98GLEMaxed

i want to lower my car! but i hear good things about struts and springs. then i hear bad things. i have a 98 GLE i really want 19in rims. but i want to keep that kinda stock feeling. i have in mind KYB AGXs and H&R springs. can someone guide me in a direction that i can see. i don't want to do this agian. i know everyone says that but i want to do it right the first time. so if anyone can help me it would be helpfull

oldNickBroken

with 19" rims you will not have anything close to stock. even with a stock suspension. h&r's aren't a big drop but from what i've heard ride fairly stiff. i've heard good things about B&G, however.

ch13f

on 19s the sidewall of your tire will be so low you will feel every single crack in the road, so ... just wanted to let you know, oh and KYB AXG struts are quite a bit more firm than stock, even at the softest setting.

98GLEMaxed

i know i won't but bouncy is what i don't want. i am hoping i can still have a nice ride. i know it will not be as good but close enough. i will look into b&gs tommorrow.

koldsimer

go with h+r. you'll love the improvement over the stock gle springs. I keep hearing that the kyb's are too firm for h+r so i think i will go with something other than those when i upgrade struts

Dev

iTrader: (5)

h&r's are supposed to be the softest springs...
with 19's, your ride will get pretty rough, so don't expect this to be anything like stock.

drewm

All the info right here:
http://drewm.dyndns.org/~drew/maxfaq...MaximaHandling

abstrakt79

iTrader: (12)

i'm running H&Rs w/AGXs and 18s right now...at 1st it was a really bouncy and uncomfortable ride but i adjusted the settings on the shocks to 3(F) and 5(R) and now i have NO complaints...the car rides great...and i have 225/40 size tires which is a really low sidewall...

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Get creative with your suspension.

Couple H&R's (best riding spring) with Tokico Blues up front and GR2's in the rear.

Some have said that is the best ride yet on a lowered Max.

The Tokico is a fairly soft strut and work well with H&R's.
The rear Tokico shocks are very weak and fail quickly, go with KYB.

JAY25

iTrader: (38)

agree with him if not dont lower it and stay stock, you will have a nice ride with 19's

Ninos_Maxima

iTrader: (5)

Im going to get the hole drop thing soon too, Which shocks give you a Mercedes quality ride but with a Sports car Handeling feel???

slizan99

iTrader: (1)

you're dreaming

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

JAY25

iTrader: (38)

thats not funny, Id like to know what set up that would be? will it cost alot for me to do to my ride? I bet my car will ride softer then NJmaxseltd

98GLEMaxed

yea i am paying for my shocks on monday so i have 1 day to decide.

mrecl1pse

You want great handling, get JIC coilovers. But the ride will be STIFF! (I have a set on my '98 Eclipse GSX) If you want smooth ride, go with a lowered springs, and maybe some adjustable shocks (that way you can make it stiff still if you want it to handle and soft when you just wanna cruise).

Max Noob

iTrader: (5)

for the softest ride possible on your 19s go with h&r. next softest springs i think most org.ers will agree is maxspeed. shocks gr2, or agx. agx o 1/1 or 1/2. will ride much like stock SE suspension. u feel bumps little more but you'll get used to it in a day. i dont belive this combo is by any means harsh/rough/stiff. but roads here are paved well. my 2 cents. however you are gettin 19s and have a profile tire size of like 35-40. this will make you feel everything, think about it, very little cushion between your tires and wheels. if you dont mind plus sizing, get 45 for your 19s. ride better, fill in a lil wheel gap, but lose 5-10 miles on a tank, lose 2-3 mile top speed,.. my 2 cents. damn that was long, more like 10 cents.

MaxWolf

iTrader: (1)

Whom did you recieve this info from...I have never heard ANYONE say that on the org...only thing softer, is oem springs. There are people on this thread that know Waaaaaaaayyy more about suspensions than I...but even I know that that statement is incorrect.

drewm

I agree with maxwolf above when I say NOPE!

Springs (in order of stiffness)
http://drewm.dyndns.org/~drew/maxfaq...?MaximaSprings
and if something is out of order, please do change it or let me know.

chris j vurnis

When you say you dont want "bouncy", you are probably intending to say a lack of harshness. That is defined as a reduced acceleration rate of body motions.

The most feasible way to reduce harshness is to reduce unsprung weight. The other way is to keep the 4X4 look and mushy tires.

Unless you are spending a minimum of $500/wheel for those 19s, chances are you are getting a very heavy wheel and will most certainly make your ride harsher beyond the fact that you are getting even lower profile tires. Stock wheel weight is around 16 pounds. Stock tire weight is around 23 pounds.

You could get a Wilwood Fastbrakes kit for the front that cuts unsprung weight by 10 pounds per front corner. Costs about $1500 with labor and would be a far better way to spend the cash rather than going with 19s.

For the back end, you are mostly out of luck unless you take the beam axle and have a machine shop replicate it with titanium and spend a fortune in the process.

Also, a lot of what is perceived as "harsh" is not the bump itself but the sound of the bump including framework resonances and rattles after an impact. There is a very good reason why automakers brag about ever increasing body stiffness and torsional rigidity of the frameworks.

Bottom line, you can make your car handle about as well as a BMW, but don't ever expect it to ride smoothly like a BMW at the same time. For the money spent trying to accomplish that, you may as well buy a BMW.

Of course, there is something to be said about the pride of your own design and learning with building up the car. But a Maxima is not like a '57 Chevy or a '65 Mustang or a '69 Dodge Charger. Nobody is going to pay you back for all your efforts.

Happy modding!!

oldNickBroken

sorry about that, I was thinking of eibachs, but mistakenly put down H&R.

98GLEMaxed

thanks for the help i just want my car to look good and also be orignal no one has 19in rims on a maxima. i wanted to be different. i am gonna think about this very hard. i am gonna lower the car with kyb and H&R. i think that will be a good plan. thanks everyone for the help.

DR0832

many people have 19's on a max. But anyway what shocks are suggested if your looking for a pretty smooth ride with a 1.7 drop and 18's (235/40/18 tires) and don't give a **** about handling, (but have the shocks do what they are suppose to do and absorb most of the bumps)? Whats the deal with the GR2's vs KYB? On that website it says the GR2's are set to position 2 (10% stiffer then stock), and the KYB can go to position 1 (near stock). Does this mean these shocks are basically the same at position 2 or whats the deal with this. Right now I have drop zone springs and stock shocks and after 2 weeks my rear shocks are already blown and the ride is unbelieveably bad when theres any sort of bumps or indentations in the road no matter what speed I go. I hit my head on the sealing constantly now. I would suggest for nobody to do what I did.