Bump bump? I think I'll just get two front strut mounts and leave the rear's alone.

 

Sorry I didn't get back to you.

ABSOLUTELY replace the front mounts. With Moog branded mounts. They include strut bearings. Rear mounts need not be replaced.
ABSOLUTELY replace the dustboots. All 4. With OEM Nissan only.

Consider replacing your sway bar end links. Again, Moog branded replacements. If you're definitely going to replace the endlinks, do the sway bar bushings too. Energy Suspension poly bushings are awesome.

That should take care of your car for another 246,000 miles.

Well...not that long but definitely a nice amount of time. Best of luck!

 

I just want to simply lower my 2001 gle.

I'm looking for nothing special. I don't race, dont speed, don't need to turning performance. Strictly looks and comfort.

What's the best and cheapest way to go about it?

Can I do just lowering springs? Or do I need struts etc.?

 

Ok, the next question is deciding how low you want to go. The springs you pick will dictate the struts you should get. To do it properly, that is.

This will give you some help to decide on ride height.
http://www.shiftice.com/spring_strut_decision.html

It sounds like you want H&R's, but that's my guess. Let me know what you pick and I'll guide you from there.

The best way to lower your car will not be the cheapest. And the cheapest way to lower your car will be far from the best.

eg: Lowering springs on stock struts. Sure, it's cheap, but your stock struts will not last very long and you'll end up replacing them in the near future anyway. Not to mention ride quality will be terrible.

Since you're not interested in coilovers, the RIGHT way to do lower your car is to put lowering springs on a properly mated aftermarket strut, while replacing the parts that are known to wear over time. Do it once and do it right.

 

Thanks.

I don't want it slammed. Just something clean without the wheel gap. I'll keep you updated. I plan on buying one piece at a time over the next six months then putting it all on at once when it's time to get some new tires and after my 100,000 mile tune up.

After the tune up:

Springs
Struts
Some Craigslist g35 wheels and new tires.

Like I said, I plan on buying one at a time until I have it all before installing anything.

 

I was going to go the H&R with new struts, but if you check the classified you can get coil overs for maybe 100 more and so i decided to go with coil overs as i have the same goals you have.

Also the G35 wheels are great i have them, but be careful when buying them online, one of mine ended up being a little warped so it get a nasty vibration getting up to 70.

 

I don't agree.

Coilovers are geared completely towards performance. They are not as comfortable as certain spring/strut combos, even at the softest dampening setting. They also require more maintenance and do not have the longevity that struts do.

Also I should add, I don't believe in buying used struts - whether they are coilovers or standard.

 

Hey not a problem, busy with life and so on!

Will pick up some MOOG front strut mounts and Nissan OE dustboots.

We did the sway bar end links with MOOG maybe 6 months ago, partially stopped the spongy handling. I'm hoping the struts + mounts will eliminate more of that.

Additionally I know the steering column has way too much play. How involved would it be to get those bushing swapped? Also go with MOOG or Energy Suspension?

 

Do the sway bar bushings with Energy Suspension poly. They work so well with the Moog endlinks.

I don't have much experience with steering column bushings. I do know they exist and have positive reviews.
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...ering-mod.html

However if you feel you have sloppy steering, I'd start with tie rod ends. Again, I recommend Moog. They will firm up your loose steering.

 

Did a quick search for Energy Suspension sway bar bushings, found a site which listed a 22mm and 23mm bushing. Call me I will check with some local parts shops for advice.

Tie rod ends seems to be the best next step. Cant even remember when or if I did the tie rod ends.

And I want to give a +1 for AutoPartsWarehouse. Locally the Front Moog strut mounts were $55 each AND had to be ordered AND pay for shipping. AutoPartsWarehouse had them in-stock at the California warehouse for $39.30. Bought both with free shipping! Huge plus, I didn't have to give them an email address. Moog Part # K90655.

 

That's an easy one

GLE/GXE has a 22mm sway bar.
SE has a 23mm sway bar.

Energy Suspension part #'s:
7.5124 = 22mm
7.5125 = 23mm

K90655 is correct for 5th gen strut mounts. And yes, I have all these part numbers memorized

Glad you found a good price. I personally use Amazon for all my orders. Good prices, excellent no-hassle customer service, and free 2-day shipping with all orders (Prime Membership FTW!)

 

I think I'll get the Moog tie rod ends later on. For now I'll stick with the 4 struts and 2 Moog front strut mounts. Thanks for the pointers!

 

Happy to help.

Don't forget the OEM dustboots!

Feel free to buy a spare tire cover to thank me for my guidance

 

I have a question, About 2 years ago I replaced my suspension with D2 springs and tokico blue shocks ever since then my suspension has been bottoming out. I really did not mind it at first but now it is a little annoying. I do love the look my car has as the drop was significant. I was wondering what can I do now with the current suspension set up to ease the car from bottoming out every time I hit a pothole or even just a minimal change in road height? Also I never added dust boots to the shocks is that a really bad thing?
Also I am on my stock wheels running 215/50/17 in the front and 215/60/17 in the rear.

 

Dustboots are your issue. Dustboots have a part integrated in them called bumpstops, which help when bottoming out. Not to mention they serve as a protective barrier for any dust/debris to prematurely kill your struts.

I would add OEM dustboots immediately. OR get better springs since you're opening everything up anyway. D2's aren't the greatest and are entirely too low for a strut setup.

 

That's what I was afraid of, I wish I could add the dustboots without having to remove everything. I still want a big drop. The closest thing I have seen are the tein springs which add a 1.3 inch drop, so I might as well go just with a new coilover set up entirely? If I do decide that then what other pieces should I look to upgrade?

 

If you absolutely must go that low, then coilovers are your best bet.

NO parts need to be replaced with standard coilovers. They come as full assemblies, just pop them in. The exception are Tein coilovers, which require you to provide your own strut mount, bearing, and stud plate I think.

 

I meant like any bushings or something else, my car does have about 140k miles so I just want to make sure I dont run into any complication in the future.

 

There are always other parts you can replace, but none of them are related to the actual suspension (spring/strut/coilover) assembly, they're outside of it and don't necessarily HAVE to be replaced at the same time as the assemblies.

That being said, I often do replace some of them while doing suspension work, since my installs are usually coined 'renovations'.

These parts include:
Sway bar endlinks (replace with Moog)
Sway bar bushings (replace with ES Poly)
Ball joints (replace with Moog)
Control arm bushings (replace with ES Poly)
Subframe collars (purchase from carnal)

 

After procrastinating for months I finally couldn't put off changing the struts any longer and went online to order them. Lucky me - Tokico Blues are now on sale at Amazon for my 2000 I30.

I bought both front struts for $65 (plus tax.) The rears are not currently on sale.

Looking at the Tokico web site the Blues do not show up as available for the 2000 Maxima/I30. Perhaps they've been discontinued?

 

Check for 02-03 Maxima. Same thing.

 

If anyone's looking for the rear struts, JC Whitney has them for $66 including shipping right now which is by far the best price I could find. No tax in most states.

 

Hi pals

So, I plan on buying either the H&R springs (1.3f 1.4r)

http://www.tunersdepot.com/Suspensio...-A33-3038.html

or, MaxSpeed lowering springs

http://www.maxspeedperformance.com/x...me.php?cat=117

I'm not sure if I want to spend the extra $100+

Anyways, which struts would be ideal with those springs?

I plan on lowering them on the 18" G35 wheels.

This is for a 2001 GLE

thanks for the help, djfrestyl.

 

H&R's are the BEST lowering springs for our car. The ride is VERY comfortable.

Maxspeeds are also good, and the drop is slightly more even than H&R, but the ride is not quite as good.

For either, I'd go with KYB GR-2's.

Don't forget to get Moog strut mounts (fronts only) and OEM dustboots (all 4)!

Where ya located?

 

I came across a set of these HP blues on Amazon.


These prices seem way too good to be true. Some sites seem to be charging $400~ for these and these are only $240. Part numbers seem to match up.

I know it says the rear struts are "coilovers" but I think that may be a titling error on the vendor's part. Its also pretty late so I may have looked over some small details.

Anyone wanna take a look and see if these are legit?

 

They're Tokico Trekmaster series struts it seems. I know nothing about them unfortunately. Seems they used a picture of Blues. Prices should be near $400 for Blues.

Either way, I just bought a pair of the fronts just for fun to see what's going on Maybe it's a pricing error! Amazon has awesome customer service so if they're wrong returning them won't be an issue.

Why not get GR-2's for $300 shipped??

 

Hah! That's exactly what I'm going for now that I've read through the thread. All wrapped in H&Rs of course

Thanks for the advice.

 

Cool

 

Many many miles away from you.

I'm in the sunny south.

Dallas, TX

 

Hey i have a installation question, i do alot of mechanics on the side and i have all the tools and do just about everything myself.

1. So i installed a set of eibach springs on my 2003 max. I noticed the eibach springs have the spring isolators glued on and they are not at the bottom of the springs the way the oems are, will that be a problem?

2. my car was very quiet over bumps before the install. So i installed the springs a few months ago with KYB strut mounts and bearings and After the install i got alot of clunking from the front end immediately. I made sure the top hat was facing out and the upper sPring seat is on properly and the strut mounts are tight i really tightended up the knuckle bolts too. My ride was alittle rough aswell so i cut the bumpstops like 1 inch and that really helped the ride quality more than i thought but still get the clunking.

I have read ur entire thread and i purchased a set of moog strut mounts but i dunno if that will fix my problem what do you think?

 

So there is a lot of info in this thread but I just want to replace my front struts with stock replacement.
I think I will reuse the springs they seem fine .
What would be the best bang for buck. Also which years are the same for searching on amazon since the pricing can be different.

 

That sucks

 

1. Which coil are the isolators glued onto? If I had to guess, they're probably placed in the middle in a way that the coils themselves don't hit each other. I'd still take the isolators from your OEM springs and put them on the bottom coil.

2. It's hard to tell if something is not installed properly, if something is loose, or if it's just accentuated other noises from the rest of your suspension. Now that your suspension is all tightened up (and with some fairly FIRM springs), other parts of the car are now showing their age. Could be motor mounts, sway bar links, control arm bushings,etc.

 

OEM springs never go bad, go ahead and reuse them.

Personally I'd go with KYB GR-2's, Moog strut mounts, OEM dustboots. And honestly, for the additional $150 in parts, I'd do the rears at the same time.

00-03 struts are all the same except for ONE thing, which is why they're split out into 00-01 and 02-03. That one differentiator is the bracket on the strut for the ABS line. In the 00-01, it's mounted to the strut using a bracket that uses a small 10mm bolt, and in the 02-03, it's just a clip. You CAN order the cheaper one, just be prepared with some zip ties to secure the ABS line, since the one mounting point won't be compatible.

Where are you located?

 

Brooklyn, NY

 

Well sir, I do believe we should chat on the phone then

PM sent.

 

Ok yesterday i went outside and i replaced my passenger side strut mount with the moog mount and i used the oem spring isolator and put it on the bottom coil oem style upside down like u recommend. For some reason when i removed the steering knuckle bolts the strut shot downwards hitting the axle, it didnt damage the boot but it was very difficult to manuever it out of the car i had to use a pry bar and i installed a spring compressor upside down to get some room. I dont remember it being that hard when i first did the springs..... Anyways when i was looking to get more room for the strut i unbolted the bottom endlink and of coarse it stripped instantly! So i ordered new moog endlinks and ill cut that off later this week. I drove the car around and the strut sounds much better on that side but the endlink is makig noise cuz its all f'ed up. Ill report back when im completely done

I replaced all motor mounts 4 months ago and used ES torque mounts

 

The strut didn't shoot downwards, your knuckle shot upwards.

I'm going to guess the wheel on the other side was still on, wasn't it?

It's a balancing act on the tranny. The weight of the wheel on one side pulling down, made the other side go up. This is why I always remove both wheels.

 

Hmm dude you are right the first time i did the springs both wheels were up, this time i just jacked up one side. You are of some use to me lolz i will be asking more questions in the future thanks

 

Lol just SOME use? I know a thing or two about our suspensions

Shoulda had me do the install my friend

2.5 hours and no frustration on your part. Well worth the nominal amount I charge.