please critique my suspension upgrade list...

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

i am hoping to build my s13 coupe with a complete drift suspension. i plan on going all out w/ the parts. while some may not be top of the line, i am confident they are all high quality. please give me advice to help me out and eliminate uneeded items.

suspension: BATTLE VERSION - adj tension rods, rear toe link, rear forward link, upper adj camber control arms. TEIN adj hard tie rods. PILOT front and rear strut tower bars. JIC FLTA2 coilovers, NISMO power brace. WHITELINE front and rear adjustable swaybars 27mm/22mm. PDM front and rear new oem lower control arms with whiteline bushings pressed in. GTO front 5 lug hub kit. S14 rear hubs.

this setup alone might cost close to 5 grand. please feel free to comment. how can i make the suspension setup better? is it necessary to totally overhaul my current suspension or is buying new oem lower arms a good idea? in addition to this. i still have to think about a decent braking setup and wheels. so, i can't even order coilovers until i decide on Z32 rear uprights. thanks for any help.

Post by **EnzoRWD** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

just one thing, for little bit more, buy the 4 point CP Racing strut bars. hell of a lot less than cusco, like 100 each. plus u get triangulated goodness....http://www.cpracing.com

-Enzo

Post by **yeswepromise** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

dont forget the whole Do Luck lineup of parts.

Post by **meatman10523** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

rear subframe...can't forget that get the spacer things from SPL

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

i was underneath the back end of the car and i was wondering to myself..."how the heck am i gonna get those spacers out." thanks for the advice. enzo, you're link isn't taking me to the strut bars you wanted to show me. man, i really wanna get this car in top form. sometimes it's disappointing riding in a car that creaks and rattles. sometimes it's the best part, but i do want this thing to be silently solid one day! hopefully soon! any advice on brakes? what's the ultimate combination for drifting?

Post by **hyb force soldier** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

Oh, I think you forgot about the s**t load of bushings too. You can check the list out at japanparts.com a lot of NISMO and Cusco bushings. That is going to cost a grip load of cash just for bushings.

Post by **solaris22** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

VQdriver wrote:i was underneath the back end of the car and i was wondering to myself..."how the heck am i gonna get those spacers out."

you leave them in, put the spacers over them. The spacers have slits in them so you don't have to completely remove the sub-frame, just lower it a smidgen

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

interesting...

Post by **crzycav86** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

..hmmm.. and what exactly do spacers do?(sorry for the newbie q)

Post by **yeswepromise** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

i think i got this answer right.....the spacers eliminate the open space that the subframe ahs to travel around. the aluminum spacers fill the gap and stop the free movement.

Post by **book-ends** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

VQdriver,

Your set up sounds pretty similar to what I have with a few exceptions. What exactly makes this the "complete drift setup"? I'm not trying to be an ***, I was just wondering........

Personally I think drifiting is very uninteresting and I didn't get my 240 to do it. Actually, I've had mine for a while. The suspension components you listed are all very good (maybe with the exception of the strut tower bars, but that's a seperate post!) and I think that suspension and brakes are WAY more important than a phat SR swap or something like that..........

What's the point of going fast when you can't stop or turn? Ha ha ha.......

Good luck with your project!!!

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

drifting is fun, but this car will be setup to be good "all around." yes, i plan on getting the suspension and brakes soon. my ride has a rally spec suspension in the front since the SR is lighter than the KA it sits higher! everything is thrown off balance and my brakes have many miles on them. this is why i want a complete suspension setup. true, i notice my strut bars are the cheapest choice. perhaps i'll search these forums and see for myself if i really need to get "brand name" strut bars. jeans, how do you like the battle version suspension? what kind of brakes do you have front and rear? i'm trying to tie all this in with a 5 lug conversion. this is why i still don't have at least coilovers =(

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

i believe a "drift setup" has to have strength to overcome huge sideforces and road imperfections and increase responsiveness. so the links have to be high quality. coilovers tend to be a little bit stiffer than necessary and might even be tuned for easy oversteer. adjustablity is important for things like negative camber and ride height. other than that, i believe it's the same as a road race or "grip" setup. what's important is balance and predictability which my stock suspension does not have.

Post by **book-ends** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

VQ,

The Battle Version units are very nice, don't be fooled by the name........as I initially was. I have the rear upper adjustable arms and the front adjustable T/C rods. I don't have the spare change for the forward and toe links!!! Brakes are stock in the rear and 26mm 300ZX up front.

The five lug conversion is very popular and it definately has its merits. In my particular financial state, I can't see the unsprung weight benefits and increased range of wheel choices as being worth the dollars to change everything out. If I was true hard-core, I probably would, or if that damn money tree would start blooming...........

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

yea man...the money tree is being cut down branch by branch with this project. it's appauling, but performance costs $. if i can't locate rear aluminum uprights, do you think it would make a difference even with bigger/heavier Z32 brakes in the rear? i have picked up a great deal from searching on this forum from you guys. thanks a lot. i still have more questions: if i got the full array of adjustable links and new arms would i still need those bushings or is my setup complete? somebody above mentioned i should get all the bushings. minus the rear subframe spacer bushing thing, i'm a bit confused...

Post by **book-ends** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

I think that any weight gain is offset by the increased braking perfomance. As for uprights..........if you really wanted to complete the whole package, you would need to replace the worn out bushings in the uprights themselves. The other bushings are replaced completely with heim joints on the adjustable links, but the upright bushings would still remain. Personally, I have only been able to find NISMO super hard rubber upright bushings and I think that should be fine!

You can source them at:http://www.courtesy-nissan.com

Post by **StanBo** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

I have seen guys do pretty well with way less than what you have listed.

Have you gotten any seat time yet?

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

StanBo wrote:I have seen guys do pretty well with way less than what you have listed.

Have you gotten any seat time yet?

hey stan! wassup? i dunno if you know, but it's me rudy! these guys have been helping me out. as for seat time, just basic driving around. i'm afraid to push it because i have no brakes and suspension. soon though i will get at least coilovers for starters. i will probably make DOW this week, but i'm not positive. yes i know, i'm a bit ahead of myself, but hell after my ordeal with SKR i'm a full year behind. i'd like to make progress now in big chunks. i'll post in your forum when i get a bit more advanced =P

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

VQdriver wrote:suspension: BATTLE VERSION - adj tension rods, rear toe link, rear forward link, upper adj camber control arms. TEIN adj hard tie rods. PILOT front and rear strut tower bars. JIC FLTA2 coilovers, NISMO power brace. WHITELINE front and rear adjustable swaybars 27mm/22mm. PDM front and rear new oem lower control arms with whiteline bushings pressed in. GTO front 5 lug hub kit. S14 rear hubs.

SPL Parts offers the same quality parts as Battle Version for MUCH less. Here's a comparison:

Battle Version:T/C Rods - $230RUCAs - $325Forward Link - $245Toe Link - $250

SPL Parts:T/C Rods - $161RUCAs - $222Forward Link - $222Toe Link - $199 (on sale right now

)

You save $250 by going with our parts. You'd also be supporting a NICO advertiser who actually does actively participate in helping members.

Plus I think our parts look better

http://www.splparts.com/S13/Suspension/ArmBush.asp

Here's a pic of our tension rods:

We also have the Nismo Power Bar in stock right now... they are $175

And our slotted aluminum subframe spacers take all of 45 minutes to install with common handtools, they cost $88 for the full set.

Contact us: [email protected] ... please mention your from NICO.

Post by **book-ends** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

Nismo,

Will the SPL tie rod ends mate up to the JIC Magic tie rods? What is the benefit of the tie rod ends as opposed to the Moog units that I sourced from PDM Racing? Also, while you're plugging your wares, what is the price of the pro front lower arms?

Since I already have a few Battle Version components on my car, I am loath to mix and match companies for other items, but you're definately right about the price difference.

Lastly, what kind of warranty to you offer on your products?

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

WOW! i have no problems going all out on SPL if they can guarantee their quality over battle version! parts look very sharp!

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

jeansguy wrote:Nismo,

Will the SPL tie rod ends mate up to the JIC Magic tie rods? What is the benefit of the tie rod ends as opposed to the Moog units that I sourced from PDM Racing? Also, while you're plugging your wares, what is the price of the pro front lower arms?

Since I already have a few Battle Version components on my car, I am loath to mix and match companies for other items, but you're definately right about the price difference.

Lastly, what kind of warranty to you offer on your products?

All SPL branded parts have a 1 year warranty

The Pro front lower arms are ~800 and we've yet to make another set cause of the low demand.

The SPL tie rod ends are gonna be for people looking for the upmost in steering response and that don't mind some feedback due to the aggressive nature.

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

those front and rear lower control arms are nice pieces! probably a bit overkill unless you're a pro? $$$

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

VQdriver wrote:those front and rear lower control arms are nice pieces! probably a bit overkill unless you're a pro? $$$

Yeah.. they are pretty much for those looking for the upmost in suspension tuning.

Post by **VQdriver** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

can i get a discount in shipping for all those parts? lol

Post by **chmercer** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:12 am

nismo - could you compare the subframe collars to the solid bushings? also any ETA on RUCAs for s14?

please critique my suspension upgrade list...

please critique my suspension upgrade list...

Re: please critique my suspension upgrade list...

Nissan Forums

Infiniti Forums

Datsun Forums

Technical Forums

Classifieds / Marketplace

Nissan Motorsports

General Forums