5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003) Learn more about the 5th Generation Maxima, including the VQ30DE-K and VQ35DE engines.

The 4AT....

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Old Mar 5, 2015 | 02:40 PM
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The 4AT....

....I feel like this transmission gets a bad name for no reason. Has anyone ever noticed how much the charachter of this transmission changes via the ecu when it learns an aggresive driving style? I swear sometimes I feel like this transmission knows what Im gonna do before I do. Other times of course I scream DOWNSHIFT! at the top of my lungs
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 02:51 PM
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I feel the same way sometimes, but then I remind myself that it's not a person and I'm crazy. And I try and stuff away my jealousy of 6mt owners
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Rcrootbeer
I feel the same way sometimes, but then I remind myself that it's not a person and I'm crazy. And I try and stuff away my jealousy of 6mt owners
Hey I like being able to eat a breakfast sandwich while smoking some new Kia from a light.....Lol. But yeah, many times I wish for that shift stick.
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 03:38 PM
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Originally Posted by 2kMaxim
....I feel like this transmission gets a bad name for no reason. Has anyone ever noticed how much the charachter of this transmission changes via the ecu when it learns an aggresive driving style? I swear sometimes I feel like this transmission knows what Im gonna do before I do. Other times of course I scream DOWNSHIFT! at the top of my lungs
I have also noticed this. I thought, just because for no real reason, it was only the 5.5 gen that adapted this aggressively. It's fairly awesome. I think the reason most people diss on it, including myself is because Nissan should have implemented a 5AT for this gen or at least the latter half of this gen for both performance reasons and MPG.
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 03:45 PM
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Originally Posted by NmexMAX

I have also noticed this. I thought, just because for no real reason, it was only the 5.5 gen that adapted this aggressively. It's fairly awesome. I think the reason most people diss on it, including myself is because Nissan should have implemented a 5AT for this gen or at least the latter half of this gen for both performance reasons and MPG.
Agreed. The one place it shines with full boltons is on the highway. That 4th gear goes on and on...lol
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 09:14 PM
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I hit a limiter at 130 with the 4at. It will not let me go any faster, which it needed to do to beat a fully bolted 350z who I had from 30-120. Do you guys face this issue or am I just crazy?
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 09:27 PM
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Never kept the 4AT stock enough to do a A-B comparison but with the HD2 the car's very responsive.



Originally Posted by Rcrootbeer
I hit a limiter at 130 with the 4at. It will not let me go any faster, which it needed to do to beat a fully bolted 350z who I had from 30-120. Do you guys face this issue or am I just crazy?


Suicidal much
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Rcrootbeer
I hit a limiter at 130 with the 4at. It will not let me go any faster, which it needed to do to beat a fully bolted 350z who I had from 30-120. Do you guys face this issue or am I just crazy?
Lol. It's there. I think it's supposed to come in somewhere between 110-120mph. Over the years I've had it work and other times it goes right through it and doesn't cut fuel. Pretty weird. I read you can put a switch on the blue/white wire on your ecu harness....switch it off...Lol. Not sure about those colors though....don't go snippin without checkin twice!
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 09:42 PM
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^
Can you go that fast on all season tires?
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by george__
^
Can you go that fast on all season tires?
I dunno....we don't use those down hur in joja!
Old Mar 5, 2015 | 10:46 PM
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My tires are Z rated. Nonetheless, I have no intention on removing the governor just go go faster. I was just curious as to why it cut fuel there. Now I know to give up before it makes me.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 06:40 AM
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I hit a limit of around 220ish km/h (136mph) but it was going down a slight decline though. Didn't notice a cut in fuel though
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 07:34 AM
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Old subject, but the 4AT's are said to ahve a soft limter in the 128-131 range, 6MT's and I assume 5MT's do not have one IIRC.

Mine has seen 137 on a dyno, but again, I have TS F-Spec ECU. The limiter here was the rev limiter in 3rd (7100). SR20DEN took his in the mid 150's in his 6MT.

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Old Mar 6, 2015 | 07:51 AM
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I agree with you guys somewhat. At the same time, the tranny definitely needs that extra gear. Besides that, those that have ran their 4at against MT cars will know how big the disadvantage is, just due to no extra gear and MT's with similar power will always inch ahead (unless driver sucks).

And I say that regardless whether you have a shift kit or not, I have one and every MT car with similar mods/power always inches ahead slowly (esp. 4th gens with less weight). Now, I can say that my 4AT with transgo does move forward pretty violently from a dig and has beat most of said MT cars from a dig up to about 60mph.

Up to 60-70mph, it's beastly and pulls like mad, after that it starts to fall back because 3rd and 4th go on FOREVER.

As for top speed, I've seen ~140's in my 2000 SE.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 08:49 AM
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Originally Posted by D.Stillwell
I agree with you guys somewhat. At the same time, the tranny definitely needs that extra gear. Besides that, those that have ran their 4at against MT cars will know how big the disadvantage is, just due to no extra gear and MT's with similar power will always inch ahead (unless driver sucks).

And I say that regardless whether you have a shift kit or not, I have one and every MT car with similar mods/power always inches ahead slowly (esp. 4th gens with less weight). Now, I can say that my 4AT with transgo does move forward pretty violently from a dig and has beat most of said MT cars from a dig up to about 60mph.

Up to 60-70mph, it's beastly and pulls like mad, after that it starts to fall back because 3rd and 4th go on FOREVER.

As for top speed, I've seen ~140's in my 2000 SE.
Did you remove your limiter? Hmm, keep in mind our tachs and speedometers are calibrated by elementary kids. That's why a dyno is your best bet on MPH & RPM.

Either way, this convo has digressed terribly.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 09:03 AM
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Originally Posted by NmexMAX

Did you remove your limiter? Hmm, keep in mind our tachs and speedometers are calibrated by elementary kids. That's why a dyno is your best bet on MPH & RPM.

Either way, this convo has digressed terribly.
Agreed

Mine has no limiter, its only drag limited. And from research it seems my speedo reads low by approx. 3-5mph depending on speed.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 10:05 AM
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Originally Posted by D.Stillwell
Agreed

Mine has no limiter, its only drag limited. And from research it seems my speedo reads low by approx. 3-5mph depending on speed.
Yeah, it's more like a % difference.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 10:55 AM
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The speed limiter is about 145 mph, but I did hit my rev-limiter a couple of times at 130 mph in 3rd gear! I love having an A/T 5.5th Gen and how aggresive it is...but I too wish it was offered with a 5AT with manual-matic mode for more control and quicker shifts than the best 6MT owner could ever accomplish ...As I get further in age I love having an A/T especially in Houston traffic....
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted by D.Stillwell
Agreed

Mine has no limiter, its only drag limited. And from research it seems my speedo reads low by approx. 3-5mph depending on speed.
Wow I had a feeling my speedo was a bit off... Explains a lot
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 12:12 PM
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Hmmm maybe that's why I feel like sometimes I don't have one? Didn't know it was possible to be hitting it in third. That might explain a lot!
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by 2kMaxim
Hmmm maybe that's why I feel like sometimes I don't have one? Didn't know it was possible to be hitting it in third. That might explain a lot!
Stock rev limiter, not to be confused with speed limiter, would hit about 130 MPH in 3rd, which translates to about 6500 RPM or so.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 12:41 PM
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^^

My biggest gripe with the 4AT is the short shift out of 1st.

I hate how it always shifts mid turn if left in drive, unless you give it 50% throttle or more. Transgo kit made it better and revs build faster so this happens less often to me now, but at the same time that shift mid turn is quite scary at times (with hd2 kit) when you're getting launched to the side.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by D.Stillwell
^^

My biggest gripe with the 4AT is the short shift out of 1st.

I hate how it always shifts mid turn if left in drive, unless you give it 50% throttle or more. Transgo kit made it better and revs build faster so this happens less often to me now, but at the same time that shift mid turn is quite scary at times (with hd2 kit) when you're getting launched to the side.
Do you have PUR torque mounts (sub frame) &/or NWP torque link?
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by NmexMAX

Do you have PUR torque mounts (sub frame) &/or NWP torque link?
Not yet (sucks). Mounts are still OEM, only thing I changed was the elctric mounts to regular MT mounts.

Im doing all new es poly within the next few months. Do you also recommend the torque link?
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 01:23 PM
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Is that shift kit even worth it on a car with 203k miles? How much total do you have into that project?

Last edited by 2kMaxim; Mar 6, 2015 at 01:25 PM.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 01:45 PM
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Originally Posted by D.Stillwell
Not yet (sucks). Mounts are still OEM, only thing I changed was the elctric mounts to regular MT mounts.

Im doing all new es poly within the next few months. Do you also recommend the torque link?
The car acts very clumsy without them, that was the best mod for the shift kit compliments it well. It makes a world of difference. If you've got the $$$ do the torque link.


Who cares about miles, do what you want.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 01:48 PM
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Well yeah...that's why I wanted to know how much the whole shebang costs. I just put about 1700$ into my car...Lol.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by NmexMAX

The car acts very clumsy without them, that was the best mod for the shift kit compliments it well. It makes a world of difference. If you've got the $$$ do the torque link.

Who cares about miles, do what you want.
Good info, thanks man! I will absolutely do that plus torque link.

Btw my car has 103k not 203k....trans kit was done at around 90k on a perfectly maintained tranny.

I'd say its well worth it, miles dont matter. Its all about what kind of shape the tranny is in.

Money wise, I've put thousands into my 5th gen. But, I have new everything. Suspension, brakes, lighting, trans kit, full exhaust, etc, etc...

Last edited by D.Stillwell; Mar 6, 2015 at 01:53 PM.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 02:02 PM
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I got my PUR bushings from the guy that sold them on here a while back, I forgot his SN (doesn't do much for you but yeah). They are gutted MT units filled with PUR. Like 90$ I believe. Easy to install. The torque link is what, 130$?

Problem is I don't think he does that anymore, but there is a write-up below. A little more elbow grease, but I think it's worth it with a VB mod, actually, you shouldn't have one (shift kit) with out them(poly mounts).

There's always the ES option also. Slightly more $$, and you need a press, or to have them pressed in.

FYI, mounts are the same for 95-03.
https://maxima.org/forums/supercharg...or-mounts.html
https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...tall-pics.html

Last edited by NmexMAX; Mar 6, 2015 at 02:08 PM.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 02:02 PM
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Originally Posted by D.Stillwell

Good info, thanks man! I will absolutely do that plus torque link.

Btw my car has 103k not 203k....trans kit was done at around 90k on a perfectly maintained tranny.

I'd say its well worth it, miles dont matter. Its all about what kind of shape the tranny is in.

Money wise, I've put thousands into my 5th gen. But, I have new everything. Suspension, brakes, lighting, trans kit, full exhaust, etc, etc...
Maybe my phrasing looked like it was doubting your purchase..Lol. My car is the one with 203k. I'd say my transmission is in good shape. I'm guessing in another 50-100k miles it would need new clutch plates/rebuild. When it's not fully warmed up in winter time it shifts a little more "slidey" so to speak. It's got a couple more good years at least I think.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by 2kMaxim
Maybe my phrasing looked like it was doubting your purchase..Lol. My car is the one with 203k. I'd say my transmission is in good shape. I'm guessing in another 50-100k miles it would need new clutch plates/rebuild. When it's not fully warmed up in winter time it shifts a little more "slidey" so to speak. It's got a couple more good years at least I think.
Yeah I knew it was you, just didn't quote it and pretty sure that's what confused things. I might also be getting loopy, being late on a Friday at work and stuff.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 02:51 PM
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^^ Confusion cleared up.

Thanks for all that info, thats awesome. Gonna look into it now, I was planning on doing ES and buddy of mine can help to press them in. But if I can find a cheaper route like you mentioned, definitely gonna look into it.
Old Mar 6, 2015 | 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by D.Stillwell
^^

My biggest gripe with the 4AT is the short shift out of 1st.

I hate how it always shifts mid turn if left in drive, unless you give it 50% throttle or more. Transgo kit made it better and revs build faster so this happens less often to me now, but at the same time that shift mid turn is quite scary at times (with hd2 kit) when you're getting launched to the side.
I totally agree with the short shift out of first. It's good if you're just driving, but mine has no ***** if I get on it right after that shift. However, it has mucho ***** if I gun it right before that 3 grand shift (i.e. moderate acceleration up to 3 grand then gun it). It pulls like a champ as long as it can maintain traction, if not well i'm sideways. It's one way to take advantage of that short shift, and one of my favorite things to do with the car. My controls arms are on their way out though, exactly because of that.




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