that looks good...i like that. have you had any problems with using the stock struts with lowering springs?

 

yeah i think the back ones are about to go just cause of lowering it with how many miles are on them. I wasnt fond of this ride though it wasnt stiff enough and still had too much body roll. I put the k-sports on and the difference was night and day i mean amazing! But i dont know what kind of ride your going for or how hard you push your car. I mean with this setup i was taking highway on ramps doing 45-50 now with the ksports and same tires i can take them doing 60+ easliy but they are stiff but have the adjustments so you can change the ride.
And this is with the ksports and it dropped about as far as it can go without tearing up fenders

 

Does anyone know if the shocks on the 00-01 and 02-03 are interchangeable? Just wanted to see if the OEM 02-03 shocks will work on my '00 SE...

 

My 2002 has ~105k miles. I'm about to install Eibachs and new Tokico blues. I'm wondering about the factory spring isolators. Do I need to replace them with new due to the mileage? Maybe I don't need them at all since the Eibachs have plastic sleeves on some coils. The one thing I don't want is squeaks and/or creaks. Nor do I want to tear it all back apart after installation to replace isolators. Can anyone share their experience on this question?

 

Isolators usually dont go bad cause they are extremely hard rubber and yes i would put them on the new springs should fit the same as factory just shorter.

As to the factory struts. I believe they will fit cause when i ordered my coilovers they were for 00-03 im pretty sure.

 

Damn that looks so nice! how much were the k-sports and i wanna get my car to look like yours and i wanna be able to take turns pretty fast haha. oh and a couple more qiestions.....where did you get that grille its beautifull lol and what kind of exhaust do you have and is it quiet....im looking to get an exhaust but i dont want it to be extremely load...just a nice deep quiet exhaust note. thanks for all your help man

 

K-Sports cost me around $800 shipped off of ebay. The grill i actually made myself out of material from home depot cost me like $6 and now i actually have my nissan badge on it. My exhaust is loud but that is because it is test piped. I have a magnaflow muffler on mine and it is very deep and powerfull sounding (decently quiet with primary cat) but the tip you see on there does not come with the muffler its a burnt titanium 4" tip. http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/s...e=main&id=7908

This is my muffler but i picked it up for $60. I also have a custom catback run

 

I would actually put some new (or in good condition) OEM isolators on regardless because like you said, that's not something you want to have to revisit after you put everything back to together. Most spring isolators can be reused, but sometimes as they get older, they dry and crack and may slip off the spring, which will result in some clunking or squeaking. It's just one of those things that isn't a big deal, but it gets annoying, so it's better to be safe, IMO.

 

+1 This is very true. Use your own discretion on whether to replace them or not.

 

Thanks for the isolater input. I'm going to pick them up from Courtesy. May as well put in new while I'm in there. Don't want to end up with good performance and looks, only to have it sound like a hooptie.

 

Ok new question for you guys. I got a little extra pocket money over the holidays and am wanting to work on the suspension a little more. In the end I want to put on a rear sway bar, rear strut tower brace, subframe connectors, and a lower front tie bar stage2.

WHICH ONE SHOULD I GET FIRST??? I want my handling to be better but in not sure wich one is going to yield the most improvement at this point.

Hit me with some knowledge

 

Go with the rear sway bar first and I don't believe you will regret it.

 

Whose bar would you suggest i know stillen and progress make them but if you have one that you know is quality then let me know. Obviously the stillen will be great but im sure theres something just as good for less.

 

You have a great question because I chose the Stillen, but wish I had known or asked more about the CATTMAN.com products. Today, I would go with any other alternative, but the Stillen Sway Bar does work. I suggest you call or email Mr. Brian Catts and ask teh same question. He will you give you straight info along with answers that you can trust.


I have recently experienced how and why Stillen prices are so much higher. Stillen products are now my last resort in the future, if at all.

 

go look in the group deal section here on the org. I have the Cattman RSB and love it. I'm sure he has a deal on it...

 

So i called cattman up today and ordered a RSB which he said as far as improvement this would yeild the most substantial gains at this point.

Thank you guys for the input

 

So i put my RSB on over the weekend and MAN you wouldnt believe the difference it makes!! The rear of the car stays down and tight while braking through hard corners and has no more of that floaty feeling. It really really tightens this car up. Only problem with it that i have come across is. Since i have my car dropped so low with an aftermarket exhaust, when i hit large bumps my sway bar tends to hit my exhaust piping and make a loud banging noise.

Il post up pics of everything here soon when the weather clears up.

 

You might wrap the RSB with exhaust material or have an exhaust shop see if your exhaust can be repositioned or adjusted to minimize the contact. FYI, I had problems with minimal rear tire rub. I fixed the problem by installing coil spring spacers from J.C. Whitney.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I will have to look into that and hopefully when i raise it up to put the LFTB on it then that will also make a difference

 

hey i just picked up some bc racing coilovers of the nycmaximas group deal section and all i can say is wow. ive only been running them for a month so i can only give you initial impression but i will keep you posted. well just for refrence i have run numerous set ups including k-sports(ride like crap but it does stay flat in the turns), then s-techs great stance but again a really bad ride. next was maxspeeds whoever says they ride as good as h&r is dreaming, although they did drop it more. next was eibach definitly the best compromise decent drop, decent ride, just hated the sagging rear. next was h&r great riding spring but really couldnt tell it was lowerd. ended up running just the fronts to level it out for a while, but wanted it a little lower so.... finally steped up and orderd some tein ss nice set up but a little pricey. rode the best up to this point. then got rid of those on an impulse trade(idiot). then picked up some h-techs horrible ride not worth the drop at all. ditched those and went back to stock for a couple months. then i found these a little bit of a gamble but a couple guys have them and have good things to say so i thought i would give them a try since i cant swing $2000 for some jic vips. anyway so far they seem well built, like the fact you adjust the lower mount to raise and lower it so you dont take away from the shock travel. loads of adjustment for height and for the ride. i took them right outta the box and out them on. (another plus they come complete with upper mounts and all.) height is perfect had to soften the dampning just a bit but damn got the looks i wanted and this thing rides great. i would say they ride as good if not better than the tein ss but they definitly handle better car dosent feel as soft in the turns great great set up. now im just waiting to see how they hold up over time. best part the whole set up shipped was only $910 to my door. ill try to get some pics up asap.

 

I've been reading all your comments and i figured out that you can't really go wrong with illuminas, but when it comes to springs looks like it's hard to agree on a specific set. I drive a 2002 SE on 20's and I really, really hate that gap in the front, the ride as it is now with the stock suspension isn't really that great. According to your comments, coilovers will probably be best to get the best of both worlds (look & ride), but i've heard about realibility, so I've decided to go with illuminas but can anyone please help me decide on springs? I would love to improve on the feel of the ride.

 

My brother told me about Bieltein Springs but they don't make it for Maximas, does anyone know of any springs that are as good?

 

Do you mean BILSTEIN??

 

There's no way it is your RSB; that does not come close to your exhaust. Your exhaust is either hitting something in the tunnel over the axle or the b-pipe is hitting someplace else like the heat shield by the first bend.

 

Thanks for the BC Racing coilover review. I seriously considered with those too for the price and for their rep on my350z, NASIOC, and other sites, and would have gotten them if I didn't get a great deal on some Teins.

For other people looking, certain vendors on my350z.com can get these for between $925 to $975 shipped. Just a FYI.

 

Yeah, Bilstein... I've been reading past info in this forum and it looks like people like H&R sports/illuminas combo so I guess I'll go that route.

 

well i have a custom run exhaust so i think it may be that. I need to get it in the air and look at it

 

For sure that is the best spring and shock combo so far. I would still recommend spending a little extra and buying full coilovers but thats just me

 

I just recently installed progress springs w/illuminas and very happy with how smooth and resposive everything is.. I also have a progress RSB and get no banging sound from exhaust of any kind.

 

What setup gives the most comfortable ride?
my current 01 SE stock system is really crap and it sounds like they're all gone already (@ 62K miles). I feel every frkin pebble i run over and the ride feels quite uncomfortable under normal driving conditions.

I was thinking of getting tokico HP struts all around and keeping the OEM springs (as per my budget)....is this a good setup? I dont care for sharp turns or "tightness". I just want a comfy ride...

 

Does anyone know where I can get OEM stock springs? I lowered my car with the Eibach springs and threw out my factory springs. Now I would like to raise it back up, cause I want to put on some 20's.

 

Did alot of searching and asking around on the org and decided to go with h-tech/illuminas to replace suspension on '01 max after 113k on original struts/springs. I've been the owner since 50k and have slowly felt the ride quality to be diminishing, now to the point of feeling/hearing every bump loud and clear. Also getting the infamous clunking on both fronts when going over bumps at slow to moderate speeds. (Hopefully the new suspension solves this, but after hearing others I'm doubtful)

Anyways, after 113k I'm guessing this is going to make a huge difference in ride quality and I'm looking forward to being able to tinker with the illumina settings. I'm curious as to what settings others are using with the h-techs for front and rear.

PS. This is a great thread, definitely sticky worthy. OP send it to the mods and make it happen

 

Your best bet is to look in the 5th gen classifieds.

 

I just recently installed Tokico Blues front and rear on my 2000 SE. The front left strut was leaking fluid so I decided to replace all four at the same time. After the install, the car handles like new again.

 

Im selling my k-sport 36 way adjustable coilovers front upper strut bar and rear custom swaybar. PM me if you are interested in buying any of these parts. I can also send ya pics of everything

 

anyone know the length of the front control arms? it should be measured from the centerline of the "front" bushing to the centerline of the balljoint.

thanks in advance!

 

i'm looking into suspension on mine as we speak. very good info in here!

 

HI all,
I am new to the forum and after reading all the helpful info that you guys put on this thread, I have a few questions.
1. I am interested in the Tokico Illuminas struts, but I have a hard time finding the correct part number for my 5th gen maxima.
2. I am thinking to keep my stock springs due to the potholes around the area, but I do want to replace the ball joints and bushings when I replace the suspension. ARe there any good suggestions as to where I can get good bushings ?
3. After reading through different posts, I notices no one is really talking about the front sway bar, is it just not something you can get aftermarket ? And any good recommendation on FTSB?

Thank you very much!

 

I don't believe anyone makes front sway bars, but front strut tower bars are available. There is a lower front lower cross member support made, but I have heard mixed feelings about fitment and clearance issues. Someone here will definitely provide the answers you need.

 

will struts/springs off of an 02 fit 00?