suspension????

[gumby]

i knew very little about working on cars before i bought the acursed 240sx so bear with me. Im somewhat unfamiliar with suspension concepts so i need a primer.

what are the pros/cons to lowering springs?

seems to me the 240 is already fairly low. im leary of bottoming it out and beating the hell out of the steering/suspension going over poorly paved or dirt roads, potholes, etc.

do the original springs sag noticably after 150k?

ive driven one with lowering springs, 17" rims, & strut braces. too stiff for my taste.

if i use original springs, 15" rims, & strut braces, will it still handle tight or seem sloppy? would it make any sense to add sway bars to compensate if it does? $250

should i be lookin at 16" rims with stock springs? or 15" or 16" rims with lowering springs. is there an intermediate spring set?

should i replace the steering rack while the engines out, if it doesnt leak yet? $230

whats the affordable compromise?

i dont even want to think about the bushings.

im very confused with all these options my head hurts please help me



the good news is i still have H&R springs, kyb shocks, and new oem tension rods.

[Dori Dori]

If you don't like the feel of lowering springs and you think the car is low enough, use those KYB struts w/ OEM springs (or better yet, sell em and get some koni struts and use the oem springs). Remember that your stock struts are probably badly blown.

As for strut bars...$230 is a lot to spend on them if you're on a budget. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I've used spoon strut bars, cusco strut bars, and cheap *** pilot strut bars...you know what the difference is??? $$$! Been using the pilots for about a year now w/ no problems.

Use that extra cash to get yourself some new ball joints (lca and tie rod ends), bushings, and maybe even a nice SPL tension rod (stock tension rods SUCK).

[jmauld]

I second the Koni idea. Also, instead of spending $230 on strut bars, swaybars will provide a more noticeable benefit.

[skydragoness]

KYB's, at least the AGX"s (adjustable shocks)have been complained about being too firm even set at the lowest settings.

Koni's would probably be better, although they are more $

Lowering springs that lower 1.5" or less and are progressively rated (like Eibach Pro-Kits) have been noted to be more comfy than say coilovers or stiff linear springs. Just don't go any lower than 1.5" and you should be fine as far as the bottoming out thing goes.

As far as wheels go, if you go with 15's , try to find 15x7's or 7.5's so you can get a wider tire, or 16's. 17's are really overkill. What really matters is tires anyway, that's the first handling upgrade you can make that you won't regret. Search up some threads for the best tires. Personally, i run bridgestones, currently i have 15" rims with Potenza RE950's which are all-season performance, but have a pretty agressive tread design, and bridgestones are known to have stiff sidewalls.

Also, as far as little suspension components go, you can replace stuff like your t/c rods (as the bushings are filled with silicone and leak over time), outer tie rods, inner tie rods, etc.

hope that helps.

check out http://www.pdm-racing.com they have lots of suspension goodies

[gumby]

thanks for the tips peoples.

i was thinking suspension techniques for sways $250. already have OBX strut tower braces.

the H&R springs lower it 1.5" so i guess theyre ok it musta been the 17" rims. I'll stick with the stock 15" alloys since the treads are almost new. Then maybe go for wider 15"s or 16's later that sounds like a good suggestion. The 17"s had potenzas the rears were all chewed up when i sold the rims i hope 15"s will weather the negative camber from the H&Rs well.

what do you think i should do about bushings. the rear seems to sit level to the eye. I'd like to keep it practical. Im not really into performance upgrades but since i got the other parts i figure go with the flow. Its getting 20k jasper remanufactured sohc, hotshot headers, injen intake, magna flow hi flow cat, and some sorta 2.25" cat back exhaust. more than enough for me.

what should i do about the brakes? i have newish front rotors. I'm hoping just bleeding the system and new pads will suffice, but I just started driving 5spd and never had such a fast car so Id like some stopping security. Stainless steel lines worth the $$$?

car is being delivered tomorrow so i still have to check it over completely. Its originally an '89 southwest car which was under a tarp on gravel in NJ for 6 yrs. No noticable rust on the chassis tires are a little rotted though. makes me wonder about the bushings. i figure the rubbers all suspect. what problem areas should i check for?

[Nismo_Freak]

24k / 20k on a 10mm stroke damper.

After the first few bumps you won't feel anything, not even your legs.

[Projex240]

tokico blues are good struts to have with oem stuff--firm enough to improve handling and still subtle enough so you dont need a kidney belt. I would go with the agx's only as a last resort--ive been reading more and more negative feedback from them lately--the gr-2's suck *** and the agx's have a problem not lasting too long.

-Josh