Hi all, first off I want to say this is a great site you have!!! Now, for the reason I am here. I am getting married this weekend, and my future wife kinda hates my car. I have a 1997 Plymouth Neon which I have modified pretty heavily (Read as: made to be loud, uncomfortable, and vibrates alot!!) and she would rather me get something that is comfortable for her and future kids, yet still fun to drive and that I can take to the track to race. I have narrowed it down to a Maxima, an Audi A4 1.8T or a BMW M3. I'm looking to get as much information as possible about aftermarket offerings for these cars and their potential. So, for anybody out there willing to share about the potential of the 4th Gen Maxima, please give me some advice!!! So far, from browsing on here it seems like there are only a handful of bolt-ons available for these cars---mostly CAI's, y-pipes, exhausts, aluminum flywheels, etc. What are the weaknesses of this platform? Does anybody make cams for this car? How about head porting and polishing--has anybody bumped compression with aftermarket pistons? What about larger TB's? What is the fastest 1/4 mile time one can expect from a Maxima without a supercharger?
Thanx for any info anybody can share--I know i'm asking alot of questions, but i'm excited about this : )

Patrik (<---just a guy with a 14.09 second @ 94.54 MPH 1.89 60 ft. all motor Plymouth Neon)

 

Welcome Patrik. All three choices you listed will perform very well. The Audi could probably be made the quickest, but it would require a turbo upgrade. The M3 would be great, but there isn't a huge market for them. Both the Audi and BMW are prone to lots of electrical gremlins.

The 4th gen Maxima is quite a performer for the price....as long as you get a 5 speed. Reliability of these cars is great and the beating they can take is amazing. Your Neon is very quick and it sounds like to me you are running a fairly gutted car along with slicks. With a CAI, Y-pipe, catback exhaust, underdrive pulley, short throw shifter, and drag radials, lower 14s (14.2-14.3) are easily attainable with good driving, 2.1 60 foot, and good track. Full blown slicks have proved too much for a few Maximas. Typically the differential shatters. There are aftermarket "chips" out there, but they have proved little if any gains. A 40-shot of NOS will easily put you into the 13s as will the SC. Possibly gutting the car will do it too, but that takes away from having a sport luxury sedan. If you want to have a true drag racer, than the Maxima, Audi, and M3 aren't the ways to go. If you want a very quick NA sedan then the Maxima is sure to please. With the Maxima, you can have the performance WITHOUT the noise and vibration.

My car has run 14.7s@94mph (trapping as high as 95mph) with a y-pipe, b-pipe, revised stock airbox, and stock muffler. My 60 foots were higher 2.2s on street tires and I'm running at ~1000' above sea level. I'd think at a lower altitude and a 2.1 60 foot, I'd be close to some 14.3-14.4s.

Hope this helps.


Dave