Well, I finally got my Maxspeed's and KYB GR-2's installed. Overall, I'm pretty happy. The drop is nothing to get overly excited about, and I'm hoping that it settles more (people with Maxspeed springs: did your springs settle more over time after the first day?)

The ride is MUCH stiffer than before. I can feel every bumb, crack, and hole in the road. But I can also take corners like a dream. There is a roundabout thing in my neighborhood, and I took that at a higher speed than I normally would today, and maintained perfect control... body roll seems to be reduced greatly.

Like I said, it did drop some, but not a huge amount. The back is where I noticed the major difference, but the front does not seem that much different. The front and back do, however, seem to be dropped evenly.

Below I have before and after pics. Sorry my car is not clean, I couldn't wait. And the pictures are crappy quality. I am too cheap to buy a really good camera, and it is also getting dark outside.

BEFORE:
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...574_9_full.jpg

AFTER:
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...74_10_full.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/installs...74_11_full.jpg

Sorry I used links, it said the images were too big. I guess they are big, so be prepared to wait. Sorry. The pics are also on my homepage, so you can use that link if you want.

 

Your pics are too dark for my old eyes to see the potential gap...

and they will like all springs settle some...give it a couple weeks...

and for the money they are great performing parts...enjoy!

 

Yea, I'll take some more pics tomorrow when it is light outside and replace them.

 

congrats!

like everyone says "thats how it should have come from the factory"

the drop isnt overly huge, but definately noticeable when comparing before and after, the springs will settle more over time. and you will start looking over your shoulder more often as you walk away from your car

you feel more bumps and harder turns because you went form GXE suspension to aftermarket, us SE's don't feel too much difference....ill see how it feels once I get my AGX's installed hopefully this week

oh and those pix are NOT big, at least compared to most of the stuff Y2KevSE has been posting

 

I installed the same setup (maxspeed & gr-2) last week.

The first day it felt really rough and stiff. But I figured going from stock springs and bad struts would do that.

Well it's one week later and I can definitely say they've settled in. Still not as soft as stock was but they feel just right now. Nice and stiff in the turns and smooth over the little bumps and cracks in the road.

Guess the springs needed a few days to break in and soften up a little.

I'm a happy camper.

 

when you take pics this time can you take them a little closer as well? taht before pic i can't even see well cause its so far. too late for that but would love to see close ups on the afters. Could you also put like some device between the gap so we can get an idea of how big it is?

 

OK, here are some more pics. The front does not look quite as low as last night; I think it is because I am up on the driveway. I can't pull out onto the cul de sac because there is a party across the way and there are cars all over the place. But it gives you an idea of how low it is, and it is a bit lower than stock.

Also, forgive the dirtiness of my car . They get dirty easy here in Colorado. Wash day is tomorrow.

http://images.cardomain.com/installs...74_12_full.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/installs...74_13_full.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/installs...74_14_full.jpg

meccanoble asked me to put something in the wheel well to gauge the size of the drop, so I put a soda can in there. I couldn't think of anything else. Just so you know, a soda can would have stood up on end in there before, and now it will not.

 

you can fit a soda can in your wheel well after the drop














sorry i had to let that out

Ant

 

You can't fit a soda can?

I'm jealous

Maybe I need to get some different springs...

Oh well, at least the HUGE gap is better than it was.

I wonder if the gap would change any if I got some bigger wheels? Anybody have any idea?

 

Run a 235/45/17 and it closes up nicely...check my homepage for decent angle pics on my ride.

 

can someone tell me what the tire numbers mean? i used to think i know, but now i'm confused...what are the first numbers for (IE 235), i thought that was the width of the tires?? and that 45 was the thickness(?) of the tire...someone shed some light for me plz

thanks

 

not to sound like an **** but what size springs do you have? just so i know to get like an inch more drop

but don't worry, someone up above said that your ride should settle down a little after some time. New springs i guess stand up higher than usual when you first get them.

 

Uh, I don't know what you mean when you say size... all I know is that they are Maxspeed. I could look at the box they came in and see if there are some measurements or something...

I think if you want any more drop the only option is Sprint. Most others (H&R, etc.) are about the same amount of drop, as far as I've heard.

 

i believe maxspeeds give a 1.5" drop in front...not sure bout the rear..maybe 1.3"??

 

1.7" front, 1.4" rear, according to this thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....wering+springs

 

is your car an auto or a 5 speed?


Drop seems fine to me.. better than stock definatly.
I'm considering maxspeeds but 2 things scare me, 1.. it's not low enough 2. back sags too much.


tire sizes should be interpreted as follows:
235 / 45 / 17

-235 is the width.. the width of the flat part that actually touches the pavement..

-45 is the height of the sidewall.. if it's 35.. then the tire looks really thin, but if it is like 65 it is obviously a lot thicker looking.

-17 is the diameter. Diameter of the wheel.

 

My car is an auto.

When the car is on flat ground, the back does not really appear to sag at all. The front and back seem to be dropped about the same amount. That's what most people seem to say about Maxspeed's when I searched... that's why I got them instead of H&R's.

 

Looks tight, can't wait until I'm able to drop mine!! Man a soda can!!

 

that's what i thought, but ppl say my car with H&Rs dont look drop cus of my wheel diamater..i have 17x7 and my tires size are 225/45/17...i was told that if i got 235/45 tires, then the gap wont' look that bad, but the first number (235) does not contribute to the wheel diamater...so it wouldn't matter if i got 235/45/17, the gap will still be the same....right?

 

A 235 is only 10mm wider than the 225 so it will only be a little
bigger overall diameter. The second number (45) is the percentage of the first number (45%), so 45% of a 225 would be 101.25mm, while 45%
of the 235 would be 105.75mm. If you do put a 235 on, the side wall
will bulge out a little more b/c of the 7 inch rim. See if you can find a tire in 225/50/17 ( not sure if anyone makes one) that
would have a side wall height of 112.5mm which will help close the gap a little better, but shouldn't bulge out as much as the 235.
Hope this helps.

 

there are 225/50/R17s but not many. that is the tire that comes stock on the 2k2+ max.

 

umm..you really don't want to change your overall wheel diameter with tire. Aftermarket wheel or OEM, 18's or 15's they should both have the exact same radius otherwise you're jeapordizing the integrity of key components. If you went with a wheel/tire combo that has just a half inch greater radius you're increasing the torque loading on hubs and other suspension components past it's engineered recommended amount. Larger wheels with tires that will obviously have shorter sidewalls may exagerate the wheel gap if that's what you're talking about.

 

Are GR-2's supposed to ride softer than the adjustable KYB's?

 

Don't you also have to re-calibrate your speedometer if you change the size of your tire? Or is the change too small to notice?

Also, which spring has a smoother ride, the MaxSpeeds or the H&R's?

 

the stock 2000+ SE 17's are 225/50/17 bridgestone potenza RE92's.. there are a few others that size, you can search on tire rack. for some reason theyre a LOT more expensive than most 225/45/17's

 

That should be accurate.

SuDZ