Y33 Coils and Struts

[jrichardson]

I've got a 2001 Q that has 125k on it. Great car, except it has been eating tires for the last 20-30k miles. Rear driver side camber is off about 1 degree, and rear passenger is off about .5 degree, eating the inside of both tires. Front camber is barely within spec.

I called T3 to get the best place to get an alignment/camber fixed, and they said Americas Best in Alpharetta, Georgia. They were right. These guys do all of the alignment work for the Ferrari dealership and other high end autos.

They took a look at it, and the only thing that they could see/say was that possibly the rear shocks/coils were worn out, causing the vehicle to sag a bit and change the angle of the tire. Geometrically, I think that makes sense since I see many lowered cars having a camber issue.

So the question is: Would worn out shocks/struts/coils cause a camber issue? If so, what aftermarket options do I have if I want to stay with stock height/ride? I've read about the KYB SR Specials and Tein coils, but it appears that these are for lowering the vehicle. It's a touring model, so from reading it looks like putting in non-touring cartridges will be less expensive.

Again, I'm really only trying to resolve the camber issue, not turn the car into a track car or anything. Perhaps the shock mount up top is worn???? How do I check that?

Thanks!!

[BadQ45t]

Do you have the adjustable shocks or standard? If you have the adjustable then your going to need to buy everything factory. If you have standard then you can either again go stock (use Infiniti of Scotsdale mailorder to save alot of cash) or if your not adjustable then you can do KYB SR Specials and either Tein or Espelir springs. There was a vendor Memoryfab who was selling them, their website seems to be down but you can call them. I know a few members who got their stuff from these guys. The KYB SR Specials ride MUCH stronger then the stock shocks, so if you like the plush ride then you have no choice but to go stock. For my 97', I did the KYB SR Specials and lowered the car by 2" with the Tein springs. I finished it off with the 19" rims and 245/35 19 on M45 rims. The car is like night and day, but the days of plush ride are gone, but it is also very stiff and handles better then my friends 545i IMHO.

[jrichardson]

I've got the 'Touring' Adjustable suspension. I'll call memoryfab and see what they can do...but what you're saying is because I have the adjustable suspension, I have no other choice but to go with dealer stock struts/shocks. That stinks! Even if I don't need the 'adjustable' suspension, you're saying that I still have to go with dealer stock, huh?

[lamsv]

If you want to retain the automatic adjustable suspension, yes, you will have to go with OEM struts and springs. But, my understanding is that you can just disconnect the motors from the top of the struts and use what ever suspension you want. But, you loose the automatic adjustable suspension.

[BadQ45t]

Yup, I think is the correct information. Personally, I'd call memoryfab and lose the adjustable, the KYR SR Specials are very high quality IMHO and if you want to lower the car it really handles much better. But be warned that this is long car and riding 2" lowered you have to be very careful over speed bumps and when parking....but totally worth it. I wouldn't ever consider putting my car back to the way it was, people have no clue what the car is even anymore, which I love.

No big lose from what I have heard about the adjustable suspension on the 2nd gen, not a very high tech deal....

[royal_monaco]

Do you have the adjustable shocks or standard? If you have the adjustable then your going to need to buy everything factory. If you have standard then you can either again go stock (use Infiniti of Scotsdale mailorder to save alot of cash) or if your not adjustable then you can do KYB SR Specials and either Tein or Espelir springs. There was a vendor Memoryfab who was selling them, their website seems to be down but you can call them. I know a few members who got their stuff from these guys. The KYB SR Specials ride MUCH stronger then the stock shocks, so if you like the plush ride then you have no choice but to go stock. For my 97', I did the KYB SR Specials and lowered the car by 2" with the Tein springs. I finished it off with the 19" rims and 245/35 19 on M45 rims. The car is like night and day, but the days of plush ride are gone, but it is also very stiff and handles better then my friends 545i IMHO.

Hi, I own a 1997 Q45 too, and I need the struts and shock absorbers but I can´t find them (I live in México City). Some people says that 1998 model´s shocks are fine, but I´m not sure. The KYB SR works with my car? could you tell me the part number? thanks a lot !

[BadQ45t]

The KYB SR Specials are not carried in either the US or Mexico by normal places. I had to buy mine from a guy that ordered them from Japan. A smaller time outfit called Memory Fab started to sell them for $500 which was a smoking deal. Try calling them http://www.memoryfab.com and see if they can still get you any. Short of that I'd say your stuck with stockers that you can probably find at a local dealership or by Infiniti of Scotsdale mail order. Fresh factory OEM is still a huge improvement over ones with tons of miles (anything over 60k is really worn out).

Good luck finding those, do the springs too at the same time while you have it all taken apart.

[jrichardson]

Thanks for all of the info!

I just called memoryfab and they sell the pair for $595 plus shipping. They sell like hotcakes and don't really have any in stock. 4-8 weeks out.

So now my question is: I can get stockers for the same price...are these really that much better of a strut?

[MarshallQ45]

im in the same position, I call memory fab today and got quoted the 595.00, as I already have had tein s techs on the car my adjustable suspension has been lost, and I really dont mind, I always had it in sport mode anyways, and this will be much more sporty I imagine

[BadQ45t]

The stockers will cost you more or at least the same. I have used lots of different types of struts and shocks over the years on my various Nissans (and one Toyota) and I have to say the SR Specials rock! Since my long term plan is to keep my Q for a long time I might pick up an extra set while they are still available.

They are WAY better then stock, but they much stiffer too, so keep that in mind. So if your more performance oriented, get them. If you more plush ride oriented, get the stockers. KYB makes the stockers for our cars which gives you a 100% fit....the very issue that they are selling like hotcakes tells you. These are the ONLY aftermarket high performance shocks/struts for our cars.