FIrst thread for me . I have a 2004 max with 91k on it. Getting ready to change the struts and shocks. Was looking at the monroe sensa-trac brand or kyb.
WHich one would you guys go with or is there a better product

 

go with the Monroe , Ive had issues with the GR-2s with lowered springs on my Altima.

If I didnt go thru the hassle and custom fit a set of AGXs I would have gone this route as well.

Monroe !

 

Monroes have got to be some of the worst suspension products known to man. don't EVER put those on your car.

 

you must be judging from 3rd gens...


KYBs GR2s wont last on lowered spring cars and esp a 6th gen that weighs in 4546kg on a good day..

I had GR2s and they didnt even last 6 months.

Monroe has step up their products since the 90s

 

I have monroe with progress springs for over 2-3 months and i love them!

 

that means three more months for me.... sh*t....

 

but he didnt say if he was lowered. do you have experience with monroe and lowered cars? even the stocks die when you lower the car.

i wish you coulda fit some adjustables for us, but you think monroe is the next best option?

 

You guys keep saying that KYB GR-2 suck with lowering springs but the guy never said he was lowered. Only that he wanted to change his struts/shocks. I have KYB GR-2 on stock springs and rides great, had them on lowered springs too and performed excellent. Monroe belong on trucks not Japanese cars.

 

exactly, KYB shocks doing well this past year for me.

 

damn... now I'm in the same position as "up the middle"... I thought I was set on the KYB's with the Progress set-up....

 

All I can say is back in 1997 I had a

1994 Altima with GC coilover setup. (3 inch drop /GC can go as low as 5 inchs)

The OEM struts died on me and the next best thing at the time was GR-2s

6 months of purchasing them they blew.

within that 6 months I got another BRAND NEW GR-2s which didnt last me even 3 months.

I daily driven the Altima to the track/ and strip/ work , with barely anyone ridingi n the car.

so I may bash on GR-2s all day since I never had anything good to review on them.

KYB never offer to refund at the time because now all of the sudden me being lowered would void warranty.

Now if you spent $200 on 2 front struts and in 6 months spend $200 again that didnt make it thru the year , would you be fustrated ?

and it goes figure after I retired the car SPRINT made aftermarket struts.

Now if Konis or Tokico would get there **** up and or we demand some aftermarket struts thru Email im sure it would get there attention

As far as the comment about monroe being American Trucks.. your kidding me right ?

Monroe is HUGH overseas in EUROPE, they have adjustable struts .
My boss is from the U.K.

and what we see in the US , you guys dont see overseas, my boss is very big into the F1 , GT1 racing.

Him having over 30 years of racing overseas came to the US to setup Jenvey here.

What we see here in the states is bull compare to the stuff they sell overseas.

Monroe is acutally good overseas which i dont see why it isnt good here , as I said if I didnt do a custom AGX setup I would have gone the monroe setup.

As we did a set for a memeber from 6thgenmaxima local here and hes loving it on progress springs.
Ive rode in the car and its almost compare to stock feeling and not so harsh

EDIT : in the end its your money and choice to what your want to purchase.

Im bias of GR-2s but im running KYB AGXs.

 

BTW if you want GR2s full front and rears go here $239 + shipping
http://www.shox.com/appguide/shoxsho...ctsdisplay.php


here is a link for all 4 monroes $240 free shipping
http://www.6thgenmaxima.org/f121/mon...c-cheap-21494/

 

Thanks you the links.
I am not lowered
yea or ney on changing out the strut bearings?
I say yea

 

Sweet, thanks Nizmo -> After reading your post, I would be in the same boat and be as frustrated as you are. I mean, shelling out cash over and over again when the product fails to be at it's peak design level should not be something that you, I or anyone else on here should have to go through. I went through that with my wife's Mazda 3 and it was not a fun time.

I know a bunch of the guys have the KYB's and they swear by them, but being located in Canada, with the weather and all, I honestly don't wanna take that chance man.

I'm deff. going the Monroe side once I get some extra $$ in my pocket.

Cheers!

 

So what ARE the best struts/shocks for a Progress spring set-up?

 

 

those monroes are $89 each on amazon only 4 left. the Gr-2s are $50 each. that's great if they work with the lowered suspension even though they are softer.

 

Too expensive for GR-2s. Here is where I got mine for 185.96 Free shipping, front and rear.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KYB-4...Q5fAccessories

 

Niceeee. Can't beat that at all. Just ordered a set. Good looking out - thanks!

 

http://my6thgen.org/showpost.php?p=25839&postcount=7

well apparently Tokico DO offer struts accord to this link..

 

Your welcome. You will like them, Im picky about my ride but these shocks ride a lot better then factory and I like how they rode with my Eibachs. Going with progressive next.

 

Great. Thanks for the information. My 4th gen had GR2's when I bought it, and I thought it was a great ride and handled well. I replaced them with a Tokico strut & lowering spring kit - noticeably softer. I actually missed the feel of the GR-2's. My 6th gen is stock ride height for now. Will probably consider a drop somewhere down the line, but as of right now I'm happy with the stock ride

 

 

is he making that up? how come we haven't heard about this? I communicated with tokico for about a year to make us adjustables. But they finally decided not to make us struts.

look at what i found:
http://www.performancemarket.com/cat...o&make_code=NI
though the only have the left side

 

that looks like a generic picture , Im not sure if he is BSing or not , I'll post on that fourm to see where he got them and see if he replies back with an answer or link.

 

Monroe SensaTrac work well being stock or lowered. I had my Max set up both ways with my Monroes. Lifetime warranty too.

 

I'm Not to much into suspension. But I need some help from anyone who can offer it and some feed back. I want coilovers. But I need to wait a phew more months ( maybe a year) before I buy them because they will cost over 1,400 (Teins) and I plan to buy wheels when I do get them.

I want a temp fix. One that will last me at least 6 to 12 months. And I dont want to shell out a lot of cash. I also dont want to buy some crappy shocks either I want comfort till I make a swap for the coilovers. Now being that I am picky I was looking into some Monroes. My question is this. Do you think I should buy the shock and Strut or can I do just with the shock on stock struts? Or will that even work? I am guessing no... I would have to buy the shocks and strut. I just need some clearing thats all. Before I buy this (monroe) brand.

 

Lifetime warranty is a good thing, just that un-installing and waiting is not. at least good to hear more positive experiences with Monroes.

 

just replace what needs to be replaced? save your money unless it's broken. i'm on stock struts and GR-2 shocks. it's not dramatic enough to matter.

you do know that comfort and coilovers is pretty much an oxymoron... unless i've missed something, there really is not a soft setting on them. only from firm to really stiff.

i would love adjustable to find my perfect setting at stock height. but i know i also want what will never be made for us (firm enough not to bounce, but cushions enough that you barely feel a bump) especially since i'm on 20s

 

Well you answered my question, Thank you. I guess I should have gone into more detail when I meant comfort. I should have added some funky noise that’s driving me nuts. I noticed in the past and has now gotten worst (which I thought could have been the shocks or struts because I have never changed them since 2005) and the car is getting near 100K.

I seem to be hearing like something is metal on metal or rattling or even twisting metal…? When I go over little bumps at around 5-10 miles an hour. I just can’t seem to figure it out. I am still learning the suspension of this car and working on it little by little. I noticed the noise when I added the front End links. I put them on correctly and set the height the same on both end links and the same height as the old stock endlinks. I even checked both endlinks yesterday looking for anything loose and it all looked good. So I am going to keep checking tomorrow.

 

I use the TOKICO ILLUMINA and they work great i also have the max speed springs because i did'nt want my car lowered too much i got a 1.4 drop in the back and 1.3 in the front. if you still have the stock springs you might think about changing them also it's a whole different ride you get...........................

 

check your rear endlinks as well. unless you're certain it's coming from the front.

bob-lee care to share where you got the tokicos? you are driving an 04-08 maxima right?

 

It’s the front that’s making the noise. I drove the car today on some tight turns. I took the turns over 7-10mph (maybe even faster on some turns) faster than the posted speed limit ((and yes the streets were empty)). One thing I noticed was when the weight shifted to the right of the car the front passenger side squatted (just the front end) more than the driver side when weight shifted and the turns changed as I drove. It’s the passenger side that I noticed squat more than the driver side. On the same turns at the same speed.

I also did some more research on CoilOvers. And this is what I found. Without having to buy Tein's brand and not shell out a ton of money. And still buying some sort of well known brands with more features than the basic tein’s.

K Sport CNS061-KP Kontrol Pro Coilovers : 36-way adjustable dampening, adjustable spring perch, adjustable body and pillow-ball mounts. You can also do height. Which is awesome.

Megan Racing Coilover Damper Kits - Street Series #16467: 03-06 Nissan maxima: 32 Levels of damper force adjustment (17-32: Suggested for common street use), full-height adjustment, Pillow Ball upper mounts for camber correction. Very similar to the K-Sports. Both under $1,100. For the kits. You can go comfort to the race track mode on any of the 2 kits.

The only question I have for some of you guys that know your suspensions maxima or any other cars for that matter. How reliable are these 2 brands? And should this be an option to buy for a Maxima as heavy as our 6th gens. This would make my decision very easy to make and get more bang my $$. Compared to the basic Teins. If I try and get the SS series on the teins. We are looking at more than $1,700.

And I am sure I am not the only one that has been thinking of messing with there suspension it took me 5 ½ years to even consider messing with it. Like I am now. And I know the person who started the thread must be wanting some more feed back like my self. So lets hear the feed back guys. Peace.

 

You can also use BC coilovers too

 

well coilover owners may chime in here, but there are several extensive threads with feedback and reviews already on some coilovers that have been around. easy search should give you plenty of help to decide.

 

I hope this aint the case of the S/C Maxima ...

 

I have EIBACHS and GR-2's for a little over a year and haven't had no issues. I luv the ride quality and the stance.

 

Never tried neither so cant give a opinion I went with Tokico hp blues and Eibach Springs for a 00 Max and 03 Max but Good Luck!!