okay, im totally sick of driving in the maxima, and having it feel like im driving a lincoln. I have already done that recall thing that is supposed to make it better, but it is still no good....SO......i need to start thinking about shocks/springs/suspension.......what will give me less bounce/float, and more stick to the ground, without lowering the car....I don't really want to lower it becuase for fear of bottoming out.. (and where can i get it).

btw, what's the differencee between shocks, springs, and suspension? i have never been able to find the difference.

ps. i have already used the search function.

 

shocks springs and suspension?
shocks and springs are what they sound like....a shock is a gas shock that is placed inside of the spring... the spring is a spring...and suspension is...basically how the car handles are stuff... you can have a tighter suspension w/ strut bars and a rear sway bar,(most cars have a rear sway bar) those things w/ keep the car from tilting during hard cornering, taking away oversteer, and letting the show what the max is made of.... sorry if i didnt' explain real well...but i dont know how to put it in simpler words....SHOCK=shocks springs=a spring

 

I was in the same boat as you are. I installed Maxspeed springs and it solved the problem.

 

so if i get maxspeeds, do i need to get new struts? or anything? because i just want to fix the floatyness, and i am not into lowering, because as i said before, i am scared of bottoming out.

 

eventually after you put springs, you'll have to get new sturts and shocks because the ride will get worse and worse

 

To make your suspension better, there are a few things you can do. First, and cheapest, is a Front strut tower bar and rear sway bar. These will make the ride much better as a previous post explained. Secondly, a good shock and spring setup will greatly improve handling. You should do both at once to kill two birds with one stone. third, and most often overlooked, is replacing the stock tires. The potenza's that come on the max suck. of all the handling/suspension mods I did, this was definitely most noticeable.

 

okay, so if i get new shocks and springs, what am i looking at for the price and what is a good combo, and what would it do to the warranty? would nissan care? if i do all these things, will the car be lowered even more? beccause we get lots of snow here......so the car can't be lowered that much..

has anybody got JUST the maxspeed springs with stock shocks, and had it for a while with no problems?

 

If you really want your car to handle incredibly then I recomend the following. In importans of order.

Springs (H&R or Progress, both do wonders for handeling and looks)

Tires, get some 245 series tires, these will really make your car grip

Shocks, get KYB AGX shocks

RSB, addco o otehr

FSTB, Courtesy nissna or other

With the following your car will handel rediculosly well. The ride will of course get bumpier but the compromise is well worth it IMO.

 

I felt the same after buying my 2k3 Max SE. I didn't want to lower the car or significantly stiffen the ride. I bought Tokico Blue struts for the front and installed them after owning the car for one month. Also, installed a fstb. Am very satisfied with the ride now. No more bouce and float. Cost was $180 for the front struts and installed them myself.

 

Since you don't want to lower your car start from the bottom up. First replace the stock tires go with 17" if you don't want to buy new rims as well some Mich. pilot sport A\S or Nittos etc... If you are not satisfied with the result of replacing the tires, buy new shocks. The shocks will make your ride firmer and you will still maintain the factory hight. Next if that isn't enough get the FSTB and RSTB. I'm not too sure if the FSTB has improved my ride though I didn't really notice a difference. However I don't have a RSB to really honestly say.

As far as the Nissan Service dept... Don't tell them **** they will say that is the cause of all your problems. Suspension mods won't void anything... shocks, tires are all wear and tear Items so over time they will need replacing anyway. Plus my service dept doesn't even notice my car is lowered. Actually most don't notice the car is lowered until I tell them, or I'm next to another Max at which point they just say those rims look tight and that's all they see

 

You must not have the SE...cause that has the SPORT tuned suspension!

hahahahahahahaha

Oh, that cracks me up. Yeah, I'm getting maxspeeds ASAP.

 

2 questions.

1. Anybody out there that has Maxspeeds on stock shocks and running fine for a while?

2. If I get new struts, which ones should I get, and it's true that they don't lower correct?

thanks for all your help guys!

 

Ride height depends on the springs only. If you use the stock srings, your car will not be lowered. Just get a set of Tokicos to firm up your ride. They are good replacement struts and shocks to be used with the OEM springs; direct bolt on, no modifications required and carry lifetime warranty against defect and wear.

 

I've had my Maxspeeds with stock struts for over 9,000 miles now and the ride is a bit bouncy. It was good for a while but if I could do it again I would have replaced them both at the same time. Now I spent money to have the springs installed, now I have to pay again for the struts

I was trying to save money at the time but in the long run I'm spending more. So do yourself a favor and get them both done now.

Struts will not lower your ride. I believe we only have 2 choices at the time...KYB (non adjustble), and Tokico's. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

hmm.....so are struts and shocks the same thing?

and that's what i'll probably do, get new struts......hehe....how much do they cost and where can i get em

 

I think the real reason our Maximas ride so
"floaty" isn't because of the factory springs and struts. Its the over boosted powersteering that makes it feel less athletic. That why so many old people drive Maximas, its easy to drive.

I wonder if there's anything that can be done about it?

 

They do essentially the same job. The difference is cost, size, and how well they do the job. Shocks are cheaper, larger, and can be removed without taking out the springs. Struts are more expensive, smaller, and fit within the springs and so both must be removed to replace the strut.

I replaced (actually my neighbor) my springs (eibach's). The handling is significantly better, especially in the turns. However, the ride is still floaty. I'm going to wait till there is more selection in the dialable strust/shock market before I replace them. The car is lower but nothing that I've bottomed out with.

 

I believe the term "struts" is to describe the front damper and "shocks" is to describe the rear damper. They are all dampers, it's just the terms that is different.

 

yo, so i'm looking at picking up the maxspeeds on the GD for $85. been searchin and whatnot but still got ?'s.

1. How hard are they to install
2. How long are stock struts supposed to last and how long do/should the tokicos last?
3. Read in another post that the maxspeeds were designed to run w/ stock struts. Seems like this was the design but it ain't reality. How long've y'all run the stock struts w/ maxspeeds before having them replaced?
4. How much've y'all paid for the tokicos and where?

think that's all i got......any info y'all got will get a playa closer to gettin rid of what one member called "sexy suv styling". thanks y'all.

 

I think that if you just want to firm up the ride a bit hand have it less "floaty" you should just change the shocks/struts. The floaty feeling is probably due to poor dampening. Although, quite a few people change the shocks and springs together to save them haveing to get it aligned twice.

 

one more question......saw something in another post about cutting bumpstops or sumthin....y'all have to do this? how hard is it and how you know where to cut? think i've asked enuf ?'s for a while.

 

So as a self proclaimed student, you are sick of you car and you require something better? Something better than one of the best selling performance sedans? The Lincoln you mentioned is obviously not a choice. If I were you I would bail out and get a automatic Benz, probably a 500 so you could be almost as fast.

 

am I supposed to be offended here? yes i am a student, and yes, i am d*amn well sick of this POS floatiness....I didnt say i am sick of the car, i said im sick of the gay floating suspension.......just because im a teenager that actually cares about handlining, you have to flame me for that? and I hate mercedes, I like BMW

and for the rest of you, thanks for your responses

i will probably be looking at some tokicos, i just need to find a good price for them, and a place to buy em...any suggestions?

 

www.shox.com

 

I went to shox.com, and they didn't show me that I could buy maxima products there.

 

If you look through their application guide, you will find it.

 

do with springs.

As I have said many times, Japanese cars tend to be oversprung and underdamped & the only solution if you do NOT want to lower is shocks....Tokico Blues are first step (and least expensive), other & more pricey choices are KYB AGXs.

 

I got my Tokico Blues for $295 plus shipping through Stillen which was $25 less than shox.com........If you need details and a contact there, email me.

 

hmmm........yes, tokicos sound nice.....are they the lowest priced ones? I don't need anything fancy, just soomething that will get rid of the boincy boincy feeling.....

is stillen and shox the only place to get em?

 

I got mine from importhorizon.com. Worked out to be nearly the same price as shox.com and the guy I spoke with at Shox told me to go ahead and get them from importhorizon since they buy them from Shox anyway.