needed some reliability, civility, usability, etc so I got this '02 maxima SE auto

averaging 28.2mpg since I drove it off the lot. it's the 3.5L v6 making 255hp 246tq

the 240sx is a 2.4L turbo @ 14 psi GT30R and gets 22mpg mixed



first mods are on their way to the house now: factory floor mats
I think I'll put some 35% tint on it and call it a day. Maybe some factory splash guards aka mudflaps

Any advice/info on this car? I haven't rummaged through maxima.org much

[Edited on January 8, 2008 at 10:21 AM. Reason : I'm loving the HIDs]

1/8/2008 10:21:06 AM

Grats!

1/8/2008 10:23:34 AM

Looks nice! A Maxima is a good choice in that it's "sensible" but still has some power and good looks to it.

1/8/2008 10:24:32 AM

Yeah my sis has one... torque steers like a bitch when you stomp it but i guess thats a good thing.

her's has developed a tapping noise in the valve train though

1/8/2008 11:04:27 AM

i bet it gives that 240 a run for its money.

1/8/2008 11:08:28 AM

no that 240 will spank the @#$% out of the max. For 255hp, the auto max has really bad top end. Or maybe I just got used to turbo POWR! I need to take my dad's '97 LS400 out for a full throttle run to compare next time. I think they were 260hp and 280tq? I just thought 255hp could do more than that.

See here: http://videos.streetfire.net/video/d82d1c34-2779-4a42-95b5-99e800234eba.htm
Not my car, but basically the same performance. GLE is supposedly heavier than my SE only by about 15lbs.

[Edited on January 8, 2008 at 11:35 AM. Reason : It will give it a run @ launch because I don't practice launching the 240 ]

1/8/2008 11:34:13 AM

got the 240 fixed?

1/8/2008 12:31:46 PM

yeah it's running fine now. I'm about 90% happy with the self-tune; there are still some light-throttle hiccups every now and then. And no idle air control sucks, too.

1/8/2008 12:41:20 PM

shoulda got the manual.

1/8/2008 1:09:35 PM

I always really liked those. And manual would be nice, but they are pretty hard to find especially with leather.

1/8/2008 9:24:15 PM

what a waste of a good garage!

1/8/2008 9:42:32 PM

Get an upgraded y-pipe. The one from the factory is retarded, and has a serious U shape in it.
The y-pipe has been shown repeatedly to add at least 5hp to the wheels when upgraded, which isn't bad for $200 or so. Some show 12hp increase to the wheels on a stock car.

An upgraded rear sway bar will make a huge difference as well.

1/8/2008 10:51:41 PM

Quote :

"And manual would be nice, but they are pretty hard to find especially with leather."

that and if you find one, you'll bang the shit out of your knuckles if you aren't careful shifting.

manual max's have a stupid long throw. short shift kit is mandatory.

good choice on the car.

[Edited on January 8, 2008 at 11:30 PM. Reason : sometimes i wonder if i should have gotten that instead.]

1/8/2008 11:29:46 PM

drove the same exact car back in '02. white pearl se.

great seats and great mid range torque. i would leave it stock. y-pipe is a good mod, but if you already have one toy, no need to mod the "sensible" car. friend at work has '02 with 250k on it. besides oil changes, nothing has been done.

1/9/2008 12:34:33 AM

Quote :

"'02 with 250k on it"

omg

Yeah I'll most likely leave it stock. Though I do think sounding like a 350z would be awesome (some of the time): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-N_QPF2_pk

I didn't want the automatic because my wife needs to be able to drive it. I visit my family a lot and need for them to be able to drive it too. I don't regret it one bit.

1/9/2008 8:55:33 AM

Is the manual trans really that bad? or is it only bad on the 6 speeds? I was planning on buying a 2000 with the 5 speed this afternoon. Test drove an automatic this weekend and really liked it.

1/9/2008 12:37:44 PM

Quote :

"I didn't want the automatic because my wife needs to be able to drive it"

huh

1/9/2008 12:42:46 PM

the only way is to drive it yourself.

before i bought my car, i test drove a maxima (my only other choice) and i too was curious as to why the car reviews mentioned watching your knuckles.

i found out later.

1/9/2008 12:46:07 PM

ygb

1/9/2008 1:36:00 PM

Quote :

"first mods are on their way to the house now: factory floor mats"

where did you buy these? i couldnt seem to find them cheaper than the dealer has them for

1/9/2008 1:44:11 PM

http://www.nissanpart4u.com

It's through a dealership in Duluth, GA that can get wholesale prices for any Nissan part. I saved about $15 from the retail price, but I've done business with them before and liked them. The first time, I actually picked up my parts from the dealership because I happened to be in the neighboring town (Lawrenceville) visiting family.

1/9/2008 6:40:02 PM

How accurate is the MPG meter on the car?

The prius i drove overestimated 3mpg (not bad for something in the 50s) , and the van i drove to wisconsin recently overestimated 2mpg (pretty bad ratio wise for an actual result in the low 20's).

1/10/2008 8:05:45 AM

I just filled up the tank today and will compare the two values next time I fill up

I was wondering that myself

Quote :

""I didn't want the automatic because my wife needs to be able to drive it" huh"

not everyone can drive/likes driving stickshift. It needed to be driveable between my family, my in-law family, and my sister's in-law family (yes, we asians keep it tight like that ). Between the 3 families out of ~12 women, only my mom knows how to drive manual. But she hates manual

1/10/2008 9:12:41 AM

Quote :

"I didn't want the automatic because my wife needs to be able to drive it"

= you're doin it wrong, its backwards from what you're trying to say.

1/10/2008 9:49:37 AM

Wow, you turbo'd your 240? Or is that a different one?

1/10/2008 10:58:53 AM

Quote :

"How accurate is the MPG meter on the car? The prius i drove overestimated 3mpg (not bad for something in the 50s) , and the van i drove to wisconsin recently overestimated 2mpg (pretty bad ratio wise for an actual result in the low 20's). "

The best way is still reset your tripometer every gas fil-up and calculate it yourself.

1/10/2008 12:37:48 PM

Wow what an insightful post.

I wonder how i was gauging the accuracy of the trip computer

1/10/2008 12:40:06 PM

drove the 2000 with the 5 speed last night, it is a longer shift, but no issues with busted knuckles, dont really see how that would be a problem, must be a problem on the newer 6 speeds. Nice car, it now resides in my drive way.

1/11/2008 8:52:54 AM

the dipstick is angled in such a way that you can't ever get a clean reading when you want one.

it makes me sad.

1/11/2008 1:31:50 PM

This past weekend, I got to verify (twice) how accurate the mpg gauge is in this car.

showing 26.3mpg, I actually got 22.5mpg (pretty even mix of highway/city)
showing 28.2mpg, I actually got 24.xmpg (mostly highway.. like 90%)

pretty inaccurate

[Edited on January 20, 2008 at 4:12 PM. Reason : outside temp readout is dead on, though ]

1/20/2008 4:11:22 PM

it's not uncommon for any manufacturer to be off by a few mpg. i've only experienced a handful of vehicles that were close to accurate. never one that was under. wonder why? couldn't be on purpose to make people think they're getting better mileage...

1/20/2008 4:27:24 PM

i assume you did reset the computer?

also keep in mind they're are alot of assumptions in that gas mileage reading... such as stock diameter tires etc. (even worn stock size will change it some.

1/20/2008 4:30:40 PM

Quote :

"Yeah I'll most likely leave it stock."

Yep. I wouldn't a damn thing to it. Maximas are great for what they're designed to do...spend the money on the 240sx.



and I don't see any reason it would be tough to make an accurate mpg gauge...incorporate a fuel flow sensor and a wheel speed sensor, and you're there (assuming both sensors are accurate, which isn't tough to do. the inaccuracies that exist are probably manufacturer fudge-factor).

1/20/2008 4:45:04 PM

it's not tough... one reason is most certainly the "fudge factor". the other is no doubt to give people the impression they've gotten a product that performs better than advertised. if vehicles were consistently reading less than the advertised epa numbers, they'd have a lot of retards complaining. even if it was getting better mileage in reality.

1/20/2008 4:56:29 PM

yes, mpg reading was reset both times. wheels are stock and tires should be stock size.

^^I don't think they should base it off the speed sensor, though, so that different size wheels/tires will still be accounted for. The car also logs DTE along with MPG and a few other things. DTE is "distance till empty" aka how much further your tank will last you. If that thing is accurate (which I'm not going to test ), then it'd be the ticket for MPG reading since it reads how much fuel is in your tank.

^I was pretty ecstatic to learn that I got a 28mpg car But I think it's rated 19/25 so at least it's up to par.

1/20/2008 6:28:53 PM

all of those readings are mainly based on inputs from the speed sensors (among a couple of other things).

1/20/2008 6:32:43 PM

^^ yeah, although I don't know of a better way to do it unless you had onboard GPS and took a reading from that.

1/20/2008 7:06:20 PM

Yeah, my GPS has an odometer that you can reset... most accurate way would be of course to run a full tank of gas through it, fill it back up and get gallons used and use the GPS for the miles traveled and well, I think anyone can do the math from there. I'm not sure how far off odometers are though so not entirely sure it would make a significant difference.

[Edited on January 20, 2008 at 7:16 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/20/2008 7:16:17 PM