sethwas

I'm posting this thread in both the 5th and 4th generation threads to get feedback on ideas.
We have a 99 SE and an '02 SE. Its the same, but different. My family likes the 'feel' of the '02 better. In terms of
1) brake MC
2) power steering
2) suspension
4) sway bars
3) engine mounts, suspension mounts
4) structural enhancements

What can I change on the 99 to make it 'feel' more like the '02. I understand that engineering differences in NVH make this impossible to do completely, but I'd like to try as best as I can to 'spruce up' the 99 so it drives more like its younger sibling.

Seth

scopium

put whatever the 5th gen has in your fourth gen..

Galo

Interesting question since suspension, suspension mounts, sway bars and power steering are essentially the same...

The biggest differences (aside from the engine) are the engine mounts and chassis stiffness....performance-wise they are about equal to the 3 liter Gen 5s as the 32 more HP (claimed) are offset by the greater weight....

I would do the subframe connectors to add chassis rigidity, both front & reat tower braces & replace the shocks to better damping shocks like KYB GR2 which are slighly plusher than Tokicos.

Then, I would rip all the carpeting & headliner and Brown Bread or Dynamat the whole frigging car. For tires, I would stick with 225/55's in 16 inch diameter wheels and would pick tires that favor ride such as the Turanza LSVs or Continental Extreme tires -great balance of ride comfort & handling.

After u consider all of this ask yourself: with good Gen5's going for 12-15k, is this all worth it??

sethwas

Well,
I knew that the suspension 'design' is the same, but the valving is different. I also know that the chassis is stiffer so I wanted to see what kind of braces (trunk, engine bay, under body?) are possible.
Tires on both cars OEM suck which is why I get michelins which are quieter and have more grip. (the pilots not the energys).
Dynamat is a waste since both cars are loud. My 98 sentra is just as 'quiet' as my '02 max on the highway.
Power I'm not worried about.

A new gen 5 is $18k (loaded and low mileage) but a new suspension and tires is less than $1600. That plus a new MC and power steering pump (for better steering feel) is a 'poor mans' gen5 in a gen4. I wonder if the MC and PS are different though...

Seth

Galo

Indeed it is. The Gen 5 valving is prolly set up to be stiffer than the Gen4 valving since the Gen 5s are heavier so I would NOT do Gen 5 suspension, merely replace shocks (use Gen4 shocks) for some with more damping.

BTW, Pilots (which I had) are rough and noisy...not the tire u want if you are loking for a more sedate/quieter/slighly softer ride. Bridgestone Turanza LS-Vs or LS-H's are much softer and have almost as much ultimate grip.

VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

The Bridgestone LS series, "H" or "V" are great all around performance/comfort tires. I currently logged more than 30K on a set of 4-Turanza LS-H tires. They still perform admirably and quiet too.

As for Dynamat the floor of the car. It will definately help reduce roadnoises/vibration. Make sure you sandwich a layer or two of foaming material to blockout roadnoise. The dynamat materials more-or-less help damping the vibration from the road impact. It does contribute to noise reduction but not as much as the foaming material. IMO, dynamat your car will give the car the "solid" luxury feels. Most interior noises emit on the highway speed are from the windnoises (even if you window seals are not leaking).

sethwas

Sorry, I guess I should have specified which ones. Michelin has alot of tire lines. 2 of the more popular ones are Pilots and Energy's. The Pilitots I talk about specifically are the XGTH4. They are much much quieter due to the tread design. They are quiter than the bridgestones that come on the car, quieter than most of Yokohama's lines, Sumitomo's and even their own Energy line. Some pirelli's too. Of course all snow tires. I know this from personal experience. We run the Pilot XGTH4 on all our cars now because in S. Florida it has phenominal wet traction and yet it still quiet/compliant. It is a very heavy tire though so spins more reluctantly but because of the weight totaly absorbs small imperfectoins. They outperform just about everything in their category (bridgestone potenza, goodyear eagle, pirelli p6, bfgoodridge comp TA, etc) short of a dedicated summer tire.
Of course they don't come in OEM 2002 Maxima sizes so its a moot point. I'm thinking of the Michelin Pilot Premacy. Noise is paramount, hydroplane resistance second, and of course best handling 3rd. Treadware and temperature are irrelevant since in this category they are always the highest.

Seth

P.S. The reason I'm shying away from dynamat, aside from costing like $600 to tear out the carpet and put back, is that the two cars are not louder than eachother. In fact one of my big hangups is that the '02 is such a loud car (or rather it isn't a particularly quiet car). I'm hoping that my change in tire choice should quell that a bit.

Bl_asd

Can I also ask a question here? which brand of tire is light in weight , nice tread desighed and also good for weather like florida? I don't care about the noise.

sethwas

Do you want absolute wet traction? Go for any 'summer' tire. Low treadware but better wet than an all season. Search by tire sizes, your choices will be very few. Then just look at the stats for that tire.

Seth

sethwas

OK,
So I spent some time in the 99 and here's the major differences. Braking is very similar. The 02 has lighter effort, but the end result is the same. The seats are different, more comfortable in the back in the 99 but more comfortable in the tush in the 02 and the position makes a difference relative to the dash. In the 99 you sit lower so that makes the steering feel different (different arm position). Ride harshness is the same. Suspension is definately different. The 99 is 'bouncier' and doesn't absorb imperfections as well as the 02. This is both valving and tire choice. Finally is steering which is the major difference. In the 99 the effort is lighter with little feedback whereas te 02 is taughter with more controlled feedback.

Seth

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

1. sell 4th gen
2. buy 5th gen

seriously, by the time your all done, it will be cheaper.

joebangaa

iTrader: (3)

no offense but this is a stupid question

sethwas

Sigh,
I'm not interested in buying or selling either. I have an '02 and my sister has the 99. SHe wants the '02 so I said its cheaper to buy a new suspension and tires. I just asked here to see what people thought.
Fact is I'm doing nothing of the sort. I just wanted to know, academically, what the story was.

Seth