well i've searched on and off on this topic and I feel it would be beneficial for some .org members (and myself) to fully understand all the negative affects of dropping a car 2 inches and beyond.

I think we are fully aware of the some of the basics. The geometry changes and car now responds differently in both good and bad ways. I cant help but deny all the issues i have had and other .org members who run springs like S-tech or sprint for extended periods of time. (greater than 40k)

Personally Ive been through a few sets of balljoints, inner and outer rod links, endlinks and swaybushings. Ive also been through nissan pads every 20k. Tires about 25k rotating the hell out of them. My car is bone stock, driven normally hardly ever redlined and well cared for. I also know that my axles and 5 speed transmission take a pounding being so low. Ive had to replace the axles twice and differential bearings a few times.

That being said what is everyone else's experience with their drop over a long period of time? Ive been on S-Techs and AGX for 3 plus years. Id love a actual mechanic explanation as well as some owners input...Also my alignment has always been perfect (camber , toe and caster within factory spec.)

thanks

edit: also replaced my rear beam was in spec than 2 years later way out of spec

 

D2 coilovers, and no problems.

Naturally our cars were not designed to operate in such a fashion where the car is 2" (or more) lower than originally intended. This is addition un calculated stress on axles, tie rods, control arm, ball joints etc.

Fortuantely due to the quality of these parts many get away with running a low setup with minimal problems. There are the exception of those who are horrifically lowered and eat thru their axles as an alarming rate.

Plus while given suspension components are under addition stress from a new suspension setup, it naturally would cause them to wear out a bit faster, as they are stressed they have to deal with the pot holes, bumps etc, on top of that.

I so far have had very minimal problems. I replaced my control arms, inner and outer tie rods, after I had my D2s on for about half a year only due to broken boots, and old parts. On the other hand my toe falls out of spec after about 7 months but I believe I know the cause of that (worn old suspension part).

my tires wear evenly (once car is aligned) and I have no problems except for the occasional low speed bump

 

interesting. my rear beam still in spec as is as the day I purchased the car.

 

nice write up.......few time sback i was about to buy springs to do my entire droppings n stuff, n i heard some of the problems that people often have, not to mention the true strain it puts on other parts of the car.....i decided that i will let it stay, and up till today,my car still looks decent without a drop.

 

how do I check if rear beam is in spec? how would I know that the rear beam is indeed out of spec?

 

some places will check it some wont. Depends on the shop and how much you pay

 

is the 3.5 on coilovers?

 

Yes it is.

the motor is a little lighter than the stock 3.0 so that might help a little bit on the front end.

 

can a low drop accelerate transmission failure...is yes how?

 

mdeezy hit it on the head. How low you go is about personal preference. I used to think being low was the look to go for but now I feel alot better raising the car up to accommodate for wider tires and piece of mind that my new control arm bushings and balljoints will have less stress on them. I think when you start wearing **** out, and replacing it, you have more appreciation for those things rather than just slapping suspension on there and dealing with it when it breaks.
but like mdeezy said...you can drop it and get away with minimal issues.

 

you guys are debby downers

 

IIRC you had the 16x8 Rx7 rims on yours, were you dropped if so on what? and how was the rubbing?

 

I just but 18s on my car and iam looking at some tein springs with 2 inch drop.roads here are pretty bad,just wondering if i went with coils would it be better and less problems

 

It's all in the setup you get...on my old Maxima I had 2 suspension setups, my second being the Tein Basic coilovers. Those were amazing; much better than my previous Tokico blues/progress springs setup. Sure your axles will wear a little quicker, but those are small sacrifices you have to make to get better handling and looks!

 

i have them on teh front, yes. I have ksport coilovers and raised it up so it wouldnt rub but it still does a little bit. I have the wrong size tire on there though and might need a small spacer/raise it up a little more. We'll see.

it rubs when i turn the wheel all the way to the left but like i said, my tires are a little too large (sidewall is too tall by liek 5 percent)

 

what tires u got?

 

some piece of craps that were on there when i bought them. they are like "road hugger" junk...i forget the size.245/50 i think.

 

coilovers would help as you can adjust the preload on the springs and control how bouncy/stiff the car will be, as well as the dampening. Coilovers would be the best method to go a low as you want and try as best as you can to maintain a stockish feel to your ride.

Most cant afford coilovers so they go for a good strut/shock combo. but if you can afford coilovers I'd go for it. I did S-tech at first (which felt pretty good to me, a little soft but good to help with some bad roads) but the coilovers are for me now, I'll never own a car without coilovers. I dont care if I get a Quest, coilovers will find its way on there some how.

 

your gonna scrap if u never drove a lowered car before, or had experience driving one. Suspension is gonna creek after the install only reason like mentioned your putting more pressure on old parts then there was before. My advise do it if you want. BUt take it easy over the curbs and if you do springs DONT INSTALL ON STOCK STRUTS.

 

I would say no. the height of the car wont affect the transmission directly. THe axles take the most of the stress when you get very low on a maxima but the axle will fail long before the transmission.

there has yet to be a tranny failure as a result of a lowered car. If anything VIP Maxima and maximact95 would have killed their trannies long time ago.

 

What about Tokico blues with Tien h techs. Any problems with that set up? How well do they ride compared to the stock ride? Has any body run into the same type wear problems?

 

I have this set up, the ride is just slightly stiffer than stock, like a European sedan. The drop looks good, not slammed but sophisticated. As far as wear. I've had this for the whole summer. So far so good (fingers crossed!)

 

i personally like the "slammed" look.

 

I'm in the process of raising my car up from Progress to Eibachs, looking forward to it.

If you're too low:

horrible camber curve
horrible toe curve
horrible ackerman
all contributing to significantly less grip and accelerated tire wear, not to mention bump steer or positive-reinforced steering

then there's the axles, the effect on the ride (bottoming out, also causing struts to go bad causing further bottoming out), speed bumps... i have about 2" of ground clearance beneath the LTBII, if I try and straddle a coke can with the car it'll smash it up. i have to take speed bumps diagonally, can't really let any friends drive or they'll mash the crossmember against stuff...

a lot of similar *****ing in the OP, I'm sure, but the list still goes on...

 

any1 have progress gr2 setup ? hows that?

 

GR2s aren't designed for a drop as low as the Progress, I'd go with Illuminas or Konis if I were you.