CS_AR

Here is some information and pictures about H & R lowering springs that I recently installed on the 98 model listed below.

Price:

H&R 53059 Sport Spring $198.98 + shipping. www.redline360.com.

Lowering:

Front Lowering: 1.4 in, Rear Lowering: 1.3 in.

Service:

Alex at www.redline360.com was able to locate the "last set" of 53059 from their inventory management system. Other sites listed the item as discontinued or would take an order and then fail to deliver. In the end, www.Redline360.com came through for me with the H&R springs that I like.

I see Redline360 sells other performance modification parts for 4th gen Maximas. I definitely plan to do more business with www.redline360.com.

Pictures:

The gold pinstripe and window shades will be removed after the weather warms later in the spring. Also, later this year some 17" Nissan Juke wheels will replace the original saw blades.

KP11520

If I only could.......

Swap the entire bottom of my 99 with yours! (sheet metal and all) And the LSD transmission too!

Now that you have the suspension like new, are you planning to do anything about wind noise from the old and shriveled up door and window seals for that totally new car quiet?

One of my pet peeves about old cars.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

yo craig, car looks good. you should resto those headlights and you'd be lookin as good as my max!!!

CS_AR

Thanks B. I have a set of glass headlights from a 95 model that I'm thinking about installing. The plastics take a lot of maintenance to keep them looking like new.

Actually, the driver side door seals were heavily worn when I got it.
Now it has some "almost like new" door seals that I moved to it from the I30. I keep an eye out for good seals when I visit the yards and snag them.

I use a rubber conditioner from Japan that I learned about from the Honda Odyssey (e.g. big sliding door) people to condition and lubricate door seals named "Shin Etsu" grease. It seems to help the seals last and it keeps them from sticking in freezing weather. I think it has kept the door seals on the 26 year old Q45 well preserved over the years.

Here's a guy with a z32 that used it to remedy a t-top leak.


And another video on it.


Part 2.

JoshG

I have the same springs too they made the car look 100x better height wise, I would of gone lower but didn't want my boots to be torn in a couple months after lowering.

How do u plan to remove the gold pinstripes? Doesn't that require a whole new paint-job?

The plastic headlights on mine are like new, Just clean them really good and make sure no yellowing are present in any angle and then apply a protective seal on the headlight (similar to what high end cars use) to protect it from yellowing quick and also stay looking like new longer.

I would say get some clears for the tail-lights and de-badge it!

Overall, the car looks really good when its done right, looking better than most basic cars out there today. For some reason It just has more soul/meaning into it.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

i scraped my pinstripes off with my fingernail in the summer. that and some goo gone and a whole lot of patience.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

i have a feeling he's going for a stock look, not a " look at my max, i did mods to it " look.

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

You're a wise man Craigory S. from Arkansas ...

CS_AR

The 99 SE has H&R springs also. Those have been on for 3 years. The rear drop on it seems to be 1/2 inch lower for some reason. The 98 model seems to be just right. So I'm content with the 1.4 front, 1.3 rear drop.

About 7 years ago I removed pinstripes from the Q45 using Max Ride's method. Also, I had to heat up the area to get the pinstripe to come loose. It can be done, it's just a lot of work. I hope I don't damage the clear coat in the process.

Out of five cars, the Q45 with the glass headlights, is the easiest to maintain of the bunch. It takes the least amount of my time over the course of a year to keep it looking good. So my goal for the 98 model is to build a good solid "low maintenance" car for the long haul.

M in KC

Craig I didn't realize you have/had one of the rolling barn doors that Honda sells as the Odyssey. I have '07 and those sliding doors are a complicated contraption. I've been battling, like every owner a sliding door rattle. I think I solved mine, but geezus what an ordeal. Your Maximas are on point as usual.

CS_AR

It's actually a Ridgeline. But I share a lot of the same problems with Ody owners. Don't get me on a rant. Now you know why I love the 4th gens.

SneakyBastard

I have restored a lot of headlights by using a low speed electric drill and buffing wheel coupled with some plastic/soft metal polishing compound. The stick kind.... not the creme kind.

So long as you do not press too hard or keep the wheel in one spot for too long, it does a wonderful job. Finish it off by hand buffing in a good coat or two of carnuba, they will look brand new for quite some time.

Mine are still shining after over a year now.

CS_AR

Thanks Sneaky for the idea.

Over the weekend I installed a set of fog lights that I bought from member Lux97Max. He does a nice job with packaging and all. So props to Lux97Max. Also, I put in some new Silverstar H3 bulbs. Those work great. I'm glad that I made the fog light addition.

Fog Light Installation Link

https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...s-97-99-a.html

It turns out that one of front tires has a round ball shaped bump coming up on the sidewall. I found the bump yesterday. It won't be long before it blows out. Maybe it will make it a few days until I can get the new tires installed on the 17" Juke rims. Now I don't feel bad about replacing those 15" tires.

On Thursday, I ordered a set of 235/45/17 Sumitomo HTR A/S P02 (W-SPEED RATED) from TireRack at $71.25 each + shipping. We've been running this Sumitomo tire on the Civic since last summer. So based on that good experience, I'm ordering another set for the Max.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...345WR7HTRASP02



Wheels..

So $285 tires + $60 Shipping + $80 installation & balancing = $425 + $250 for wheels brings the wheel and tire total to $675.

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

This is a typo ... right?

Please tell me you actually ordered 235s and not 135s.

CS_AR

Good catch. Typo fixed. I'm glad you pointed it out.

SneakyBastard

You live in Arizona, CS? That's not too far from California... why don't you come and work on my car next! Lol!!

Nice work... it's gonna look hot!

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

Arizona is abbreviated "AZ".

SneakyBastard

You are right....still... Arkansas isn't but what?? A 2 day drive?

CS_AR

Firestone mounted and balanced the new tires today. I got the lifetime balance and rotate package. It turns out the store manager has a turbo Juke. Two of the guys in the shop are all about the 240SX. So the place is a big Nissan party. They cut me nice deal at $85 out the door.

So after work I swapped out the saw blades for the new wheels and tires in my driveway. It got dark and foggy fast this evening, so the pictures aren't that great. But here's an idea of how it looks with the 17" Juke wheels.

The 17" wheels with the Sumitomo tires make it drive like a very different car. This car did not handle anything like this when it was new. Now it just feels right.

Since it was starting to get foggy last night, here's picture with the fog lights switched on. Maybe its starting to get a bit of a stately look..



Another picture when I stopped by Advance Auto on the way home from the car wash.

SneakyBastard

Very sweet, my man... very sweet indeed.

Lol! When I quickly looked at the top picture and was scrolling down... I had to do a double take and go back up..
It looked like it was sitting high in the back and had a scoop on the hood! Lol! For a second I thought you made a Maxima Dragster! [8oO~

It was just the way the bottom part of the window in the background contrasted with the trash can...gave a bit of an optical illusion....lol

CS_AR

Thanks Sneaky. Strangely, I don't seem to mind the pinstripe so much after changing the wheels. I hope to remove the plastic window covers this weekend.

Since my local AA store doesn't seem to stock rear Wagner Thermoquiet pads for a 4th gen, I bought some Akebono ProACT ceramic brake pads from TireRack along with the new tires. I've been running both ProACT and Thermoquiet for years on other cars where they seem to be very similar for long life the low-dust. Both seem to work equally well.

So I will be running Thermoquiet on the front and ProACT on the rear. We'll see how it goes. I will install the new pads when I do a complete rear suspension bushing replacement job next month. I need a couple of days for that project.

JoshG

I've noticed you never take pictures on the passenger side of the car lol

CS_AR

I can take some this weekend.. Since I'm in and out of the driver side, I tend to start there.

KP11520

Craig, I have to say you really do beautiful work!

And you share on how you do it, like a true Educator Professional.

And we, the students, benefit immensely!

You're a good man and an incredible asset for this 4th Gen dimension!

Thank You!

pixelporsche

iTrader: (1)

Craig is great! He gets the 4th gen spirits flowing. I also bought another round of stuff from Lux97Max - He packs things up really nicely. He helped me remedy all of my emissions codes... now he is also sending me a knock sensor among many other things My two $10 knock sensors weren't any good... I have now learned you cannot buy cheap parts for this car and expect them to work properly. Next up is a replacement transmission resistor as mine has a horrible time downshifting (You have to really dig into the pedal before she decides to downshift).

All hail, King Maximus!

peb396

Here! Here! I agree completely!!!