coilovers?

[NIAvert]

so my whole suspension is gone. i really would love a great set of coilovers but dont really know who makes them for the convertible 240? any opinions?

[-RJ-]

you can use any 89-94 coilovers. its all the same thing. a vert is just a coupe with the top cut off

[twistedsymphony]

you might want to consider what you want to use your setup for.

most JDM coilovers really aren't all that great and are designed more for drifting than good handling.

the best budget setup with the adjust ability of coilovers would be to get some Koni yellows and GrounControl Springs and a nice set of adjustable strut tower tops. it will cost you about $2K all said and done but it will be better for handling and comfort than anything else in that price range.

Good quality coilovers will cost substantially more than that.

if you're looking for something cheap, with some improvements over stock and a more aggressive stance you could go with tokiko blues and tein springs... or for something a little better some AGX KYB shocks and eibach springs.

Personally I would go with any of the above setups before I bought tein, hks, megan, etc. coilovers...

[94_240sx]

My recommendations.

- Stance- Megan- KTS- Endura Tech

It's time to do some research.

[DeXteR]

How much do you want to spend?

[BigMACKenzie]

sorry i have to call bullshot on twisted symphony and Echo deXter. First, koni's are okay but for $2K I would not choose them. The AGX KYB are good entry lvl parts but you might want something more. If you are not a competitive driver however, or if you wont see any track time go with the KYB's. the let you adjust ride hight and camber and change your cars stance cosmetically and for the price are nothign to sneeze at performance wise. If you are made out of $$$ however my fav solution is the in car adjustable systems (Teins EDFC or the Tanabe TEAS system) This lets you purchase stiff springs and dampers that you normally would not want bc who the hell wants to jump under there car with the two special wrenches every time they want to switch from bone jarring, @$$ rattling stiff to a setting fit for a DD. this eliminates a lot of headaches and down time that keep a lot of ppl away from the stiffer/sportier super drift and racing type dampers+springs. But like DeXter said, its mostly about how much you want to spend. If you have $1500 to blow and want to rock ppls faces off with your james bond car go Tein or Tanabe, if you just want to be able to get into some "spirited" driving, the KYB's or some Megans coilovers will treat you right, still look good and not demolish your wallet.

[wingFeather]

Megan

+1

[twistedsymphony]

my fav solution is the in car adjustable systems (Teins EDFC or the Tanabe TEAS system) This lets you purchase stiff springs and dampers that you normally would not want bc who the hell wants to jump under there car with the two special wrenches every time they want to switch from bone jarring, @$$ rattling stiff to a setting fit for a DD.

with a proper setup you don't have to...

stiff does not equal better... unless you're drifting

the whole point of a proper setup is to keep the tires in contact with the ground as best as possible... TRACTION is key to any performance vehicle because without traction you're in less control of the car.

most JDM coils like Teins and others are just overly stiff, they're designed so that you can break the rear end lose on command and offer some form of adjustability.

the "bone jarring, @$$ rattling" comes from the fact that the suspension is SO stiff that every little bump in the road makes the car hop and at the same time makes it lose traction...

A good suspension setup really isn't all that uncomfortable because it's designed keep chassis movement to a minimum while maximizing contact with the road.

If you want to get into the details as to how and why all this worksread this:http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets5.html

then read this:http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html

[BigMACKenzie]

False twistedsymphony, just plain false. If you can find me ONE single aftermarket/performance suspension that has softer springs and dampers I will order them, then eat them amd wash them down with a pink sparkly white zinfendel. Stiffer suspension= faster rebound= more time with the tire on the ground=traction. stiffer will always be better when it comes to performance driving. hehe I said stiff.

[94_240sx]

Whatever you get, buy coilovers with inverted mono tube design. You will see adjust knob at the bottom, not on top.

[BigMACKenzie]

------^

[twistedsymphony]

False twistedsymphony, just plain false. If you can find me ONE single aftermarket/performance suspension that has softer springs and dampers I will order them, then eat them amd wash them down with a pink sparkly white zinfendel. Stiffer suspension= faster rebound= more time with the tire on the ground=traction. stiffer will always be better when it comes to performance driving. hehe I said stiff.

I didn't say softer = better... I said that stiffer does not... it's not black and white. soft = bad... stiff = bad... a proper adaptive system = good.... a proper system wont be VIP cushy but it wont be spine breaking either...

if stiffer was better we'd all be removing the spring and shocks completely and just hard mounting it.

I've shown you scientific data as to what makes a good suspension work... and it is decidedly NOT stiffer=better

it went through with specific charts for the konki yellows among other options

if you'd like to provide me with similar info on Teins or other JDM coilover setups I'd be happy to go through the comparison.

I provide you with data to backup what I'm saying... and I challenge you to provide an intelligent counter argument with data to back it up... but all you've provided so far is unfounded opinions.

I'm an engineer and I've got no brand loyalty... I base my opinions and my recommendations off of cold hard FACTS collected from real world tests; actual data collected... numbers don't lie. Someone in a forum saying "yeah I bought coilover X and my car corners awesome" is not worth anything to me.

I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong but if you want to call me wrong you'll have to PROVE IT.

[BigMACKenzie]

I never said infinite stiffness=infinite improvement, i just said stiffer is better, and if you can adjust the stiffness from inside the car with a GD button push, why not have the handling ability on tap for when you need it? even if you never set it to 12kg, wouldnt you like to know that your suspension can take that lvl of abuse and keep rocking? and you can quote other ppl and URL's all day long but a paper made entirely out of footnotes does nothing for me dog. also will koni rebuild you busted dampers? I ask this not out of smugness but I rlly dont know, and it would make a diff to me if they do not. try Http://www.tein.com I am not sure where to find tanabe's info, as I am not well versed in their product.

Edit: GTFO! your link told me about two paragraphs in that TEIN and JIC make crappy parts

2nd edit: Show me this guys trophy wall and I may just STFU, but not likely.
Modified by BigMACKenzie at 1:44 PM 6/5/2008

[DeXteR]

At least for the rear... Otherwise, you'll have to notch your rear strut brace to get them to fit and have to drop them down to adjust.

[Project240]

Konis are OK

Megans coilovers will treat you right

Good GOD I've never read anything so stupid and uneducated in my life as these posts, reminds me why I never come here anymore.

stiffer is better

Stiffer is ALWAYS better, then? If so, I guess all of these engineering teams spending hours upon hours on shock dynos - studying rebound and other concepts you've probably never even tried to grasp - are complete idiots, and they may as well just weld the shock body right to the upper mount! ULTIMATE STIFFNESS, I AM A HANDLING GOD!!!

Did you even read the link twistedsymphony posted? The exhaustive section of tech articles, the list of sponsors, the list of credentials (the "trophy wall" I believe you were requesting) that gives the events he and his racing team has won? Do you have any such credentials to actually back up what you're saying?

His list of credentials, on the front page: http://farnorthracing.com/His list of sponsors: http://farnorthracing.com/sponsors.htmlHis extremely long article on autocross: http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets.html

Yeah, the guy said JIC and TEIN are crap. Why? Because he's an engineer with a metric ton of racing and testing experience, and he's tested them using SCIENTIFIC METHODS and determined that they simply don't perform. Why do you believe they're so amazing? Because Super Street told you so?

URLs and paper made of footnotes do nothing for you? Posting the SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS of someone with years of racing experience does more for me than your completely uninformed posts about why "megans r good and stiff, huhuhuh stiff lol."

****.

[vertbish]

Project240- You sound like my bf!

KTS FTW!!!!!

BTW, JIC IS ****...

[Topless_92]

Stance FTW

[DeXteR]

Wow. This got hateful.

Engineering >>>>>>>>> Speculation, internet, JDM tyte yo.

Research >>>>>>>>> Believing everything you read in a message board.

To the OP: Google "decision matrix". Throw your criteria and your options in there and see what it spits out.

[Eikon]

Well, it's a rare day when I have to lock a thread in the 'vert forum. It's even more rare when I have to take action against a member.

I'm very dissapointed in this whole situation.

I deleted every post that wasn't strictly informative.

To NIAvert: Please don't let this thread be representative of the 'vert forum as a whole. We really are not like this. It's very rare that we squabble. I hope you can see that we are all very passionate about our cars and parts.

To everyone:The 'vert forum continues to gain popularity. We love gaining new members, adding to the family, and growing the fantastic base of knowledge and experience.

Sometimes, however, those new members have a tendency to bring bad habits with them. This doesn't mean we don't like the people or don't want them here. It just means we'd like them to check those habits at the door.

To those who have been scolded in this thread: Please do stick around in the 'vert forum. We value you as members. But, please respect the mature and polite standards that we try to uphold in the 'vert forum. I realize the standards in the 'vert forum are much higher than in the 240 general forum. The sort of arguing and bickering that goes on there may be more prevalent there (still not acceptable), but we'd prefer not to bring that in here.

This was a great thread until it got personal. It's fantastic to see a simple question about coilover suspension turn into a lively debate about how coilover's work, what brands are better, and why they are. I love to see people argue about their favorite brand or style or type of part because it brings out the knowledge that has been gained over the years.

But that all gets ruined when we get frusterated with each other and reduce ourselves to name calling and swearing and attacking each other.

It's quite alright to disagree with each other. Most of us do disagree. We all have 'verts in common, but we have VERY different opinions of what those 'verts should be.

So, let's forget this happened!

Let's continue to have great conversations about our cars, the parts we put on them, and the styling we choose. Let's continue to enjoy each other's comradery. We even enjoy some good natured ribbing. But let's keep it all friendly please!

Thanks gang!