Hey guys, I just got my spring/strut combo installed. I have H&R springs all around, Tokico Blue struts in front, and KYB GR2's in back with Motivational Mounts. I just have to say that this setup is AWESOME with the ride quality. It is VERY similar to the stock SE suspension, maybe even a little smoother going over small imperfections and bumps in the road. I was so impressed at the ride quality. If anyone, even another Max owner, just stepped into my car and took a ride in it, they would have NO idea that it was dropped. They would just notice the smooth, quiet ride (because the new setup is also quieter than stock, but probably only because they are new parts).

Since this is my 2nd lowered max, compared to the Maxspeed/GR2 combo(without motivational mounts), there is a WORLD of a difference, plus the H&R's dropped the car more than the Maxspeeds. The only downside to this is that my new setup doesn't handle as well as the Maxspeed/GR2 setup (keep in mind that the Maxspeed/GR2 setup also has a Stillen RSB). But, if you are like me, ride quality is of bigger importance than handling (but it does handle much better than stock). Once I get the RSB off of my '96 and put it on my '97, I am sure that handling ability will greatly increase. So, I will have a very smooth ride with fairly good handling.

I think this is the best setup for me. I will post pics up soon! I RECOMMEND THIS SETUP TO EVERYONE!

Shawn

Oh yes, I would like to thank Tom (njmaxseltd) for helping me out a bunch while getting this all worked out. I asked him so many questions, I have no doubt that he was annoyed by me, haha. Anywho, he is a genius when it comes to suspensions! Thanks again!

 

I had a feeling that the Toks up front coupled with a better shock in the rear would yield an awsome ride.

The rear mounts give you back the much needed suspension travel too.


Great job!!

 

 

Good choice on the H&Rs for a smoother ride. I know MaxWolf is planning something similar to yours, but with Konis instead for the adjustable damping.

 

The springs have settled in a bit now, but there seems to be a problem. The passenger side of the car sits about .5 cm lower than the driver's side of the car. Has this happened to anyone else with H&R springs? Is this the way it is supposed to sit? The passenger side may be a little heavier (I have a 5 speed). Correct me if I am wrong..... Also I noticed that the driver's side front spring is seated upside down. Does this make a difference in the front? I know it does in the back, but maybe the front is different. Is that what is causing this problem? Please let me know, thanks!

Shawn

 

Hey Shawn do the Motivational rear mounts have a groove for the bolts to sit in? If not, how do you keep them from turning when you are tighening them from inside the trunk?
Thanks,
-Cyrus

 

 

Thanks Maxwolf. So you all have to hold the bolt on the bottom while tighening the ones in the trunk too huh? I wish the bolts were welded on like the OEM ones.
Thanks,
-Cyrus

 

Perhaps when you sit in it the car sits level. It should be even on both sides. .5cm isn't that much to be concerned about. I would flip that spring to sit right side up thou. I don't think it makes a difference in ride height but ya never know.

 

Also make sure your springs are sitting perfectly in the perches. If one is a little too far forward they can easily be up to 1cm off.
-Cyrus

 

could any other problems be caused by the front spring being upside down?

to me it is very noticeable that one side is lower (because the front was lowered at most 3 cm).... to the average person it wouldn't be though. just kind of an irritation. i got the suspension installed by a local shop. should i take it back to them and tell them to install the spring the correct way?

 

I'm hoping to do this setup soon. What was the exact reasoning for the strut choice? Why not all GR-2s or all Toks?

njmaxseltd, didn't you recently say you were thinking of H&Rs and Toks? Have you done it yet?

 

im wondering why you didn't go with tokico blues in the front and tokico illumina's in the rear...

since tokico illumina rears are relatively cheap ($160 for the pair) and im sure they dampen much better than kyb gr2's, as well as adjustability.

what was your reason for the kybs in the back?

 

i just needed a firmer strut in back... tokicos are too soft for the back, and GR2's are cheap

 

djshawnee,

Can you say that the Tokico Blue absorb more road imperfections than the GR-2's up front? Is there a real noticeable difference between your two setups on your two maxes?

 

tokico illumina's can be made MUCH firmer than gr-2's
i think you thought i was talking about the blues

how much are gr-2 rears?

 

i know you're getting bombed with questions.. but let me shoot you one too. how's the gap up front with the manual trans. i've heard it's horrible. tell me i'm wrong so i can go out and get my H&R's

 

Djshawnee, glad you like it so much. Let us know how the ride quality changes after the RSB is on. I think that's where you get much of the small imperfections and bumps from.

 

sidewinder: the tokico blues are much softer than the GR2's, so there is a huge difference between the 2 setups. the maxspeed/gr2 combo is much harsher

dev: gr2 rears are only like $58 each... pretty cheap. i dont need adjustability because i don't go autocrossing or anything, so i thought i would save the money

bozonpjs: the gap up front is not a lot at all... it is lowered down quite a bit..... there is about a 4 finger gap between the tire and the fender. it is pretty even with the back.... i will have pics for you to see next week when i get my new rims on . also, i am installing my subs next weekend too.... so that will probably raise the front up some as well... hopefully not that much

bejay: i dont think the RSB will make much of a difference in ride quality. on my last car, i installed the RSB on a stock suspension and i didn't notice any difference in ride quality..... correct me if i am wrong though (maybe i just didn't notice).

anyone have any ideas about my last question.... what will happen if i keep one of my front springs upside down? should i take them back and tell them to fix it?

 

how the ride with those? i figured if u had a low setting like 2, you ride with kyb agx would be comparable to stock with H&R, or are toks more comfortable?

 

I'd have them fix it.

 

i knwo they are going to try to pull some **** like "it doesn't matter if the front spring is upside down"..... all and all... they won't want to do it.... what should i say can happen if its upside down? or what should i say to convince them that its installed wrong?


simplymaxedout: AGX's are going to be much stiffer, even on setting 1 than tokicos. the GR2's are like the AGX in 1 or 2 (something like that, so I hear). toks are much more comfortable

 

Do you have any noises?

 

no noises whatsoever..... very quiet

 

Hello Djshawnee:

I don't know if the spring being upside-side-down changes the ride height, but it should be set up correctly simply to make sure the mounting on the perch is stable.

It takes very little weight change to make one end sit about .5cm lower. Basically, it means one end raised a 1/4cm while the other dropped 1/4cm. Probably 30-40 pounds of weight shift on either end. Maybe you are parked on a slightly inclined or banked surface

 

i really like my maxspeed/gr2 setup....my opinion it's not harsh at all...only it's stiffer over bumps but that's ok with me..plus it handles better which i like...the drop on my car is the way i want it...

 

so can you post the settings you are using with the H/R Toico/gr2 setup? This is really what i have been looking for all a long. How big of a difference in drop is there between the maxspeeds and H/r's. Wheres the cheapest place to get all this stuff?

 

i just got my 18's on yesterday... so i will put up pics tommorrow comparing the maxspeeds and the H&R's..... so you can see for yourself soon

 

i didn't get pics of comparing the H&R's with the Maxspeeds, but I got pics of my H&R's with my new Konig Caffeines. Here are the pics.... and there are also some pics of my half-painted dashboard and my 2000+ Nissan emblem in back (a good alternative to shaving, i think)

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...791_1_full.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...791_2_full.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...791_3_full.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...791_4_full.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...791_5_full.jpg

Let me know what you guys think!

 

nice dude, love the rims.. i'm looking to get the konig appeals myself which are very similar to yours. the dust on the trunk lid is nice too.

 

so the maxspeeds are a bigger or smaller drop then the H&R's?

 

the maxspeeds didn't drop as much

 

My H&R/Koni setup is definitely a shade lower on the driver's side. Not as noticeable when I first installed them but it's been almost 2 years now. 95% of the time, I'm the only one in the car so maybe that why? Like you said, only you notice it...

 

I installed H&Rs yesterday to replace the Eibachs I had. So far I like the H&Rs much better. They arent quite as low, but the improvement in ride is defintely worth it. So far, there is no rear-end sagging look as I have seen on some cars with H&Rs I am using 58000-mile old Tokico blues all the way around and they suck.

After I get new tires I will be getting GR2s.

 

Hey Vyrus, The bolts on the Motivational mounts are threaded in with lock washers. They won't spin when you are tightening the bolts down.

 

That's funny, because mine came undone when I tried to install it. I was told to use "Loc-tite" when screwing the bolt in then let it sit for 24 hours.

 

Well I finally took the car in to have the place put the spring right side up, after I noticed a loud clunking/grinding sound when turning the wheel all the way to the left and moving forward a little. I thought this could be due to the spring that was upside down, but even after they turned it right side up, the noise is still there. I know it isn't the strut bearings, cuz those were replaced with the suspension. Any idea what else it could be?

 

CV joints.

 

how much will it cost to repair?

I am having so many problems with the Max at the moment! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... I need to replace this, get a new tire cuz of a bubble, I need new brakes, and I need to have my tranny checked out (but the tranny can wait a bit).

 

anyone?