From H&Rs to Htechs. Heres my review
10-06-2007, 12:05 PM
#1
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From H&Rs to Htechs. Heres my review
Many people are not happy with the H&R drop in the aesthetic sense because its not an even drop. The front looks higher than the rear and its quite noticeable. Because of this I kept the H&Rs in the rear and put some htechs upfront to level out the look. So to clarify, Im not running a complete H&R or Htech look anymore. Well the ride is definitely very even now. Im sure you are wondering how it rides. Well here's my review on that:
First, when I ran the full H&R setup, it offered a great, stock-like ride. Illuminas were set on "2" all around, yet even on this soft setting I felt those bigger bumps and potholes. To be honest with you when I first got the maxima I was not on stock suspension for that long. I put H&Rs on right away almost so I kinda forgot how the stock suspension rode.
Now to my current setup (Htech front, H&R rear): Im on illuminas first of all and they are set on "2" all around so this way I could really compare them to the H&Rs (even with a "half" H&R setup currently). To be COMPLETELY honest with you, despite the negative reviews on htechs, the current setup rides the same as the H&Rs. Handling is improved a bit but ride-quality (how comfy it is) did not change at all to my surprise.
I did quite a bit of searching and many say the htechs ride harsh. Many say they are an OEM replacement but I had blues on for a while and they seemed much more stiffer and harsh than OEM. Im sure even my current setup on blues would be crap on wheels too. But Illuminas really help. So all in all Im very pleased with the ride. The front is perfect in height now esp. with the stillen classic lip.
I also did not cut my bumpstops and have yet to bottom out with the new setup. I never EVER bottomed out with the H&Rs also. I hit some really bad bumps recently and it felt like I was still on my H&Rs so that brought a smile to my face. MAYBE I'll experiment further and swap out the illuminas for the oem struts but imo that would be the lowest drop amount I would pair up with OEM struts...anything more and Im sure they would blow. Maybe in time it will happen with htechs..only one way to find out. Both are great springs and I wouldnt mind sticking with this current setup for the life of the car.
The reason I posted this was because many people who are not looking for a major drop often choose between H&Rs and Htechs. I just ended up experimenting with both of them, but I honestly believe people should not hesitate to take the htech route. Again, I really cannot make out a difference in ride quality between the two springs. Both are comfortable and there are no winners in that department. So if you have H&Rs right now and are not happy with the front, get a set of Htechs and swap out the fronts.
First, when I ran the full H&R setup, it offered a great, stock-like ride. Illuminas were set on "2" all around, yet even on this soft setting I felt those bigger bumps and potholes. To be honest with you when I first got the maxima I was not on stock suspension for that long. I put H&Rs on right away almost so I kinda forgot how the stock suspension rode.
Now to my current setup (Htech front, H&R rear): Im on illuminas first of all and they are set on "2" all around so this way I could really compare them to the H&Rs (even with a "half" H&R setup currently). To be COMPLETELY honest with you, despite the negative reviews on htechs, the current setup rides the same as the H&Rs. Handling is improved a bit but ride-quality (how comfy it is) did not change at all to my surprise.
I did quite a bit of searching and many say the htechs ride harsh. Many say they are an OEM replacement but I had blues on for a while and they seemed much more stiffer and harsh than OEM. Im sure even my current setup on blues would be crap on wheels too. But Illuminas really help. So all in all Im very pleased with the ride. The front is perfect in height now esp. with the stillen classic lip.
I also did not cut my bumpstops and have yet to bottom out with the new setup. I never EVER bottomed out with the H&Rs also. I hit some really bad bumps recently and it felt like I was still on my H&Rs so that brought a smile to my face. MAYBE I'll experiment further and swap out the illuminas for the oem struts but imo that would be the lowest drop amount I would pair up with OEM struts...anything more and Im sure they would blow. Maybe in time it will happen with htechs..only one way to find out. Both are great springs and I wouldnt mind sticking with this current setup for the life of the car.
The reason I posted this was because many people who are not looking for a major drop often choose between H&Rs and Htechs. I just ended up experimenting with both of them, but I honestly believe people should not hesitate to take the htech route. Again, I really cannot make out a difference in ride quality between the two springs. Both are comfortable and there are no winners in that department. So if you have H&Rs right now and are not happy with the front, get a set of Htechs and swap out the fronts.
Last edited by pbn85; 10-06-2007 at 04:24 PM.
10-06-2007, 01:55 PM
#2
do you bottom out on bumps? i love the h-techs but thats the only bad thing about them. theyre too soft. i dont bottom out much, but when i hit some big dips or bumps at 70+mph, it bottoms out and i dont like it. is that the same case with the H&R up front? i usually avoid them, but sometimes you just cant. for the most part im happy with it. i think im gonna try eibachs next time.
10-06-2007, 03:47 PM
#3
That said, each to his own, and if you're happy with them that's all that matters!!
do you bottom out on bumps? i love the h-techs but thats the only bad thing about them. theyre too soft. i dont bottom out much, but when i hit some big dips or bumps at 70+mph, it bottoms out and i dont like it. is that the same case with the H&R up front? i usually avoid them, but sometimes you just cant. for the most part im happy with it. i think im gonna try eibachs next time.
10-06-2007, 04:07 PM
#4
Actually, mine were paired with illuminas, not blues. At softer settings they bottomed out like a **** and handling was sloppy. At 4 or 5 the handling was a bit better, but they still bottomed out alot. From an aesthetic point of view, they looked good - but now that my Eibachs have settled they're almost the exact same drop - with much better handling and no bottoming out.
That said, each to his own, and if you're happy with them that's all that matters!!
I would bottom oout on the big dips CONSTANTLY, even with struts set stiffest and cut bumpstops. Otherwise, the ride with the h-techs was excellent though
That said, each to his own, and if you're happy with them that's all that matters!!
I would bottom oout on the big dips CONSTANTLY, even with struts set stiffest and cut bumpstops. Otherwise, the ride with the h-techs was excellent though
My experience was the same. The front H-Tech springs were much too soft, and bottomed out too much for my liking.
I moved to H&R fronts (and for a short period had H&R fronts and H-Tech rears) and the constant bottoming out up front disappeared.
10-06-2007, 04:14 PM
#5
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Actually, mine were paired with illuminas, not blues. At softer settings they bottomed out like a **** and handling was sloppy. At 4 or 5 the handling was a bit better, but they still bottomed out alot. From an aesthetic point of view, they looked good - but now that my Eibachs have settled they're almost the exact same drop - with much better handling and no bottoming out.
That said, each to his own, and if you're happy with them that's all that matters!!
I would bottom oout on the big dips CONSTANTLY, even with struts set stiffest and cut bumpstops. Otherwise, the ride with the h-techs was excellent though
That said, each to his own, and if you're happy with them that's all that matters!!
I would bottom oout on the big dips CONSTANTLY, even with struts set stiffest and cut bumpstops. Otherwise, the ride with the h-techs was excellent though
Thats the only reason I mentioned it..guess not. Reading > me 
Oh I should add that I didnt even cut my bumpstops either and the ride is still great
Last edited by pbn85; 10-06-2007 at 04:18 PM.
10-06-2007, 08:34 PM
#7
10-07-2007, 06:17 PM
#8
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haha..maybe I got you mixed up with someone else. If thats the case he/she had a VERY similiar review as you...and I tried to find it and its gone now 
..ah well
Further impressions of the springs: took some nasty bumps on the Van Wyck, NYC's WORST highway, and the car took them just as the H&Rs would have.
..I also got a nail stuck in my proxy 4
..ah wellFurther impressions of the springs: took some nasty bumps on the Van Wyck, NYC's WORST highway, and the car took them just as the H&Rs would have.
..I also got a nail stuck in my proxy 4
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