hey guys, i'm pretty sure there was a different set of shocks when these cars were new, but is there a big difference in suspension of the SE and GXE? i'm just wonderin.

 

James92se mentioned that once too. but what do you mean performance wise(ie- SE is stiffer) or stance-wise(ie-the SE sits a little lower?), I never noticed it myself but that would be interesting to know......

 

I *think* the SE's had different shocks but by now it doesn't really matter. All shocks on any 3-gen by now are probably blown to hell!

 

The SE has the following over the GXE:

Stiffer struts
Stiffer front springs
Stiffer sway bars
Stiffer sway bar bushings
Stiffer strut mounting insulators

 

yeah, the GXE had that "sonic Ride" shock system or something. it was supposed to "sense the road" but i duno. that's all i heard.

 

If I wanted a stiffer ride on my GXE, and I don't feel like putting on Koni's or Tokico's could I have the dealer swap in a set of SE shocks? Would they have to put on the other SE hardware ie. Stiffer sway bars, Stiffer sway bar bushings, Stiffer strut mounting insulators or would the SE shocks work with the existing stock GXE suspension?

 

dealer shocks and struts cost WAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY too much $$$$$!! you'd probably save a **** load of money even if you went with the $450 set of Konis! plus they will whoop you on the labor costs!

 

OEM struts are $60 each from Courtesy Nissan, unless you want electronically adjustable ones (add a zero to the end)

 

I know the dealer shocks are a rip off, I'm just worried about screwing something up if I put any aftermarket shocks on. Do you think I could put the shocks on if my mechanical abilities are a 7 (on a scale of 1-10)?

 

The best deal on struts, with stock springs are KYB GR-2. They are firmer than OEM SE struts, and cheaper. Make sure you get new rubber boots. If your mechanic can't change struts, he should be in a different line of work. You WILL need an alignment after the work is done. While things are apart, have the bushings in the lower control arm, that connect to the sway bar checked. If they are worn, the sway bar doesn't do much, and they are also cheap.

 

i'm pretty sure you don't always need an alignment after you put shocks on, i mean, you do drop the lower control arm, and you remove the spring assembly and stuff, but it doens't put your alignment that out. just my .02 well, maybe that was cause we set our own camber lol. :0)