I bought one of the last 2004 I-35s last November. I had been driving a 1996 Maxima SE with all the options for six years, and I love that car. I took a brief test drive in the rain with the salesman before I bought my new car, and I assumed it would handle similar to my 1996 Maxima, but it would have more power (I knew it didn't have the SE equivalent sport suspension, which was not offered on the I-35 in 2004, but I didn't know it was going to float almost like a Buick in some situations).

I have been disappointed in a number of things with this car, as compared to my Maxima, but for now I'm asking about the biggest disappointment, which is the soft suspension. After driving the car for a few months and getting more and more frustrated with "float/bottoming/body lean", I asked the dealer's Service Manager what would be involved in adding the factory sport suspension (which was available on the 2003 model). Several of them discussed the issue and decided it wasn't feasible and would cost a fortune. I thought it would be new springs and struts, and possibly a different diameter in the sway bar(s). There is some other stuff included in the factory sport package (some computerized stabilizing system), but all I want is the stiffer suspension parts.

I know that Eibach shows some applicable springs at their web site and there may be other such companies with lowering springs, but I'm afraid those springs would be more than I want. I had a 240 Z for 14 years that was lowered with Koni's, headers, etc., etc. , and I can spot a car that is using Eibach springs going down the road. The factory sport springs are not noticable. My 2004 I-35 is a car my wife also drives and I travel in it, so I don't want anything more aggressive as to harsh ride or loss of suspension travel than the factory sport suspension. I was very happy with my Maxima's factory sport suspension. Can anyone help me with this? Can I install the factory stiffer suspension and where should I go or who should I speak with to get this right? I live in Virginia. Thanks.

The "stiffer" factory suspension is pretty much a stiffer set of rear springs. Front springs are the same.

I would suggest getting a RSB and FSTB to see if that makes the ride "good enough". Both can be installed yourself and should cost appx $150 total for both of them. This will help with cornering and get rid of some of the floating action.

Matt is right on. The rear springs are the difference.

However, being a sport suspension owner, and having driven several non-sport I35s, I think you'll be hard-pressed to tell a difference.

I know I never could. If anything I thought the slightly meatier tires might have softened the ride up some, but nothing beyond that.

I'm on Tein H-Tech springs and Illuminas now. While it's not bad, if you value ride comfort over aesthetics, I would recommend NOT changing the springs.

Perhaps look into swapping the struts to Illuminas (adjustable, direct-fit) and playing around with the stiffness of the struts. That might give you more of what you're looking for. Also try the chassis mods as Matt mentioned.

Thank you Matt and John for your responses. I may consider going with the same suspension options that Matt is using, but I am reluctant to do so without driving a car with those changes. I know my wife would not like it as well, and I may just wait until I can buy another car ---- but that is probably several years away. I drove a G35 at the time I bought the I35, and I liked the way it handled (it was a little stiff, but a better compormise for me - not for my wife - than what the I35 turned out to be). But, I didn't like the cramped feeling inside the G35, the interior was not nearly as plush as the I35, and I was going to have to pay at least $4k more for a similarly equipped car. I wish Nissan/Infinity hadn't screwed around with the size and weight of the the 1996 era Maxima/I30. My 1996 was about the perfect street car for me, with the possible exception of a desire for more power --- we always like more power, and although I can't say I "needed " more power, competition necessitated adding more.

I don't know if Nissan and Infinity engineers/product planners read this site, but I'm going to provide as brief, but clear, feedback of one man's opinion (this man is a car enthusiast who drove a local legendary modded 1970 240Z from 1970 to 1984,and has owned a Sunbeam Alpine, Volvo, Saab Turbo, Pontiac STE, Taurus SHO, 1996 Maxima SE, and 2004 I35, plus a bunch of mini-vans and other cars).

Again, I loved my 1996 Maxima SE -- I bought it in 1998 with 24k miles in immaculate condition (after 6 years and my 120k miles, I hit a deer with it at 70mph on a new freeway, and it was declared totaled due to the cost of the airbags). I got a deal on airbags and was able to save the car and my daugter drives it with over 150k miles. I kept it well, and it looks great after partial repainting. These are the things I noticed about my new 2004 I-35 that I do not like as well as my Maxima (my expectation was that the 2004 body was just a minor change from the 1996 body, and the interior space and outside proportions appeared very similar - so, I thought the car would be the same --- only better!)

The car is not the same and only better in some ways. The negatives are:1- Significantly more body lean and understeer/plowing when you put the car into a corner or a freeway ramp.2 - Significantly more "squat" on takeoff (particularly "Buick like" --nothing like the Maxima).3 - Totally unacceptable bouncing/bottoming --- the feeling of losing control -- when encountering pavement dips at 55 and above (not abrupt holes, just dips that never upset my Maxima) where you feel like you are bottoming the car and losing control --- even worse if you are also in a turn when the dip occurs ---- there is a freeway I drive everyday in town with this and the Maxima was unphased, as are many other cars I see).There is an overall feeling that this car is heavier and much less nimble/agile that my Maxima, even though there appears to be no more room inside.4 - Unacceptable throttle response --- When I touched the gas pedal on my Maxima the response was instantaneous. With the I35 there is some lapse where you have to wait and then hit the pedal again to gain control and know what the car is going to do. I don't know if this is "drive by wire" but it is another step backwards and very disappointing.5 - I love the 17 inch wheels on the I35. This is one of the reasons I loved the looks of the car (I've seen earlier models without them and the cars look ordinary -- I wouldn't want one). But, the irony is that even though my Maxima had 15 inch wheels, it handled so much better. I don't know if my Maxima can take a corner faster than the I35, but if it can't ,it sure feels like it can and is a lot more fun to drive agressively. With the I35's 17 inch wheels, driving city streets is much less pleasant, as the short sidewalls impart every pavement irregularity (even with the soft suspension), which the 15 inch wheels did not transmit in nearly the same way (I have a 2003 Mazda MPV with 17 inch wheels which do not impart the bumps as much, and this mini-van is at least as much, if not more fun, to drive aggressively). So, I have beautiful wheels, but the I35 doesn't handle nearly as well as the 15 inch wheels on the Maxima and my time driving on city streets is not nearly as pleasant.6 - I am a rock and roll musician of over 35 years. The Bose system in my Maxima was the best system I have had in a car. The Bose system in my I35 is very good, but NOT AS GOOD as the one from a car 8 YEARS OLDER. The I-35 has some additional bass, but it will not produce the same volume as the Maxima's and it does not have as much control over the bass and treble. I don't get it!7 - The turning radius is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE! Is Infinity crazy???I have to back up and pull forward to go anywhere -- this is just silly for a car that is supposed to be a sports sedan, or even a sporty sedan (I have lot's of great fun in my company's parking deck every day -- I used to just pull into a space).8 - The sunroof on the Maxima was infinitely adjustable as to the opening size, whereas the Infinitiy has a number of fixed stopping points and IS NOT infinitely adjustable. WHY???

On the plus side, the car looks great (black with tan leather and a rear spoiler and sunroof). The wheels are beautiful, the interior is beautiful and the fit and finish is very good. The extra POWER is the one thing I enjoy most as a plus compared to my Maxima. I'ts late so I'll sign off for now.

Again, thanks to Matt and John and I'll contemplate my options and the info you provided. I would be interested in others comments on my observations and conclusions. Thanks.

Hey, you are welcome. It is great having you aboard.

I understand exactly what you are talking about. My '02 Max was exactly the same way. Body lean was bad around highway corners and if there was a bump or road transition, you had better hold on! Due to that reason, I put on the Eibach springs, RSB and FSTB. Handilng was improved 10-fold. Still, it was lacking. Aftermarket struts helped, but I believe a different set of springs would have been preferred as Eibachs are known to be relatively stiff. Today, it can be jarring at times (partially due to the 40-series tires) and it can dance a bit over rough corners, but compared to "new" it is far better.

From a sunroof perspective, I really don't use the "partial open" settings so that has never been a big deal. The Bose stereo sounded nice when low, but they put so much bass cut into it, from a volume perspective, it simply sounded horrible when turned up (all treble and mid). Some additional $$ into speakers to handle the power would have been nice.

In re-reading this thread, I'm not sure I had the names correct when I thanked the two people who responded. I said Matt and John, but the screen names are Audtatious and MetaOrbit. I think Audtatious is Matt, but I don't know if MetaOrbit is John. Anyway, thanks again. Matt, in regard to the sunroof, the lack of an infinite control of the opening is not a huge deal, but it is just another thing on my list of "why are we going backwards as to flexible features"?

In my critique/comparison of my 2004 I35 versus my 1996 Maxima SE in this thread, I have just a little more to offer, which I didn't remember last night in my previous posting.

The driving position in the I-35 is less preferable to me than the Maxima. It appears that the seats have been raised from the floor level, and I feel closer to the ceiling, the rear view mirror and the windshield. I don't know if this is true, but that is my sense of the situation and I have adjusted to it, but I prefer the Maxima's ergonomic seating situation. Also, I don't like my rear end to be sitting in a hole, particularly if I am on a trip or just cruising. The seating surface of the power driver's seat in my Maxima could be adjusted to "flatten out" so that one's rear end was no lower than the front edge of the seat which supports one's thighs. I like that. My I35's power seat Will Not adjust in the same manner, so even at the most extreme setting, my rear is still lower than the front edge of the seating surface. I find the I35's driver's seat to be less comfortable overall (I don't know if the issue I mentioned is the whole problem or not, but the seat is less comfortable for me than the Maxima's power leather seat).

Also, my 2003 Mazda MPV mini-van has better driver's seat adjustments, and much better suspension/rebound control, and maybe even better cornering power (it feels more under control in some of the driving conditions where the I35 is squirrely) and, it has a 5 speed automatic, which helps make better use of the 200 hp, 24 valve Ford/Mazda V6 (admittedly an inferior engine versus the I35, but not bad). Why doesn't a 2004 Infinity sports sedan have a 5 speed automatic instead of an outdated 4 speed?

Some may think I'm too picky. I have adjusted to the differences, and I enjoy the I35, but I would enjoy it much more if it didn't have some of these major flaws (some of the things I've enumerated are just ridiculous in my view) as well as some of the lesser important items which may be preferences rather than flaws. I guess it is of little import to Nissan/Infinity at this point, since it is a discontinued model. I hope someone from Nissan/Infinity reads this and finds something of value in it.I almost bought a 2004 Acura TL (the 2005's were just out at the time) and I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more. It has lots of positive praise from the professional reviewers, plus more horsepower, a 5 speed automatic designed to be shifted manually if you want, newer styling, and it doesn't have the cramped interior of the Infinity G35 or the loss of bad weather traction of the rwd G35 (I know they have AWD now, but that is even more $$). The Acura dealer wasn't "dealing" when I was deciding (even on the 2004 he had left in a color I wasn't crazy about), and I was going to have to pay several thousand more than the I35 and my wife loved the looks and particularly the interior of the I35. I also had been so happy with my Maxima, and I loved the Nissan engine, and they were offering $2,000 in factory incentive, plus 2.9% for 60 months, so I went with the I35.Over and Out

Yes, I=Matt. MetaOrbit = John

Nissan could have received some negative feedback or excessive returns due to the sunroof allowing unlimited positions. Then again, it may have been a cheaper alternative. I don't know...

From the seat perspective, I really have not had any issues with it. I drop it all the way down and after 92k on my 2k2, I have not had any issues with it. It is more of a "subjective" view when discussing the comfort of seats. I've driven both '04 and '05 Maxima's as well and tend to lean more towards our style seat.

Your I35 being "squirrelly" upon accelerating in corners is due to all the torque with the FWD platform. I had this as well and after installing the FSTB it was minimized. Right now, with the FSTB, springs, and struts, I really have no torque steer anymore.

5sp auto trannies were offered in the '04+ Maxima (6th gen) and the '04+ G-series. I found it interesting that Nissan kept the I35 line for an additional year when they had already replaced the Maxima. In the Nissan lineup, I would have thought the G35 would have been the "model of choice" instead of continuing with the I-series. Regardless, I am sure it was not worth the retooling and retrofit to offer a 5sp in the '04 I35 when that vehicle was not going to be offered again.