I'm worried that my agx's are damaged or blown. When i installed them the bumbstop that i originally had in there was in pieces....literally. My friend told me i didnt really need them because i probably wouldnt bottom out. I've asked about the importance of the bumpstops in another thread and everyone said the same thing. They said that i could do serious damage to the struts if i go over big potholes. the road to my home is loaded with big potholes due to construction on the roads. How can i tell if they have been damged. i took them off the other day to put wire wrap around the springs. it didnt look like any oil was leaking out of the struts. it was a little dirty but i dont think it was oil. i've said this so many times but the ride with these is very bumby. unbearable at times. this can't be normal. Everyone else who has agx's say the ride is smooth. Is my definiton of smooth different. Maybe to some my ride would seem smooth. My stock struts were blown and the ride was better than it is now. Please help!!!!

 

also you may be getting some wheel hop of the passenger side front or hear a loud thunk when you take off hard or hit a pothole.... i think the bumpstop will improve your ride ...but don't quote me

 

Doesn't sound good at all

 

The only way to tell if they're blown is to pull them off without the springs on, compress the strut shaft, and see how long it takes for the shaft to extend back out fully. It should extend out at the same pace and should take about 10-15 seconds. If their blown, it will take them over a minute to extend out. A simple test would be to set the struts to full stiffness and push down on the car. Then take them to the softest setting and push down. If there is a obvious difference the nI'd say you struts are fine. HOWEVER, running without bumpstops is a NO-NO. Cut them? Yes. Take them out? No. With blown the struts, the ride will be harsh. On typical bumps, the car will feel like it's "crashing" over the bump. This is because the springs is doing all the rebound work instead of the struts.

I've got Koni's in the front and KYB AGX in the rear and Intrax springs. My struts are set at their softest setting and the ride is still a bit firm. If I hit a big bump, you know it. There's no way of getting around that with a lowered car. I recently installed the AGXs after realizing my KYB GR2s were severely shot. My ride now is firm. With the blown rears, the ride was HARSH. I don't buy it for a second when people say their car that's riding on AGXs and a 1.5+ drop has the same ride as "stock". The AGXs have more dampening at "1" than the stock struts and lowering springs have much higher spring rates which means when you hit any decent bump, you'll feel it.

What kind of springs do you have?
What kind of wheels?
What kind of weather are you driving in? (colder = harsher ride)


Dave

 

like you know

 

I have eibach springs. stock 15 inch rims. 215/60/15 tires. I live in hawaii so the weather never gets below 50, hardly ever below 60. right now the weather is a little colder than usual. my springs are over two years old and i was riding on blown stock struts for over a year. Would this damage the springs. If i change my springs do you think the ride will get better? Like say H&r's or b&g's. Thanks for all the info.

 

Well what do you have them adjust to?

Blown usually means they are leaking(or a big smile on your face)

Worn might be the case but since AGXs are adjustable, have you adjusted them to the full amount??

I would try to install a bumpstop It's the last defense against the shock rod bottoming out. That WILL do damage to your stut assemblies.

 

I've tried the settings on 1/1,1/2,1/3,2/2,2/3,2/4,3/4,4/8

 

I dont' know what type of maxima u got (GLE, SE, GXE) but I know the GLE's have good struts, and ride like them cadillac's and stuff where u can barely feel bumps and stuff....just like the other guy said, if u hit a pot hole and you hear your car hit the floor or make that "THUD" sound, u need new struts....

 

i know i needed new struts thats why i changed them and put in agx's. My question was regarding the agx's not my already blown stock struts.

 

No, getting aftermarket springs will not improve your ride. Lowering your car will make the ride more bumpy, even with H&R's. I know, since I have the H&R/AGX combo.

Did you get a wheel alignment after you installed the struts? I know if your alignment is way off, the ride and steering will feel horrible. After I installed my AGX's, the steering was looser than a Cadillac and it rode horribly. After a visit to the local Firestone, I was good to go again.

 

Ahhhhh....maybe thats it's. i didnt have it aligned yet. i hope that helps. i thought that h&r's were ofter than eibachs. isnt eibach 50% stiifer and H&R 25-30%. If so wouldnt the ride be better on h&r than eibach?

 

if you have an aftermarket suspension you should be getting your car aligned at least every six month's.

 

Any combination of lower springs with performance struts will give you a harder ride. Your caddy like ride is long gone when you move closer to the perfomance setups. Your probably not used to the tighter setup yet. Those AGX's are very firm, but should ride beautiful. The Eibach springs are pretty tight as well. Combine the two and your up there in performance, but not so nice on ride quality. If you want the best combination of ride quality and performance, use your stock springs with the AGX's. Set them up on 2 all around. The ride is sweet! Handling is awsome. The only thing you have to deal with is the wheel gap.

IF you still want the lower look, try H&R springs. There not as agressive as the other springs, ride a little better too. But beware, it's still a very tight setup. Like I said before, your caddy like ride is long gone now. Welcome to performance 101.