IS there any possible way to firm up the steering wheel? It is just too sensitive for my taste. Whenever i drive my friends honda accord V6 the steering feels very firm at high and low speeds. I believe the suspension set up is almost the same, except honda has like this extra arm in the set up. Also, i have maxspeed/gr2 combo for my suspension, but i find that there is still alot of body roll. Is there anything that i can do to stiffen up the steering and reduce body roll?

 

A Honda double wishbone suspension is completely different then what we have.

Nissan over boosted the power steering in our cars just a little. The 99 model doesn't have this issue. An adjustment was made somehow, if we knew what was changed perhaps the other 4 gens could have modded this into their cars.
If you run an agressive tire with a good suspension setup you'll feel more planted to the road. Thats pretty much all you can do with the power steering in your car.

 

you could remove the power steering, but I wouldn't recommend it!!!..

 

i think its too loose in my 99, but than again i am coming from driving a prelude. when i put on a fstb i noticed a lot more response and stability.

 

a guy on here not to long ago made a splitter(sp) for his car and he said it made a hudge difference at anything 50-55 mph or higher. He said he really felt planted to the ground. Just look for the thread. Hope this helps.

 

I really doubt that this spliter was effective. I'm of the opinion that rear downforce is needed in conjuntion with front. The rear gets squirly under moderate braking turns much before the front starts to push. But then again, I'm running a RSB as far out as I can get the brackets.

 

there are many factors that affect steering feel...in 99, they did change the rack and pinion ratio which makes it feel a little tighter....and stiffer and is less boosted overall...but the kind of tires you have on as well as their pressures can make a huge difference in steering tightness in my experiences...as well as alignment specs, and suspension mods....I hear the WS subframe connectors make the biggest difference in overall feel of the car and being "planted" as many people describe it here...I don't have those yet or the blemhco LTB either, but I will soon hopefully...but I have everything else you could possibly do suspension wise...going from my old crappy kumho's to my new goodyear eagle f1 gs-d3's of the same size (235/45/17) actually resulted in much easier steering suprisingly and that's with more aggressive alignment specs dialed in...I am guessing the kumhos were getting low on tred...so there was actually more rubber on the ground, making the steering stiffer...

 

Daymn that sucks we cant do much about the steering softness. Why didn't nissan use a double wish bone, doesnt it handle alot better? It seems that on the 4th gen nissan didnt think much about the suspension set up...c'mon a rear beam is just ****ty when it comes to handling. Where can i get the WS subframe connectors ? and how much will it cost? I like my maxima alot except for the handling. I guess i cant expect it to handle like my little civic i replaced it with, but i would like it to be decent. Also i hear that a FSTB doesnt do jack and is a waste of money.

 

Glad I didn't get a '98 now that I've learned about the power steering improvements in the '99. My steering is tight and responsive. Not to mention the '97-'99 SE steering wheel is the hottest steering wheel in the history of the automobile.

 

Install Energy suspension sway bar and end link bushings. Cheap, and it does make nice difference in steering feel. FSTB would help to. But my Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 make the biggest difference, the steering is easy in parking but taking long sweeping curves on expressway is pure pleasure.

I was debating for while on swaping out 99 steering rack into my 97 , but i'm not sure if it would bolt right on.....

Nick.

 

The change wasn't made only on the 99 SEs. it was changed starting in 97 model year cars on the SE models. It was done to the steering rack itself; the power steering pump is the same for all years including 5th gens. If you need clarification call your dealer and ask for the part #s for the 97 SE rack and a 99 SE rack; its the SAME. 95-99 GXE/GLE and 95-96 SE models use the same rack.

If you are mechanically inclined try swapping out the racks (no labor $$$)... unless you already have a 97-99 SE model.

I installed the FSTB, ES endlink bushings, and sway bar bushings. I noticed the steering to be tighter and more direct after each mod. I had an ebay FSTB and installed the beefy looking one in my sig pic and I felt an even noticeable difference on top of the ebay FSTB.

Also alignment plays a huge factor check and make sure everything's within spec. Caster affects steering so if you have a bent LCA or something on one side or both it will affect the steering feel, or if one side has negative camber and the other has positive or incorrect toe readings etc.

 

i'm on maxspeed/tokico HP (front)/kyb rear, FSTB, RSB, RSTB, and energy suspension complete bushings. 235/45/ZR17 kumho 712 in CALI.

even with all those suspension mod my handling improved, yet it still feels like a boat. mostly i still feel some body roll with maxspeed (the drop is not low enough for me anymore). i'm waiting on my sprint springs and expecting additional improvements.

those are just all IMO.

 

This is my 1st Maxima, I have owned Acuras, Hondas, BMWs, an Audi, a Saab and God only knows what else. I am a little older than most of you! Every car has its strengths and weaknesses, and there is no perfect set-up unless you have way more money than most of us (meaning something like a new BMW M5)

Honda handling is hard to beat, just the right steering effort most of the time. Same for BMW. But nowhere in the Honda/Acura lineup is a car with a V6 mated to a 5 speed that can keep up with a stock Maxima. BMW yes, but my experience is the repairs and upkeep will send you to the poor house.

I wish a bolt on steering mod was available for the Max. Mine is overboosted on lower speed spirited cornering. Such is life in the imperfect world of cars.

 

Dont the control arm bushings make a big difference too? I had my inners replaced on my 94 SE by NTB. I had nowhere else to go, so I stuck around and watched the procedure. The guy had to take both Control arms off the car and impact wrench the old bushings out with the control arms in a vice grip. Basically it looked really labor-intensive, and the guy was having some difficulties. Has anyone done here done inner or outer control arm bushings themselves?

 

okay....I hear the WS subframe connectors and matt blehm LTB gets rid of that infamous "boat" feeling which is simply just a weak, soft chassis...nothing will get rid of it all without custom making a chassis for our cars....only a millionaire should do that...you might as well spend money on another car...

secondly, every honda I have ever driven has nowhere near handled as good as my maxima...most of you are simply discussing feel of the car to determine how well your maxima's handle....suspension and alignment tuning is a very touchy issue and requires a professional...most of just bought something and bolted it right up and expected our cars to handle like true sport coupes made in 2004...not gonna happen...it takes time, selecting the proper parts, and tuning them appropriately...

third of all, most of us do not race so we don't know how much our 4th gens really do have in potential....I know countless autoX'ers and track maximas that are suprising the hell out of all the competition day in and day out passing them through the turns and posting some very competitive autoX times!!! so don't count out our 4th gens suspension yet....cause properly tuned and dialed in....and when you fix the weakest link in our cars suspension/handling------the chassis flex...our cars will shock you...

if you don't believe it, come with me to an autoX sometime where I post some of the best #'s competing against MR2's, civic SI's, integra GSR's, 240sx, 300zx's...and I keep up with suspension modded 300ZX's and 240SX's and RSX Type S's through our local canyons!!!

if you really want the absolute best steering feel possible...(like a race car) take out your power steering....but I don't recommend it...although that would shed a good deal of weight which will also increase handling

most of you prolly just need to up your tire pressures and make your car feel more alive around the twisties....

it's really all about the driver and tuning things correctly...the feel is not there cause most of our cars are pretty old right about now so they can't feel like new!

 

Happyricefob, I really think that your expecations of the Maxima are skewed if you have all that stuff and you still think it feels like a boat. You are either comparing it to a $50+K handling minded car or you have something wrong. Let me know which it is.

To those that feel the steering is overboosted, I disagree. In low speed s manuvers the car doesn't turn as much as needed without changing hand positions. I agree that the overall feel is very loose in straight line driving but it certainly isn't over-sensative or overboosted at low speed.

passEMonTHErite, LCA bushings are a fairly difficult procedure but only fairly. The easy way to do it is by burning it out. Its not that hard and certainly doesn't get hot enough to lessen the structural integrity of the part. Just grab some lighter fluid and watch it burn. Press in the new one with a vice and your done. The pros won't do it that way because it certainly isn't proper but it is simple.

 

consider this....the infamous Haichi Roku (AE86) has a solid beam rear axle!!!

 

I'm not trying to shoot down the maxima...i own one, but i doubt it can out handle a Honda. I used to have a civic hatchback with basic suspension mods and that thing stuck to the road. But a civic isnt comparable to a Maxima, but my friends Honda Accord V6 is comparable . There are two differnet suspension set ups and the double wishbone is just so much better as far as handling and steering response. The maxima only has one alignment adjustment and i believe that is the toe, so how can it be touchy as far as the suspension? So do you know where i can get the WS subframe connectors and matt blehm LTB?

 

when I said touchy...I meant in respect to tuning suspension properly on any car...no everyone is happy with every setup...but it does take a lot of time and effort to get it to where the driver feels best! I hope you mean the maxima only has one alignment adjustment in the rear only...cause the front is a lot more adjustable than just toe....I'll agree on the steering response of the double wishbone suspension and handling potential....however, all of that seems to disappear in my rear view mirror at Willow springs as I pass all the hondas out there (and Willow springs is a twisty course, not a straight line)!!!

additionally, if the AE86 made it this far and is still honored as one of the most well respected....best handling drift and grip cars...with a solid beam rear setup...then I'll take my max and work with it

the WS subrame connectors you would buy directly from WS....call them up:
866-801-9338

the Blehmco LTB you can order from Matt Blehm's site:
www.mattblehm.com
currently he is redesigning them however so they can be used for those of us blessed with the cattman headers...they will fit fine for everyone else though!

 

i def feel better handling in my 02 accord, makes my max feels sloppy , maybe its jsut old feel bit more confortable corning higher speed in my accord and going 100+ too, but i still love the max the accord rarely see 100 lol
i picked up a illumina kit, 18", hopefully it will help

 

with my Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires , the steering at parking speeds feel light and easy to turn , but whenever i pick up speed the front gets literally glued to the road and steering gets so tight and firm - I love it - tires make the most dramatic difference with the way car feels and handles.

invest some $$$ in good set of tires and you'll lave driving your Maxima again.

Nick.