Hey guys I am picking up a 02 Maxima SE this weekend with 18K miles on it, deal is already negotiated was curious what the forum would think is a decent deal.

Rear Lights -- I am not a fan of the clear rear lights on the SE...What is the cheapest way I can get the red ones? How much can I get for the clear ones on this forum when replaced?

Front HIDs -- Should I install the theft brackets??

Air Intake -- What kind of response or gain can I expect with an intake? Will it need to be coupled with headers and exhaust to make a difference?


Former vehicles -
98 C5 Corvette (lots of mods)
97 C5 Corvette (a couple mods)
96 Jeep Grand Cherokee (modded to 270HP)
Ahhhh I'll stop there - none are imports (flame on- lol)

 

Congratulations on the new car, 18K is low miles, you should be in good shape.

You should be able to fit in any of the rear tail lights (red/smoked) without any problems. Get them from Nissan, a junk yard, the .org, or ebay.

The theft kit for the headlights will do nothing to prevent their theft. Theives literally snap the plastic brackets that hold the HIDs in place and walk off with the broken lens but with the bulb and ballast in tact. These are the only parts they want anyway. The special mounting bolts assume that the theif wants the lens which is false.

People have had good luck with all types of intakes. You should research this in depth there is a lot of discussion on the topic. The OEM dual stage muffler is considered to be very good since it maintains high back pressure at low rpm and decreases back pressure at high rpm. There are new Hot Shot headers available which have also been getting good reviews.

You should determine from the current owner which TSB's have been applied to the 2K2 so far. Some are more important that others. You can find the list here:

maxima.theowensfamily.com

That 98 Vette must have been sweet!

 

Welcome to the org. As ABS stated you can do a search and most if not all of
your questions will be answer. Heres a link that are very helpfull for all things.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ You can do both recall and TSB on any vehicle you
like. Enjoy!!!

Mike

 

Welcome to the org!! I want to see pics of your vettes!!

 

Thanks guys! What kind of gains am I talking with just an intake? Can I get some info on the critical TSB's



97 Vette RIP (friend Flipped it - 26K damage)



The 98 Vette -

 

Ouch, sorry to hear about the '97 vette, but at least you got the '98! What all do you have done to the '98. I have an '02 Trans Am with the LS1 in it. Not too many mods on it yet, but eventually a healthy heads and cam package.

 

Hey now - I am on the Maxima forum to learn about Maximas. If I wanted to talk LS1's I'd be on LS1forum or CorvetteForum (which I frequent)

However, I'll fulfill your request....But this is it...No more...tell me about Maxima's!!

Baer rotors,hawk pads, Haltech Tric Intake,TTS Long tube headers, LS6 Head, LS6 Intake Manifold, Magnaflow X-pipe, Stinger cat back Exhaust, Bilstein Sport shocks, T1 sway bars with Guldstrand H/D Heim Links, Lowered 1.5", Hurst shifter, Magnesium 5 star rims w/matched paint....ahhh and a bunch of other cosmetic junk...



Enough about Vettes, LS1's, LS6's......LETS TALK MAXIMA'S

How much should i have paid for the 02 SE w/ 18K miles?? I think I got a good deal...

 

Haha, sounds like a nice vette.

Oh yeah...Maximas...well my girlfriend just bought an '03 SE with 30k miles for about $14,000. It was actually a mistake by the deal to list it for that price, but we were able to ****** it up!

 

I want your clear tails! email me apeterson@willdan.com

You have PM....

 

Don't expect too much out of an intake other sounding aftermarket. Maybe 2-4 HP gain on the Frankencar/Berk/Injen intakes. I've got a Frankencar with a Cattman Y pipe and only dynoed 206/216 HP/TQ, granted that I'm auto but you get the point. I believe most people are still trying to unlock our 3.5's potential as there aren't that many people, if any, breaking 240fwhp while NA. I hope this helps.

 

Interesting - why is everyone so hellbent on getting an Intake on their Maximas then? Seems like the stock one isn't very restrictive with these numbers.

What is the drivetrain loss on the Auto's for RWHP? 15%?

 

Don't forget to protect those foglights. PM me if interested.

 

I think the reasons are: something is better than nothing, it sounds nice, & it's relatively cheap.

 

$100+ dollars for 2hp and sound...I don't think so - seems to follow my idea of the ricer mentality.

How much gain will I get with Intake/Headers/exhaust? Is there a computer ECU programming for the Max?

 

this is a chart comparing weapon-r WAI's vs other wai's and a whole bunch of other cai's. look at 7K rpm, 10 hp gain over stock. intakes do a lot more than people give it credit for. this isn't on a maxima though so don't expect these gains on your car, but a gts celica(the car used in the testing) doesn't have a restrictive airbox either.

 

Well thats great... too bad I am looking for info on Maximas and not Celicas

I can show you a chart that puts 18HP on a LS1 Vette from just intake...but we aren't talkin that now are we?

2-4hp does not deserve credit...IMO

 

Relax, he's just illustrating a point. Don't you think he would have posted a chart for the Maxima if it was convenient (or even existed)?

 

I'm relaxed, all is good, I was just illustrating a point as well

 

bite my head off dude, damn.

a corvette and a maxima are far different than a maxima and a celica. both japanese fwd vehicles. both have some form a variable valve timing. i figured it was relevant.


and if you can see 18 hp gains from an intake on a vette then what's with the "2 hp and some noise all for $100" comment in regards to an intakes ability to add power? you came in with Q's cuz you're not totally knowlegable on the car's so why get all rowdy when someone tries to illustrate a point? and if you'd look at the chart you'd see it's not 2-4 hp. it's an average of 7 wth peaks of 10-12. i figure $10-$14 per hp is a fairly sound investment.

 

I just pulled my Injen CAI off my 2k2 auto and will tell you that the car feels more responsive with the stock airbox than with the Injen. I'd use the $100+ toward something else more proven. By the way, welcome to the org, probably the most flame-happy forum around. Have fun.

 

Thanks man.

No worries on the flaming, I have thick skin from Jeep Forum since my Jeep is modded just not lifted for 4X4. I thought Maxima forum would be more civilized like the Vette forum.

I wasn't biting the guys head off. I was just pointing out that you can't show data from a different car to prove performance gain for another...we all know that. So now I have one guy telling me 2-4hp and another saying peaks at 10-12. I like the sounds of the 10-12, can anyone verify this? Perhaps a Maxima dyno comparison?

Thanks for all responses - no intentions to Flame.

Flame on....

 

i didn't know using the smiley faces was considered flaming. if i recall it was you who used the condescending attitude and sarcasm in response to someone trying to be helpful.


Flame on johnny blaze.

 

Here's what I have experienced with my Frankencar intake. I haven't dynoed it, but since I'm not racing the car, I am more interested in how it feels to drive on a daily basis. The perception of how the car feels to drive is far more important to me than the numbers spit out by a computer.....

My impression/feel is that the intake is not noticeable at all at the low end of rpms, but at the high end (4k+) there is noticeably more pull....I can definitely feel a difference at highway speeds when passing, or also at higher rpms when accellerating. Yes, it also makes the engine sound a little bit meaner, but does not produce a ricey whine or anything. And, it also looks nice under the hood, which is just an added bonus, since I'm not driving around with the hood open .

I consider it to be money well spent, personally.

As to the tails, I suggest you get the black/carbon/smoked tails from a 2k-2k1 SE model - they will fit your car and look very good (although I'm a bit biased).

 

By the way MaxMama, please drop into the D.C. area forum here at the org. There are several locals with modded 5th-gens and we get together periodically... Where in NoVa are you?

 

Thanks for your input - I will keep that in mind.

I prefer the smoked lens on dark colored cars. This is a light colored car (Champagne - don't know the exact color name yet) and think the red ones will look nicer.

Irish44j - I'll drop in that forum - Im in the gainesville area.

 

Johnny blaze... I like it!

Truse man!!

 

good luck with whatever you decide for your max.