I want to lower my Maxima and I have $900 to use. The only problem is that I don't have a mechanic. So how should I get the struts and springs installed? Any opinions? Also, what setup would you go for when lowering your car (how many inches, and what name brand).

I would go with tokico illuminas over kyb-agx, and h&r springs....all you need is a spring compressor I believe to install the new springs...illuminas are about 450 I think, springs 200 at most....you can get this stuff used for cheaper of course! Why cant you find a mechanic?

Yup get a couple of spring compressors and a Haynes manual.

What kind of ride are you looking for? Are you just looking to lower it and keep the ride as soft as possible? Or are you looking for a sportier type of characteristic?

For a ride like H&R's but with a slightly lower drop go w/progress and kyb agx's. 900 is more than enough. If you want to do this yourself, be sure of what you are doing. Spring compressors are about 30 bucks at any auto store. I tried doing the fronts w/a friend (with all the tools needed) and i swear it was a pain in the ***! I was tired and took it to my gf's uncle (mechanic) and did it in 5 mins. They charge about 100 bucks for all 4. If you want to save money, go ahead and do it yourself. But to save time and some hassle, go to an independent mechanic. (not pep boys or any place like that)

I dont know, my friend and i installed the fron shocks and struts on his altima and it wasnt that hard at all, and we had no idea what we were doing, just folowwing instructions.

I have progress springs an KYB AGXs. A good setup for my purposes.

Yes, the work is tiring and long. If you have some tools, a jack and GOOD jack stands, you should be good.

Well, I do know a friend of my sisters boy friend who is a mechanic..so I guess I could just go to him. To answer your question sleeper, I want the ride to be more sportier. Now I am new to this kind of stuff, so I don't know what I should buy. Thank you guys for the replies so far.

do it yourself, i did.

if you do it yourself, make sure you know how to put everything back together correctly (align the top strut mount, etc..). everything else is pretty simple

its one of those things that can really mess up your car if you dont do it correctly. Just know that you have over 900 pounds of pressure on a spring that needs to be compressed for installation. If that spring pops open and hits your hands or head, it may leave serious damage.

If you have never done suspension work, I'd bring it to a shop. People say open a hayes manual but its not a fuel filter or spark plugs we're talking about. I know the difficulty of this install and would not recommend this to a novice. This is one .org'er helping another.

hehe..when me and my friend jeremy installed my sprint springs with a sping compressor, we had the cheap ****, im sure you guys out there that have done this know what I am talking about. We compressed one side more than the other and the damn thing shot off and almost hit a civic that was in the shop at the same time. LOL :-) Just remember to not use the ghetto compressors. Don't be scared to do it yourself...just do it right.

It's not very hard at all.. Make sure you have all your parts before you decide to take apart your susopension if not you'll have problems. I did mine myself (took me 4 hours with no help). Air tools are helpful if you or someone you know has some...makes the job a whole lot easier!