Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents...

H&R springs are progessive rate which mean they're aren't set like H-techs.. they are roughly 180lbs to 320lbs. depending on the angle and load
(ie. if you're accelerating/turning=harder rate... coasting/going straight=softer rate)

But anyways.. I had tein s-techs paired with kyb-gr2s on my max and they were very close to stock ride not much improvement in handling but not a harsh ride either(the car came like this I would never pair kyb-gr2s with anything more than a 1.5" drop) Now I have Tokico HP's on stock springs and the ride feels just like the s-techs did handling wise and just a little stiffer than stock.(but I'm not happy with this set up and will most likely be going with the Illumina/H&R setup, unless I find enough evidence that the Illumina/H-tech set up is comfortable)

Finally.. I had the H-techs on Kyb-gr2s in my dads 2002 Accord and the ride was terrible.. It's a medium drop not too low but the springs were so soft the car would nearly bottom out after hitting bumps on the highway.. I think they actually have a softer spring rate than stock... I'm sure the ride would have been better if they were paired with better struts but i'm not willing to experiment again since i don't know anyone else with this setup on their maxima. They might be different for our maximas but it just seems like Tein just made these springs without ever testing them on a car.

cliffnotes= go with H&R/illuminas unless you can find a few people on the .org or elsewhere that can vouch for the H-techs... My previous experiences with H-techs have not been good but keep in mind this was pairing them with KYB gr-2s which was probably a bad idea..

 

So the S-Techs are out of the question...so whats the best set of springs to go with the illumina's im looking for about a 65% performance/35% comfort and i also want a lower drop as well..i know coilovers would be the best way but im trying to avoid that price for coilovers...im looking in the $500-$700 range?

 

IF you plan on LOWERING the ride height more than 1" you'll need to get Konis and shorten them (or get shorter 3rd gen koni reds). There is not enough suspension travel with ANY aftermarket spring, even Eibachs, which are the best conventional springs available. Eibachs are pretty much on the verge of being to low and soft. Everything else is to low and to soft. Htechs, H&R, Progress, Maxspeeds, Tokicos (or any other drop around 1.5") is not really that bad but you will bottom out on stock sized struts. Stechs, Sprints, Spring Tech, Ksport, Meagan, CMS (anything around 2") are all JOKES. Way to low and not enough spring rate. If you dont belive me then fine I dont want to argue, go do the math and find out yourself.

Stechs are on the bump stops from the get go, so any one who thinks the ride is fine obviously needs to learn about our suspensions.

Konis absolutely kick Illuminas butts in real world driving, I wont even talk about track use. AGX are harsh as hell no matter what setting.

 

KONIs are by far the best strut out there...the extra install and adj. effort are worth it.....Fronts are externally adjustable and if u set the rears at 3/4 stiffness you will never have to change the setting ever again.....the range and fine tuning of adjustment blows away Illuminas...there is a Warranty with Konis......Being inserts will allow you to get your full suspension travel back ......
If ur only reasons for not getting Konis is because they are inserts or the rears are not externally adjustable then you need to get your head out of your A$$ and buy a real struts in the Koni's most people dont know how much better Koni's are because they are too affraid of them....but I guarentee if you buy Konis you will think y u ever wasted money on anything else....even D2s or K-Sports.....because properly rated Ground Controls and Koni's with camber plates will murder Ksports or D2s.......

 

as far as konis i dont mind buying them if their inserts i just want the best for my car now..i dont want any "junk" on my car..as far as drop i want to eliminate the wheel gap with my current 17in wheels..so tell me more on the koni's and what spring combination would work out good with them?

 

u want looks or handeling.....after my trial and tribulations I would only buy 2 springs...Eibachs or Ground-Controls....if u want drop and comfort ride on air...

 

im considering getting the combo with illuminas and the tokico springs. my main concern is comfort and ive heard these springs deliver in that area, but they are fairly new from what i understand. anybody have any expierience with these, and compared them with h&rs?

 

I'm on Stechs and Illuminas and for me, I expected the Stechs to be much stiffer as they lowered my max almost to stock bumpstops(yeah yeah, didn't cut em. yet) the illuminas are good and the adjustability is slightly noticable but they don't get anywhere near as stiff as they need to for a >2" drop. My rear end doesn't feel nearly as stiff as it should be even on 5. Overall the Stechs gave my car a much lower than advertised drop but the illuminas just can't handle it, they're a good comfortable strut for stock height or 1"lowered cars. Granted I'm probably a 110% performance and -10% comfort kinda guy. I'm definately going to take Jons advice and get Konis when my illuminas go.

 

u will still be on bumpstops...s-techs are stiff enough to handle the drop

 

MaximaSE96 and JSutter:

Did your trials include Progress Springs (1.7/1.5 drops)?

I am debating selling the Progress springs I have (NIB) and buying the Eibachs for "better" compatibility with the Koni Yellows. I'm another "old man" drop who wants performance but also comfort for my 40-mile drive to work (1-way with lots of twisties).

Also, how does one "shorten" a front Yellow Koni for use with springs lower than 1.0-inch drop??? Will I lose some of the piston travel in the insert?? Very curious. Thank you!

I am assuming that the OEM strut housing would need to be cut shorter but would the rod in the Koni insert need to be shortened as well???

 

Progress is the lowest Id go for a traditional drop spring. Definetly shorten the strut, see here: http://www.sr20forum.com/showthread....shortened+koni
In a nut shell you cut off a bit of the bottom of the insert and let it poke out the bottom of the housing. This doesnt effect piston travel or the rod, just the overall length. Ill have to put a shortening how to up soon, its pretty easy to understand with pictures. The housing does need to be cut a bit more than what Konis originally call for.

MaximaSE96 had (unshortened) Konis/Progress and on the track had bump stop issues. The spring rate is just not high enough. I had Eibach/AGX and they did bottom out with daily driving, but it was very minimal. Eibachs have a pretty stiff rate but technically not enough for the amount of drop.

Id say for daily use shortened Konis and Progress springs will be fine.

 

^^^^^^^^^^ for Daily use Progress and unShortened Konis are fine....but like my boy Sutter said i had issues on the track with them...i am switching over my custom rated Ground controls 380f 325r and will be shortening my my front struts to get full travel...and camber bolts.....I recommmend the Progrees or Eibach/Yellow combo if ur not going to track/roadcourse the car if ur roads are smooth and u like a lil more drop then go with Progress....IMO always shorten the Yellows...suspension travel is the key i

 

Wow! Thank you 96MaximaSE and JSutter. You 2 gentlemen are awesome.

I do understand what you are saying for the modification of the Koni Yellows. Basically, the insert is made to set lower in the OEM strut housing by cutting down the "nipple" on the insert....correct? How long is the un-modified "nipple" on a Koni Yello? (reference the drawing next to step 13 at Koni's Site Instructions .

Until a "How To Shorten Your Koni Yellows" is completed, would either of you post a picture of a "before" and "after" shortened Koni. The picture on the link is helpful but I would like to compare it to an un-modified Koni in order to make sure I understand completely. Thanks.

Also, is it worth sandblasting and re-painting the OEM housings? Will I need to weld new spring perches on my strut housings (I don't know what shape they are in yet)?

 

Heres my Konis when I got them (used). The 2 fronts are installed in the stock housings, the one to the right is a spare front insert. The "nipple" is over 1" long. I cut 5/8-3/4" off for my setup.

With traditional springs there is no need to weld on a perch, thats for sleeve coilovers like Ground control. I cleaned up the housings and repainted them while everything was apart.
Heres what they look like now:




I should be able to get the info you need this week, depending on the Xmas buzz going on. I kept the piece I cut off and I have a spare insert so it will be no problem to snap some pix of how much I removed. I also have a bunch of stock struts I ca hack up, I started 1. Next time I get into it the write up will follow.

 

Thank you again JSutter. That makes it much clearer on my end. I will await your writeup and additional pictures. Not sure what else to say other than a most sincere "Thank you." -Slopster

 

Even with Ground Controls u dont need to cut and well the spring pearch...they go right on the stock if u dont want...the only thing with shortening the koni's is that is does void the warranty......i think u need to chop off about 3/4" of the insert itself

 

But if I want to preserve the warranty from KONI, I should use my factory Infiniti I30t springs, correct?

 

or H&Rs... their drop is minimal......i wouldnt worry about the warranty too much though.

 

Does anyone have a more "inexpensive" source for the KONI Yellows for a '95-'99 Max (I30t, in my case)?

Group Deals here at Maxima.org say $502 shipped for all 4. Please post your source if you don't mind. I would like to purchase immediately after Christmas. Thanks guys/gals. -Sloppy

 

shox.com is usually pretty decent....i got mine from a local shop but i know they are not everywhere so...but its tough to beat the group deal also being that Konis are the best strut EVAR...they usually stay close to retail

but here is an H&R Koni Combo
http://www.shox.com/appguide/shoxsho...ctsdisplay.php

 

Ive had sprint springs for over 6 years now its A "2 drop all around and the car sits a little lower on the front than in the back which looks sweet. I dont think the ride is harsh at all . I had Konis all around and installed them myself the only negative thing i have to say about the koni inserts in the front is that the nut that holds the insert in place kept coming loose (maybe a bad installation on my part) making an annoying sound when i hit bumps. Eventually i went with the kyb AGX cause they were ajustable ,I only changed out the front from Koni to the Agx and left koni in the rear. the ride is comfortable in my opinion and i love this setup of the Sprints with Koni in the rear and Agx in the front. The AGX are easily adjustable in the front and rears also. I went with Sprints cause its a very noticeable drop they are inexpensive as compared to H&R and Eibach and Ground controls.These where my options when i upgraded my suspension about 6 or 7 years ago and i love my setup.

 

see most people dont realize how bad that much of a drop actually is for the car and that they are riding on bumstops....they just dont realize it...they claim they are not then if I see pics or see the car in person and sure enough BUMPSTOPS .....and if u use thread locker the bolt doesnt budge at all....I had sprints once too i thought it was great....then i got my progress and evenm better...i cant wait for my groundcontrols cause they will rock all

 

MaximaSE96 and JSutter - Here are the spring/KONI packages www.shox.com offers:

004. Koni sports and Eibach Pro-kit spring package 1995 - 1999 Eibach lowers 1.5 in. $715.00

006. Koni sport and B&G spring package 1995 - 1999 B&G lowers 1.6 in. $665.00

008. Koni sport and H&R spring package 1995 - 1999 H&R lowers 1.4 in. $735.00

018. Koni sport shocks/strut insert 1995 - 1999 Front externally adjustable, Rear internally adjustable, set of 4. Free Shipping. $574.00

So from what you both have stated before about drop and bumpstops, wouldn't all of these options ride on the bumpstops?

Is it "bad" (as in destroying the suspension components) to ride on the bumpstops or is this a "the level of comfort will be decreased" issue?

Should I buy one of these packages or just use KONIs with my Progress Spring set?

Thank you for continuing to answer KONI and springs questions. -Sloppy

 

no actually Eibach or H&Rs wouldnt be on them....Like I said I dont usually have any issues with my bumpstops with my progress unless i am under extreme cornering like at the racetrack......during normal driving I usually never hit them...sorryz for the comfusion....if i were u i would ride with them on your Progress for now.....i still would be using mine but again I track my car frequently and need something stiffer so i got Ground-Controls....BUT IMO if you want a nice compromise between good handling, comfort and ride with a mild drop H&Rs are what u should get...if you dont mind being stiff then Eibachs....I know we are throwing alot at you but there are many variables you/we need to consider to get the right combo...so if u want PM with as much detail as u like with what u plan on doing with the car....but right now my best advice I can give you is stay with the progress and get Konis...Progress are a decent compromise between a good drop and ride and handling....so PM me with what u really want out of the setup

 

I think I'll use the Progress Springs I have or I may sell them to raise funds for the H&Rs. Not real certain just yet.

BTW...I went ahead and sent an e-mail to KONI with regards to lowering springs and the use and warranty of KONI Yellows. Here is what Koni representative Stoney Hamilton Stoney.Hamilton2@itt.com had to say today, December 19, 2006:

"Yes you can use the KONI Sports in conjunction with lowering springs. We
usually suggest no more than 1 1/2 inches lower to be safe. You will
also want to make sure you run plenty of bump stop on the rod. The use
of lowering springs will not void the warranty unless they are too low
for the application and there is no bump stop used, which usually allows
the shocks to bottom out. If you stay with in the 1 1/2 inch range you
should be fine.

Thank you,

Stoney Hamilton" -Slopster Oot

 

with the progress you are not too much beyond that limit...like i said I have been runnging them for a while with no serious issues

 

Thanks MaximaSE96.

Did you use longer (i.e. more) bump stop material on the rods? What exactly did you use for bumpstops with the Progress springs and the Konis? Any recommendations in the bumpstop arena? -Slopster

 

Yea i notice that yall are all saying that the Illumina's are better but how are the HP's....Are they even worth lookin at...beacuse the HP's are more in my price range

 

did you even read this thread? they said koni's are uncomparably better.

 

HP=stock with a bit stiffer valving, not good for any drop spring other than tokicos

 

Has anyone ever used the upper mount instead of the lower one for the rears?