I have about 200 miles on 'refreshed' suspension. I'm not new to car suspensions as I auto cross w/ my GP and have built the suspension on it myself.

On, the maxima today I was going 75 down the interstate and a semi trailer blew a tire in front of me and I made very evasive move, to miss the huge tread flying through the air, to the paved shoulder on the right. I was in the right lane.

In doing so, I was surprised by the cars reaction time, but when I put the car back straight to make sure I had control before moving back left to my lane, the back end didn't follow and stepped out on me about...I don't know, a foot or two to the right, and I then had to correct that move. it then settled into a straight line and I went on my merry way, with a slightly raised heartbeat.

I'm not saying I'm a pro driver, but I'm sure the auto X experience helped me not spin out. I'm guessing a 'normal' driver would have swerved around it and when correcting back to the left, the rear end would have snapped around pretty hard. It sure felt like it wanted to go around.

I have never had the rearend on my GP step out like that and it has a VERY tight suspension. I never expected the Maxima to do what it did. I would like to fix that issue.

Currently, in the last 200 miles, I've put
H&R springs on
KYB struts
front sway bar endlinks
ES poly front control arm bushings
Brand new Continental DWS tires
Subframe collar DIY washers

I have planned:
front sway bar ES poly bushings
rear control arm EX poly bushings
F&R strut bars.


Would what I have planned fix the issue I ran into today?

 

Everything you listed won't help that issue much. Your best bet is a rear sway bar.

 

I kinda figured. I guess I'll have to see how much one is.

I do know that with as tight as my GP is in the rear, it will step out on me, but it is very controllable and not a snap like the maxima today.

 

I think you are on the right path. ES trailing arm bushings should help. I know it firmed up a good amount of the rear end slop I had experienced on/off interstate ramps and moving over uneven roads. Rear Sway bar definately will help.

Keep in mind Maximas all have a fat a$$. Hence why my wife affectionately named my '03 Monique.

You must have absolutely been throwing that car sideways. I have never got the rear end to spin out on me in a maxima on dry pavement, even in stock form. Now, damp/wet....certainly when being overly aggressive.

Glad you're okay and managed it!

 

i don't think you would like a RSB on the max if you experienced snap oversteer already with out one.

like Chris Greg said glad your ok and managed it

 

Hmmm, that was not my understanding of the overall effectiveness of a RSB. the bar is designed to reduce body roll. When the car is turning, lateral forces push opposite the direction turning. As roll increases, there is some lift which begins to occure with the tires on the inside of the turn, reducing traction. Inherently, increased load is placed on the outside tire. With enough lateral force, that tire can be overwhelmed and lose grip, resulting in spin out.

This is why it is expected when traveling interstate on/off ramps, there is a reduction of tire squeel after sway bar installation. Even though we have a solid rear beam, these dynamics still hold true.

So I'm confused, how does ES bushings (slop) and rsb NOT help in this situation?

 

Out of curiosity, have you replaced your engine mounts? I ask because "squirelly" certainly describes my car's behaviour prior to replacing mine. I query more as a suggestion that you consider replacing them if you have not already done so as our engine mounts are known to deteriorate. Given the other upgrades/maintenance you're done it could well be worthwhile, however I'm not suggesting it's the cause of your tail happiness.
Cheers

 

Glad you managed it well and it's all good. I crashed my very first car (95 green Camry) in a very similar situation when I was 17 years old. I lived in Brooklyn, NY at the time and was going way too fast down an avenue when some ***** blew through a stop sign crossing over the avenue from one of the streets.
I made a quick evasive move, and never got the car back. It had so much roll at 60mph that the rear snapped back and forth on me several times before completely spinning out the car. The parked cars on that avenue did not have a good fate that night.

I was 17 years old and had terrible driving skill at the time, but this accident did teach me a huge lesson on how to drive FWD sedans. Later on in life, after I drove an M3 and saw how that car handled plus how it just wouldn't let you lose it with the computer, I realized that you can never drive a FWD sedan the same way or not even close, especially one without a real good stability control system unless you're really experienced with said car and are an excellent driver.

IMO the problem with the Maxima is the rear beam design, if we had independent setup in the back our cars would handle way better, especially with a thick RSB on there. But with the beam, it's just gonna make the rear slide in certain situations and you can't really fix it fully (you can definitely make it way better w/ suspension work), and a rear sway bar on our beam can actually make it worse, you really don't wanna make that thing any tighter because the initial problem is that the beam doesn't provide enough independent wheel movement to begin with.