Nissan Maxima: i30 vs. i30t

"E. Meyer" <org> wrote in message news:BCEA9BAD.82CFB%org... 

IMO, the best thing you could do for the handling of either an I30 or an I30t
is add a front strut-tower brace. Costs around $40-$150 depending on the model,
and it only takes a few minutes to install. Improves handling without hurting the
ride (unlike stiffer springs/shocks).

Can't answer your other question. At one time I knew what the difference was
between the sporty trim level and not. Wheels, tires and either struts or springs,
but I've forgotten. I agree the sporty trim level does feel sportier, but I'd still start
with the strut-tower brace.

Peek underneath and look if the 't' has a rear sway bar that the other
doesn't. That's probably 2nd most important compared to the front strut
tower bar.

Dave

"E. Meyer" <org> wrote in message
news:BCEA9BAD.82CFB%org... 
simply 
and 
up 

David Geesaman wrote: 
ALL 1995-1999 Maximas and I30s have a front and rear sway bar. The rear
sway bar is hidden, as it is located inside the mutli link beam, but
it's there.

To answer the original poster's questions, And I30t is basically what a
Maxima SE is to a GLE/GXE, the main difference being bigger wheels and,
believe it or not, stiffer rear springs. The fronts are the same. I'm
95% sure of this, but you may want to check maxima.org looking for
differences between the Max SE and GLE/GXE to be absolutely certain.

On a slightly different note, I really really really wish
Nissan/Infiniti made an I35t with bigger wheels and the 6 speed manual.
THAT would have been an awesome product. The Maxima 6 speed is nice, but
the I35T would have finessed it

CD

On 6/7/04 11:47 PM, in article de, "David"
<com> wrote:
 

Both of them already have FSTBs.

On 6/8/04 8:00 AM, in article ca4cvm$2kcg$interpublic.com, "codifus"
<net> wrote:
 

Thank you. You confirmed my suspicions and a careful look at the spec pages
in the factory service manual seems to verify it. It shows different front
springs if it is automatic or manual (bigger springs on the automatic), and
different springs on the rear are marked interestingly "SE" and "all but SE"
(yes, this is the I30 FSM). The SE springs are bigger. No other variations
in the suspension are listed.

Now the next trick will be to find a pair of rear "t" springs for less than
I paid for the car...

E. Meyer wrote:
 
I think you may be confusing an FSTB with a front sway bar, or FSB. The
FSB is underneath the car and helps to redistribute the forces
encountered during cornering. The RSB and the FSB do the same thing.

An FSTB does none of that. Rather, it helps the structure it attaches
to stay strong during cornering. When taking a hard corner, ideally the
the front left strut would stay exactly parallel to the front right
strut, but the intense G forces cause the outter strut in the turn to
bend slightly (like thousands of an inch or so). That's what makes the
car feel slightly un-sure of itself during cornering. With the FSTB, it
make both struts bend a little in tandem, so they both stay in parallel
with each other, and you wind up with more sure footed cornering

CD

> Now the next trick will be to find a pair of rear "t" springs for less
than 

There must be a few Maxima SEs in the salvage yards by now. I imagine
I30t's would be a little harder to find, but possible. Look online for
Nissan yards too.

I'd be curious if the FSB wasn't different between your two I's. Maybe you
FSM will tell you, or check with a dial caliper.

You might want to confirm that the four struts themselves weren't different
part #'s. Different valving would firm up the ride a bit and change how the
"t" and SE handle vs. the "lesser" model. If so, a new set of Tokicos all
around wouldn't hurt, especially if the originals (in either of your I's)
have some miles on them. They ride really well on my brother's Q45, and
were a world of difference vs. the very tired originals. Besides, you're
going to be pulling the struts to change the springs in the rear anyway.
It's a thought.

For both of your I's, I'd still think about adding an aftermarket rear sway
bar. You think the "t" handles better now...........just wait.

E. Meyer wrote:
 
If you buy used springs, surely they wont last that long, and installing
suspension components is quite a bit labor intensive. Ideally, you
should replace your springs and struts. If you're like me and you like
the stock SE ride but want a wee bit more than that, then get: H&R
springs, Tokico BLUEs shocks on all 4 corners, and finally, the piece de
resistance, motivational engineering rear shock mounts. These mounts
give the rear suspension an extra 1.5 inches of travel. Given that the
H&Rs drop your ride height by about 1.5", the rear mounts almost give
your rear suspenion nearly full range travel, therefore making the ride
more like OEM without the penalties of the lower ride height, and you
still get the all the benefits of a lower ride height, mainly a nicer
more hunkered down external appearance which enhances the car's
performance look

CD