Hello..I'm going to buy 17" Nissan Rims and tires from 2000 SE next week, and i have a 97 GXE right now. Before i buy them, my question is whether it will be just swap and drive or will i end up having to realign my wheels, etc and change camber or will it work perfectly right away. Also, im interested in dropping the car about 2 inches. I want ride smoother than stock if that's possible , if its going to be harsher i might as well stay with the stock suspension. I hear H&R springs are pretty soft. Anybody that actually has these can you please tell me the difference it made for you vs. the stock springs, ride quality, noise, handling, etc. Basically what i want is the smoothest, quitest ride possible. Without breaking the bank of course. thanks a lot guys.

 

i have h&rs with my stock struts..and my stock struts are dead. they couldnt handle the h&rs at all. im bouncy now too. if you want a 2 inch drop go with sprint springs they offer a 2.25 drop. but with the stock struts i seriously doubt you'll have a better than stock ride. you'll handle much better, but you'll feel every bump in the road. get koni struts if you want to reduce the harsh ride.

h&r ~$210
sprints ~$200(i think)
konis ~$500(ouch)

 

- If a smooth ride is what you want, see if you can get Bilstein shocks. They have a progressive design that keeps the initial travel smooth and the rest of it sporty. This way, you get your cushy ride and can hang on in the twisties. BMW and Mercedes use Bilstein's for OEM equipment, if that helps. That's why they have such a smooth AND sporty ride.
- Also, Bilstein's are re-valveable. ie, you can send 'em in and have them re-valved to you specs. It'll cost a little, but you can do whatever you want with them. The past couple of winners from some racing class have all run on Bilstein's. They are good shocks. Besides, the Koni's are way more expensive (I found prices ABOVE $740) and they take forever to get to you. (From what I've heard, Bilstein's should run around $100 per shock.)

 

SMOOTH RIDE? If you lower your Maxima, you'll worsen the ride quality. All dropping does is make your ride firmer, more secure, and improve your handling. It of course does give it better looks, too! I simply reccomend you to get Tokico shocks to control the suspension, but keep the factory ride comfort.