Hi guys, been on the forums for awhile, mostly in the 4th Gen area.
I totaled my 2003 Altima 3.5 SE (it had 146,000 miles on it) and yesterday I drove home a 2002 Max with the 6MT. Pretty nice upgrade with the same lousy turning radius as the Altima, so at least I'm used to that. It has Bose, leather, Nav, Meridian package (heated steering wheel???) and ltd slip differential.

The guy I bought it from was about 75 years old and the original owner, he did not want to shift it anymore. It has clutch replaced at 30,000 miles and again last week at 85,000 miles.

A few questions maybe some of you experienced guys could help with. I want to do a couple of minor mods but don't want to pay all the money for them. Also have a few things I'm curious about regarding the car.

I'll probably put about 40,000 miles a year on the Max, so I just need it to last and get good mileage, I'm not a redline-the tach kind of guy.

1) Is the in-dash mileage indicator way more optimistic than my Altima's was? It was always about 10% higher than reality, but unless the 6MT gets phenomenal gas mileage, I think it is off a lot more. It says I am getting about 37mpg at 70mph on nice straight level freeway...

2) How reliable is the touch-screen navigation system? I could care less about the Nav, but the air conditioning controls are all tied into the touch screen as well, and that worries me in terms of long-term use.

3) Any good, inexpensive intake systems that do not add a lot to the noise level of the car? I hate all the stock intake plumbing under the hood.

4) Short of an expensive Stillen, decent FTSB in the less-than-$100 range. The car definitely needs the brace. Lots of torque steer..

5) Most of you folks running a rear anti-sway bar? Is it effective? Which ones are recommended?

6) Recommended oil? I've always been a Pennzoil synthetic fan, but what do you guys like in this car? And yes, I run Shell Premium almost 100% of the time.

7) Is the engine cover painted the same on all 2002 max's? My Altima's was black, this one is black with some kind of paint over it that is chipping off in places.

Thanks in advance, any other suggestions are welcome. I have to work some long shifts, but as soon as I get a break I'll post some pictures, the car is silver-gray with gray leather interior.

Bill

 

First off, Welcome ! The 5.5 Gen isn't as sharp as the 4th in some aspects but I believe it delivers more CAR in general.

On too your questions; Keeping modding cheap seems to be an objective of yours. Quite simply keep your eyes on the 5th gen classifieds.

1. Yes, the mileage indicator is way optimistic and way off. So is the Distance to empty indicator. I figure out my mileage with real world numbers, last weekend I got 34 mpg on a long distance trip. (435 Miles, Single Tank)

2. No idea. The one option my car doesn't have.

3. JWT POP Charger. Leave the stock helmholtz resonator in place.

4. Racing Line. Currently we are waiting for an RSTB to be produced.

5. Progress. Its quite effective and I've had one on my 2000 and now my 2003.

6. Castrol GTX is liked by a lot of people. I won't get into this one, way too many choices.

7. As far as I know they are not painted. Mine is silver/bone stock.

 

Thanks for taking the time to go through my list, maximusTi, I appreciate the help.
Still undecided about the intake, As I am not really looking for more performance, just want to clean up the engine bay.

I definitely have to replace the two upper radiator support brackets, they are rusted and look like crap.

Hey, I thought of one other question. Anyone know where you can download the factory service manual?

 

My sig has it.

Enjoy your max, sounds like its fully loaded!

 

Hey, on a separate note~

Kudos to you guys who have 6MT and put your car up on ramps in your driveway.
LOL, just did it today, to change my oil and coolant. Took me 3 tries to get all the way up the ramp. Zoomed my blood pressure for sure...the stress of worrying about letting out too much clutch and going over the other side of the ramp.

 

Jack and stands for the win haha

 

Welcome to the 6 speed club as well, I sold my 97 5 speed to get my 03 6 and I still cringe when I drive up my ramps to change my oil. I have everything but navigation so you got a nice find. As for your questions, I just painted my engine cover, it was originally grey. I have a Stillen FSB that I bought from one of the defunct sponsors of this site.

I also have a Cosmo CAI that I bought from the Cosmo site; I believe I paid about $90 dollars for it. It works good as far as I'm concerned and I love not having the clutter of that big air box that Nissan gives us. You should be able to do a search on the .org or do a google search for their website. You may want to do the short throw shifter mod to your car as well, its basically free, (except for buying the thread tap and a screw) and to me it's well worth it.

I don't trust the trip meter at all, mine says I'm getting 24 mpg's but my real life results indicate somewhere between 18 to 21. Lastly, I use Redline MT90 gear oil and either Castrol, Pennzoil or Valvoline for my engine oil in my cars; the Maxima gets the high mileage oil.