Hey guys. I am a previous owner of 2 modded 4th gens, and since have moved onto owning a wrx which I have had for about 2 years now. Problem is that the tranny is not smooth at all and pretty jerky, also, even though I am modded and running low 13's I am still experiencing some turbo lag which kinda bugs me as well.
I will be transfering college in the near future (fall of 2006) and living in downtown Chicago (currently in the suburbs). The wrx is not a very practical car to own in the city for a few reasons including the jerky trans, inconsistant clutch, notchy shifter, bad gas mileage, and turbo lag. Whenever I am in heavy traffic the tranny become problem prone and rather annoying to operate.

So the only other car I am really considering to replace the wrx is the 2002/2003 Maxima 6speed. I have driven them a couple of times before buying the wrx, but that was years ago. A few things that turned me onto the 5.5gen is: low-end torque, power, and throttle response, a smooth shifter, much more refined then my wrx, still powerful and quick.

What advice can you guys offer with this situation? From what I have been reading the 5.5gen is capable of lower 14's stock @98mph or so. And with basic bolt on's like intake, headers, catback, udp, I am looking at high 13's at just over 100mph correct? This should be plenty sufficient for me, since although my wrx runs low 13's that is largly due to the launch. The trap speed is only 100mph and all around a bolt on 2k2 would probably give it a good run in anything that does not require a launch.
My two biggest problems though are I HATE FWD with a passion, and I know the maxima is prone to torque steer and major spinning, and also the handling. My wrx is on full suspension and handles very well, but what can I expect from a 5.5gen in the handling department? Also, what about gas mileage. My wrx is averaging about 19mpg in the suburbs and I think once I am in the city it might be about 17/18. What are you guys averaging in the 5.5gen 6spd?

*CLIFFNOTES*

I own a wrx. I am moving to downtown Chicago and want something more practical and easy to drive in the city. The 5.5gen 6spd seems like a good choice because of refinement, power, and lowend torque. However I am weary of FWD and the handling prospects of the maxima.

thanks guys

 

Torque steer can be greatly reduced with lowering springs or coilovers and poly motor mounts. Handling will be improved with the springs, FSTB and rear sway bar.

With these mods, my 2k2 handles very well and had minimal torque steer.

 

Really?

That is good to hear. Can you safely run aftermarket springs on the stock struts or will that just rip apart the struts after a few thousand miles?
Also, I noticed you have HLSD on your maxima... Does that largely attribute to your lack of torque steer, or does any 5.5gen 6spd that is lowered with motor mounts see considerably less torque steer?

btw, what speeds are a lot of 5.5gen SE's pulling off in the autoX with your basic spring/strut/fstb/rsb combo?

 

All 2k3's have HLSD. Irish routinly hangs with WRX's and EVO's at Auto-X events, so with a little TLC, the handling will come. You can run stock struts for a while on Maxspeeds, but they will blow eventually. I very rarely feel torque steer in mine.

 

thats cause you have an auto

 

I've driven 6 speeds too that didn't have that much torque steer. My '86 colt had more than most 5.5 gen max's, and it was the ultimate terd!

 

you dont know how to drive a 6 speed

 

wait, so HLSD came as an option in 2002, but standard on all 6spd in 2003?

I really appreciate your patience with this guys. As I said, I used to roam these boards very often a few years ago when I had my maxima's, but I never really did too much research on 5.5gen's.

 

Neither do you. Go back to riding your camel!

 

irish and I pull off pretty good times. he does better because he has more done and more experience

 

Personally I like the way the WRX shifts better than the Maxima. I HATE the turbo lag on the WRX though. My opinion is that the WRX is more of a "sports" car than the Maxima can ever be, mostly due to the large size difference between the cars. I've test driven a few 6-speed Max's and I haven't noticed any torque steer at all. This could be in part because of the high altitude in Colorado cutting down on the torque though. At sea level things might be different.

I'm in the market right now for a nice 6-speed as well. I was just going to get a cheaper base Max and get a Legacy GT in a few years. I test drove a Legacy GT the other day though and that changed my mind. I wasn't as impressed with the car as much as I thought I'd be. Truthfully it didn't feel much faster than the Max, and it was a whole lot noiser and unrefined.

 

Hmmmm.... I am def. going to need to get back into a 6spd 5.5gen then to check out how the tranny shifts. I remember my 5spd 4th gen being pretty smooth and easy to use, the wrx clutch is heavy and inconsistant (especially in the cold) and the tranny will be fine one minute, and nearly intolerably notchy the next.

I though the 6spd maxima would be rather smooth, yet direct.

Guess I really need to test drive one sooner than I thought.

 

My tranny shifts relatively smoothly and I think with a heavier shift **** would be very nice, but I'm kinda saving to spend on my other car.

 

Well i just bout a 2002 SE 6SPEED!!! Umma i'm new at this so work with me. I have minimal torque steer, but also no traction in 1st or seconds at all. It even chirps in 3rd. Dunno but this the way to go in my mind.

 

You're wrong. NOT all 2k3's have HLSD. NO AUTOMATICS have HLSD..they have traction control if optioned that way. also..NOT ALL 6-speeds have HLSD..only a certain few..it was an option.

There is def. less torque steer on my 6speed with HLSD vs. my parents 2002 automatic w/o traction control back when they had that car. HOpe that answers your questions!

 

I hear ya on the heavy clutch and turbo lag with a WRX. Today I got to beat up on one at work for a while, as it came in on a trade in. Had some kinda 3" exhaust, AEM intake, Blitz TTimer, and buncha gauges - cheap Autometer that didn't even work properly. The clutch was SUPPER stiff, and tranny was a bit notchy but nothing really bad- car was already warmed up from 2 other guys driving it before me. Lag between shifts, and off the line was pretty bad- I hated it. It was a nice car, but I wouldn't wanna drive it daily. Funny how I almost got a WRX before I got my Maxima, but the dealership wanted 500 bux down and check my credit before they would even let me drive it. I passed on that deal, and 142K miles later I am happy with my choice

When I got into my Maxima later on in the day and pressed the clutch in- ooo boyee it was sooo light and smooth compared to the WRX. Plus there was none of the lag eighter, instant power.

 

I originally had Maxspeed lowering springs and put them on with the stock struts at less than 10k miles. By about 30k, the struts were getting bad. I'd suggest getting new struts with the springs.

The HLSD does not help reduce torque steer, but does help with balancing traction especially in the twisties. The motor mounts help a lot more, but add vibration because of being stiff. I haven't gone that route yet because I'm happy with what I have.

 

Yes they do. It was an option in 2k2, but standard in 2k3
No ****. not needed for an auto.
As I said before, all 2K3's had it, not all 2K2's.
I can gaurentee I have more power than your parents stocker and I only feel torue steer when my tires are stuck in a rut in the pavement.

Dude, seriously, try not to get so uppity next time or I'll have to flame you badly.

 

Okay wait... So all 2k3 6spd's come with HSLD? Just to clarify?

BlackbirdVQ: Yeah, I hear you man. I love the fun that you can have with the wrx, and how it just screams to be driven hard, but as I said, if I am moving into the city (Chicago) I want something that will not lag off the line, or lag inbetween shifts, etc.... Plus some extra refinement and less rattles would be really nice as well.

So what kind of gas mileage are you guys getting the 5.5gen 6spd's? I know my 4th gen was getting ~ 22mpg on average, and my wrx gets about 18/19. I would like to be somewhere in the 23-25 range, but I am not sure that is possible with the 5.5gen?

 

im getting about 23 mpg with my auto

 

welcome back

I think it's impossible to get 22+mpg all city in a vq35.....I usually average 16-17 all city and 24ish all highway....vq35's do drink alot of gasoline

 

Driving conservativly (sp? ...who cares...), I get 26 highway and 23 city. Realistically, 24-25 highway and 21-22 city. I have an auto.... for now....

 

look at george laying the smack down with some knowledge...im proud of you

 

23 city huh? Well I don't have a clue how your getting 3mpg OVER EPA sticker ratings.....EPA suggests 20mpg in the city...and this is tested in a lab on a dyno using conservative #s...no way in he!! most people will get what the sticker says...in real world situations...its most likely always 2-3mpg below the sticker on average (even driving conservatively)

I do alot of city driving and that includes alot of stop and go....thats my definition of city driving and most likely the EPA's as well...if any of you guys are scoring 23mpg all city....then your not meeting the definition of "city driving"....you're most likely mixing it with highway or low rpm cruising somewhere in that mileage....

 

I took a look at an '02 Maxima 6-speed today. The owner had a HUGE logbook of fuel economy notes. There must have been over 300 entries! Anyway he said his best mileage ever was on a highway trip where he averaged over 30mpg at speeds of around 80mph. He said his city mileage was usually around 23-24mpg. Unfortunately I had to pass on buying the car as it had quite a few scratches and dents and he was firm at $16k.

 

WRONG. All 03 6sp do not have HLSD. It was an option on 02-03. I test drove an 03 w/o HLSD before I decided on my 03 w/HLSD. Only changes between 02-03 model years was the addtion of T.E package in 03. HLSD is a rare option and not many 6 speeds have them.
Here is a 03 6 speed w/o HLSD(look at the pedals)
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=en&cardist=20

 

Fight
Fight

 

do i have HLSD?
i have the HLSD pedals

 

Nothing is for sure yet man

However, my wrx has kinda been pissing me off lately. A lot of rattles, no heated seats, notchy tranny, heavy clutch, inconsistant clutch/tranny, and not so impressive topend. But I would need to find a good deal on a Maxima first, and refuse to purchase one unless it is a fully loaded SE 6speed (leather, heated seats, moonroof, etc...) and has under or ~ 50k miles.

As for the gas mileage. Not all my driving will be city. I will be living in the city, but that is the good thing about the city, you do not necessarily have to drive everywhere you need to go
Also, my parents and many friends will still be about 30min into the suburbs so I will be doing a decent amount of highway driving back to the suburbs now and again. I would say I am looking at 65% city and 35% highway.

Steven, your best freind owns a stageII wrx right? What are your thoughts on the comparison between the rex and your maxima? And since you do a lot of city driving, is the smoother tranny and more useable torque/throttle response a lot better for all around driving then your friends wrx?

Again, I wouldn't go mod crazy with the maxima. Probably just intake, headers, exhaust, fstb, rsb, spring, struts. Can I expect pretty good handling and 13sec time slips @100mph+ from these mods?

 

You know...the tranny on the maxima isn't that smooth either...well at least this 6spd isn't...the 5spd in the 95-01 maxima was much smoother...but I don't think it will bother you that much once you get use to it....the useable low end tq on the vq35 is amazing....you can punch it in high gear and still pass up someone with ease...throttle response isn't all that great IMO...since it is drive by wire throttle...

lemme know if u need anything else

 

I just picked up a 5.5 gen 6-speed a few weeks ago, and from what I can compare to, its pretty smooth in and out of the city. As long as you don't abuse the clutch, it engages pretty smoothly, and hopefully I will try to make it smoother by changing the fluids to synthetic. The mileage on it seems to give me around 19-20 conservatively in the city, and 25-26 on the highway while cruising. Driving the car harder gets me in the 15-16 city/22-23 highway range. Hope this helps.

 

I really like my 02 6 speed, the only thing I would like to have is navigation which I plan on adding in time. As far as torque steer is concerned it's not that bad for me unless it's raining and my max has potenzas so they aren't the best tire for florida rain. I usually get 18-23 mpg almost all city little highway unless I am very heavy on the throttle. All highway going around 75-80 mph i get around 28-30+ mpg which is real nice. As far as the shifter is concerned I thought the stock 6 speed was a little notchy but I installed poly shifter bushings ($28), redline mtf and a watkins sts and it is amazing now, everything I wanted it to be. I absolutely love the low-end torque that I get with my max it was a big change from my previous two cars (2nd gen rx7 and prelude) which lacked torque. Good luck with the decision I think you will be very pleased with the power and refinement that a 5.5gen max has to offer.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

Keep it coming.

Is there anyone that has owned or is firmiliar with wrx's on the board that can give me a comparison with how the 5.5gen 6spd drives as compared to a wrx?
I really just need to go test drive one, but with the weather being less than 15 degrees here lately and not getting much better, I really do not feel like going out and test driving a car.

 

So how can one tell if the car has the HLSD option? Cause the dealer may not know???

 

Never mind..got it

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....highlight=HLSD

 

I have a 2K2 with over 123,000 miles. My last long trip I took with it last week, I got 24.1 MPG. No I did get that number from the computer. I used a calculator after filling up!

EDIT: I tend to be heavy with the right foot as well!

 

I'm glad SOMEONE backed me up. I was going to pull up a window sticker I had from one of the cars that I was going to buy that SHOWS that it's an option...


And I wasn't trying to be all UPPITY with you, just correcting your statement so the original poster would have the correct information. I went through the same thing as he did and I found out for myself in my search for my car. 03 Polished Titanium 6-speed w/HLSD and Titanium/Meridian packages. Maybe I shoudn't have used CAPS... ANyways...the correct info is that it was still an option in 2003 maximas with the 6speed.
And I listed Auto not having LSD just to be helpful. Anyways Thanks BOONDOXMAX for verifying.

 

So what kind of gas mileage are you guys getting the 5.5gen 6spd's? I know my 4th gen was getting ~ 22mpg on average, and my wrx gets about 18/19. I would like to be somewhere in the 23-25 range, but I am not sure that is possible with the 5.5gen?[/QUOTE]


im getting about 24-25 and i use mine a daily driver. mainly the hwy tho. city-wise, your probably looking at about 23 mpg.

 

im getting about 24-25 and i use mine a daily driver. mainly the hwy tho. city-wise, your probably looking at about 23 mpg.[/QUOTE]

With the the 6th gear mpg is pretty good. I'd say 23-27 and the car cruise great. My auto 5.5 seemed to run out of steam on the highway, but the 6th speed is unreal. HP loss by the drivetrain on autos really does something to the power on the highway.

 

all i gotta say is....george bauer got pwn3d