I'm thinking for my first mods...strut tower brace for the front, larger rear sway bar out back and maybe a short throw shifter...sound good to you guys? Recommendations on brands for all three mods?

 

e-bay fstb, progress rsb, ditch the short throw save up to lower your 4x4.
take a look at the 5th gen clasifieds....there are always good deals

 

I would say short throw shifter and a K&N drop in filter along with all fluids changed.

 

I'm not dropping the car at least not right now, that will be once the loan is completely paid off if I drop it at all.

Who makes a good short throw for these cars? I haven't found ****...

 

STS = www.activetuning.com (easy install)

Id get a FSTB, RSB, DDE's (www.umnitza.com) Change the H3 fog lights to match the HID's, new suspension (consensus seems to be Tokico Illuminas/H&R springs - just ordered mine, ill let ya know). Also, change the MT fluid to the MT90 Redline (www.redlineoil.com). Youre almost due for a radiator flush, so do that and replace with the Toyota red. Also, check the brakes. Maximas love to warp rotors. Look at some PowerSlots and some Hawk HPS brake pads. If you ever need any OEM replacement parts, call Dave Burnette at Southpoint Nissan and tell him youre an Org member. His number is 888-254-6060. Also look at your tires. If they are OEM RE92's look for some new ones, the blowtenzas suck! Get some pedals and change out your in-cabin microfilter and you should be good for a while.

Oh, couple of good sites, www.optauto.com (light bulbs, PIAA wiper blades) and www.sportcompactonly.com (Steve ext 173 gives us a discount)

 

Thanks for the response, the dealer said they changed all the fluids they're going to show me the records of that, assuming they can't produce them then I'll do it myself.
As for the brakes I'll definately go with hawk and maybe some brembo blanks if I have to replace them. I wont go back to OEM brakes.
The tires are nittos I think. I had a buddy drive it since I couldn't, but I trust him and he knows his **** he said the car was in very good good shape, but not quite excellent shape. Tires had about 70% life left on them.

 

I changed my tires to the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's a little while ago. Theyre great so I can point you toward those. Also, the MT90 fluid for the MT is 1000x better than the OEM fluid so i'd do that regardless.

 

Ok, I'm in a small town so where could I find some of that MT90?

 

www.myoilshop.com

they used to offer discounts for org members. You might contact them to see. I think it takes just under 3 quarts, if I remember correctly.

 

Cool thanks, I'm waiting to hear back from dealer finance at this point. So far they haven't called me back but they said everything went through, I just hope they dont try to pull something stupid out of their butts.

 

As soon as I get my 03 6 speed, I'm getting: stage II LTB, progress springs/tokico illumina struts, fsb, rsb all suspension mods basically.

 

that all sounds good, i know exactly where you can get a REALLY cheap STS, http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....light=free+sts

 

There is a thread discussing the STS for the 6 speed further down this page of the forum. IIRC, we've discussed this with you before in the past too.

 

Tint is also a great first mod Keeps the sun from glaring in so bad and at night bright headlights don’t bother you out of the tinted windows.

 

new suspension FTW

 

And since Ican't search it makes it tough...on saturday I plan on buying a site subscription though

 

do the poor mans google search

 

haha, I forgot about that

Dealer faxed the purchase order to the credit union, everything is good pending a test drive on friday when I fly down there

I'm excited fellas

 

suspension. lower the car.

 

Why a drop in filter instead of a cold air kit?

I've read cold air kits can cause damage to the MAFs?

 

premium gas

 

I've always run premium, I just assumed it was required on the maxima

 

Manual states 91 octane, but if that is not available it is safe to run 87. Atleast that is what I recalled reading a few days ago.

 

Well yeah its definately "safe" the computer on the max works similar to how it does on any modern car in that it senses knock and will retard timing if necessary. The downside is you typically lose power and fuel consumption goes up in the process.

 

well.........just stick with the drop in. The only TRUE CAI is made by Place Racing and they really dont make them anymore, or at least, nobody carries them or can get them to carry. Also, all the dynos that have been run with them on have shown very MINIMAL gains so its just not worth it. And yes, it does, to an extent, screw with the MAF.

 

I'll second the Redline MT-90 suggestion. My car shifts easier when it's cold now, but sadly, the third gear synchro still catches a bit. It doesn't grind, it just doesn't feel as smooth as the other gears. The Redline also seems to have made my 6-speed shift nicer once it's warmed up too. Well worth the $26 delivered I paid for it.

Another thing you can do is to spray some white lithium grease into the area under your shift boot. This really made a difference in how my car shifted, and the best part of all is that it only costs a few $'s.

 

Do the 3.5 -> 3.0 engine swap. You'll save oil in the long run....

 

lol ummmmm
no?

 

Suspension FTMFW!

 

haha, yeah, I'm gonna start with the basic stuff, maybe once its paid off in 8 or 9 months I'll do some serious modding...but I doubt it knowing me. I'll probably keep shocks/springs stock. Things like brakes however will be fair game

 

Even though you said you weren't going to lower it jsut uyet....I would still vore for it.

Progress/Illumina/Headers.

 

Once you drive it with the stock suspension and see the wheel gap, you'll change your mind.

I recommend a mild brake upgrade like the 6th Gen calipers and rotors. Bigger brakes without having to worry about them fitting under your stock rims.

For a start:

STS, brakes, FSTB, RSB, poly bushings + motor mount inserts, springs/struts.

 

6th gen calipers and rotors? What about maybe 6th gen calipers and brembo blanks? Seems like I read on here a few months back that brembo blanks + hawk pads = great combo? What makes the 6th gen stuff better in terms of braking?
poly bushings for what?

One of my best friend's mom has an 02...yes I'm not a fan of the gap but at this point I dont wanna spend the dollars to lower it.

 

You can use any make rotors you want. I meant 6th Gen calipers and any 6th Gen size rotors, be it OEM, RTP, whatever. I'm not sure if Brembo even makes blanks for the 6th Gens yet.


All the bushings listed here for the 02-03 Max:

http://www.suspension.com/nissancars.htm