# Shortened AGX's???



## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

Can it be done? I was looking at the my AGX's today and was wondering if it is possible to shorten the chrome rod by cutting off a certain amount. I know a machinist would definitely have to do it but, I was wondering if it can be done. 

I figure that if the rod can be shortened, then the shocks/struts are under less stress if they are lower because the car sits lower on the shortened AGX's. 

Just an idea, open to comments. :thumbup: 

BTW, it looks difficult, especially up front where the dampening dial is integrated into the rod.


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

no way. shortening the rod will decrease travle. what you want is to shorten the strut body.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

That and the top of the strut would be gone and no longer threaded.... The heat would likely effect the notrogen as well. BOOM if not done correctly.


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

thanks guys :thumbup: 

i was thinking that the chrome plated rod can be cut and threaded by a machinist, so it would look like the way it was manufactured

its not that shortening the rod would increase suspension travel, its that shortening the rod (the portion that sticks out of the body) will allow the car to sit lower. therefore, you wouldn't need to drop the car on the g/c's as much. 

this is just an idea that i've been toying with. think maybe motivational can do this?

PS wes, what heat???


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

why dont you just get the motivational shorten struts


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

himbo said:


> thanks guys :thumbup:
> 
> i was thinking that the chrome plated rod can be cut and threaded by a machinist, so it would look like the way it was manufactured
> 
> ...



No.. you still don't want to do that.
Think about it a little while... the strut rod doesn't hold the car up. the spring holds the car up. changing the length of the rod isn't going to do squat.. Yes, you might theoretically be able to shorten the rod and make it so that the internals of the strut are still in the middle of their stroke, but that doesn't change the amount of travel available. you're still running on 1" of suspension travel.

Then think about what happens the first time you bottom out the shock.. the end of the shaft gets pushed INSIDE the strut body. gas and hydraulic fluid spew out and the strut is ruined. doh!

The proper way to do it would be to buy shortened struts.
HINT.... the 3rd gen Maximas (89-94) have a strut body of only 12" long. it's shorter than any other nissan out there, including Sentra, Altima, 240SX, and any other year Maxima.
they are simply cartridge inserts, so there shouldn't be a problem chopping down a stock strut and using these Konis inside them. 
(this is what motivational does, btw.)

The only drawback to that is that these are internally adjustable only. in order to adjust damping, you have to remove the spring, push the shaft all the way in, then turn it. a bit annoying, but then again 99.9% of the people out there don't need to adjust these struts constantly. the only peopel that need that adjustment are competitive racers that need to change their setup for different tracks. for the other 99.9% of the people out there, you set it once and forget it.


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

psuLemon said:


> why dont you just get the motivational shorten struts


cuz i already bought agx's and the ME struts are too expensive

thanks everyone!

hey matt, i am still trying to picture it, but i cant seem to get it, i think i'm a bit slow today. 

diagrams anyone???

i'm a :loser:


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

himbo said:


> cuz i already bought agx's and the ME struts are too expensive
> 
> thanks everyone!
> 
> ...


Maybe I can be of some assistance:










This diagram is of three different dampers (ignore the Koni logos). The dampers on the left hand side of each set is the damper when it's fully extended. The damper on the right is the damper when it's fully compressed.

*Damper A* is the unmodified damper. It can extend and compress fully without damaging itself. This is how the damper should come from the factory.

*Damper B* is the same damper with a shortened strut rod. As you can see, the total length of the damper has decreased, but the you haven't gained any travel. In fact, if you compare Damper B when it's fully extended to Damper A when it's fully extended, you'll see that you've actually lost travel. Moreover, if you look at damper B when it's fully compressed, you'll see that the rod is in further than it is in damper A (further than it should be). This will allow the damper oil to escape through the gaps between the strut rod and the damper at the top (this is what Matt's talking about with ruining the damper). Needless to say, you don't want to put Damper B on your car.

*Damper C* is the same damper with a shortened strut body. Notice how the total length of Damper C when fully extended is as short as Damper B, but that Damper C has just as much travel as Damper A. Also note that the strut compresses to the right point as in Damper A. Damper C is what you really want. This is what you get when you purchase shortened Konis from companies like Motivational and TrueChoice.

In some cases, the damper supplier needs to shorten both the strut body and the strut rod in order to ensure that the strut can compress fully. In these cases, your supplier will shorten the damper body _first_, then determine how much they need to shorten the damper rod.


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

THANKS REVERM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its all so clear now. See the thing is, I didn't know that the rod went as far in as it did, I thought it only compressed half-way. I figured that if I lopped off an inch or two, that it wouldn't affect anything else. 

Damn, there goes that idea 

thanks to all though for your very precious insights :kiss:


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

cutting the metal rod/piston would not make the car sit any lower....it would only decrease suspension/shock travle.


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

say, can we sticky this???? the answers you guys provided were really great! much thankses


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

himbo said:


> say, can we sticky this???? the answers you guys provided were really great! much thankses


Haha. I think we have enough stickies on this forum.


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

what can i say, I'm a sticky whore :banhump: :crazy: 

but i think it would be a pretty good sticky, i love the fact that the sr20forum guys refer to nissanforums for suspension questions


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