long story short...i nailed a curb. car rides like crap. body roll etc. boots are non-existant on shocks. i'm replacing everything slowly but surely. new axles, alignment. ive seen a lot of people mentioning KYB or Tokico. my car had 80k at time of accident. i prefer a firm ride with minimal body roll. after this accident i balded the outer edges of my front 80,000 mile rated General tires in 2 months. what is the most affordable setup (from those who have actually gone through this process) available to me. thanks

 

go with tokico.

Yes im biased but I hear KYB are plain jane.

 

You want affordable struts? Get some KYB GR-2's (if using stock springs). I've read that they're a bit stiffer than SE struts. If your going to lower the car either get some KYB AGX's or Tokico Illumina's. AGX's are more affordable if you really wanna go that route. As far as dust boots/bump stops, just go OEM (if using stock springs). If you want to lower the car get KYB dust boots/bump stops.

 

couldnt have said it better

 

I have KYB AGX no problems here. You can also adjust the stifness on them which is nice. I just replaced rear struts and used replaced all rubber OEM parts, you cant go wrong with OEM parts. all rubber parts dust boot, bushing etc were about 120 bucks from courtesy Nissan. You really want to save some dough, do the job yourself.

 

I would suggest adding a rear sway bar for $170 -$200. It reduces roll better than a front sway bar. Take a look at the Progress swaybar
http://progressauto.com (no www)
rear swaybar for 1995 thru 2003 Nissan Maxima
part # 62.1520

 

make sure you check that you have to sign for it, just had my kyb dust boots and strut mounts stolen off my porch when they got delivered. there's not even a maxima down here...
im running toki blues and SE springs i got from a pick-a-part. and also have ES bushings all around. very stockish reliable setup.

 

I would go with Tien lowering springs (gold) and Tokico Illumina's. Great ride and looks, better handling than stock, and not too high dollar.

 

Sounds like he's just trying to fix what he broke. But I've got a progress rsb and it was well worth the money.

 

I've got KYB GR2's and Maxspeed Springs. Only lowered about an inch. Love the ride. A strut brace seems to help the body roll.