Am I correct in stating that the difference between the GLE and SE suspension is that the strut and springs are stiffer on the SE giving it a more controlled ride? If not, what is the difference??

I am in the process of deciding what strut/spring combo best suits my needs. Unlike many of the .org members, I have a GLE. As of about a year ago, I started to feel every bump in the road which makes it rather intolerable to drive. Is this due to bad springs, bad struts, or both?

What I really am looking for is a smooth ride but at the same time to improve the handling of the car. I want my car to be how it was before but with better handling. I have been contemplating Maxspeeds with Tokico Blues. Is this the setup I want?

 

You're kind of like a chocolate lover that is allergic to peanut butter but is asking for a Reese anyway.

 

not sure if its the same but 4th gens have stiffer struts and rear spings only. check with an FSM to seek the truth.

 

Maxspeeds with Blues will give you the same ride as stock but little lower

 

Stock for a GLE or SE?

 

Uh, okay. Are you saying that I am asking for something that I can't have? What exactly are you trying to tell me?

 

Sort of. Usually but not always, vehices with good handling are not associated with also having smooth rides. But really don't take look too much into what I say. 70% of the time I'm being more sarcastic than anything, its just my nature.

 

maxspeeds and blues (or illuminas, actually illuminas are preferred for their adjustability) will be a close to stock ride with a significant increase in handling, and will also reduce the wheel gap a bit...

go here: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hlight=springs for more reference on springs, here: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=281189 for more reference on struts, and here: http://www.innerbean.com/housecor/sp..._decision.html for more general information about everything

 

Thanks maxilvr06. I have already read all of these links. My problem is deciding how I want my car to feel. All of you guys that have responded have an SE but I have a GLE. I guess I still need to know what the real difference is between the two models in order to make the right decision.
So, anyone else have any insight?

 

So let's say that I give up handling in place of a smooth ride. What would you suggest for replacement struts/springs?

 

a cadillac

 

alright. the difference between the SE and GLE suspension are VERY minimal...i believe the springs are a TAD bit stiffer, but it doesn't change the ride quality very much...trust me, i've been in a stock 2002 GLE before. Getting the SE springs/struts would make very little difference if that's what you're looking for...that being said, if you don't care for lowering your car even as mildly as maxspeeds, i would suggest going with the stock springs and tokico HPs for struts....the ride will be more controlled, and would either be better or the same as stock....it would also help a little in the handling department...

You're really not going to get a perfectly smooth ride in a maxima....there's just no way...but i woud think the 'smoothest' would be the setup i mentioned above...stock springs (either SE or GLE) paired with HPs

 

Thanks again maxilvr06. I appreciate your insight and recomendations. One more question. How am I suppossed to tell when my springs are shot and I need new ones? Also, how do you know when your struts are shot?

 

If your struts are blown there are two ways to check. First is the most efficient and that is looking at the strut/shock itself to see if there is grease or oil on it as it has leaked. Another way and this is more subjective but if you know what you are doing you can still check this way and it is to push down on the body of the car in the area of the strut in question and if the car sort of floats after you push down and sort of bounces up and down instead of coming up and staying up, it may be blown. Springs, from what I know, don't necessarily blow. I've never heard of springs going bad, they may crack or something but that would be rare and I'd imagine fairly noticeable.

 

i also suggest you just sticking with stock springs and get new shocks. my stock shocks were dead at about 83K and i switched them with the tokico hps all around and the ride is very smooth now. a lot smoother than my stock ones. also if you want smooth ride i think maybe different tires as well? i'm not sure if it helps but yesterday i changed all my tires since they were all bald and the ride was so much smoother. i don't feel all the bumps on the road anymore.

 

i had a similar situation, when i wanted a good balance, but mostly a nice plush ride for when my wife drives the car daily. when going to mountains or a decent drive, i didn't want to be in a floaty cadillac feel to the car either.
i ended up going from a stock SE setup to GLE springs on illuminas. it really is adjustable enough to make a difference in ride quality. you have to set the rears to a predetermined compromise cuz they're kind of a pain to access. but the fronts are easy sheazy to adjust since they just stick up in the engine bay.
from the stock setup the setup is certainly more compliant, almost numbingly so. with the fronts cranked up to 5, they're too bumpy for comfortable cruising. so just find a nice middle ground.
as posted previously, don't expect a perfect ride from the maxima cuz it's just not as easy as springs/struts, but i think my setup will suit you nicely.

 

Smoother ride = stock(GLE) springs HP shocks
Near stock ride, much better handling and cornering, better looks = H&R spring illumina shocks
Progress spring with illumina shocks will give you the same affect but you’ll be sitting even lower.

 

i have found that with h&r springs and illuminas set at 2F3R in my gle gives the best combination of minimal body sway and smooth ride. When i had the front set at 3, every bump on the road was felt. And when i had the rear set at 2 the car had more body sway.

 

I have a GLE and wanted a better handling car, but didn't want a kidney bleeding experience. Several members suggested Tokico Blues with H&R springs. I tried this combo and found it to be pleasing. While it's definately harsher than the stock GLE, it's still not harsh and provides great road response. You also need to get a sway bar as it's the cheapest mod that will dramatically improve handling. I found my stock GLE suspension to be somewhat floaty and the lean into normal curves was terrible. I no longer have that problem.

 

springs dont usually go bad. they do start to sag as you rack up the miles on your car. if you have more than 80k, you may consider getting new springs. be it afermarket, or se or gle oem springs. the sturts start to show wear real bad around 80-100k miles. it depends on how your roads are, but even if your struts are still good at 100k, and you put on brand new ones, the ride will be much better. a lot of people have put on tokico blues with stock springs, and like the ride a lot. it gives better handling (somewhat), and better rebound than stock struts.

 

hmm actually i felt a bit more body roll after i got the tokico blues on with the stock springs...car felt a lot softer which i'm not complaining i actually like it soft but i do feel more body roll than with my worn out stock struts =/

 

Just curious.. did you change tires? Say go from one brand to another or from stock 16" to 17"? Any or all of those things impact ride.

Sidewall firmness/height has more of an impact on ride that people realize.

Just my "old school" 2 cents :attention

 

I thought that the Blues gave the car more control than stock. So how would you be able to feel more body roll if they supposedly help the car handle better?

 

I did indeed got new tires but this problem was apparent prior to replacing them. Good thought though.

 

wow 80-100k on OEM struts, on the roads out here that would be a miracle. SE vs. GLE is firmer struts, springs, and a larger anti-roll bar. all the aftermarket pieces will handle the same on a SE vs. a GLE. I went with the Illuminas and H&Rs from what everyone says Illuminas are prob. your best bet for ride and handling. I chose H&Rs for even drop + Quality product, as I have had a few cars with them and never had a problem with uneven drop or poor ride.