Has anyone notice any difference between the 4 wheel independent suspension on a 3rd gen compared to the rear multilink beam on the 4th gen? Would the 3rd gen handle better?

 

Yes, there is a difference. But of course the 4th gen guys are going to come on here and defend there honor Ask thezcarguy his 97 SE is fully modded when it comes to suspension, compared to my stock 10 year old suspension.

 

I use to have a 5th gen before I totaled it and that multilink thing was such a pain! The back end would loose traction and slip everytime I would do a tight turn so I was wondering if the 3rd gen would be better since theirs is 4 wheel independent instead of the mulilink rear.

 

Yes it is better hands down, the beam works good on a very flat surface, but we are in America, and our roads are very shiety! Like they say in the domestic world "every true sports car has independent suspesion"

 

Independent suspension is much better..

I had a 93 SE before my current 98 GXE and it had over 40k miles more and was 5 years older, had a really beat up suspension, front struts in terrible shape and it still handled better than my 98 handles even with the strut bar.. oh well..
on a flat surface it is nice, it's like on rails, if you make it stiffer with springs and struts, along with the fstb and Rsb.. it is great.. but on bad roads the rear starts to swing out, plus it feels too solid in the back, no flex.. the 3rd gen is good on that.. but the 4th gen has other perks

 

Yeah that's what I thought... I want to either get a 3rd or 4th gen but after what happened to my 5th gen, I don't know if I want to get the 4th with that multilink thing and the 5th is out of the question since I can't afford it...

 

If you get a 3rd gen, make sure you get a VE 5 speed 92-94 SE.

 

That's what I'm aiming for... A 3rd gen. I don't care if the 4th gen is faster. My 5th gen was great. Always killing these mustang GT and stuff but all that ended cause I lost control because the stupid rear slipped, hit the curb and rolled 5 times. It's like that car was great to drive but around curves it was horrible. Why don't the make Maxima's like they use to?

 

VE 5 speed is just as fast as a 4th or 5th gen 5 speed.

 

I knw its too late, but you should have gotten the RSB.

DW

 

Put then you put a RSB on a 3rd gen!

 

To me the 3rd gens have way to much body lean in corners and are floaty like a Cadillac on the Highway especially the GXE. I see them bouncing around like a Caddy, my old 93 did from day one. To me the 4th gen especially the SE takes turns with way less body lean, but when it starts hitting rough surfaces 3rd gen wins over My 97 and 02 Se's.

 

Well that is because all of them you see have some suspension that is as old as a caddy. Blown struts will make a car bounce.

 

1994 Nissan Maxima SE |8.8| 16.7 Automatic
1992 Nissan Maxima SE |7.3| 15.7 Manual

Vs.

1995 Nissan Maxima SE |6.6| 15.2 @ 92 Manual


Are you saying that the 1992 SE 5spd will do 0-60 in 6.6 seconds, and the 1/4th in 14.9-15.2 ? I know the mags are usually off and I know certain 3rd gens can be close to 4th gens, but...?

My 4th Gen handles GREAT on smooth roads and on-off ramps. Sticks like glue to the road. It's on up or down hill turns with uneveness that my back end skips around...it's so annoying.

 

Yes, we are. wherever you got the 15.7, it's incorrect. stock VE 5 spd runs around 15.2.
I've got only an intake and UDP and ran a 15.0 with a bad launch.

 

I had mine brand new and it had alot of float(up down motion) on the road I remember this from them when they were new, this is typical for third Gen Gxe's

 

I must be doing something wrong because I can't provoke the rear of my 4th gen to "swing out" in tight and bumpy turns. Only when I had my old RSB set to max stiffness was I able to kick the rearend out on lift throttle on a tight and SMOOTH sweeper. I should note that I don't push my car hard in bumpy turns. That's just plain stupid. I don't care if you have an independant suspension either, you'll get into trouble. My buddy about killed me and himself when he laid into the throttle thru a slightly bumpy entrance ramp in his Supra TT.

Like any car with a beam axle or live axle, the 4th+ gen Maxima exhibits a bit of wobbling and rocking back and forth in tight turns. These motions become worse when you lower the car (less suspension travel). HOWEVER, upon adding SFCs, the motions are nearly all gone. It's amazing. I had no idea that much of the rocking is actually the chassis flexing at the control arm points below the rear doors. Any 3rd gener riding in my 4th gen would be hard pressed to find flaws my car's handling characteristics in bumpy turns. The car is very stable. My biggest complaint about the beam axle is that it is harsher over bumps. Again, with the lower suspension, things are amplified.

Would I rather have an IRS? Does the Pope where a funny hat?

With that said, the 4th gen beam axle is actually as hightech as you can get for a "low tech" setup. It handles amazingly well. One thing that's really nice is that on very tight turns, the beam actually will give you a quicker turn-in due to the geometry of the setup, almost like a 4 wheel steering setup. I've never felt a car do what my 4th gen can do in tight 30mph 90 degree turns.


Dave

 

Or do what I do on cloverleafs... use a little bit of left-foot braking while staying on the throttle. Helps induce some oversteer. Although a few times I've had self-induced cardiac arreest by being a tad too left-foot happy.

 

This is how I replied the other day to someones post. He was asking why his rear was getting loose when cornering on rough surface:

Hard cornering+ bumpy road+ 4th gen rear suspension= your problem

my 92 SE 5spd handled much smoother through bumps, due to the independent rear suspension.


In my opinion the 92-94 SE handels better than the 4th gen SE's.

Without a doubt they do through the bumps!!

 

Maybe I'm crazy around turns or something. I like to make 90 degree turns at like 45-50 mph. Also when I go at a faster speed (around 60)while slightly turning, the back wheels in my 5th gen always screeched and slipped like crazy. That multilink beam was such a pain in the butt! Every other car I drive never have that problem. I had a stock 86 cressida and now I'm currently driving a stock 95 integra gsr and both don't have that bad of handling. I'm saving up for another max cause I love them but I don't think I want one with the multilink beam because of my driving experiences with it.

 

Independent rear my foot... stock for stock, 3rd vs 4th...4th gen suspension wins. My aunts 98 SE w/ stock suspension, it rides so smooth and crisp; going through turns it felt like it was "bolted to the road", very precise. My 92 SE with stock suspension? Heh, body roll galore in every dam turn


(ps cant bring my 5th gen suspension opinion into this comparison, ive never took one for a "real drive")

 

My 92 gxe handles much better than my mom's 95 gle. There is no comparison in cornering, but I also feel that my 92's suspension is stiffer and keeps the car better in control. Also, I believe that R&T tested the 92-94 SE 5spd at 0-60 in 6.7 seconds.

 

once again 10 year old suspension.

 

and i thought that the 3rd gen was supposed to be "way ahead of its time"...?

 

It very much is, but I think it is impossible to make struts that last 10 years, dont you? That is like making tires that last forever.