Hard choice of suspension
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 25
From: Pasadena SoCal
Hard choice of suspension
I have been researching, and a choice will be hard to make. For coilovers, it seems like Tein HR's, FLT-A2's, and Nismo R-tune, are quite similar. I have seen the R-tunes for a little cheaper, and Nismo makes good products, so I think thats where I am leaning. But arent all these coilovers for like track use? But I can still use it for street right? I dont know what decision to make, but I know I am leaning towards the R-tunes.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 649
From: San Diego
all coilovers do is lower your car.. or raise them if your into that... so it has nothing to do with emissions there for you can use them on the street.. unless they have to be DOT approved and i dont think you can get pulled over for haveing a car thats lower then normal..
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 13
From: SoCal
Graphik- Unfortunately, none of what follows is specs on said coilovers. (Until I edited it. 
)
Coilovers are for ride height adjustability and that's about it. They allow you to change your ride height from street (however low you want it... but don't forget the California DOT requires your headlights to be 22inches from the ground) to track. (however really low you want it) Also, if you are planning on drifting, they would be quite nice so you can corner-weight your car. You need a sophisticated alignment shop (or spend $1k on scales) to corner-weight, but if you're serious about any kind of hard driving, it'll pay off. I'll look at the spring rates of the coil-overs you mentioned and get back to you as far as comfort on the street goes.
-Steve
*edit:
The Tein HR should have spring rates of 6kgf/5kgr. (I'm using specs from Tein HA, but the HA is simply an evolution of the HR)
The JIC FLT-A2 has spring rates of 7kgf/5kgr.
Last, the Nismo R-tune has spring rates of... stiff. (I could not find the springrates; they just say "recommended for track use only."
That being said, if you have your heart set on coilovers, I'd get the Tein HA or HR's because they're the softest and you won't need new kidneys after a couple thousand miles. If you don't care about street ride (I know I don't) get either the JIC or the Nismo R-tune. Check the springrates of the R-tune first... if they're more than the JIC's then don't buy them.
)Coilovers are for ride height adjustability and that's about it. They allow you to change your ride height from street (however low you want it... but don't forget the California DOT requires your headlights to be 22inches from the ground) to track. (however really low you want it) Also, if you are planning on drifting, they would be quite nice so you can corner-weight your car. You need a sophisticated alignment shop (or spend $1k on scales) to corner-weight, but if you're serious about any kind of hard driving, it'll pay off. I'll look at the spring rates of the coil-overs you mentioned and get back to you as far as comfort on the street goes.
-Steve
*edit:
The Tein HR should have spring rates of 6kgf/5kgr. (I'm using specs from Tein HA, but the HA is simply an evolution of the HR)
The JIC FLT-A2 has spring rates of 7kgf/5kgr.
Last, the Nismo R-tune has spring rates of... stiff. (I could not find the springrates; they just say "recommended for track use only."
That being said, if you have your heart set on coilovers, I'd get the Tein HA or HR's because they're the softest and you won't need new kidneys after a couple thousand miles. If you don't care about street ride (I know I don't) get either the JIC or the Nismo R-tune. Check the springrates of the R-tune first... if they're more than the JIC's then don't buy them.
Last edited by GRiDEngineering; Jan 22, 2004 at 06:34 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Pasadena SoCal
SEEE thats what I was trying to say. If they are recommended for track use, can I still go on the street with them, and not get ticketed or still drive safely?? I would take the Nismos if they are ok to drive on the street, and I wouldnt get a ticket by usin them.
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Pasadena SoCal
Sorry to bring this thread up again, but, I want to know. So would it be smart to get this suspension, and use it for daily use, and track? It wont be too unsafe using it for daily use all the time, will it? I want to know, cuz I want to get these in the future.
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,109
From: Pasadena,ca
If you can live with the rough ride, then go for it. My friend had the HAs and had it on the stiffest setting, it was livable for me. Actually put a smile on my face haha. They would be great for the track, and again it will be a rough ride on daily driven roads.
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Joined: Aug 2003
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not to flame but..
really if you don't know much about coilovers/suspension, maybe you shouldn't look into spending $1500 on them right now.
W/ that out of the way, both of them will probably be good (both being good ocmpanies), but things to keep in mind:
I don't think NISMO has headquarters in the US that does suspension overhauling (at least, not that I know of, correct me if I'm wrong), so if you need overhauling then that will be a *****.
JIC, on the other hand, has a headquarter in the states, and will probably help w/ any techical info.
I'd go w/ the JIC, because they've been proven to be quality stuff, and tons of ppl run them. Shop around for good prices. My advice is do some more research, find the right one for your needs. I don't think 7/5 will be too stiff, you can always adjust the settings to be softer. never rode in a car equipped w/ JIC FLTA2s, so I can't really comment.
really if you don't know much about coilovers/suspension, maybe you shouldn't look into spending $1500 on them right now.
W/ that out of the way, both of them will probably be good (both being good ocmpanies), but things to keep in mind:
I don't think NISMO has headquarters in the US that does suspension overhauling (at least, not that I know of, correct me if I'm wrong), so if you need overhauling then that will be a *****.
JIC, on the other hand, has a headquarter in the states, and will probably help w/ any techical info.
I'd go w/ the JIC, because they've been proven to be quality stuff, and tons of ppl run them. Shop around for good prices. My advice is do some more research, find the right one for your needs. I don't think 7/5 will be too stiff, you can always adjust the settings to be softer. never rode in a car equipped w/ JIC FLTA2s, so I can't really comment.
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 25
From: Pasadena SoCal
Hey Yuda, Actually, you might want to know this... You can now get Nismo parts straight from Nissan dealers. My dad has a friend that has a nissan dealership, so he can hopefully hook me up with the R-tunes somewhat. I know that JIC is good, but the Nismos just seem appealing to me for some reason. But I will see when the time comes. Thanks for the info anyway.
g-
g-
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,234
From: Not Eugene, Oregon
ok lets start from the begining on this:
What are coilovers and why are they better for racing than springs:
http://www.turnfast.com/tech_handlin...springs2.lasso
as for most coilovers on the market they are an 8/6 combo for the s13 this includes the JIC FLA2, Tein HE, etc
the nismo R tune are come with Front of either 12/10/8 kg/mm and 6kg/mm rear. you can not get these from a deal in north america becasue they onlt sell nismo product for the sentra and the 350z
coil overs are a legal for road use, however check your state laws regarding lowering the car its self beacasue that is what can make it no legal.
and dont be a ***** these are all soft i run 12/10 daily driving
What are coilovers and why are they better for racing than springs:
http://www.turnfast.com/tech_handlin...springs2.lasso
The coil-over is a combined assembly of the shock and spring where the spring rests in a height-adjustable base.
Coil-over setups were designed to optimize racing performance, and so several characteristics of coil-overs seem to make them the ultimate choice in suspension modifications.
First, coil-overs allow the car to be lowered more than conventional shock and progressive rate spring upgrades. This of course is a good thing for weight transfer control, but as we mentioned earlier, can cause real comfort and damage-potential problems for a street car.
Secondly, the spring rates are usually much stiffer than even progressive rate springs, and they're usually linear. On the race track, there's no need for a progressive spring rate, and coil-overs with their racing purpose, aren't intended to use them. This also allows the spring to be shorter which is where the greater lowering potential come from.
The main purpose and advantage of the coil-over design is to allow independent ride height adjustability of each corner of the car. This ride height adjustability allows manipulation of the center of gravity of the car. In particular, by manipulating the front to back or side side to side location of the center of gravity, weight transfer can be controlled to influence specific tires on the car. If you can pre-dispose the car to distribute weight transfer a certain way, you can optimize the grip of certain tires and improve the overall speed of the car through corners.
Raising the back of the car puts the CG more forward. Raising the front of the car pushes the CG more rearward. The left or right side could also be independently raised or lowered. With these adjustments, you can reduce the amount of grip lost to specific tires during weight transfer.
For example on a race track with a high percentage of high-speed right turns, you could set the car up to reduce the weight transfer to outside left tire, and increase the weight that remains on the right rear. Compared to the same car with fixed ride heights, the one with the adjustable coil-overs will be able to increase the overall grip through more even wieght distribution during the dynamic load of the right turns.
So, this sounds like an awesome modification to run out and get, right? Well, yes it is -- for racing. Like we say, for the street this is an extreme modification. You may be die hard, and live with the harshness of the ride, but you'll likely have very grumpy passengers.
It is possible to minimize the harshness by using softer springs, or even progressive rate springs for that matter. However, those springs will tend to be longer, will not allow the car to be lowered as much negating some of the advantage. Some people will use stiff springs for the track, then swap to softer springs on the street between events.
Coil-over setups were designed to optimize racing performance, and so several characteristics of coil-overs seem to make them the ultimate choice in suspension modifications.
First, coil-overs allow the car to be lowered more than conventional shock and progressive rate spring upgrades. This of course is a good thing for weight transfer control, but as we mentioned earlier, can cause real comfort and damage-potential problems for a street car.
Secondly, the spring rates are usually much stiffer than even progressive rate springs, and they're usually linear. On the race track, there's no need for a progressive spring rate, and coil-overs with their racing purpose, aren't intended to use them. This also allows the spring to be shorter which is where the greater lowering potential come from.
The main purpose and advantage of the coil-over design is to allow independent ride height adjustability of each corner of the car. This ride height adjustability allows manipulation of the center of gravity of the car. In particular, by manipulating the front to back or side side to side location of the center of gravity, weight transfer can be controlled to influence specific tires on the car. If you can pre-dispose the car to distribute weight transfer a certain way, you can optimize the grip of certain tires and improve the overall speed of the car through corners.
Raising the back of the car puts the CG more forward. Raising the front of the car pushes the CG more rearward. The left or right side could also be independently raised or lowered. With these adjustments, you can reduce the amount of grip lost to specific tires during weight transfer.
For example on a race track with a high percentage of high-speed right turns, you could set the car up to reduce the weight transfer to outside left tire, and increase the weight that remains on the right rear. Compared to the same car with fixed ride heights, the one with the adjustable coil-overs will be able to increase the overall grip through more even wieght distribution during the dynamic load of the right turns.
So, this sounds like an awesome modification to run out and get, right? Well, yes it is -- for racing. Like we say, for the street this is an extreme modification. You may be die hard, and live with the harshness of the ride, but you'll likely have very grumpy passengers.
It is possible to minimize the harshness by using softer springs, or even progressive rate springs for that matter. However, those springs will tend to be longer, will not allow the car to be lowered as much negating some of the advantage. Some people will use stiff springs for the track, then swap to softer springs on the street between events.
as for most coilovers on the market they are an 8/6 combo for the s13 this includes the JIC FLA2, Tein HE, etc
the nismo R tune are come with Front of either 12/10/8 kg/mm and 6kg/mm rear. you can not get these from a deal in north america becasue they onlt sell nismo product for the sentra and the 350z
coil overs are a legal for road use, however check your state laws regarding lowering the car its self beacasue that is what can make it no legal.
and dont be a ***** these are all soft i run 12/10 daily driving
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 11
graphic, catharsis's post is good.
as far as decisions go it's up to you on which coilover to get, not long ago I was in the same boat, but I opted for KYB aGX + RSR springs since the cost is alot, plus my car is rarely track driven so getting $1500 coilovers for me will be useless.
Yea NISMO just came out w/ a buncha stuff available in the US.
both coilovers are good and make me drool (drool*)
ultimately you have to make that decision. As far as spring rates go try take a ride in a friend's car with coilovers or stiff springs and get a vague idea of how it feels. 12/10 might be OK for one person, yet another person might think 8/6 is too high for the street, so there's alot of personal preference.
as far as decisions go it's up to you on which coilover to get, not long ago I was in the same boat, but I opted for KYB aGX + RSR springs since the cost is alot, plus my car is rarely track driven so getting $1500 coilovers for me will be useless.
Yea NISMO just came out w/ a buncha stuff available in the US.
both coilovers are good and make me drool (drool*)
ultimately you have to make that decision. As far as spring rates go try take a ride in a friend's car with coilovers or stiff springs and get a vague idea of how it feels. 12/10 might be OK for one person, yet another person might think 8/6 is too high for the street, so there's alot of personal preference.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,234
From: Not Eugene, Oregon
buy what you feel like buying there is no best only preferance. the nismo ones are nice but i doubt that you will get them for a reasonable price though. best bang for the buck anymore are silkroad coilovers www.dgtrials.com sells them. JIC are nice but JIC N/A is a pain in the *** to deal with. the teins dont come with camber plates.
ultimately you need to weigh your options and decide your self. for most people some nice prings and struts will do them best.
ultimately you need to weigh your options and decide your self. for most people some nice prings and struts will do them best.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 11
Originally posted by Catharsis
buy what you feel like buying there is no best only preferance. the nismo ones are nice but i doubt that you will get them for a reasonable price though. best bang for the buck anymore are silkroad coilovers www.dgtrials.com sells them. JIC are nice but JIC N/A is a pain in the *** to deal with. the teins dont come with camber plates.
ultimately you need to weigh your options and decide your self. for most people some nice prings and struts will do them best.
buy what you feel like buying there is no best only preferance. the nismo ones are nice but i doubt that you will get them for a reasonable price though. best bang for the buck anymore are silkroad coilovers www.dgtrials.com sells them. JIC are nice but JIC N/A is a pain in the *** to deal with. the teins dont come with camber plates.
ultimately you need to weigh your options and decide your self. for most people some nice prings and struts will do them best.
amen... unless you really plan to do alotta track stuff or amateur race competitively coilovers are overkill IMHO... with the $ saved, you can buy some other goodies.
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