Ok i need some advice on lowering my max. i dont like the idea of spending a lot of money on new springs then not being happy. plus once you are dropped it isnt the easiest to go back to stock (to sell, during winter, etc)
so this is what im gonna try. the auto parts store by my house has little brackets that you put over two coils on the stock springs. you tighten them down which lowers the car.
before i get flamed for being ghetto, read my reasons above. if i like the drop then i will get new springs and do it the right way.
so will it actually work? how will the ride be?
im sure someone on here has tried it so fess up

 

how much are those thingys...i just got Maxspeed springs on ebay for $66! plus, will install myself for free.

surely, a real set of Maxspeeds would be a better investment for you. i can't imagine how you could get any cheaper than that!

never heard of the things you are talking about...sounds fishy to me!

 

they would cost $20 for all four springs. i was looking for a picture and couldnt find one. they look like they would work. if not it was only $20.

 

couldn't this permenately decompress the springs - making it hard to go back to the stock setup when removed? or if nothing else cause a host of other problems, like bottoming out, etc?

 

that was the main problem i was thinkin of. plus where on the springs would i put them? location (top vs bottom) would make a huge diffirence in ride.
i may just get it lowered the right way.

 

I used those things on an older car once and they worked like ****. Since the spring is in a coil they wouldn't stay put, they kept sliding around and eventually broke one of the springs. My .02.

 

People used to use these alot on the lowrider Mazda trucks when that was in style. It will probably be bouncy as hell, but if you are OK with that, go for it.

 

Just be sure to get one that's of high quality. This is a technique used widely back home since it was cheap and easily accessible by people.

Only problem is, a lot of those are of low-quality and can break after hitting a pothole or dip while going at a relatively high speed.

 

I'm with soundmike on the breaking issue!

The ride would have to suck and you better have a good grip on the wheel if one of those things break. I have never personally witnessed it, but i have been told of guys wrecking there cars because of them failing.

Just get some new springs and the peace of mind to go with it. Do a search and you will be able to find out everything you need to know.

 

either do it right, spend $80 on springs, 350 on aftermarket shocks/struts, $60 on alignment+whatever the labor cost is, or don't do it at all.

 

thanks for all the advice.
i realized it would be a bad idea. one breaking at 80 mph would SUCK.
thanks again everyone

 

How much do ya'll think it cost for labor to swap out springs? At like a goodyear or a mechanic shop?

 

probably around 100-125 dollars

 

I've got mechanical experience. I've swapped out control arms, cv joints. Is it really that hard to swap ot springs as long as I get a spring compressor. I know I need to get it aligned. So I'm figuring if I can do the swap then bring it straight to get aligned shouldn't be too difficult but would like to know from those who have done this before. I'm going to see if there is a write up for the swap.

 

I had something like what you're talking about. But, i used it upside down so that I could raise the back of my car when I raced at the strip. This did two things: it moved more weight to the front and it also stiffened the back to reduce weight transfer. It worked like a charm!!

But, it wouldn't recommend it for everyday use.

 

Now that's cheap

 

JICs aint cheap bro. He was asking about a $20 solution and not a $1500+ one.

 

Spring clamps = ghetto, dangerous, ghetto

They'll ride like **** and you won't know how real lowering springs or coilovers are. This is worse than cutting springs IMO.

 

They are really easy, especially the fronts. It is just time consuming. It takes a while to compress the stock springs if you do it manually (without an airgun). There is a write up for it somewhere here, do a search. The instructions are really easy to follow. Plus, there is the satisfaction of doing it. The only part i had trouble on was getting the bolt out on the rears, cause you have to jack up the beam at the right angle so you can get it out. But thats about it. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the info. Talked to a buddy of mine who's got a spring compressor and has experience on swapping them out. I think I'm going to do the swap myself then put the money I'm saving towards a 4-wheel alignment. But first I'm going back to Nissan and have them swap my struts out before I swap out the springs. New factory struts should be sufficient for Maxspeeds. Don't want to do anything twice.