How to get the Best Suspension and handeling

[CYBEREAGLE19]

ok what all do I need to purchase to get the best handeling and Suspension from my 1990 Fastback. thanks for ur input

[ninjak84]

Eibach SportlinesTokico shocks and strutsCamber kit

Thta's what I think it should be, maybe someone else can offer insight...?

[trpower7]

I think the best and most cost effective way is this:1) Eibach Sportline Springs2) KYB AGX Shocks3) Suspension Techniques anti-sway bars4) Front and Rear Strut tower bars (you can make the things, I did, $2 worth of aluminum, and they make a NOTICEABLE difference)

[ninjak84]

I knew I forgot something..... thx!

[CYBEREAGLE19]

what about performance bushings and coilover kits

[NiSilS14]

nismo!! thats what everybody else saids

[casman86]

He said the best handling, so:-coilovers-strut tower bars-sway bars

[EyeStabPeople]

ST sway bars, Tein Type RS coil overs with PB mounts cusco suspension arms, whiteline bushings, Kaaz limited slip, cusco tie rod ends, nismo strut tower bars, i coudl keep going

[teg_autox]

O.K. I can tell that not many of you race competitively becuase most suspension threads on this board say silly things like "giving a firm ride with out being to harsh" or "nice ride and not to stiff, and it looks cool lowered". There are many things invovled in the physics of handling. But a good start would be Koni double adjustable shocks $kaching$ custom valved for your car. And a cheap alternative to coilovers is the Ground control kit. And an absolute must is LINEAR rate springs, DO NOT GET progressive rate springs like Eibach, or sprints, or tenzo R, or whatever. They are all to soft, and when you have 2 or more spring rates per shock your car can be unpredictable and become unstable under cornering loads. Most lowering springs are made for street cars, coil-overs are generally designed with racing in mind. I Can maybe help more on this subject in the near future but I have not yet tried enough things on my 240's suspension. I am learning more with every car I work on, be it honda, toyota, subaru, or nissan. So far the best handling cars hands down that I have raced are the hondas. But I am confident that if I build it right my nissan will out handle my Acura any day. I have had very good luck with the KYB AGX's they seem to have very aggressive valving for auto-x and combined with the above mentioned GROUND Controls they can be very competive. BUT they will not ride smooth. If you soften the rear more than the front it can help on the street. I do not have any suggestions on spring rates yet, hopefully will know more soon. Also buy an extra set of 15" rims and mount RACE tires, probably the Khumo victo racers they are very nice, but will wear out if you use them on the street. Bushings, and strut tower are of lesser priority, unless your bushings are worn out, strut tower bars are just for looks, admittedly anything you can do to stiffen the chassis and isolate the suspension is a plus, but these tower bars are mostly junk, nothing will do as much as a good 6 point roll cage. Sway bars are good for body roll, which strut cars dont like, just keep in mind that a larger front sway bar is gonna increase understeer, and a larger rear bar will increase oversteer. Most auto-x'rs leave the front bar alone and only upgrade the rear bar, to help with rotation.

Sorry for the long winded response but depending on what you wanna do with the car this can be a very long discussion, there is way more to suspension geometry than I know of still.

P.S. did I mention that I hate progressive rate springs?

[s14=pimpin']

Well put tegautox

you have to let us know what you are building for (street or track) and what your budget is like. Tires are very important, and possibly seam welding, for the hardcore handling freaks!

anyone know where I can get info on seam welding for the 240sx ('95)?

[Mayhem_J30]

P.S. did I mention that I hate progressive rate springs?

progressive lies to ya

good respons teg_autox

[CYBEREAGLE19]

well I am looking to get 400+whp, I want to use the 240 at the track also street use, thanks everybody for ur input

[CYBEREAGLE19]

basicaly get the following items anything else I have heard performance bushings-coilovers-strut tower bars-sway bars

[ninjak84]

well I am looking to get 400+whp, I want to use the 240 at the track also street use, thanks everybody for ur input

Doesn't everyone though?

[91nis240]

WHOA WHOA naming all these things, if the guy is will to spend some serious money (1,000-2,500 bucks) then i suggest any fully adjutable coil over( tein, apex-i, JIC, cusco), and its doesnt matter any of them are well over good enough. Then get a camber kit for the rear and front and rear strut bars and you are set!

now if your in a cheaper rang 200-800 bucks you can get jus lowering springs on new struts or the sleeve over type coil over w/ soem new struts. My combo is RS Racing coil over up front and Intrax lowering springs in the back(cut 3 coils) w/ KYB struts at all four corners

[CYBEREAGLE19]

WHOA WHOA naming all these things, if the guy is will to spend some serious money (1,000-2,500 bucks) then i suggest any fully adjutable coil over( tein, apex-i, JIC, cusco), and its doesnt matter any of them are well over good enough. Then get a camber kit for the rear and front and rear strut bars and you are set!

now if your in a cheaper rang 200-800 bucks you can get jus lowering springs on new struts or the sleeve over type coil over w/ soem new struts. My combo is RS Racing coil over up front and Intrax lowering springs in the back(cut 3 coils) w/ KYB struts at all four corners

Thank u

[GreekM3]

I am suprised no one has said this....

strip interior and get a cage welded in to stiffen things up along with a suspension. How serious are you about suspension? What do you want out of your car? These things need to be addresed before the "best" suspension can be named for you.

[APEXi240]

My opinion...Tein Type Flex with the EDFC if you are really gonna be on the track a lot. Strut bars, sway bars...

Hell, just go to the JIC website, and order every suspension part they offer for your car...you'll outhandle just about everything.

[specialkonrd]

i have tokico struts and springs and suspension techniques swaybarsim takin 30kph turns at 100kph+ on 215 tires and its not lettin gothat should cover ya

how do you make ur own strut tower bars?

[gr56a]

an absolute must is LINEAR rate springs, DO NOT GET progressive rate springs like Eibach, or sprints, or tenzo R, or whatever. They are all to soft, and when you have 2 or more spring rates per shock your car can be unpredictable and become unstable under cornering loads. Most lowering springs are made for street cars, coil-overs are generally designed with racing in mind.

Well I just received my sportlines in the mail today...only to read this. Can someone thoroughly explain the difference between Linear and progressive...I need to know before I put these on.

Thanks in advance for the reply

[Excedio]

does anyone know any sites where i can get Suspention Techniques Anti-Sway Bar Set...

i already checked out http://www.enjukuracing.com and http://www.summitracing.com

[Phixius]

I just ordered the ST swaybar kit from http://www.alamomotorsports.com/products.htmlI'm waiting for there arival...

[C-Kwik]

Tires are your most important upgrade. They will determine how much grip you will have ultimately. As far as other upgrades, I would get stiffer springs with well matched shocks. Sway bars are a good idea, but do not just upgrade the rear if you do not know what you are doing. It will make the car more tailhappy, but the front will not actually get any more grip. I do highly recommend camber plates. and at the track, run some extra camber. 3 degrees negative has minimized understeer quite a bit. I'd dial in more, but I don't want to take away too much braking ability. An LSD can help you get on the gas sooner and/or harder when exiting turns. If you have the budget, ride-height adjustable coilovers are bice as long as you have them properly corner-weighted. KEep in mind it does tend to degrade ride quality since most kits are sprung quite stiffly.

I do not recommend cutting springs, unless you truly know what you are doing. Not just because you can cause problems if you cut too much, but it's very hard to predict the change in spring rate.

Also, make sure you get quality products. Most shocks will be of good quality, just make sure they can handle the spring rate. Spring quality is particularly important. Intrax for example winds the coils hot. This makes it easier to make the spring, but sacrifices the springs integrity. They tend to sag after a while. Good spring manufacturers will wind the springs cold. Better ones wil even take it an extra step and compress the spring to it's max to ensure it will not sag after usage.

[Two-Forty]

how come no one mentions about upgrading your axels, is it not important? let's pretend you're taking a turn hard possibly driftin and your rusty axels give and snaps.....or thats impossible. I don't know just givin a thought. maybe you can enlighten me a lil bit.

[Two-Forty]

and wassup wid that white grl on that blue m3 all up on the car's hood, I would beat the **** outa her for climbin up on my shiny *** hood, her fat *** prolly dent my hood...

[teg_autox]

Hey gr56a

The differance between linear rate springs and progressive rates goes something like this...

A progresive rate spring is usually composed of two or more spring rates so that you get a softer ride most of the time, and then when you hit bumps the stiffer springs help keep the car from bottoming out. But if you think about it what is most important when driving at the EDGE? Predictablility! You wanna know exactly whats going on with the car, if you are mid corner and the front passenger spring is loaded then you hit a bump and suddenly your spring rate goes up... this is gonna feel weird through the steering wheel, also its going to cause unwanted weight transfer, probably generating understeer. If the rear hits the bump you may encounter oversteer, its quite possible that on progressive rate springs you could have different wheel rates at each corner.

Linear rate springs have the same rate all the way through the springs motion, thereby giving you a much more predictable and confidence inspiring driving experiance, also if you have consistant wheel rates at each corner and the car is setteled you can acheive much higher cornering forces.

Now a quick and easy way to identify a linear rate spring, you coils will be evenly spaced, and of the same approximate diameter all around, if you see coils that are closer at the top or bottom than it is a progressive spring, This isnt a fool proof way to tell but its close enough.

I am not that familiar with the sportline springs but if you dont wanna sell them, than put them on and I am positive you will still enjoy them, linear rate springs are definatly the way to fast but if you are not trying to win at nationals than there is no reason to go that extra mile. I have raced on both and I prefer linear both on street and track. Anyway hope that helps!