Anybody ran this setup? Opinions/Feedback? I have searched all over. I got to thinking. I would probably never adjust my rear struts as most of the weight of the car is up front and the rear is nothing more than a solid rear axle. The rear is naturally stiffer than the front anyways so I do not think the front not being matched to the rear would be a problem.

Is there anything wrong with this setup besides saving myself a bunch of money?

 

it also got the springs... think about it...

If you think you need adjustable shocks in the front, you also need adjustable shocks in the back.

 

just buy illuminas all the way around yah cheap basterd

 

I put illuminas all the way around and it's worth the $$$. Also, if you were going to put blues in the rear, just use your stockers. The stock Nissan struts I pulled out of my 01 were stamped Tokico, pretty much the same as blues.

 

different compression & rebound.

 

My BAD!!!

 

I know there are springs back there.....

Here is my logic based on my experience from owning my maxima for a few years.

1) I am not going to run aftermarket springs (only OEM)
2) I "think" that the rear end of the car is noticably firmer riding to begin with than the front (Maybe? :Weight distribution,different strut compression/rebound, etc.)
3) For me, I am pretty happy with the firmness of the rear end and adding blues to the back would increase it like 10%?
4) Therefore I am pretty darn sure that I would not adjust the illuminas even if I had them back there

Are there any real negative side effects to adjusting the front struts as I see fit without adjusting the rear? I guess it is about the money, but also the practical side of me is saying that why spend more money to have a feature for which I am pretty sure I will never use. I KNOW for a fact that I will play with the settings on the front struts as I have felt for some time that there is room for improvement. I would like to see if anybody has in fact done this and if they might tell me that they regretted it.

At this point it may be overkill for me to even put illuninas on the front, but I have a strong feeling that the ability to soften up the front end on long drives and firm it up during normal commuting would be a nice option. I am not the most mechanically inclined, I know some, so I have no idea what possible negative handling characteristics I could induce by using this setup.

I guess I could always try it huh? Is there a thread someplace I am missing? I cannot even find a true thread on the improvement illuminas make on stock springs....

 

Blues are too stiff for stock springs. Handling will get worse than it's now. Either, keep your stock shocks in the back or get illuminas all around.

It's impossible to find out for sure whether illuminas will give you better handling than OEM shocks but considering that they are valved with performance in mind it is most likely true.

 

Are you sure about that.. blues are pretty much stock replacements.

One of the problems with mixing shocks is that they probably have different ratios of compression to rebound. Are you thinkin about getting springs too?? I meen why are you thinkin about gettin illuminas up front and blues in the back?

 

I am due to replace all 4 struts soon. Originally I considered just getting OEM again, but then I got to thinking that maybe the blues would actually be a better strut. I know they are a little stiffer, but not much, and if the blues do come with a lifetime warranty right? The blues seem to be a better strut than OEM, but I could be wrong. I was thinking of getting illuminas up front so on those long drivers I could turn them to the softest setting and just relax. The problem is there are a ton of reviews of these struts with aftermarket springs, but I cannot find any good review of these struts with stock springs.

 

ya, I'm pretty sure about that. I could not find out what springs 5th gen Blues are designed for, but 4th gen Blues are designed for springs with 205 lbs/in front and 293 lbs/in rear spring rate. (I believe it's equivalent to illuminas set to 4) 5th gen Blues should be even stiffer.

Here's a graph of compression and rebound of OEM & HP shocks for VW Golf:


Also, NYPD Arnold had HPs on his car and he reported that the car felt noticeably stiffer with HPs.

 

The blues are fine factory replacements and are about 10% stiffer than stock. The blues are not a stiff strut and are better suited for OEM springs rather than aftermarket ones. I know that picture and have had that discussion, but an aftermarket strut for a small VW GOLF has absolutely no relation with one for a a Nissan maxima.

 

Who told you that they are about 10% percent stiffer, Tokico rep? That's exactly what they usually say when they have no idea how to answer your question.

The reason I posted this graph is to show that HPs, in general, are not meant to be OEM replacement. Do you really think that HPs for one vehicle can be a soft OEM replacement and HPs for a different vehicle can be a stiff high performance shock?