Before I start, yes I searched but there's so many conflicting opinions that it's difficult to decide, I didn't see a clear or a majority agreement on anything.

The front strut is leaking hydraulic fluid pretty bad so I need to replace that, but I figured I might as well do something to make the handling a bit better. I'm planning to leave the rears alone because they're still good somehow despite being 20 years old and this is a front wheel drive car anyway.

I wanted to get coilovers but from what I've seen they're all sold in full sets of 4, so I guess it's struts and springs. What I have easily available are KYB g excels and vogtland springs, but I'm not set on this, it's just what I can get without having to order from anywhere.

And the tires. I bought some Altima rims and fit them on the max, but they came with 215/60s. They are absolutely awful. How do I get the most out of tires for control, width/height wise, for this car? I would like some spacers for the rear tires but that's mainly for looks, other than that I don't know.

I put in rubber sway bar bushings and had the sway bar links replaced not too long ago, and also have a fsb, but that's all I have with regards to stuff to improve handling.

 

es ploy busshings do better than rubber, look into chassis bars, and strut tower bars, spacers increase track width and help a little besides looks. and rsb helps bring the back alive, not sure what you mean about fsb, and look up comparisons here for springs/srtuts and decide what works for u. also sub frame collars are popular for some too.
http://shiftice.com/spring_strut_decision.html

 

Yeah I meant polyurethane for the bushings, I just called them rubber because it was too long to type lol. Fsb is a front strut brace.

 

#1 tires. #2 shocks/struts. Most everything else is secondary and minor.

 

Thank you for the input but I already knew that much. Any suggestions?

What size/type of tires, and what struts and springs?

 

Nothing wrong with a simple Koni yellow + H&R spring combo sitting on some +1 size tire, say 235/45 instead of a stock 225/50. Lower stiffer sidewalls can make steering response much crisper. Oh, and replacing all 4 struts at the same time is a must opposite corners and ends affect each other i.e. front struts impact how the rear squats and rises as much as the front.

 

I thought my stock was 215/55/16? Also I'm in canuckistan ( Canada) so.. How would this stuff handle in winter?

where do I get koni and h&r? Any other alternatives? Preferably I'd like to get struts that last... I've read about people's g excels blowing out after a year and some other ones did too.

And even if the rear suspension is fine, it's stil necessary?

 

5th gen's came with both 215/55-16 and 225/50-17 as options. 235/45-17 is a common size and although a bit heavier, will improve turn in, response, and grip. As for shocks, afraid you can't have it all. Higher performance shock fluid can get thicker in the winter and more harsh (experienced that myself in cold Chicago winters). TireRack's one good source for items, by no means a Nissan/Infiniti specialist though.

Honestly I've been away from this site for a WHILE. Just saw this thread, looks like the Tokico Illumina's would serve you well too. Pair them up with any H&R, Eibach, or Tein spring you like,
https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...on-thread.html

 

I've got 16 inch rims, can I still swing 17s?


Tokico illuminas are tough to find, and the ones I did find were expensive just because I guess there's not enough of them to go around. I saw some blue tokicos, not sure if that's the same..

 

they are discontinued, and yes you can "swing" 17s, especially since BEJAY1 told you above that a stock option was a 17" size

 

Well **** man what are my options with regards to stuff that isn't discontinued?

 

Looks like both the Illumina's and KYB AGX are now discontinued. Other than Koni Yellow's, does anybody else till offer a performance shock for 5th gens that works with a lowered height? Tokico blues look great for cold weather but not for a shorter ride height.

Back to coilovers you might look again at the Tien Street Advance (SS) set, those are $650-$700 a set and re-use the stock mounts so the ride isn't quite as hard as say the K-sports.

 

at this point your best bet is what BEJAY recommended, the Tien Street Advance coils. they are about what springs and struts will cost you anyway maybe 100-200$ more.

at this point Koni Yellows which require modication are some of the only struts that can deal with lowering.
and Tokico Blues are slightly better than stock so if you dont want the car for ever you can settle for those.

and you get H&R by searching the world wide web and surfing the internet where you can buy things online , its pretty sweet

 

Teins are Chinese. And also what do I do about dust boots, are they universal, do they come in the tein kit.. ? And do I need any dealership parts, I saw a guy in one of the threads talking about needing to replace dampeners

 

there is a pretty damn solid consensus on the washer mod!!! that will definitely tighten things up! i went with KYB G2 excells the dust boot situation was/is weird. not sealed up like the stocks ones, more like a spash guard now.

 

All the pics I'm seeing for GSP20-9USS2 shows new dust boots included; hopefully those are all correct. Search the .org probably at least one write-up of an install and any gotchas. As for China products, can't speak to that as we're 15+ years beyond R&D time for the 5th gen. I went through similar dilema's on my 4th gen before Progress came through back then. Looking back I should've just gone Koni+Ground Control like most other racers did and called it a day.

 

The only dust boots worth putting on are OEM. The rest will never work as well.I initially used the KYBs, the some OEM look alike but both don't seat as well.

 

Yes, and the lack of agreement is here for a reason: Our cars come in many trims; there is a big difference bewtween an "plain Jane" GXE, and a high-end SE with optional sport suspension and 17" tires.

Why do you want to get coilovers? What problem are you trying to fix?

Why did you buy the Altima rims?
Re. spacers - be aware that substantial changes to the offset may affect oversteer/understeer of the car.
For best tire options, I suggest following the Nissan-designed SE. The premium tire set-up on the SE is the 225/50-17. It has plenty of width and handles very well - as long as you buy any decent brand (Continental, Pirelli, Michelin, etc.)

I'll comment on this bellow.

To provide some reference to my comments, I describe my car, the mods I did to it, and why.
I am the original owner of a 2000 SE (with AT), equipped with the optional "sport package" (17" wheels, and stiffer suspension). From the factory, suspension is stiff to the point that there is no flotation - the car just hugs the road. From the beginning, I had no desire to stiffen the suspension any further.
However, the car tended to lean in corners, and it did so more than I liked. I installed a rear Rear (anti)Sway Bar (RSB). With the RSB, the car is level with no lean at all. The downside is that on bad roads (think gravel roulette), there is a bit of axle hop - and sometimes not just a bit. Given where/how I drive, I am ok with the solution because my driving is 99% flat/smooth roads.
To keep things in balance, I also installed a Front Tower Bar (FTB). It stiffened the front, balanced it with the stiff tail, and most important it improved steering feedback.
At this sage, I am happy with the car. If I were to drive on bad roads a bit more, I might be tempted to soften the suspension a tiny bit (for example, I might go to 55-profile tires, i.e. form 225/50-17 to 225/55-17). I could also tune/soften the RSB a bit (the stiffness of my Stillen RSB is tuneable).

So, the big question for you is to determine the suspension type and settings of your car, decide what improvements you want, and then move forward. Do this before buying any parts.

 

I've been driving with a blown out strut for a while so I'm not even sure how a maxima is supposed to handle, really. I think I bought it that way and just didn't notice. I'll still rip corners and push it to the limit when I'm turning but I want that limit to increase, because as the way things are it's very easy to overdo and either have the tires slip or feel the car tilt. I don't really have a preference as to coilovers or springs and struts. Just want more handling and a bit more comfort. Figured I'd ask about the coilovers.

I bought Altima rims because I couldn't find stock maxima rims, and I wanted that stock look. Plus the stock Altima rims of that year look much better than maxima rims imo. Got some off an early model Altima, I think an 02 or an 03, the rim fit so I figured I was good to go. Was I not supposed to? Didn't really notice any fitment or performance issues outside of the retarded 60 tall tires. Also the 2nd time someone mentioned putting 17in tires on a 16in rim.. How does that work?

I guess if I go with spacers I'll go with something thin and see how things work out.

I also have a 2000 GLE. Not sure if that matters but I figured I'd throw it out there.

 

Just order some KYB struts, Nissan dust boots and call it a day. If you want to improve handling a bit more, install some H&R springs.

 

That's pretty far down on BC coilovers. I have two new, undamaged front doors I'm painting with the front clip, so nevermind that hideous dent.

At around $1100, can't really complain having a coilover on each corner for $250 per.

 

damn shes clean

so OP you gonna do the washer mod?

 

what I really recommend is to get energy suspension polyurethane bushings installed, especially for the rear trail arm. I didn't feel like spending tons of money on my suspension so I'm running Megan racing springs with Gabriel ultra struts. car rides pretty solid on the highway compared to what it used to. I'm still waiting on my Addco rear sway bar to come in... rockauto has the best prices when it comes to struts.

 

Don't waste the money on coil over or any other struts/spring before you change the engine mounts, tranny mounts, control arms bushings, etc, basically get every rubber pieces renewed. Then get front and rear sway bar, make sure to replace the bushings also. These really stiffened the chassis up and improved the steering respond significantly. Don't slam the car you will eat CV axles and have a ton of bump steer which makes it harder for car to handle in high speed rough surface. IF you really want the best handling, get or fabricate chassis braces. These transform the car like no other. Less rattle, less torque steer, better power transfer, less squatting, and more predictable.

 

Listen to this guy (^^^^^^^^), this is good advice !!

 

Skimmed over the thread. Take care of maintenance first, then change wheels to something wider and with a better offset, going to even something as mild as 1st gen G35 sport 18's (wider and better offset still!) was a DRAMATIC difference from the stock 17s. (When I say better offset, I mean less... When I say less offset I mean the wheels stick out further away from the chassis....) Or keep same wheels and do like 20mm spacers.... But having that big of a sidewall aint doing you favors in the handling dept.


-Old bucket on G35 Coupe 18s and stock suspension [Or coilovers, I can't remember... I kept the car @ the same height when I went to coilovers), I also put in the Maxima SE front sway bar. But the car performed well for a daily driver but I wanted more....

If that doesn't satisfy you then upgrade to coilovers.

If you're changing out struts/springs. do not waste your time, money or effort on anything else but Ksport/D2/BC Racing coilovers (I left out the low end Tien coilovers for a reason, was not a mistake).

Literally everything else is inferior in every way possible and more expensive, and unless your are competing in a racing class that restricts the use of coilovers there are absolutely positively no reason why anyone who seeks performance or longevity should goto springs/struts.

Everything else after maintenance, wheels and coilovers provide only nice, little, noticeable, gains (Rear beam bushings, subframe collars, strut tower bars, etc) but assuming your vehicle is in tip top shape the greatest handling mods are.... Wheels, Tires, Coilovers.

Not springs+struts, I have never, ever,...... EEEVVVVVERRRRRRRRRRRRRR .........I really mean N E V E R..... Have been satisfied with any strut/spring combo available for our platform. They all perform.... Meh... Hell they don't even ride as well as coilovers.... Don't even last as long.... Don't even get me started on maintenance using a spring compressor.... Ugh.

Struts+Springs are dumb.

Have I mentioned that Struts and Springs are dumb? If not then let me tell you they are dumb, If I get another Maxima on Illuminas and whatever hot-**** spring you guys worshipped I will make a video of me taking them off and setting them on fire in a dumpster, hopefully it explodes and makes noise, that will probably be the coolest thing springs/struts have ever done imo.

Food for thought... I hate springs and struts so much I'm even comptemplating putting the sh1tbox kia (It's the 5th car that just sits outside and runs errands and gets hit by sh1tty drivers but I don't care cause it's a kia) on coilovers because it's time to do the suspension and I am really not a fan of struts and springs... If you can't tell by now.


If you absolutely just need one strut to get by then do one of those quick strut ordeals, but experience says they suck and crap out in a little over a year on multiple platforms, they're like 100 a corner for our Kia can't be much more for the Maxima on Amazon/Ebay (I have a personal beef with rockauto... but that's just personal beef, not science like struts being crap compared to coilovers).

Springs and struts are only good for a car you want to flip or throw away.

 

either we didn't try oem or the onesi bought wouldn't not fit so we used the funky ones form kyb that don't actually seal more like a dust cover