i wanna put new springs and struts on my 91' GXE, and lower it a little, i was thinking Eibach springs to lower it a 1" and Tokico struts but do they ride real smooth or ruff or what?
I want that cadallac ride and lower it just abit not ridiculously low though.
any advice or recommendations?

 

If you want to lower and keep the smooth ride, I would recommend the suspenstion techniques springs. they're softer than Eibachs and provide slightly more drop. (eibachs are 1.2", ST springs are 1.5").

They are almost as soft as stock springs. When using them, I would recommend either stock (NEW, not your current ones- they're dead by now!) Nissan struts or tokicos. you'll be fine either way.

 

how are your eibachs and tokico's?
ride better than stock or what?

 

Handle better, YES.
ride smoother, No.
the ride is MUCH firmer than stock. The difference is like sitting in a stock suspension civic compared to a stock Maxima.

is it uncomfortable, no. (well I don't think so. the GF whines about it when we're on bumpy roads because she hurt her back not long ago.. but most people don't think it's bad).
it's "sporty".. not too rough, not soft either.

 

is the feel in the ride in the springs or the struts? or both?
if i went with a softer spring for a better ride would it still handle better too?
and which is better tokico or koni?
i'm iffy to put that much money into something i might not like yuh know. i want the smooth ride because i don't really do much tearing through hard corners or anything but occasionally i get the heavy foot syndrome. haha
i dunno it's confusing as hell !

 

the increase in "bumpiness" is a direct result of the stiffer springs. the struts help damp the ride to keep it from being bouncy when you go over bumps. they will add a slight amount of firmness to the ride, but the difference is 90% springs.

as for tok/koni, I would definitely recommend the konis from what I've heard. you have to modify your stock struts to make them fit (the konis are simply inserts, the toks are replacements on front, inserts on back).

the springs will provide a big difference in the cornering, but a godo portion of the cornering ability is simply due to the lower center of gravity of the car. yes, the stiffer springs make a large difference too, but the lowering helps.

I would recommend the ST springs with either Koni or tokico struts.

there are a couple people selling some used springs around here.. you may want to buy some used springs to save you some cash.. don't buy used struts, but springs are okay.
hmmm.. brain is empty.. try again later.

 

haha
alright cool thanks man
one of these days when i'm actually on the computer more than 5 minutes i'll add yuh to ICQ
that cool?

 

Tire choice affects ride quality almost as much as spring strut choice. A good 60 profile H, is gonna be much softer than a 45-50 Z. That is why I did't go for 17" Wheels. So far the Sensatracs/Eibachs is a great combo, but I can't recommend it because the shocks might take a dump way too quickly.

 

so what would you recommend?
i was going to get 17" Enkei Katana's

 

i'm going with 215/45 on my 17's. im getting those tsw hockenhiem r's (however you spell it)

 

I wouldn't recommend 17s if you're looking for a smooth ride. stay with 16 or smaller.

btw, I have a set of 16" Konig Villains for sale.

 

i dont really mind if its too bumpy. back when i first got my car and had no money, i heated the coils. talk about a rough ride! but man was that thing low.

 

well damn
the katana's only come in 17" x 7.5". and 17's look like a good size on most the maxima's i've seen around here and on pages.

 

225 45 or 235 45 17s are good sizes. 225s have less chance of rubbing. Most people here go for 17s, they will be stiffer, and you run a greater risk of bending a rim on a pothole. If you want a reasonably soft ride with equal performance go with the 16s. 16s are also quite a bit less for wheels and tires.

 

well the reason i wanted the katana's is because their not like every other rim. almost all rims look the same now and it drives me crazy, and i've only seen one nissan sentra with the silver katana's, and i was going to get chrome. but i don't want like what your sayin with bending them and haveing a really crappy ride.

 

I didn't mean to imply crappy ride, just hard, really feel every bump and crack in the road.

It is the performance vs comfort issue. All mods for performance come at a cost to Maxima's stock ride qualities. It is a matter of weighing all the costs with your preferences. For the $1.5k, it will cost for chrome 17s and tires, there are many things that could be done for apperance and performance.

 

Or you could spend $1.6k on a set of 16" chrome/painted wheels and then another $700 for tires.

fortunately I only have to buy the tires these things eat. (6000 miles and they're already 1/2 worn) but daaaamn they corner well!

 

but wheels really make a car look good. look at any car that has work done to the exterior but what really sets it off is a nice good set of rims.
and i want performance, but i want ride quality aswell.
is the ride very noticable with 17's and eibach and tokico, cuz right now i don't think it would be worse then how my car is, a 91 and i believe it still has the stock struts and springs.