Max Off-Roading
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 152
Max Off-Roading
Just was wondering how many guys have taken their max off roading. I am not talking bahaing like you would take a Jeep, or some POS that you don't care about. I went camping and white water rafting out in West Virginia last weekend and took my 96 5 speed max. Up in the mountains, on rough rocky terrain, the max did very well. Glad to have the 5 speed, the extra torque in the low gears worked well in steep inclines. Found some scratches on the car that were never there before after the trip, which I was very unhappy about. But seeing there is a lot of outdoors activities to do around my area, I am not sure if I am going to keep the max, or just make it for light off roading. Curious of any ideas of what to do to my car if I am more than occasionally taking it in these types of terrain.
Also, any suggestions of what types of vehicles you would recommend for these types of trips would be highly appreciated. I was thinking along the lines of an Xterra, Honda Element, Subaru Forester or WRX, Toyota Matrix, etc. Any other suggestions? I'd rather keep the max, so let me know what I should do to handle these types of trips. Thanks
Also, any suggestions of what types of vehicles you would recommend for these types of trips would be highly appreciated. I was thinking along the lines of an Xterra, Honda Element, Subaru Forester or WRX, Toyota Matrix, etc. Any other suggestions? I'd rather keep the max, so let me know what I should do to handle these types of trips. Thanks
IMO.
1 of few unmodded 4G Maxs
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,827
From: Commerce Twp., MI
there's a vid on vqpower.com of someone taking thier max off road
http://www.vqpower.com/v2/modules.ph...=getit&lid=107
personally I would NEVER do that to my Max
http://www.vqpower.com/v2/modules.ph...=getit&lid=107
personally I would NEVER do that to my Max
Senior Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 6,187
What you subjected your car to is a travesty! Get an old pickup truck if you want to flail away like that.
The closest I've come to off-roading was driving on a washboard gravel road last summer. I didn't damage my car, but with my stock SE suspension the back end did the typical stock SE thing on that kind of road. Never again!
The closest I've come to off-roading was driving on a washboard gravel road last summer. I didn't damage my car, but with my stock SE suspension the back end did the typical stock SE thing on that kind of road. Never again!
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 337
I HAVE BEEN THRU HELL AND BACK, i used to deliver pizza in a county which 1/3 of the roads were not paved... including mountain roads. at that time i had exhaust,bpipe,pop intake and stock rims,tires. Also i have pulled the ebrake many of times in freshly cut fields or grassy areas covered in snow.(this was ALL BEFORE i started the transformation to a show/car and/also had kids...) ahh the good old days.
i can tell u one thing maximas are strong vehicles to hold up to all i put mine thru and to be in the condition it is today.. Also i have taken my wifes 93 GLE all over tray mountain(a mountainous road in north GA, that is usually reserved for bold,daring jeep drivers, not car travelers)
BUT i may also add that my max has taken more scratches then i care to mention cuz of the above.. body kit has helped hide the low scratches but a custom paint job is in the works for my car..
i can tell u one thing maximas are strong vehicles to hold up to all i put mine thru and to be in the condition it is today.. Also i have taken my wifes 93 GLE all over tray mountain(a mountainous road in north GA, that is usually reserved for bold,daring jeep drivers, not car travelers)
BUT i may also add that my max has taken more scratches then i care to mention cuz of the above.. body kit has helped hide the low scratches but a custom paint job is in the works for my car..
Damn I want my money back!
Senior Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 6,187
Originally Posted by sdoherty_tjm
youd be surprised, the back end lets go predictably, and you can control the power really well, windy country roads are fun!
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 499
Originally Posted by Wills98MaxSE
there's a vid on vqpower.com of someone taking thier max off road
http://www.vqpower.com/v2/modules.ph...=getit&lid=107
personally I would NEVER do that to my Max
http://www.vqpower.com/v2/modules.ph...=getit&lid=107
personally I would NEVER do that to my Max
and the camera guy going "AWW!" when he rips his front lip off makes me think they werent just having fun
:
That guy on the video is a complete idiot! First of all tha angle of that decline is too steep for the ground clearance he has in that car. Second, he's accelerating like an idiot, you don't accelerate suddenly and expect traction in that kind of terrain. Third, he should have never tried it in the first place. Idiots deserve to be punished that way by loosing his bumper. Hope he learned his lesson.
I used to offroad a lot in my 2k Tundra Access Cab with 33's and 2.5" suspension and 3" body lift. Even with that, sometimes ground clearance is an issue and I don't go rock climbing or baja racing. Just good ol' trail blazing. One thing that's important when you approach and incline or decline is to gain momentum. When you stop midway and try to accelerate you get no traction in that kind of terrain. With that ground clearance is important.
Bottom line, offroading in a car is plain stupid. Rallying is a different story but our maxima is not a rally car.
I used to offroad a lot in my 2k Tundra Access Cab with 33's and 2.5" suspension and 3" body lift. Even with that, sometimes ground clearance is an issue and I don't go rock climbing or baja racing. Just good ol' trail blazing. One thing that's important when you approach and incline or decline is to gain momentum. When you stop midway and try to accelerate you get no traction in that kind of terrain. With that ground clearance is important.
Bottom line, offroading in a car is plain stupid. Rallying is a different story but our maxima is not a rally car.
but i swear i havent went offroading in 2 years!! i treat my car right now 
Silly rabbit maximas are for paved roads.
Originally Posted by 4x4Max
Questions like that give 16 year olds the "retard" name.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,803
From: Manitoba
Ha! I've definitely done it. I live out in the country and its really hilly/rocky here on the Canadian Shield. I live on a washboard gravel road, so in that aspect I'm "offroading" daily, plus the other logging roads/gravel pit roads I take to get into town sometimes. Last month, the road was a little washed out so I accidentally took her mud bogging (oops!). I was actually going to buy a truck, but I got the Maxima instead because of the gas mileage. Winter gets nasty here too, but the traction control and LSD work wonders.
My Mom's Subaru Forester handles great on gravel roads but if you plan on doing heavier offroading then its not a good choice because there is no skid plate to protect the undercarriage. Otherwise its a great vehicle for that type of driving. Get the XTerra if you want to go a little further off road.
My Mom's Subaru Forester handles great on gravel roads but if you plan on doing heavier offroading then its not a good choice because there is no skid plate to protect the undercarriage. Otherwise its a great vehicle for that type of driving. Get the XTerra if you want to go a little further off road.
I had this girl friend that lived about a 1/2 mile down a dirt road that is typically washboarded to all hell... Damn, I had to drive like 5mph down that road. Once it stormed pretty badly after they had just laid down fresh dirt a day ago and I had mud all over the car. It looked like I had been mudding... it was even all over my hood. After we broke up I vowed that it would never see another dirt road again.
Originally Posted by 4x4Max
Questions like that give 16 year olds the "retard" name.
Originally Posted by Duckman540i
No need to be a D!ck. He's new here & doesn't know alot about Maximas, Cant blame him. You were in the same shoes as him one time. Alot of people here are real A$$holes sometimes. Be Nice! & don't reply with something stupid & immature. Also "Tatanko" you sound real stupid when you say that, who gives a **** what people think of you on a FORUM! You should only care about respect in the real WORLD. Thats sad if you spend your life trying to build a reputation & respect on a Forum, WHO CARES! It's plain & simple people, Don't give people a hard time for asking a simple question. Why does everything have to be a smart a$$ remark?
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 398
Last month, I took my Maxima camping and I had to drive 4 miles down a dirt road everytime I wanted to make a cell phone call or take a shower. My little Max held its own on the dirt roads and once I got used to the road, I started ripping down the roads rally style. Fun stuff.
Originally Posted by Tatanko
I'm a **** to him because he's been a **** to other people, not because I had a problem with him before that. Oh, and my goal in life is not to gain respect on a forum. That's obviously dumb and pointless. I just want people to respect me enough on here not to lowball me because I'm 16 and 16-year-old's have a bad reputation when it comes to cars and driving.
