Originally posted by warmonger:
Oh, I thought we were comparing Contour SE with Contour SVT at first.

Yeah, the power to weight for the Maxima is about the same as the CSVT but you have the torque advantage. That helps out. However, it appears from the stats that the cars are very comparable and I would think that stock on stock would be 50/50 wins for both CSVT's and Max SE's.
There is something about the CSVT's power band that just helps in the upper rev's in higher gears, and the coefficient of drag must be lower or something because we just leave a lot of similarly powered cars behind us when we hit 3rd and 4th gear.
I'm betting that wind resistance becomes a deciding factor in these instances just because of the low Coef. Drag.

The max SE 5spd was actually the other car I test drove when I bought the CSVT! I liked the power as the take-off torque was much stronger, but CSVT had that surge of power effect at 5K rpm that felt great too. What really decided it for me was the looks of the CSVT and the suspension. The SE felt too soft and floaty after driving the CSVT. I had to go back and re-drive the CSVT and when I did I never went back to Nissan.
I'm not just some Ford guy, I bought my wife a Saturn and I used to work for Chevy/Infinity(nissan) dealership as a mech in college. I just love the CSVT because it's a great car.

warmonger





I was actually looking for a 97-99 Se 5spd Maxima before i came across the CSVT. It was definetly my #1 choice especially when i know i would of had a frankencar intake the day i would of gotten it since my friend is the former co owner of the company. but when i saw/ test drove the CSVT that was 8400 and the maxima i was looking at was 12,900, and the fact i didnt have the best paying job at the time helped my choice alot. plus the fact that stock the csvt did look better, and i was lucky enough to get the FSVT wheels with the car. Handling between the 2 cars was night and day also. the only thing that i get mad when i sit in my friends 97 max from time to time is that the interior looks alot better especially since he has the black leather interior. although the quality of the maxima did gow down somewhat when they started the 4th gen. OK ill stop rambling now

FORSALE - 17" FSVT Wheels, TRubendz catback w/magnaflow muffler PM ME 02 celica GT-S 6-spd w/ TRD bodykit Greddy evoII exhaust, DC sports header Injen Short ram intake, TWM short throw shifter, 18"centerline storm wheels, Tein basic coilovers