Well, I have changed my mind on getting springs after I had occasion today to appreciate the high ground clearance I have with OEM springs to day....stuck in gridlock and decided to jump the median to pull a Uturn...did it really slowly and just had the slightest scrape on the underbody (the front jacking point).....I also don't mind the wheel gap since it's good to be able to get the ice out of the wheelwells here since we have wet, icy winters in this area...

But I still want to replace the OEM struts, so was wondering if anyone here has put illuminas with the OEM springs and how do they compare in terms of ride, etc....PLEASE don't pummel this thread with comments about how I SHOULD get springs, etc.....I just want to know about OEM springs/Illumina combo.

thanks in advance.

 

i just installed my teins w/ the illuminas. the ride is unbeatable. i currently have them @ the 3 setting... it absorbs well & has a firm rebound. body roll is greatly reduced. i'm glad i spent the extra $$ & got some quality struts.

 

Yup, I did

So far, I like the setting of 2f/3r. I like having the rears 1 setting higher than the fronts--it stabilizes some of that rear-end sway-happiness.

For the past week I tried 3f/4r. I didn't like it. The handling is much more responsive, but it's also more harsh at the same time (you feel more bumps... there's a set of train tracks nearby my new home which, going over them en route to the house, on 3f/4r the car bounced rather uncomfortably--on 2f/3r, I hardly felt a thing.)

I haven't tried 1f/2r to compare, but 2f/3r seems to be the highest I can set them while still maintaining the quality of having the struts "smooth out" most bumps. Handling is still decent.

If you complain about your ride being harsh thanks to the bigger 17" wheels with lower-profile tires (I'm currently using 235/45-17, which is slightly lower profile than stock), get the Illuminas. Especially at a setting of 2f/3r, you'll be very impressed by the ride quality.

IMHO, even with the struts set to a higher setting, you're still not necessarily in handling "nirvana"... I want to add SFCs and maybe an FSTB+stage 2 LTB, if not an RSB as well to complete the mix. But the Illuminas are a very important part to good handling on stock springs.

 

thanks spirilis...that was exactly the kind of answer I was looking for...I also will probably add the LTB (another good reason to keep the OEM ground clearance) and have an RSB....



apparently TeeDot didn't get the gist of what I was asking....

 

Yeah, a setting of 2f/3r so far is giving me wood. Hopefully I can get my brakes done tomorrow (fronts resurfaced, rears resurfaced and new pads... not doing the BlehmCo quite yet) and that will make my car feel complete again... I've been a little hesitant to do some truly spirited driving because of the god-awful annoying vibration in the steering wheel when I have to slow down

 

yes it's so nice not to have that anymore!!!! Thanks BlehmCo!

 

sorry man. i saw illumina & got a little overzealous.

 

it's all good....spirilis answered the question anyways, so no worries!

 

With OEM springs, Tokico blues should work well also. Cheaper than illuminas too.

 

But not adjustable, so you can't raise the rear by 1 notch over the fronts, which is one of my super-secret tricks so far

 

I just don't think you need adjustable shocks w/ OEM springs.

 

Well then I don't think you need adjustable shocks with lowering springs, either.

 

I think this is a great combo. I'm looking at getting this combo because I don't want to scrape. from my driveway.

 

The ride quality is much better than stock, especially at 2f/3r like I said... that ALONE should be one reason to buy them. The handling is a little better, but still has a lot of sway, but then again I don't think struts are supposed to cure that. I plan on adding other bracings in the near future. This was just the step I wanted to tackle first, not to mention my OEM struts were getting pretty bad...

 

Struts alone will not increase performance. Struts will not make your car turn at highest speed. Maybe you'll notice difference between ride quality but OEM struts does a good job on going over bumps and potholes.

What's the reason of getting lowering springs? To make your car perform better right? Lower center of gravity? Aftermarket struts are a must. With OEM springs w/ aftermarket struts, you might feel the difference. My OEM struts did just as good job as my Tokico blues when it comes to going over potholes and bumps. I did notice difference when I had lowering springs.

for thinking that you don't need adjustable "struts" w/ lowering springs

 

not indeed, in fact that was meant to expose the sillyness of your initial comment.

1. I can agree that struts alone do not increase performance. My Illuminas mainly improve ride quality, although frankly I do notice better control. That is why I am planning additional suspension mods.

2. "OEM struts does a good job on going over bumps and potholes" -- This is an opinion, but I disagree with it whole-heartedly 100%. My OEM struts were HORRIBLE over bumps and potholes. I don't mean bad, I don't mean annoying, I mean downright f***ing HORRIBLE. Going over train tracks sounded like taking a sledgehammer to a vat of marbles.

3. Lowering springs do lower the center of gravity, increase stiffness and reduce body roll, yes. That is one good reason to get lowering springs. If I did not have reservations about lowering my car, I would get them. However, I do have reservations about lowering my car, and I see irish44j does too, therefore I am sticking with OEM springs, especially ride height.

I am attempting to improve my suspension while not lowering its center of gravity. Sure, I won't get as far as I could with lowering springs, but I won't be autocrossing, I don't exceed 80MPH very often, and I have no need to go around 15MPH curves at 80MPH. I don't need the maximum theoretical suspension performance I could get out of my Maxima. I want it to be a very nice street/commuting car which is comfortable, yet sporty at the same time. The stock setup falls short of that, mainly in ride quality. (which the Illuminas have addressed) Extra handling "performance" is a bonus of my mods, not the ultimate goal.
I can tell you one mistake I made, and that is purchasing 235/45-17 tires. Next tires I buy will be the OEM 225/50-17 size.

So what about adjustable struts? Why didn't I go with Tokico Blues? I've never felt Tokico Blues on OEM springs before, so I have no idea how they feel. One thing I do know, is that Illuminas are adjustable, and if I install any suspension mods which change the oversteer/understeer bias of the car, I would like the capacity to dial out such effects. Plus, if I install any mods which over-stiffen the car, I can soften it up with a simple setting on the top of the piston rod.

 

The oem struts definatly ride like a$s over bumps. Illuminas should fix that to some extent, but im not sure that oem springs are a good idea. People always complain about the ride of stiff springs like eibach on soft OE struts. This is partly because springs are too stiff for the struts. By the same token, I would think that illuminas would be too stiff for oem springs above 2. The spring rate and the rebound and damping wouldnt be right. This might be why spirillis doesnt like them above 2/3. Just a thought.

 

What's so silly about making a comment that I thought adjustable struts were unnecessary? I just thought some money can be saved by not buying such an expensive set of struts. From personal experience, didn't notice much difference between my blues and illuminas w/ OEM springs. My point? Non adjustable struts will also work well w/ OEM springs.

I don't know about where you live but if you ever driven around here, there are no smooth roads. Bumps and potholes everywhere. I like soft struts (Tokico blues) which makes going over bumps and potholes less teeth rattling. With Illuminas and in low setting, it was still stiff for me.

I guess it all comes down to personal preference. Illuminas are nice struts. By all means, if you got the cash, go for it.

I like softer ride. Others like stiffer ride. Personal preference.

 

I asked because I like the idea that I can adjust the firmness of the spring. I also do not care about performance to the extent that I have to lower the car. BTW - stiffer springs DO NOT make you grip the road better necessarily, they just reduce body lean/roll. Tires make you grip the road better.

If performance was all I wanted I'd just get coilovers...

 

Cool. Well I suppose Tokico Blues might have suited my purposes as well. Oh well, money already spent, install already finished, we're all happy

 

Hi everybody, i have the combo oem spring and Tokico illumina, before i have the Eibach Pro-Kit spring but the ride it's too stiff and i'm not able to park my car in my garage because i hit my resonnator everytime.

I change my mind and keep the combo oem sprimg/Tokico Illumina and i feel i lot of difference from the stock, my setting is 2F/3R and the handling it's incredible i like a lot, turn after turn the car feel very stable.
I suggest to have this combo if someone want to keep the height and live where the road are like IRAK (I live at Montreal, Canada)

 

thanks montreal....

 

Sweet, another fan of the 2F/3R. I dunno what it is about this setting, I haven't tried 1F/2R yet, but I have tried 3F/4R, and I didn't like it... 2F/3R must be a sweet spot.

 

If you set 1F/2R the car bounce a lot like a boat, i don't like it. Maybe some people like it if they have 80 years old but at this point buy a GLE is more comfortable .

 

bump....any new commentary on this subject? - I'm about to order Illuminas this week but now that my LTB is on and ground clearance reduced by 2" I definitely am not going to lower the car...so OEM and Illuminas it is...

btw - where's the best current deal going on illuminas - if anyone knows...

 

Irish,
I'm interested in hearing your experiences once you've installed your Illuminas on the OEM springs. Hope I haven't missed your post elsewhere.

I'm driving a 2002 GLE auto (52K), which is both floaty on the highway and mildly rough over city bumps. Prior to this I had a 2000 SE stick that rattled me to death in the city, but was pretty good on the highway.

In a week or so I'll have an FSTB, RSB and new Michelin's mounted.. but would like to lose the highway floatiness and smooth out the city bumps at the same time. Firmer is OK but I'd like to stay away from the harshness of my previous 2000SE. Am also possibly considering lowering a bit, but I can live without new springs if my needs are met by the Illuminas on OEM springs.

Man, I miss my 93 SE..

 

My 2000 SE with stock springs and Illuminas is a little floaty at a setting of 2f/3r. At 4f/5r, it's much more solid. City bumps are still nasty, but feel just about the same between 2f/3r and 4f/5r, except the car moves around more violently with the higher compression/rebound rates.
I'm interested in SFCs to stabilize the ride a little. (I've been talking about it for too long, unfortunately I'm working on solving a shimmy problem before I continue modding...)

 

i plan on going the same route. oem springs w/tokico illuminas. i don't want to lower my car either. winter is no fun in boston. plus oem struts seem to soft and they feel so spongy. i like stiff shocks so iam going with illuminas...

 

Hmmm.. spirilis your post makes me think about replacing springs to reduce the floatiness without turning up the strut dampening too much.. I wouldn't mind lowering say, an inch, but worried about going further than that.

A problem for me is it's hard to understand the difference in floatiness of my stock GLE vs. your SE w/Illuminas.. could be that I'd be quite happy with YOUR floatiness!! Of course, I have GLE springs so I might just need to replace them regardless??

boondoxmax - Hey neighbor!!

pv

 

p.s. boondoxmax..

I see a car like yours parked in a lot in Cambridge all the time.. dark blue SE w/HIDs. Could that be you?

 

this is an interesting alternative setup if you're willing to pass up the increased performance/harshness and cosmetics of lowering springs. i'd consider this setup.

 

I have a 2002 GLE and the stock springs and highway floatiness was just bad, especially coming from my previous car a 98 I30t with progress/illuminas/SFCs/poly bushings/ and 235/45/17 bridgestones.

I have the stock gle wheels and 215/55/17 stock tires but recently replaced the springs with maxspeed and left the stock gle struts on. I have 36k miles and the gle struts are doing an ok job until you get bumps in a midrange speed turn and then it oscillates 1 or 2 times and this is when the illuminas would really shine.

My I30t actually got to be a little uncomfortable to drive especially with a 5 spd and I went the extreme oposite with the GLE but I am slowly finding a happy medium. My next purchase are falken 512 225/50/17 and probably the stock struts will die soon and I will get the illuminas to round out the suspension.

 

puaudo, not me i commute to newton. but good looking out....GO RED SOX

 

i'm going to have illuminas (awaiting delivery, already ordered) with stock springs, from all the above posts i got that 2front/3rear is the best settings for our cars...anyone use different settings, any comments?

 

Guys....I forgot all about this thread.
Actually, I "flip-flopped" again, a la John Kerry...I ended up getting maxspeeds at the same time as my illuminas. I figured as long as I was going to do the job, might as well try some springs at the same time and see if I like them better than stock. As you probably know, the maxspeeds don't have a very big drop (just slightly lower than stock) so the car looks more or less like it "should have" looked stock. Didn't lose much ground clearance either (only a littel over an inch)....

The ride is much better than OEM....firmer in big dips, slightly harsher on really rough roads, but overall a great improvement. Sorry I couldn't tell you about SE springs with Illuminas.....but I am pretty confident that I am happier with the Maxspeeds than I would have been with the SE+Illuminas...

here's a pic - as you can see, the car is not much lower (it has settled a little bit since I took this pic right after I did it..)

 

Where did you get your Maxspeed springs? Is there any group deal on them?
How do they compare to H&R quality wise?
Thanks.

 

Maxspeeds for life. =D

 

My experience with the Illuminas on a Honda is that they run a lot like the OEM Nissan strut. They tend to be a little "floaty" at the lower settings and then if you crank up the adjustment they tend to get harsh and less floaty but the float is still there. If you don't like the floaty ride, you should avoid the Tokico struts altogether and consider KYB GR2, KYB AGX or KONI. The Tokico struts design is very non-linear this is why there is a region of "float" for low piston velocity and then harshness for high piston velocity. The transition between the two situations is quite dramatic in my experience. Any notice how both Illuminas and the OEM struts tend to "crash" or "hit" hard into potholes and big bumps? That is the classic Tokico feel.

 

ah yeah, the "crashing" I notice...

 

I got them online, though I erased the email, etc. so don't remember what the place was....It was some big performance shop...

I'm not aware of any group deal.

Quality - From what I know, maxspeeds are actually MADE by H&R, just under a different brand name. Kind of like Nissan-infinity I guess.....