I've often read that you should by new shocks/struts if you want to drop with more than 30k on your ride. Seems the stock strut maintains memory and the new spring will rattle around...... Opinions please!!

 

change em

 

I agree.

 

not a good idea to keep 50k stockers.

 

nuff said, im sure every single person with a drop could tell u the same stories we have heard a number of times, try looking for other spring threads

 

i dropped my 96 se with 57,000 miles with H&R's and i been using them with stock struts/shocks for about 4 months and i have 0 problems so far...and the car is running like it did stock...nice and smooth

 

should the tokico-eibach setup cause (me) you end up with negative 4 camber in the front... yes i said negative 4 camber. Or did the installer **** it up

 

don't do it. i dropped mine for about two months on the stockers and yesterday i installed the tokicos. i had one DEAD shock, the other wasn't much better, and the front struts were in fair condition. it's not worth it. the ride was so bouncy. just wait.

 

I think it all depends on the springs you go with. H&R springs ride smooth with 1.4 drop front and 1.3 drop in the rear. Other springs are more agressive or "STIFFER" then the H&R set up. If your struts are in good condition and your daily drive is on good roads, go for the H&R and keep your stock struts. If it starts to get bouncy, then it's time to replace them.

 

Think of it this way. The money or time you invest in putting new struts on now will be offset if you forgo the expense now and have to take your springs off again in a few months to replace your stock struts when thy finally give down the road. Struts will wear faster with stiffer springs, even H&R's. Keep your stockers as backup in case you decide to sell the car as original and your aftermarkets are worn then.

 

And I am not talking about Ripley's.... I dropped mine with Arospeed Springs on stock struts at 95000 miles... beyond the springs "settling" into the groves from the stock springs... no big problems... although (an this is no joke) a little old lady owned my prior and was a chruch, grocery store and home kinda person....

 

I would say get some Eibach's and run the stock struts for another 10-20k miles. It not, replace the struts. Don't go Tokico though.

 

i have an SE and they didn't last any longer. IT's not worth the effort and sacrifice in ride comfort to do it like i did it. I should have waited and done it all at once. I didn't but not i can pass my knowledge on to all you. DON'T DO IT.

 

Ditto. I have 64k w/ H&R's and stock struts. No problems, and the ride is still nice. I might get the AGX's when they come out. I'll have to wait and see.

 

told ya

 

unless if you plan on paying $0 for labor and have the time to spare to do 2 separate installs, change the struts....don't be cheap.

 

Changing the shocks or not is all up to you, and I do agree that it's probably a better idea to do it all at once. BUT, I dropped my 96 SE with Sprints and the stock shocks at 50,000 miles and have driven it for 5 months now with daily hwy and city miles and still no problems at all. None of them are blown and my ride is not bouncy at all, just a little bumpy, and that's probably attributed with the Sprints. I didn't have to worry about paying for labor though because I dropped mine myself with the help of a friend.

 

Ok fine, no one listen to me. i don't have a first hand horror story about trying this. GO ahead, you shocks will last for at leas 30K no problems at all. the struts will go for even longer. THis is the best idea i've ever heard, go for it.

 

do i detect some sarcasm?

 

i say change them

 

me, never. i just want to see some one else try it, i love a good laugh.

 

ya i know, i have had my sprints in my room for 2 months, still waiting on shocks to get them, saves money on installation

 

Change them, stock shocks at 50K won't last long at all with lowering springs. Get Koni's or KYB AGX's. Do not get Tokicos, those will probably go about 10K after you get them, not worth it.

 

If you plan on doing the struts sometime then just wait to do then together. save time and $$.

 

but why would anybody, (unless they are either too busy to do it themselves or they are a professional hand model), not install their own shocks/struts? You've gotta at least have the tools or know somebody that does. Common guys, it's not rocket science.

let the flame begin!

 

You're right, it's not rocket science. And anybody can do it. It doesn't take but about 4 hours the first time you ever do it, if you don't have air tools, and it gets faster every time after that. Right now, I can drop and replace my entire suspension in under 2 hours.

 

Ok guys, thanks for your help! I guess I'll have to do the right thing....... I'll cut my springs and get tokico's lol! just kidding!

 

I don't see why some of yall are so up tight in convincing him in changing the shocks/struts all at once. Like he has to listen to yall or something. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's a bad idea to do it all at once, in fact I think he should. But some of us are just giving him our facts so he can get more input to make his decision. We're not telling him to go with stock shocks/struts staight up; we're just letting him know some of us are riding on our stocks just fine. Loosen up people.

 

dude, the only thing that's gonna loosen up is his stock shocks after like 100miles then he;s gonna be the bounce mobile. i was for about a month, it was so bad. i had a dead shock and the other was on it's death bed on life support.

 

I know we're all just trying to help a fellow Maxima owner with our own experiences. Some of us just want to let him know that not all of us had to change our shocks/struts.

 

Hey I noticed most of you had 50k when changing the springs only...what do you think about 110,000? Do you think it's okay to change the springs and not the shocks?....hahahhaha.
My car will be the bouncing sex machine huh

 

I don't know if this would make you feel any better but I am going to do exactly what you want to do this weekend.

I have a set of H&R springs which I will install MYSELF with help from my cousin this weekend (Sept 8-9). I am NOT replacing my stock struts for I do not have that much money. Maybe I will be the bounce machine in less than a month, maybe I will do just fine until springtime next year when A) I will have the extra $500 bucks for the KYB AGX struts and B) It will be warm enough to work on my car again.

I have a 1999 SE with 47K miles. I live in Chicagoland area, so the roads here aren't the greatest...

I'll let you all know how it goes. I wish someone had a more quatifiable explanation as to why or why not the struts will need replacement.

-dashingMax