Yes I have searched and done decent research but I am looking for opinions on a suspension set up. I am self admittedly noob to suspension, so please keep the flaming to a minimum.

I have the money for a spring/strut combo. I think that decent coilovers are a bit out of my price range.

I was thinking H-tech springs but not sure what struts. I also need to know what else I would need to complete the installation.

Thank you in advance- your help is appreciated

 

http://www.shiftice.com/spring_strut_decision.html

-Front Strut Mounts (Moog or OEM)
-New dust boots for all 4 shocks
-Front End Alignment immediately after installations

That is about it in a nutshell

Once you figure out what setup you are going with maybe search for specifics from there.

Good Luck and Post pics!

Remember the front of our cars suspension geometry doesn't like anything excessively low. In other words you will get problems down the road if you go to low, so if you want something long lasting don't go too low.

everyone will probably just say coilovers but do what's best for you.

 

I agree with prophecy with the exception of the alignment. IMO, you only NEED to do that if your car is already out of alignment or after the drop you experience pull. FYI, our cars only need a front end alignment. Don't let a shop convince you otherwise.

If you plan on keeping the car, I do suggest coilovers. If uncertain of how long you may have the car or just can't rationalize the cost of coilovers, then the spring combination you mention will likely suit you fine.

 

if you're patient, wait until you find a set of used progress springs. well worth it, wish i had bought them when i first got the car

 

I'm not sure of your situation or what you're going for but I'll share my experience. I too, at first, couldn't make sense of the pricing of coilovers. They seemed waaay too expensive. So I went the spring route. I had some megan springs that I enjoyed a lot more than stock. But even with the lowering springs, to me, the car still sat high as hell. I started to consider even lower springs which would HAVE to be accompanied by some good struts which, after searching, would only save me 100-200 bucks vs being able to set my ride as low/stiff/soft as I want. After now owning my own coilivers for a year and some change, I'm never going back lol.. the ride is SOOOO much better than any spring strut combo I've experienced. Sorry to be on what seems to be a bandwagon but, I'm going to say go coilovers due to the things mentioned. I now can't justify ALMOST spending it and NOT getting full adjustability. Again, just my experience haha

 

Thanks for the input guys. I am now strongly considering some Megan Coilovers but I have no idea what else I would need for the install. It looks like the mounts and dust boots are included, so are coilovers essentially a plug and play mod?

 

Yup.. Well beside setting the preload but, that's easy.. And I vouch for them.. It's like another world when you take that first spin around the block..

 

to be honest if I were to do it all over again I probably would have went with coilovers also (tein ss) but it is a good jump in cost vs budget coilovers.

Also consider where you live from what I have read some coilovers do not like cold weather climates or seasons. So be sure to consider that also. In other words low cost coilovers might not last a while being driven in the winter, that sounds really general but those are the impressions I have read from people over the years.

 

In St. Louis it can range from sub zero temps to 100+. I would guessimate that we have about 50 days a year where the temps fall below freezing.

I would not be slamming my car and I don't dog my car(especially in wintery weather).

I know the Megans are not top tier but they are easily not a low rung coilover from the research i have done. From what I have read- people say they are about the same quality as D2 or BC, maybe a fraction lesser. Plus I would not slam my car being that I am over the age of 25. It's hard to pass up some decent coilovers for only $50-$75 more than i was originally anticipating with a strut/spring combo.

 

Here are my thoughts after trying numerous spring/strut combos on the Maxima, before finally settling on Tein SS coils. Take them however you wish.

Do not get any springs that drop the car too low, the Maxima just does not have the suspension travel for it. Eibachs, H&Rs, and maybe H-Techs are as low as I'd go. Progress springs were too soft for the drop, and S-Techs you'll run out of suspension travel.

Get good struts/shocks like Illuminas or Konis preferably, so you can properly set the dampening.

Cut your bumpstops no matter what you decide on, again, because of suspension travel.

On the Maxima, cheaper coilovers may be better than springs because of the suspension travel issue. Megans are cheap, but they have improved significantly of late. They make EZ Streets for other makes (not sure if they are available for Maximas) that are $650 and the Lexus, Honda/Acura, and Miata crowd seem to like them. I've no personal experience with them yet, but apparently their customer service is decent and they will stand behind their products.

The Tein SS was the best suspension mod I did for the Maxima in terms of handling and ride. They are not a true performance coil nor are they for slamming, but they are a huge upgrade over any spring/strut combo. I think Requin6 still has my old set on his wife's 2003 and they are running strong still, and I think I sold them to him with 30k-40k miles, can't remember. Pretty good indication of their quality. Tein is also good with rebuilds for a decent price.

 

I love my Progress sport springs which have over 100K and finally need to change struts, strut mounts and dustboots/bumpstops.....And yes cut your bumpstops approx. 1/3" -1/2"....My choice with Progress would be Illuminas.....even rough roads are tolerable...

 

Too low was never an option on springs, as I am over 23 and not into the whole slammed/stanced thing.

I have done a lot of research over the past few days(evo sites, m3s, subies, maximas, s2000s, etc) and I have found that Megan issues are as uncommon as more popular brands. Most the issues seem to usually stem from used parts or un properer installation(usually never greasing the parts or nuts not tight enough). A lot of people dog the Megan but state no reason why other than "it's not a high end $2k + set up."

I don't plan on tracking the car or slamming it and the price is great at $755 directly through megan. I have had my hand on the trigger for a few days now. I'll keep updates coming and will do a proper review if I buy the coilovers.

Edit, In casually looking- I can only find the street versions- no EZ or tracks.