95MaximaSE-TX

I finished replacing all four struts/shocks yesterday. It was a bit more work than I expected but I think a lot of that was inexperience. The car rides beautifully now -- no surprise since I discovered that one of the struts was completely blown when I took it out.

I also replaced the front bearings and insulators, front and rear rubber seals (isolation sleeves) and all four dust covers.

Thanks to everyone for your patience and advice. I couldn't have done this without you guys.

The new right front strut:

PRPmax

What kind of springs and struts are those? .. I'm running the Eibach and Tokico combo. Not to happy with the wheel gap the Eibachs leave.
But performance wise I can't complain. Enjoy your new found, more performing maxima.

95MaximaSE-TX

The new right rear shock:

95MaximaSE-TX

The original parts (113K miles worth):

95MaximaSE-TX

They're KYB GR2s with the stock springs. I wasn't really interested in lowering but I did want to get back the original feel of the suspension. This seems to be pretty close.

PRPmax

Yeah those look slightly worn.

95MaximaSE-TX

Yeah, they're a bit on the vintage side.

Here's a closeup of the blown strut. Might not be too obvious but there is fluid on the cylinder and the rod moves in and out without resistance. Basically, I'd been riding on the spring on that corner.

NickStam

iTrader: (3)

good job!

95MaximaSE-TX

Thanks! Car rides great and based on the estimate I got at a local shop I saved $700 or so by doing it myself.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Excellent work! How do those GR2's ride? Should be much tighter then before, that for sure.

Doesn't it feel good to do it yourself?

95MaximaSE-TX

Feels great to do it myself. Besdies the money it saved me and the initial rush of lowering the car from the jack and it not collapsing in a heap of metal and rubber on the garage floor there are a bunch of little moments that make it worthwhile. Like getting in and noticing that the car doesn't slump anymore. Noticing how the car doesn't lean in corners, the stability when crossing the railroad tracks, how quiet it is when I turn the wheel. It's all good.

I think the GR2's are a little bit firmer than the stock struts. But the ride is firm, solid, and smooth. It's definitely tighter than it was. I drove up to Dallas Thursday to pick up the parts at Courtesy Nissan and there was an obvous tendency for the car to float on bumps on I-45 at 75mph. Now I feel the bumps but the car holds the line like it was new.

chigga

iTrader: (2)

how hard was install? i might do mine by myself if its not too hard. do u need xperience to do it or pretty much just read the instructions????

95MaximaSE-TX

It's really not bad at all. Five bolts each on the fronts, three on the rears.

Basically the best advice I got was to use a 1/2" ratchet, a breaker bar, and a lot of WD-40 for the fronts. The bolts on the knuckle are very tight and the breaker bar is a must. If you have air tools, all the better. You will need a spring compressor. I borrowed one from Auto Zone -- $40 deposit refunded when you bring it back.

For the rears, the lock nut is a PITA. I used a nut breaker since the new shocks come with a new nut. Then the only tricky bit is to line up the two mounting studs with the sleeve on the bottom of the strut when you install the new one.

It does help to have a second pair of hands too.

chigga

iTrader: (2)

thanx man, i think im a try it.....

95MaximaSE-TX

Good luck. Post here if you have any questions or problems. Plenty of people here have done it many times.

+COLLANA+

my shocks are about worn out too and I was thinking about the struts...

I'm going with AGX. I heard it is the best. And how much did you lower your car?

95MaximaSE-TX

The struts won't lower your car. You'd need to change the springs to do that. I stayed with the stock springs so my car wasn't lowered at all. From what I've read here at maxima.org, the GR2's are close to stock and that's what I was looking for.

BlackSE5spd

So how long does it take to do the job?

95MaximaSE-TX

Fronts and rears took about 6 hours total. In my case that included wasting a bunch of time just from inexperience. If I did it now it probably wouldn't take over four hours.