Hi, everyone, I finally got my AGX/progress installed. thanks to everybody in the maxima.org. I couldn't do the install without all the great instructions. And I would like to give special thanks to the following maxima.org people.
- njmaxseltd, for the all the bumpstop trimming posts and answering my bumpstop trimming questions. njmaxseltd, you are the man!
- mitch33x, for the Progress/AGX post with pictures so I could get the idea of how the springs should be wire wraped. he also answered my questions about front progress spring top/down direction. for progress front, it's hard to tell which is the top. no sticker or whatever for the fronts indicating the top cuz I got them used. (but I think even stickers doesn't do **** cuz for the back springs, one sticker stick to the lower coil in one rear spring, and one stick to the upper coil in the other spring)
- Lime, for answering a small question about progress spring yesterday.
- Mad Dann, for answering my wire wrap question
- Nismo, for answering a small question about the rear rubber tube

springs are from hogan_yo_its_ok 4 months ago (good price, but dealing with him is pain in the as*, i was afraid i never got the springs, this is, of course, based on my personal opinion)
about the struts/ shox, bought the rears first from tirerack and the fronts from Nick in CT.

About the install, I got a friend (not really really close) who is a small used car dealer and only about 27 years of age (young, so pretty open minded about this!). He offered me to use his shop this friday night (today) for free after hearing me wanting to lower. I was surprised. so, I got the lifting machine (don't know the name) and the air tools. he thought me to use the all the tools as well.
Even I got all the tools, it still took me and my buddy (not the dealer) for about 5 hours (5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.). But I think not bad since it's my first time.
We did the front left first. took about one and a half hours because of the stupid spring compressor. We couldn't find the right size socket for the spring compressor. so the pain was to compress the stock spring, decompress the stock spring, compress the progress spring, and decompress the progress spring, all without air tools! then, I went to autozone to borrow one spring compressor. Then everything was going much faster. thanks to the air tools and lift.

I'm happy with the result. Setting: 2 front, 4 back. feel like stock (I got GXE) except just a little bumpy. gonna do some fast turn after an alignment.

I do have one question, and appreciate anyone can answer. about the top nut for the rear shox, the nut doesn't come loose (nor can be tighten) because the nut turn with the piston rod (I think), So basically, we could only hand tighten the nut with non-socket wrench (don't know what's call) (couldn't use socket/torque wrench) with a simple trick. We didn't bother with the torque spec. normal?

thank you for reading. got pics soon.
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EDIT
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some pics below
before:
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...27_13_full.jpg

After:
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...427_7_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...427_8_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...427_9_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...27_10_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...27_11_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...27_12_full.jpg
http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...27_14_full.jpg

 

dont know bout the rear strut thing, but since i have the same setup, if u wanna truly take advantage of its stock like ride, set the rear to 2 or 3 and keep the front at 2. For amazing handling put the front at 3 and the rear at 5, take advantage of having the front lower(rid of understeer by having front lower) on the highway though i go with 2 or 3 in the rear, remember the rear shocks basically adjust the ride becuz there is no real load on them

 

thank you. I did read your other post about this matter. thanks.
by the way, did you try 4 on front and 8 on rear?
I don't want to do anything crazy until i get an alignment on monday.

 

The trick to getting that nut tight:

Use a nice size adjustable wrench. Grap that flat nub on the tip of the threads with the adjustable wrench. Grap is deep in the jaws, it will hold it from spinning. Then just use an open end wrench to tighten up that nut. Remember your only tightening it up against rubber bushings. Just tighten it till it gets tough to turn and your done.

Glad we could all be of assistance to you!

 

i tried 4/8 and its rough. i didnt like riding around with it on bumpy pothole roads. i swicthed it to the softest setting and that felt like a normal max with springs.

but at highspeeds on the softest setting is scary. the 2/4 is best to me.

 

shucks i always forget- can you downtune the struts /shocks by going COUNTER clockwise, or do you do a full circle again going clockwise?
say im at 3 and want 2 do i jus turn one click to 2 or go all the way around thru 4 and 1 to 2?

how often can you adjust them without wearing it?

 

yeah, that's basically what we did. glad it's just not me, so it's normal then. thanks.

 

I think you can turn either way. doesn't matter.

 

I wanna see

 

let me see the drop!

 

few pics are here. check the the top ^

 

stock steel wheels with hupcap

 

that's a nice drop.. how far of a drop is progress... how is the ride.. i'm thinkin' either kyb with sprints or kyb with progress in the future.. not sure.. maybe you can help me out.. i want the sport low look.. which the sprint has.. but i want the nice ride.. which the sprints doesn't have.. how about the progress.. did u cut.. cuz it looks low.. and if it drives good.. which i heard it does.. i'll get the progress!

 

progress is 1.7/1.5
i recommend wearing 17" with these because with my 16 stockers it looked ok but its hard to tell its dropped unless youre a real maxima fanatic.
as for the ride, which is more important, theyre pretty sporty however im convinced something like eibachs would be at least 50% stiffer. but the progress are comfortable
AND THEY COME IN THAT FUNKY TURQUOISE COLOR.

 

it's a nice drop (guess even better with bigger rims). bought the spring used, so I guess already settled. the front definitly lower than the back, which I like. I forgot to take pictures before the drop and also forgot to measure the drop on my car.
As I mentioned previously, the ride like stock (2/4 setting) except just a little bumpy (but consider I have stock 15" wheels with normal tires). however, after today's driving, stock ride only applied to normal road. more bumpy in bumpy road. didn't really play with the car cuz I need to get an alignment first, so I can't answer your question right now about my opinion of this setup performance wise. you can search other member's opinion with this same setup and pm me after tuesday.
by the way, the stock driver seat is the problem now! I slide around the seat all the time.

 

yeah i hate the leather seats on turns.
im going to swithc the fronts back to 2 from 3. its been on 3 since the first few weeks i had em

 

car looks good, post your impressions in a few weeks after everything has settled and broken in...