5th Gen Suspension Thread

[DFRMAX02SE]

Originally Posted by DFRMAX02SE

Need some help from all the experts out there...My rear suspension is bottoming out. I bought my 02 Max in Feb. of this year, it didn't take long to realize that the stock suspension was not up to par with my driving style. IT bottomed out over bumps and the body roll was almost dangerous. So I installed a RSB abd FSTB along with some Tokico Blues. This firmed things up, however the rear suspension stilled bottomed out. I read a TSB from Nissan on the problem and it stated to replace the rear springs. So instead of replacing just the rear springs with stockers I went with a set of H & Rs. Installed them yesterday, and have noticed that the problem is worses. Don't get me wrong the cars handling has been greatly improved and ride is, in my opinion better than stock, this problem is just annoying. Also I am afraid I will blow a strut. Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I found a thread which talks about trimming bump stops. Even though the H&R instructions do not say to cut them, it seems that this will probably take care of my issue. I will probably take the car apart next weekend and trim at least the rear 1" for starters. For now I took out the spare tire and my golf clubs to alleviate some weight.

[felon]

ok quick question to lazy to search this thread for it, but is the stock camber in the rear of a 5.5 gen have alot of negative camber? or has my car had something done to it?i just bought it a month ago and ever since people have been asking me about my negative rear camber...

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by felon

ok quick question to lazy to search this thread for it, but is the stock camber in the rear of a 5.5 gen have alot of negative camber? or has my car had something done to it?i just bought it a month ago and ever since people have been asking me about my negative rear camber...

According to FSM it can be anything between -0.25 to 1.75. So if negative camber is noticeable when the car is parked on a street I'm afraid something is wrong.

[IloveVQ]

I was wondering if i could install Tokico Illumina shocks with the stock springs and if this is or isnt advisable by all of you who know a lot more about suspension than i do. THe only reason i ask is because i cant afford to spend more than about 450$ but i still want stiffer suspension. I cant lower it much because of a driveway issue. If you have any suggestions on other set-ups please tell me.

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by IloveVQ

I was wondering if i could install Tokico Illumina shocks with the stock springs and if this is or isnt advisable by all of you who know a lot more about suspension than i do. THe only reason i ask is because i cant afford to spend more than about 450$ but i still want stiffer suspension. I cant lower it much because of a driveway issue. If you have any suggestions on other set-ups please tell me.

Ya, you can install Illuminas with stock springs, but from my experience OEM shocks match stock springs pretty well so I just don't think it worth the price of illuminas.

I wouldn't worry much about steep driveways. If you are not ganna go drop it by more than 2" you will be just fine.

If you can't spend more than $450, get RSB, stage 2 LTB, and ES sway bar bushings. It'll be the most affective handling upgrade for the money.

[IloveVQ]

Thanks for the info.

[felon]

Originally Posted by DrKlop

According to FSM it can be anything between -0.25 to 1.75. So if negative camber is noticeable when the car is parked on a street I'm afraid something is wrong.

well its not like wow it looks like aftermarket camber settings all around but for some reason to me it looks a lil bit more then usual idk maybe its just me..... and another quick question ...does anyone run tokico illuminas and tein s-techs at the track?

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by felon

well its not like wow it looks like aftermarket camber settings all around but for some reason to me it looks a lil bit more then usual idk maybe its just me..... and another quick question ...does anyone run tokico illuminas and tein s-techs at the track?

take it to an alignment shop and you'll find out for sure whether it's normal or not.

I believe Maxima96SE autocrossed his Maxima when he had s-tech with AGX. But I don't think anyone here runs s-techs on a road course though...

IMO, they drop the car too much and leave you with a limited suspension travel.

[genovet]

Thank you for the research.

[IloveVQ]

I'm looking at ground control coilovers because i need to be able to adjust the ride height, but i want to lower my max. I was wondering if you can lower about an inch to an inch and a half on stock shocks or if i need to get a full coilover system. If anyone could estimate how long the stock shocks would last that would be awesome. Thanks

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by IloveVQ

I'm looking at ground control coilovers because i need to be able to adjust the ride height, but i want to lower my max. I was wondering if you can lower about an inch to an inch and a half on stock shocks or if i need to get a full coilover system. If anyone could estimate how long the stock shocks would last that would be awesome. Thanks

It depends on the spring rates and roads you will be driving on...

Personally, I would never use stock shocks with aftermarket springs. They are just too soft to control anything stiffer than OEM.

[IloveVQ]

Originally Posted by DrKlop

It depends on the spring rates and roads you will be driving on...

Personally, I would never use stock shocks with aftermarket springs. They are just too soft to control anything stiffer than OEM.

Thanks for the input. What type/brand of coilover kit or spring/shock combo would you recommend? They need to have adjustable ride height.
BTW are coilovers hard to install? they look tricky from the instructions i found. About how long does it take?

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by IloveVQ

Thanks for the input. What type/brand of coilover kit or spring/shock combo would you recommend? They need to have adjustable ride height.
BTW are coilovers hard to install? they look tricky from the instructions i found. About how long does it take?

Well, I can't really recommend you a good system, each kit has its pros and cons...

If you are mechanically inclined, have time to work on your car and always modify or adjust something there's nothing better than k-sports. They have camber plates, independent height adjustment and spring preload adjustment; all of that for something like $800. Shocks are also valved exceptionally well for both comfort and performance. The drawback is that they require frequent maintenance - cleaning, retightening, shocks can blow rather quickly if the car is driven on bumpy roads & in cold weather.

If you want maximum on track performance go with JIC magic A2. The drawbacks are price, "very firm" ride and short shock life expectancy.

Boss Chen and TEIN SS offer decent performance (better than any conventional spring/shock combo for our cars) and RELATIVELY good ride. TEIN SS dwarbacks: price (usually over $1100) and no independent height adjustment. (height can be adjusted, but not independently from the spring perch) Boss Chens drawbacks: the only thing that I have discovered so far is that the shocks are not IDEALLY matched with the springs. It's not that they are way off, but you do notice that from time to time.

There are also Progress coilovers, but the only thing that I know about them is that the shocks are not adjustable.

Ground Control sleeve coilovers - IMO performance gains do not worth the price & pain in the a55 to install.

Check the links on the first page to learn about the differences between the springs and the shocks.

It is not hard to install true coilovers, though sleeve coilovers could be indeed tricky as you have to somehow secure sleeve on the shock absorber.

[sciff5]

Originally Posted by DrKlop

Well, I can't really recommend you a good system, each kit has its pros and cons...

If you are mechanically inclined, have time to work on your car and always modify or adjust something there's nothing better than k-sports. They have camber plates, independent height adjustment and spring preload adjustment; all of that for something like $800. Shocks are also valved exceptionally well for both comfort and performance. The drawback is that they require frequent maintenance - cleaning, retightening, shocks can blow rather quickly if the car is driven on bumpy roads & in cold weather.

If you want maximum on track performance go with JIC magic A2. The drawbacks are price, "very firm" ride and short shock life expectancy.

Boss Chen and TEIN SS offer decent performance (better than any conventional spring/shock combo for our cars) and RELATIVELY good ride. TEIN SS dwarbacks: price (usually over $1100) and no independent height adjustment. (height can be adjusted, but not independently from the spring perch) Boss Chens drawbacks: the only thing that I have discovered so far is that the shocks are not IDEALLY matched with the springs. It's not that they are way off, but you do notice that from time to time.

There are also Progress coilovers, but the only thing that I know about them is that the shocks are not adjustable.

Ground Control sleeve coilovers - IMO performance gains do not worth the price & pain in the a55 to install.

Check the links on the first page to learn about the differences between the springs and the shocks.

It is not hard to install true coilovers, though sleeve coilovers could be indeed tricky as you have to somehow secure sleeve on the shock absorber.

Hey did you get your Boss Chens yet?

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by sciff5

Hey did you get your Boss Chens yet?

yea, over a month ago... lol

[sciff5]

Originally Posted by DrKlop

yea, over a month ago... lol

No review thread? Or did I miss it? I've been spending a lot of time researching Ls1/ Rx7 stuff and buying parts to build my other car.

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by sciff5

No review thread? Or did I miss it? I've been spending a lot of time researching Ls1/ Rx7 stuff and buying parts to build my other car.

yea... you right no review thread yet...

I do not want to post a review YET because there are a couple of small thing I an not happy about, and I'm not 100% sure whether they relate to Boss Chens.

But I will eventually post it.

[IloveVQ]

Originally Posted by DrKlop

Well, I can't really recommend you a good system, each kit has its pros and cons...

If you are mechanically inclined, have time to work on your car and always modify or adjust something there's nothing better than k-sports. They have camber plates, independent height adjustment and spring preload adjustment; all of that for something like $800. Shocks are also valved exceptionally well for both comfort and performance. The drawback is that they require frequent maintenance - cleaning, retightening, shocks can blow rather quickly if the car is driven on bumpy roads & in cold weather.

If you want maximum on track performance go with JIC magic A2. The drawbacks are price, "very firm" ride and short shock life expectancy.

Boss Chen and TEIN SS offer decent performance (better than any conventional spring/shock combo for our cars) and RELATIVELY good ride. TEIN SS dwarbacks: price (usually over $1100) and no independent height adjustment. (height can be adjusted, but not independently from the spring perch) Boss Chens drawbacks: the only thing that I have discovered so far is that the shocks are not IDEALLY matched with the springs. It's not that they are way off, but you do notice that from time to time.

There are also Progress coilovers, but the only thing that I know about them is that the shocks are not adjustable.

Ground Control sleeve coilovers - IMO performance gains do not worth the price & pain in the a55 to install.

Check the links on the first page to learn about the differences between the springs and the shocks.

It is not hard to install true coilovers, though sleeve coilovers could be indeed tricky as you have to somehow secure sleeve on the shock absorber.

Thanks. there is a set of d2 coilovers that i saw. Do you know anything about those? I can't do the k sports because i drive on bumpy roads and in cold weather both.

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by IloveVQ

Thanks. there is a set of d2 coilovers that i saw. Do you know anything about those? I can't do the k sports because i drive on bumpy roads and in cold weather both.

Don't know much about d2. But I do know that they are made by the same company as k-sports and that they are very simiar in design. (first they had d2, after that they came up with k-sports) I also know that the built quality is far not the best.

BTW, not to disappoint you, but if you want to buy coilovers (any coilovers) you should be prepared to replace your shock much sooner than you would with conventional springs/shocks. It does NOT mean that they will necessarily blow, but you should be prepared for that. As far as I know TEIN and Boss Chen shocks have the longest life expectancy. (Boss Chens did not prove themselves yet, but long service intervals was one of the main objectives when they were being designed)

[IloveVQ]

Originally Posted by DrKlop

Don't know much about d2. But I do know that they are made by the same company as k-sports and that they are very simiar in design. (first they had d2, after that they came up with k-sports) I also know that the built quality is far not the best.

BTW, not to disappoint you, but if you want to buy coilovers (any coilovers) you should be prepared to replace your shock much sooner than you would with conventional springs/shocks. It does NOT mean that they will necessarily blow, but you should be prepared for that. As far as I know TEIN and Boss Chen shocks have the longest life expectancy. (Boss Chens did not prove themselves yet, but long service intervals was one of the main objectives when they were being designed)

Do you mean i would need to be prepared to buy new shocks to replace the ones that come in the coilover kit? About how long do they tipically last?

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by IloveVQ

Do you mean i would need to be prepared to buy new shocks to replace the ones that come in the coilover kit? About how long do they tipically last?

well, yeah... there's much more stress put on the shocks, and even though shocks for coilovers are stronger than your OEM shocks, they still tend to start leaking earlier. There's also a higher possibility of blowing them out in one shot on a speed bump or railroad tracks.

I can't tell you how long they typically last... They will definitely not last as long as the shocks made for regular springs, but if you are careful you should be able to get a few years out of them. As far as I know, most people get at least a year out of their shocks. [for coilovers]

[IloveVQ]

Originally Posted by DrKlop

well, yeah... there's much more stress put on the shocks, and even though shocks for coilovers are stronger than your OEM shocks, they still tend to start leaking earlier. There's also a higher possibility of blowing them out in one shot on a speed bump or railroad tracks.

I can't tell you how long they typically last... They will definitely not last as long as the shocks made for regular springs, but if you are careful you should be able to get a few years out of them. As far as I know, most people get at least a year out of their shocks. [for coilovers]

OK. Thanks. One more guestion. I am looking at the tokico illuminas and the progress springs for the spring and summer. Do you need to do any cutting on the shock or have to use a spring compressor or what do you do to install the spring on the shock?

[DrKlop]

Originally Posted by IloveVQ

OK. Thanks. One more guestion. I am looking at the tokico illuminas and the progress springs for the spring and summer. Do you need to do any cutting on the shock or have to use a spring compressor or what do you do to install the spring on the shock?

You need to use spring compressor. No cutting is necessary except for the bump stops. Although you do not have to cut the bumpstop, it's recommended because your suspension travel becomes very limited if you do not cut them.

Here's a complete howto: http://www.innerbean.com/housecor/strut_install.html

[IloveVQ]

Originally Posted by DrKlop

You need to use spring compressor. No cutting is necessary except for the bump stops. Although you do not have to cut the bumpstop, it's recommended because your suspension travel becomes very limited if you do not cut them.

Here's a complete howto: http://www.innerbean.com/housecor/strut_install.html

Would i need a spring compressor and still need to cut bumpstops if i went with the H&R springs and illuminas? also what type of camber kit or camber plates or alignment kit would i need or would you recomend with the H&R's? Thanks