Whats up guys? Im thinking about picking up another maxima in the next few months and going all out with it. Car will not serve as a daily driver so Im willing to take things to the next level as far as weight reduction. I know everyone is going to get there panties in a bunch over this but Im considering picking up a 5.5 gen, stripping it to nothing and possibly cutting it to lighten it up. Really would like to see what kind of times I could get out of the car n/a and on the bottle. Opinions? Not sure how light I could get the car but Id really like to get it under 2800lbs. Don't know if that could be easily attainable or if Im getting ahead of myself. It will be a budget build as I have another project car along with this if I decide to go this route. Carbon fiber hood/trunk will be done down the road, but for now Im mainly looking to strip and cut the car. What do you guys think?

 

Anyone that gets their panties in a bunch about what YOU do to YOUR car needs to suck it. lol

With that said, weight reduction is definitely the way to go. Faster and easier on parts. I went 12.9 with my 6th gen by taking weight out of it and I don't even have headers and the car is untuned.

I feel that you could make a 5.5 gen extremely light with cutting it up and lexan windows. This is assuming you have taken everything else out.

I think that 2600lbs would be possible. Low-mid 12s with bolt ons and easy 11s with nitrous.

 

This will get you started..
http://forums.maxima.org/1-4-1-8-mil...hing-else.html

Glovebox
Passenger, rear seats
Spare tire, jack
AC condensor, power steering
Smaller Battery
Carpet, head liner, door panels, sun visor
Drivers Racing seat
Coilovers
Carbon Fiber hood, trunk
Lightweight rims

 

custom light weight aluminum suspension :shrug: if money is no issue. That'd be nice.

remove everything behind dash

remove bumper reinforcements, they weigh a lot.

 

There's a lot of good info out there. Look for stuff by krismax and japmaxse.

 

This is the best way to look at weight reduction for a drag car. If it does not help the car go fast in a straight line, get rid of it.

 

Hey pm me i went 13.15 n/a i got my car down to 2660 without me in it.

 

Reducing unsprung weight is really what you should be concerned about first. Lightweight wheels, aluminum ZX calipers if you do not track it heavy and CO's is a start. Then take out the AC system and basically everything in the interior.

 

what's the process like to remove these? is it something you can basically do the morning of track day kind of thing....and Im assuming this might be an issue from a road safety point of view in regards to the law

 

Pretty simple. Take the bumper cover off and you will see the bumper support. Unbolt the support and then put your cover back on.

This isn't necessarily the safest route to go for a daily driver, but for a track car why not.

I dont have bumper supports and drive my car everyday. lol

 

I've seen a completely stripped down 5.5 gen go 12.6 N/A.Then again I've seen an N/A 5.5 go 12.5 N/A with alot more weight. So low 12's should be your goal with full bolt ons and a tune.

 

Why not start with a 4th gen? Right off the bat it weighs less than a 5th gen AND a 3rd gen.

Also, I don't know if anyone's done this, but for the rear tires, use the donuts spares. Since they are so thin, mount them reverse style so they stick out, basically, get a much wider rear track to make up for the thinner tires. You get a reduction in weight AND rotational mass. Gotta be careful about spinouts though.

 

I used donut spares at the track for a little while. They were 50lbs lighter combined when compared to the stock rear wheels. That's a big difference right there.

I don't recommend it to others but it does work.

Here's a pic my car when I had it like that.

 

donut spares at the track? Are you kidding me?

 

Donut tires are ILLEGAL at most tracks due to the speed rating of 60 mph or so. The rims themselves I am sure are good for at least 100 Mph (maybe more) I have a set of 17" donuts with rear ZR rated motorcycle tires. I run them @ 50 PSI and have a contact patch of just over 1 1/2". The tires have a load rating of 800 LBS. each. Given the weight of the car and driver (3190 LBS) and the front to rear weight distribution... this setup works quite well. I also have drop springs in the front which further shift the weight of the car to the front. Finally, I have only run the car on an 1/8 mile track so I feel I am well within safety limits.

Andy

 

No I am not kidding you. People need to realize that the speed rating is for constant use.

 

I saw this in the NHRA 2012 rulebook: (PDF so can't copy-and-paste)

General Regulations ............................. Section 20, Page 28

TIRES & WHEELS:5

5:1 TIRES

Tires will be visually checked for condition, pressure, etc. and must be considered free of defects by the technical inspector prior to any run. All street tires must have a minimum of 1/16-inch tread depth. Temporary spares, space saver spares, farm implement or trailer tires prohibited. Metal, screw-in valve stems mandatory in tubeless tires, front and rear, on vehicles running 11.99 or quicker.


This doesn't say anything about or prohibit motorcycle tires, but seems to prohibit the skinny spare tires most of us carry around.

 

Yeah according to the rules they're illegal. I couldn't run them at KCIR, but at KID they didn't care.

The tech guy in the lanes asked me if my rear tires were rated for speed. I was like, hell no they're spares. He laughed and said that he was just messing with me and didn't care.

 

It's always nice to know what the rules are - but hope for a slackin' tech inspector. The motorcycle tire would be a nice lightweigh option with the right rims - and still get through tech inspection OK. Maybe save 20lbs per tire?

That was a funny question about speed ratings for tires, because drag slicks and ET Street Radials don't have one. I was kinda thinking about joining into the Texas Mile event, but they insist on speed-rated tires and I don't have any for the Shark! Just as well, I guess, because the spring event is full anyway, plus it's over 800 miles away for me, with the new location being down around Corpis Christi this year . Of all the Mile events they have the "easiest" rules, it seems. For normal cars you don't needs lots of special safety equipment.

 

Not only a weight but, but even more a rotational mass savings. Your engine works way harder spinning a 20" rim than it does a 15"

 

Yeah, I love easy tech guys
I've wanted to go watch a mile event. Think it would be pretty cool.

Yeah most people think that slicks and drag radials have a speed rating but they don't. That's usually what I tell random people at the track that come up and make fun of them on the back. lol
+1

 

Did you ever see the movie "World's Fastest Indian" ?? It's about an old guy in New Zealand who has a 1920 Indian Scout that manages to get to the Bonneville Salt Flats and run his old bike. It's a great preview of what happens at Bonneville during top-speed record attempts. It's on Netflix right now.... pretty cool stuff, and the old guy does well with the ladies.

 

It's one of my favorite movies! I love how he makes everything himself. My kind of style right there.

I am still going to put together a lightweight 4th gen drag car. Heavy dose of nitrous on a 3.5 at 2400lbs should be fun.

 

If you ever get serious about the flyweight 4th gen, I stll have my last 3.5 on a stand. Needs a replacement left bank head (which I have) for a burnt exhast valve. That's the engine pushing my car in the last three runs I made at KCIR - using old race gas and a 200-shot did it in. Have plenty of nitrous parts and IMs (including a SSIM) as well. It probably needs new timing tensioners and maybe a main chain, but the price is right - $1.00 for you.

 

That would be awesome! I will definitely start thinking about how to build this car quickly. Why does the weather in kansas have to be so cold right now?

 

Yeah, it's too cold to do anything on my car now. Maybe by April....

 

Yeah I'm thinking april.
Gonna start racing my car again too.

 

I had a Duh! moment yesterday about lightweight wheels and tires for the rear (that would not look cheesy) and guess what? lots of companies make 15x4" wheels for the front of competition cars, along with 15x4" tires. I can even match the Summit wheels I have now.

http://static.summitracing.com/globa...521-5461PS.jpg

And Mickey Thompson tires to match:

http://static.summitracing.com/globa...e/mtt-3006.jpg

 

I am kinda surprised that you were not aware of the 15x4's.... Figure $200 for the rims and $300 for the tires. It is the route I would take if I had the extra funds. I went with a setup that only cost me $20 to mount them.

 

I had no reason to look at any skinnys for the rear, since the OEM spare tires are illegal on most tracks, and I'm not towing for 200 miles to an event just to get bumped out at tech inspection. I betcha that no Maxima uses 15x4 tires on their cars on the street - and that's how I race - street legal and not street stupid - so yeah I knew about the collection of skinny front tires used by RWD cars everywhere I go racing. So after the Duh! moment I know how to mount classy matching 15x4 wheels and tires on my car if I ever decide to go that way. I probably won't do it because I don't think there is any advantage to be gained, but that's just me. Taking out the spare tire and jack and sub might be more useful.

 

Like the looks of those wheels. I have that style of summit wheels on my barracuda back in california.

 

Whatcha doing with the Barracuda? Bubble-back? with a Hemi?

 

Dude I'm doing the same thing , but going all out and cheap. I've taken everything I can off. Going to cut back half of roof/rear pillars as much of back as I can once have welded some strength bars. I'll keep you posted.

 

My 96 max had a full interior (minus passenger seat ) 2620 lbs .