Here is where I am at: http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

My 7thGen maxima is rubbish. 4DSC...hahah, what a joke. Handling... nope. power coming out of a corner... nope. I know the roads and how to drive the crazy corners and I had to do all I could to keep up with a rookie in an Si. I remember when I brought my Si here last year and I could toss the car any which way and the car just did what I wanted. If I did that with this car, I would have went off the road many times already

I'll be having a parts sale when I get home. Then I'll decide if I'm going to keep the car.

 

Hate to say it, but as far as the TotD is concerned you're driving an almost completely stock car. Only your Stillen bar is going to be worth enough to notice, and I don't know enough about it (or the car's specific distribution of lateral load transfer either) to tell whether it's not enough bar, too much, or if in fact it's almost right.

Don't expect to be able to throw a relatively softly sprung 3500+ lb car around like an Si even if you do know the line. Offhand, I'd say you have to be more deliberate and start your steering inputs a fraction of a second sooner in this car than in an Si, else you'll always be playing "catch-up". Bet that's what happened.

Nissan didn't have TotD in mind any more than they had serious autocrossing in mind (the only other vehicle activity I can think of that might have 29 turns per mile). I've heard of more cases of US domestic station wagons (!!!) being autocrossed than 7th Gen Maximas.


Norm

 

Parts Sale?

I appears the only relevant modification you have is this:

11/03/09 - Stillen strut brace & Stillen sway bar

I'm lost?

 

That's funny that you took a Maxima out to a track like that thinking it is some kind of track car to be tossed around curves at high speed, the Civic sits lower to the ground already and will handle better because of that and the little unsprung weight it carries.

The Maxima is a heavy car and the intent of it was never to be some sort of race car, rally car or whatever simply based on the "4DSC" sticker.

If you bought into the "4DSC" sticker thing thinking this car would be used for such purposes then you're as gullable as those Ricertypes who buy those stickers that says turbo or NOS and thinks that somehow makes their cars faster or atleast appear that way.

Go buy you a Civic if you wanna play boy racer.

 

The Dragon is a public highway, IOW, this is a street racing thread.

 

Take it for what it is on face value - evidence that the 7th Gen is not a true "4DSC" (like we've been saying all along). And that the OP was unwilling to push the car beyond where it felt comfortable because it was telling him that to do so might have been a rather bad idea. More people should develop that sort of awareness.

I think you have to give the Tail a 'pass' as well. It's a little too well-established (and I suspect sort of winked at).


Norm

 

lol @ slapping a 4DSC sticker on a car and expecting your car to become such LOL

 

But stickers do give you more HP. And this applies to any sticker. The Nos and turbo stickers just add more HP than your average sticker. (that's why when space is limited, it's best to use the performance stickers because you get more HP per square inch!) So know that we are clear on the sticker/ricer math I bet you'll agree that it's a good think he didn't run into this civic on the road!

 

 

Looks like it's both. A sponsored event at certain times, and a public road at other times. I'm going to leave this here for now.

But I will say 1 thing. 4dsc is just a sticker on an upscaled FAMILY 4 door sedan. If you purchased thinking otherwise, shame on you for not researching.

 

Oh man not another 4dsc bashing thread.

 

The Dragon was built for bikes, not cars.

 

The 7th gen handles exceptionally well for it's class of vehicle. That means it will handle better than a Camry, or a Taurus, or a Lacrosse, or a Charger.

It's always fun to be pleasantly surprised when you exceed realistic expectations. Set them appropriately, and you won't be disappointed.

"Parts sale"? Selling your decals are you?

 

That anyone would take a 7th gen Maxima NEAR-LUXURY UPSCALE FAMILY SEDAN THAT WEIGHS OVER 3600 POUNDS to a situation more suitable for a Mini Cooper blows my mind.

There are just some things that do not go together. For instance, although the 370Z is a sports car, I would not use it in an off-road sports rally.

Everyone interprets that 4DSC sticker differently. And many cars with the 4DSC sticker are not exactly 4DSCs. And 4DSCs can vary from 2000 pound waterbugs to 3600 pound luxury cars. But a 2000 pound car and a 3600 pound car are totally different vehicles in every way.

I would never consider putting a yacht in the small stream behind my home, and neither would I head out across the Atlantic in a rowboat.

K757 - You are entitled to your opinion, but you will find yourself in a very small minority if you think the 7th gen Maxima is rubbish. It is the best handling car I have driven in over 60 years of driving. But it is not a race car, and even if it were, it would not win a race on a go-cart track.

Listen to Norm. He knows what he is saying.

 

Oeww at the Camry and Charger in the same sentence as Maxima..., those belong in the Altima's sentence and it out handles those 2!

 

wow...

 

 

x2

 

 

Weird thread....

 

I think the OP is going to be surprised by all these reactions.

But maybe with hindsight he'll see that's about what you would expect when you dis your own 7th gen in the 7th gen forum.

This doesn't seem like it's going to end well.

 

 

Can we change the subject line to 4DSC & ____ are not good together?

 

If you wanted a car that handles on rails you should have went with a G37 RWD.. This car is too big and heavy to be a 4 door sports car..
The car is a GREAT hwy cruiser but does lack in the twisties. I have a SV premium but can't see the sport handling that much better..
My CL type-s handles better then this cas stock and once i put on shocks/springs/RSB and moog endlinks the car handles 3X better then this car, I even think the 2005 TL base handled a little better then the Maxima.. I love the styling, options and drive but did not buy it to curve up the road.. I bet that new shocks/springs (or at least springs) and a thicker rear sway bar will do wonders to the handling of this car just like it did to my CL-S..

 

OP = Member of the month

Thread = Thread of 2010

 

If you want to improve your handling 3-4X then this is what you do:

1) Eibach Pro-Kit Lowering Kit - Part # EIB6392140
(1.3', 1.4')+SEE APPLICATION NOTES+ $250

2) 2009 - 2010 MAXIMARear - Non-Adjustable
Solid Bar304401304401
$160

3)2009 - 2010 MAXIMAFront Brace
Req. Mild Trimming of Plastic Battery Cover
6061-T6 Billet Aluminum307024307024
$220

So for a total of $630 and installation af about $400 you have a Better 4 door sports car!!

 

Sell the Maxima, buy another Si.

 

:matt93se:

 

or drive a 6th gen and feel better about it

 

hmm...

So you you own a 'nearly stock' 7th Gen... you ran it through some twisties and it didn't handle as well as you wanted it to... AND...

Seriously, I took the time to read all of the responses here... and have to agree with Norm, and also agree StonedCL ... Norm you obviously have a clue about cars, their relative performance, and which car is right for which type of event. StonedCL, and that's just the beginning of getting performance from the 7th Gen Maxima...

Interesting thread.

 

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/dragon_faq.html

How much does it cost to ride the Dragon? When is the road open to the public? How much is the toll at Toll Booth? Do they close the road for the various rallies or for racing?
The Dragon is Federal Highway US 129 and is free for the public to enjoy at any time. It may be closed for short periods due to downed trees and when the highway is blocked by accidents. The Dragon has never been closed for racing or rallies. Traffic has been stopped for 15 minutes at a time while filming commercials. The last tolls taken at Toll Booth were in the early 1900s when the land was privately owned. US 129 was closed for two days in early August 2007 when a truck carrying recyclable paper flips over near Picnic Tables. The road was damaged as heavy equipment had to be brought in the clear the wreck.

 

SteveB, I can see where you're coming from, I went and checked the OP's post. He said he drove the dragon, not raced down it.

Looks like a fun road to drive tho.

I'll have another mod or admin come and take a peek and if he says it's considered road racing, then it'll be closed.

 

it's a publicly traveled road with many curves that will test your car's limit.
at no point the OP discussed a race nor was there a winner declared. the only line that remotely discussed another car was his comparison to a Civic Si.
the OP is just dissapointed about the performance of his car as he expected more from it while traveling on a curvy road. this is no different than say traveling 10mph over the recommended limit at an on/off ramp at your local interstate/highway/parkway.

i do not consider this thread to be a street racing discussion.

at this point i consider this discussion of "street racing" to be over. if you have objections you're welcome to PM me.

Regards,
Dan

 

This is entertaining so far lol

 

What did you expect? Especially the fact according to your mod list you are still on stock suspension and tires...

 

I'd also question the assumptions concerning the Si driver's "rookie status" and the preparation level of that car.

For all we know, the Si driver was an experienced autocrosser who really knows how to drive his car without making it look difficult, and running on street-legal (but relatively short-lived) tires that are somewhat grippier than any normal street tire. A combination like that can make cars that are much faster on paper (and their drivers) look bad without half trying.


Out of "driver seat time, tires/wheels, everything else", OP had a small scrap of "everything else" and some knowledge of the road the way it drives in a different car. And overly optimistic expectations.


Norm

 

@ this thread

I think only the older gens are semi-decent on the dragon. 5th gens might be slightly to heavy but they can still play up there.

but u need to get a lighter more agile car to hit the dragon. I remember when i was talking to the old owner of my car, he had a 6th gen, and was locked into a lease on it, but he couldnt stand the way it handled compared to a 4th gen. He said it was sluggish and heavy.

 

Might be off-topic but the g37c is also a big car that has a very high curb weight. It is not that far off from the 7th gen maxima either...

 

It may be but it handles alot better and feels more stable, thats due to the closer 50/50 ratio rwd vs a nose heavy FWD sedan. Having driven G37C and S before I purchased the Z, and many 09/10 Maximas advantage G.

 

I do miss the handling of my 97 SE, it just handled better and hit corners with less body lean than any of the 5th through 7th gens that I have driven.