I have JIC's..they are GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

stock (trying to get to 15 post)

 

Jics all the way (down that is)

 

I have a 4th Gen I30, and since I have new 215/60 x 15 Fuzion tires, I think I have more room to romp -- so to speak.

I have not seen any posts that relate to a spring/strut setup for 15" rims. Given that info, and my primary desire to eliminate my floaty ride on the boulevard and motorcycle-like tilts around sharp corners, what would you recommend?

I'm leaning towards Illuminas, for sure, but not sure on which springs to buy. I also should add that I am on a budget, and have to partition what little disposable income I have left among a number of upgrades I plan on making.

Do I go with Maxspeed because of the lower cost, or H&R because of the better ride? Are Eibachs a better bang for the buck, or will they buck like a bronco over the moon craters that appear randomly on Jacksonville roads?

Or, do I score some Teins, and, if I do, would they be the lower-riding S-types, or the smoother riding H-Techs??


Decisions....decisions...decisions....

 

well after readin what seems to be hundreds on this thread, ive decided too go with the illuminas and the H&R springs...... the illums i see on ebay for around 430 shipped...but the H&Rs , wheres a good place to buy them at a good price????

 

Talk to Steve at Sport Compact and you'll get a 5% .Org discount:

www.sportcompactonly.com

Or talk to Justin, the originator of this GD thread:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=322033

There are many other places on the internet you can find H&Rs and other springs for decent prices, just depends on how much searching ya wanna do.

 

Eibach with Tokico blues

 

Adjustable coilovers, or a set of OEM SE springs.

 

So far, we've been talking about struts and springs as if they are the only components that matter, but with so many different car/rim/tire configurations, are we really comparing apples to apples here?

Ride quality is a normally a very subjective aspect. However, if you do not like a bumpy ride, regardless of how you define "Bumpy", you might consider talking directly to those owners who reported their strut/spring combo to be bumpy, and factor their impressions into your decision.

Even though "bumpy " is subjective, I think that you can find an objective benchmark for "Soft," namely the springs on a stock 4th Gen I30. Only a big Oldsmobile floated more, IMHO.

If you often drive over roads with lots of big potholes and such, and you dislike a harsh ride, you probably should choose springs that will drop your car less than 1.5" as the maximum.

From what I have gathered on this thread and others, the FEEL of the most popular spring sets range in softness to firmness as follows:

1. STOCK
2. TEIN H.TECH
3. H&R
4. VOGTLAND
5. TEIN S.TECH
6. EIBACH

I'm not sure where Maxspeed fits in the list...maybe stiffer than Vogtland. Please feel free to correct me if you have a different sense of these.

If you're using any kind of springs to lower your ride, you should also consider bumpstops and long-travel rear mounts.

Also, since the choice of which springs to buy can be very confusing, many people pair stock springs with new shocks/struts (unless their stock springs are worn out) with the intention of adding new springs later on. As far as getting the smoothest ride possible, this might be the way to go.

At this point, I've only decided on the struts/shocks (Tokico Illuminas) and am still on the fence with regards to the springs. Just when I thought I made my choice, I read someone's negative feedback on them and rethink my choice.

Sound familiar to anyone?

 

I think I would say:

1. Stock
2. H&R and Maxspeed
3. H-Tech
4. Progress
5. S-tech
6. Eibachs

This of course, is based on limited experiences with these set-ups on different struts and in different cars...

 

How would you rate Maxspeed on quality, feel, and handling? At close to $100 a set, they sound like a bargain.

 

Will the members who indicated that they have Teins please clarify if they have S.TECH or H.TECH?

Thanks!

 

They are a bargain. I love the way mine feel, but I can't rate them against anything else because this is the only set that I have bought.

 

i had the progress springs on my car. the drop was great and the handling was superb. Ride Quality was another story, very tight ride, you feel all the bumps. If i had to do it again i would go with h/r and sacrifice a little drop to save the ride quality.

-steve

 

^^ i was kind of debating between progress and a couple other setups. thanks for your input steve. i have a b pipe from the GD, i LOVE it, literally lol. i'm gonna try to go h techs by the end of the summer, i think it's a good compromise between looks, handling, and longetivity w/non adjustables (not to mention ride)

 

Can anyone share their experience with Ground Control Coilover/sleeves with any strut setup? My brother got the GC coilover/sleeves for his car but has since decided to give them to me and stick with his Eibach/HP setup.

 

I just ordered a set of H.Techs to go with my Illuminas.

Now, all I need is to find the money for them.

 

don't even put those on your car, stay stock

 

Can you shed any light on why? I wanted to hear about anyone's experience with the Ground Control coilovers.....

 

Weird as I had GC/Konis on my Maxima for 3.5 years with alot of miles on them, and I THIS was THE best setup for a A33 back in the day. Now we got other options to choose from but I paid bout 950 for my setup back them. I was quite happy with it and I belive Frankd121 can say the same bout it as hes using them now. I wouldn't ever go back from using coilovers on my Maxima to normal springs. My car was only few months old when I decided to add braces, sway bars, and lower it with Koni Yellows and GCs. I am rocking JIC Magic FLTA2s now.

Do you have any Ground Controll experiences on Maximas ?

 

finally put on the eibachs.


before



after






the springs were installed on the fronts only and on stock struts. the ride is perfect. the car now stays flat in the turns but retains the stock SE ride comfort.

 

I don't have GC experiences on a maxima but i don't see why they'd be any different from my old roommates integra LS, another good friend's gs-r, a coworker's prelude, etc etc.....they don't allow much suspension travel. they're cheap, all 3 of these guys have since switched to either REAL coilovers or back to springs/shocks. i dunno, they just look cheap, the idea of them are pretty lame too..

 

Took the day off from work today and got Vogtland Springs and Tokico HP Blues installed. Had fun already on my way back from the shop. Will post pics of these in a few weeks when I add my 18" wheels. Stay Tuned.

 

Installed b&g springs 1.6" drop 3 weeks ago. Left stock struts for now. Rides firm, but handles well. Still on stock 16s though. 19s soon to come, but ride will be stiffer.

 

The Tein springs are awesome, do your self a favor and DO NOT BUY DROPZONE SPRINGS. the car rides way to loose. i have illuminas on my car set on 3 and they stil ride loose i hate it. my boy has tien springs with stock struts and its ride stiffer then mine. if your looking for a plush ride then dropzones are teh way to go, but i really like the tien for a sporty feel

 

Bought a set of Tein H.Techs (again). Let's hope that this eBay'er is more reliable than the last.

BTW, how are acceleration times impacted by installing stiffer shocks/struts and lowering springs?

 

How much did you pay for this set!??

 

Anybody know the main difference between the tein s-techs and the h-techs?

I have the s-techs and think its a bit to rough.

 

H.Techs drop you 1.4" in front and 1" in back and ride a lot softer. Close to stock springs in terms of feel.

 

Stock...boring.

 

Looks tight!

 

cool thanks, happen to know how much the s-techs drop our car? I don't recall.

 

S.Techs have a 2" drop

 

Tein H-Tech.

 

alright, i'm having a REALLY hard time deciding whether to buy H&Rs or H-techs.....according to housecor's site, the H&Rs not only offer the best ride, but they offer the best handling too...is this accurate? i would think a lower center of gravity and a stiffer spring would have a better effect on handling than the H&R's smooth and fairly high ride....i want the H&Rs because of the nice ride (and handling, if that is true), and i want the H-techs for the looks....from what i've seen here, a lot of people are sporting the H&Rs on illuminas, but not many people have been commenting on the difference in ride and handling from stock....can these people, as well as the people with h-techs elaborate on this, please? that would help me a lot, thanks!

 

H-Tech and Illuminas here and lovin' it! The first setup was stock. Then I got me some Eibachs and Tokiko Blues. The ride was just a little better than stock on your typical road. Next was the 18" wheels and that made the larger bumps really bad.

When the Illuminas came out I put those on the car and the ride totally transformed into a luxury feel without losing any performance feel.

Finally, I switched out the Eibachs for the H-Techs and I feel as if I have finally arrived at the perfect setup. The Eibachs sagged shortly after 1 year which is the reason for the switch. The H-Techs have a great stance and their ride is much more compliant than the Eibachs. The H-Tech is a great quality spring, IMO

I used to have H&R's on my 5.0 stang and they were one of the best springs I have ever owned. YOu have a hard decision, I would go for the H-Techs because it perches the rear slightly higher than the front for that aggressive look.

 

thanks a lot for the comment....now when you said the eibach's ride were a little BETTER than stock, does that mean smoother, or tighter? because i heard the eibachs have a fairly harsh ride....and compared to stock, how would you rate the H-tech's ride and handling? i want a good handling spring that doesn't have that floaty feel to it, but also isn't jarring over the bumps...

 

The stock springs seemed to bounce around alot. The Eibachs were smoother around town but were really bad at large potholes, road transitions and travel. They didn't seem to have enough travel at higher speedsand when I would approach something tht I knew was going to upset the ride, I had to slow down quite a bit.

I think that the H-techs are some of the best springs that I have ever owned. I never had the H&R's on my Max but I did have a set on my 5.0 and I loved them. The reason that i didn't get the H&R's was because I didn't want to lower the rear as much as the front. The H-Techs are a 1.4 in the front and a 1 in the rear for a perfect aggressive stance. The Eibachs made the rear look lower than the front probably due to them sagging in less than 1 year. Whetever, the case was, I didn't want to go through that again with the H&R as it too lowers the rear over 1" so i decided to go with the Tein's.

H-Techs or H&R's, you can't go wrong. I think that the ride is very similar for both of these springs. The H-Techs will give your car a better stance. Oh yea, I now haul *** over potholes, bumps and anything in my way.

 

great! just the information i was looking for....i really wanted the H-techs in the first place, because of the much more even stance, but when i saw that the H&Rs had the best ride AND handling, it was sort of hard to resist....i'm sure the H-techs will suit my needs though, because i'm not all THAT concerned about keeping my ride as smooth as possible, so long as i won't be losing any teeth going over any bumps, and i'm sure the H-techs are a drastic improvement from stock in the handling department...Thanks again for helping me decide, and i'll report back whenever i get them (which may be a while, cuz i'm REALLY tempted to spend my long-earned money on an STS... )

 

I picked up my H & R's this morning. I'm waiting to get my Illumina's to go with them.

I also have a full size Bronco and It's going the opposite direction. I installed a 6" lift on it today.