dam, progress + illumina's souunds like the setup to get.

i was torn between thsoe and teins H or S. How much of a drop is the progress btw?

puppet, your car looks friggin awesome a few pages back.

 

Drop is 1.7F 1.5R.

Thanks for the compliment... its rare that anyone here these days likes a Max with no blang blang rimz or kit y0....

Btw, you still looking for a Nextel phone? My i730 is still for sale, so PM me if ya do.

 

I will be finally replacing my Maxspeeds and stock shocks with Tokico Illuminas and Tein H-Techs. The H-Techs are absolutely impressive looking springs right out of the box, gold powdercoat with rubber wraps around several coils. The top and bottom coils have also been shaped to fit in the strut much cleaner than the Maxspeeds.

 

Same as Cubanato eibachs and illuminas set at there stiffest level #5. Let me tell you it is a stiff ride. i went back to stock for a week and couldn't stand it so much god awful body roll.

 

Whats the difference in hieght b/t the h-techs and the maxspeeds? anyone kno? I looked up housecors site but the numbers and pictures say two diff. things.

 

i think they are pretty close drop wise, and from what i read maxspeeds are like stock

 

Well I have Maxspeed Springs with KYB Gr-2s on mine and its lower than stock. I have before and after pictures of the stock suspension and the Maxspeed. I do wish that the fronts were a tad lower...

 

Does any one know about cutting the springs??? I want to get H&Rs, and want to cut them a little bit in the front to get rid of that gap. Does anyone know anything about cutting, any experiences?

 

DO NOT EVER CUT SPRINGS! It completely ruins the springs and on top of that it is very dangerous! On another note I was wondering if anyone knows how the ride is with D2's compared to the Tein S-tech springs and Tokico Illumina 5 way Adjustable Strut Combo...Let me know!

 

i am running vogtland springs and tokico struts

http://www.customenterprise.com/view.../vts/design017

 

I know a little bit about cutting springs (it can be done if you really know what you're getting into and have adequate equipment, and there are at least a couple of methods that don't involve acetylene). But I won't make any specific recommendations without quite a bit more data. Starting with the actual ride height that you end up with after installing them and running them in a bit.

Norm

 

from looks of it, progress and illuminas would be my choice...hope everyone finds their setup

 

Okay im buying my springs in a few..my FINAL question is does anyone have problems putting their jack under the car with S techs?

 

Ok two questions- I'm thinking about going H&Rs. Concensus says these are the most comfortable. I want to lower the ride, but will not do it if it takes away from comfort.(I would actually like to find something a bit more comfortable than GLE stock, not a race car) 1.)When comparing to GLE shocks how would you rate H&R's better or worse than stock. On a 1-10 scale. 5 being stock. Higher is more comfortable.
Also I'm interested in the cutting idea. Wouldn't want to cut much at all off. Just to make the car even. More info please.

 

Hey I was wondering about this as well, about cutting the H&Rs in the front just a lil bit, and still haven't gotten an answer. People say they don't recommend it thought.
Well about the H&Rs I've done lots of research and actually bought mine 3 days ago. People say they're stiffer then stock by little bit, cause they're sport springs not just some lowering stockers. Well I heard if you get HP blues Tokikos with H&Rs they ride would be softer + it will look and handle better. So consider doing a combo with the springs to make your ride much better. Well that's all I've heard and read, but realy don't know how it's going to be in real. I guess I'll find out when I'll get my H&Rs.

 

I researched and I finally want to get Maxspeeds. However, I can't find them on ebay anymore.

 

That's what I have been hearing from most people. It looks like this may be my purchase. I like the look of lowering and the extra handling, but my goal is comfort and would be my main reason for upgrading. I am curious did this improve the ride quality or decrease it? Is it bumpier or more like a cadillac than stock?---Thanks

 

It's more bumpy, I can tell for sure it's not going to ride like a cadillac. Still don't forget those are sport lowering springs not some ones from cadillac.

 

I've been waiting for this to develop a bit, the chief reason being that it's doubtful that you can improve ride in all respects while reducing ground clearance much. At least not without going beyond the simpler spring/damper swaps.

When you drop your car with any sort of shorter spring (whether the spring is intentionally built that way for lowering purposes or cut from OE) you NEED it to be a stiffer spring so it will keep you off the bump stops under the worse bumps that you will eventually encounter. The combination of soft springs and reduced bump travel will allow that to happen more frequently. Trust me, hitting a rather firm bump stop more than once in a while will make ride complaints about stiffer springs sound mild by comparison. Nor is a damper (strut) with stiff bump damping a complete solution either, when ride is a primary concern. You're getting warmer if you're thinking in terms of stiffer springs matched with either custom revalved or double-adjustable struts (soft bump damping to avoid adding too much force when you hit a bump, firm rebound damping to control that heavier spring). And if it's a ride more like a traditional Caddy that you're after, you probably need more available bump travel, not less.

Try not to confuse the appearance that lower ride height gives with actually getting better handling - the two do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Norm

 

Damn...those are nice wheels...what type and size are they?

 

h tech + illumina's....5/5 and still feels good

 

Thanks man! I just sent you an email. Anyways, they are Alessio F1s in 19x8.5

Here's shots of them on Maxspeeds and GR-2s.





i have pics of the stock suspension too if you wanna see the difference...

 

As in the past, I have to chime-in on the Illumina/Progress combo:
I can't remember if it's the P-master that has been my nemesis on this topic, but somebody has always disagreed with my assertions on the ride quality of this setup.

I've had this setup for 24k miles now.
The stance is almost perfect, and the drop is badass.
The ride, well -- it's a little harsh for my taste anymore, but I am an old man by most standards here. Originally, I was willing to sacrifice ride quality for handling, but alas - I have aged in that time....and need to go back to a commuter car not a weekend racer.
On smooth highway, this setup is the dogs *****, and the handling IS very impressive on long sweepers and on/offramps.
However, large expansion joints, potholes, uneven pavement, small to med. bumps - anything that is less than perfect pavement is going to be felt through the ENTIRE chasis....and I mean really felt!
I have a suspicion that I have either damaged my Illuminas/Rims or both on some of the ****e I've hit in the past two years.
I LOVE the illuminas, given that I don't want coilovers -- these are THE BEST OPTION for our cars. I still think the damping rates could be more suited to our specific vehicles, but it beats the ****e outta stock.
I am REALLY reluctant to give-up the perfect drop of these springs, but I am totally sick of the ride I get from the progress springs in the city.
To be fair: I do alot of city driving, and the roads around where I live in Atlanta are far less than perfect compared to the suburbanites who enjoy smooth new blacktop.

I'm going to get either H&R's or Tein H-Techs as soon as I can. Naturally, the progress will be for sale.
I'd like to see some more relevant RIDE QUALITY comparos on the H-Techs vs. the H&R's somewhere....as I haven't really seen that yet.

my 2c.
gr

 

I have purchased front illuminas but i am also up in the air about eithe H&R or H-Techs.

 

h-techs on stock

 

how long have you been riding on these? how are the stock shocks holding up?

 

I'm also interested in how th ride is with stock struts.

 

the ride is still pretty good. close to stock and i dont really worry about curbs or potholes like i would with s-techs.

 

Currently, what is the best place to purchase Illuminas and Maxspeeds? I can't seem to find a site that offers these clearly, although Ebay has the struts.

 

Click here for a group buy from IMPORTCARPARTSP...I've heard only good things and good deals. http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=408082

 

Thanks, though his pricing isn't so hot.

 

I haven't bought from him yet, but his prices include shipping. I've done some price shopping and they're pretty good with the shipping included.

 

Woops, forgot to check this.

Actually his prices weren't competitive enough for me. What he would have charged me ($656 Grand Total) costs more than what I ended up paying ($603 Grand Total).

Anyway ... I had a question for you guys. When people talk about bottoming out, do they mean the car hitting the bump stops, or do they mean it actually bottoming out and having an actual piece of the car hit the pavement? Isn't the idea of the bump stops to prevent suspension travel from making the car hit the pavement. I guess the cutting of bump stops is to compensate for the drop (i.e. most drops are 1-2 inches, so you cut one inch off the bump stop), correct? This way, the car will hit the bump stops before it bottoms out. Am I right?

 

H Techs with the Blues, it was harsh at first but now I love it

 

Hitting the bump stops can drastically increase the effective spring rate, and the result is a sudden jerk applied to the suspension motion. Everything in the car, from you to the contact patch feels the effect. And it's probably fair to say that everything is adversely affected by it in some way (discomfort, metal fatigue, sudden change in grip, etc.).

BTW, 'jerk' is the correct physics term here, it being the name for change in acceleration as a function of time.

Norm

 

I think I may be more confused now.

 

Simple analogy:

imagine punching the air vs punching a block of hard plastic with your bare fist. The difference in force that your hand would experience in this analogy is the sort of the difference your suspension would see (and transmit).

Basically, bumpstops are there because hitting them is still better than having metal-to-metal suspension contact (and having to repair the damage that would result).

Norm

 

Ok, gotcha I understand that. Isn't the bump stop situation a bit of a gamble. What if you cut too much, essentially eliminating their purpose all together? That would be a huge mistake. Or, what if you don't cut them at all and don't allow the new suspension to travel enough for comfort resulting in bump stop contact over every bump. Would a good idea be to cut them at one inch? (h-techs/illuminas coming).

 

This is a "test-n-tune" situation, though in many cases somebody else has already gone through the process and you may be able to use their experience. Otherwise, a conservative approach (that might end up involving a bit of work) would be to initially cut a minimal amount and trim from there in small increments until the combination of your normal driving and usual loading doesn't hit them any more. Incidentally, if your bump stop has a "soft" end and a "stiff" end, you probably want to trim from the "stiff" end so that any initial contact wouldn't be so harsh.

Norm

 

ok, not that it really hasn't been hashed out already, but I had to get rid of the s-techs after about 2500mi. one trip back to wi and I was ready to visit the chiropractor...not that bad, but even though it was an improvement over the maxspeeds. i put my new vogtlands on and the ride is much better...pretty close to stock. the drop has had plenty of time to settle and the rear is a little lower than i had hoped, but pretty even...maybe a hybrid set up of vogtland in the front and tein s in the rear. at this point, the ride and handling are very pleasing, and other than giving up the look i loved with the s tech. car's at the shop now having some work done, but when it comes back, i will update with some pics. if you are on the fence, don't hesitate to pick up some vogtlands. you won't be disapointed. Keep in mind i am using the illuminas and they are set fairly stiff (3-5) in fr and (4-5)in rr.