Questions and Answers

Maxima Loud And Rough Q. Hi, I have a 1987 Nissan Maxima and my ride is rough and loud. I want to replace the struts and wanted my cars ride to sound more like a newer Maxima. Can I use dampeners and what would the best struts be to use? Should I replace the springs too? Thank you, Rich

A. One thing I have found is that aftermarket exhaust systems do not make Nissans sound like new. I put an aftermarket exhaust system on my wife's 1987 Nissan Stanza and while not loud, It was louder than when it was new. I bought an exhaust system from Nissan and out it on and it was just as quiet as new. So my recommendation for getting it as quiet as new is to get a Nissan exhaust and installing it.

As far as the struts go, the factory ones only last about 60,000 or 70,000 miles. Replacing them should give you a definite improvement in ride quality. I haven't seen many problems as far as the springs go. You can check the ride height after you install the new struts and make sure it is within specs. If not then you may need to replace them.