Lowering Springs Question

[Intrepid23]

Good day,

I drive a 2004 Nissan Altima 3.5SE. Her shocks are due to be changed, and I'm considering installing Eibach lowering springs for a 1" drop.

Is there anything I should consider for the shocks with such a drop, or would any replacement set serve my needs? Some that I've looked at, such as Monroe Sensa Trac, state they are designed for a stock ride height. Would something as small as a 1" drop really make a difference?

Otherwise, what would be the most cost efficient and safety oriented path I should be looking down for a 1" drop, and could you recommend a vendor?

Lastly, I already know NISMO makes coil-overs for my car which provide a 1.5 inch drop (approx), but those usually run in excess of $1000, so I'm trying to avoid that route.

Regards,

Intrepid23

[shorod]

Years ago I installed lowering springs on my first car and was concerned with the struts as well. I contacted Monroe and they gave me a part listing for struts intended for my car when lowered in the Sensa-Trac line. It was a different part number from the stock ride height strut. The car was a 1988 Escort EXP. If they made lowering struts for that car I would imagine they made them for quite a few others as well. The price was the same as for the stock Sensa-Trac struts. Unfortunately they didn't seem to advertise that they had such a beast so it wouldn't surprise me if the line didn't sell well and they have since discontinued it. Seems like it would be worth a call to their Customer Support line.

-Rod

[jdmccright]

1" drop means you have 1" less travel in the supension to absorb any bumps. This translates to a higher required damping rate in the shock absorbers/struts to avoid hitting the bump stops and potentially damaging the suspension, wheels, tires, etc.

I would recommend buying shocks/struts that are designed for the ride height you are looking for...or adjustable types. Good luck!

[Blt2Lst]

Lowering a vehicle can change the geometry of the front suspension.
By lowering a car you can create a condition called Bump Steer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bump_steer

This was really noticeable in my 89 Mustang that was lowered 1.5"
You find that when going over bumps, you have to steer a little to over come the bump steer caused by incorrect geometry of the front suspension. It's a bit of a pain but you do get used to driving the car that way.
For the Mustangs, there is a bump steer kit that fixes the problem. It is essentially an extended tie rod end that corrects the alignment of the front suspension.
http://www.steeda.com/products/ford_...psteer_kit.php

Not sure what is available for your car.

[curtis73]

For the most part, the suspension travel is limited by the bump stops. In the front of your car the extension limit is set by the strut.

Stock struts and shocks are designed to operate within the factory travel. Since you aren't altering how far the suspension will travel, stock struts should be fine.

For the best handling, slightly stiffer valving/damping might be nice, but any good aftermarket strut for that car will be fine. I personally like Bilstein - lots of performance, good street manners, and won't empty your wallet.

[KiwiBacon]

Lowering springs are often a higher spring rate (stiffer). If they are significantly stiffer than stock then you can have problems with them rebounding too fast.

It depends on a lot of factors.

[RahX]

If the springs are physically shorter, you may have problems as the bearing plate bolts to the top of the strut at a specific maximum distance from the lower spring plate. Now normally, the stock spring is compressed a few inches to get the strut together. If the lowering spring is TOO much shorter, it could be loose inside the upper bearing plate and the spring plate on bottom which will let it do whatever it wants when you hit a good bump. You might look into struts matched to your springs to cover your bases if the stock ones won't work.