View Poll Results: Hey spring owners, how far did you cut your bumpstops? See pics for reference
1 in front & 1 in back
25
17.86%
1 in front & 2 in back
5
3.57%
1 in front & 3 in back
0
0%
2 in front & 1 in back
6
4.29%
2 in front & 3 in back
2
1.43%
3 in front & 3 in back
1
0.71%
Beyond 3 in front or back
1
0.71%
Only trimmed the back
5
3.57%
Didn't trim the bumpstops
95
67.86%
Voters: 140. You may not vote on this poll
Hey spring owners, how far did you cut your bumpstops?? *Pics for comparision*
#43
Put my H&Rs on up front yesterday on stock struts and did not cut the bumpstops. I am most likely going to buy new boot kits for each side when I order the Illuminas and then I will consider trimming.
#45
h&r's spring owners do not need to cut the bumpstop, according to their web site.
http://www.hrsprings.com/site/techni...nical_info.pdf
http://www.hrsprings.com/site/techni...nical_info.pdf
#46
I just did my suspension yesterday (progress with gr-2) on 01 Max. I trimmed where housecor trimmed also, but is the dust boot suppose to be loose? it was originally connected to the top hat but the part that is cut off makes it not fit?
what did other ppl do?
what did other ppl do?
#48
Update: i know h&r says you don't have to trim the bumpstops, but, i recommend it now. for a few weeks i was bottoming out on medium-sized bumps and potholes. i cut off the top section on fron and back bump stops, and it's great now. the extra inch of travel space is definetely needed.
i have the same issue, but when the car settles on the spring, there is almost no travel room for the dustboot. the internal part of the strut is completely covered. the only thing i am conserned with is stuff splasing over the top of the dustboot.
Originally Posted by okay
I just did my suspension yesterday (progress with gr-2) on 01 Max. I trimmed where housecor trimmed also, but is the dust boot suppose to be loose? it was originally connected to the top hat but the part that is cut off makes it not fit?
what did other ppl do?
what did other ppl do?
#51
Originally Posted by Galo
When I installed my first springs -the Eibachs- I trimmed the stops per Eibach's recommendations 20mm front and 30mm rear -which made sense given the Maxes poor (short) suspension travel.
Wrong move as it iot made for very harsh, loud 'bangs' when the strut compressed all the way.
When I installed the H&Rs, I bought new, stock bump stops, installed them and the car is now perfect...the front struts do compress against the bump stops on big bumps but now it's a smooth take-up, not a harsh bang
Live and learn.......
Wrong move as it iot made for very harsh, loud 'bangs' when the strut compressed all the way.
When I installed the H&Rs, I bought new, stock bump stops, installed them and the car is now perfect...the front struts do compress against the bump stops on big bumps but now it's a smooth take-up, not a harsh bang
Live and learn.......
#52
Bumbstops????????
I have Eibachs and didn't cut the bump stops. I know it's optional for a minimal drop, but did I realy needed to do so for an Eibach drop, because the boot will be loose and there would be dirt getting in? Any sugestions???
And how can a rubber boot prevent suspention travel, I mean it's only rubber.
And how can a rubber boot prevent suspention travel, I mean it's only rubber.
#53
Originally Posted by shurik
I have Eibachs and didn't cut the bump stops. I know it's optional for a minimal drop, but did I realy needed to do so for an Eibach drop, because the boot will be loose and there would be dirt getting in? Any sugestions???
And how can a rubber boot prevent suspention travel, I mean it's only rubber.
And how can a rubber boot prevent suspention travel, I mean it's only rubber.
i used a cerrated kitchen knife to cut mine, both front and back. utility knife did not work well.
#58
Anyone know about this???
Hmmm, hey guys when you cut your front bump stops, doen'st your shock rod will rob against that hard rubber since the boot will be loose? Can this damere the rod since the rubber boot will rubbing the rod all the time? I thought about it and didn't trip mine. Anyone know anything about this???
#59
Does cutting the bumpstops decrease strut life? Does it void the warranty on the struts? I just bought Tokico Illuminas and H&R springs for our '02, and this bumpstop cutting is news to me. They have yet to be installed, hopefully next week.
Chronos, i couldn't find any information about a Maxima on the pdf of H&R information you posted.
Originally Posted by Chr0nos
h&r's spring owners do not need to cut the bumpstop, according to their web site.
http://www.hrsprings.com/site/techni...nical_info.pdf
http://www.hrsprings.com/site/techni...nical_info.pdf
#61
Originally Posted by shurik
Hmmm, hey guys when you cut your front bump stops, doen'st your shock rod will rob against that hard rubber since the boot will be loose? Can this damere the rod since the rubber boot will rubbing the rod all the time? I thought about it and didn't trip mine. Anyone know anything about this???
Can't speak for strut life - though I think the rest of my car really appreciates the fact that I cut the stops. I don't think I had more than 1/2" of travel with my Eibachs and complete bump stops in the front. If I didn't have the illuminas set on 3 or higher, I'd bottom out big time in the front. Personally, I thought it was a pretty rough ride with the complete bump stops - once I could have sworn I went airborne while doing 75 on the interstate after hitting a dip and the car was fully loaded. After I cut the stops, it was like a whole different car.
Here's Eibach's recommendations on trimming bumpstops (note that they recommend cutting the stops roughly the same amount the springs drop the front and rear):
http://www.eibach.com/downloads/instructions/D2256.pdf
#62
Thanks for this Installation instructions from Eibach, guess the original guy who put in my GR2's never read it. The worse ride in the world with GR2's and Eibachs..I thought. But now that I am reading this, maybe it had to do with the not cutting of the bump stops. I just bought some Illumina's, started doing them myself. I bought the KYB boot kit with bumpstops. I'm going to cut them according to the Installation instructions from Eibach. Also, it looks like the mechanic that did it originally, left the OEM bump stop in there as well.
Originally Posted by zoner
Mine's o.k. - though I recently cut the stops. The dust boot actually helped keep the bump stop from jamming up against the strut shaft. It might rub a little, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the boot or the shaft yet. I thought I would have to shim something in between the bump stop and the piston rod to hold it up against the strut mount, but so far so good without having to go through all that. Alternately, you could cut the bottom of the stop off (per Eibach's instructions). You'd just lose the boot (IMO - not a very big deal - but make up your own mind)
Can't speak for strut life - though I think the rest of my car really appreciates the fact that I cut the stops. I don't think I had more than 1/2" of travel with my Eibachs and complete bump stops in the front. If I didn't have the illuminas set on 3 or higher, I'd bottom out big time in the front. Personally, I thought it was a pretty rough ride with the complete bump stops - once I could have sworn I went airborne while doing 75 on the interstate after hitting a dip and the car was fully loaded. After I cut the stops, it was like a whole different car.
Here's Eibach's recommendations on trimming bumpstops (note that they recommend cutting the stops roughly the same amount the springs drop the front and rear):
http://www.eibach.com/downloads/instructions/D2256.pdf
Can't speak for strut life - though I think the rest of my car really appreciates the fact that I cut the stops. I don't think I had more than 1/2" of travel with my Eibachs and complete bump stops in the front. If I didn't have the illuminas set on 3 or higher, I'd bottom out big time in the front. Personally, I thought it was a pretty rough ride with the complete bump stops - once I could have sworn I went airborne while doing 75 on the interstate after hitting a dip and the car was fully loaded. After I cut the stops, it was like a whole different car.
Here's Eibach's recommendations on trimming bumpstops (note that they recommend cutting the stops roughly the same amount the springs drop the front and rear):
http://www.eibach.com/downloads/instructions/D2256.pdf
#64
Originally Posted by MaxKlinger
Does cutting the bumpstops decrease strut life? Does it void the warranty on the struts? I just bought Tokico Illuminas and H&R springs for our '02, and this bumpstop cutting is news to me. They have yet to be installed, hopefully next week.
Chronos, i couldn't find any information about a Maxima on the pdf of H&R information you posted.
Chronos, i couldn't find any information about a Maxima on the pdf of H&R information you posted.
It wont decrease the life of the strut. If you didnt open up your Tokico Illuminas there should be a paper advising to cut your bumpstops in half. I received mine for my 4th gen and it states to cut your bumpstops in half to increase the travel of the suspension due to lowering if you are going to lower the car.
#67
Originally Posted by Galo
When I installed my first springs -the Eibachs- I trimmed the stops per Eibach's recommendations 20mm front and 30mm rear -which made sense given the Maxes poor (short) suspension travel.
Wrong move as it iot made for very harsh, loud 'bangs' when the strut compressed all the way.
When I installed the H&Rs, I bought new, stock bump stops, installed them and the car is now perfect...the front struts do compress against the bump stops on big bumps but now it's a smooth take-up, not a harsh bang
Live and learn.......
Wrong move as it iot made for very harsh, loud 'bangs' when the strut compressed all the way.
When I installed the H&Rs, I bought new, stock bump stops, installed them and the car is now perfect...the front struts do compress against the bump stops on big bumps but now it's a smooth take-up, not a harsh bang
Live and learn.......
It's extremely puzzling and frustrating that there is such a wide divide of opinions about cutting the bumpstops. Basically, some people are saying they bottomed out all the time before cutting and other people are saying they never bottomed out UNTIL they cut them. Spring/strut combo is a big variable but even so I'm surprised that there is such a disagreement.
#69
Originally Posted by VQuick
What Galo describes is exactly what I've experienced. Before cutting the bumpstops with my TEIN H-Techs and Illuminas on my 4th gen, I had not noticed any bottoming out but I heard so many good things about cutting bumpstops so I cut them about an inch. I didn't really notice a difference at the time, but now riding on rough rouds I get those loud bangs and crashes ALL THE TIME and it's awful. I bet it's bad for the struts too. So I'm planning on buying some new bumpstops/dustboots and putting those in to see if that eliminates the bottoming out. Also, I think the H-Techs aren't stiff/progressive enough so that causes more bottoming out than there would be otherwise.
It's extremely puzzling and frustrating that there is such a wide divide of opinions about cutting the bumpstops. Basically, some people are saying they bottomed out all the time before cutting and other people are saying they never bottomed out UNTIL they cut them. Spring/strut combo is a big variable but even so I'm surprised that there is such a disagreement.
It's extremely puzzling and frustrating that there is such a wide divide of opinions about cutting the bumpstops. Basically, some people are saying they bottomed out all the time before cutting and other people are saying they never bottomed out UNTIL they cut them. Spring/strut combo is a big variable but even so I'm surprised that there is such a disagreement.
Given the length of the stock bump stops, the short suspension travel, and relatively easy ride of the stock suspension, I'd be suprised if the stock struts didn't regularly hit the bump stops and folks (including me) didn't really notice that much. I'd guess that the folks that say their car didn't bottom out until they cut the bump stops fell into this category, even with lowering springs. (logically, increasing suspension travel should make you hit the bump stops less).
In my case, I found the increased impact against the bump stops (from lack of travel) very disconcerning, especially at higher speeds.
As it is, I'm pretty much convinced that the handling/comfort tradeoff really isn't worth it, and I'm about to go to either H&Rs, or back to stock.
#70
I forgot about this thread. I just posted in a 4th gen thread about H-Techs where I explicitly and firmly stated that all who have TEIN H-Techs (and probably anyone with any lowering springs, especially the softer your springs are) should NOT cut their bumpstops.
On Saturday I took apart my entire suspension and replaced the bumpstop/dustboot units with brand new OEM units. (Just the front; I never cut the rear due to their design and because I have Ben's rear strut mounts that increase travel). On Sunday I took a very spirited backroads cruise with friends, 80-100 MPH at times on deserted and often bumpy roads. There were no cringe-worthy crashes; the few times that I bottomed out I just heard a lot of interior rattles (need SFCs!) but it wasn't painful. That's the way bottoming out is supposed to be. So I am a happy camper now.
Anyone reading this thread who is trying to decide whether to cut your bumpstops or not, here is my advice. Even if you have Eibachs or another stiff spring, I highly recommend that you install the springs with the bumpstops uncut, see how you like it, and if for some reason you feel like you're losing travel or getting weird progressiveness of your spring rates due to the bumpstops (you won't), you can go back and cut them when you have a few hours. The front suspension is super easy to disassemble (took me 2 hours total from jacking up the car to lowering it back down) and spring compressors are $11.99 at Harbor Freight.
On Saturday I took apart my entire suspension and replaced the bumpstop/dustboot units with brand new OEM units. (Just the front; I never cut the rear due to their design and because I have Ben's rear strut mounts that increase travel). On Sunday I took a very spirited backroads cruise with friends, 80-100 MPH at times on deserted and often bumpy roads. There were no cringe-worthy crashes; the few times that I bottomed out I just heard a lot of interior rattles (need SFCs!) but it wasn't painful. That's the way bottoming out is supposed to be. So I am a happy camper now.
Anyone reading this thread who is trying to decide whether to cut your bumpstops or not, here is my advice. Even if you have Eibachs or another stiff spring, I highly recommend that you install the springs with the bumpstops uncut, see how you like it, and if for some reason you feel like you're losing travel or getting weird progressiveness of your spring rates due to the bumpstops (you won't), you can go back and cut them when you have a few hours. The front suspension is super easy to disassemble (took me 2 hours total from jacking up the car to lowering it back down) and spring compressors are $11.99 at Harbor Freight.
#71
Well crap, I did not see this post and I just installed my Illuminas and S-Techs yesterday. I cut 1" off of the front and rear but cutting the bumpstops was a PITA and the dustboots were already dry rotted so they will need to be replaced here soon. How much are the dustboot and bumpstops to replace? I also wished I had known about Harbor Freight selling spring compressors so cheap, Autozone here charged me 40 bucks to use theirs
#72
S-Techs, at least on a 4th gen, are so low that the bottom of the bumpstop is literally resting on the top of the strut body. Meaning you technically have no travel; every time the suspension compresses it's also compressing the bumpstop. So it might not be a bad thing to have cut them, as long as your roads aren't too bad. But S-Techs give a pretty awful ride from what I've heard; there's just not enough travel.
Autozone is supposed to loan tools such as spring compressors for FREE...what's up with your store? Maybe try another parts store next time.
Autozone is supposed to loan tools such as spring compressors for FREE...what's up with your store? Maybe try another parts store next time.
#75
well wait, i thought the dust boots were the same as the bump stops
the pic above is from www.importrp.com
http://www.importrp.com/product.php?...0&cat=0&page=1
here is the exact link
the pic above is from www.importrp.com
http://www.importrp.com/product.php?...0&cat=0&page=1
here is the exact link
#76
There are two different types of dustboot/bumpstops.
The earlier 5th gen had the type where the bumpstop is that hard foam piece inside the dustboot like in post #73. The later 5th gen had a bumpstop that was part of the structure of the dustboot, similar to the picture you just posted.
The earlier 5th gen had the type where the bumpstop is that hard foam piece inside the dustboot like in post #73. The later 5th gen had a bumpstop that was part of the structure of the dustboot, similar to the picture you just posted.