sentry65

iTrader: (11)

I'm having a hard time deciding between these 3 suspensions. I'm reading all sorts of opinions on this site and want to get people's opinions or any addional knowledge. Some say the JIC are awesome, others say they're too stiff and it hinders performance. Some say the HKS is not heavy duty enough, some say the Zeal isn't much better than Tein Flex or stock....


from what I understand, the JIC is the harshest suspension for the Z. It's really harsh on the street, but the best on the track?

the Zeal is better than the HKS hypermax II coilovers as long as you get the 10/12kg setup instead of the 8/10kg? It's supposed to be stiffer/harsher/better handling than the HKS hypermax II?

the HKS hypermax II is supposed to be stiff but well rounded and capable on the track?

My Z is mostly going to be driven on the street, but I have no problem whatsoever dealing with a harsh ride - I can take it, my passengers can take it, I'm not worried about comfort. I do track days every so often - maybe once every 2 months or so I'll say. The streets where I live are generally well paved high quality streets.

I want a neutral ride and want the car to feel planted to the ground.

rednezz

iTrader: (1)

I would recommend anything with near the spring rate of the HKS Hipermax II. According to my G-tech RR I was able to pull 1.04 G's with the HKS Hypermax II, 17" Falken Azenis Sport, Nismo Sways, and 350Evo upper control arms. I don't know how the other coilovers behave on a track but I would think you would have trouble putting the power down with 10/12 springs. In my opinion the Hypermax II is right on the line on the rear spring rate because when I am at full accelerating thru a corner the rear wheels will bounce a little. Any higher spring rate that the Hypermax II in the rear will probably just amplify the rear hop even more under full acceleration through any corners.

John

iTrader: (17)

JICs are trash, with high spring rates to mask poor valving. Lots of rattles, awful US customer support, overheating, and quite vulnerable to leaking. They've performed mediocre on track the past two years... and their ride on the street is taxing...

Gruppe-S

iTrader: (66)

In my personal opinion, I think Zeal V6 is the best street/track susp I have ever drove on. I had Hipermax II before and switched to Zeal V6 and the difference was night and day. HKS is a good setup but its not up to the task for the track. Also, the amount of customer support from Endless USA is unmatched by other companies.

Tom

sentry65

iTrader: (11)

yeah the JIC's seem to have the most sacrifices for daily driven, and I've read about their poor customer service. If they do overheat though, I'll skip them for sure. I'd think with the track oriented reputation they have, if they overheat then they're not very well engineered since their goal is all out performance.

The HKS's spring weights seem more neutral while the Zeal's is stiffer in front and looser in back. How would those compare?

I definetly want something track oriented/heavy duty, and well balanced. The HKS is less money, but I'm getting the impression they're more street oriented than track.

Skrill

What about the Koni/Unitech suspension? It is supposed to be superb. But costs around $3k (but I think Zeals are about that price).

Also -- don't overlook the Nismo S-Tune. I decided to go that route because many report back that it is the best balanced out-of-the-box suspension out there for track and street. I was not up for spending the jack on the Unitech, so I went Nismo. Like others have said -- the JIC is supposed to be trash. Zeals are supposed to be good though.

sentry65

iTrader: (11)

hmm well I know for a fact the HKS holds up very well to abuse and is a great balanced coilover. I know the Zeal might be great too, but is it $1000 or 52% more expensive better? mmm I dunno


don't the HKS have a higher rear spring rate than the Zeal?
The HKS are 11kg front and 11kg rear
compared to the Zeal's 12kg front and 10kg rear
the front of the car is heavier than the rear so stiffer front kinda makes sense - also makes turn in crisper and then the lower rear spring rate should get rid of that rear hop the HKS is supposivly treading on that rednezz is talking about?




Gruppe-s, I know you just recently became a Zeal dealer so I can understand you wanting to promote the Zeal because it costs more and you're one of the only Zeal dealers that I know of. That's not to say I don't believe what you're saying about the quality/handling of the coilover and your personal experience with it, but it's a factor I have to consider.

Gruppe-S

iTrader: (66)

I understand your concern and I wish you are close enough for me to give you a ride in my car. There's no words that can justify the amount of money for the Zeal but lets hoping other Zeal owners can vouch for them.

You should def look at this post and comments from Z1 and other ppl.
https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-suspension/126688-best-coilovers-for-under-2000-a.html

Tom

rednezz

iTrader: (1)

My HKS Hipermax II's have 9kg front and rear and my car is extremely neutral. As for track use, I have done 8 high speed track events and not had any problems. I usually run on a 1.6 mile and 2.1 mile road course and with the addition of the HKS I was able to drop around 2 seconds on the 1.6 mile road course and almost 6 seconds on the 2.1 mile course. When I put a good set of racing slicks on my Z the suspension really worked wonders and my lap time dropped alot further.

sentry65

iTrader: (11)

oh, oops guess i had the wrong numbers, a website i was on said they were 11kg f/r, but yeah they're 9/9kg

zfastest

Just to throw another manufacturer in the ring, I would definitly look into the Ksport suspension. I helped develop and prototype the setup, and can honestly say that they are the best bang for the buck kit out on the market.

The wheel hop that somebody reffered to isn't because the springs are too stiff, it's because the shocks aren't properly matched to that paticular spring rate, causing them to not dampen the springs movement. You could have whatever spring rate you want, as long as the shocks are up to the task.

I'm currently running a 16kg Front / 14kg rear setup, and absolutely love it, for everything the car does: Professional Level Drifting, Road Racing, and Driving my girlfriend around town to get ice cream. The standard setup comes with 15kg front / 13kg rear. It's not as harsh as you would think being that the Z is such a heavy car, and the shocks work very well to make it a very smooth ride.

The shock valving and quality is what really sets them apart from other setups. The shocks are 32 way adjustable, adjustable ride height, spring preload, etc....... Check them out at: www.ksportusa.com

And before you ask, yes I am sponsored by them, and no I wouldn't promote something that I thought sucked. Feel free to ask any questions you may have about this kit, or shoot them an email. You won't find better support, and assistance then with these guys.

daveh

iTrader: (9)

Agree with everything John said about the JIC's (but tell us how you really feel ). I can vouch for the unitech/truechoice setup. You can't go wrong with a kit developed and tuned by a winning grand-am cup team. The spring rates and shock valving were derived from their race car!
I just tracked it yesterday at thunderhill and knocked about 4 seconds off my time. Their use of mild spring rates really soaks up the bumps which ultimately allows you to go faster. The shock adjustments really make a difference too. You can feel the difference of just one click. I'll write a full review when I have the time.

The s-tunes actually aren't that bad for the money. I was pleasantly surprised in the s-tune setup that I had the opportunity to drive on the track. The more sticky r-compounds may eventually end up overpowering them but all in all they're not bad.

Gruppe-S

iTrader: (66)

Hey Daveh..

I saw you yesterday!!!

Tom

John

iTrader: (17)

I've been waiting for your writeup Dave... too bad I had to fork out about $3K for the car this past week (new tires, new LSD, etc). From everything I've read, the Unitech/TrueChoice is the way to go since it was developed by road racers with streetability in mind. Considering that Unitech spent many months R&Ding the suspension, it's by far the most thought-out option available. And what's even better is that if there is a problem, you have USDM support, not lag time to wait for parts "to come from Japan".

EnthuZ

iTrader: (2)

I'll chime in here. I have the Unitech/Truechoice "In Transit" right now. In addition to all the reasons Dave & John mentioned, I had a tiny bit of input into their design perameters, and weather they listened or not, they built a package that exceeds my expectations. Designed to work on the track, yet remain comfortable on the street.

The fact that they are VERY interested in making sure that they work & are easily accessible is a major plus.

Now, do I want 1/16" or 1/4" front toe out???????

anotheraznguy

iTrader: (14)

ok...let me chime in.. i have 10/8 spring rates.. on my 05 z..
have than and some 235/45r17 advan a046's all around.
and i am pleased to say that the car can go from either safe and conservative on the street.. to wild and oversteer very easily... that is the awesome range of adjustment that is available from them...
It is great on street and i have done numerous drift events and have had no problems... it gives me grip going 100+ mph drifts.. and being able to hold it is great.
I am working on doing some more track time but my 24/7 hour job somewhat prohibits me from doing too much track events.

Skrill

We will see. I just installed a set of S-Tunes and 350Evo front camber arms (already had the 350Evo Sways). I set up the suspension for the track (-2.5 deg camber and 0 toe front, and -1.5 deg camber and 1/8" toe-in rear). I will be trying them out at the next NASA event in July.

My next mod is to get a second set of wheels and some r-comps for my track days.

dank311

iTrader: (8)

Well, I have the Zeal Function V6's. The only factory spring rate is 10/8K, they don't offer the hard rates for the Z for some reason. But Zeal can custom spec the spring rates and the dampers anyway you want. Also, comparing just spring rates between coilovers is a DEAD END! I have done much research and have written a huge Suspension FAQ on this board(stickied at the top of the suspension section). I was personally trying to choose between Cusco, HKS, and Zeal. But since HKS doesn't have double height adjustability(spring perch for preload, and shock perch for adjusting heighth). On the hKS, when you lower from the spring you will affect your shock stroke. As for the JIC's, I wouldnt even consider them, PERIOD!
For the Zeals, they have everything any other coilover(in this price range) as far as features go, as well as few other things most companies dont offer. US support(rebuildable in a matter of days since they rebuild in the US), Warranty, and Custom specs to anyway you want. Also, something interesting about the Zeals is that they are coming out with a "EDFC" type thing to adjust the shock dampening from inside the car like Tein. As for street driving, its perfect IMO but I dont mind it to be a little on the stiff side. But, I can tell you that the dampening can be adjusted from better than stock to stiff as hell in only 6 clicks! Also the dial on the damper to make the shocks stiffer are the best ever on any coilovers.
I have posted pics of my coilovers on another coilover thread recently...do a search if you wanna see em. Also, if you wanna see the Zeal coilovers in action, go to the drift section in this forum, and d/l my videos from my last drift day.
Jon

GY-Z

sentry65, if you want the zeal v6, but think the price is too high, you got another option now!(but you got to be patient)
i'll have mine up for sale early next year if not this year for around 1600~2000USD.

350zzzzzz

iTrader: (2)

if u dont care about the price go with the top secret coilovers with there in car controler for around 5 g,s.