The Toys
The Toys
I had the afternoon off so I decided to take advantage of it and give the Maxima some much needed TLC. After she got three coats of Zaino Z5, I decided to do a little impromptu photo shoot. Of course, I had left my DSLR at work, so out came the iPhone. The pictures aren't great quality, but you'll get the idea.
1997 Maxima:
Vortech V1, MEVI, full Cattman exhaust, Emanage Blue, front and rear strut towers, Tokico Illumina struts on H&R springs, custom LED lighting, and a bunch of other stuff.
1991 Acura NSX:
Comptech Autorotor supercharger, Brembo "Indy" billet brakes, Volk LE37's, full GT-ROM 5.1 exhaust (headers, test pipes, exhaust), Tein RA coil-over suspension, a bunch of carbon fiber, far too many modifications to list.
So yeah, I like blowers. People have asked me why I don't sex up the exterior of the Max more, but when they see the NSX, all their questions are answered. It's fun having a sleeper Maxima and when I need to bring out the big guns, I drive the Acura.
Again, I apologize for the quality of the photos. I'll take some better ones tomorrow.
Enjoy!
Here is a video of the NSX on the dyno.
1997 Maxima:
Vortech V1, MEVI, full Cattman exhaust, Emanage Blue, front and rear strut towers, Tokico Illumina struts on H&R springs, custom LED lighting, and a bunch of other stuff.
1991 Acura NSX:
Comptech Autorotor supercharger, Brembo "Indy" billet brakes, Volk LE37's, full GT-ROM 5.1 exhaust (headers, test pipes, exhaust), Tein RA coil-over suspension, a bunch of carbon fiber, far too many modifications to list.
So yeah, I like blowers. People have asked me why I don't sex up the exterior of the Max more, but when they see the NSX, all their questions are answered. It's fun having a sleeper Maxima and when I need to bring out the big guns, I drive the Acura.
Again, I apologize for the quality of the photos. I'll take some better ones tomorrow.
Enjoy!
Here is a video of the NSX on the dyno.
Last edited by NousDefions; Aug 24, 2009 at 10:45 PM.
Thanks for the compliments, guys!
Here's a few more (crappy) pictures.
Under the hood of both cars:
Under the Maxima's hood: Vortech V1, MEVI, Blitz BOV
Under the NSX's hood: Comptech S/C, Comptech strut brace visible
Another angle:
Downforce Carbon Fiber / Lexan engine cover. I've been messing around with white LED's in the engine bay that switch on with the car, ala the R8, but I haven't gotten the positions perfect yet.
Here's a few more (crappy) pictures.
Under the hood of both cars:
Under the Maxima's hood: Vortech V1, MEVI, Blitz BOV
Under the NSX's hood: Comptech S/C, Comptech strut brace visible
Another angle:
Downforce Carbon Fiber / Lexan engine cover. I've been messing around with white LED's in the engine bay that switch on with the car, ala the R8, but I haven't gotten the positions perfect yet.
Nice try 
The Maxima is tuned for reliability and not the last word in performance, and I'm using a 3.33" pulley, so she's putting down 275 whp. With the Cattman exhaust she purrs like a kitten, but makes a nice little growl at WOT.
The NSX is tuned for performance and is putting down a little over 400 rwhp. Mine is also about 150 pounds lighter than stock. With the GT-ROM 5.1 exhaust and Carbon Fiber scoop intake, she growls at idle and absolutely ROARS at WOT. People hide their children when this car is wide open. My neighbors haven't completely come to grips with it yet.
While not mine, here is a video of an NSX with an identical intake, S/C, and exhaust (except for the headers... mine sound somewhat higher pitched).
Here is a video of my car on the dyno. It doesn't give a good representation of how it sounds in person because it was just so damned loud.
The Maxima is tuned for reliability and not the last word in performance, and I'm using a 3.33" pulley, so she's putting down 275 whp. With the Cattman exhaust she purrs like a kitten, but makes a nice little growl at WOT.
The NSX is tuned for performance and is putting down a little over 400 rwhp. Mine is also about 150 pounds lighter than stock. With the GT-ROM 5.1 exhaust and Carbon Fiber scoop intake, she growls at idle and absolutely ROARS at WOT. People hide their children when this car is wide open. My neighbors haven't completely come to grips with it yet.
While not mine, here is a video of an NSX with an identical intake, S/C, and exhaust (except for the headers... mine sound somewhat higher pitched).
Here is a video of my car on the dyno. It doesn't give a good representation of how it sounds in person because it was just so damned loud.
Last edited by NousDefions; Aug 24, 2009 at 09:08 PM.
The NSX, well, that's another story....
Last edited by NousDefions; Aug 24, 2009 at 10:47 PM.
I already knew the answer, though.
Here's the funny thing: if I haven't driven the NSX in a while, the Maxima feels extremely taut and well balanced, as it should. However, after a spirited bout in the NSX (which has an EXTREMELY firm clutch, a transmission that feels like a bolt action rifle, and God's own steering feel), stepping back into the Maxima evokes a few thoughts.
"Man, this steering has a lot of play!"
"Wow, the transmission is sort of loose, and requires almost no effort!"
"Is the clutch broken? There is zero effort when it engages."
I absolutely adore my Maxima and wouldn't trade it for anything, but comparing it to one of the finest sports cars ever made, at any price, isn't exactly the fairest of comparisons.
As an aside: I was really, REALLY close to pulling the trigger on a GT-R (instead of the NSX), but it just didn't have the soul that the NSX (or the Maxima, for that matter) have.
It reminds me of Yakoff Smirnoff: "In Nissan GT-R, car drive YOU!"
Last edited by NousDefions; Aug 24, 2009 at 10:47 PM.
Nice try
The Maxima is tuned for reliability and not the last word in performance, and I'm using a 3.33" pulley, so she's putting down 275 whp. With the Cattman exhaust she purrs like a kitten, but makes a nice little growl at WOT.
The NSX is tuned for performance and is putting down a little over 400 rwhp. Mine is also about 150 pounds lighter than stock. With the GT-ROM 5.1 exhaust and Carbon Fiber scoop intake, she growls at idle and absolutely ROARS at WOT. People hide their children when this car is wide open. My neighbors haven't completely come to grips with it yet.
While not mine, here is a video of an NSX with an identical intake, S/C, and exhaust (except for the headers... mine sound somewhat higher pitched).
Here is a video of my car on the dyno. It doesn't give a good representation of how it sounds in person because it was just so damned loud.
The Maxima is tuned for reliability and not the last word in performance, and I'm using a 3.33" pulley, so she's putting down 275 whp. With the Cattman exhaust she purrs like a kitten, but makes a nice little growl at WOT.
The NSX is tuned for performance and is putting down a little over 400 rwhp. Mine is also about 150 pounds lighter than stock. With the GT-ROM 5.1 exhaust and Carbon Fiber scoop intake, she growls at idle and absolutely ROARS at WOT. People hide their children when this car is wide open. My neighbors haven't completely come to grips with it yet.
While not mine, here is a video of an NSX with an identical intake, S/C, and exhaust (except for the headers... mine sound somewhat higher pitched).
Here is a video of my car on the dyno. It doesn't give a good representation of how it sounds in person because it was just so damned loud.
The exhaust note on the NSX is interesting because the 5.1 exhaust actually bypasses the mufflers as the back-pressure rises. When the throttle body is closed or nearly closed (light throttle) almost all of the exhaust gases are routed through the muffler. However, go much past that and the gases bypass the muffler entirely, resulting in an Indy-like ROAR.
Here's a picture so you get a better idea.
Now THAT is something I'd like to hear.
The exhaust note on the NSX is interesting because the 5.1 exhaust actually bypasses the mufflers as the back-pressure rises. When the throttle body is closed or nearly closed (light throttle) almost all of the exhaust gases are routed through the muffler. However, go much past that and the gases bypass the muffler entirely, resulting in an Indy-like ROAR.
The exhaust note on the NSX is interesting because the 5.1 exhaust actually bypasses the mufflers as the back-pressure rises. When the throttle body is closed or nearly closed (light throttle) almost all of the exhaust gases are routed through the muffler. However, go much past that and the gases bypass the muffler entirely, resulting in an Indy-like ROAR.
Inline sixes have amazing exhaust notes, but yeah it sounds nearly identical to that video, particularly on the downshifts and closer to redline. The lower rev range sounds a little different, though. I think mine is a little deeper. However, the sound in the video probably isn't really close to what it actually sounds like...
The bad thing it deletes (but you can tell if you are paying attention) is the really loud rasp that occurs from 2500 to about 3200 rpm... which is where the throttle is held right before the real dyno run begins. This rasp only occurs when the throttle is past 1/4 open and isn't particularly unpleasant, per se, but it can be a burden when trying to slink past neighbors in a residential area. C'est la vie.
The good thing it deletes are the absolutely glorious high-pitched overtones the exhaust creates from 5500 rpm until redline (8000). Believe me when I say that people have mistaken this car (from the sound) for a) Ferrari 355 with Tubi, b) Lamborghini Gallardo, c) "this is the car? I thought it was an old Indy Car that somebody was running on the drag strip" (which is close to my house). It sounds very Italian, but with a distinctly Japanese note to it. I absolutely adore it.
I will say this, though... I also adore the way the Cattman exhaust sounds on my Maxima. It is the perfect pitch, timbre, and volume to where I can enjoy rowing through the gears without being worried that I'm going to alert the local constabulary.
Last edited by NousDefions; Aug 27, 2009 at 01:17 AM.
The funny thing about that video is that it deletes two things: the bad and the good.
The bad thing it deletes (but you can tell if you are paying attention) is the really loud rasp that occurs from 2500 to about 3200 rpm... which is where the throttle is held right before the real dyno run begins. This rasp only occurs when the throttle is past 1/4 open and isn't particularly unpleasant, per se, but it can be a burden when trying to slink past neighbors in a residential area. C'est la vie.
The good thing it deletes are the absolutely glorious high-pitched overtones the exhaust creates from 5500 rpm until redline (8000). Believe me when I say that people have mistaken this car (from the sound) for a) Ferrari 355 with Tubi, b) Lamborghini Gallardo, c) "this is the car? I thought it was an old Indy Car that somebody was running on the drag strip" (which is close to my house). It sounds very Italian, but with a distinctly Japanese note to it. I absolutely adore it.
I will say this, though... I also adore the way the Cattman exhaust sounds on my Maxima. It is the perfect pitch, timbre, and volume to where I can enjoy rowing through the gears without being worried that I'm going to alert the local constabulary.
The bad thing it deletes (but you can tell if you are paying attention) is the really loud rasp that occurs from 2500 to about 3200 rpm... which is where the throttle is held right before the real dyno run begins. This rasp only occurs when the throttle is past 1/4 open and isn't particularly unpleasant, per se, but it can be a burden when trying to slink past neighbors in a residential area. C'est la vie.
The good thing it deletes are the absolutely glorious high-pitched overtones the exhaust creates from 5500 rpm until redline (8000). Believe me when I say that people have mistaken this car (from the sound) for a) Ferrari 355 with Tubi, b) Lamborghini Gallardo, c) "this is the car? I thought it was an old Indy Car that somebody was running on the drag strip" (which is close to my house). It sounds very Italian, but with a distinctly Japanese note to it. I absolutely adore it.
I will say this, though... I also adore the way the Cattman exhaust sounds on my Maxima. It is the perfect pitch, timbre, and volume to where I can enjoy rowing through the gears without being worried that I'm going to alert the local constabulary.
I'm still at awe at how well those NSX's hold their value. a $30k plus early 90's car is pretty impressive. The newer ones without the pop-ups are still in the high $50's low $60's range and they were made in, what, 2002-3? A very good condition, low mileage E39 M5, which cost just as much new, can be had for under $30k. The NSX is much more rare, but it's still impressive. I also love the fact that they don't look dated at all. Even the interior looks very modern. You definitely have a nice set of cars that would both eat what I consider my fast car alive. haha.
Honestly, I didn't want to deal with all of the idle issues some people have with the 00vi. I hate admitting that I went with the MEVI because it was easier, but that's what happened.
The Maxima has MORE than enough power for me right now. Any more and I'd feel like I was going to grenade the tranny (even though I know that it can hold more power).
The Maxima has MORE than enough power for me right now. Any more and I'd feel like I was going to grenade the tranny (even though I know that it can hold more power).
