quasidynamic

iTrader: (2)

ok, i dont know jack about lowering a car. I started looking on ebay for "lowering springs" and came across two things:
1. "Coilovers" which i dont know what that is
2. lowering springs, which i expected to find.

I was also surprised to find that a set of 4 of either could be had for < $ 80 shipped! So what do i buy? coilovers? what are they for? better than just springs?

heres a couple auctions i came across:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=7958875610

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=7958544037

also, can i do these installs myself? require special tools? is there a writeup?

Devin

Stuntin' 101

do yourself a favor, and just get h&r springs, and tokico illumina struts... any thing else imo, and your just asking for grief..

Torgus

iTrader: (10)

how many others have you tried stuntin?

for the poster of this thread: http://maxmods.dyndns.org/index.php?MaximaHandling

MDeezy

iTrader: (27)

I'd stay away from those brand less lowering springs and those coil overs, real good coil overs will sadly cost atleast $700 so a $70 you can imagine how bad your car would feel from it.

What type of drop are you looking for? something nice and low, something low but a smooth ride? Depending on your preference it could help decide the type of spring and strut/shocks to get.

Stuntin' 101

as i just stated in another post, i would like to take my gr2's off and throw threw the windshield of whoever talked me into getting them. i just spent 1200 to replace yet another set of rims and tires, downgraded to 17's with a taller tire in hopes of not bending this set. 3 weeks later, and my car shakes at 60mph and up AGAIN. so now itll cost me probably another 700 to rip these fckin things outta my car and get illumina's.
i read so many threads about gettin kyb strut boots, so you get more travel cause of smaller bumb stops. my car has NEVER hit the bump stops, and yet has trashed 3 sets of rims.. seems to me the strut should bottom out before the these moderate potholes and bumps in the road, make there way to hitting the rim of my car, especially when driving on performance tires, and not all seasons... its funny to see how many people complain about these struts now, meanwhile a few years ago, people talked about them like they were the best things since sliced bread. since alot of products have been out long enough for people to be able to give a long term review, take advantage of that. learn from other people's mistakes, and go with the illuminas . the h&r's are already the softest spring you can buy, at only a 30% stiffer rating.
as far as a comparison goes, ive only had kyb's and stock struts on this car. i had kybs on my typhoon that rode like ****, but had went through 2 sets of tokico's on that truck cause they kept blowing. i had kyb's in my monte ss ,that rode decent, but that was also on 15" rims. i can tell you this much though. i think the only way i can get this car to ride even worse, is if i welded the suspension so it didnt move at all. for someone to honestly be able to say " i have h&r's and illumina's, and i like the way my car rides" is enough proof for me that there MUCH better then the gr2's. there should be a sticky telling people not to buy them if they want to lower there car.

Torgus

iTrader: (10)

plenty of people bend stock rims on stock suspension. it's called ****ty roads.

on the bump stops...you can just shorten your own...then use generic dust boots and save yourself 75 bucks.

oh and i know we got into a little argument before stuntin. just wanted to say no hard feelings bro....

the only real way to figure out what suspension is best for you is goto a maxima meet and test drive a few cars. i happen to have plenty of modified maxs around to test around with...and all i know is nothing is like stock. tho i havn't tried h&rs w/ illuminas. that would definitly be closest to stock...getting modified rear mounts can only help as well.

Stuntin' 101

well honestly, im not on here enough to remeber who ive argued with, so there are no hard feelings. yes, some people have bent a stock rim here or there, i now have 14 between the 2 max's ive owned with this set up over the last few years

MDeezy

iTrader: (27)

why not just drive slowly, a bent rim wouldnt really happen as a result of bad struts more as a result of either poorly made rims, and/or driving too fast over pot holes.

maybe try slowing down. just a suggestion.

rsly33

iTrader: (1)

When I bent my stock sawblade by running over a huge pothole, the wheel bent but nothing bad happened to the strut. You gotta slow down and watch for potholes to stop bending your rims. I dont think the struts are as big a part of the problem as you think it is

Stuntin' 101

has nothing to do with driving fast, cause i dont. ive bent 6 enikie rims, 4 giovanna's and have allesio's on my car now. these are not poorly made rims. the enkies cost 525 for each wheel, and these arent big potholes that are doing this. aslo, im not saying the struts are "bad" or blown. i think id actually be happy if i blew out the struts so id be forced to change them. the problem is, there too stiff.. stiff enough to the point that then rather the strut compressing to absorb the bump, its left up to the tires. whats the point of having a "shock" absorber, if it doesnt absorb any road shock.

MDeezy

iTrader: (27)

gotcha.


sad to say but damn sound like you'e dropped a lot on rims, you could have probably gone FI (turbo) in all the rim money you've spent. or a project car on the side.

99SEL4ME

I do also feel that bending rims is not ONLY bad roads, a dark rainy night, but also lack of paying attention to the road itself. I for one, ALWAYS not only watch the car in front of me and all cars around me, but the road and its irregularities, especially in the winter. I'm not saying that I'm the worlds most perfect driver, because I have hit a couple of potholes in my time. Most of them however I've managed to avoid, just by paying attention to the road and maybe the car in front of you might swerve to avoid a pothole and you can also swerve to avoid it, as long as it doesn't involve going into the oncoming lane when another vehicle is approaching. I see so many people when they are driving, diddling with the kids, the radio, and most popular, fcking cell phones swerving all over the road trying to dial a number, those are your people hitting potholes, blowing tires, bending rims, rear-ending you etc. etc. Well you get my point I'm sure. TRY TO BE CONCIOUS OF THE ROAD ITSELF. All it takes is a split second turning your head to talk to your passenger, and WHAM!!!!! A pothole. You can talk to your passenger w/o looking at them. Most accidents happen as a result of going too fast ao a driver not paying attention for some reason. Peace all.

Lumberg™

iTrader: (6)

yeah i have to say its your roads or drivin skills that are causin your rims to bend. Cant blaim it just on your KYB's. I've had them on my car for a month now couple with tein-s techs and i love them. the ride is excellent in my opinion. havent had aftermarket wheels on the max yet but on my old accord i had 18's with 215/35's and never bent a rim. For you to go through 3 sets of rims, thats pretty bad man. Oh well, i know the illumina's are better than the gr-2's cause I had them on my accord but i still recommend the KYB's.

Stuntin' 101

ya know, one of you guys lives in pensylvania, and the other lives in a state that i dont even know where it is on the map. ones 22, and the other is 23, giving lectures on driving skills, and trying to compare your roads to the ones in nyc. you are completely ignorant to the factors at play here. seeing as how you dont think "shock" absorbers arent a major factor at play i shouldnt even respond to this anymore. you had your kyb's for a month? ive had kyb's for probably 5 years on my max's, so your in no postion to give advice on or a review on them to me. also, didnt you just say you had 18's on your honda with ILLUMINA'S and didnt bend a rim? whats the chances your honda was lowered? hmmm.. so far, the little info you've given actually supports what im saying more than what you have.
also the mere fact of you trying to blame "my driving skills", as your driving around in the sticks makes me sick. contrary to your belief, its people like you that cause accidents. cocky kids that think there better drivers than everyone else on the road. driving around like f-ckin idoits cause your trying to show off the noise your new pop charger intake makes to you friends. thats why your insurance company consider you "high risk drivers" pal. your not as good as you think you are, you cant substitute experience with anything else. you think in your 5 years of driving you've mastered and reinvented the process. id would love nothing more, than to take one of you know it all rednecks, and dump you in manhattan or the bronx and watch how you are "completely aware" of everthing around you as you drive. ill bet a grand you cant even make it across 3 lanes of traffic in one block. im also willing to bet, that both of you are some of those "skilled drivers" that are turning your head over your shoulder, looking in back of you to change lanes on the highway cause u dont even know how to use your mirrors. just to clue the two of you in, there isnt say, a pothole or bump here or there. half of them are from road construction cause it never ends here. id advise you to read up on things before you start giving advice on here. kyb gr2's are probably the worst rated struts now for lowered cars next to the tokico blues. unfortunatley they were "the best of the worse" when my car was lowered, and illumina's werent made back then. so in closing, know wtf your talking about before you open your mouth.
finally, since you the two of you would love nothing more to blame my driving "skills", and not admit that the struts you just dumped a few hundered into are garbage, lets compare qualifications here. i work for verizon's construction department, a have a class "A" cdl liscense with about 5 different endorsments on it. ask anyone on here who has one, and they'll tell you its not an easy thing to get. i drive a 45,000 lb digger derrick 5 days a week, with a 5 speed split axle (bet u dont even know what that is), towing up to 6 , 45 foot telephone poles on a daily basis that overhang the trailer by about 20 feet, in downtown newark nj traffic. i know i have to clue as to what point that makes. even with your vast expertise, you dont realize that in that situation, everytime you turn, the poles swing into the adjacent lanes. i place poles next to power lines running up to 18,000 volts, use equipment and machines that HAVE claimed lives. ive also had my motorcycle endorsemnt for probably 4 years along with all of that. THAT BEING SAID, you have to be a complete *****in moron to think im not gonna notice a gapping hole in the street and slam rite into it cause im unaware of what going on around me.
so now please fill me, and anyone else who reads this thread, in as to how the two of you claim that you are more skilled drivers than most other people driving, on the basis that you havent bent a rim a yet, and that the reason ive bent rims has nothing to do with the POS kyb struts, but my driving.

Harmony

(Pat on Stuntin' 101's back) there there.

Man, that was unecessary. I doubt they were really trying to insult you.You probably blew this thing way out of proportion. I definitely understand what you're saying though. I live in brooklyn, and I'm telling you, there's no place like it. In two months my shocks went from "Its bad, but I'll manage till I can save up enough for illuminas" to "this **** is ridiculous. I'm getting anything I find and can afford by tommorrow".

quasidynamic

iTrader: (2)

thanks for the response...
I'd first like to say, that sticker looks nice on yer window

Second, i dont want to drop the car for performance reasons.. i want to drop it cuz it looks rediculous how high the front end sits. currently i have those spring compressors that cost $12 a set from autozone. With these, i compress the front springs 1 inch which makes the car look decent and sit level with the back end. Only thing is those things suck and always slide around and i constantly have to keep fixing the placement of the compressors. I am not going to spend $700+ dropping the front end 1" when i can do it for $12 with some headache. I was looking into just cutting the front springs to lower the front an inch,or buying lowering springs.

That being said,is there an INEXPENSIVE way for me to simply drop the front of my car 1" so it looks NORMAL? maybe spring cutting is the way to go. Honestly,the car looks like it sits HIGHER than other maxs sit stock! Maybe it's because the rear springs have sagged a bit, i dunno.

Anyway, does this change anything up?

Devin

Stuntin' 101

that was absolutely, 100% necessary. cause next week some of you guys are gonna be asking some kinda question u want help with. and if your smart, you'll listen to someone whos been around on the forum for a while,and has experiece with alot of differnent things for these cars rather then some 17yr old who just put struts on his car a week ago.

Lumberg™

iTrader: (6)

first, dude your a loser for typing that much, know one cares that much bout what you have to say...and second im not from the boonies ***** and quit actin like your a bad *** online...and your callin me immature?? look at your screen name dude....nough said

HomerMAC

iTrader: (5)

ahh okay.. im jsut gonna post experience... cause im afraid... and u guys live in NY so i dont want any death threats...

= )

i had KYB gr2 and agx and stock springs.. RIde was SMOOOTH with both (gr2 bit stiffer) smoot but(not as stock) but still nice.. howver dont liek on hard conrnering... and i have 17"SE rims with 42lb pressure in them.. i lower them to 40 in winter...

also im lowering soon.. on some german springs.. i read some reviews on them and seem prety promising.. so theres my 22cents..

rims will bend stock or aftermarket .. specially if there isnt the recomended pressure..

MDeezy

iTrader: (27)

Damn Stuntin' 101, bad day?

You didnt have to go off on that long post proving to anyone you know how to drive, you know how to drive. I also doubt they were taking a shot at your skills of driving, but after bending 3 sets of rims, if you truely felt it was the struts/shocks why not purchase new ones, it seems you can afford it since you purchased 3 sets of very nice and expensice rims.

I'm also curious why (not directed at you Stuntin' 101) but why people get mad at someone in a post and for some reason attack their age? especially if their younger they attack their age like that is really relevant to the thread. . . I dont get it


Why thank you, I got this quality sticker from this fine web site http://www.quasidynamics.com/shift. I highly recommend both of my stickers are holding up beautifully and have been washed clean, and waxed, shines like new.


I wouldnt recommend cutting stock springs it could end up a very dangerous situation. I wish I knew of a inexpensive solution to lowering the front a bit and leveling out the car but it seems like best bet would be new springs/struts but that like you said would cost more than you want to spend.

Lumberg™

iTrader: (6)

exactly my point mdeezy

Stuntin' 101

want a good reason, cause its sickening to see people post mis-information, and i feel bad for the younger guys who just got this car, listen to it.
why do i get aggriavted? cause when i was 20/22 years old, didnt have a great job, making decent money spending 500-700 on spring struts was a damn big purchase. now couple that with dropping 3 grand on rims and and tires if you buy them new, and you just spent about close to half or 2/3 of what your car is actually worth. i listened to people like that when i first joined this forum, and look where it got me and alot of other people. instead of doing things once, i did em 2, or even 3 times, and wasted all that time and money listening to people that didnt even know what they were talking about. read what people have said on this thread . you got people giving advice on a set up they never even had. got one guy comparing an accord with stock springs, illumina's and 18's from pa or where ever the hell hes from, to my max with h&r's gr2's and 17's driving in nyc. HELLO !!!?? ANYBODY HOME??? and and another one agreeing with him, just making his input look even more credible!!! if you look at threads with people asking these questions, 75% of them say yeah gr2's are great to a kid that lives in queens with 19" rims and wants to drop his car on eibach's. theres another thread goin on here with people telling this kid he dont need a camber cause he's on eibachs, meanhwhile his tires are wearing on the insides. i think theres even a sticky telling people theres no need to have a 4 wheel alignment done on our cars. tell you what, write a new thread, and ask people if a bad coil pack can cause your car to stall. i bet you 85% of them tell you that theres no way it can cause that.

ever notice how alot of the older members dont even respond to these? why do u think that is?? cause the same one thats recomending gr2's for a lowering setup, doesnt tell the guys that asking, that hes still on stock springs, with 16" rims. in his mind, none of that matters. along with were he lives, and road conditons.

this kid thinks im a loser huh? why, cause i made him look like a moron? or cause it took him longer to read that reply than it took me to type it? if nobody cared for what i had to say, then they wouldnt ask me, or anyone else on here for advice. the difference between me and you is, i wont give advice on something i dont have expericence with, youll read what someone else said, and pass it along, not even knowing if its correct.

yea, some guys on here are gonna bash people cause of there age, simply cause they really dont know what there saying. they dont have the info to back up there advice. the same kids thats giving advice on alignments one day, is the same one thats asking why his car is shaking on the highway after we just had 2 feet of snow.

why dont i just go out and buy new ones? cause there about 450 for the struts, im gonna wanna change every part thats gonna come off so add in another 100-200, plus 200 for install, after i just spent 1200 on rims, and probably over 2 grand fixing stupid things in the car this year. i dont even know if i wanna keep it anymore, but with the problems the new titans cause that what i want, it dont make much sense for me to sell this, get a new 35,000+ truck, and put up with the same problems.

Torgus

iTrader: (10)

wow.
uhh...
ya...
so well all agree that 90% of bent rims are not strut related right?

i know people who can't put on rims because of where they drive through everyday...

stuntin: 90% of what is said on this board is good friendly advice. i think you may have taken some of this wrong. and fruther more if and person has a problem with another it should be taken out in PMs. Not on the open forum space whoreing it up. tisk tisk

for the author of this thread: a suspension is the last thing you want to do cheaply or half assed. spend good money and get a good suspension. or stay stock.

Stuntin' 101

not whoring up space, and friendly advice is all good. as long it doesnt stand to cost someone money to fix the problems that resulted from the advice they gave due to mis information. i will politely disagree that i should have pm'd anyone. let everyone read it as a message to know wtf there talking about before they tell people what to do. ill invite anyone in the local area to go for a ride in my car if they wanna see what the struts are like.

nick

iTrader: (10)

3.5 years ago KYB AGX was the strut of choice here on the .org and everybody in their brother was swearing by it , couple of months later people started to complain on harsh ride , especially in low temp. Most of the owners swapped them out for Blue Tokico's , Than Illuminas showed up and everybody jumped on them like flies over hot dodo.

The knowledge is power and we should be gratefull to other members who experience few setups and post results.

My car with GR2 and H&R springs rides decent , but to somebody else it might feel like horse carriage on roller skates.

Nick

Stuntin' 101

finally someone with sense.. thank god.

just to point one other thing out to some of the people on here. when i say "bent rims" i have a feeling your thinking of something that looks like you ran over a curb doing 20mph , with a huge indent, and wont hold air. heres a test.. go get all your wheels balanced, go out on the highway, and do 80.. if you feel ANY vibration it your steering wheel, and you rack and pinion, and bearings are good, guess what. your rims are bent.. just cause the guy that did the balancing didnt tell you they are, doesnt mean they arent.

nick

iTrader: (10)

my car has 145k , suspension has less than 20k , and she still rides like she has one milion miles on her - it is impossible and near impractical to make 8-10 year old car like ride like new without spending huge amount of $$$ for complete front end rebulit

I have learned to live with it , my stock springs and struts are going back on this friday and 17" rims are for sale.

Wheels are easy to bend - even my stock SE rims have hard time balancing ( 145K its a lot of abuse for any wheel)

My wife's Geo Prizm Lsi handles like a dream when compared to my "sporty version of nissan flagship 4door sedan"

Nick

Stuntin' 101

yea dont even remind me.. there should be another sticky telling everyone that all these people are about to spend alot money to make a nice car ride like ****. i have 1/2 foam under both my front door panels, under my rear deck, 1/2 foam caulk shoved between my dash and windshield, my rear head liner, in back of the air bag on my steering wheel, paper shoved between a/c controls, all to get rid of rattles. im probably gonna break down and get the illumina's , new strut bearings,strut mounts, and the wsp frame connectors to help the ride out cause of what this **** has done to my car. ive been lookin at the energy suspension bushings for the control arms too, but i dunno if i wanna go that far.. i told myself , "ill just buy another used car" instead of just leasing somethin new. turns out im still making the payments i would have just trying to fix things. only difference is i get to do it when i want to.

nick

iTrader: (10)

don't install ES bushings on your car , it will make things even worse , and frame connectors are overkill , what you need is your stock GLE springs coupled with good quality struts and your stock 15" wheels with high quality tires - do all this and you will like driving your car again.

on the other hand - if you must have aftermarket wheels and lowered ride ( which is a must on 4th gen with any rims over 16") then just learn to deal with it ,

somebody said it while back - you can't have both worlds with 4th gen - its either good looks and crappy ride , or controlled road feel with stock suspension.

and calling a 4th gen good handling car is a joke

Nick.

browne

damn it, i just installed eibach pro and gr2's and i cant stand it. the ride sucks ***. it feels like im on a boat. i wanted a stiff ride and this combo isnt doing it for me. i should have gotten illuminas.

josehernandez94

Perhaps this is a dumb question, but why do you replace all 4 of your rims when you bend just one? Why not just call the manufacturer, explain your situation, and ask to purchase just one?

I'm not saying they'll do it, but it'd be worth trying.

laylow1988

iTrader: (2)

i will be getting the tokico hp's shock's and struts and the tien s springs this week tien has a 2.2 front and 1.8 rear drop. and the hp's speak for their selves

nick

iTrader: (10)

this combo will blow in two weeks !

Nick.

MDeezy

iTrader: (27)

. . .

Stuntin' 101

didnt just bend one rim, bent all four, more than once with my enkie's. would have them fixed, and would just happen again.. got to the point where the people were telling me that it wasnt even worth fixing anoymore, the newest rim i had bought ( cause i had already replaced 2, so i went through 6 of them) was bent in 3 different places. the giovanna's i had, i didnt even bother gettin fixed, cause the chrome on the inside started to peel, so between the bends on all 4, and 2 with slow leaks that would never go away, i called it quits with them. the allesios i just bought a month ago, already shake. this isnt even with a big drop, and its on the sofest aftermarket springs you can buy. i know people are thinkin, mabye it was sh1tty tires... i had toyo proxies, dont remember exactly what ones, but i was paying about 200 a peice for them, and for 525 for each rim, it was an very expensive ordeal. you can choose to listen to some people that are saying it has nothing to do with my struts, but there the same people telling you that you dont need a camber kit with h&r's.. well, im about to order a camber kit tonite, cause my camber wont adjust into specs anymore.. take it for what its worth.. im willing to bet my car, that when i take these gr2's off, my problem goes away... amazing how someone can say "yea they give a harsh ride, but that wouldnt cause you bend a rim"... think about that for a minute..

MDeezy

iTrader: (27)

Damn thats a lot of money spent on rims. I know you must have been heated. I would have moved after my 2nd set of bent rims.

Stuntin' 101

each time i would bend one of those enkies enough to loose air pressure, and was in a situation where i couldnt pull rite over but was forced to drive on the flat for a few hundered feet. it was a $700 pothole if i couldnt get the rim fixed well enough to keep, and needed a tire. i had to drive around with my jack in my back seat. i had to change one in brooklyn once at about 4 am. worst time it ever caught me, was in manhattan. i went out there to take an aptitude test for local 3.. waited 3 months for this. was making a rite turn, at about 10 mph, and just caught the edge of a manhole cover, by like a friggin inch cause the wasnt enough room to go around it. i was changing my friggin tire in a parking garage, getting yelled at by the attendents tellin me i couldnt do it inside. changed it as fast as i could, got all sweaty, and then had to spend the next 3 hours in a room with about 400 people, in the summer, with no air conditioning. everything is a project with this friggin car.. i just came back from the alighment shop again.. 4th allignment in a year, and still need to go back to have a camber kit installed.. you wanna know about things that go wrong with these cars? just ask, ive been through it all...

99SEL4ME

A public apology. I wasn't trying to say you don't know how to drive. I don't know sh** about suspension, therefore I didn't give any advice on it. I'm sorry the roads around you suck, but there are not much better here, it's like driving a slalom going to work. My post wasn't DIRECTLY at you, but for the benefit and advice for all, including myself.

quasidynamic

iTrader: (2)

Stuntin' 101... you took this thread and turned it into a novel! Can you reply with less than 300 words? or is this a personal minimum requirement?

kc10fish

iTrader: (1)

have your frame ck'ed out will ya please....sounds like you have more going on than meets the eye!