Spring replacement

[infinityis2]

Hello,

I've been getting terrible tire wear from misalignment, and the root of the problem is my suspension--when I went to get it aligned the guy said I needed new struts for the alignment to do any good.

I'm new to suspension work, and I've been reading a lot of posts/articles about replacing the suspension, but most of them are about lowering the car, etc. All I want to do is get it back in good, working condition, nothing fancy, on a college student budget (I'm hoping to keep it below $500 total). The vehicle is a 1992 Nissan 240sx convertible

That said, should I assume I need to change the springs in addition to the struts, and if so, where/how can I get stock springs? Is the best way to check the condition of the springs by measuring the ride height or by a visual inspection? Lastly, I've been given the impressiont that convertibles weigh more than non-convertibles to keep the vehicle stiff--if that's true, do I need to take that into account when buying replacement struts & shocks, or is the weight "close enough" that it doesn't make a difference?

Any recommendations for where to buy stock suspension componenets are welcome, and if anyone knows of a good website with instructions for a do-it-yourself alignment, please send me a link.

Thanks,David1992 240sx convertible

[gogg]

Well, do you plan on lowering the car any or making it stiffer? If not then just use the stock springs and get some new struts.

You don't need to replace springs...

And for do it yourself alignment kits you'd be spending some money, probably the same or more than an alignment.

[infinityis2]

No plans on lowering or stiffening, stock is fine with me.

Thanks for the answer about spring replacement--as far as the other parts (bellows & mounts) should I just check for wear or go ahead and replace those as well?

And for the alignment kits, if the cost is comparable (or more) than just getting an alignment, then I'm definitely interested, because I'd probably get plenty of use out of it--assuming it pays for itself over a lifetime of alignments. Any suggestions/links?

Thanks,David

[infinityis2]

Also, the ride height seems to be just over an inch too low--would new struts fix that, or is that a worn spring issue?

Thank,David