drop question
01-23-2005, 09:35 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 267
drop question
thinking about dropping my car but i want to keep it cheep in cost but i dont want to lose the comfort in the ride not looking to spend tons of money so what can i use maybe ebiach with stock struts? let me know what to do and maybe how much it will be
01-23-2005, 10:35 AM
#2
Seoul Man
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,010
A lot of people are going to yell at you and tell you to search, because this topic has been beaten into the ground.
But I'm not a lot of people, so I'll share what I've learned while doing research for my own drop. If you want to keep a comfortable ride, you probably don't want Eibachs. They are nice, high quality springs, but they are rather stiff and more "race oriented" than some of the other springs on the market. You should also avoid keeping your stock struts if you can. Technically, you can use your stock struts with a mild drop, but your stock struts may not be able to safely or comfortably control the compression and rebound of stiffer/shorter springs. Even if the setup feels ok at first, using aftermarket springs on your stock struts will shorten the life of your struts and you'll have to buy a set of good struts anyway.
For a decent drop, good ride quality, and good handling, lots of board members like the H&R springs. I like H&R springs too, but they are a bit expensive, and they tend to cause the illusion that your car is lowered more in the back than in the front. H&Rs don't ACTUALLY lower your car more in the back (they lower 1.4 inches in the front and 1.3 in the back), but the Maxima's rear fender gap is naturally slightly smaller than the one in the front, so the drop just LOOKS like the car is leaning back when it is actually lowered slightly more in the front. The H&Rs have a suggested retail price of $329, but you can apparently find them for a little over $200 for a set of four springs.
Many board members who don't want to spend the money for H&R springs have gone with Maxspeed springs. Maxspeeds are supposed to drop the same as the H&Rs (1.4 inches front, 1.3 inches rear), but for some reason they end up looking more even (less illusion of a rear sag). I am basing this claim on pictures and links posted on Maxima.org. In addition to having a more even-looking drop, the Maxspeeds offer performance that is better than stock, and they only cost about $100 for a set of four springs. Normally I'd be really suspicious of a set of cheap springs, but lots of board members are using these, and they like them. I'd call this a good buy.
As for what struts to buy, you can save some money by going with non-adjustable oem-replacement struts like the Tokico HP (Blues). I've seen them retailing for around $300 for a set, but I'm sure you can find a better price if you look. If you want a little more control over your ride quality and performance, you can go with the VERY popular adjustable Tokico Illuminas. No matter what springs they choose for their Maximas, most board members seem to agree that the Illuminas are sweet. They have five settings (1 is softest, 5 is hardest). 2F/2R seems to be a common setting for performance and ride comfort, but some go higher for competition. Illuminas retail for around $450 for a set, but once again, I'm sure you can find a better price.
KYB makes both adjustable (KYB AGX) and non-adjustable (KYB GR2) struts that will fit your Maxima. These may not be as common among Maxima.org members, but they're certainly not rare. Lots of board members use them, and KYB is a reputable company with quality products.
I know you want to save money (so do I), but you might want to save up just a little more cash and buy adjustable struts instead of non-adjustable ones. Some people on the boards love them, but others firmly believe that the non-adjustable KYB GR2s and Tokico HPs are just stiff OEM-replacement struts. The springs I talked about in this thread don't drop your car very far (less than 1.5 inches), so technically the non-adjustable GR2s and HPs should be able to handle them. I personally was leaning toward the non-adjustable Tokico HPs until I saw so many people around here recommending he Tokico Illuminas instead. I'm not a suspension expert, so I tend to believe the guys who have more experience than me. Even if the non-adjustables are capable of handling the H&R and Maxspeed springs, I think that having the freedom to adjust your car's damping could come in handy since it will allow you to set your damping stiffness to match whatever springs you buy.
Sorry this was so long. There's no such thing as an easy answer in the world of suspension tuning.
But I'm not a lot of people, so I'll share what I've learned while doing research for my own drop. If you want to keep a comfortable ride, you probably don't want Eibachs. They are nice, high quality springs, but they are rather stiff and more "race oriented" than some of the other springs on the market. You should also avoid keeping your stock struts if you can. Technically, you can use your stock struts with a mild drop, but your stock struts may not be able to safely or comfortably control the compression and rebound of stiffer/shorter springs. Even if the setup feels ok at first, using aftermarket springs on your stock struts will shorten the life of your struts and you'll have to buy a set of good struts anyway.
For a decent drop, good ride quality, and good handling, lots of board members like the H&R springs. I like H&R springs too, but they are a bit expensive, and they tend to cause the illusion that your car is lowered more in the back than in the front. H&Rs don't ACTUALLY lower your car more in the back (they lower 1.4 inches in the front and 1.3 in the back), but the Maxima's rear fender gap is naturally slightly smaller than the one in the front, so the drop just LOOKS like the car is leaning back when it is actually lowered slightly more in the front. The H&Rs have a suggested retail price of $329, but you can apparently find them for a little over $200 for a set of four springs.
Many board members who don't want to spend the money for H&R springs have gone with Maxspeed springs. Maxspeeds are supposed to drop the same as the H&Rs (1.4 inches front, 1.3 inches rear), but for some reason they end up looking more even (less illusion of a rear sag). I am basing this claim on pictures and links posted on Maxima.org. In addition to having a more even-looking drop, the Maxspeeds offer performance that is better than stock, and they only cost about $100 for a set of four springs. Normally I'd be really suspicious of a set of cheap springs, but lots of board members are using these, and they like them. I'd call this a good buy.
As for what struts to buy, you can save some money by going with non-adjustable oem-replacement struts like the Tokico HP (Blues). I've seen them retailing for around $300 for a set, but I'm sure you can find a better price if you look. If you want a little more control over your ride quality and performance, you can go with the VERY popular adjustable Tokico Illuminas. No matter what springs they choose for their Maximas, most board members seem to agree that the Illuminas are sweet. They have five settings (1 is softest, 5 is hardest). 2F/2R seems to be a common setting for performance and ride comfort, but some go higher for competition. Illuminas retail for around $450 for a set, but once again, I'm sure you can find a better price.
KYB makes both adjustable (KYB AGX) and non-adjustable (KYB GR2) struts that will fit your Maxima. These may not be as common among Maxima.org members, but they're certainly not rare. Lots of board members use them, and KYB is a reputable company with quality products.
I know you want to save money (so do I), but you might want to save up just a little more cash and buy adjustable struts instead of non-adjustable ones. Some people on the boards love them, but others firmly believe that the non-adjustable KYB GR2s and Tokico HPs are just stiff OEM-replacement struts. The springs I talked about in this thread don't drop your car very far (less than 1.5 inches), so technically the non-adjustable GR2s and HPs should be able to handle them. I personally was leaning toward the non-adjustable Tokico HPs until I saw so many people around here recommending he Tokico Illuminas instead. I'm not a suspension expert, so I tend to believe the guys who have more experience than me. Even if the non-adjustables are capable of handling the H&R and Maxspeed springs, I think that having the freedom to adjust your car's damping could come in handy since it will allow you to set your damping stiffness to match whatever springs you buy.
Sorry this was so long. There's no such thing as an easy answer in the world of suspension tuning.
01-23-2005, 12:01 PM
#3
01-23-2005, 12:23 PM
#4
Seoul Man
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,010
Originally Posted by crispykid717
01-23-2005, 12:43 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 267
hey guys thanks for posting a responce i think im gunna look into getting some struts too but for now im still waiting on my lip to come in and then im having it molded on and painted but drops next hopefully i might just do the maxspeed with the factory struts for now see how that is unless i can find a good deal
01-23-2005, 03:40 PM
#6
Originally Posted by spiromax
Thanks for the links. The second one was actually where I got some of the info for this thread. The first link is practically useless. All it shows is that a bunch of Maxima owners have a bunch of different setups. There is no definitive "winner" in that poll.
01-23-2005, 05:13 PM
#7
Go with the tein H techs, very close ride to stock. Thier is no sagging but you should change your struts because you car will tend to be a lil more bouncy then usual and you will wear out ur struts more because thier soo used to being absorbed on its stock ride...I have the tein s techs very low drop. with the illuminas.. check out my sig to see more pics..
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