For the record, here is what I know about what BMWs have that make them handle as well as they do:

- 50/50 weight distribution
- Low center of gravity
- Low-ish polar moment of inertia (main masses close to the center of the car)
- VERY stiff chassis with different natural frequencies for bending vs. twisting
- Excellent suspension geometry
- Well optimized spring and sway bar rates (not too soft, not too stiff)
- Very good dampers
- RWD

This is all stuff that works together. Designing the car with some of those traits helps it to have (and take advantage of) the rest.

 

"VERY stiff chassis..." Latest bmw's may have that, but not E36. those twist as much as 4th gen maximas, if not more. so, i'd say that generation to generation niss and bmw are pretty close in stiffness aspect.

 

nobody is saying that stock for stock pretty much all BMWs own pretty much all maximas (and most other nissans) in the handling category.

I think the thing is that people think that a moderately-modded maxima can't handle as well as a stock BMW - which isn't true.

I told my buddy Clay, who I work with (and who autocrosses miatas), about this "handle like a BMW" thread and he laughed. His comment was that my maxima (which he has ridden in many times) outhandles his stock '04(?) 330xi by a tone, no question about it. This is coming from a BMW owner, not a Nissan fanboi.

anyhow...

stock for stock, d00d hit the nail on the head with his comments.

i'll be happy to go in the twisties with a stock 2000 5-series (non-M5)....

 

E30 M3 > all

regardless of chassis stiffnes, the E30 M3 is a true driver's car. Nothing BMW has made since comes close. And nothing Nissan has made since the early z-cars does either....

 

I am not sure what you're smoking, but having taken a ride in an E36 yesterday I'd have to say that my LTB2'd, FSTB'd and SFC'd maxima is a sloppy POS.

E36 >>>>>>>>> A32 as far as chassis design is concerned.

 

An E36 is smaller, made of tougher stuff, and more extensively braced and triangulated than a 4th gen Maxima. Also, don't forget that managing chassis forces was a much higher priority in the design of the E36, and it's something BMW is very good at; the 4th gen Maxima focused more on packaging and interior volume and is one of the LEAST rigid cars on the road. There's no comparison.

 

"having taken a ride", huh? that's a lot of experience.. me, on the other hand... i've been driving e36 coupes and maximas back to back for only 10 years
besides... what's exactly "sloppy" supposed to mean? just curious.

 

"made of tougher stuff" - you obviously have not seen a compleatly stripped e36 chassy in person nor had a chance to staighten up that "tougher stuff" after little accidents.. ask me how i know
it's just that E36 is really a bad example to use..

 

"E30 M3 > all" - that's close enough E30 design goes back to the days when engineer had had all calculations done without any use of computers and then doubled and tripled everything. as of E36... computers and CAD happend to it.

 

Cool. I owned a Maxima and now I own an E36.

Did those Maximas all have stock suspension, by the way? Because if they did, it's going to be difficult to compare unless you're really sensitive and know what you're looking for (which, judging by your next question, you don't really seem to).

And what criteria did you use to evaluate chassis rigidity when you drove?


A whole hell of a lot.

A car with a flexible chassis is easily unsettled by bumps and undulations in the road, requires a lot of steering corrections to keep it going straight, steers and handles poorly and inconsistently, and develops squeaks and rattles faster. Again, the E36 is among the better cars on the road in those departments (except maybe rattles, due to cheap-ish interior materials), whereas the Maxima is... not.


That doesn't sound like a good way to tell. I thought the parts of the chassis that matter to handling were not the parts you'd be straightening out after an accident big enough to damage them.

 

I think the E36 chassi was decent for it's time but I don't think it would be considered stiff by today's standards.



I thought the chassis and body are unibody and therefore made of pretty much the same "stuff". Just some are thicker and reinforced in areas. Not sure what you are referring to but he could easily be straightening out minor unibody tweaks even if the car was in minor accident.

 

It's pretty much the same stuff in terms of Young's modulus (structural engineering symbol E). E for all steels fall within a relatively narrow range of values. This basic material property is primarily related to chassis stiffness.

But not in terms of strength. HSLA steels are considerably stronger than mild steels in both tensile and yield stresses. We still haven't got to "toughness" yet - that's an integration under the stress-strain curve and also involves something called "ductility".

Then it gets a bit complex. HSLA may allow lighter structure for a given amount of structural capacity, but the structure itself could actually be slightly less rigid. Buckling becomes a more important issue as well, as once that happens - well, there goes some of your strength and stiffness. A good thing, probably, in crumple zones. But not within the passenger cell. Your suspension tuning is ultimately dependent on both regions.

I would not venture to make any "eyeball" estimates.


Norm

 

I have driven a few E36s, but most recently, even just riding in my buddy's E36 and comparing it to my 4th gen DIRECTLY afterwards I can say that my car's chassis is inferior. Sloppy means chassis oscillations over undulations. Most of the "crash" over bumps is gone from my car via the SFCs and to a lesser extent the LTB, but the stock E36 chassis still beats it out in overall solidity.

If you are seriously claiming that the A32 chassis is as rigid as the E36, you are smoking some crack. Newer cars will beat out an E36 for sure, but an A32? Please.

 

I had stage 2 SFC, Blehms stage 2 LTB, rear STB, and rear lateral link replacement before you even JOINED the ORG and thats not all the suspension/chassis mods. Just wanted to clarify that for he who know all.

 

lol the easiest way to put the argument

cars that have always been made to perform vs. cars that just have big bad a$$ motors that makes them rockets

buy a BMW or G35&M35/45 and be happy

 

Best way to get BMW type handling? Buy a BMW. Hell it's the only way.

 

Well its official a maxima does handle better then a BMW. I autoxed today and got a 43 sec time (to compare I was in STX class a Mini cooper s on track tires got 40s) a BMW 330i (DP class) so its official, Maxima > BMW

 

M3 here i come

 

I'm thinking of grabing a set of stock G35 18x8s for my 97 I30, which is still on the 16 inch BBSs. Looking at your post it seems that these may be too big and actually detrimental to my ability to handle? Am I wrong in thinking (slightly) bigger is better?

 

Bigger in terms of either width or load capacity usually does mean better, particularly on wider wheels. Bigger in diameter is at best equal. Sort of.

Sort of, because it's possible for new developments in tire design or compounding to improve a new 18" tire beyond what's previously available in 17's (and then not offer this new tire model in 17's either). But you need to hear reliable reports, don't just read the advertising copy (which will always be a glowing sales pitch to convince you that they're the greatest things since sliced bread).


Norm

 

Well said.

I'd say also to be careful reading reviews. Most reviewers have little to no idea what they're talking about...

For a Maxima, you'll get the best handling from a good tire on a 16" or 17" rim, 7" to 8" wide. Get the lightest wheel you can find (unless you have a stiff suspension and drive over tons of potholes), and the best tires you can get.

 

Del, in all the time I knew you I don't remember any of your maximas actually being driveable. Always seemed to be parked at your shop getting this or that fixed

 

So are the 18"s not only overkill, but actually a downgrade from 17"s? I know on some smaller cars going more than an inch or two over stock will actually interfere with your ability to corner, but on a Maxima it just seems like it has so much room in those wells that an 18" wheel would be almost on the small side. Would a set of 17" x 7" at like... 235/45 would be better then a set of 18"x8" on a similar compound?

 

Get a 17x8 or 17x9.

An 18" will have:

more responsive handling (less sidewall flex)
worse ride
higher likelihood to bend (less sidewall)
slightly less overall traction (less sidewall compliance)
worse braking and acceleration (higher moment of inertia)
higher tire cost

than the same wheel in 17"

 

what he said.

I've run 15, 16, 17, and 18 on my car, and the best lap times I got was from the 17x8s I was running, which is the widest I can fit in the rear wheel wells on my 3 gen. the 4 and 5 gen can go a bit wider, but I'd still stick with the 17s.

tire price is also a big issue when you start buying tires monthly for a track car. 16" and 17" slicks aren't much different from each other in terms of price, but the 18" tires have a huge jump in price.

 

I met you when my 3rd gen was toast so you got me there My 4th gen never been out of comission though, mainly because its stock except for springs and struts.

 

id rather have my max then a bmw ive ownd a bimmer i wasnt impressed at all esp with repairs very pricey