Turbo or Super Charger?
 

After the warranty on my 2016 Maxima expires, I was thinking about getting a turbo or a super charger on my engine. Would it be possible to install one? Would the cvt engine be able to handle it? Also what would be better the turbo or super charger?

Thanks!
Rich

Also any other info you guys think I should know would be great!

You would be ill advised to install forced induction on a car with a CVT transmission.

You don't have a CVT engine, you have a CVT transmission. :facepalm:

Just do exhaust and intake. You really have to be a gear head to turbocharge or supercharge a vehicle like this. I'd say just leave it alone. It's fast enough

lol not with a CVT transmission. Hell I would be hesitant to even put on a intake/exhaust because of the CVT in this car.

I already got the stillen axleback exhaust and cold air intake. So you guys are saying its impossible to do so?

Lets just say the CVT is like a glass bottle. I would not take it past stock in this car even with intake/exhaust. Just my opinion though. Nissan in the past has had trouble with their CVT's. I believe they are even being sued as we speak. I don't think the CVT in this car has been proven yet since it just came out in 2015 as a 2016 model.

this CVT is very different from previous Nissan CVTs. I think it can handle an intake and exhaust lol

Search for threads by Ghozt and his attempts at boosting a CVT transmission'd Max. After nuking 2 CVT tranny's, I believe he installed a regular non-CVT transmission.

He did a 6 speed transmission after all , by nisperformance.com remember our cvt is better then 7 gen . I had a cvt juke pushing 375 hp and 355 torque at the wheels with no issue. Is only money go and try if you have it to turbo a new max you have it to by cvts every year. But i hate to told you you can do nothing in to they release a TUnE!!!

just to play devils advocate (I don't really think this guy should turbo his Max), that was a 7th gen, which had a horribly performing CVT in comparison to the 8th gen's

If you're looking to get this car to go faster, why aren't you just buying a faster car? Get a Dodge Hellcat with 700 HP stock, and a transmission and rear wheel drive that can support that kind of power. Plus after market for the Dodges you could likely hit 1000hp pretty easy if you really want to go fast.

Or a tesla lol

Dodge and jeep with that track hawk, have some really nice products. I really think a Hellcat is my next vehicle

MAybe he wants this car to be faster....like my 5th gen when I see the dudes face at the next light lol...50k lol

This is a bit off in left field, but this is something I think would be cool to try:

https://www.wired.com/2012/08/hybrid-conversion/

Tl;dr... you could put those back wheels to work by electrifying them. Making them work in tandem with the front wheel drive might take a bit of magic though.

Well first of all with my current budget and living situation, this is the best vehicle I could get in terms of performance, fuel efficiency, and size. Besides that, I really love how the car looks, its pretty spacious as well. A hellcat is around double the price from what I can afford. Teslas are great for local commutes but taking hours to charge can be a real pain. I just want to make the extra investment to make the car I want, go a bit faster thats all lol.

this is actually really interesting! i read the article and saw the video. Are you thinking about doing it as well?

Naw, I can barely change my own oil but if I the spare talent, time and money I'd try it

If you want to turbo, just hook up a pair of leaf blowers to your intake and you should be good. The two stroke kind, so you don't run out of extension cord.

As a Mechanical Engineer and owner of a '16 Maxima, I can tell you that if you slip that belt once, it will be a downhill spiral until the CVT fails (it will get worse and worse over time). The CVT in the Max is already at its torque capacity (plus a safety factor). If you test it, you will find out the hard way. Good luck.

If you have the cash to play around, feel free to try anything. Just be aware this new Maxima CVT is designed to be the most EFFICIENT tranny for the 300HP stock Maxima power tain. Raising the power much above 300HP is courting disaster with this CVT, and would void virtually any warranty on any part of the power train system on the car. Unless I had both money to burn and a strong desire for immense power in exactly his particular vehicle, I would not add either turbo or supercharger unless I also converted the tranny to a manual.

I don't even see how are you gonna fit a supercharger or a turbo in a already tight engine bay, and you're not gonna find any space, and addition like most of those guys I agree that you are asking for trouble with the CVT gonna self grenade on you.

Nissan really killed my love for their cars with their decision to ram CVTs down everyone's throats. This is the main reason I stopped shopping the Maxima and now am focused on the Q50. Its a shame the Q is not as luxurious as the Max on the inside....I really cant believe the plastic seats in most cars, they affectionately call "Leatherette". A lot of Salesman dont even know that they are just vinyl seats...

The old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted" applies here.

The original article was published August, 2012...5 ½ years ago.

MTSU Plug-In Hybrid Retrofit Kit Update, March 24, 2014

Since making the first prototype of the MTSU Plug-In Hybrid Retrofit Kit we have learned that wheel hub motors with permanent magnets, such as are discussed and shown in the video, are not the best technical solution. A better wheel hub motor design for a hybrid retrofit kit is the switched reluctance motor which does not use permanent magnets.

For these reasons it was decided that the commercial version of the wheel hub motor for the Plug-In Hybrid Retrofit Kit should be a switched reluctance design. Therefore, a partnership is being sought with another organization to more fully develop a switched reluctance motor design for the retrofit kit application.

To all of our supporters who would like to buy a Plug-In Hybrid Retrofit Kit we must delay a little longer the availability of a commercial version. Automotive applications are very demanding with regard to robustness and reliability. We cannot release a consumer product until all the engineering and testing has been completed. At this time there is not a fixed schedule but we hope to be in a position to have the first commercial version by sometime in 2016.

How much does the plug-in hybrid kit cost?
For a car or small truck, $3000 to $5000 depending on range and lithium battery costs, plus the cost of installation.

Why can’t the system work above 45 miles per hour?
The space available to fit the motor does not permit a motor powerful enough to provide significant traction assist at highway speeds.

What is the maximum range for hybrid operation?
The proposed carry-on bag size will give 25-35 miles of range depending on driving conditions and driving style.

Caveat Emptor

Well I think the biggest problem with Nissan and the Maxima is branding. If they stopped calling it the 4DSC, perhaps it wouldn't attract so many buyers expecting to get a "sports" car. It's like thinking your gonna get a Rocky Road ice cream, and finding out it's only chocolate with peanuts. It's definitely no 4DSC, but as a moderately luxurious sedan with above average performance, it excels

To be fair, Nissan does offer true performance cars if that's what your looking for. There's the Z, some of the Infiniti for sure. But I guess if you want it all in one package, prepare to shell out some big bux.

Ya i was disappointed that this project apparently went no where. Still, I think it's a cool idea and hope some smarty will figure out how to make it practical someday

I would love a Z...However....I need a back seat. Quite a bang for the buck at 30K

The Z is a fine sports car that is fun to drive. If I were single, I might have considered it.

BUT

Whispers in the hallways in Nissan offices in Franklin TN are hinting that the Z may not have a long future. As important as the Z has been to Datsun/Nissan these last forty-five or so years, I was a little surprised to hear this. But with the emphasis shifting to automated vehicles, Nissan evidently felt the future was not as bright as it has been for cars designed for serious driver participation.


And those here not thrilled with the CVT should be aware that increasingly strict government fuel efficiency regulations mean more and more vehicles will be either converting to CVTs or going hybrid or even all-electric. We may not like it, but the automotive fun days of our youth are gradually slipping away. And Mother Earth will probably be the better for it. I personally have adjusted to the CVT, especially the fact it is giving me easily over 30 MPG on the open road in a 3600 pound car with 300 HP. Manual trannies ceased to be fun for me when most of the roads I travel on became virtually gridlocked.

See, this does not Impress me at all.....I leased a 2004 GT0 with the 350 HP LS1 and it tipped the scales at a little over 3800lbs. I took it to the outerbanks in the middle of summer, 90-100 degrees, REGULAR GRADE FUEL, loaded trunk, loaded back seat, and me and my Dad in the front. 30 MPG all day long in my 6M. These new cars should be doing so much better, especially with the CardioVascularTragety. The car consistently got better MPG than my 02 SE Altima that only drank the best of fuel....not to mention, i beat the living poopoo out of the GTO. 4 sets of rear tires in 17,000 miles:)

Well nowadays I think car makers are narrowing down the focus of their brands. My previous car (which I still have) is a Hyundai Azera. Now the Hyundai brand is strictly 4 cylinder family cars and SUVs , anything remotely exciting was spun off into the Genesis brand.

For Nissan that means standardizing on some things from the parts bin, which means CVT with perhaps some other shared components across the board.

I'm perfectly fine with the CVT myself. I've never driven a true sports car so it feels perfectly normal to me. The only thing i worry about is long term CVT reliability. Those unlucky folks who have had their CVT die prematurely... they are a very vocal group. To search reviews online, you'd get the impression that all CVT are a ticking time bomb. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this generation fares

They’ve killed it before, they’ll kill it again.

Only reason it’s around is the platform and mechanical sharing with Infiniti.

Now that Infiniti moving to FWD (ie new QX50/EX35), say goodbye to Z.

I’m afraid what will become of the next Q50/Q60.

AWD hides FWD vs RWD. BMW/Mercedes following Audi’s lead (foreshadowing?) in colder climates with AWD, and even performace cars have AWD (new M5 and E63).

Before I bought my `17 SL back in February I did a little reading here and elsewhere. Especially about the CVT tranny. I test drove Taurus, Camaro V-6, Accord & Camry V-6's, Charger, Optima and even a 335 Xdrive. Once I drove the Nissan I almost instantly came to the conclusion that for the $$ and performance, the only car that mattered was the Maxima. Still love it with no regrets when I pull up next to any of the aforementioned vehicles.

As I was sitting with the finance guy, in rolled a new GTR for the showroom. I asked rhetorically what it would take to make the Maxima sound and perform like that car. He responded, "Whatever it says at the bottom of the GTR's window sticker". It was 117K for the curious, and beautiful in whatever Nissan calls their metallic orange color.

I'm pretty happy with the performance of my Max, but I have a performance side chick... (02 WS6 T/A, lots of goodies). The Max is quick, smooth, and capable. In Sport mode its even better. The only add-ons I'm looking at are aesthetic... tint, exterior lighting and the interior accent lighting.

Safe travels all!

Okay I just realised as I started typing that this is the 8th gen forum...

But anyway, I have been contemplating a supercharger set-up with CVT, however I have a 2007 6th Gen - which is actually the Australian J31 Teana.

At the moment it has done 188,000km and has not given any indication of dying. I also feel like the CVT deals better with more power than less (to a certain point obviously) All these CVT complaints are literally pre 2006 and for 2.5 ltr or less. Search CVT reviews on the 3.5 and 98% positive. If the CVT does have a little weird moment or loses a bit of power, by the time I accelerate up to 4k - 5k RPM it goes back to being that smooth and accurate CVT that I have quite honestly come to really enjoy.

I can't explain properly or actually no for sure but definitely have the gut feeling that this tranmission can definitely handle alot more than I am reading/worrying about. I would say ****, give it a go. If it dies it dies, you learn. Oh but if it works amazing.... I could not imagine how much portential the Maxima could have. I almost want to risk it just for the pure uniquness / would be epic.

However, after saying all of this. My 6th Gen is only 180kw - your newer model and the fact that it is in the US means you basically already have the power I would get from adding a supercharger. Plus I have already done a few "more boring" mods - Cat Back Exhaust, Larger Wheels, Sport Suspension, Dampers etc etc

Although I really want to tell you to go for it (don't even know if it is possible tbh haha) I have to say keep it N/A. You can still to a decent amount and I thought my 180kw was decent, the US 8th Gen is surely amazing. I feel you though, something about the Maxima that is just amazing, I would much rather get a Maxima to a Z level then buy a Z, always liked bigger cars too

Hi Chef,

Good to here you've had good luck with your CVT, it's encouraging to hear that. A few unlucky folks have tried to push this tranny too far and it has failed spectacularly. I'm no engineer and can't claim to understand why these can't be abused as much as a traditional automatic. i would like to think there is some wiggle room, maybe you can get away with an extra 20 Hp, but I'm certainty not brave enough to try and find out.

Nissan stated the 8th Gen maxima is capable of taking up to 500HP, just saying.

Source?

I don't buy it. Show me a single car with a CVT and more than 350 HP.

does this juke count?

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...-500-fwhp-cvt/