maxima GXE vs SE question

Hi, The 2001 has 5 more HP than the GXE (227 vs 222 I believe). I believe the suspension is a little different as well. The SE has a rougher ride.

Greg

Nope thats correct :-) ok a little bit correct :-) ronm

I'd go with the GXE or SL variants. The SE (and I30t, same setup) are too harsh to live with when the struts start to go, and my experience is that they go too quickly. Up to 25,000 miles, my I30t was fine. By 50,000, the struts were totally shot & were replaced with KYB's AR-2. Now with 30,000 on them, I am starting to get pretty beat up again. The car doesn't bounce, it just slams hard into every little thing in the road. The only truly nice ride was the first 20,000 miles. I'm sure that many here will disagree; this is only my personal experience but I'd never do it again.

Check the turning radius of the GXE compared to the SE as well. If low-speed manuverability is important to you, the GXE generally has smaller tires and a much smaller turning radius in the last several years.

JM

I do have to disagree with the basic premise. My Max SE is still doing fine at 50K with the original shocks and if my Nissan experience is any indication, they will still be fine at 100K. However, I agree with your assessment of KYB's. I have never been satisfied by them, except in the wallet department. You get what you pay for, live and learn, pay more next time. Think Koni - more money, more work, but what you want when you are done.

As a follow-on to that, most folks don't understand the fundamental roles of springs and shocks. Springs hold the weight of the car, shocks control the spring's movement. Stiffer springs require stiffer shocks to control them. I suspect that the KYB's were not up to the job of controlling the stiffer spring.

Bob