I want a smooth ride from my 2003 gle Maxima, which shock and strut do you prefere for a smooth ride from the KYB Brand?? GAS, MONO, etc......
thanks

 

Don't go for AGX's then because they're still as hell on lowering springs. Tokico Illuminas give you a nice ride without being too harsh.

 

Thanks Deezo..... have you tried the KYB brand? my mechanic recommended..KYB. Was thinking more of the mono tube for a smooth ride.

Has anyone used any KBY?? Which one gives a smooth ride for a Maxima??

 

i was in my friends Altima with the kyb gr2's and stock springs and to be honest, they were too stiff to my liking. my stock shocks are worn out and they feel better than my friends new shocks.

 

When the front stock struts blew out in my 03 SE I replaced with KYB GR2's on the stock springs. Felt identical to the stock ride.

When it was time to replace the rear struts, I replaced all four with Tokico Illuminas with H-techs. Feels similar to the stock ride with a lowered stance.

Illuminas are probably better choice for you because you can adjust the damping to your liking.

 

KYB GR2 are stiffer than stock was in my car. A very desireable compromise for me. Way less "floaty" over high speed bumps/road imperfections while not being at all uncomfortable @ lower/cruising speeds.

 

I personally will never buy Tocrapo blues for any of my cars again. Had them on my '91 NX2000 back in the day with Jamex springs and they blew out twice on me. First time warranty covered only 2 and I paid for the other two. Bought with 32k and sold with over 126k miles on it.

When I had my '96 G20 I went to GR2's and Eibach's. Absolutely loved them. Never one issue with them. Bought with approx. 38k and sold with over 148k miles on it.

Then when I purchased my '02 Max SE back in '06, I took the word of several members on here that Tokico were the way to go with mild drops. I had them on my Maxima with Maxspeed and they crapped out on me well before their time. I went with KYB's mated to the Maxspeeds and the ride was nice again. Bought with 59k and is about to hit 180k miles.

I stand by KYB GR2's, disagree with all reviews regarding Tokico blues and despise Tokico blues. Between 3 cars combined with approx 18 years of driving these cars (actually approx 25 years of driving experience) and approx 325k miles between these 3 cars, I put my trust in KYB 100%.

I have NO experience with AGX or Illumina's

 

I have the KYB GR2 on my car and they are stiffer than I prefer. The model before the GR2 was just right for me.

 

The KYB GR2 and the Tokico Blues are about as close to OEM as you're going to get.

The 5th Gen Maxima GLE and GXE had Nissan-branded struts, while the SE Model had struts made by Tokico. From the factory, the SE model had a slightly stiffer (sportier) suspension than the other two models. With that in mind, I found the Tokico Blues a better performing strut than OEM when replacing the OEM struts at 60K miles, while at the same time being somewhat softer. In other words, there was less lift, bounce and roll, but it wasn't as jarring on the bumps, so win-win. That seems to me a fair comparison, because my original suspension only had 60K when replaced. (I had kept the OEM springs.)

Another thing to keep in mind: most of the time when people are expressing an opinion of a new suspension as compared to their old one, the differences are apparent because their old one is worn or shot.

 

I have KYB GR2's with Eibach's and yes the ride is stiffer than stock but not by much. It removes the floaty feeling. You do feel more bumps and what not.

Works for me...been running that setup for over 150,000 miles.

 

So not true.
The blues are as close to the OE ride as you can get, a bit softer in rebound actually. The GR2's are very firm, some including myself don't like the ride they provide.

 

So... half true, then. Opinion on the blues was first-hand, whereas on the GR2's it was anecdotal, and off the mark, apparently.

 

You rode in my car. Although it was a short, I don't recall any comments about an uncomfortable ride.

 

True. It was quite comfortable and capable. And you don't have any additional suspension mods which would compromise the ride quality with NVH, either.

I believe people are splitting hairs comparing the GR2, the Blues and the OEM struts. There are differences, but they aren't drastic.