Flame on for suspension question...

[twofortyfan]

I know I will get all kinds of "search" responses but here goes anyway. I am going to upgrade my brakes, wheels/tires and suspension. The brakes will probably be Q45 calipers and rotors with stock rears ( from fastbrakes thanks to the link from another post), Sport max wheels 17x9 +35mm offest with some variation of tire in the 225/40 or 235/40 range. The big question comes for suspension and what to go with. Coilovers are almost a no brainer seeing as how there are several kits ( Tein, Ksport, Megan etc. ) that all offer good products for around $800 to $900 but the hidden side of that is what else needs to be done to car to take full advantage of them and will the wheels clear the setup. The other side of the coin is struts and springs but I haven't been able to nail down a solid opinion on which setup will lower the car decently with out hurt ride quality and again, what will cleathe wheels.Hera are my requirements and info:1995 240SX SENo serious work done, just I/H/EWould like to keep the price under $900 but the lower the betterNeed daily comfort as it will be a daily driverDon't want that nasty "dog taking a piss" squat lookNeeds to clear the above mentioned wheel 17x9" +35mm offsetI think thats all I need for info for someone to help or yell. I need to get this setup right on the first try because I will driving the car from NY to TN ( 850 miles ) right after the work is finished. I can't afford to chew up a tire on the way there or bottom out on every drive way I encouter either. I am asking for specific info for that reason only and I need to get it quick since the work needs to be done within the next 2 weeks. Thank you again and please.... be gentle

[adrianfromthecastle]

heres the low down on coilovers. the cheaper they are, the less quality you'll get.

Megans are ok but are a tad bit bouncy, K sports from what I heard, are crap, teins (I'm assuming your talking about the tein basics) suck even more.

Well the thing about Tein basics (most people won't even consider them as real coilovers) is that they dont come with camber plates like other coilovers do, and their spring rates are horrible as far as performance goes (6/6kg f:r). Theyre there just for the fact of lowering your car.

anyways that's my input on the coil brands you listed. Of yours listed, I'd say Megans are you best bet.

I'd prefer coilovers over spring/ strut combo due to the perfomance (coilovers offer more adjustability and stiffer spring rates)

As far as whats needed, nothing is really needed, but to correct your rear camber (the lower you go, the more neg. camber your rears go), you'll need rear upper control arms (aka RUCAs), fronts are adjusted by camberplates that already come with teh coilovers (assuming you went the coilover route. spring/stut combos dont have camber plates). After you install your coilovers and adjust your RUCAs to your desired specs, get an alignment asap. Lowering your ride doesnt only affect camber, but it also affects caster (i.e your tires will eat up faster).

you don't have to correct your camber if you don't want to, but an alignment is necessary. Contrary to what some people say, camber doesn't wear ties, tow angle does.

[E7-S14]

if your constantly spinning them yes..the more - camber the less tire life you will have. cuz you'd only b using like 70% of the tire.my contact patch in the rear is about 60-70%. which sucks..

[twofortyfan]

I agree that cost equals quality when talking about alot of things, especially items like coilovers. There are alot of ways to cut corners when making them and companies expect to sell units based on name alone.Good advice, yes the camber and caster needs adjusted right away. That is kind of a no brainer if you've been around cars for more than a hot minute ( which I have ) but it still leaves my question unanswered. I need to find a good street set up that will increase my handling performance but maintain a steetable ride for decent buck. Koni yellow are good I hear but what about tokico D-sports? They look like the replacement for the last adjustable tokico and competion for the KYB AGX. Is that an accurate statement? If so, what would be a good spring combo? I hear good things about Tein springs for the 240 with AGX but haven't talked personelly with anyone who has experience. Eibach is usually a good quality part but they lower the car lower than I need. The Tein springs are 1.3 in the front and 0.9 in the rear. That may go a little more with performance struts but I don't know the answer to that question either. I have a little more time to search now but it's fruitless unless you hit the key phrase words and sort through endless B.S. posts to find a paragraph of good info. My head is going to explode if I don't make up my mind soon, help

[twofortyfan]

Lets try that again, Dspec-not Dsport

[twofortyfan]

OK, here is my final thought. Tokico Dspec struts and Tein springs. The Dspec's are adjust able and the Teins' drop it just the right amount and the last guy I talked to at Heavy throttle in NY said they were a good spring with the 240. It keeps my price around $700 and meets my needs in that department, the question is are they worth the money and is the set up sound? I guess I am gonna have to give it a shot and see but opinions would help. I have from now until Monday night to gather opinions then Tuesday morning it's on the phone and ordering parts so give it up now if ya got suggestions

[CusCo_S14]

Hey you still looking for some coilovers or spring/strut combo. a find of mine on here is sellinf both nismo spring/strut combo off s15 and also Apex coilovers his User name is Silvermossnes

[Sentientbydesign]

Contrary to what some people say, camber doesn't wear ties, tow angle does.

I don't mean to step on any toes, but this statement is completely false. Way back when I was newb, I had an Eibach Pro Kit installed on my I. My newer (35k tires with 2k-3k on them) front tires got less than 5k before they developed a slow leak.

Regardless of of spinning, the tires are designed to be planted more or less evenly on the ground, applying the full weight on only a portion of the tire will make them wear more rapidly.

I suggest getting a camber kit for a spring/strut combo or making sure the coilovers have a camber plate. There are MANY wanna-bee ricers in my area that have stock/aftermarket rim combos. I thought they were all cheap morons, then I realized how many of them wore through their expensive 18-20" front tires and had to install the stock ones.