Hey there ....

There's a sale on Sprint Springs in the FS section ... n e 1 know how these compare 2 Eibach & H & R's? They're definately much cheaper ... so does that equate to cheaper quality? Lower life? ****tier ride?

Tkx!

 

make them stiffer than the garden variety spring offerings available for the 4th Gen... Wait, I did have something to do with them, that's probably why they're that way...

Yes the Sprints are stiffer than the Eibachs, H&Rs, Intrax, ST, B&G, Progress, etc. That's because my recommendations to Sprint were biased for better handling over having a softer ride...

The performance-avert person with an easily bruised behind would consider them harsh, but such a person should choose H&R or Intrax springs to get the 'look' without the 'performance', as for those who want to 'carve corners', your springs are now here.

Knowing such trade-offs, I went for the performance edge with so many 'ride' oriented sets out there, and the Sprints coupled with Konis would give a good performance combo for those who don't mind having their jello jiggling.

--Nabil
'96 SE 5spd... Zesty!!!

P.S. FYI, my sig pic shows the car on my old Eibachs.

 

i know there's been some talk about the rear end being high compared to the fornt. i have the sprints and just took measurements of the drop and if you read in my other post, the front dropped like 2.1", but the rear only dropped maybe 1.1-1.2"
now i got the stock measurements from someone here but did sprint intend to have this kind of drop. i don't know if the rears will settle another inch...what about your sprints, what was the drop like?

and yes the sprints are very stiff.

 

Since when were H&R springs all ride and no performance?

I have the H&R's and they have improved my handling tremendously. True, the Eibachs have a slight edge in handling (as may the Sprints) but it is by no means a huge difference like you intimated. As for Intrax, I've heard stories about them being soft, but ask people like Shing and he'll tell you the Intrax springs are not that bad for handling either.

Maybe for you, H&R's are too soft, but for me, they are just fine. In fact, compared to the stock springs, the H&R's feel downright harsh! I've ridden in Eibach equipped Maximas and they are a bit harsher than H&R's but not much.




[Edited by Eric L. on 01-16-2001 at 12:05 AM]

 

I mean .. if we got a porsche or NS-X .. sports cars that r designed 2 handle ... would they b considered harsh?

would a max with sprint springs feel as hard as a stock porsche or n e other performance sports car?

I really need 2 find someone with some bachs on their max!

 

Hmm..never ridden in a Porche or NSX so I dunno. But I bet that the sports cars are tuned so that their ride is tolerable along with high levels of performance. As for the Maxima, the suspension was tuned for comfort, not performance, so I don't think it is possible to achieve a good combination of both. You can performance, you'll jar your teeth off (well not quite). There's only so much performance we can extract from front struts and a rear beam before the ride becomes unbearably rough.

There are some sedans which have a good ride with excellent handling. Cars like BMW 3 and 5 series. But that's mainly due to the careful optimization of suspension damping and geometry that we don't have in our Maximas.

 

Give them some time and the rears will settle.
Remember that the rears don't have much weight back there on them, so they will take longer to settle than the fronts. Mine took some time and after loading up the car with people and junk in the trunk that they came down a bit more.
People with heavy subs should love it because with all the hardware they pack back there, the car should not sag at all in the back.

--Nabil

 

Hey Eric,

No doubt you think the H&Rs you've installed are a huge improvement in your car's handling. That's subjective, and quite a valid opinion to have I might add. But in absolute terms, they leave much to be desired if one is looking for more than just a compromise. I mean, if one is searching to really improving their car's handling performance above all else, they'd be better served looking at more performance oriented springs than the compromise-oriented H&Rs. That's why I said H&Rs and Intrax springs are more for people who are interested more in the looks of the car than in the performance improvement aspect.

As for Intrax springs, I've ridden in a Maxima with them on, and I've seen the same guy AutoX with them, and can tell you firsthand that they are not suited for serious performance work, especially since there are better springs for such activities. The car was floating, experiencing yaw movements, and just being a handful for the driver to control. Heck, it almost made the passengers carsick from all the bobbing and rocking it did while I was riding in it.

So if I were a guy who was looking for really improving handling without much concern for having a Buick-like ride, I would certainly be looking at a set of stiff coilovers, Sprints, or Eibachs to get that result. While other choices such as the H&Rs, ST, Intrax and others would be better classified as compromise sets aimed more at the average person looking to retain a soft ride with a small increase in handling performance. So yes, the latter group is more for looks than for for performance, but if you still disagree, that's fine too and remember that the important thing is that you're happy with your selection.

--Nabil
'96 SE 5spd...Zesty!!!

 

Hey why do you say they are harsher than Eibach. Wasn't your car used for the prototype of Sprint? I had Progress coils until a few weeks ago, and those rattled my teeth. One of our distributors has Eibachs, and his ride very harsh. I cut the bumpstops on my Sprints and it rides nice and comfy (compared to Progress). I think everyone's opinion on how a car rides will differ, depending on road conditions, age of struts/shocks, bumpstop height, and other variables.
That's why I love lowered cars
Just my $0.02
Alex
PS Sprint catalog says that the springs for 4th gen will only fit 95-98. I found that odd, since I gave my stock 99 suspension to my friend with a 98 and it worked fine.
Just wondering...

 

While it is true that the Eibachs and Sprints may be the absolute in best handling springs short of coilovers, H&R's may not be as much a compromise as you think. Based on what I've read over the five years I've been posting on this BBS, the general consensus is that if the stock Maxima's springs are a 5 on a 1-10 scale, then H&R's would be an 7.5 and Eibachs 8.5, with coilovers being 10. As for looks over performance, I would say a better description of that would be "ride over performance", since I'm sure that not everyone with H&R's lowered their cars just for "all show and no go." I chose the H&R's because they are supposed to improve performance while maintaining the stock ride. In fact, they don't. The ride with modified suspension is noticably harsher, to the point of being almost jarring. But I am happy with the performance, which is excellent compared with stocker suspension.

I absolutely respect your opinion regarding springs. I'm sure you've had much more experience with the different brands than I've had (except for the H&R's). However in experience, I've never pushed my car so hard as to exceed its handling capabilities (and I've pushed my car HARD through the corners). On the track, the Eibachs may shave a a second off the autocross time. But I think the in real world, you will never push your car so hard so that the performance difference will even be noticed. I'm not trying to argue with you...I'm just posting my opinion. I appreciated your reply to my previous post. Besides, talking about springs is a way better topic than "BMW vs Maxima", "Honda vs Nissan", or stupid "Roadkills."

Hehe...