I finally decided to invest in some Eibach's and Illumina's... Installation was standard run-of-the-mill problems. We killed a 3/8" U-joint and a 1/2" to 3/8" adaptor (Duralast warranty FTW!!!). Yeah, using hand tools just sucks too much... Took about 5 hours for the fronts and rears. I bought new TRW bellows/bumpstops from Advance Auto Parts and reused all the other rubber and mounts. I followed Housecor's How-To almost to the letter. One note: Don't support the rear by the rear beam!!! Makes things 100x more difficult than they need to be.

Front drop on Saturday:


Rubber to metal adhesive I used:


Earlier photos from today:


I've got 'em set for 3 front and rear, and am very impressed with the handling so far! Nice firm ride, quick to level out after a bump. Greatly reduced body roll in turns and much less brake dive/acceleration squat.

 

As for the whole bumpstop issue, here's a comparison between the TRW and OEM fronts, TRW on the right:



Rears, TRW on top:


They're both about the same length, and the TRW are made of plastic instead of rubber, which should last alot longer.

Oh, and a pre-drop shot of my 4x4, er, Maxima...

 

looking good

 

yeah, its alright

 

Great job.Def looks better!

 

The drop looks great, and the G wheels are awesome!

 

looks good but you need center caps for the wheels

 

That looks great bro. I'm looking to do a drop as soon as I can, I've still got a 4X4.

 

Very clean looking!!! Something about the silver and the g wheels that look so good!!!!

 

Thanks for the compliments everyone! It took me almost a year since I first created the 4x4...

I had center caps, but would've had to beat the living crap out of them to make them fit. They'd fit about halfway. Spacers would make the problem go away, but I don't feel the need to spend that much just for a slightly better wheel position and centercaps. But if I knew some would fit for sure...

 

Go to ebay, they are cheap. I actually bought some off ebay for like 10 bucks plus shipping.!!

 

i like it a lot more now. nice going man

 

What did the TRW parts cost?

 

The fronts were $16.96/each and the rears $15.48 each. Cheaper than at Advance Auto than AutoZone, O'Reilley's, Dave B. and Napa.

 

If I can find the GXE centercaps (black ones), I'd definitely try to make those fit!

 

Looks good

I'm back in the country so I'm sure I'll see you around again soon. On those TRWs - you said the bumpstops were plastic? Are they hard plastic?

 

^ The bellows are actually the plastic part. The bumpstops are like a hard foam-type material. I'll definitely be driving around this weekend... You should come to Pellissippi on Sunday and watch my Max attack those little orange cones!

 

i cant wait till i can afford to get some is there really a big difference in ride quality with the illuminas on the stock SE MAX.

 

I can't comment on ride quality versus SE suspension, as I have GLE suspension. But I can tell a major difference in handling, especially around town. I haven't taken any long (> 1 hour) trips on the interstate so can't comment too fully on that, but have noticed a more smooth ride at high speeds (mildly dependent upon the pavement quality).