is it just me or does the max have zero torque/power in first gear? it seems like even if i put my foot down in first gear (without spinning the tires) i move through the rpms without picking up much speed (seems like i usually have to shift at about 25mph). when i shift into 2nd though it starts to pull harder. is this normal or could i possibly have a bad knock sensor? this is my first 5spd so im still fairly new to the feel of it.

also, am i wrong to think that i am hurting my engine by letting my rpms get up to 5-5.5k? i always feel like i am killing my max when the engine is whining at the high rpms (like when i'm on an onramp and have the pedal to the metal) ...

 

1st gear for me is my strongest gear... and im AUTO!!!

do you have any codes?

 

first gear pulls decently for me, but def get better pull in 2nd/3rd.

First gear should rev to a little less than 30mph if I remember correctly, so shifting at 25 isn't bad.

And remember, first gear just gets you going

My favorite way to pull is rolling at 80mph and drop it into 3rd, pull to 100 and shift to 4th..... mm thats fun.

If you maintain your car properly, revving it up high doesn't hurt it one bit. Now if you have ****ty spark plugs, a bad knock sensor, bad o2 sensor, etc. etc. it might stress some components a little bit.

 

sounds pretty good chickan, maybe i'll check to see if i get any codes just to make sure my ks is ok, and who knows how old my spark plugs are...... and next time im alone on the highway i'll have to do an 80 pull!! do you have to dbl clutch or just rev match, cause i'm usually in 5th gear at 80

 

well 1st is so short.....but for me it gets the car moving then i shift into 2nd and 3rd which is where i pull on most cars......

 

IMO, first gear in maximas are relatively long compared to other cars. I can get up around 37mph in 1st before shifting to 2nd, whereas in other cars like my previous integra, I could only get to 33mph in 1st. Personally I think first gear is awesome.

 

Im probably going to get bs face for this but i pull great in first gear, and i can get it to 40 mph in first at 6500rpm

 

 

are you auto?

 

nope, 5speed

i recently got a new tranny about 3 months ago, its reall strong

 

cute...............

 

Maybe its the wheels/tires that are causing the speedo to be off by a bit.

 

And your point is?

Whether wrong or right, the speedo will read the same speed if your tires were 22" or 26", and it can't spin that fast (40mph) at 6500 with respect to the gear ratios.

 

1st gear in the Max is such an advantage over many cars. Nearly all Honda/Acuras will be be shifting around 28-30 and the Max will sprint away, bang 2nd and that's all she wrote. I have a friend with a 2.8 A4, he refuses to race me from a dead stop because it is pointless with his gearing. I guess I will have to get back to yall with the MPH in the 1-2 shift but I'm sure it's near 40 like some of these guys have mentioned.

 

maybe your clutch is slipping no? i would guess so if your 1st gear is not pulling hard, which it should, that means your clutch is mad slipping man, get it checked out.
that's my best guess.

 

He posted a pic of his wheel and tire, i dont think that would cause him to lose so much power as he described he is. not sure.

Can you do a burn out?

 

Eh, I was referring to NmexMAX's post about what my point was regarding speedo readings saying 40mph. I didn't want to start a whole argument so I deleted that second post.

gsmith795: Don't worry about going past 5.5k rpm. The maxima was made so that you could safely rev to 6500 rpm. The higher rpm's is where the engine sings!

 

Shorter gears are ALWAYS better for acceleration (so long as you can maintain traction). My stock Civic with 100#ft of torque at the crank has pulled on many a Maxima off the line, but on the 2-3 shift they blow by me.

 

1st gear is pretty long compared to all the other 5 speed's I've driven. This includes mazdas, toyotas, and hondas.

 

Not true. Larger wheel/tire diameter change the final drive ratio. This means you can reach higher speeds in each gear. It's the gear ratios that don't change. Secondly, the larger the diameter, the more the speedo will be off. It will read lower than the speed at which you're actually traveling.

 

I would think clutch slipping first like Maximus 95 said, after that it could be ton of factors like what kind of intake are you running, knock sensor shot/lousy gas mileage too, type of fuel, coils packs, last tune up, and throttle body cleaning. Seafoam is your friend too especially since you are a 5 speed.

 

haha wow this is so wrong...

 

First gear is my best gear. It winds out pretty quickly getting me to 35-40 mph. before i shift to second. I drive my auto like it's trip tronic. Since it's electronic is shouldn't matter other than some extra wear and tear.. But if your car is ******* first strat the cleaning and see if the ecm is complaining about any sensors.

 

haha yeah i just have to get used to it i guess

One of these days i'm going to have to get up the courage to try some seafoam, if only i wasnt so afraid of breaking something or forgetting how to put everything back together once its apart lol. my gas mileage isnt that great eaither, maybe it the ks. and i use 93 octane so it couldnt be my gas

 

pull codes, a ks will kill your performance.

 

Why are you only complaining about 1st gear? If you truly have a knock sensor problem then 1st-5th would suck...not just 1st.

I don't think it is an issue with a sensor. How old is your clutch...that would also be my guess as said before.

 

Actually its right...

No matter how big or small your wheel/tire combo is, it won't affect the relationship between indicated speed and rpms.

Back on topic, yeah the 1st gear in a manual is going to seem "short" if you have a lot of experience in the auto. BUt, its not as short as most 5-speeds. Back in my neon days, i switched from a 3.55 final drive to a 3.94, with a sohc motor that basically stopped making power above 6k (similar rpm range to a USIM maxima). I actually regretted the move to the short gears.. they were short enough to cause traction issues in 1st, and when that happens, the taller geared car with the longer 1st gear will usually be quicker. I am liking the longish gears (and torque, duh) of the maxima!

 

Depends on the car. Looking at a GTP, having massive torque, the extra tall gears are actually better suited to it comparted to if they were really short.

TomV is a samrt that actually has valid things to say ... I couldn't think of a better way to say what you did on your first line and kormax, consider yourself

Mph = rpm x tire diameter/Gear ratio x 336

Rpm = mph x gear ratio x 336/Tire diameter

So no matter what the overall wheel dia incl tire, the speedo will awlays read X MPH @ Y RPM ... whetehr it be wrong or right.

 

The indicated speed will be off with a larger rim/tire diameter. You'll be going faster per RPM in a certain gear than the speedo says. The indicated speed at the end of each gear will be the same, but the ACTUAL top speed in each gear will be higher.

With all that said, i understand what you and NmexMAX are saying. The speedo will read the same at the top of a gear no matter what the rim/tire diameter is.

 

But the ACTUAL speed will be off .. not the indicated speed. ..

Commonly used drag racing principle to optimize gearing.

 

SteVTEC has a dyno in the 1/4 mile stickies showing the optimal shift points for the 1/4:

1st to 2nd - 6550 rpms - 37 mph (I doubt anyone is going 40, unless they want to blow up their engine)
2nd to 3rd - 6200 rpms - 62.5 mph
3rd to 4th - 6050 rpms - 89.2 mph
4th to 5th - 5760 rpms - 113 mph

He states that a modded car may benefit from hitting 4th gear in the 1/4 and a non-modded car may benefit from just holding 3rd gear.

My owner's manual states the maximum by gear as:
1st - 30 mph
2nd - 55 mph
3rd - 80 mph.

For practical everday purposes, perhaps the owner's manual should be followed and when you want to race or infrequently flog your car like a rented mule then follow the 1/4 mile guidelines SteVTEC has provided.

 

That's with the stock manifold in mind of course.

 

Yes, I believe that's all stock, that's why he says to hit 4th in the 1/4 if you are modded (N/A) because you will run out of 3rd gear before the line.

 

And are on stock size tires too ... All stock .. yup ... good stuff.

 

as far as i know, my stock clutch has been with the car for all 89,650 miles, so maybe thats the problem. how soon should i expect to be replacing it?

 

It depends on how much abuse its taken and the ratio of highway/city miles it has been subjected to. It strikes me that you should be good to go for some time. I've only got 58,700 mostly highway miles on mine, so I'm no expert on clutch replacement intervals.

 

I knew that...

 

I never said you didn't but there are few on this board that read posts that are more than 2 lines... I was jsut giving it in lay terms

 

ya i went by one of those traffic tings today that tell you your speed and my speedo said 40 and the traffic thing said 38 so my speedo is 2mph off but still 37-38 mph is not bad for first gear

 

I have 85k on my stock clutch so hopefully it lasts longer than that. lmao.

But as said before, clutch life is directly related to driving style.