Hey guys, i know theres alot of maxima's out there with many mods and some are 5spd and some are auto.I wanted to know if you really feel its worth to mod an auto maxima, if later down the road you cant turbo the car and its just not as fast as a 5spd.well given that both cars are modded the same,the 5spd should be faster.

 

To be on the bright side, Ajcool2 has an auto and broke into the 14's.

 

Not fast enough for me

 

In my opinion ... no. I want to smack myself for the few mods I did to my auto Maxima. Should have saved it for the 5Spd Maxima I ended up buying.

 

do what i did...instead of putting a turbo in my auto.......i went n bought a bike....it'll beat prob any maxima out there.....stock or not

 

Everyone has their own reasons for modding. If you're more interested in car audio, and the "show car" stuff, then there's nothing wrong with modding an auto. If you're looking to mod for performance reasons, you'll already have a head start with a 5-speed.

For me personally, I like driving stick and just prefer to have a stick car. Mostly importantly, I also think the manual transmission in a maxima is what makes this car so unique to others of the same generation. There was no other inexpensive japanese built 4-door 6cyl sedan with manual tranny.

 

oh btw......i usually mod all the cars i buy.....even if it's just rims and a new head unit.......at least audio, wheels, suspension, and tints......but i modded my i30 more heavily because i had it longer...heh...

 

Actually I have seen a few auto cars that were faster stock than their counterpart 5 speeders.

and a really weird thing back a few years ago...the first V6 Accords were slower than the 4cyl. models...albeit like maybe a .5 sec....but still slower.

the first Altima's were faster as auto than stick too.

I prefer auto's for dragging simply because the launch is a more constant thing (not that Ill drag my I30) but I know for my old Mustang it was much more constant than when it was a stick (yes I converted, 2 reasons, the drag launch and it was easier for when I had my daughter to stick it in drive than shift and take care of baby)

I know there are more out there that are faster as auto...just have to remeber which ones they are

 

i used to think what you did..... and then i converted to 5spd. now i won't have to wonder.

 

just get a y-pipe and catback....that should be the only neccessary mod

 

Like Ewuzh said, we all have our reasons for modding our cars. I mod my auto because I want it to be different looking from other maximas around and a little faster than stock. I don't really obsess about speed and how fast I can make it up the 1/4 mile. I don't street race or go to the track. The only time I need to go fast is the on-ramps of the freeways. So, I want my auto max to look good and perform slightly better than stock, which I am achieving.

 

Anyone have prices on this conversion.Parts and labour.see i live in newfoundland im like the only guy around doing up a 4th gen maxima so theres no real help for me just me and my buddy working on cars.Its a real b*tch trying to do up a car here.No one around has a clue about maxima's besides me,my buddy and the local dealership(and you know they rape your wallet everytime).And to top all of it off,no scrap yards or anything like that have maxima's(lucky as hell if i find a 5spd) for like 500 bucks.So if anyone could help me figure out a way to do this with a budget of 1500-2k let me know.O and if anyone wants to fly to st johns newfoundland to help me put it in and everything,come on down lol.

 

Check out Jime's cars....that should tell you if its worth it or not. He should be in the all motor forum. Basically a 12 second n/a auto 4th gen. Its 3.5, but nevertheless, its automatic. I think it comes down to if you want to drive an auto or stick.

 

I wouldn't do it if it was my car i just dont think that it worth time and money to mod a family sedan i would make it look nice and that's about it. Like someone said in prev. post put nice rims on, tint, lower it may be.
IMHO
But i would def go for it if it was manual.

 

thats about sums it for me as well. street racing/ speeding in the end just plain out costs more money, accidents and tickets.

Enjoy your AUTO max, 14's are not fast enough for you then obviously you picked the wrong car. Go get a DSM auto or something then. Or just get a new G auto, they are 14's already or dam near it with its 30x HP rating.

 

IMO, if you're even asking that then you shouldn't be doin any mods. It's up to you, if you wannna do it, then go ahead and have fun. But asking??? no leave her stock and enjoy the reliability

 

It really depends on how you wanna mod your car and the auto is not that bad just a cupple of bolt-ons and some other mods you can be really fast.

 

The 3rd and 4th gen Camry V6 5MT comes to mind, but they weren't all that easy to come by (worse than a 5MT 4th gen Max).

 

I like both my autos just fine, I bought it before I learned to drive a stick, sure 5 speed is more fun to drive, but going to shows and waiting in line for a few hours creeping or cruising at night bumper to bumper during shows sure is nice with the auto. But to each its own, people like different things.

 

no. its auto. how cool are you going to feel? ide feel like a ***** driving a modded automatic. thats why mines stock besides the system. i mean, if you were going for looks rather than speed maybe tinting it, lowering it and rims but thats about all ide do.

 

Yea since I have an auto...Im all about trying to get it to look and sound good

 

superchargers work very well for autos

 

I think ill save my money for mods and later sell my auto and buy a 2003 Mt 3.5L maxima

 

Is it worth it to mod a Maxima, is it worth it to

It's up to you make, your own decision.



Good call. or swap a 3.5L in the 4th gen.

 

The only I'll mod on an auto is the Exhaust/Air Intake, and maybe a pulley that's all.

 

The only mod?

Ahh, I see, youre trying to gain 15 posts.. I got ya now ..

 

..as much as i hate to say it, but.. if you want to mod a car thats not an auto id have to say sell your maxima and buy a stick. or you could pay a shop some dough and they would put a manual transmission in your max but i have to say it and i think you already know automatics are boring to drive good luck man.

 

do what you feel, its your ride. i have a auto aswell, but im more into the "show then go." So 5-speed does really interest me as much. But if i wanted to mod it to go faster, i would go with the 5-speed for sure. At the end of the day, its your car. you have to be happy with it.

 

My advice.

1.) If you keep the 3.0L, get a 5MT swap.
2.) If you get a 3.5L swap, leave it auto.
3.) Do both, 3.5L & 5MT swap.

IMO, it was worth it to mod my auto.

 

"more show than go" sssuuuucckkkkksss power is always a nessesity.
say YES! to hp. always.

 

I'm talking about performance to allow for better airflow...What's wrong with that?

 

I didnt just post this thread for asking people what i should do,i know what i can do and what i cant and everything else.i put this hear because i just wanted to see how everyone else felt about auto and manual maximas.

 

Nothing wrong with that, but you weren't specific enough for me to understand what you stated.

You were very vague and statred ' the only mods.... ' Which doesn't specify alone what you were referring to as far as 'mods' go.

It was a generality.

Please explain to me what a UDP does for better airflow.

 

a turbo/ SC is a nice intake =P

why have an auto if thats not what you wanted in the first place. I have a lot of friends now who complain about wasting their money on mods on their current car because its an auto but i know for a fact when they bought the cars they didn't/ couldn't drive a manual and they are only complaining now because one of my friends taught all of them how to drive manuals. Thats how most people are, they buy the auto because they only know how to drive it or other options. in sense you would mod an auto the same way if you had a manual more or less. Personal experience i guess.

 

you guys with the 5sp - go sit on the I 5 South at rush hour for 3 hours of stop and go traffic. enough said!

 

Where i live theres no big heavy traffic.My heavy traffic is probally light traffic compared to yours.So an auto or manual dont really make a difference when it comes to that. I think maybe best plan would be to take your auto and enjoy it,mod for performance if you want and later down the road just do a 5spd swap,you dont really lose out on money there.And theres always just looks.Unfortunatly i couldnt find a 5spd and i was lucky to find my maxima around here and it sucked it was auto,but hey fully loaded maxima(except leather) how could i turn away.I wish my lawyer would hurry up so i could get my settlement from the dumbass who rear ended me a few months ago,so i can do the swap.

 

hope you only refer this to maxima... My cars are all auto but none of them are boring

Back to the topic:
Unless you really love your maxima, I'd suggest you save the money and upgrade the car.... like E36 M3 (I think there are plenty under $10K).

Otherwise, sell your car and buy an MT.

 

If your questioning if you should mod your auto, then you basically have your answer right there. No. Questioning yourself only tells us is that your thinking twice about it. If you want speed, get 5spd swap and start from there. Auto should be for looks/show only IMO.

 

I'm not telling you to sell your car, but you should have just bought a 5 speed. You wouldn't be in this dilemma

 

Buy another A32, but MT. That's what I'm doing. These things are going for quite cheap lately. And since I've practically dismantled mine from head to toe, I'm not afraid of buying an older car.