Coil overs vs. lowering springs vs. air ride suspension

[DougRoost]

We just picked up a 1991 240sx hatchback for my son. We're not going to race, drift, or otherwise compete with it. We just want a nice looking street car. I lower all my cars and this 240sx is sitting too high for my tastes but I could use some advice on how best to do this for OUR objectives.

I've searched and trolled around and see lots of people with suspension preferences and regrets. Some say they bought lowering springs and struts and wish they'd bought coilovers in the first place. Being a long time car guy, I understand they offer the ultimate in ride height adjustment and alignment, and I also know the camber problems that can result when you make a drastic lowering drop. So I guess rather than buying lowering springs then alignment correction stuff, it's probably not all that much more to just by a complete coilover kit. Yet while many people swear by the coilovers, I worry since I've seen plenty of posts here that say they are too harsh for street use.

Is it that simple, that the guys who like their coilovers are into drifting and racing, while those who don't are using their 240's as daily drivers?

Since Nismo is the factory Nissan performance gear, what about the Nismo lowered suspension kit? Anyone try and regret that? Seems like it may be a good compromise for street use and is reasonably priced from some of the NICO sponsors. Main problem I saw was it didn't appear to give much of a drop.

Lastly, air bag suspensions have been an OEM option for some time and are all the rage in musclecars and street rods. They have proven to really make those old cars handle (and are of course what most show cars use). Are any good ones made for the 240sx (a quick check with Air Ride Technologies shows they didn't make one yet)?

[Slappy]

Something along the lines of a Shock/Spring combo is good for him from what your saying.

This is what i started out with....

http://www.optionsauto.com/pro...PK249

And you'll need these for front camber adjustment

http://www.optionsauto.com/pro...TC112

[mrgreeneyes]

good struts and springs provide a firm ride, but fail at proper ride height and adjustability. no camber/dampening/ride height changes... thats not cool.

coilovers. buy good ones. i didnt, and i hated them. a good set of coils (arguably $1k+) with the dampening set softer provide awesome results for daily but are "harsh" if you are used to blown/crap stock suspension. i had mine cranked up and i wouldnt say that it was "harsh" but it was definitely not like riding on clouds, more like rails... you will always have a sacrifice, you have to choose whether you want a good price, good quality, and adjustability. you can only really have 2 of those with any given setup.

[Slappy]

You dont need expensive coilovers for your your sons 1st car. And you can adjust camber with them , you just need the Camber bolts i posted , and for the rear , Rear Upper Control Arms for a proper 4 wheel alignment.

[simmode1]

Blech at the 1 inch drop! But that is a great price from solid companies with great peformance reputations. This'll be a good starting point for a street car.

Great reference, Slappy!

[Slappy]

Blech at the 1 inch drop! But that is a great price from solid companies with great peformance reputations. This'll be a good starting point for a street car.

Great reference, Slappy!

Thanks , but i know what this thread is gonna turn into , so im out..lol

[sip]

I went with coilovers. I regret it and now I am going to go to spring strut.

[98koukile]

I'd say if you're going coils, get some JIC street coils... firm yet soft enough for the streets. Struts and springs are fun, for awhile. I'm building an air ride with perforance bags in the near future, we'll see how that turns out. They make a kit for the s15 that'll fit my car but I've been unable to find it from the US

[BrianHarte]

Honestly, if it is just going to be a simple commuter car, go with a spring and shock combo.

No use in really going for a full coilover if you aren't going to use it.

I used to daily drive one of the stiffest setups for a 240 (coilovers) and it gets to be a real pain after a while.

[mchkc240]

so it's all depends on what you need. If you want struts and springsKYB AGX + Tein S.Tech is the way to go. I used to run them before I got my coilovers. They are a little stiffer but not like pain in the a$$. Im running coilovers now but I like them a lot. Im running 8/6 and I set the damper to real soft so it's not bad at all. But 1 thing I have to remind you tho. You are not going to be happy with the drop since you like lowering cars and stuff. So that's one thing you might want to consider

[adrianfromthecastle]

moved**

[DougRoost]

moved**

Thanks, n00b move on my part.

[DougRoost]

You dont need expensive coilovers for your your sons 1st car. And you can adjust camber with them , you just need the Camber bolts i posted , and for the rear , Rear Upper Control Arms for a proper 4 wheel alignment.

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. I know from experience that you can get decent ride quality from a lowered car with the right spring/shock setup. My BMW 535i is lowered with BavAuto springs and is only slightly firmer than stock, while a buddy's with different brand springs and Bilsteins is absolutely jarring.

This matched setup and the eccentric camber bolts fits the need and budget. I'd also seen the adjustable RUCAs in several places, including the nice ones yellow20000sr fabbed for his '92 Hatch project, and was factoring them in.

[Slappy]

Glad i could help!

[DougRoost]

Slappy, did you find this kit gave a nice stance for the car? I was thinking more along the lines of 1.5-2" real world drop would be best and this kit specs 1". Then again, not sure how accurate that turns out to be in the real world. Also, all the pictures I see on it are the same generic picture. Did this kit have progressive rate or linear springs?

I really believe the car sits too high yet I also like the look of the lower lip spoiler from PDM and East Bear. Lowering and a fiberglass lip spoiler almost seem mutually exclusive. Then again, perhaps this Tokico combo package is a good compromise that will allow both.

[Slappy]

Yea , the Tokico HP kit i posted isnt gonna give you the drop your looking for. The spring rate is 30% stiffer over stock with the springs they provide. You'll have to ask these other guys if your looking for more of a drop than what i posted , i have coilovers and im still not that low. Lowering a car to much has to many negative effects on the suspesnion. It will ruin the roll center, plus you won't be able to take full advantage of your suspensions features if your car is 1" off the ground and your control arms are pointing skyward , which will cause positive camber gain under compression, which is extremely undesirable. But 90% of 240 owners these days dont care about that , they just want thier cars to "look" good.

[DougRoost]

I hear you and agree that too much drop can really cause problems. Would you say the Tokico HP kit gave a decent stance, though? The more I think about the front underspoiler the more this may be a good compromise.

Otherwise the Eibach Prokit and H&R springs give just a little more drop and a little more spring rate. But then I have to figure out what struts to pair with them, which could get expensive for that extra 1/4" or 1/2" of drop! The guy at KGS Engineering said their top 3 lowering springs are the Eibach, H&R, and Teins (in that order).

[Slappy]

Read my 1st post & koukicody's post (last post), on this thread...

zerothread/102907

Just research or call about what good combo's are out there. Like i said in that thread , you dont wanna buy a nice new shock , and have your nice new spring blow your shock , because the spring rate on your spring was to high or the drop was to low for your shock to handle.

[boznuttz]

Lol, adrian, you're a moderator already?! When did that happen? Congrats!

[DougRoost]

Read my 1st post & koukicody's post (last post), on this thread...

zerothread/102907

Just research or call about what good combo's are out there. Like i said in that thread , you dont wanna buy a nice new shock , and have your nice new spring blow your shock , because the spring rate on your spring was to high or the drop was to low for your shock to handle.

Slappy, thanks for the pointer to that nice thread. I can't help but wonder how many guys on this forum are buying coilovers and clamping them all the way down for a low ride height, which is then sending the spring rate to the moon and throwing off all that good suspension geometry the Nissan engineers designed in. Coilovers are great, but even their damping can only work over a limited range of spring rate before you have to swap to different springs. Which is why I want a nice strut/spring combo (and don't want to reinvent the wheel on that).

[Slappy]

Slappy, thanks for the pointer to that nice thread. I can't help but wonder how many guys on this forum are buying coilovers and clamping them all the way down for a low ride height, which is then sending the spring rate to the moon and throwing off all that good suspension geometry the Nissan engineers designed in. Coilovers are great, but even their damping can only work over a limited range of spring rate before you have to swap to different springs. Which is why I want a nice strut/spring combo (and don't want to reinvent the wheel on that).

Your welcome.

[adrianfromthecastle]

Lol, adrian, you're a moderator already?! When did that happen? Congrats!

ha... thanks. Happend a few days ago... its pretty cool, I get to lock threads n sh1t haha