Struts and lowering springs
02-11-2012, 10:14 AM
#1
Struts and lowering springs
questions are number to avoid confusion. 1,2,3,4
im looking into replacing my rack and pinion so i want to get the
struts and springs all done at once to get a bulk price from my mechanic.
1.gabriel, kyb, monroe or SPRINT PERFORMANCE? which are better?
2.should i replace all 4 or just the front? the rears seem fine.
3.also im looking at lowering springs from k-sport and drop zone's.
which of these are better?
dont say eibachs cause i cant afford those
4.will i lose comfort if i get the lowering springs?
if the answer is yes, i can still use my current springs or replace those?
i would like to see pics of 3rd gens with lowering springs installed to see how it looks.
i have 17'' rims btw.
im looking into replacing my rack and pinion so i want to get the
struts and springs all done at once to get a bulk price from my mechanic.
1.gabriel, kyb, monroe or SPRINT PERFORMANCE? which are better?
2.should i replace all 4 or just the front? the rears seem fine.
3.also im looking at lowering springs from k-sport and drop zone's.
which of these are better?
dont say eibachs cause i cant afford those
4.will i lose comfort if i get the lowering springs?
if the answer is yes, i can still use my current springs or replace those?
i would like to see pics of 3rd gens with lowering springs installed to see how it looks.
i have 17'' rims btw.
Last edited by nyc_ink; 02-11-2012 at 10:26 AM.
02-11-2012, 11:01 AM
#2
1. Gabriel and Monroes are the same struts with different branding. They are somewhat low-end but can be had for cheap. I just put them on my black VE and my impressions are they are somewhat stiff. I would definitely not use Gabriel/Monroe if you're lowering the car unless you want to replace the struts again in a year. KYB is about the best you can get nowadays, but still not ideal for lowering. But you dont have much choice. What do you mean by "Sprint Performance"...?
2. Of course you should replace all 4, you don't HAVE to, but why not?
3. I would bet money K Sport and DropZone are the same springs. Add Aerospeed in that mix too if they're even still around. Chrome had K Sports with no issues but I haven't heard of any 3rd gen with DropZones. Again, I would bet they're the same anyway, so go with whatever you can get a better deal on.
4. Uhh, yes, quite noticeably - but surely you knew that right? Not sure what you're asking with the second part of your question there.
Come on man do some searching. There's even a huge picture thread. Most of the lowered/heavy modded guys are long gone anyway so you're unlikely to get anything "new" in this thread picture wise. You can see mine in my sig, lowered on Intrax/Tokico for 11 years now.
2. Of course you should replace all 4, you don't HAVE to, but why not?
3. I would bet money K Sport and DropZone are the same springs. Add Aerospeed in that mix too if they're even still around. Chrome had K Sports with no issues but I haven't heard of any 3rd gen with DropZones. Again, I would bet they're the same anyway, so go with whatever you can get a better deal on.
4. Uhh, yes, quite noticeably - but surely you knew that right? Not sure what you're asking with the second part of your question there.
Come on man do some searching. There's even a huge picture thread. Most of the lowered/heavy modded guys are long gone anyway so you're unlikely to get anything "new" in this thread picture wise. You can see mine in my sig, lowered on Intrax/Tokico for 11 years now.
Last edited by James92SE; 02-11-2012 at 11:05 AM.
02-11-2012, 11:45 AM
#3
[QUOTE=James92SE;8358880]1. Gabriel and Monroes are the same struts with different branding. They are somewhat low-end but can be had for cheap. I just put them on my black VE and my impressions are they are somewhat stiff. I would definitely not use Gabriel/Monroe if you're lowering the car unless you want to replace the struts again in a year. KYB is about the best you can get nowadays, but still not ideal for lowering. But you dont have much choice. What do you mean by "Sprint Performance"...?
so the kyb's sounds like the winner even if dont lower it
2. Of course you should replace all 4, you don't HAVE to, but why not?
my back ones seem fine and itll be cheaper to replace the fronts for now but i get your point on dong all.
3. I would bet money K Sport and DropZone are the same springs. Add Aerospeed in that mix too if they're even still around. Chrome had K Sports with no issues but I haven't heard of any 3rd gen with DropZones. Again, I would bet they're the same anyway, so go with whatever you can get a better deal on. drop zones are $105
4. Uhh, yes, quite noticeably - but surely you knew that right?
yea and no, i heard of diff stories. wanted to hear more input cause i have never had a car lowered. i dont want a bouncy stiff car so ill just keep my current ones and paint them.
Not sure what you're asking with the second part of your question there.
Come on man do some searching. There's even a huge picture thread. Most of the lowered/heavy modded guys are long gone anyway so you're unlikely to get anything "new" in this thread picture wise. You can see mine in my sig, lowered on Intrax/Tokico for 11 years now.
dude i searched and found only one thread asking about my topic but it wasnt helpful. thats why its a forum so ppl can ask questions hoping to get an answer. thanks for your info btw
so the kyb's sounds like the winner even if dont lower it
2. Of course you should replace all 4, you don't HAVE to, but why not?
my back ones seem fine and itll be cheaper to replace the fronts for now but i get your point on dong all.
3. I would bet money K Sport and DropZone are the same springs. Add Aerospeed in that mix too if they're even still around. Chrome had K Sports with no issues but I haven't heard of any 3rd gen with DropZones. Again, I would bet they're the same anyway, so go with whatever you can get a better deal on. drop zones are $105
4. Uhh, yes, quite noticeably - but surely you knew that right?
yea and no, i heard of diff stories. wanted to hear more input cause i have never had a car lowered. i dont want a bouncy stiff car so ill just keep my current ones and paint them.
Not sure what you're asking with the second part of your question there.
Come on man do some searching. There's even a huge picture thread. Most of the lowered/heavy modded guys are long gone anyway so you're unlikely to get anything "new" in this thread picture wise. You can see mine in my sig, lowered on Intrax/Tokico for 11 years now.
dude i searched and found only one thread asking about my topic but it wasnt helpful. thats why its a forum so ppl can ask questions hoping to get an answer. thanks for your info btw
02-11-2012, 12:16 PM
#4
I got ALL FOUR of my Monroes for about $100 total on wholesaler close-out on RockAuto. It was too good of a deal for me to pass up that I bought ANOTHER set that I'm keeping in the attic for a rainy day 
The ride isn't "bad" - just stiffer. KYBs would be closest to stock, though.
"Bouncy and stiff" is definitely how I would describe the average lowered 3rd gen. The reason is because when you put on lowering springs, you further reduce the travel of the strut, and 3rd gens have short struts already. But having said that, it's something you get used to. Like I've said, I've been on Intrax/Tokico for 11 years now, and you definitely learn to drive it a certain way to avoid rough patches/potholes/ridges/etc. It's a trade-off between comfort and looks. And this is why I have two 3rd gens, one stock restored and one heavily modded
What do you mean you're going to keep your current ones and paint them?
I guarantee you there's hundreds of strut/spring threads on here over the years. Anyway, here's mine on Intrax/Tokico (1.75" drop - this setup is now on my blue VE):
The ride isn't "bad" - just stiffer. KYBs would be closest to stock, though."Bouncy and stiff" is definitely how I would describe the average lowered 3rd gen. The reason is because when you put on lowering springs, you further reduce the travel of the strut, and 3rd gens have short struts already. But having said that, it's something you get used to. Like I've said, I've been on Intrax/Tokico for 11 years now, and you definitely learn to drive it a certain way to avoid rough patches/potholes/ridges/etc. It's a trade-off between comfort and looks. And this is why I have two 3rd gens, one stock restored and one heavily modded
What do you mean you're going to keep your current ones and paint them?
I guarantee you there's hundreds of strut/spring threads on here over the years. Anyway, here's mine on Intrax/Tokico (1.75" drop - this setup is now on my blue VE):
02-11-2012, 12:50 PM
#5
I would try the Monroe/Gabriel strut if the dropped springs are more the 1.5" in drop...and stiffer strut controls a drop spring better...If your ride is bouncey that means your strings are overpowering the struts....I'm running Suspension Techniques who's been around since the late 60's and since my swaybars are ST's the springs designed to run with them are ST's and their spring rates are slightly higher than stock gaving me a very smooth and stable ride....even bad roads aren't bad....as for changing just 2 struts that's a waste of money and time, do all 4!!! I like my KYB's and have used them on many different setups/cars and I've never been dissatisfied!
02-11-2012, 12:52 PM
#6
@ james, sweet ride and i meant by keeping them and painting them is keeping the stock springs and cleaning them and spray painting them. if your willing to sell your attic stash ill be interested in buying them.
02-11-2012, 12:56 PM
#7
@ cmax, the lower springs claim to be 2.2 drop front and rear. so the gabriels would do fine with those?
the drop looks good btw.
@james whats your input on cmax's reply bout using gabriels on the lowering springs
the drop looks good btw.
@james whats your input on cmax's reply bout using gabriels on the lowering springs
Last edited by nyc_ink; 02-11-2012 at 01:03 PM.
02-11-2012, 01:19 PM
#8
i run the kybs front and rear like em but a little to soft cause im runnin coilovers all the other cars i had with the kyb shock felt good. yea never ran lowering springs in the max and sence we dont have that much travel when we lower our cars anyway i went with coilovers and im customizing the shocks for more travel. i would change all the shock together as the handleing will change if you only change one side
02-11-2012, 01:21 PM
#9
There's no way the springs are 2.2" drop. I know they list them as that but there is absolutely no way, I guarantee it. Chrome says the same thing and is convinced they're actually that low - but if you look at his pictures his car isn't even as low as mine. But I think he wants to believe it so he convinced himself it actually was 2.2" 
Based on Chromes pictures I'd say the K Sports are actually about 1.5-1.6" ish drop.
As far as the Monroe/Gabriel struts - I by no means meant to imply that they're "stiff" due to any high-performance standpoint. If anything, they're "stiff" because they're cheapish. Strangely, the ride feels stiff even though the struts themselves could be easily compressed by hand right out of the box (which is generally the sign of a worn/bad strut). But yeah, I won't sell my other stash of them because I'm saving them in case I ever want to put the blue VE back to stock. Check RockAuto though there may be some more struts on close-out
Based on Chromes pictures I'd say the K Sports are actually about 1.5-1.6" ish drop.
As far as the Monroe/Gabriel struts - I by no means meant to imply that they're "stiff" due to any high-performance standpoint. If anything, they're "stiff" because they're cheapish. Strangely, the ride feels stiff even though the struts themselves could be easily compressed by hand right out of the box (which is generally the sign of a worn/bad strut). But yeah, I won't sell my other stash of them because I'm saving them in case I ever want to put the blue VE back to stock. Check RockAuto though there may be some more struts on close-out
Last edited by James92SE; 02-11-2012 at 01:24 PM.
02-11-2012, 01:38 PM
#10
i run the kybs front and rear like em but a little to soft cause im runnin coilovers all the other cars i had with the kyb shock felt good. yea never ran lowering springs in the max and sence we dont have that much travel when we lower our cars anyway i went with coilovers and im customizing the shocks for more travel. i would change all the shock together as the handleing will change if you only change one side
02-11-2012, 01:40 PM
#11
There's no way the springs are 2.2" drop. I know they list them as that but there is absolutely no way, I guarantee it. Chrome says the same thing and is convinced they're actually that low - but if you look at his pictures his car isn't even as low as mine. But I think he wants to believe it so he convinced himself it actually was 2.2"
Based on Chromes pictures I'd say the K Sports are actually about 1.5-1.6" ish drop.
As far as the Monroe/Gabriel struts - I by no means meant to imply that they're "stiff" due to any high-performance standpoint. If anything, they're "stiff" because they're cheapish. Strangely, the ride feels stiff even though the struts themselves could be easily compressed by hand right out of the box (which is generally the sign of a worn/bad strut). But yeah, I won't sell my other stash of them because I'm saving them in case I ever want to put the blue VE back to stock. Check RockAuto though there may be some more struts on close-out
Based on Chromes pictures I'd say the K Sports are actually about 1.5-1.6" ish drop.
As far as the Monroe/Gabriel struts - I by no means meant to imply that they're "stiff" due to any high-performance standpoint. If anything, they're "stiff" because they're cheapish. Strangely, the ride feels stiff even though the struts themselves could be easily compressed by hand right out of the box (which is generally the sign of a worn/bad strut). But yeah, I won't sell my other stash of them because I'm saving them in case I ever want to put the blue VE back to stock. Check RockAuto though there may be some more struts on close-out
but thats what they all say. the ksport ones are orange $132 and the dropzones are red $105.
02-11-2012, 03:19 PM
#12
it was so low that when the guy bought it from me, he didnt think he could get it on his flatbed. he had to gun it up and the fart can was scrapping. he did a huge one tire fire up the ramp with a knocking engine
i had KYB GR2 struts that were pretty old and they held up until the car got scrapped, dunno about ride quality really because i dont pay attention to it.
this pic is the day right after the springs were in so theyre not settled
02-11-2012, 03:54 PM
#13
@ chrome, thats the same color max i have but i have the brougham edition . im going to just change the front ones cause there the only ones i feel, like i said before the back dont bounce at all so there still good. i wont lower it after all cause its gonna cost too much. maybe next tax return lol. mine looks lowered in the back because of the tire size i have on 17" rims, ill need to match the front tires like the back to make it look lowered.
02-11-2012, 04:47 PM
#14
yeah i was gonna run my 17" Volks on it but the car blew up before i could get the spacers i needed for the rear so i sold them. my KYB's and Ksports are being rocked somewhere because a buddy saw my 3rd gen at the junkyard and someone took all 4 struts
never going that low again though, especially on the 3rd gen the oil pan was too close to the ground for comfort, and in winter the underside would constantly drag
never going that low again though, especially on the 3rd gen the oil pan was too close to the ground for comfort, and in winter the underside would constantly drag
02-11-2012, 10:04 PM
#15
I have some stock springs.....in my small inventory...but why not grab some out the bone yard?
02-11-2012, 10:12 PM
#16
yeah i was gonna run my 17" Volks on it but the car blew up before i could get the spacers i needed for the rear so i sold them. my KYB's and Ksports are being rocked somewhere because a buddy saw my 3rd gen at the junkyard and someone took all 4 struts
never going that low again though, especially on the 3rd gen the oil pan was too close to the ground for comfort, and in winter the underside would constantly drag
never going that low again though, especially on the 3rd gen the oil pan was too close to the ground for comfort, and in winter the underside would constantly drag
02-11-2012, 10:17 PM
#17
02-11-2012, 10:44 PM
#18
his trailer was a 45 degree angle so you wont scrape your muffler on normal driving really, i scraped my underside on speedbumps if i didnt go on a crazy angle and slowly though. oil pan never took any hits but i was paranoid on it.
roads here are terrible though so it could be different for you
02-11-2012, 11:00 PM
#19
to get the springs off you need a spring compressor, and yes if you do that wrong you can **** yourself up pretty bad when the spring flies off
his trailer was a 45 degree angle so you wont scrape your muffler on normal driving really, i scraped my underside on speedbumps if i didnt go on a crazy angle and slowly though. oil pan never took any hits but i was paranoid on it.
roads here are terrible though so it could be different for you
his trailer was a 45 degree angle so you wont scrape your muffler on normal driving really, i scraped my underside on speedbumps if i didnt go on a crazy angle and slowly though. oil pan never took any hits but i was paranoid on it.
roads here are terrible though so it could be different for you
02-12-2012, 12:35 AM
#20
If you leave the upper strut mount bolted up and loosen the strut bolt itself slowly the strut will slowly drop relieving the pressure on the spring. Therefor if it were to shoot free it would be down to the ground plus the strut would be in the way. I speak from experience. I've done this on all 4 of mine when changing out my suspension.
02-12-2012, 03:58 AM
#22
followed by the sway bar mount brackets
third would be the front tow hooks
4th would be the muffler tips
none of the above being any sort of big whoop....praise the lowered
this is on tokicos that were old when they came on my 1st maxima
and sprint springs i came across a litle later,all this being like 10+years ago
Last edited by maximagician; 02-12-2012 at 04:01 AM.
02-12-2012, 07:46 AM
#23
If you leave the upper strut mount bolted up and loosen the strut bolt itself slowly the strut will slowly drop relieving the pressure on the spring. Therefor if it were to shoot free it would be down to the ground plus the strut would be in the way. I speak from experience. I've done this on all 4 of mine when changing out my suspension.
02-12-2012, 10:27 AM
#24
You better be careful Maximo The spring still is full of energy after you relieve 1" of pressure off it there is another 3"-4" of coil extension to be releived...You're taking a chance doing that if one of these struts ever get at the wrong angle you can get severely injured or killed....be careful! The What if factor can happen!
).
02-17-2012, 02:45 PM
#26
can bad strut mounts cause a rough ride?
cause i can see the bushing from the mount when i pop the hood and they are cracked.
i was wondering if this is what is causing the rough ride thru speed bumps. i pushed the car down in the front and it doesnt bounce at all and the autozone guy said if it bounced up and down more than 3 times the struts are bad.
im no expert and i need a quick reply because im about to order new struts and dont know if should.
cause i can see the bushing from the mount when i pop the hood and they are cracked.
i was wondering if this is what is causing the rough ride thru speed bumps. i pushed the car down in the front and it doesnt bounce at all and the autozone guy said if it bounced up and down more than 3 times the struts are bad.
im no expert and i need a quick reply because im about to order new struts and dont know if should.
02-17-2012, 02:48 PM
#27
also i forgot to mention that when i step on the brakes a weird sound happens like metal rubbing on something almost like a crunch/rubbing sound. im eff'n lost right now. my control arms* and end links and tie rods are like a year old.
Last edited by nyc_ink; 02-17-2012 at 02:55 PM.
02-17-2012, 03:29 PM
#29
02-17-2012, 05:41 PM
#30
if your rotors are warped, your brake pedal will pulse like a motherfuka. only way rotors will warp really is if you heat them up really hot and they hit cold water
if you think its the rotor, remove the wheel and get a dial indicator, if the runout measurement is more than .003" your rotors need to be machined. that wont cause weird sounds usually though
did you use brake lube on all metal to metal contact areas? slide pins arent seized?
if you think its the rotor, remove the wheel and get a dial indicator, if the runout measurement is more than .003" your rotors need to be machined. that wont cause weird sounds usually though
did you use brake lube on all metal to metal contact areas? slide pins arent seized?
02-17-2012, 06:08 PM
#31
oh ok so its not the rotors then. yea i lubed it all over the shims too. its only when i brake and it does it too when i release the brakes. it comes from the driver side. it sounds like that pin from the door when its messed up it makes a metal rubbing noise. its in the strut area cause i hear it perfectly. its driving me ****** crazy lol
02-18-2012, 06:50 AM
#33
why would i ask if i didnt look first, of course i checked, all front end bushings are still good, nothing has play in it, everything looks fine hence thats why i asked just incase someone ever had the same noise problem
02-18-2012, 08:19 AM
#34
oh ok so its not the rotors then. yea i lubed it all over the shims too. its only when i brake and it does it too when i release the brakes. it comes from the driver side. it sounds like that pin from the door when its messed up it makes a metal rubbing noise. its in the strut area cause i hear it perfectly. its driving me ****** crazy lol
Anyway, did you use any lube on the back of the pad shims themselves? The shim in between the pad and the caliper that is. Did you "bed" the pads in properly? This is extra important on ceramic pads.
Did you use new rotors as well and/or get your rotors re-surfaced?
Last edited by James92SE; 02-18-2012 at 08:27 AM.
02-18-2012, 09:04 AM
#35
wat.
Anyway, did you use any lube on the back of the pad shims themselves? The shim in between the pad and the caliper that is. Did you "bed" the pads in properly? This is extra important on ceramic pads.
Did you use new rotors as well and/or get your rotors re-surfaced?
Anyway, did you use any lube on the back of the pad shims themselves? The shim in between the pad and the caliper that is. Did you "bed" the pads in properly? This is extra important on ceramic pads.
Did you use new rotors as well and/or get your rotors re-surfaced?
ill take a pic today.and yes i did all that besides getting new rotors. it was doing this with my old brakes as well so its not my pads.
02-20-2012, 06:32 PM
#38
When I replaced the LCA's, tie rods/ends, ball joints, sway links and sway bar bracket bushings I had a crunching sound on driver side when braking hard. It wasn't brake issue regardless that brake system as a whole was new. I figured either strut mounts or maybe a motor mount. My front motor mount was only six months old but it was a Duralast from AZ, so I was suspicious. It turns out that the AZ DL motor mount failed less than 6 months later on a rarely driven Maxima. My strut mounts were worn but mainly fail during quick bumps in the road. Just my experience with my Maxima, your issue could be totally different than mine.
02-21-2012, 07:53 PM
#39
When I replaced the LCA's, tie rods/ends, ball joints, sway links and sway bar bracket bushings I had a crunching sound on driver side when braking hard. It wasn't brake issue regardless that brake system as a whole was new. I figured either strut mounts or maybe a motor mount. My front motor mount was only six months old but it was a Duralast from AZ, so I was suspicious. It turns out that the AZ DL motor mount failed less than 6 months later on a rarely driven Maxima. My strut mounts were worn but mainly fail during quick bumps in the road. Just my experience with my Maxima, your issue could be totally different than mine.
