'm not literate with the mods abbreviations.

Why the dash kit and shift ****?