Ok, I had my Sprints with KYB AGX for over 5 months now, initially i was very happy with drop/looks/and most importantly handling
but i started to notice ride quality decrease drastically - harshnes become untorelable and every piece of plastic on the dashboard started to squeak and make noises, I decided to switch to wildy acclaimed H&R's , the initial impression is on the disappoitment side,
the spring/strut combo dampens the bumps better but not drastically
With KYB AGX settings at 1 at the front the ride is very uncontrolable and bouncy, adjusting the strut to 3 setting helped out a bit but still not to impressed
Just my few cents on that issue, and sprints aren't that bad overall,as longest they not older than 5-6 months and become to sag.

my current set up is : KYB AGX/H&R/FSTB/RSB

I just wish my car drive and handle the same way when it was stock when I bought it with 80K on it.

 

To make yourself happy, go to Nissan and buy brand new OEM struts all around and brand new OEM springs all around..your car will ride perfectly.

-matt

 

lowering your car does it no good when you live in city with nasty roads
and eventually i will come back to OEM !!!

Nick

 

You need to increase the firmness of the struts to compensate for the springs. That's why your ride is bouncy. The bounce is because the springs are doing all the suspension work which is going uncrontolled. Once you adjust the struts to the correct firmness, the bounce goes away. They don't call struts "dampeners" for no reason.


Dave

 

Thanks, Dave, for posting. Amen, ditto, and all that.

 

what strut setting are you guys using that is most comfortable for daily use on city roads ?
With Sprints I had it set to 1 front 3 rear.

 

H&Rs and KYB/AGXs may not be a good setup b/c the H&Rs are on the mild side compared to other performance springs, but the AGXs, even in their mildest setting, tend to be quite stiff. At least that's the impression I've gotten from messages on this board. A softer shock, like a Tokico blue, the GR-2s (Also KYB??) etc may be better suited to the H&Rs.

There's also the Tokico Illuminas, adjustable just like the AGXs. I haven't heard enough (if at all) opinions about them concerning how strff they are. Word is they are the best struts/shocks for the Maxima. You may want to look into those. I hear they're kinda pricey, but since you bought AGXs, price may not be so critical an issue to you.

Of course you can go back to stock springs and struts. I wouldn't. I can't stand that 4X4 ride height. Other than that, the stock 4X4 setup was perfect in terms of ride.

DW

 

Or on PA/NJ roads. blew 2 KYB AGX shocks already

 

for now i will turn up those dials and stick with KYB AGX, and see how things work out

thanks again

Nick

 

What about maxspeed and agx set up? I have always thought that is the way i was going to go, but now i think i might need to go with GR2's or tokico illuminas...because i dont like the harsh ride that is being associated with the agx...

 

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dwapenyi
[B]H&Rs and KYB/AGXs may not be a good setup b/c the H&Rs are on the mild side compared to other performance springs, but the AGXs, even in their mildest setting, tend to be quite stiff. At least that's the impression I've gotten from messages on this board. A softer shock, like a Tokico blue, the GR-2s (Also KYB??) etc may be better suited to the H&Rs.

they pretty stiff, ive kept mine on the stock settings with sprints and thats stiff enough for me. i would never bump up the setting.

 

Does the GR2's handle the drop of the H&R's over time?

If you have 4 guys in the car with a trunk load full of luggage, does the rear still sag? or is this bad for the shocks/spring combo.

I am leaning towards GR2's for the softer ride. I am one of those that want to lower the car for mostly looks than performance.

 

what should I set my agx at for a soft and comfy ride without bouncyness?

2/3 ?

 

Just some input:

The AGXs, after riding on them with stock springs and H&Rs for nearly 2 years, I conclude are pretty stiff. I have tested different settings out and the front change setting from 1 to 2 actually makes a difference, and ride quality doesn't get any worse. But, ride quality was never too good with the setting at 1 anyway. I know people like the firm ride, but the diverse roads I travel on get pretty bad sometimes, and I need to really dampen the ride. AGX really is a performance shock...it doesn't seem like it's optimized for all road/driving conditions like it says.

Hopefully, the Illuminas (paired with Motivational Strut Mounts? we'll see) will be what I'm looking for. Don't get me wrong, I still like the H&Rs, but hopefully people will have the guts to buy some Illuminas and test them out more extensively. Hopefully they will have more precise valving and soften over harsh roads, and firm up when put to the test.

oh and something else...I have a housemate who has a v6 Camry. They ride very nicely and him and I go over the same roads frequently, so I know where the road imperfections are. well, his Camry really soaks up the bumps nicely, and stock handling for that car is pretty underrated. That's why sometimes I get dissatisfied with my ride...but its okay, I'm content with it nonetheless.

 

Camry's and Accords tend to come stock wth smaller wheels. This usually helps a whole lot in making the ride smoother. Maximas have either 15s or 16s and above, but Camrys usually have 14 to 15s, except teh new Camrys of course. The higher profile rubber on those rims will smooth things out.

Something tells me that the Tokico Illuminas are gonna be the perfect balance of ride and performance.

DW

 

I don't have AGXs on the front, but I do have Koni's and they're pretty firm. My setup is this:

Koni's in the front @ 60% firmness
AGX's in the rear @ 50% firmness (4)
H&R springs
Motivational rear strut mounts
Warpspeed SFC Stage 1
FSTB
17" ASA LS5s with 235/45s

I took a local Maxima owner for a ride in my Maxima because he doesn't have any suspension work other than 17" rims. He was blown away by the ride of my car because it rode nearly like his bonestock suspension. He couldn't believe my car was soaking up potholes, manholes, and ruts as good as it did. The road we were driving on was far from smooth either seeing that we were in the ghetto of KC. I then flung the car onto a side street and he was amazed (and possibly scared) by how easily the car took a BUMPY 90-degree turn.

I've noticed that if the struts are dialed too soft, the ride is bouncy and more harsh. If the struts are too firm, the ride gets harsher. There definately is a fine line to the tuning of this suspension. In colder weather (sub 50s), I can dial back my struts because they become naturally stiffer.

Tokicos and GR2s WILL NOT work well with any of the aftermarket springs simply because the springs are higher rate and will easily over power the struts. You need something that can be adjusted. Stiff struts don't necessarily mean a stiff ride. BMW uses VERY stiff struts and you rarely hear people complaining about a stiff ride.


Dave

 

good post I'll have agx all round, 15s, fstb, rsb, fsb bushings, rear strut mount, h&r next week


I'm going to try 2/4 first

 

Hmm thanks for the input Dave. I will definately try out a higher AGX setting...I have tried 2 on AGXs but not 3....and I usually keep the rears at an equivalent setting. Another thing though...Kevin Wong mentioned that Konis are a little better at dampening than AGXs. That gets me even more curious about the Illuminas.

anyway, I won't digress so much anymore. gotta keep this a Sprint/H&R thread.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by nick
Just my few cents on that issue, and sprints aren't that bad overall,as longest they not older than 5-6 months and become to sag.

I've never heard of sprints beginning to sag. I've had mine for over a year and have not noticed any sagging. I've only heard (and experienced) the rear springs sit slightly higher than in the front.

 

Put the stock springs back in and couple them with the AGX's. Deal with the gap, you'll love your car all over again.

 

Ok , since i started this tread , let me finish it: here are the facts: I installed the H&R's on friday , and took me over 230 highway miles to figure out that those H&R's require the highest setting from KYB AGX (now I'm at 4/7 ). Overall i'm satisfied,
car rides pretty good , but i miss taking that long curve on I-294 right before Lake Cook Rd with my Sprints.Yes they do sag,there was a member here with pic of Sprints with coils really compressed next to each other, mine were not that bad , but just as close.

V/R
Nick

 

njmaxseltd, forgive me if I'm wrong(I can't search), but i believe in a previous thread you recommended H&Rs with Tokicos for a smoother ride vs H&Rs with AGXs. Dave B says Tokicos and GR2s don't work well. Do you or anyone else care to comment about H&Rs with Tokicos from firsthand experience?

 

Yes, I agree. The AGX's are stiff even at 1/1 on H&R's. It soaks up bumps alright, but small undulations in the road at slow speeds still give you an annoying firm bounce. Another thing is on the highway you get a constant very firm up-and-down bounce that's annoying. The last thing I dislike...speed bumps. They give you a very loud crashing noise and a big jolt to the cabin when going over them. Overall I just wish the AGX's could just dampen a little better! Other than that, they handle great and give the car a sporty feel. I might switch to the Illuminas though if they can dampen things better yet still have that great sport feel to them. Lets get the Illuminas people!

 

yep, just look ugly

 

I have Eibach with AGX combo. The combo is very stiff. I have the AGX setted to 1/2. Even with that, it's still rough. I might crank the rear down to 1 to see if that makes any difference. I'll have to just deal with the stiffness because I just can't go back to the 4x4 height and floaty ride of the stock springs.

 

i have sprints/GR2's and boy does it blow monkey chunks... you get the idea..

The ride is horrible, i like the look of the drop, but it's just too harsh.. i'd prefer something a bit bouncy. I've had the setup for about 4 - 5 months and i just get a bunch of squeaking all over the place.. some of it was there before. I'm just trying to find out what the hell squeaks so damn much.

Anyone want to swap their H&R's for my Sprints ? I didn't do the install myself so i wouldn't know what the hell i'm doing...

 

In the front the GR2s are about 75% stiffer than the stock struts. In the back I would say they're about 10% stiffer than the stock struts. This test was done by pressing on the fender in the front and in the middle of the trunk on a max w/ GR2s and stock springs w/about 8k miles on them and a stock max w/about 60k miles on it. The front GR2s are too stiff for the light 5spd max I think. Maybe an auto max would like the GR2s more. My steering wheel is never still since the day I put the GR2s in. Nick, your shocks might be blown because of the sprints. Yes even the AGXs go bad..as sprints are a huge drop for any shock/strut. When gas struts go bad, the ride become 3 times worse unlike the stock struts where they become very soft. That's something you should look into.

Peace.

 

Bump up.

 

A lot of people seem to have the "suspension myth" stuck in their head. Imagine taking the shocks completely off your car and leaving the springs in. Pressing down on the corners would still be just as "stiff" because it's the springs holding your car up, not your shocks. What was being measured was the spring rate of the H&Rs.

I also don't understand why people don't play with their AGX settings, they complain that the AGX doesn't do enough damping, but the damping controls are sitting right there waiting to be adjusted. Even "Nick" realized that on H&Rs it took a settings of 4/7 to dampen the springs enough to take away the bouncy ride.

Also, thanks a lot to everyone who keeps the truth out there, it keeps the rest of us from going insane from answering these questions over and over.

Keep tuned everyone, one of these days when I find more time, I'll write up a huge report/summary about damping, stiffness, shocks, springs, and settings. But until then, there's still my origional thread:

Spring and Shock Harshness Explained (long)

 

I agree 100% with above... My Maximas handling right now is like a cream puff

 

are there any springs that will give a fairly smooth lowered ride that will work with stock shocks/struts?

 

Ant

 

the truth is that the front suspension of the 4th gen max are not good as other cars (i don't know about the 5th gens). if you don't mind having a gap H&R's are the way to go, anything else will be harder.

my friend has a 94 accord with a 3" drop with the agx shocks and it drives better than my max.

my other friends have a new G35 with 21's on and the other has a new altima with 20's on and both cars don't have to be droped for looks. both cars look good with the stock suspension and have a very small gaps, even smaller than my gaps and i have a 1.5" drop w/ 19's.

it also depends on where you live, roads around here are very bad (jesey city nj).

 

So maxspeeds won't give a decent ride with stock struts and shocks?

 

seems like some orgers are tending to go back to stock.. i see these type of thread more often nowadays.

 

well the maxima is more of a luxury car to me. I don't see why someone would want a rough bumpy ride whether it has better handling or not. The stock ride is nice and pretty smooth, its just that I need my damn car lowered. It would be great if someone designed a lowering spring thats same as the stock spring.

 

I have maxspeeds and the kyb agx setup. the ride is a bit harsher than stock. However, this is true for any car you lower. I have been driving with 1/2 2/2 and recently, i changed it to 2/4 to try it out. the maxspeed has a 1.5 /1.75 drop and is considered oen of the softer shocks.

For the money, i am still very satisfied with this setup.

 

Are Maxspeeds lower than H&Rs?

I live in NYC and I'd like to keep my cars ride as soft as possible yet I am willing to compromise with a nice drop.

I've seen H&Rs on many cars and truthfully, the drop now seems very small to me. With H&Rs, the car looks stock, as opposed to looking like it was lifted, when it was actually stock. I want that slightly lowered look, but want to retain some smoothness..

I bought H&R springs and i'm ready to install them with my AGXs but i've been reconsidering for a while now.

I looked into B&Gs but i'm scared of the sagging problem that iansw had with his. Mine is a 5 speed so the rear will likely look even lower.. especially with an heavy box in the trunk

 

does anyone have a close-up wheel well pic of their max with the H&R's?

I'd like a less harsh spring than the Sprints..especially on my GR2's

Even though the Sprint drop looks stock to me now, i'd prefer comfort over some looks.. hopefully the H&R's will be to my liking