Ok i went and bought H&R springs, Kyb gr2s struts and got it installed on my car.
I got a personal/family mechanic tackle the work, and he did just that, changed the struts and springs.
with my old setup, i dnt really know if they were busted but i wanted a smoother ride, smoother than what i had on there(OEM).
I want to know if i skipped some important steps in between, like i heard something about adding some kind of sleeve to the bottom springs or what not.
My mechanic was called today to check up on the swap, and he told me it drove worse than before. I know that the gr2s arent that great but i expected something better. I have yet to drive it myself tho. will tmrw when i get back home.
THanks for the help in advance.

 

A lower sport spring will never ride as good as the OE suspension.
If you wanted a smooth ride, you should have kept the OE springs and tossed a set of Tokico Blues on.

KYB's ride really harsh, combine that with your H&R sport springs and you've got a rough ride.

 

Do a search..I remember seeing a thread where I think Maxride was describing how to shave off some the boot for the GR2's. I jus didnt pay to much attention cuz i dont have the setup.

From what i have read, the GR2 are gonna ride a lil harsher but not bad. They only rated for a mild drop. Nothing over 2"

 

so the best thing for me to do is to wait until these blow and get some illuminas?
what do you mean the boot?
well if thats the case why did i even have to change my struts if they were gonna ride the complete same. I ride down the street and i feel every white line in the road just about, why would i want to feel myself crushing ants??
Dang it x_x, i hope my mechanic is just exaggerating and it doesnt ride that terriblly. cause i really expected this to go ok, since i spent so many months searching for something that would fit my budget and be competitive. :-(

 

should of gotten illuminas in the first place or at least some agx's.

 

The AGX's, even on the softest setting ride the same if not worse then the GR2's.

I don't understand why everybody likes KYB shocks/struts?? They ride harsh as hell.
I threw a set of GR2's in my Explorer to tighten up the ride, because that's exactly what they do. The truck handels nicely now, but the ride down right sucks on rough roads.
Then again, it's a truck.

 

Are the h&r springs stiffer than oem?

 

Illumina's with H&R's would have been a much better set up IMO.

 

Not always true. I've got the same set up as the OP, and my ride is nowhere near rough. It rides just as good as my stock 96 GLE, if not smoother. Yes, potholes are not fun, but that goes for any spring/strut combo.

OP - did you change other parts as well? Like strut mount http://www.courtesyparts.com/kb_search_result.php?keywords=[54320]+\%28a32b&cPath=1783_1784_1873_1875
or did you simply replace struts/springs without replacing worn stock parts?

 

thats the thing, i definitely bought new strut mounts, but the mechanic of mine told me that it was just a metal piece(i basically know its more than that) and that it didnt need to be changed and that i could take them back. :-( the crappy part is, he's charging me 160 for it and he didnt put on the pieces i bought. and he'll probably charge more if i wanted them on....
darn this is why i wanted to be there when he put the parts on.... :got me:

 

Should have just done it yourself, and this was covered before just recently.
Your never going to get an OEM like ride when using a lowering spring.

 

Get off H&Rs nutz guys. Tein is the way to go. American made over german. IS really the big thing. I know Tein is based in japan but their springs are made here.

 

Your mechanic is a retard. The front strut mount has rubber in it and it most certainly can go bad. I hate to say stuff like that but it gets on my nerves when a "Mechanic" doesnt know his *** from a hole in the ground.

HPs are stiffer than stock Tokicos. Ive read its 15% stiffer.

GR2 ride like AGX on 2f/4r. Its at least 20-30% stiffer than stock. GR2 ride like siht. Plain and simple. AGX can ride some what better or much much worse than GR2. Still not worth the money.

Illuminas are better but not worth it still. They also get stiffer as you crank them up. Konis ride much better and are $500 shipped from Shox.com. They are a much better shock than all others including Illuminas.

 

What made you think stiffer springs + GR2s would give you smooth-grandpa ride? I personally like the stiffness the GR2's provide and I'm running them with Progress springs. So far I'm liking the ride, its firm but not harsh at all.

 

HAHA, i didnt expect it to be a Buick like ride, or a cadillac, just a lot smoother. But today i test drove it......and I WAS AMAZED!!! I smiled for atleast 30mins during the first drive.
The rides alot smoother than before, has a nice appearance, and just all together feels nice.
The only problems i have are big potholes, and the fact theres this annoying rattling noise from the rear passenger area, it sounds like its under the rear seat or something, but it sounds alot like similar to probably riding down the street with your trunk barely closed. SO IT EXTREMELY ANNOYING!!!
gonna check this out to tmrw.

 

I've read some of the posts above and I've been on this forum forever. People may argue that Koni is better, etc. but most of the posts in the 4th Gen forum = Illumina+H&R = stock like ride. To each his own. I have that setup and I think it's pretty damn close to OEM, just a bit more bouncy (I'm on the softest setting).

As for your rattle, probably an exhaust hanger if it's under the rear seat.

 

So ok, i looked it over for a second, and it seems like the rattle was coming from the trunk area/under the back seat. I havent checked for a exhaust hanger, and it only rattles sometimes over humps, not all the time.
I found that the screw where the rear shock goes thru the trunk, its loose compared to the other side.
i dk if for its for tension reasons or what.....

 

all thoses nuts and bolts should be tight not loose the rattle is prolly the strut clankin around cuz its loose was the noise there before the strut job?

 

oh yea, the screw/nut, thats in the trunk, passenger side wasnt tight. i looked in and noticed that one side was showing more screw than the other one. So i questioned about it, and its straight now i think.