bizzurk31

2004 Maxima SE

My tires have been wearing out very quickly. I noticed the wear beginning on the outside edge of the left front tire, and eventually on both front tires. Result is that I've spent way too much money on tires.

Every time I've gotten new tires, I have had an alignment, balance, etc. done, and it never seems to help in the long run, and the alignment report always shows that I was in pretty good shape before the alignment job anyway.

So, since it's not tire alignment, my research has led me to believe it could be my struts. After searching the forum, it seems a lot of Maxima owners have strut problems. Anyone have input on this? Thanks so much in advance

Kryogen

get alignment at another shop? maybe they are screwing you? something has to be wrong. make sure they check suspension and drive parts before align.

I hope you get good quality tires too.

make sure u keep cold presure around 32 psi.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

How many miles are on your car? You do know that factory struts are only rated for approximately 60k miles?

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

Go Monroe Sensatracs. You wont be sorry.

Kryogen

3/4 shocks were shot on my car at 90 000km.
2 front struts and 1 shock.

nyzmostwanted1

I have a leaky strut on my 08 Which brand you guys prefer? and how much is thecost to repair ?

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

See post 4.
Cost about $130 per strut. Lifetime warranty.
Labor= free.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

I didn't pay much more than that for all 4 GR-2's...with lifetime warranty. I think I paid $175 shipped.

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

From what I was able to find on reviews the GR-2s are stiffer than OEM and I was looking for a smoother ride. That's why I also got rid of my Progress springs. You know how rough our streets are here in Cleveland and I just couldn't take it anymore.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

I'm in Brook Park, so I know! I'm just careful, and I've found it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Where the hell is this site, I like that price....

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

I got them off of Amazon...I believe the seller was "justsuspension". Their prices fluctuate...I got them at a time when the price was down a little bit.

Kryogen

got all 4 in canada for 250 i think 3 years ago...

if i had to do it again though, id get monroes sensatrac from canadian tire when they get the rebate and be done with it. quality, lifetime warranty.

2006maxed

I am about to put on tein springs and KYB shocks. I have heard they aren't bad. And I am getting a good price for all four corners. It is a total of 400 struts and springs. I am installing them. I am thinking about doing a thread on it.

Kryogen

KYB are ok. didnt really notice a difference with OEM... maybe a tad stiffer. I think they are fine... they do the job. they wont change the ride much.

the macedonian

+1 on that - I have KYB and Progress, the difference in handling is noticeable but I do have other suspension mods as well.

QwikKota

iTrader: (3)

That's awful low for a quality vehicle. I know you know your stuff but is that based on general complaints/experience from others or just your Max? My 07 has 64k on it and it feels about the same as when I got it at 17k, and I go over some really rough roads/railroad tracks daily. Will look into the Sensitracs when the stockers give up.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

OEM struts are not made to last forever...nothing is. Factory struts/shocks should be replaced around 60K miles. You drive your car daily. I guarantee you that it does not handle as it did when you got it. Because the degredation is so gradual, you do not notice it. Slap some new struts/shocks on there, and you will be amazed at the difference. I replaced the rear shocks/springs on my Taurus at 65K and it was like a new car. I couldn't believe the difference. I never realized that it was handling that poorly.

fernmax

hello guys Im new to the forum, i just purchased all for shocks from ebay from a brand sensen apx autoparts. the price was 150.00. They seem pretty good for the price and rode pretty nice. i have a problem. I i was tightning the rear bolts in the rear and one of the small upper bolts snapped. How can i access the broken bolt through the trunk? I dont see an entrance point. Thanks!

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

I don't know that you can access it through the trunk. You are going to need to drill it out. Hopefully you can get it out with a bolt extractor, otherwise you are going to have to try to drill it totally out. You'll probably need to helicoil it if that's the case.

2006maxed

Wow a mechanic on the forum. I am a millwright (industrial mechanic) Helicoils are the best inventions ever. We use them alot. Just remember if you put in the helicoil to set it in with the red loc tite

QwikKota

iTrader: (3)

Trust me I'm well aware of that, but 60k is not very many miles for a quality vehicle. I have owned a Taurus and two Maximas, they do not compare. Your degradation replacement is akin to replacing tires with 50% wear. Struts may not be as effective as new but replacing ones with life left is a waste of money. If uneven tire wear such as the OP is experiencing, is happening, or the wheel bounces off the surface over bumps, then it's another matter. Even the springs begin to lose their spring constant but I'm certainly not going through all the trouble of replacing them until many miles or damage occurs.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

Your comparison is downright silly. Yes, replacing any parts that still have some life left is a waste of money...it's the nature of the beast. It's called PREVENTIVE maintenance for a reason. If I was to use your logic, then I should keep my tires until they blowout? I shouldn't buy new tires until the chords have worn through and the tire eventually fails? Should I never replace my brake pads until the material is gone, and I'm wearing into the brake lining? Should I not fill up with gas until the car runs out and I'm left stranded? Should I not replace my battery when the car is turning over slowly...but it's still turning over? It has life left, so I should keep using it? I shouldn't change my oil until it is so broken down that it won't circulate through the engine any longer? As long as air can pass through the air filter...it's fine? Belts shouldn't be replaced when they are dry-rotted, because they still work?

60K miles on a strut that sees a lot of city driving is a LOT of wear, I don't care what kind of car it is on. The worst thing for your struts are railroad tracks and potholes. You saying you are going to drive on OEM struts until failure is just plain unsafe.

You keep your stock struts until you notice that your tires are worn unevenly...then you can buy new tires to go along with your new struts.

Bottom line...it's your car, do whatever you want. Replacing the struts/shocks does not amount to "all the trouble"...it's some of the easier parts to replace.

QwikKota

iTrader: (3)

Feel free to overreact. A strut or shock that is on it's way out or has lost some pressure is noticeable before the point where it will bottom out. A damaged strut may not be the safest way to get around town but it's far from as dangerous as driving on bald tires or worn out brakes as you alluded to. The shocks on the rear are very easy to replace, a strut assembly however is not. You can be an internet tough guy if you will but even with air tools strut change out is a pain in the ****, I have replaced several on the Taurus and friends cars, I hate it. The only way to improve on the DIY process is to have a professional spring compressor such as a wall mounted piece of equipment.

I have felt no bottoming out nor an increase in time to settle the vehicle after large bumps. I can understand a company that sells shocks telling the consumer that they need to replace equipment earlier than necessary, they are slightly biased. You may work for a mechanics shop, the same applies. I do things myself and I have plenty of other things to do with my time than spend it working on a part of the car that I loathe. Tell you what, since the rear shocks are so cheap I purchased a pair. I will install them and see if it makes a noticeable difference. They are not OEM's so there cannot be a true comparison but I would be surprised if it's world's apart.

Preventative maintenance is changing out parts or fluids before they cause damage, such as engine oil. Predictive maintenance is noticing a change in or degraded performance and replacing the part before it completely fails. Shocks and struts are the latter.

Kryogen

I changed all 4 at 56k miles. 3/4 were completely shot. only one rear shock was still good.

I personally will change shocks every 60K miles. Id rather have a perfectly working car. Thats just me.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

Who's overreacting? At what point am I being an internet tough guy? I can point you to several articles from several different sources that state that 50K-60K is the average life of a shock/strut. Some may last MUCH longer, and some may last MUCH less. You are making these claims using ignorant rationale, with nothing to back it up, other than..."it still feels the same to me". I point out the ignorance in your logic, and now the doubletalk starts. You said replacing parts that haven't failed is wasting money...I didn't say that. You stated that "driving on worn shocks/struts may not be the safest, but it's not as bad as..." I didn't realize this was a discussion on what was the safest versus what isn't safe at all. I'll tell my wife, feel free to drive on worn shocks/struts...I realize it isn't the safest as new, but it's not as bad as worn brakes. I simply called you on your ignorant logic that YOU are applying, and that makes me an internet tough guy?

You have nothing to back up your statements other than your personal feelings. I am not in the automotive field by trade, so I have nothing to gain by posting what I did. It's been my experience, and it's also been backed up by many experts in the field. As I said, keep your struts forever, I don't really care, but just because you don't think they SHOULD be replaced at 60K miles doesn't make it so. The general rule of thumb is that the lifespan of shocks/struts is the 50-60K mile range. I could provide you with articles, but you'll just continue the name calling and doubletalk, so what's the point. Keep yours as long as you'd like. The bottom line is the OP IS having tire wear issues, depending on the mileage of his car, I'd be looking at the shocks/struts. This has NOTHING to do with how long you want to keep yours.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

WOW, I'm guessing you must work for a dealership, strut mfg, or someone else who benefits from replacing parts needlessly.

Kryogen

What kind of stupid reply is that? No, I dont work in the car industry. wtf.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

Relax...apparently QwikKota feels that struts should last forever, and that fact that they wear out at 50K-60K is just propaganda foisted on us by stealerships and those looking to make us spend money needlessly. Read back a few posts...

Kryogen

3/4 of mine were shot at 55k. its a fact, thats all. Maybe OEM are defective and GR2s will last forever. I dont know. Still, 3/4 of my OEM were shot at 55k, car was going over the road like a giant spring, and upon disassembly (I did it myself), 3/4 had no more tension or springback in the rod.

I live in a cold climate, maybe the OEM didnt like dampening bumps in really cold weather, no clue. So far GR2 are still #1.

1hawaii50

iTrader: (14)

I believe you, and I agree that OEM's are only rated for 50K-60K miles. I kind of sucked you into an argument between myself and QwikKota...I apologize. If you read back through the posts, you'll see.

Kryogen

No problem

dennisg

Have you got a part # for the Monroe Sensatrac? I can only find OESpectrum struts listed under Monroe for an 04 Maxima. Even went to the Monroe site and found no part listing for the Sensatrac there. Need to replace struts/shocks on my daughters 04 SL. Thanks.

Kryogen

they replaced the sensatracs with oespectrum for the exports.

I ordered all 4, the idiots sent me 3 oespectrum and 1 sensatrac.... returned the sensatrac, waiting for 1 more oespectrum.

The dampening isnt the same, they changed the valving. I tested both on the floor and they dont react the same.

I'll tell you how it as as soon as I install them, probably next weekend (in a week)

The retards at monroe kept the same product number even though they changed the part....

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

I was just reading about this on their website. And I thought it was weird and confusing that they kept the same part numbers 72240 and 72241 for the struts.

Do you feel that the OE is going to be stiffer than the SensaTrac? I need to get rear shocks at some point, I have my OEM on there with 80,000 miles on them. I feel like the OEMs are still ok but I'm sure the degradation would be evident once I put new shocks on.

Kryogen

I have no clue about sensatracs, you can no longer get them anyway,
No clue about OEM, I bought my car used, they were already boaty.

I will be able to compare between KYB GR2 and OESpectrum next week.

I though my oem shocks were fine after 50k miles, and 3/4 of them were shot.

Kryogen

Ok, update
Changed my KYB GR2s after 50 000km because I though the right front one was clunking. It was not. Clunking was coming from the metal and plastic cover at the back of the engine bay, and also, I suspect, stab bar link.

But I had bought 4 new monroe OESpectrum so why not start brand new.
Installed them. They work fine. Cant really tell a difference with the KYBS. Maybe a bit less stiff, feels like my spine isnt getting slammed anymore.

Handling seems fine to me. KYBs are definitely a bit stiffer, but honestly, I prefer the monroes. KYBs made the ride just a tad too harsh for me, and it didnt make it handle better to me.

So both are good, really, whatever.

kaydan9906

i have a 05 maxima on 20 inch rims wanna lower in with the eibach springs,need input on replacement shocks was looking at the sensen shocks.i know i will loose my ride quality but still want a comfy ride for daily driving..cannot find any adjustable shocks to pair with the eibach springs.

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

a comfortable ride on 20" wheels is going to be hard if not impossible. 18" is the biggest I would ever go

Apollos2

iTrader: (16)

I'm on 18in and Tein Tech S springs. (2005 SE)
I just changed struts and shocks

Amazon: $200 shipped for parts
Monroe 5600 Sensa-Trac Passenger Car Shock Absorber x2
Strut: Monroe 72240 Sensa-Trac Strut x1
Strut: Monroe 72241 Sensa-Trac Strut x1

They sent me the OESpec stuff, it's the right fit.

Guys this post is totally true. Like dummy I didn't replace mine, ever! Everything seemed fine, even had a shop check them out at about 120k bounce test, fine, no leaks, fine. Forum members told me I was waaay over due.

Finally replace them, I got a noticeable improvement. You just don't realize how slowly the ride deteriorates, until you put the new ones on. I probably be doing this again at 200k. The car rides wonderfully now.