Hi guys!

I've determined that once I get my new Maxima (4th Gen), I'll be putting in H&R springs to lower the ride height and improve performance. Now, what shocks do you recommend in combination with the H&R's? I'd like to just keep the stock shocks, but I don't know if this is possible. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

It is possible to use the stock dampers with the H&Rs, but aftermarket dampers are generally considered to be better. Nearly everybody gets Tokico HPs with their springs, but many people don't think that they are enough. To get a stiffer damper, apparently you can have a set of Konis modified to fit the Maxima, but I don't know the details on that. Maybe by the time you purchase your car, there will be more alternatives. Also, since you will be buying a car that is a few years old, the stock dampers will probably need to be replaced anyway, so why not get better aftermarket stuff?

 

as I found out, the stock struts aren't stiff enough to properly handle the stiffer springs, and the car felt floaty. When I eventually put on Tokicos, the steering firmed up nicely but still wasn't quite enough for me...after ~20K miles, the Tokicos softened wayyy up and now feel worse than stock. Don't buy Tokicos. I have Konis sitting in my garage right now waiting to go on the car, I'm just waiting on some new dust boots.

If you're considering the Tokicos and have less than ~40K miles, keep the stock struts...ultimately, the performance with either struts will be equally floaty...you can live with it, but I hated the feel to be honest. If you want a good setup, pay the (incredible) ~$500 for Konis. I'll find out soon if they're worth it...but I rode in another guy's Maxima with H&Rs and Konis and it felt sweet...very tight and firm turn-in, tracked really straight, etc...so it should work out very nicely for me.

Modification of your stock front struts to fit the Koni inserts is not hard, either. I did it already and only took 2 hrs with a hacksaw and drill. Quite easy, just takes a little while and is sorta messy...but easy. Don't let that deter you in any way.

 

Will the car bottom out at all with the stock struts under normal driving conditions? That is one of my main concerns. I'm on somewhat of a tight budget so I don't know if I should leave the stock struts on (i have 33K) or get the tokikos.

-Nick

 

I have had the H&R springs and stock struts for a year and have had no problem. I have a 95 SE with 52k miles.

 

 

No, I never bottomed out under normally driving on even the bumpiest of roads (and there are some crappy ones around Austin). Never an issue with either the stock or Tokicos. The only thing you need to get used to is stopping back from the curb or parking "block" when parking. I scrape the underside of my front facia and the engine cradle if I pull up too far...and on some weird entrances, I have to take it slow to keep from scraping the front.

 

and were starting to get "bouncy"........got the h&r's, tokicos and the addco rsb all for 700 shipped

 

DONT GET TOKICOS.
get KONI or the KYB AGX struts..

tokicos are weak.. i wish i didn't get them.
next time it'll be koni adjustables or the cattman coilovers..

get the koni.. well worth all the prep and install time (8+hours)

 

What's the deal with the konis? I've never heard a straight answer on this, are they the koni sports? What has to be done to get them on?

Just curious, I like the AGX's

 

It took only 2 hrs for me to "prep" my front struts for the Koni inserts...and with a hack saw. Easy and didn't take long at all. People have wayyyyyyyyyy exaggerated the difficulty of doing the fronts.