Ok the last Max I had was a '97 which I sold in 2010. I had a rear sway bar and front strut bar on it.

I have a couple of questions about the 13 if I could:

1. Does the 13 use HID only for the low beam like the '12? Why is this?
2. Does the addition of the FSTB and rar sway bar still make a noticeable difference in the handling? I ask because the car looks to be larger and has a good amount of lean when on a test drive.
3. It would come with the dark hypersilver 19's, after driving for a while has anyone wished they had 18's from the premium model?
4. The CVT felt really wierd (read:different, not bad) since I have never driven a car with it before - is it better overall to live with than a shifting trans?

Thanks for reading!

 

1. I believe you can get a halogen version on the entry level maxima. If you are referring to the want of a bi-xenon low/high beam combo then you can ask Nissan that. I am assuming its because of the headlight design and cost. I would prefer it that way anyways.

2. I would do the rear sway bar. If you have the sport package with sport tuned suspension I don't think the FSTB makes a difference.

3. I would never wish I had the 18's, the 19's look better. I have an 09 maxima for 3 years now and the only think I hate bout having 19" rims is the availability of tires, most of the time u have to special order them. Some shops might even scratch your rims if they don't have the right tools, usually commercial shops have this problems rather than Custom oriented shops that sell rims.

4. Keep it in CVT mode "D-Ds" because the car actually responds better than "tiptronic mode". Better gas mileage using the CVT mode. I only use the paddle shifters to shift down coming to a stop to save in break wear.

Hope this help! The 2012's+ also have a newer version of the CVT than mine so it probably is even better.

 

Yes, only for low-beam HID, and halogen for high-beam. Unfortunately, the design is not bi-xenon.

Apparently, there's one integrated on the Sport Package. How effective it is vs an aftermarket one, I don't know.

 

I went from a 1997 Infiniti I30T ( basically the same car as your 97 Max) which I bought new to a 13 SV. IMO the entire car is so much better, I love the CVT. The car is a bit bigger than you old Max but you'll get used to it wthin hours

I bent a few 17 inch Infiniti wheels ( off a 2005 G35) so I would be carefull going over 18 inches. I bought the 5 year tire and rim warranty...........forget the exact price, around $225 I think

My only advice would be color, Crimson Black looks nice but it's a HARD color to keep clean

I had a White car for the past 16 years, hindsight being 20/20 I stick with White or a dark grey

 

1) Yes. I don't know why.
2) Sorry, no idea. I don't think the car leans much, but I've only had it about two weeks and, since it is still in the break in period, I haven't really pushed it yet.
3) I specifically chose my car over a premium because of the wheels (and spoiler), which in my opinion really make the car look special.
4) This is my first CVT and I can tell you that with this engine, it's very easy to live with. Acceleration is smooth and the power is always on tap. I haven't floored it yet, but I can tell you that plenty of power is available and instant at quarter to half throttle. It's reasonably quiet and efficient too. Better is a bit difficult to definitively say, but so far, I'm happy. I'm surprised at that because until I got my Max, I had avoided all CVT equipped cars. With a four cylinder, it might make me crazy, but with the amount of power this engine produces, I have zero complaints.

Good luck!