Back in 1994, when the re-designed max was first introduced, say it was made with rear-wheel-drive. Do you think on the '95 5spd, it would improve the 0-60 and 1/4th times any ? I know it would be easier to launch, but if they got a good launch on the FWD, would RWD still make a difference ?

 

Ok "Say Nissan introduced the '95 Max with RWD... "

 

 

I don't think it really matters since this is all hypothetical anyway.

 

Well I would just like to know what could of been. Everyone says RWD is so good for launching, I was just wondering if it would have done any good on a car like the Maxima.

 

Jeff, could you at least give an educated guess ? I KNOW we don't have it, but I am basically asking if it would make a difference in acceleration times on the maxima and if so how much of a difference.

 

The times would probably be better. But Nissan was in position to even consider it. Cost vs what the consumer would benefit is minimal.

Most don't even give a crap which wheels are doing the driving.

 

it doesnt matter if the car is rwd or fwd as much as how much power it has...look at the 95 maxima and the 95 240, the maxima is clearly the winner because of power...

sure if you have a very powerfull rwd car it would make more sense that it would have better accelaration...thats because there is less pulling and more pushing involved as opposed to the FWD setup where the car is pulling itself. I dont know, whatever.

 

That's not the question at hand. For 205ftlbs torque, yes fwd/rwd would make a difference. I do believe sr20det 240s do much better than maximas. And they are about 200hp stock. (but lighter)

 

we would have alot better handling

 

I don't know if would help w/ the launching but it would definitely be a lot more fun to drive. Also, when I got my 95 Max I debated the 240. The 240 at the time was Nissan's best handling car. It outperformed the 300zx through turns and had a better g rating. I know this doesn't help but..... If someone did the skyline conversion wouldn't that make it rear wheel drive?

 

Sure the times would have been better do to a better weight distribution. It wouldnt not have been as front heavy. i would have estimated a 6.2 with the 5spd and a 6.9 instead of a 7.3 for the auto.

 

it wood prolly be faster but the turning woodnt be as good i guess

 

Huh The turning would probably be better if anything. The weight distribution would have changed for the better and a RWD car will tend to outhandle a FWD car.

I'm wondering if it would be faster with RWD though. Isn't there more parasitic loss through the drivetrain in RWD cars relative to FWD?

 

Good question.

I thought RWD would only make a difference in big muscle cars, not a smaller block engine like a maxima. I thought FWD could get the job done (straight line accelerating) on this car as well as RWD, or as good most of the time.

Damn, 6.2....

 

I would ossume the biggest benefit would be the handling, it will also probably be able to handle lots of power a lot better, such as S/C and NOS and stuff... But like Jeff said, most people don't care which wheels are doing the turning... Look at the crowd of buyers the maxima is targeted for. You think the average mid-40s family man looking for a nice grocery getter would give a crap if it's RWD or not? If they actually do know the difference, they might actually NOT buy the car because of that, since FWD is kind of more practical and better to some people, be it for safety reasons in snow driving or whatever..

But it would be pretty cool.. I'd just be happy if we didn't have that retarded rear beam back there and keep the independent rear, maybe even pair it with a nice LSD

 

I hear ya man, as fun and sporty as the maxima is, its still a sedan, one that geezers like.

It sucks. It's like Nissan made a sedan geared toward old people, but gave it a secret hint of sports car to make young guys like us want it. Damn them.

 

indeed :-) It's not all that sporty to start with, it can sure be made into it though Main thing that ****es me off are the rattles, stock handling and wheel gap. All can be fixed up though. Their cost cutting in 95 f-ed that up, the 3rd gens were so much better feeling stock, I'd imagine how it is with mods too bad i didn't get to them when i had mine.. but still, the VQ is beautiful, i think the car looks awesome too, especially if lowered. And with a kit/front lip? forget about it.. I think it's still hell of a sleeper, most people are surprised by them, if they don't know any better...

 

I don't agree with the turning theory. FWD cars turn better since the wheels will rotate in the direction you want to go. For heavy engines you could be right, but for ours, I don't think so. It's certainly not as fun to drive as RWD when you push it to the extremes, but that's different from handling.

As far as the theory about more loss in the drive train, I think you could well be right. We would have the extra weight from the prop shaft and more parasitics due to an additional rear axle and differential.

Why doesn't someone do a conversion and try this out?

 

Sometimes I think Maxima attracts a bolt-on mentality. If there were a Sumo Bonsai Quasi Maxima RWD conversion kit, there'd probably be a group order organized in a matter of minutes without even knowing what the heck it does, how much it costs, and what the trade-offs are. Like converting to HID--what would be the purpose except show? Aren't there better uses for that $$, like maybe the fees for the next 5 years at the gym?

The Maxima was a 10 Best in the 1995 year. It died around 98 or so. If Maxima came out as a well-redesigned car for 2000, the name could have survived and remained a prestige or desirable car. There seem to be 2 reasons why a person buys a Maxima today--low buck, high hp. That's it. King Kong was an unbelievable special effects movie for 1933. Maxima would be equiv. to the 1976 remake.

 

Yes, RWD would make a difference in the launch especially if it is modded. A RWD car can always be launched harder than a FWD car. This has to do with initial weight transfer. During launch most of the weight of the car is transfered to the rear wheels which helps to reduce wheelspin so it would lower 60' times a little. More HP would be lost before it got to the rear wheels as well as more overall weight so who knows what the ET would be.

 

Yea..it may give better launches, but it still loses more HP. I guess it would be hard to tell on an engine the size of a Maxima.

RWD burnouts just look cooler than FWD ones

 

if burnouts are all you want, go buy a ss camaro
just be carefull not to snap an axle or something.

 

i would totally disagree, turning hands down RWD given almost any conditions. FWD torque steer is horrible... especially in loser or wet conditions. RWD will spin the tires too, but at least it doesnt PULL you off the road. maxima should be FWD though, 99% of buyers want something practical, not sporty. FWD far out performs in the snow, and if someone wanted something sportscar like, they wouldnt be buying a 4 door sedan. 350Z instead

 

I just wish Nissan could have figured out a way to make the half-shafts equal lenght and at least made an LSD on option on US spec automatics (what I have). This would have virtually eliminated the hated torque steer and greatly improved the cornering by helping to pull the front end around corners...but wait, this is supposed to be a luxury car. I forgot...