Prospective Owner
12-09-2001, 11:23 AM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Prospective Owner
Hey, guys. My friend is looking at getting a 4th gen Maxima SE 5-speed. My mom has a '97 SE and my brother has a '95 SE (I have a '90 Celica All-Trac Turbo that I am quite happy with 
). Both of their cars are automatic, so I don't know if the 5-speed has any other differences besides the transmission, but like, when I drive my mom's car, it just seems like I'm floating over the road rather than being planted on it. The steering is loose as hell and springs back to center way too quickly. I feel like I can't feel the road at ALL..more like I'm just gliding over it, which is fine if you're a grocery-getter, but he and I are more serious than that. That being said, the 0-60 claim of 6.7 seconds is pretty impressive, and that would be good if all one had to do was go in a straight line all the time.
Any owners, particularly ones with 5-speeds care to comment?
--Aaron
'90 Celica All-Trac Turbo
(Stock 2.0L turbocharged 4 cyl., full-time AWD, 0-60 in 7.0)
). Both of their cars are automatic, so I don't know if the 5-speed has any other differences besides the transmission, but like, when I drive my mom's car, it just seems like I'm floating over the road rather than being planted on it. The steering is loose as hell and springs back to center way too quickly. I feel like I can't feel the road at ALL..more like I'm just gliding over it, which is fine if you're a grocery-getter, but he and I are more serious than that. That being said, the 0-60 claim of 6.7 seconds is pretty impressive, and that would be good if all one had to do was go in a straight line all the time.Any owners, particularly ones with 5-speeds care to comment?
--Aaron
'90 Celica All-Trac Turbo
(Stock 2.0L turbocharged 4 cyl., full-time AWD, 0-60 in 7.0)
12-09-2001, 12:46 PM
#2
U wanna try me young boy?
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 1,024
Re: Prospective Owner
My '96 (dunnoe if it's SE or not - it has manual climate, p/w p/l p/sr no abs, cloth seats, spoiler, white pearlescent pain, BOSE audio w/single CD) is pretty darned cool.
Comparing it to my previous car, a '95 Taurus with slushbox is like comparing Sarah Michelle Gellar
to Barbara Walters. (*Now I'm thinking of Barbara Walters in tight leather pants... 
)
Anyhoo - My Maxima handles great with stock suspension and Firestone Firehawk SH30 tyres. It will do well over 100 and feel as stable and composed as a Nun driving 25 through a school zone. I has great power (1st and 2nd powerbands are very intimidating to anyone who races me) and 6.7 to 60 is not a wilde claim - it is a fact of life if you know how to drive stick properly (been doing it for 10 years now).
The autobox will always make you feel less connected to the road - and a stick makes you feel like you are part of the driving process. I've often described domestic sedans with autobox, cruise control, power steering etc as reducing the Driver to a purely 'supervisory' role, whereas in the Max I feel like I have much greater control of how the car handles and drives.
If he's more than 6'2" then make sure he's happy with the headroom when he's comfortable in the driver's seat. I remember a conversation with my wife on Friday where she asked what I would change about the Max if I coul only change one thing - I said; "More headroom!" (I'm nearly 6'3")
Comparing it to my previous car, a '95 Taurus with slushbox is like comparing Sarah Michelle Gellar
to Barbara Walters. (*Now I'm thinking of Barbara Walters in tight leather pants... )Anyhoo - My Maxima handles great with stock suspension and Firestone Firehawk SH30 tyres. It will do well over 100 and feel as stable and composed as a Nun driving 25 through a school zone. I has great power (1st and 2nd powerbands are very intimidating to anyone who races me) and 6.7 to 60 is not a wilde claim - it is a fact of life if you know how to drive stick properly (been doing it for 10 years now).
The autobox will always make you feel less connected to the road - and a stick makes you feel like you are part of the driving process. I've often described domestic sedans with autobox, cruise control, power steering etc as reducing the Driver to a purely 'supervisory' role, whereas in the Max I feel like I have much greater control of how the car handles and drives.
If he's more than 6'2" then make sure he's happy with the headroom when he's comfortable in the driver's seat. I remember a conversation with my wife on Friday where she asked what I would change about the Max if I coul only change one thing - I said; "More headroom!" (I'm nearly 6'3")
12-09-2001, 12:53 PM
#3
Re: Re: Prospective Owner
Originally posted by Scruit
My '96 (dunnoe if it's SE or not - it has manual climate, p/w p/l p/sr no abs, cloth seats, spoiler, white pearlescent pain, BOSE audio w/single CD) is pretty darned cool.
My '96 (dunnoe if it's SE or not - it has manual climate, p/w p/l p/sr no abs, cloth seats, spoiler, white pearlescent pain, BOSE audio w/single CD) is pretty darned cool.
-Cyrus
12-09-2001, 01:30 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,397
Stock suspension is aiming at comfort.
Its far from a performance set up IMO. Once its dropped and has strut tower bars is when the fun begins.
I recently rode in my freinds stock setup, and it felt unsafe as compared to my aftermarket.
I recently rode in my freinds stock setup, and it felt unsafe as compared to my aftermarket.
12-09-2001, 03:54 PM
#6
Basic bolt-on handling improvements
A loose or disconnected feeling Max could have been attributed to a number of variables, but most commonly are associated with the stock suspension.
The most common affordable bolt-on improvements to improve handling on a Maxima are:
+Tires and/or wheels (Depending on the model year, lower profile/higher speed rating for stiffer sidewall = less sidewall flex)
+Rear Anti-Sway Bar* (RASB/RSB) (Stillen or Addco) -most people say this was the single most significant handling mod. they made to their Maximas.
+Struts/Shocks: KYB AGX adjustables are the hot new setup & aren't cost prohibitive @ around $380-390 a set)
+Springs: H&R for a modest drop: 1.4"(frt) 1.3"(rear)
+Front Strut Tower Brace (FSTB)
*Likely to give you the most bang for your buck, & has been described by many as THE handling "must" on the Maxima mods. list. It plants the rear end, all but eliminates body roll & tightens up steering response and inputs.
Keep in mind that if you're comparing your Toyota Celica all-track turbo to a Maxima, you're talking apples to oranges as far as stock handling parameters are concerned. These cars are marketed to two completely different classes of people. If you were comparing the Camry (like there's any real comparison, puh-leez
) to a Maxima, that would be more appropriate.
Anyway, the point is, there are several affordable improvements that can be made to bring the Maxima's chassis up to pace with that fine engine under the hood. Once you've driven a Maxima with those modifications, you'll truly understand why people on this .org are so passionate about their cars!
Cheers,
Kwheelz
The most common affordable bolt-on improvements to improve handling on a Maxima are:
+Tires and/or wheels (Depending on the model year, lower profile/higher speed rating for stiffer sidewall = less sidewall flex)
+Rear Anti-Sway Bar* (RASB/RSB) (Stillen or Addco) -most people say this was the single most significant handling mod. they made to their Maximas.
+Struts/Shocks: KYB AGX adjustables are the hot new setup & aren't cost prohibitive @ around $380-390 a set)
+Springs: H&R for a modest drop: 1.4"(frt) 1.3"(rear)
+Front Strut Tower Brace (FSTB)
*Likely to give you the most bang for your buck, & has been described by many as THE handling "must" on the Maxima mods. list. It plants the rear end, all but eliminates body roll & tightens up steering response and inputs.
Keep in mind that if you're comparing your Toyota Celica all-track turbo to a Maxima, you're talking apples to oranges as far as stock handling parameters are concerned. These cars are marketed to two completely different classes of people. If you were comparing the Camry (like there's any real comparison, puh-leez
) to a Maxima, that would be more appropriate. Anyway, the point is, there are several affordable improvements that can be made to bring the Maxima's chassis up to pace with that fine engine under the hood. Once you've driven a Maxima with those modifications, you'll truly understand why people on this .org are so passionate about their cars!
Cheers,
Kwheelz
12-09-2001, 04:34 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 459
Hmm.
intresting...I am probably one of the rarest ppl you may talk to on this board.
i used to own an all trac also.
I own a maxima now.
not too many of me out there.
I am happy though comparing the all trac to the maxima is like comparing apples and oranges. Performace potential is less than the all trac but it more than makes up for it with the extra 2 doors, Luxury, and SPACE! Dont get me wrong, the performance output of the motor is quite high and you can still go out and dust a lot of cars.
I understand your reservations about the handling. Though the maxima will NEVER have the handling capabilities of the all trac, with some simple modifications ~500-600 dollars worth you can get a very competent road car for spirited driving.
Honestly, i am quite happy with the maxima. It gets me to where i want to go comfortably, quickly, and quietly (DL to the police). It will never win any high speed races against supras and stuff but it will have enough grunt to kill most of the riceboys aka honduh;s and other cars in the class.
I will keep the maxima for many years to come.
BTW are you selling the all trac? Cause i want another project car.
If you are willing to part with the all trac let me know.
e mail me at Party_boys@hotmail.com
jon
i used to own an all trac also.
I own a maxima now.
not too many of me out there.
I am happy though comparing the all trac to the maxima is like comparing apples and oranges. Performace potential is less than the all trac but it more than makes up for it with the extra 2 doors, Luxury, and SPACE! Dont get me wrong, the performance output of the motor is quite high and you can still go out and dust a lot of cars.
I understand your reservations about the handling. Though the maxima will NEVER have the handling capabilities of the all trac, with some simple modifications ~500-600 dollars worth you can get a very competent road car for spirited driving.
Honestly, i am quite happy with the maxima. It gets me to where i want to go comfortably, quickly, and quietly (DL to the police). It will never win any high speed races against supras and stuff but it will have enough grunt to kill most of the riceboys aka honduh;s and other cars in the class.
I will keep the maxima for many years to come.
BTW are you selling the all trac? Cause i want another project car.
If you are willing to part with the all trac let me know.
e mail me at Party_boys@hotmail.com
jon
12-09-2001, 06:10 PM
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hmm.
Originally posted by party_boy
intresting...I am probably one of the rarest ppl you may talk to on this board.
i used to own an all trac also.
I own a maxima now.
jon
intresting...I am probably one of the rarest ppl you may talk to on this board.
i used to own an all trac also.
I own a maxima now.
jon
I'll be sure to pass this thread onto my friend who's looking at the Maxima. He really does need the extra room (we're both musicians..hauling equipment - I squeeze it into the Celica
), but he wants performance, too. (Amen to squashing Civics and the like!) hehe..I haven't raced a Maxima yet, but maybe soon. With my new Japanese spec engine getting dropped in, though, it'll make it even tougher. I currently have the stock US motor which puts out 200hp and 200 lb-ft of torque...pretty darn close to the Maxima. With my new engine, both figures get upped by about 25. Ok I'll stop rambling.
Thanks again,
Aaron
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