Ok here is the advice i need. i have 98 on 20"s I have tokico struts(set on 1) and facotry springs it rides great. But i just want to lower the front to match up with the rear. I had h&R's before when i was ridin on factory tires and that was a very harsh ride. So please let me know which springs can drop my car and ride SOFT. If nothing can really achieve this then i'll just cut my front springs(so i can keep the soft ride and lower).
1. I don't need people tellin me why i should not have 20's on my max
2. Yes i know it's "ghetto" to cut springs but if it can work and i keep the soft ride and no lowering springs can achieve it then i have no choice but to.
3. I would appreciate people who actaully have driven or sat in maximas on 20's since they have felt the difference. Thanks
HERE IS WHAT MY CAR LOOKS LIKE(YES I KNOW THE SIDE SKIRTS ARE ON BACKWARDS I'M ABOUT TO FIX IT AND REPAINT)

 

H&R's ride the best.
If you cut your springs, the spring rate will go up. That equates to a very harsh ride.

Put a set of front springs from a 5 speed in, that assuming your an auto.
That will bring the front down very slightly, making it even with the rear gap.

I have a pic of my 99 auto with 5 speed springs up front. Both the front and rear gaps are perfectly even. I've been riding it that way for a few years now, the ride is awsome!

My sig pic is H&R's, let me see if I can dig up the other pic.....

 

Found it... Had 17" wheels on there.
When my gas tank is empty, the front gap is actually smaller then the rear.
Nice smooth factory like ride on the Illuminas.
Your heavy 20" rims and low profile tires are going to impact bumps hard no matter what you do to the suspension.

 

My thing is this i just want to drop the front 1-2" and still ride smooth. so the Manual springs will drop it, why do i just cut the manual springs so i get the best of both worlds?
i appreciate your input

 

Forget smooth! Drop that BISH!

 

sorry ajcool2 it's not your *** that feeling the road, I refuse to go back to that **** again, I had h&R's and they were not fun.

 

It would look good though lol. I had 19's on my Z with stock springs and I couldnt imagine what it would feel like with it lowered. So fl roads are that bad?

 

Lets just say i already bent 1 rim already. So when i say i need smooth ride i mean it. I'm not having my butt beat up again, lol

 

Well I'm on maxspeeds and I wouldnt say they are soft. I think your best bet is stock.

 

Wow no one could help this poor guy? You guys are making me change my mind about lowering my car. I was thinking on getting the Tokico spring and shock set up sold on ebay for $560. To bad Neuspeed don't make springs for the max, cause I had a set of Neuspeed soft sport on my 98 Accord coupe and those springs rocked with the tokico's.

 

if you cut any springs the ride will be bumpy as hell. i think eibachs are pretty soft (from reading, not experience).

 

eibachs i have arent soft at alll.^^^

 

I had Sprints on AGX's on my 20"s...and by no means was it soft...but I wouldn't have had it any other way. It tucked clean all around and gave me the look I wanted.

I don't think you'll be able to find any lowering spring combined with 20"s to get you a decent ride. I rubbed up front on occasion on a 8.5" width and 38mm offset...so that's another thing you'll have to think about.

 

Try searching the forum for Canuck Motor Sport springs and check out:

http://www.canuckmotorsports.com/car_cat.html#NISSAN

Offers a 2 inch drop, a soft (some say too soft) ride and are decently priced. Probably worth looking up.

 

So bamboomerang has anyone rode of those canuck springs yet. If people say it's too soft thats perfect for what i want.

 

Voila:

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...s-springs.html

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...s-springs.html


I have no first hand experience with them, but am considering them for when I decide to drop next summer.

 

OK.


Heres the deal. Theres no such thing as dropping a car 2" and having a factory ride, ESPECIALLY with 20" tires, and probably 30-35 series tires.

H&R are the softest aftermarket spring for the maxima, if those were to rough for you on stock wheels, then honestly, lowering a car is not for you. If you think H&R's are bad, go hop in somemones maxima whos dropped 2" + on coilovers and see what you say about your H&R's after.

 

looks very riced out and how did that side skirt end up being put on backwards

 

Looks like it was painted with a roller.
And the waves in the body work are making me sea sick.
You cannot cut springs! They will not maintain their spring rate, it goes up (harder).
You 20 inch wheels are causing your hammering hard ride, not the springs.
5 speed springs will lower the front of an auto by about 1/2 an inch or so.
H&R's are the best riding lowering spring for the 4th gen.
20 inch wheels ride like crap.

Those are the facts, deal with them.

 

Ok so if i cut my factory springs the spring rate will go up. But even if they go up it still won't be as harsh as the h&R's. I can get the softest springs(gxe) and cut those down 1 1/2" inches and it will be less harsh then h&r's

 

you'll be sorry if you cut them. you def need a drop though BAD. Get progress or h&r's.

I have Eibachs and they are NOT soft.... AT ALL.

 

a soft ride on 20's with very low profile rubber and lowering springs cannot be accomplished no matter what you do, the small amount of rubber between your wheel and highway is the issue to cushion your ride

 

-Front springs are all the same whether they be gxe/se/gle. SE rear springs are stiffer than the gxe/gle.

-Front springs are taller on the auto tranny as it weighs more.

The problem with lowering a 4th gen is lack of travel, you bottom out with any drop. The only way to drop the car and have a smooth ride is with shortened struts.

A few spring ideas that may work:

Run Ground Controls with stock rates. I dont recommend this, it should work, but you'll still ride on the bump stops.

3rd gen springs are shorter and about the same diameter. They should lower the ride height I have not tried it but have planned on doing some experimenting with them. Again with out a shorter strut you'll be on the bumps.

You cant have your cake and eat it too.

 

Ive had cut springs in a chevy and rode in other cars with it and all the cars were bouncy as hell and real jumpy around turns. its just not safe thats why people warn against it.
Ive heard that the tein Htec's ride fairly soft and the drop is modest. check the spring rates and see if they are softer than the h&r's you had.

 

get some eibach springs

 

So from what i'm reading, don't cut spring, get getlowering springs instead. so here is the million dollar question
WHICH SPRINGS ARE SOFTER THAN H&R'S
SO why do someone post of the REAL springs rates of the factory se springs and h&R and stech and h techs

Oh by the way can you expain the ground control thing to me please. do the ride soft as factory or what. are they springs? whats the drop i only need the front two

 

4th Generation Maxima

OEM SE springs (linear) estimated:
Front: 250 lbs/in
Rear: 250 lbs/in

OEM GLE/GXE springs (linear) estimated:
Front: 200 lbs/in
Rear: 200 lbs/in

Eibach (progressive)
Front: 166-257 lbs/in
Rear: 166-343 lbs/in

Tokico (progressive)
Front: 111-225 lbs/in
Rear: 148-295 lbs/in

TEIN High-Tech ("H-Tech") (progressive)
Front: 180 lbs/in
Rear: 250 lbs/in

TEIN S-Tech (progressive?)
Front: 200 lbs/in
Rear: 280 lbs/in

TEIN Basic Damper Coilover (linear?)
Front: 390 lbs/in (7 kg/mm)
Rear: 340 lbs/in (6 kg/mm)

http://forums.maxima.org/advanced-su...nerations.html

 

So according to that list HTech springs are softer than the Se springs????
So has anyone driven on HTech springs? are they as soft or softer than factory springs???

 

SO i may have found a way for the best of both worlds. someone suggested 3rd gen springs to lower my max and keep the ride quality. So will 3rd gen front springs fit on our 4th gens? i already heard they will drop the front lower than the manual front springs. Please let me know

here is also what i found on here
Altima and Stanza front suspensions will bolt onto the maxima without a problem. Since the Altima and Stanza front suspension is shorter than the maxima's, they'll even have an added bonus of lowering the front of the maxima, but with stock comfort. The Altima springs are as wide as the maxima springs, the stanza springs are a little more 'skinny'. I wouldn't use stanza parts because they're aren't any performance front struts for stanzas.

 

have someone custom make a set of springs to the specs you want and be done with it.

 

there are no springs which will work for you. period. sorry.

 

^ Not with those 20's installed, at least.

 

So are those spring rate accurate for maxima, cause i already email a company about building me a custom springs with factory specs but 2" shorter

 

Your missing a very important concept. Its plain and simple, you cant lower a car 2" and not sacrifice ride quality, no matter HOW soft the springs are. A soft spring will be riding on the bumpstops pretty much once the car is lowered off the jack stands (tein s-techs). Whenever you lower a car, you lose suspension travel, maximas have limited suspension travel as it is, drop a car 2", and there goes pretty much all your suspension travel. I remember reading that with the car on the ground, you only have 4" of suspension travel, drop the car 2", you know have 2" of travel, the only way to make up for that is with some STIFF struts to compensate for the soft springs/lack of travel.

I dont know, in your situation, shortened koni's and H&R's would probably be your best bet, or just stay with stock rideheight. The reason why your ride is crap, is because of your 20's. 1" of sidewall doesnt do much for ride quality..

 

im gonna have to say no.. i had a pair of each auto and 5 speed and you COULD NOT tell the difference in height...

 

H&R are the one of the most comfortable drop on the market if not the best for comfort. Just put some massive zip ties to hold the front springs down a bit all the time. I wouldnt worry about it being a little high in front, only you care . Do not cut!!!!! GL on trying out different stock springs/struts, tho.

 

exactly. i hate my ride with my 20s. i'm hoping coilovers make it a lil better...

 

honestly bags are probably your only option, thinking about it.

 

I had s-techs on my 4th gen, with 20's. Very nice drop, and the ride was actually not bad. I would get those.

 

Hey aren't the htechs softer than the s techs? was your maxima a 4th gen. That's exactly the opinion i needed, someone who road on 20"s and lowering springs. So how close was the ride to factory, HONESTLY