joe_mo1971

I am seriously considering trading my '04 SE for something that will actually dampen a little bump on the road. Can anyone tell me if it is just the SE model that rides so tight? I enjoy feeling the road and thus feeling in control of my car, but I have actually had passengers say they feel sick after riding in my car. It rides like a dream on the highway, but the roads in Charlotte aren't the greatest.

Is the only differentiator between the SE and SL the struts, springs, or both? Is there an aftermarket strut that will make it ride more like an M or G from Infiniti?

I'm open for suggestions.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

how about try 17 wheels? cheaper option and possibly the greatest difference

joe_mo1971

The main reason I chose the SE was the styling (18's, spoiler, and interior finish). My test drive was obviously on good roads. Came out of a 94 Max with Tokico performance struts. The 04 was such a nicer ride at the time. I just can't see my car with the 17's on it.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

u can get adj struts and shock too. that would soften it plenty

joe_mo1971

any suggestion on brand or where to get them?

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=413817

blackpaladin67

Another alternative would be to upsize your tyres which would soften the ride considerably.

You could go to say 235 x 40 x 18 or other forumla to get the ride softer.

lightonthehill

Blackpaladin - I think you meant to say P235/50VR18.

The P235/40VR18 tires you suggested would be 10mm narrower, have a 5% lower profile, and a significantly lower load limit than the SE's OEM P245/45VR18 tires.

This lower load limit would mean the tires would need to be inflated to 40 psi or higher in order to properly support the weight of the 6th gen Maxima while maintaining a normal running profile on the tires. The higher psi would, of course, ride firmer than the SE OEM tires.

If there is room within the fenders, I would even consider P235/55VR18, which should ride slightly softer than the P235/50VR18, and noticably less firm than the SE OEM tires.

blackpaladin67

Exactly, something like that .. Can't you get higher load rated tyres like over here 95s (load index)+ ?? so you can run lower pressures. The ones with reinforced sidewalls ... I got them on mine.

kdejour

I agree with light you want to put on a higher profile tire to cushion the bumps. The lower the profile the stiffer the tire while make your car handle better but the trade off is a rough ride over bad roads. DC is the same way if not worse with the potholes. People bend their wheels all the time with low profile tires. I love the way the way my sl rides but I love the wheels on se for their sporty look. The higher price michelins with a higher profile would make you car ride great. My buddy bought some and the car rides extremely smooth. It would be cheaper to buy the tires or adj. struts then to pay a few thousand more for a sl. Good luck.

Spoolin

Go with the SE cause in the long run faster is better you know that now.. Dont go for more lush that cant take the RUSH !!!

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

the SL maxima is also heavier if you didn't know that...

willysmooo

i would listen to the above posts...small changes in tires can make a HUGE diff...i did it on my 01 max..and it rode like a caddy

jasonjm

iTrader: (1)

My SL felt like any other SE's. Maybe 2-5% softer. Get another car? I know I did.

UnMaTcHeD

iTrader: (2)

Yea, but only about 8 lbs.

lightonthehill

jasonjm - Are you sure the neurons in your seating area are working? I drove two '04 SEs (all my dealer had the month the 6th gen first came out) and three '04 SLs, and I found the SLs uniformly more comfortably riding by a meaningful margin.

Are you sure the SL you drove had somewhere near 33 psi in the tires? Some (as did my SL) arrive at the dealers with as much as 45 psi in the tires.

I also still have my 2000 SE, and the '04 SL is far more pleasant over bumps and on rough roads. Even my wife comments on this.

My advanced age probably makes me far more sensitive to bumps and jolts than young 'bullet-proof' kids in their thirties and forties.

SilverMax_04

It seemed like my SE was better when I replaced the Goodyears with Michelin Pilot Sports. I ran / run 35 PSI in both and the Michelins are smoother.

You can try taking the tire pressure down for a softer ride, but you gas mileage will suffer a little with this move. You have no problem on the Interstates, so run higher tire pressures on trips and run a lower tire pressure when only driving in town.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

So your agenda:

Upgrade tires and possibly 30psi around town. - some improvement
or
17's - even more improvement (cheaper than trading for an SL and largest difference)
and/or
Upgrade Struts and Shocks. - will make incredible improvements and give you versatility.

bigcozz

I must say the the 20k mazda 6 handles better than my 35K nissan very harsh ride on my se even over normal stuff

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

since when has price has a direct correlation with suspension among different cars? the Max weighs a lot more. what are you to expect from SE? this is why SL is available.

I still dramatically prefer my SE ride over my buick floating ride. the multi-link rear has made a huge improvement over older gens.

maybe some have too much psi? I love how bad roads have very little influence over the ride, may not be super soft, but I'm not bouncing all over the road.

maX5

iTrader: (4)

yeah, I love my SE suspension .. nice and stiff and feel like I have control on the car when going on bad roads...

-AoW-JP

I bought the SL because it was more comfortable. NYC streets suk. I do miss the stiff ride when on an open highway.

NIKV69

Yes that will help. I don't think the stock ride of the SE is as bad as people here are making it out to be. It is a little hard but I bought it because I do a lot of driving and need the performance and handling.

jrzymuscle21

I'll second that! smooth ride on rough areas- but do miss the tight turning suspension...

lightonthehill

In reviewing my post of 4:46 yesterday afternoon, it seems like I'm 'down' on the SE. I certainly did not mean my post that way.

Were I between 20 and 55 years younger, the SE would definitely be my choice. I love the feeling that I can turn on a dime and leave nine cents change. Only the SE gives me that feeling.

And I did not mention in my earlier post that, even though the '04 SE does not ride as softly as my '04 SL, it does seem not quite as hard on my 'innards' as my 2000 SE.

Those posters between 70 and 100 years of age (or who have wives who love a soft-riding car) will have a good understanding of why I have moved to the SL. But the SE is the Maxima with the lateral performance, legendary image and the panache we crave in our youth.

wsu

I test drove an SE but the ride did seem VERY hard to me. I had no choice but to go with the SL. The tire size doesn't make any difference to me. I do wish the SL interior had less wood grained plastic and more of a metallic look, but in terms of performance and comfort, I am very pleased with the SL.

Atomic_Ed

I do like the mettallic look of me SE interior over the wood but their both very nice versions of the car and the smoother ride quality can be a benefit over the stiffer SE suspension on rough roads. However I am quite surprised how good the ride quality on the SE is on normal road surfaces and yet how well it handles around turns. All in all a Maxima whether SE or SL is one fine vehicle IMO.

SilverMax_04

I'm not to 70, yet. And my wife does like a soft-riding car -- but agreed to let me get the SE because I wanted to get back to a manual trannie in our car (have one in the truck). One way I worked this was to not test drive the SL but only the SE with both auto trannie and 6-speed. She seems happy enough.

MAXIMA-GHOST

iTrader: (3)

Personally i love the way my SE feels on the road, and we do have rough roads here in Dallas, TX. I would either change the tires like posted above, or get a different shock/strut set-up. Even though i love the ride on my MAX, i am still going to switch out my OEM struts/shocks to a better performance set-up, because i will be switching to 20" rims. With the stock set-up i can already tell it will be even more stiff than it already is. Again its not that bad, and coming from my HEMI truck it was a great set-up but the MAX drives/rides like a dream compaired to other vehicles i have been in.

Check you tires pressure, if i do believe if i am correct if they are at the MAX setting you will get a stiffer ride... Please correct me if i am wrong guys.. Deflate them some, but the down side you will get less gas milage..

lightonthehill

MAXIMA-GHOST - You are correct that lowering tire pressure can soften the ride somewhat.

BUT:

There is an 'ideal' tire pressure for every tire, and that pressure is the one that results in the tire wearing evenly across the tread.

Carrying less than the ideal pressure results in the tread wearing out on the edges before it does in the center. Wastes tire life.

Carrying more than the ideal pressure results in the tread wearing out in the center brefore it does on the edges. Wastes tire life.

Perhaps more importantly, the performance of the tires (hence also the car) will be maximized (no pun intended) when the tires are inflated to the profile for which they were designed to run.

There is no fixed number for that ideal pressure. It is a function of several things, such as driving style, road surface, weight carried, etc. It can even vary on the same car for different brands of tires.

One additional warning: The tires usually used on 20" (or larger) wheels must be a very low profile in order to fit under the Maxima fenders without rubbing. This is a setup that looks great, but is not practical for serious driving in today's world (i.e., on today's poorly maintained roads).

A very low profile tire has very little room (sidewall) to give (flex), so hitting even a small pothole with this type setup can be messy. If the tire pressure is lower than 'ideal', the pothole can easily damage the wheel right through the tire.

But we each have to make judgements based on how we intend to use our vehicle.

vee eye pee

se = sporty ride
sl = lux ride