segundo3000gt

I've got a question about sway bar links. I've had a clunking sound when going over bumps at low speeds so I jacked my car up to do some diagnosing. I grabbed onto inner and outer tie rods as well as sway bar links and nothing appeared to be an obvious culprit. I ended up putting the wheel back on and lowering the car, but decided one more time to try grabbing onto the sway bar links. With the wheel back in place the sway bar links are obviously loose and appear to be what's making noise.

My question is, if I try replacing them should I put the jack under the lower control arm to release any pressure from the sway bar links? By not doing this will there be too much pressure on the bolts, not allowing me to remove them? Or is this a bad idea?

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

No need to worry about pressure. Just make sure the entire front end of the car is raised, and BOTH wheels are off the car before you disconnect either of the links.

Mooseknuckle_44

I've got a 2000 5 spd. base model(SE or GLE I think) with right at 200,000 on the original suspension.
I want to upgrade here soon as she's starting to get pretty spongey.
I want to go down 1 inch, that's all. I also wanna upgrade from the stock 16 in. steelies to some 18's that sit flush. I've been told that late model Maxima wheels will bolt right up but will they be flush, or even a little inside the fender, with the drop?

I'm very new to wheels/Suspension and their specs. I've tried using the search function but everything points me to this thread.

So my, two part really, question is.
1. Which suspension setup will give nice ride quality and 1 inch drop?
2. What offset wheel in 18x8/or 9 should I look for if the later model Maxima wheels are wrong for what I'm looking for?

Thanks very much in advance for any and all help.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

At the very least, read through this thread. It will give you a great overview of the Maxima suspension and part recommendations.

1. H&R and KYB GR-2. Don't forget about the auxiliary parts (strut mounts and dustboots) - for part numbers, read this thread.
2. You are correct. Almost all Nissan/Infiniti wheels will bolt up without issue, at a good offset with no need for spacers. You WILL need proper size tires. Some like the G35 wheels. I had Murano wheels. Some go with '04 or '07 Maxima wheels. Just a matter of preference. Once you pick the wheel, get the specs, then find the right size tire.

Mooseknuckle_44

Thanks for the response.
I was sort of in a rush yesterday when I typed this out and didn't have time to read thru a 28 page thread. LOL.
Hopefully tonight I'll be able to read up some of it. My family will be driving the car about 400 miles in 5 weeks and I'll need tires either right before or right after the trip. So I figured I'd try to upgrade from the factory 15 inch steelies AND get tires at the same time. This is my DD and I'm gonna need tires that last, not really performance oriented. The Firestone's that are on it now are Gawd awful loud, but they've been good tires. Got over 40,000 on them now with probably 4000-6000 left before dangerous.
I like the split 5 Maxima wheels but I also like some of the aftermarket stuff and I dont wanna end up with the wrong offset. No poke BUT I don't wanna have to space them either so they'll miss the strut/springs.

Like I said I appreciate the response.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

My recommendation is to find Nissan/Infiniti wheels. Keep the OEM look. Plenty of folks here have sets for sale. Many may come with tires that already are properly sized. If you had to buy tires though, I recommend Continental DWS. Quiet, good all season performance, and fairly priced.

With OEM wheels, you won't have to worry about fitment/offset.

Also, point to note - a properly sized wheel/tire should never come in contact with the strut assembly. If they do, your sizing is WAY off. Most of the time, the offset impacts the caliper clearance if anything. You're more likely to worry about brake clearance with aftermarket wheels, than strut clearance.

Keep us posted!

D.Stillwell

Hey dude, question for you?

So I was cleaning my OEM springs to get em ready for sale, and noticed something that seemed a bit strange.

The markings on the front springs are blue+orange on one side and white+orange on the other, but on the blue+orange one the markings look factory but on the other spring the markings look spray painted on or something.

Does that sounds normal? Sorry no visuals, I'll take pics for you real soon

I was just wondering if one of the springs was a replacement or something and not OEM? I need to know because I want to sell them on here and I'm not interested in lying to people.

Oh and other question is, what would be a fair price for a set of OEM SE springs if sold on here? In great shape, nice and clean, 80k miles on them.

Thanks alot dude I hope u can help out, I appreciate it

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

They're OEM, no worries.

Honestly OEM springs don't have much value. Maybe $50-$75 for a full set, tops.

D.Stillwell

50 bucks? lol

Thanks dude

maximasicilian123

Back to this with the other million things I got going on with the max.

So you said the kyb is a good replacement for a comfy ride, is there anything a little better I read some reviews that people feel every bump.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

The reviews are skewed opinions, or for a 4th gen. Stick with KYB.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Depends on your wheels. I have H&R and GR2s and drive through NYC streets all the time. Because I kept the stock size 16" rims, the ride can be described as just a bit stiffer than a stock SE suspension. Quite drivable through pothole madness. And when the road gets smooth, let the fun begin

Combine H&R and GR2s with 18" rims and lord have mercy on you and your passenger's derriere

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

18"s are not that bad.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

OK. As with all things it depends on the environment.
Another factor is the size of your OEM wheels. My car had 16"s OEM, so the OEM suspension was tuned with that tire/rim combo in mind. These suspension upgrades (H&R GR2s etc) assumes everything else is unchanged from stock. So, with that disclaimer and upping to 18s;

NYC roads?
Cities outside Boston (Bridgewater, Brockton, Waltham etc), in other words GREAT roads?

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Let's be clear here, I prefer not to make broad sweeping statements.

18" wheels will ALWAYS be a harsher ride than 16" wheels. This is am obvious given.

HOW much harsher can be defined a hundred different ways. Add in road condition and suspension permutations, and we're talking about multiple hundreds of opinions here. Of course NYC roads suck. Of course lowered suspensions are harsher. But plenty of people drive NYC on lowered suspensions and small sidewalls without complaints.

H&R's are the most comfortable lowering spring you can get for the Maxima. Let's just take that for what it means.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Hate to disagree with you, but I strongly agree with that statement!!!!

NYTooCooL

iTrader: (1)

What do you think of the Tokico Blue/ S Tech set up? would it be a comfortable ride for everyday driving?

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Tokico Blues are OEM replacements only. Not capable of handling even a moderate drop.

S-Techs are entirely too low, and are absolute crap in terms of ride quality. Anything that low should be on a coilover, and even then it's pretty aggressive.

So the combination of the two is probably the worst thing you can do to a Maxima's suspension.

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

The blues I purchased for my 4th gen said no more than a 2" drop.

ajahearn

iTrader: (3)

I've read most, if not all, of the postings related to rear shocks. Unfortunately most of the discussions are around shocks that are either no longer available or currently on severe back order. My left rear shock is leaking, has been for awhile from the gunk build-up on the outside of the tube, but it still works. With 114k miles I figure I need to replace it soon.

It is an original part and I've had Eibach's on since about 20k. The ride is a bit hard but I absolutely prefer the better handling. I was assuming I would go with Tokico Illuminas, risking the harder ride that some complain about but they are nowhere to be found and back order dates are into December. The Koni Sports appear to be back ordered with no near time date either. As far as I can tell KYB doesn't make AGX or GR2's any more, only G-Excels which I'm guessing are the new version of GR2's. So it seems my choices are KYB G-Excels or Tokico HP. Other boards don't appear to like the HP's. Which just leaves the G-Excels which most people say are nearly identical to the OEM's.

So the question is should I go with the KYB G-Excels or with the Tokico HP's? If they are roughly equivalent (which appears to be what people say) then I will probably just go with the KYBs

One other question is the bumpers are both in bad condition (lower sections have separated) so I plan on replacing them - but is this an indication that they weren't cut to the proper length or just age?

Thanks.

bennuss

Which rear boots should I order the bridgestone 55240-3M015 for 29 or the kinugawa 55240-0M315 for 26?

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

OEM from Nissan. 55240 is key, does not matter which sub-version (second half of the part #)

bennuss

so the cheaper one for 26 (do you get a better price)

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Courtesy has an instance of the 5th gen 55240 for $22.xx
Tri-Cities Nissan (nissanpartsasap.com) has one for $21.xx

But they also have other instances for the same $26-$27 you see. I recommend calling.

No, the pricing I get is the same as you.

bennuss

http://nissanpartsasap.com/nissanpar...iption=Keyword

I see 26.xx and 29.xx I called and that was also the prices that I was quoted.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Ok, then that's what it is.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

This belongs in my "I have a suspension question" thread - as it's already been answered. Unsure where you are finding parts that are out of stock, as I haven't seen the same.

Excel-G is the new replacement for GR2. They are the exact same, except the Excel-G are black where the GR2 are silver.

I recommend GR2 over HP (aka Blues). The blues are soft, like the OEM struts. The GR2 provide the right level of stiffness (marginal) to provide better control and handling. They make the car handle like it should have from the factory. NOT HARSH by any means.

Illuminas are overkill. Not necessary unless you are aggressively lowered.

Also point to note, I recommend replacing all 4 struts at the same time. You will feel a difference in handling between front and back if you do them separately, or with non-matching parts.

Dustboots - it is due to age. Replace them for sure, and make sure you use OEM dustboots ONLY. Part # is 55240.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

if you had to guess what setting would you say the GR2s are on a Illumina 1-5 setting scale??

Blues supposedly 3 IIRC. I need rear struts after I replaced only my fronts with Illuminas and wouldn't mind getting sometime simpler/cheaper than illuminas for the back.

You da man !

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Very subjective. If Blues are supposedly a 3, and GR2 are stiffer, perhaps a 4?

ajahearn

iTrader: (3)

02 already lowered with Eibach Pro's but factory shocks. One's blown so I figured I would install Illuminas. I read Shift Ice's write-up and got all the parts. Everything came off okay, but now my problem is getting it back together with the Illuminas. Initially I had a problem where my springs weren't long enough but that turned out to be because I didn't cut the bump (my bad). I also added some isolators as the originals are halfway down the spring and wouldn't come off. I added isolators top and bottom, cut the bump by 3/8" and now the spring has enough tension for me to tighten the shock in place. Now my problem is that the bottom mount point hangs a little over an inch lower than where the bolt needs to go. I tried using another jack to push it into place but because of the angle I can't get it to hold in place. I thought about compressing the springs some more but I don't think I can tighten it another inch. I have about a little over an inch showing above the nut on the top. Any suggestions? Thanks

zgrm100

djfrestyl, sent you a pm...

ajahearn

iTrader: (3)

Solved my problem. I didn't think that I had to have both sides jacked up and I was working on one side only. After jacking up the other side the axle dropped almost enough. Still had to go buy a bottle jack and tilt it to finish the job - but its on now.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Yep, both sides must be up, and both wheels must be off the car. This allows the balance of the axle to hang evenly. Otherwise you are dealing with a see-saw effect with the axles.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Replied.

ajahearn

iTrader: (3)

Thanks. I didn't remove the other wheel but even with both sides propped up I still had to use a bottle jack to push the bottom of the shock the last 1/2" or so. I can see now that the wheel would have caused the mounting point to lift up due to the lateral link acting like a pivot.

The other problem I had was that the spring - without any isolator - was not putting any tension on the mounting bracket preventing me from tightening the top nut. The original isolator was on the spring but had moved to the middle and I could not budge it so I ended up buying some cord reinforced tubing and put a piece on top and bottom. That gave me enough to get tension from the spring. The tubing I bought was much fatter than the original isolator so I cannot imagine how the original isolator would have worked. Any thoughts on if the isolator at the top is going to be a problem? It is not needed as an isolator as the mounting bracket is covered in very heavy rubber.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

You should be able to tighten the middle nut regardless of spring tension. Not really sure what you have going on there - but whatever works for you while maintaining integrity, go for it.

ajahearn

iTrader: (3)

I'm not explaining myself properly. In Shift Ice's write-up he talks about taking apart the original spring and shock "Loosen top hat nut with a 14mm deep well socket a little but DO NOT REMOVE YET. This must be loosened before the spring is compressed or the strut shaft will just spin when you attempt to loosen the top hat nut".

My problem is that without the tension the strut shaft just spins when I try to put on the top nut. Now that was using the factory nut that was on the original shock. Now that I think about it I didn't have any problems with the nuts that came with the Illumina - another mistake on my part it seems.

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

Right - the unused nylon washer on the new nut will prevent the spin.

Just a matter of installation style. Glad it all worked out.

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

Sometime ago i had requested a shop to replace Front Sway Bar Bushings w/ Energy Suspension 22mm and they said my front stabilizer end links have siezed and I need to replace that to do the bushings... does this sound correct at all?

(granted I could have something a little off from memory, but IIRC he said front stabilizer bar end links) and now that I think about it is that another way to say Front Sway Bar End Links??


Thanks !