This is more of a general question about suspension and the effects of lowering a vehicle. Typically, how long do OEM stock struts and shocks last? Does lowering a car less than 1.5 in combined with aftermarket struts, greatly reduce the life of the suspension geometry and related parts? What parts are related or work together in OEM suspension? Can someone who isn't knowledgeable about cars or who aren't car enthusiasts capable of doing this?

 

Get ready for CV boot ripping a lot..

If you have a generation 5 car, there's nice pictures and guides on www.shiftice.com

 

reminds me of the meme,"lower your car they said....itll be fun they said"

idk,my experience in short,15 years ago my 92 gxe max came with tokico blues all around
maybe was demodded idk,so i got sprint 2" drop springs and had em 4 years on that car
until i "moved" them to my 91 in 2004 and im still sitting on the old **** tokico blues and sprint springs so 15 years + now,haha
my setups rough on bumps and cracks/inner seattle city streets but when i go north and east its great on the newer smoother roads

i just like the feel of a lowered car and it looks cooler!

ive only had to replace 1 drivers side control arm bushing(bushing only,nissan brand)
and 1 pass side control arm(whole used arm this time because easy and cheap)
also once had a rear link break when i had the poly link bushings but that may have been from backing into a curb shortly before that link broke(went back to used stock links)

had the camber bolts for a few years but felt they were cheap and read about them referred to as crash bolts so went back to stock strut to knuckel bolts and more camber wear

 

lowering your car is basically spending 500$-1500$ to make your car perform worse in the real world (i didnt say track) but look cooler cause the guys on an internet forum told you they didnt like your wheel gap

 

I only spent @ 100 for springs since my 1st maxima already had the tokico blues
but yeah whoever bought those did pay alot as do others

as for perform worse in the real world...huh?
just because we slow down for speedbumps? thats the whole reason the speed bumps exist,not so someone can pretend to have a fast truck/suv in a PARKING LOT/PUBLIC PLACE and bounce around with their bread loaf suspension like riding around on 4 pogo sticks while huckling out "hardly feel it at all"
but then again most of them wouldnt stand a chance off road so they get their jollys in parking lots

and the streets in my major city shouldnt have big cracks and lumps everywhere to begin with

the most complaints i hear from passengers in my lowered car is fat dudes who feel their tittys bouncing
some are scared of scrape noises,but thats just my tow hook, mudflaps or sway bar brackets
lol at people so scared to hurt their economy buckets
my car works for me,im the master in this relationship

my lowered car doesnt rock to and fro when i shift gears and no one complains about neck snapping
or brake dives when im rowing gears in my low max

most of us have been behind cut spring civics looking like hydrualics
thats not comparable to real tokico performance struts shocks and sprint shot peened springs

and I KNOW a lowered 3rd gen will outhandle a factory one....duh!

big whoop wanna fight about it?

 

Really, there are so many incorrect statements in this it is funny. YES a lowered car will handle better EVERYWHERE you drive it..........ps-you can get springs for 200 bucks and 100 to install and will handle a lot better then stock.

 

Personally I am looking at the RSR Springs and the Eibach Springs and I really like the RSR Springs a lil bit more as they do go a lil bit lower once they settle in. Now if you go with coilovers that is A LOT more and you can rip things, tear things, and they have to be adjusted also. But coilovers will and can take you a lot lower and springs will go 1.7-1.9" lower max. Do what you want, its your car and don't listen to trolls that dont know what they are talking about and kinda seems a tad bit jealous for some reason or another.

 

no im not a troll. I guess in the case of a 15yr old maxima that isnt worth much and out of warranty, lowering isnt such a bad idea. the wheel gap on these cars really is huge

but i hate seeing kids with actual expensive new cars dropping them and voiding their warranties, making their ride stiff/uncomfortable, all because they wanna be in the cool kids club

 

More like $1000 cad now minimum...

CV boot woes

 

So you want to be captain save a hoe but yet you dont pay THEIR car note.............so you just saving the time cuz all they want to do is look cool huh? People amaze me, worry about your own car and Ill worry bout mine. I have NO PROBLEM with suggestions, ideas, comments but cmon man let people do their cars how they want.

 

lol ya man youve totally got NO PROBLEM with ideas or comments so long as THEY MATCH YOUR OWN OPINION. im just stating that whenever somebody new asks about lowering their car on a car forum, everyone acts like its all pros and zero cons except driving slower over speedbumps. nobody wants to acknowledge that factory suspension geometry is usually the best all around set up for a DD car, AFTERMARKET = BETTER right??

then you see the same dude a week later posting more threads after the install about weird noises/popping sounds, harsh ride feel, blown struts and just general dissatisfaction

stfu, youre probly just cranky cause your a$$ hurts from riding around in your lowered car all day

 

I love key board tough guys, first my car isn't lowered yet douche and second AGAIN it is their car, unless you paying the note put the **** back in your mouth

 

Play nice fellas.

 

So many assumptions and misinformation in this thread

 

 

lol its funny how he calls ME the keyboard tough guy while he's talkin all hood and sh*t

 

Oh man, this thread is amazing.

15 year old cars will have enough suspension issues as stock. Lower you go, the quicker the issues will accelerate. Ruined axles on Eibachs, ruined more on Tein SS coilovers. If you're doing full replacement, strut mounts and trailing arm bushings while you're at it. Geometry is ruined if you lower it the wrong way but if for "scene" points, then it doesn't matter.

Read up on MotoIQ if you want to see what lowered cars do behind the scenes. The shiftice site is a great starting point. djfrestyl and irish44j are some of the suspension gurus I learned from here on the org. Search their threads, and just read. The front passenger side axle and rear beam will limit anything you do with suspension on this platform.

 

https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...on-thread.html

34 pages of good info. Read this instead of listening to a few soap boxing after buying no name springs. "nah, I scrape but she sticks to the road bruh" Yeah okay.

 

whats a rear beam setup?,never heard of taht,weird huh?

 

We get it. You have a 3rd gen. OP most likely has a 5.5 cause of his sn.

 

not that i even know much about real race cars and suspension geometry,
dont need to for my needs,i just try to sound smart
i just bought springs to go with the existing tokicos bloos on my old 92 gxe
then transfered them to my 91 se-its all antique,im not the speedy type anyhow
i suppose if i could afford 18's or 19's i wouldnt need/want to lower it either
18's and 19's are like twice as much as 17's around here........
and thats for tire and wheel prices, not the other ting,lol