I recently bought Eibach Springs and Illuminas Struts. Ever since I put them on, every time I go over the smallest bumps it sounds like my struts are going to shoot through the hood. You hear this loud BANG! I haven't seen anybody else complain about any problems like this. But I can't figure out what it could be.

If anybody has any idea what it could be and what I could do to prevent this. So far my only option is to put my stock suspension back on.

Thanks

 

A few things that come to mind w/o knowing more about your setup:

1. Are the bolts for the top hats tightened all the way? What about the three strut tower bolts on each side?

2. Are your bumpstops cut? If so, how much?

3. Are your springs sitting on the perches properly?

4. Is this only an issue with the fronts?

5. Are you certain the struts are not blown?

 

My assumption:

Bumpstops - gotta cut them.

 

1. All bolts are tighted all the way and same with the three strut towers bolts.

2. I did not cut my bumpstops.

3. The springs are sitting on the perches properly.

4. This issue is only with the front.

5. I am certain the struts are not blown. How could I tell?

 

What difference does it make? and How much should I cut them? How would I cut them?

 

When you lower your car, you have shortened the distance the strut can travel by that much. So for example, Eibach's lower the car what 1.5"-2", so you have lost 1.5"-2" of strut travel. The bumpstop is there to protect your strut from smacking into the top perch when hitting large bumps, potholes, etc. To regain that travel and allow the suspension to work properly, you need to cut off a portion of all 4 bumstops.

If not, all your doing is bottoming out every time you go over a speed bump and/or pothole.

You need to remove your spring/strut set-up, pull the bumpstop off and cut it. Then re-assemble the whole mess. It was incorrectly installed if you did not cut the bumpstops when installing.

There are several topics and pictures on this discussion.

 

argh - double post!!!!!!!!!!

 

This is your problem. The installation was not done properly.


http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=291334&page=3

 

I wouldn't say the installation was "incorrect", because depending on the road conditions, some of us have done fine without cutting the stops. Both my Progress and H-tech set-ups were on uncut bumpstops.

 

Eventually, you will hit a bump and it will happen on the back. the back has more travel and does not take the brute force impact like the front does over bumps. The rear bumpstops will need cut as well or you will be posting another thread a few days or weeks down the road complaining about the rears bottoming out.

 

Like nismopc is explaining to you, cut and see how it changes things. Or try the shorter (but overpriced, IMO) KYB bumpstops.

If you push down on a certain corner and the strut doesn't rebound smoothly, but instead is bouncy and less controlled. In some cases you may see the oil from within the damper leaking as well.

 

is there any way to cut the bump stops without taking the entire set-up off?

 

I agree with you most all of the time, but not this time. It was done incorrectly. It does not matter where you live, there will be an instance where you wished you cut your bumpstops if you lower your car more than 1". Unless you were able to perfectly match the stiffer spring rate with the reduced strut travel, it's gonna eventually bottom out.

Since I am terrible with typing out technical specs and reasons for doing certain things the way they should be done, I'll reference this link...

http://e30m3performance.com/myths/travel/travel.htm

I am riding on Maxspeed/Tokico HP's and have yet to bottom out and have an almost stock feeling. I know for a fact another org member with the same exact set-up that I have who drives on the same exact roads as me and states he feels every bump in the road and bottoms out periodically.

edit: by the way, I just found that link as I was typing this and I gotta say, it's good reading ;-)

 

Not that I am aware of. You could potentially damage the strut rod as you were trimming away at the bumpstop and that would really suck. Would void your warranty as well.

 

Thanks, that's a good link indeed. I understand the mechanics, but also still believe that while the theory is sound, it does not translate into practical necessity. Of course, we can argue this forever. I agree that the dampening rates must be matched. My Illuminas are set to 3 or 4 up front, with 3 the minimum for the Progress springs. This is not to say I've never bottomed out, I have, but only on the largest dumps and dips.

Anyway, I'll have the suspension apart at some point this week and will try cutting the bump stops to see if I experience a difference.

 

About half way down this page it shows how to trim the bumpstops.

http://innerbean.com/housecor/strut_install.html

Thanks again housecor for the great how to's!

 

Could I trim the bump stops by taking just the set-up off the car and taking a razor blade and cut them? So that way I don't have to run out and buy spring compressors? or Should I take everything apart?

 

I'm not convinced trimming the bumpstops will alleviate his issue. what are your illuminas set to? I've seen numerous posts saying that they will tend to bottom out on the eibachs if they are set to less than 3. I've also had a discussion with Jeff at IRP and he had talked to Tokico and said that the Eibachs were a very good match to their Illuminas. did you install this setup yourself? or have a shop do it? you might also need to reposition the sleeves on each spring.

 

I tried all kinds of settings. I have tried 3, 2, 1, 4 and they still seem to bottom out and Yes I did the installation myself.

What do you mean reposition the sleeves on each spring?

 

Even Eibachs instructions instruct the installer to cut the bumpstops during installation.



Unless they've removed such information from their instructions just recently.

 

You assumption is that the instructions will apply to everyone. this is a hotly debated topic of whether or not to cut them. people who have Eibachs; at least according to the thread where this is discussed, seem to say that bumpstop trimming is bad. other spring makes is mixed thoroughly, but anyway, I'm reffering to here:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=291334

aside from that, he is saying this occurs under SMALL bumps. this would seem to more likely indicate a defective part like a strut mount, or improper seating of the spring.

 

there are sleeves, like rubber tubing on each spring that needs to be positioned at the VERY end of each spring, sometimes hanging off the end up to 1/4". housecor's site points this out and is very necessary to prevent metal to metal contact. when the spring deforms it may be hitting the strut mount or the plate on the strut itself. it will make noise if not positioned correctly.

 

Those are commonly referred to around here as spring isolators. I doubt those will cause what he's describing, at least from what I understand of the problem description. Misplaced or worn isolators can cause some rattling and clunking, but it will not seem like the struts are blown or bottoming out. Maybe if the spring is completely off the perch, but he says those were checked.

 

yeah. i get ya Puppetmaster. I just don't personally think its the bumpstops. . .unless he reused the OEM ones and they're cracked? i mean, those bumps would have to be fairly big to cause the sound he's describing, especially at those higher illumina settings like 3+. Maybe during installation the old shocks hit the axles? it would explain why it's only happening in the front, but I'm not sure how damage to them would cause this noise?

 

Maybe someone could explain otherwise, but this is what I would do if I didn't already trim the bumpstops off the car. No way I'm spending hours removing and disassembling the suspension if I don't have to!

 

IIRC, the top part of the bumpstops that has to be cut is made of pretty thick rubber. A razor blade cutting at them through the coils isn't really going to do it if that's the case.

 

You must have never smacked into bumpstops before. It's pretty bad when it happens.

Back in '93 I owned a '91 NX2000 and installed Jamex springs (do they still exist ?) and Tokico HP's. Young and dumb. The shop did not cut the bumpstops because I did not ask them to and it was terrible. The struts blew out in less than 6 months. They said they thought I knew what I was doing when I asked to have them installed. WTF? Anyhow, when they covered 2 under warranty (I had to pay for other 2), they cut the bumpstops and I had the same set of Tokico's on the car for over 6 yrs with no more issues. Put well over 80k on them.

More recent, '96 Infiniti G20 and "I" installed Eibach's with KYB GR2's, I made sure to cut the bumpstops. All was good except every so often I'd hit a pothole and all hell broke loose. Damn car felt like it was hit by a Humvee or something. Went back to stock springs and GR2's. The car ran awesome until I got rid of it and purchased the '02 Max April '06.

 

I tried the setting 5 and it seemed to be a little bit smoother. But I would still run over bumps and it sounds like the whole car is shaking. Sometimes it almost feels like the frame is taking a hard beating.

 

Its hard to diagnose properly without seeing the car, but I still say cut your bumpstops and see what happens.

Did you check that your struts were not blown or leaking?

 

Yes I checked to make sure the struts were not blown or leaking and they weren't.

It's small, medium and large bumps that give me problems. Everything else is smooth. When I hit the bumps the whole dash rattles and it sounds very harsh. I will try to cut the bump stops but I don't know if that will work because it sometimes feels like the whole strut was compressed.

 

Ok, I just got done looking at the front springs and struts. Everything seems to be in place the way it should be. I think its my bump stops though. When I un-jacked the car, I noticed that the bump stops are compressed all the way.

I want to cut my bump stops but I don't want to take the who set-up off. So I was thinking,

Is it possible to cut the bottom part of the bump stops and be fine?

There were several rips in my bump stops so I was thinking if I could just cut that part instead of cutting the top part.

Does anybody know if that will work?

 

man, ive been waiting a month to have my suspension installed...Ive got H&R springs and illumina struts, and IM STILL CLUELESS AS TO WEATHER I SHOULD CUT THE BUMPSTOPS! i keep hearning all this controversy about CUT THEM, AND NOT CUT THEM....its driving me nuts...

 

No. The bottom part is only the dustboot and it doesn't have much of an impact on "bumpstopping", the bumpstop is the three tiered part up top, and that is where you need to cut.



From thread:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=291334

 

ManUtd18,

About a month ago I installed the exact same set-up on my max and I'm getting the same results. I live in Boston and realize the roads are bad, however I feel even the smallest imperfections in the road. Like you I haven't cut my bumpstops. Local friends say its not necessary, however most of the suspension guro's on the .org say we should have cut them. So I completely understand where you're coming from. I plan on taking the car apart this weekend to cut them, too many people on the .org have this set-up without similiar complaints. It would appear that the bumpstops are the only other variable.

 

this doesn't sound right. the BUMPSTOPS are compressed when the car is unjacked??? what Eibach kit do you have? the Prokit or the sportlines? You should only be dropped about 1.5" tops, and the bumpstops (the little yellowish piece INSIDE the boot) should not have any pressure from the strut being applied. IF you happen to have the sportlines(i think that's what they're called, they drop the car MUCH further than the prokit) then you probably need to cut those bumpstops down ALOT. Are you sure you aren't just talking about the boot itself? (if the bumpstops are compressed, it means that your suspension is practically non-existant as the car would DIRECTLY be sending impacts to the car instead of absorbing them.)

 

The OEM bumpstops are black and are part of the boot not seperate.

Eibach does not make Sportlines for the Max.

 

Feeling imperfections in the road and bottoming out are not the same thing. Your ride will be rougher, like it or not. I just put Progress springs on stock struts without cutting the bumpstops. My ride wasn't tolerable until I got an alignment. Now the ride is much better. I may cut the bumpstops when I replace the struts.

 

I'm going to try to cut the bumpstops. I understand when you lower your car its a rougher ride. But I don't want to feel imperfections in the road and bottom out as well. I will tell everybody how it goes when I'm done.

 

You can cut the bump stops with them on the car - you just have to be VERY careful not to scratch the piston rod in the process. It's very hard metal, so it doesn't scratch easily, but Tokico won't replace the strut if you have a problem and they see and the piston rod surface is damaged (per their warnings). Two tips - jack the car up until the wheel is completely off the ground, and pull the bump stop down to where you can work on it. Also, a serrated knife works a lot better than a razor to cut the bump stop - you need something that will chew through the rubber. I had Eibachs, and trimmed the fronts ~1" with decent results. One other thing to keep in mind - cutting the bump stops is not a cure-all. You will gain some suspension travel though. Whether or not you cut the bump stops, the suspension will still be alot noisier and you will probably think you're 'crashing' going over large bumps (depends on the individual). This is because you're using stiffer springs and stonger shocks, so more of the impact from the road imperfections will be transmitted to the chassis than with the stock setup.
Oh, and obviously, if you ever decide to go back to stock bump stops, you have to disassemble the strut to replace them.

Good luck.

 

Well I took everything off and I cut the bump stops and let me tell you... it made a big difference! I no longer hear the harsh sounds and my dash doesn't rattle.