I'm planning on getting a 4 gen maxima for my first car for my 18th birthday, but I'm a little confused about some of the comments here. I'm suprised that people are saying that a catback or an intake dosn't do anything for performance. I would never get the intake because it's so impractical and it would be hypocritical, seeing as how I hate ricers, but won't a catback with a good flowmaster do anything? I mean a y pipe would reduce backpressure just like the catback. I'm thinking of converting the pipe into 3" from the cat and running it through a dual outlet 50 series, which isn't that loud and I like the bmw like dual tips. Would I get any kind of performance boost? If not I may have to look for a different car, because I want a solid 7 sec 0-60 without expensive mods. Any suggestions? Also how do the nissan v6s compare to the 4s in reliability? I know someone who had a altima and nothing but problems.
Thanks

 

my maxima runs perfect, 193,000 miles, take care of it itll last forever, and as for 7 flat, the 5 speed stick does 0-60 in 6.6 so you dont have to worry about that, if thats your goal then you are done.

 

you have about a thousand choices for exhaust. if you want the most out of it, do the exhaust from the y-pipe to the muffler. if you want the most bang for your buck, get the y-pipe. if you have a lot of money to burn, get headers as well.

i would suggest you get a warpspeed y-pipe, custom 2.5" mandrel bent catback exhaust (3" is basically pointless if you don't have boost), a resonator, and the muffler of your choice. This is the most cost-effective and gives the highest gains. Dual exhaust would look nice, but I've been told there are clearance issues that make this difficult.

as for reliability, the VQ30 is outstanding. if you keep up with maintenance, it should last at least 250,000 miles

go with the maxima, you won't regret it...

 

The problem is it would have to be an automatic. I mean dual tips on one side only.

 

AUTO?!??!?! omg no.

 

Even in an auto it should only run a little over 7 for 0-60, why cant you get a 5 speed?

 

It would sux to drive a manual here in chicago. Bumper to bumper traiffic. Also I kind of wanted to start with an auto and move up to a manual.

 

This is my second car, i got a 5 speed, i dont think i could ever go back to Auto... Get Manual. its soooo much better, as for the traffic i used to live in boston, you get used to it, once you are comfortable driving it, its really not an issue.

 

Well then what does the 0 - 60 matter if ur driving through bumper to bumper traffic. If you don't get a 5 speed you will be kicking urself forever. The auto has a crappy trans and shifts way to slow/sloppy i would never get an auto max, but i would (if i had money) have at least 3 4th gen 5 speeds. (one boosted, one nitrous'ed, one all motor)

I like a lil variety

 

Reliability? I've got 155k miles on my '99 Max SE (5-spd) and overall I haven't had too many problems. I've replaced 1 coil, 1 knock sensor, 1 O2 sensor (see my thread on this one), and a set of tires. It still looks and runs good. Definitely get the 5-speed - unless you don't want to have fun driving your car.

(edited a typo on the mileage - it's 155,000, not 255,000 - sorry)

 

get the 5spd. its more fun and you will feel more power over the auto.
trust us, with experience. Many of us here will tell you that "I wish my maxima was a 5spd" (except me) =), i already have a 5spd.
and if you ask all those who picked an auto for the same reason as you, they are all regreting that they did not get a 5spd.

 

I could only afford to get a 95-97 now, but I heard the manual on those is garbage. I was hoping to get up to 5pd performance with some modding but it seems everything in this car is so efficent that basic mods like exhaust just wont do anything. I could always get the auto and rev it in neutral at the lights...

 

You can't do a true dual setup...no room to run a second pipe under the driverside. You can still do a dual exit like this (courtesy of Ant96GLE).

As for the manual on a 95 being garbage, I wouldn't say that they are all garbage. Hey I can say all Ford cars are garbage. You just need to read the 4th gen FAQs and stickies more before you make your decision. Don't base your decisions on heresay because if everyone did, noone would be buying Fords, I still wouldn't however. I have a 95 5-speed on original clutch, absolutely no tranny work since new, original internals, no leaks at 138k miles and no slippage or any problems whatsoever....yet.

 

I have an auto only because it was really my only option and the right price being as their is not much in the way of selection where I live, trust me when I say I would love to trade it for a 5 speed.

 

i wish i had a 5spd, my car is slow, and doofy. no point of getting a max if its autio, i blew my tranny at 75k. trust me i said the same thing, i should start with auto then move on up, i regret that!!!!

 

hehe... 5 speed 4th gen maxies are nothing but fun.

 

and a true dual set-up can be achieved its just that you would have to bang the living hell out of your wheel well to get it even. also if you did do that mounting it is a bit tough

 

I did mean dual tips on one side, coming out of one muffler. Has anyone done that? I havent seen any pictures of one on a Maxima. I don't mean the cheap bent dual tips, but a flowmaster with dual out. Personally I think it looks awesome, like a bmw exhaust.

 

by wheel well i mean spare tire spot sorry long day

 

I should have said that a straight bolt-on dual setup won't work w/o all the work mentioned.

 

It'll look out of place. The cutout on the bottomside of the rear bumper is half-round which will nicely flow with a single tip, perhaps 3". Had it been a half-oval cutout, I'd say it would look good. I had a friend with a 3rd gen with dual tips on flowmaster, looks fugly! A few months later, he took it off and tried to sell it to me.......what an insult.

 

7 second 0-60....I can do that now so thats not a problem at all.

 

i went from 3rd gen 5spd to 4th gen auto to 4th gen 5spd.....u will KILL YOURSELF if u go auto.....it was was worst 2.5 yrs of driving....as far as exhaust go from y-pipe to muffler....warpspeed has a good deal or go all custom mandrel bends like i did it cost me less than 100 bux.....but i also worked at a muffler shop so no labor charge

 

Follow these guys' advice and get a 5spd. I have an autotragic now, and I hate it! I love my car, but I hate my tranny. If you get an auto, you will regret it soon enough.

 

im enjoying my auto... i hate the lag in shifting up or down. its so dang fuel efficient always wanting to shift all the way to 4th gear no matter what speed youre going. my next car will be a 5spd for sure. gotta learn how first...

the vq is one of THE best produced japanese v6's on the market. reliable, strong, durable, good power output. why do you think nissan chose it to be their flagship? with regular maintainance, the engine should run you at least 200k and still give you sufficient gas mileage. plus you cant really compare an I-4 to a V6.

 

holy ****, so much automatic trans. bashing in this thread.

it's not that bad.. damn. you're all gonna scare the hell out of this guy.
he's obviously interested in a maxima, but he can't get a 5 speed right now. all this talk is probably going to make him go buy another type of car.

to the original poster: there's nothing wrong with the auto transmission on our cars... it's obviously going to run somewhat slower than a 5 speed, but if you're interested in an auto maxima, don't let these guys change your mind to an accord or something just because they love their 5 speeds so much.

I have a '96 auto and enjoy every minute of driving my car. you're going to feel the same way whether you go 5spd or auto.

 

i wouldnt get an auto. i have one and its kinda sad how much more potential and how much of a differnce a 5 spd has. drive both and there liek 2 differnt cars. i didnt have a choice really i had 4500 to get one tax included and all the stupid stuff about a year ago mabye more. it had 105000 on it so i think i got a good deal . but i really wish i could have gotten a 5 speed... sigh

 

your best friend http://maxmods.dyndns.org/

 

Life isn't all about 0-60 and quarter mile times. Not everyone races from light to light. Take your time and enjoy the ride.

 

i drove some nissan manuals before, and i found the clutch and shifter to be quite rigid and uncomfy, compared to some smooth shifting hondas.....

although i have a vq35 auto, its still quick enough for me thus far.

 

You will have fun either way, but I have a 97 5spd, run auto-x and NASA, and with the 5spd you can get into the top 5 of SCCA GS, on street tires, providing there isn't more than 5 mini's entered (of course THEY run R-compound rubber). If you really enjoy driving, the 5 spd will give you more control of what's going on, although the max is not set up very well for heel&toe'ing. I also have a K&N, I think it does something for performance, even if it's not a HUGE difference. IF you're going to do mods, it will make more of a difference with a 5spd.

 

[QUOTE=odw777] I'm suprised that people are saying that a catback or an intake dosn't do anything for performance. I would never get the intake because it's so impractical and it would be hypocritical, seeing as how I hate ricers

THE INTAKE WOULD BE THE BEST PERFORMANCE MOD TO GET IN MY OPINION. I RAN A 15.4 AT THE DRAGSTRIP STOCK AND I RAN A 15.0 W/ JUST ADDING AN INTAKE. NOT TO MENTION IT IS THE BEST SOUNDING BOLT ON YOU EVER HEARD ON A MAXIMA. IT DOESNT SOUND RICEY...AND ITS QUIET UNLESS YOU ARE ON THE GAS HARD. I WOULD DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY DRASTIC DECISIONS OF WHAT NOT TO BUY.

 

Intakes do very little for maximas in terms of horsepower, hacking the stock airbox yields much better results in terms of driveablitity. I would get a y-pipe before anything else that is what will give you the most horsepower for the lowest $ amount.

 

Don't let the "manual or die!" crowd scare you off of an auto Max if that's what you think you'd prefer. However, just be forwarned that you will probably wish you had a manual not too long afterwards if performance is what you're after. At your age, a manual makes more sense. If you just don't know how to drive a manual then by all means buy an auto and trade up later.

You won't be sorry you bought a Maxima though, these engines are silky smooth butter cream awesome. Things "around" the engine may fail, but the engines themselves are pretty much bullet proof.

Bottom line: You will get the most out of the engine with a manual, but you will still enjoy a Maxima with auto.

 

i'm gonna add to the 5spd guys... i have a 97 se 5spd and its the best decision i ever made... having driven it i will never go back to an automatic transmission, 5spds r way too much fun

 

Ypipe/lightweight Rims 16 Inch/ecu Upgrade >> Job Well Done !

 

Here's a valid opinion........

I owned a '95 SE auto, bought it back in 96. I had a 3rd Gen before that and the 4th Gen was a very nice step up for me. However, the auto lagged it was so annoying. My friend who was driving a late model chevrolet sedan (V6) would constantly whoop my *** on 1/4 mile races. I only had a HAI, nothing else. He was bone stock. I wanted a 5-speed badly which is why I have my other 95 SE 5-speed now. Brings nothing but smile to my face, everytime.

If your concerned about 0-60 times, which seems like you are, get a 5speed and you will more than beat your 7 second goal. I'm not into street or track racing like I used to but I still prefer 5-speed over auto anyday.

 

think of it like this...you could always get a 5spd swap done...people here made it easy enough with the write up and pics....I plan on doing it one week in the summer...I don't hate driving my auto, but 5spd would be alot more fun. It's not the worst thing in the world to drive an automatic, you could be driving an automatic HONDA...

 

Maybe he wants to live his life "one quarter mile at a time?" "For that ten seconds or less........" j/k

(Bad joke, I know)

To answer your question... Yes, a good y-pipe/catback will give you a noticeable performance gain. After you get used to the car, enjoy it for a year or two, start saving your pennies for a supercharger. You'll gain a nice 80 HP right off the bat! You'll have yourself a fast 4 door sleeper.

As far as reliability, the maxima is just as reliable as the 4 bangers. You take care of it, and it will take care of you.

Search cardomain.com and you'll see a handfull of maxima owners with the dual exhuast tip setup you're talking about.

Hope that helps.

James

 

I Know This Is A Little Off Topic But I Got Alot Of Horses Just From The Intake. I Ran A 15.4 Stock And A 15.0 In The Quarter W/ Just An Intake. Since Then I Have Added Headers, Y-pipe, High Flow Cat And Cat-back, Underdrive Pulleys And Lightened Flywheel And I Am Still Just Running A 14.5. The Intake Alone Did As Much For Me As Everything Else Did. I Dont Know Why But I Was Wondering If Anyone Else Had A Breakdown Of How Much Faster Their Mods Made Them Piece By Piece.