suspension options

[lordthygod]

After a few hard buffalo winters its time to give the Versa alil love. The steelies are alil banged up, supensions alil soft, brakes are getting on in age, and some of the bushings are getting alil squishy i think, but the good thing about owning a Nissan is its usually cheaper to upgrade than it is to go back to factory spec. I'm weighing my options.

for rims i was thinking of Motegi sp10 for a nice clean look, light weight and only 96 bucks a pop there were also some sport edition rims that didnt look to bad, weighed alil more and a bit chunkier which might not be bad for longevity(bright satin with machined lip), but i don't know anyone with sport edition wheels so i don't know about there reputation, there also 20 bucks cheaper per rimalso, what are the handleing changes going to 17's, do you get more sheer grip at the expense of balance of the car/nimbleness, how does diffent rim sizes effect the versa, and would 17's be to harsh for crappy backroads if i decide to get another delivery job at some point

for tires im torn between advid touring S $57 each, Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid $68, Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position $77. All seem like very nice tires for the price. Has anyone had experiance with these tires?

Brakes are fairly open aswell, it seems like ceramic brakes are dirt cheap these days and of varying grades, and theres also composite pads for $77 on tirerack, rotors are a big question aswell, might see if i can find some nickle rotor or something to help keep vents in rotors in gumming up with corrosion which can and will happen quickly in buffalo

suspension i was looking at either tanabe or eibach with basic gr-2 replaments. the other choice would be nismo kit, at 590 or what ever it is at versa speed its still cheaper than getting springs and $400 tokico non adjustables. so even if its just a rebadge of tokico or soemone else i know its setup spec for the versa, and i get to say its a nismo suspension. when it was 700 yea screw it, but with price so low im thinking it could be a nice choice. Has anyone ever ridden in a versa with the nismo supsension?

Bushings...energy suspenion maybe? havent really checked yet

i know this is alot and prolly not written very well but its 4am and i just woke back up...
Modified by lordthygod at 1:44 AM 2/28/2010

[Promise Land]

I don't have the NISMO suspension yet, but plan to soon. I have heard good things about the Tanabe, Eibach, and Megan springs (many members have them), and some have Tokico shocks/struts.

I haven't heard of anyone replacing the bushings yet.

[superskunk]

a safe bet for tires for 17's is 45 series tire, the profile isnt too low and you still have a smooter ride 40....

[steed77]

I have heard good things about the Tanabe, Eibach, and Megan springs (many members have them), and some have Tokico shocks/struts.

I went with the Eibach and Tokico combo. It made a HUGE change. Also added a rear sway, strut bar, and some 17 wheels and decent tires.

One thing I noticed, the brakes seem MUCH better than before. I was going to upgrade to Hawk HPS pad. After the suspension and wheel/tire combo... the car stops 10X better.

Good luck on your quest. Versa speed has been my source for most of this.

[lordthygod]

the nismo suspension kit versa speed is cheaper, but even if there wasn't, is there a difference between the nismo kit and tokico/eibach combo?

also 15s and some potenza pole postion or 17's and down grade to potenza grid tires?"

[superskunk]

as you may already know the Versa has huge wheel wells, so 15's tend to look funny, but if you like 15's i say go for it... but me, personally i like 17's.... why dont you just save up for coilovers? thats the route i eventually want to go...

[lordthygod]

its not really the look im concerned about(honestly its always gonna look kinda goofy, kinda why i like it, just like my nx2000) , its carrying 800 pounds of food for a catering joint and suddenly half the road is missing(ie a full lane is suddenly ripped up 6 inches down on and off for 10 feet) or flying through 3 feet of snow that fell overnight. I would prefer 17's but i think my climate calls for alittle more spounge. and im going for bang for my buck, im doing most of this cuz i have to replace stuff anyways, might aswell make it alil better and a little more durable for the same money as oem.

[pimpedarse]

I'm also thinking of buying rather Tanabe or Eibach springs but I've always wondered, does installing the springs void your warranty??

[lordthygod]

Ended up going with the following, still waiting on rims/tires and suspensionto come in over next few days

Brakes- Napa mid-grade cermaic pads and napa rotors, oem shoes for the rear

Wheels- Motegi SP-10 15 inch, i would have prefered 17's but with how warm this winter has been im gonna need alil extra squish in my tires

Tires- Bridgestone potenza grid

Suspension- Nismo kit from versaspeed, and will weld upa brace for stut towers when suspension is in

Intake-custom pipe similar to the takeda short intake for the cube, tryto get some pics up when i can

Head lights- mid-grade silver stars

[CrankyVersa]

I have the Grid's in 205/45/17 and i love them. Bumps are a little rough but the tires are so smooth riding and great in the wet and corners

[superskunk]

i hit a bump so hard with my 20's 225/30/R20 that my windshield wipers came on... ouch...

I'm also thinking of buying rather Tanabe or Eibach springs but I've always wondered, does installing the springs void your warranty??

there isnt really a warranty per say on suspension, it is a wear and tear item... come to a meet sometime....

[pimpedarse]

I totally will! My Versa's pretty stock right now though... just debadged it right when I got it and had it tinted last week...

I'm a little tight on money but I saw a picture of a couple of member's cars that are lowered and have stock rims that look pretty legit

I love the look and I'm thinking I could just have it like that until I save up enough for actual rims.

[KGibbons]

the nismo is made by koni!

[superskunk]

I totally will! My Versa's pretty stock right now though... just debadged it right when I got it and had it tinted last week...

I'm a little tight on money but I saw a picture of a couple of member's cars that are lowered and have stock rims that look pretty legit

I love the look and I'm thinking I could just have it like that until I save up enough for actual rims.

if you look at my signature pic, my versa is the first one on the right, i have Tanabe springs, and the second versa is lowered on Eibach, the third is stock ride height and the last 2 are Tanabe also... there is a set of Tanabes for sale rite now, those things are priced to move!

[pimpedarse]

Do you know how much he's selling them for? I just checked the trading post and only found people out of state that are selling them

[lordthygod]

K nismo suspension is in and on the car. Struts were labeled as being made by kyb. Just the rims/tires/alignment were an amazing improvement, and the suspension is like the icing on the cake. Honestly its not that stiff, and is extremely balanced no matter the road surface(NASTY pot holes and heavy rain situations.Defiantly have some bad bushings, alot of them are very soft, the one is starting to tear, so i'll be changing them as i go.

Big thanks to versaspeed for getting me the parts!