zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Hey everyone! I finally had the time to sit down and start this write-up, I'll be adding things I notice here and there but for now I'll get the installation notes and first impressions down.

First of all, what did I buy and where?

The shocks are Bilstein's Heavy Duty Dampers and they are a rebuild-able/revalve-able monotube style shock. In case you don't already know, Bilstein is arguably the best name in damping and they are proven over many different race series and repeatedly used in OEM performance upgrades.



The springs I bought are Swift Springs' Spec-R model and they claim a 1.2" drop in the front with a 1.0" drop in the rear. Their spring rates are 7.5 kg/mm (420 lbs/in) front and 8.2kg/mm (460lbs/in) rear while OEM spring rates are 314lbs/in front and 427lbs/in rear. Swift Springs has actually developed their own alloy (mixture of metals) for their springs and they are the only spring company that uses it. It has superior material properties than pretty much any other company's and it becomes instantaneously obvious when you first drive on them.



The place I bought these is an online shop called ProParts USA. They set up a package deal with the shocks and the springs all together shipped to my door for $1,155.00. They were at my door within a week and everything was well packaged and just how I ordered it.

Now, I know that a few of you are thinking to yourself "Why not buy coilovers for $1000? BC coilovers are great and everyone says good things about them!".

You're right, I'm sure most people who buy BC, Megan, MDU, etc coilovers are satisfied. However, these people are looking for a different end result than I was. So on that note, if you're looking for form>function, look elsewhere. If you're looking for function>form, keep reading. This setup was intended to provide an OEM-like ride whilst eliminating a good bit of the body roll/dive/squat that the 350Z is known to have and it does just that, and it does it damn well.

Now, onward to the installation. Everything is very straight-forward and there are plenty of youtube walkthroughs as well as write-ups on here that show you how it's done so I'm going to skip that part. The entire installation took about 5 or 6 hours including dinner but give yourself a weekend just in case you run into any troubles or don't want to rush through things. Here's what the front looked like once I had the shock/spring mostly in place:



Here are a few before pictures of my car:
When I first bought her



After new wheels were installed:



At ZDayZ



And the beach (X2)




And now for a couple of after photos (a photoshoot is in order, of course):




Now for my review:

This setup is absolutely amazing. I'm going to separate it into a few different categories:

1. Performance -- 8/10 -> This is easily the best shock/spring setup for under $2k, possibly more. The shocks are almost perfectly valved for the spring rates and the springs are utterly incredible. The combination provides the driver with great feedback without jarring.
2. Comfort ----- 10/10 -> Extremely comfortable. Identical to OEM if not better in terms of comfort and that, my friends, earns a 10.
3. Appearance -- 7/10 -> The drop is relatively mild and I know people are going to say "you can barely tell" and things of the like which is why I give it a 7. The final drop for me was 1.3" front and 1.1" rear. So about 1/10 of an inch lower than they claimed and this was more than good enough. If I were rating it based on my desires, this category wouldn't exist because, as previously stated, I'm a function>form person.
4. Driveability -- 10/10 -> Very driveable in every way! From comfort being top-notch to ride-height allowing me to make it over the most brutal speed bumps, I can't think of a reason these wouldn't have a 10!
5. Quality ------ 10/10 -> These, ladies and gentlemen, are the best made products in the business. No questioning that. I foresee this setup lasting at least 100k miles, if not more. And they're rebuild-able for when they do wear out when you can choose whatever valving and spring rates your heart desires.

For those of you who weren't keeping track, that's 45/50. That's damn good in my book and I would definitely recommend this setup to anyone and everyone looking to get the most out of their setup for a reasonable price and willing to sacrifice adjustable damping (which just allows the end user to incorrectly match damping to their springrate).

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Reserved for any future additions or comments.

EDIT: Snapped a cell pic today

SDGenius

iTrader: (1)

nice combo

Jsmith7861

I was hoping you would do this. So you were going for a more OEM like comfort + sportiness type deal, correct?


See you on /r/350z,

Spank_Hamma

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Precisely. Before I studied about damping and spring rates, I thought that you had two options: sport or comfort. Now I know that comfort doesn't only come from soft springs, it comes from having dampers that are valved correctly for your springrates. That is how you can have higher spring rates but still maintain a comfortable ride.

Jsmith7861

So, compared to the stock suspension, what differences have you noticed? I remember you said before that on turns you noticed less body roll, anything else performance wise? What about comfort?

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Like I said up there, about equally as comfortable but much less body roll. Which provides a very confidence inspiring feedback and feel to the way it goes around corners now. Not nearly as vaque as it used to be.

dcains

iTrader: (15)

I didn't realize the Bilsteins were rebuildable. I had a set around 10 years old on one of my Alfa Spider's, which started to leak fluid. Bilstein sent me a brand new set.

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Not sure if all of Bilstein's shocks are rebuildable but I know the ones for our Zs are. I made sure to ask - that's awesome that they sent you new ones after all that time though!

dcains

iTrader: (15)

They had a lifetime warranty, not sure if they still do now. Koni's used to, as well. but it's been quite a while since I've shopped for either brand.

grug1

I'm running the exact Bilstein/Swift Spring setup in mine and have to say the combo is nothing short of sensational compared to stock.

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

This! I can't for the life of me figure out why more people don't run this setup.

stuartc323

Bilstein still has the lifetime warranty, I love their shocks, and I think Koni does too IIRC

nemesis33

that is great that you are happy with how it rides, but it looks like you are going off roading with that much wheelgap

not even JGTC CARS have that much wheelgap, and they are the ultimate expression of function over form!!!!

Do you live off a dirt road? I have seen many of the redline time attack Z's that have much better ride height and handling!!! If you can't get your coilovers to ride nicely you probably don't know how to set the preload and use the damping ***** on them!!!!

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Lol!

pyshin

iTrader: (14)

Mods, please don't let another newb ruin another perfectly good thread...

nemesis33

if driveability is simply a metric combining performance and comfort then why is it 10/10 instead of 9/10????

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

Sorry I wasn't more clear. Driveability was more along the lines of clearance (rubbing, scraping, etc) and comfort. Not accounting for performance.

secwind

iTrader: (8)

Great review op. Are the pictures you posted after the everything were settled?

zswickliffe

iTrader: (2)

They were about a week after the install. I will be doing a photoshoot soon to get some better pics up.