Coilovers for Z
 

Hey guys--

I did some searching, but was hoping that there would be some new voices that would chime in. I'm looking to throw some coilovers on my Z in the near future.

I'm looking for minimal drop-- I'm not a fan of the slammed look. Probably less than an inch, but I will consider other options if they are deemed better. I believe that at less than an inch of lowering, I shouldn't need a camber kit or anything, is this correct?

Anyways, I'm looking for something that will be stiffer than stock. I've noticed in my time driving my Z that the car handles well due to body stiffness, but the suspension is very soft. I would like to rein in some of that response, but without stepping up to the level of a jaw-jarring ride.

Something like the KW Var 3's would be too soft in my mind, but I'm not looking for something track oriented either.

Thanks!

Hey Dan,

Most coilovers have dampening and height adjustment that you can fine tune to your liking. If you want a minimal drop, lowering springs will fit the bill just fine, but as you mentioned that you want a stiffer ride, you may want to invest in a simple set of coilovers.

KW V3 is definitely one of the better coilovers on the market, but since you're not looking for something track oriented, you could spend less money on something comparable.

PM me with some more information and what price range you're looking for and I'd be more than happy to help you with your choice.

Also forgot to mention that anytime you change your suspension settings, your alignment will be affected as a result. That being said, with a minimal drop you probably will be able to get away with not using any camber arms. Front you most likely won't need to change anything as far as camber goes, the rears should have enough adjustment in them to accomodate a minimal drop.

Thanks-- I know that I need to get an alignment-- I just know that every car is different in terms of how much you can get away with before you get to the point where the stock adjustment system can't get you into spec.

Unfortunately, I don't yet have a handle on what coils sell for on the Z. I do know that I'm not a huge fan of how the Var3's felt on my s2000 though...

Usually the front will require little to no adjustment. We did an alignment on our shop 370Z after a coilover install and the front alignment specs were spot on. The rears were just within the factory adjustment range. It could vary from vehicle to vehicle though.

For pricing, most of the basic coilovers are within the $1000-$1400 range. BC BR, Stance GR+, and KW V1 fall in this range. I would definitely suggest taking a look at either the Stance GR+ or KW V1.

Upwards of $1500 to $2000, you can get HKS Hipermax III, KW V3, Tein Super Street/Flex.

Tein Mono Flex's are really good. I am loving mine

I would also be open to a good spring/shock combo. I don't need the adjustability so much.

I know I ran a ground control/koni yellow setup on my civic for autocross. If there's something that works as well on the Z, I'd be interested.

I would buy a set of either nimso takeoffs or S-tunes if I was you. I had the nismo ones and its what you are looking for. I think mine are sold, but you can pick them up for around 600. I think Z1 has the s-tunes for under 800 right now.

Cool! I can't wait to install mine. How much of a drop did you do? How much dampening did you adjust it to? Do you track your car or just do aggressive street driving? I'll have to check your profile to see if you have some before and after pics.

ha i need me some coilovers! oh lord

Any old springs, shocks, and coilovers will do just fine for some people.... But...
The right coilover, done the right way, with the right specs for each individuals needs and wants.... goes a long way. :tiphat: ;)

PM'd you. I want to work something out. Is there anyone on this forum running a setup that you put together?

Got your PM, might be easier for you to just call me directly (easier to discuss)

..And yes, there is a couple people on this particular forum already that have custom spec'd coilovers done by us (one member hasn't installed theirs yet).... I am also working on another members set right now. I have been custom valving shocks for race cars and working with top suspension companies for many years now... even before I got into tuner cars.
There might be some reviews on our custom spec'd coilovers coming sometime soon from a couple of members here who have them... From what I am being told :).
I guess just keep an eye out. :tiphat:

]I am the guy who Scott is working another set of BC ERs up for. I intend to drop the car 1" in front and 0.8" in the rear. Although the BC ERs are more of a track inspired setup Scott has the advantage of putting whatever stiffness of Swift Springs on that you want. I will be using SPL Rear camber links and toe bolts to get the alignment correct.

That said i am due to take delivery of my coilovers in about a week but will not install them untill the 23rd of Aug when NST starts my 370z build. I will be more than happy to post an honest review of the BC ERs with custom valving and swift springs 12k/10k versus stock touring suspension once i have them on the car.

About anything else you may have heard.....Scott has been upfront about these coilovers and everything else, ill just leave it at that.


@ Djpathfinder From talking to a lot of people, no just Scott, i have decided to go with the above drop. To quote Mike Bonnani who used BC ERs on his Time Attack 370z

Good call on Scott's part to be up front with that thread and other related ones.

Mozen, good luck on your coilover purchase and install...I'm waiting to see how you will have your set-up adjusted and hear your thoughts on it and your transaction with RA...please post pictures and a good honest review with your new suspension when done. I'll post a link to a review of my own install on here (if the OP is OK with that...don't want to hijack this thread in any way) when I'm done too.

I'd love to see it here...that way I don't have to go digging for it!

I have a custom setup on my BC ER's that I had Scott put together for me that I haven't installed. I should be getting Scott's floating rotors fairly soon and at that time I will install both kits. I will let you know how they work out from both an installation and handling/braking point of view. My next track day won't be until October. By the way, I will keep my height as close as I can to factory spec so that I can get by with just alignment.

Here is a little peak at Mozens (I'm sure he won't mind) custom RA valved and spec'd BC Racing ER coilovers sitting here awaiting the springs......They should ship out to him this week....



http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a12...cture001-3.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a12...cture002-3.jpg

Scott,

A couple of questions as Coilovers and Sways are my next upgrades.

Are the BC ER shocks adjustable for both high speed and low speed rebound and compression???

Are all of the rear shock adjustments on the external reservoir? I have not even looked at the shock locations on the roadster yet, so I don't know how accessible the inside will be...

No the BC ER type shocks do not have a fast and slow rebound adjustment, short of shocks costing 8K+ I don't know of any that do.

The primary shock adjustment is at the top of shock, both front and rear. Turning the knob adjusts both compression and rebound in unison across 30 steps, you can then fine tune the rebound by adjusting the valve on the external reservoir.

As far as handling and ride go these coilovers are superb. With the shock adjusted at maximum height you get just under a 1" drop (I think I measured about 0.7"), but you can drop at least another inch if desired. Front spring preload is also adjustable. Springs are slightly stiffer than stock but never feel harsh. Dampers have a wide range of adjustability. At full soft the car rides very much like stock, maybe even better. At full stiff it feels very stiff and is very resistant to body roll and weight transfer. The setting I like seems to depend most on what tire I have on. For sticky street tires I like 8 front, 5 rear. At auto-x I turn it up a bit and with NT-01 tires I used 20 front, 15 rear. The stiffer you go the less feedback you get from the chassis when it starts to brake away.

If I was going full track with this setup I would go for stiffer springs and damping to match. But for a daily driven street car that occasionally sees the track I think the default BC rates are perfect.

My only complaint would be that adjusting the ride height is a pain. Any time you want to adjust the ride height you basically have to uninstall the front shock. On the plus side though it makes it very safe as nothing can move. Oh and adjusting the front shock means sticking your hand into a hot very tight space between the top of the strut tower and the chassis brace. They do offer extenders though.

I had the KW V3 and wanted more also and I too did not want a slammed car and I had it to do over again I would get the Robispec KW option and I really wouldn't even consider tein or bc racing or megan or jic or any of those other Japanese companies that think a 10k spring is what every shock needs. We don't have badass roads here in America and need something with some bump and rebound with good stroke for each and a spring that compliments the shock, not over power it.

I wouldn't be so fast to lump BC in with "the others". For an extra $100 you can have whatever springs you want and customized valving to match.

This is why you pick the coilover application for your specific needs. A mono-tube strut with a linear spring is going to behave differently than a twin-tube strut with a progressive spring. Kinda like how you don't ask for a red car when you want a blue car.

You're right about the twin tube vs monotube analogy but if I was getting a monotube I would get something like ast-usa.com. Dampers which are properly valves and sprung. You could be right about the BC dampers but it's hard for me to agree with the feel the Asian dampers usually give.

All I can say is I have the BC and I think the spring rate is about perfect for a street/HPDE setup. For an all out track monster you would probably want stiffer springs (check Travis's build thread). I wouldn't even begin to compare them to the likes of Megan, their spring to damper rates are way off from what I here.