i prefer a lil of both but if i gotta pick one go before show.. cuz what hurts your pride more: lookin uglier then a ricer or getting beat by a ricer?

 

An otherwise stock max with a subtle drop on stock sawblades and clear bumper lights looks better than 99% of overdone "asthetically modded" maximas.

Fukk wings and neons.

 

i do sensible mods...

 

i think the Stillen Kit or Ionic kits in terms of the lip are the only way to go if ur gonna do a body kit.....Skyline kits and all otehrs i think are too much...except for skyline sides they are still subtle enough for me....but like i said before i want an all around car with prolyl more handling because of my breed of racing....others want all go some want all show....this debate can go on for years....but it all comes down to personal taste.....i am all for all show cars but when u roll up next to me in right now my stock body..lightly modded motor and agreesively modded suspension dont be a **** and try to be me cause 9 out of 10 times i am gonna beat u just because i have better driving skills......PS this is aimed at no one in particular just ranting

i was jsut looking at picks of my old 96 with sawblades then picturing the drop i had with sprints on it and i was thinking....y did i get rid of the sawblades

 

Yeah why does everyone and their grandmother hate sawblades. They have served me well. They fit very well with a 4th gen, they're strong as hell (enough for Quebec roads... the ultimate test) and they really aren't that heavy. Plus, they're free. Sounds like a winner to me.

 

well it all depends on how your car looks right now....if there are a bunch of scratches, dings, misc stuff that needs to be fixed, i would make the car look better first, but if there is nothing wrong, get performance....

 

Gotta have it all!

 

My GrandMa and I don't...

We dislike honeycombs though.

 

some people are into looks and thats all some people want speed and thats all, its watever. for me, i look at the point of the car: to go places. the sleeper look is tite to me. think of it this way, id take an initially pretty good lookin girl that can s d like a champ (stock max) than a hot model that wont touch me. (rice looks on civic) i like to drive my car not stare at it in a parking lot. what gives me that fuzzy feeling is going fast, not appearing fast. real drivers know wat i mean. the max isnt a bad looking car to begin with either. so to answer ur question in a nutshell, i want a car that is fast before one that looks fast.

 

Interesting analogy. IMO a car should always be faster than it looks to be. Hopefully though, we haven't unintentionally turned this thread into an unsubtle girl/car sexual metaphor compilation.

 

LOL
Looks? Who buys 4th gen for looks? It's only beautiful to the owner. Nobody who doesn't own 4th gen Max thinks it's a beautiful car.

 

That was immensely constructive. Nobody said they were beautiful, they just so happen to have a rare balance of sleeper/4-door/understated lines/slightly sporty flow that makes them stand out a little from the regular boring averagely priced midsize sedan bag. A maxima isn't as bland as most of the Camry/Accord/Taurus family sedan lot and has an edge over those looks-wise that can and does go by totally unnoticed most of the time, but it's there. Just the right hint of sportiness, whatever the hell that means.

Too many people confuse "good looking" with "OMG LOOK AT ME!!!!!!" flashiness that most sports cars have. A good looking car doesn't have to jump at your throat when you see it, it just has to qualify as good looking when attention is called upon its appearance.

 

Performance, followed by looks if the cash allows.

 

I've been meaning to say this, but your car is in a serious hurt for a simple wax job (even though by your description you could probably use some deep polishing and compounding...). This simple task could make that car of yours much more pleasing to the eyes...my .02.
(If you're wondering how I know there's no wax on your car - a car with a good substantial coat of wax/sealant doesn't allow the water to "sit flatly" on a panel, nevermind a vertical one. It would either drip down, or bead, which you have neither.)

 

With rims, tint, and lip/skirt, you don't have one of the sweetest looking 4th gens out there, you have a 4th gen that looks like every modded 4th gen out there.

Very few people actually focus on one portion and then work on the other. The way most people seem to mod their cars is whatever they can afford when they get the itch to buy something. Clear corners - intake - tint - drop, and so on. So it's going to be a combination of both. You don't have to choose.

And why is everyone so hung up on "riced out" cars? So a body kit is now rice? And why does everyone that complains about a riced out car drive a stock car? By most of the .org's standards, I drive one of the most riced out cars here. Graphics, custom paint, body kit, a ton of custom bodywork, custom interior, and so on. But I'm also running a custom turbo, nitrous, big brakes, and just about the widest tires I can fit. Bottom line is just do whatever is going to make you happy.

 

If my car is not in any dire need of mechanical or body repairs, then performance mod goes in first. If the paint job is looking hideous and is falling apart and you have a half a dozen dings along the sides and bumpers of the car, but your car is mechanically sound, then I'd go for paint job first and while I'm at it, I might as well get a kit to save on additional paint expenses later on.

So as you can see, it depends on the individual's circumstances. But then again, some people just don't have a concept of what is priority and do whatever they want to do.

 

i say, lower it, get the y pipe and some rims, pretty good mix i think...then go from there...

 

You must have gotten a deal, but you probobly bought it used.

I'm talking about some real nice wheels and tires, not 5gen oem rims.

Stillen kit will run about $600-700? Plus painjob, another $300.

Then you need suspension upgrades so your car doesn't have the 4x4 status... thats already over $2.5K for all that stuff...

but yea... I totally agree with Shadow, since when does a Stillen classic kit became rice? You guys are too hung up on that ish. Get over it.

But yea... like I said, Looks > Performance for me, since the max is already a good car from the start, I dont need a rocket in NYC with all these f'd up streets.

 

i say its really up to you... some say mods others say looks... i say mods... think if you live in an area with high crime.. why advertize your car to the theives... make it look like a normal max that can move.... but then again... most are not in a high crime area and love looking at there car... its all pref..

the first step is already taken.. you have a max... now what do YOU want to do with it

 

Go and then show, not too much show though.

 

i dont think i've ever seen a 4th gen on the org with wings and neons.



you say potato, i say potato(so it doesnt work as well when you type it, oh well) in the end it's still a 4 door jap car

 

my thoughts exactly

 

Neither IMO....those choices suck....

If your going to go performance to it RIGHT.

Suspension/tires > Brakes > Motor - IN THAT ORDER.

Otherwise go for looks but I would rather enhance the performance/Safety of my car

 

I'm personally a go before show kinda guy but I will make an exception with the Maxima. Its not like a civic, the car is already quick stock. Throwing on FI gadgets and things like the 00VI hurts reliability and gas mileage, as well. I would have to say if my choice was either one or the other, which the thread starter seemed to imply, I would have to say show.

Fast1one, you got turrets or something, you only gotta hit submit once buddy.

 

So we are at only about 20% ricer on this board as of right now! Way to go. I'm surprised altezza tail lights wasn't one of the < options.

 

This is an interesting poll however flawed. Performance vs. looks is kind of shallow. The Poll should be about: Performance, Suspension, and Looks.

Lets start with the basics. Stock 4th gen. Plenty of HP, looks and interior are great.

I think the first thing you should do is improve the handling through Suspension upgrades so you can get more out of your horsepower. I started with KYB AGX struts/shocks on my stock SE springs just to keep it simple. What a difference!! Bumps and dips didn't matter so much anymore. Ride was excellent and comfortable. If this is all you can spend, this is the way to go IMO.

After riding on this setup for awhile I decided to reduce body roll. I added a FSTB. U-turns became effortless, however I could feel the rear end roll-out now.

Not happy about that I added a Cattman/Progress RSB. Much better. Started really testing my Max on corners and really liked the improvement. Realized that I could now cause the rear end to sway out at my command.

Eventually, while at speed, I noticed that cars lower than my stock setup still had less bodyroll even with my KYB, FSTB, RSB so I decided to get H&R Sport springs (I opted out of h&r Racing springs, too low for street and I wanted something lower than h&r OEM springs). I also added a RSTB.

Now I'm finally lowered and love the handling but this has been at the sacrifice of ride quality. I won't let my folks ride in the back seats now with 2F/5R settings on the AGXs. I might as well take them straight to the Emergency Room.

As for Looks I added Custom Maxima clears, front and rear. After all that I added a Catt. Y-pipe just out of boredom, happy about that.

If I want to add more performance enhancements I have a Suspension that is ready for MEVI, 00VI, FI. Just my 2c.

 

Thanks for sharing...

 

That's just the honest truth, almost like a flashback to reading the Honda/Acura boards about six or seven years ago. It is 2006 and I'm on a Nissan Maxima board. I guess I just thought the waters were deeper than Lake Okeechobee. lol

 

what are you talkin about?

 

go back and read all of the posts. If it combined with my sarcasm still doesn't make sense to you, then so be it.

 

Funny thing is, Modding should come before paint or cosmetics. Mostly because if your going to be doing the work yourself, its kindof anoying trying to baby the car since it just got painted when your installing something new. Half of the scratches and random dents before i got my repaint all occured while trying to do modifications under the hood. Tools dropping, $hit in your pockets when you lean on your fenders to reach in your engine bay....etc...

If i could have waited i would have repainted my car after i did everything i wanted under the hood, the only problem was my hood flew open while driving...so i figured i should just repaint the whole damn car all at once..then i got the kit...while i was getting it repainted i also did my 97 conversion...etc...its pretty much flawless, but its really hard to keep it looking that way when you got heavy tools laying allover the place waiting to bang up agains your bumper or something cause you dropped it...just be carefull...

Basically if your max looks nice enough with the stock paint, and it doesnt look like it got hit by a semi, leave it alone and mod it till your happy, then repaint it!

 

Fastone, after you post just wait a second or maybe hit the refresh button, as much as i like your opinion, 8 times is a little much.

And to the member that mentioned that the cars are already faster than most cars on the road, not most cars that people modify

 

To me looks > performance. 99% of the time my car is on your average street flooded with potholes and street lights. What’s the point in dumping money into something you will rarely ever use? Maybe if I decided to take my grocery hauler to the track than it'd be the other way around. Performance mods are just a way to get nowhere (the stop light 15ft down the road) really fast.

I don't know where the idea of the maxima being a sleeper came from. Everybody and their grandma knows what a maxima can do not to mention everybody and their grandma owns one.

What happened to the stereo/multimedia upgrade option for the poll. That's what I would've picked.


XeroX - I wish my tools would drop all over the outside of my car than I'd be able to find them. Usually my tools park themselves in a nice crevice in the engine bay to never be found again.

 

Yeah you always want the looks, Iv added a couple of things to make my car faster so when I need the power it's there, but not out of control SUPED UP! not thats there anything wrong with suping it up, I would if I was gonna race it alot, but if not then whats the point. I rather have my car blend in with the crowd and if I need the speed.....Im Ghost!

 

I picked performance first, but now I'm pretty well out of performance mods, so its time to pick up the cosmetic area now.

 

there are plenty more performance mods left....MEVI or 00VI.....ECU or SMT6/7.....headers (meh)......BOOOOOOOOOOST....cams....3.5 swap......Justin Justin....BBK 300zx calipers 12.6" 04 maxima rotors

 

...the f*ck? There are NO negatives to a 00VI. The HP/TQ curve is a million times smoother, there's a huge topend gain, and the only gas mileage or reliability loss is in your head.

 

word word///y owuld it hurt reliability its a stock NISSAN part on a 10 top engine for like 10 years running.....its great...i need one.

 

Age old question although a little basic it seems for some of the more performance oriented orgers. When I got my car I decided to make her faster without disgracing the classy Maxima name/heritage with "Ricey" parts. Afterall we ARE driving a luxury sport sedan... For example; make the dogs bite bigger than it's bark. AKA sleeper. Just my opinion...

 

I was refering to Forced Induction hurting reliability.


In response to a previous poster, I somehow highly doubt that the added performance that the 00VI provides does not change gas consumption. I could be wrong I did no research into this, it just seems like a logical conclusion.