Just wondering who else is still lowered on stock struts/shocks, what type of spring you're using and how long you've been dropped. I'm still on my stock struts/shocks with sprint springs and I have been for one year (~15k miles). The ride is almost the same now as it was when I first had it lowered and not one of my oem struts/shocks are blown...

 

I'm on H&R springs with stock shocks. I have had the setup now for 18,000+ miles and 1 year with out a blown shocks. I did buy some Tokico shock though back in November just incase one goes and I need to replace the stock shocks.

 

mine are pretty much blown....i've been running them for...6 months...8,000 miles....when i hit a lil bump...o man...my car feels like the "bull" riding thing~ teins....

 

Did you trim your bumpstops?

 

I initially installed the MaxSpeed springs on stock struts and it was a nice drop (about 1.8") but I didn't like the feel or the harsh bumpiness.

I went back to a stock setup.

 

They might be okay, but I bet they are actually worn out now. How many miles total on the shocks?? Just because you think they ride fine, doesn't mean they aren't worn out. It's only when they are TOTALLY BLOWN TO HELL, is when you can start feeling a difference. I thought my rear shocks were fine. But when I took them out, one was totally blown. Not leaking or anything but almost NO resistance to up/down. If I can feel the difference, I very much doubt you can.

 

I'm sure they're getting worn out by now, that was never a question. I'm actually pretty happy that they've lasted as long as they have. They are all still doing their job though. I have 64k miles on the shocks and honestly my car feels almost the same today as it did when it was first dropped.

 

Steve...bring your car to NYC....THEN you shall feel a difference...

AZ has nothin on us...

 

If I lived almost anywhere else other than Phoenix, I'm sure my struts would be blown by now.

 

Like I said, you probably can't tell either way. But if you're happy with them, then that's what counts

 

I'm willing to bet that Chicago and NYC are evenly matched! Our winters/temps get colder here!

 

that would be fine but:

A) our mayor is a total b!tch
B) NYC is in a major hole in so far as funding goes

our streets have gotten somewhat better but as time goes on, streets get repaired but need re-repair because of cheap materials used in the first place

 

My shocks have officially went south as of a few weeks ago. 14K miles on Maxspeed springs. I suspect they have been getting worse and worse over time, I just haven't noticed. Now, my car feels like a wrecked Pinto over rough roads. It's awful! I actually started to notice it right after I added my Progress RSB...prolly because I started driving more aggressively after I added it.

I'm having KYB GR2s installed tomorrow and having an alignment Wednesday. I'll definitely post my observations afterwards!

Tony

 

I just put on my Tein springs a couple weeks back with stock shocks. I feel every little road imperfection. I live in AZ and roads here aren't suppose to be that bad but I'm beginning to think otherwise or maybe it's all the d@mn road construction by my house. I'm thinking of changing to Eibach if the ride doesn't get any better.

 

Did you trim your bumpstops?

 

i didn't trim my bumpstops...i figured....how much difference can it bee.....besides...the 1/2 inch of bumpstop that would be left wouldn't really help my shock from bottoming out....soo i sed screw it....BOY WAS I WRONG....
the shocks are pretty worn...ride is ....ok....

ur worried about leaking shocks....LOL when replaced my 240's shocks for coilovers.... o man....
lets just say leaking shocks would be the least of my problems....no pressure at all....meaning the shock valve JUST DROPPED...u would pull it back up...o yea...just shot right back down...my autshop teach sed he never saw such a thing in his 30+ yrs of teaching....
you can literally CRANK THIS THING~!!! beat it~

 

No I didn't, does it really make that of a difference?

 

Cutting the bumpstops is a must for any lowering coil. The ride quality really does go down without it being trimmed.

 

I am running stock struts with H&R springs. I just put them on so I don't know if this helps ride is great. I didn't have to trim the bumpstops.

 

Ehhh steve...what are you talking about? I didnt trim mine and you felt how mine rides All the bumpstops do is absorb the last bit of impact if the springs compress all the way or bottom out. It has NOTHING to do with the ride quality as far as im concerned. You have apprx 5" of wheel travel be4 you even touch the bumpstops. Ive had no problem (I dont have stock struts) but still that makes no diff for the stops. The cutting of a bumpstop will just insure you still have 100% suspension travel but im fine with 95%

 

On my 2002 I'm dropped on Maxspeeds with stock shocks/struts. I've had the springs on for about 5000 miles, and had the car for 1yr. I hate the bouncy/floaty ride so...I've got some Teins waiting to be installed, and am seriously considering some KYB GR-2's to go in at the same time... Tein tells you to trim the bumpstops, but I dunno if I will?

 

Go to the Northern Scottsdale / Cave Creek area roads there are really bad

 

Yes they are. Whats up with all the construction in North PHX?

 

How much do KYB GR2s cost? Any better or cheaper alternative? I just bought some sprint springs (1.8 in drop) but I was going to hold off on struts. I'm also worried about the cost of installation. So I was going to try to find some Dallas guys to help me out. I'm a little tight on money since I'm heading to college this month.

 

Yeah it blows, this weekend on the 51 was anoying as hell, they cut it down to 1 lane

Guys its a very good idea to hold off any spring install until you get struts, the install price can very from shop to shop, but anywere from $100-300 is what you will hear. Dont pay anymore then $150ish (which is what I charge )

e34bmw_maxse: Check the Groupdeal forum on here to see if anymore KYG GR-2 are being sold for a good price (250ish) They are cost wise the least expensive set you can get, next come tokicos which dispite what many say are just fine.

The bumpstops are not 100% necessary to trim but if you feel more comfterble then trim them, its no big deal to have .5" less wheel travel but if you feel you want that last .5" then go 4 it

 

To confirm.....

My overall ride is fine on stock shocks and chopped Eibachs. However, when I hit a bump in the road, the car bounces really hard. I need better shocks, correct?

 

"struts" but yes, the reason it bounces it because the OEM strut does not have enough dampening force to control the spring 100% It will eventually get worst but I mean e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y so as long as you fine with it right now, just ride it out unless you want new struts in then im sure you know some1 that can help out

 

I have about 32k on stock struts/shocks and Eibachs. At least one front strut is blown and I think the rears are pretty weak. Ride quality has been going down hill. Nissan is replacing the known bad front strut under warranty. I will probably order GR-2's in a month or so but I may have to spend that $$ to replace the stock Potenza's.

I did not have the bumpstops trimmed as I felt it would help protect the stock components a bit more. The will be trimmed upon an aftermarket install.

 

Nissan is replacing a blown strut with an aftermarket lowering spring? That amazes me.

 

Yeah, me too. The tech was aware of the drop, but the Service Advisor may not have been aware when he ordered it and told me it was covered under warranty....

 

Maxspeeds with stock struts...ride is ok, but then again my 2k2 only has 9k miles on it... but sooner or later need to get the AGX's...

 

I just installed KYB GR-2s yesterday, which replaced the stock shocks/struts which had 14K miles w/ Maxspeeds. I would recommend to anyone that wants the best possible handling/ride comfort out of their particular setup at all times to replace the OEM shocks/struts at the same time you lower your car. Yes, your OEMs will last a while, but the ride quality will not be as good as it SHOULD and COULD be. My KYBs feel way better than the OEMs even immediately after I changed springs...something I didn't quite understand back then.

So, in retrospect, who cares if you can still get some miles out of your OEM shocks/struts after lowering the car? If all you care about is lowering, and not about ride quality, then keep your OEM stuff on until they wear out. If you want maximum performance and ride comfort, then replace the shocks/struts when you lower.

My 2 cents.

Tony

 

Eibachs are black, so that's why he probably didn't know.

 

i put h&r springs on stock struts since 10k miles....now i have 41k+ miles & they are still going...cant believe it lasted this long

 

I understand what you are saying, but I do care about ride quality and I'm still on my stock struts. As soon as it gets to the point where it bothers me I'll be upgrading to some tokicos. The way I look at it, you've got the OEM struts/shocks, why not get as much use out of them as you can?

 

I just purchased a set of 4 for $349 from shox.com.

Tony

 

Here is what the Tokico web site says about you should notice when your shocks are starting to go bad. I noticed only a few on my car, but the ones I did experience were getting quite pronounced (marked by asteriks). When I put the KYBs on, they all went away. -Tony


Excessive rebound or “float”
Wander or poor tracking **
Poor steering response **
Too much body wallow or lean during lane change or cornering
Corner to corner pitch (corkscrewing motion) during cornering **
Excessive dive under braking
Instability during braking
Excessive brake lock-up
ABS engages too quickly and too often
Poor adhesion on rough surfaces (i.e. crossing;railroad tracks) **!!
Frequent bottoming
Harsh ride quality **

 

Yeah, I definately have the floaty feeling and the tracking problem on the front. Feels like the tires are WAY over inflated. Then again, I should have a problem since I have at least one on the front that is busted....