Whitebread

iTrader: (2)

I've got a set of Illuminas on my 03 Maxima that were installed when I bought the car. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask the previous owner when he installed the struts and I no longer have his contact information at this point. The ride quality is harsh over bumpy roads but, the fronts and rears are on the stiffest setting. The car does pass the bounce test although, I'm not confident of its usefulness as its very unscientific. The car also behaves well when driven hard. Are there any other techniques or tests I can employ to gauge the condition of the struts that do not involve gauging ride quality?

Thanks

rroderiques77

iTrader: (45)

What type of springs do you have?

d-schist

maybe try setting them to a lesser stiffness setting
that is of course if the harshness is annoying

Whitebread

iTrader: (2)

Eibach springs

The harshness doesnt bother me.

ghostrider17

iTrader: (6)

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

yeah... i am running on 4 F 5 R and its pretty dang harsh.... try settings like 2 F 3 R and see how that is...

FlipCpt45

iTrader: (6)

Its only harsh whenever i go over a huge bump in the road, and i feel like my entire front end is going to separate from the rest of the car.. lol

I'm also on Eibach springs 3F/5R

Whitebread

iTrader: (2)

?

Whitebread

iTrader: (2)

The harshness isnt a problem, I just want to know how long they should last.

ghostrider17

iTrader: (6)

I make it no secret I'm not a huge fan of the Illuminas, on smoothness OR Longevity.
I dumped mine with about 35k miles, and although they were'nt blown or anything -- they rode rough from abt. 15k on....

They just seemed SLOPPY, made alot of noise, and didn't work well on anything but 4/5 settings (i had progress springs) which was too stiff for daily driving.
Keep in mind, that I started-off WANTING a stiff/sproty ride, but it just got to be TOO MUCH for me over time, as the ride was so harsh and unrefined -- I just felt like I was beating the hell out of my car!

After blowing a wheel bearing on a pothole - I called no mas....

Just my 2cents.

As far as longevity -- I'd say it's subjective.
And my opinion is stinted towards the "wanting a smoother ride" minority.
I don't know of any other definitive tests, to determine whether your struts are still good or not.
It's all about the ride, and how it feels to YOU.

take it for what it's worth.

gr

Whitebread

iTrader: (2)

Your distaste for the Illuminas doesn't bother me, but I feel it does make others irate (based on your trepidation).

What bothers you works out alright for me. But I will say that the usable life of a damper isn't really a subjective determination like ride quality is. Bad dampers exhibit reduced damping force slowly over time. The problem is that I have no reference, nor do I have numbers to compare too. My only experience is with dampers designed for a race car, where performance is evaluated mainly by performance on a shock dyno.

It seems though, that the rough ride I'm experiencing is normal for Illuminas on the stiffer setting so I surmise that my struts are in at worst, decent working order. Since I'd much rather not spend 500 dollars replacing the struts at this time, I'll just assume they are alright and drive another year with them on. At worst, the struts become mushy and I've got a big body Cadillac for a Maxima (I hope).

FlipCpt45

iTrader: (6)

nothings worse than driving on blown STOCK suspension

Whitebread

iTrader: (2)

Good thing I'd be riding on a blown aftermarket suspension.......

hi-tek22

iTrader: (4)

im running H&R springs 5F/5R.....i was running the same setup with my 19 inch wheels also with 245-35-19 tires

I think the springs on my car are perfect...and i can really tell a difference when i switch the fronts to 3F/4R on how soft the ride is. Ive had Illumina's and H&R springs for almost 2 years now (or probably like 25,000 miles). I always have been a fan of STIFF suspension anyway lol...They do make alot of noise.....MORE THAN STOCK OEM springs/struts that is, but alas I LOVE THE SETUP

I Have HAD BOTH MY WHEEL BEARINGS replaced just like ghostrider17, as well as both my wheel hubs replaced...ONE WENT BAD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE just last month, and the other about 6 months ago on the drivers side...

As far as blown strut struts the struts are under warranty, you could negotiate with Tokico to send in the first two after you receive the replacement set, with maybe some type of credit card HOLD or something instead of paying to send them in and with no struts on your car to begin with. I know that a few people have done that on this site. Thats just a suggestion if you really think the struts are in really bad shape.




amen to that man!

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

Check this out:

http://forums.maxima.org/6886987-post2.html

4th link down.

IMO, since ride quality is subjective and depends on personal "feel", its tough to understand what you're experiencing. But I think the rough ride you're getting is because Illuminas on 5 with any springs will ride harsh. I had Illuminas with Progress springs and while riding nicely on good roads (duh) they did not take kindly to bumps, even small ones, when set to 5.

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

My take on this, and I agree with you, is that Progress springs have too low of a spring rate for the drop, and the drop is too much given the suspension travel we have. My Progress/Illumina set up rode nicely over bumps with the Illuminas on settings 2 or 3, but it was slightly on the sloppy handling side. They handled great on 4-5, but ride quality was pretty poor. On ANY setting, you hit big bumps and it sucked ***. If anyone wants to drop the car on springs and struts and maintain a somewhat comfortable ride, get Illuminas with H&Rs or Eibachs, nothing lower. If you want to go lower, get coilovers. Just my two cents.

ghostrider17

iTrader: (6)

Agreed PM.
YEah - I think the progress springs WERE the weakest link in that combo.
HOwever - as stated...the illuminas DO MAKE quite a bit of noise after a few thousand miles.
For me, the trade-off wasn't worth it anymore.
I agree, that Illuminas/H&R or Eibachs would probably be the best (Stiff) setup without going for coilovers.

I'm going to give the BLues/H&R's a whirl in a few months, and see how THAT works. Hopefully THOSE will last until I can ditch this oil-burning muthafakka!!
I'm figuring the suspension will outlast the Engine at the rate I'M burning oil!!

gr

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

My Illuminas had 30,000+ miles and made no noise whatsoever... original mounts and everything...

Deckdout2

iTrader: (151)

Coilovers ftw

Tippy Toes

iTrader: (6)

500$ might as well buy coilovers

Lontar1

iTrader: (5)

I have had the Illuminas for o0ver 5 years and over 70k miles... and still going strong.... this is just my car and the roads I drive... How long they should last.. Hummm, will depend on a lot of things.. so if they pass the "Normal" test, then you are still good to go.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

I got just about 70K out of a set of Illuminas. They got noisey twards the end, but the ride quality and ride control seemed to do pretty well up till I removed them.
They were run on H&R springs for quite some time, then back up to the stock ride height for the rest of their life.

I chose not to replace them with another set, my budget put a set of Monroe Matics on all 4 corners. The car rides nice and tight once again, I do think the Tokico's ride was smoother, but the Monroes seem to maintain very nice ride control over bumpy roads.
The best part was their cost, under 170 bucks, and I got fresh dampers all around.

e-subliminal-2

iTrader: (7)

Lend me a G and i won't mind lol.
Ill catch some soon enough though=D

CMax03

iTrader: (3)

2 years and counting, got about 30,000 miles on them so far... Running with Progress Sport Springs and set to 2F/4R and handles great, with a compliant smooth ride, slightly firmer than stock but with more control... Big pot holes are about the same as stock suspension with low profile tires...but with more control after the bump...and offer enough control to miss most potholes. I would say that I bent rims with stock struts and 245/40/18 tires but with the Illuminas installed I haven't bent any rims since 2006 or 2007!

Derrick2k2SE

iTrader: (3)

I've has the same setup for almost 3 years now with no problems.
How long they'll last can be difficult to tell. Just like the rest of the car, it depends on a lot of factors.

Smooth highway driving VS bumpy in town driving or agressive driving. Every time you brake, excelerate or turn, the strut is being compressed and wears just a little.

Nice southern climate VS harsh northern climate with cold temperatures and corrosive salts on the roads. Cold temps harden seals and thicken fluids. We all know what corrosion can do.

How much weight is in the car. I weigh about 150 and usually drive alone. If you regularly load the car with heavy people or cargo it puts more stress on everything.

I've also heard that running them at the stiffest settings will wear them out faster. I can't confirm that one though so you'll have to check it out for your self.

I don't think it's possible estimate a lifespan on these things. Especially on an aftermarket part with a small pool of users to survey.

Norm Peterson

I've got Illuminas on a couple of my cars and I've found that when you crank them up stiff enough for good rebound control you end up with too much high speed bump damping, which I think there's more than enough of even at setting 1. At least on those cars, anyway.

The Maxima is running with 3f/4r settings with the OE springs, and it's still harsh over small sharp bumps such as railroad grade crossings where either the rail is raised up above grade or the pavement has broken up around it. After a year and I really don't know how many miles offhand, they aren't quite as harsh as they originally were. Some of the early harshness may have been due to seal friction. The Max is my wife's DD, she's OK with those settings and I'm not happy with less.

The 626 is running 5/5 with H&R springs that are maybe 50% stiffer than OE. Anything less than setting 5 does not provide enough rebound, particularly up front. That car mostly sees autocross and occasional use when a 3rd car is needed. Definitely a choppy ride over poor pavement, though. These have been installed for a longer time and are subjected to much harder driving overall than the Max, but have fewer miles on them.

I suspect that damper life does decrease as the stiffness is increased. Fluid velocities tend to increase even though piston speeds decrease, and any suspended matter will be more aggressive in performing "Extrude-Hone" behavior.


Norm

tarheel80

I am about to install Luminas all around - plan on using the stock springs...2001 i30 with 85K miles. At this point in their lives, should I be replacing the springs too? What's a good way to eval spring integrity? Feel free to steer me to a different thread - yes I'm new & yes I'm going for 15....

Norm Peterson

I didn't replace the springs in the Maxima when I did struts in it at somewhere near that mileage.

I did in the 626 because of its competition use, not because the OE springs were bad (they weren't).

As long as you're satisfied with the ride and the car hasn't sagged, there isn't any requirement to replace the springs that I know of. Only if they've sagged or broken, or if you want to swap in lowering or performance springs is there any solid reason. FWIW, springs advertised as "lowering springs" are not necessarily "performance springs".


Norm

tarheel80

Thanks Norm, I'm going to keep the OEMs and see how it all works after I install the Luminas...see if I need to do something else then (probably RSB if anything based on what I've read around here)

Whitebread

iTrader: (2)

Quite a large number of replies since I last checked this thread.
I hit a HUGE rut in the road on Route 1 last Saturday while driving south. The portion of that road north of New Brunswick is under perpetual construction. The work crews didn't bother to mark the large rut they left and I hit it going about 50. I'm confident the front and rear axles left the ground....
The struts might be damaged and the alignment is far worst than it was previously. The steering is mushy and vague at speed and the front driver side wheel seems twitchy. I suspect the tie rods are bent but I won't have a chance to get under there and inspect anything until Thursday at the earliest. The wheels are likely deflected even more than they were before as the vibration at highway speeds is worse.


Coilovers would be a novel upgrade, but I cannot justify the cost, especially when they the Teins I looked at are over twice as expensive as fresh new Illuminas. As mentioned, the Illuminas are covered under a lifetime warranty so after I inspect and repair other damaged or worn parts I'll call up Tokico and see if I can't get them replaced. I'm a college student and I only make about 550 a week so my priorities are elsewhere.
Also, I need to get new wheels and tires ASAP. I'd like to get something that is 17X7.5 with a 5 or 6 spoke design that is less than 170. I will be using a 235/45/17 tire. I'm eyeing the Enkei EV5s in hyper black. Does anyone have any other recommendations for a Grey Lustre 03?

Thanks everyone.