exactly correct... it all depends on what you ultimately want out of your car... and how deep you want to get into suspension work...

I didn't want to change out the stock shocks on my G (better valved than the 350Z's anyways) so I ultimately went with Hotchkis... (and I already have their sways, so I have a combination that was tested to work together - they seem like a good match)

 

Hmm.. I will probably end up changing the shocks eventually, but will my ride with the RS-Rs be unbearable until I do change them, or just a little rougher? Right now its just a matter of getting the money together because I have been spending a lot lately with the holidays and all, and now rims (not to mention the $1600 i blew on a hood and wing not too long ago)

 

no difference really in ride quality between RS-R and stock

 

Sure, the RSR will be fine until you get around to the dampers. Since you've already got the Hotchkis sways on, you might consider setting them to match the springs, at least initially (soft rear, medium front). That and the slight (0.6") drop should make for a nice handling improvement.

 

I don't care much about a rough ride. Can someone recommend the best combo for flat, on the rails cornering?

 

Just wanted to chime in regarding the bouncing on the highway. Some previous replies on this thread have it right. That bounce is caused by the stock shocks being underdamped for the stock spring rates, especially in the rear.

If you plan to keep the stock shocks, then you don't want to go with a stiffer spring since that will just exacerbate the bounce. The stock rear springs are already too stiff for the stock shocks (in the 2003 Zs, at least), and the RSR springs are even stiffer in the rear. That should just make the underdamping problem worse. The Hotchkis springs, though, were designed to work with the stock shocks; they softened up the rear spring rate as a compensation.

If you plan on going with stiffer aftermarket shocks then you can pretty much get any springs you want. Just make sure to adjust the shocks to be stiff enough for whatever springs you get. I'll probably go with the Koni/RSR combo, personally. Especially if the RSR springs are slightly progressive. Since my car is primarily a street car with only a small bit of track use (2 or 3 times a year), progressive springs are nice. Helps eat up some of the small bumps on those twisty back roads, too. A track is smooth, but back roads aren't.

 

If I may, The reason for the bounce in stock trim (springs and shocks) is the fact that the shocks (dampers) are actually very aggressive on their valving characteristics. This is why when you install any spring with a higher rate than than factory that the ride seems to improve. This is the result of the spring rate affectively over powering the valving. A good load deflection curve will show this. It is somewhat commonplace amongst the OE's to tune the chassis through shock valving.

 

FWIW I had the RSR's on my own car for several months before fitting coilovers. out of all the springs I have used (yes, Hotchkis too), the RSR were hands down the best. I ran them on my stock 04 struts, and they were easily the nicest aftermarket spring I have ever used on a car. Now, that does not mean I'd automatically use them regardless of the car, but for the Z, they were as close to perfect as I could want for myself or a customer

Also remember the overall ride and performance has as much to do with tires as anything else.

 

Okay, so the RSR has a 0.6" drop but what about Hotchkis & S.Tech?

And from what I'm reading the alignment won't need to be touched if the drop is less than 0.8"?

I see companies like H&R (what I had on my Mustang) & Eibach that are offering drops of over 1". It doesn't seem like anyone is going that far or using these brands, or am I wrong? Are those the people that go with coil-overs?

It's quite clear that the more you drop it the more you're going to mess up the susp geometry and probably go thru tires even faster.

Thanks.

 

There are actually a lot of people around here using Eibachs. They probably just aren't reading this thread. I'm also very familiar with H&R from my Audi days (fantastic springs), but I've never met anyone using them on a 350Z. The Eibachs and H&Rs do appear to have quite an extensive drop compared to the other options available. Too low for my tastes.

A buddy of mine has Eibachs in his G35C. I've ridden in the car, and they seem to be quite an improvement over stock, and much lower. However, the G starts out higher in stock form, so even with his Eibachs his car isn't as low as my stock Z.

 

Thanks for the reply. And you're right, there ARE quite a few Eibach users on the forum after I scrolled thru enough threads to find that out.

So anything less than a 0.8" drop and the alignment can remain untouched?

I think I'd like to drop my car, but I don't want to make it a wasted effort. It's hard for me to be conservative when dropping something because I had a slammed S-10 growing up (still have it). Now it's got air suspension and a 3.75" bodydrop.

I only did a 1.75"/1.60" drop with my Mustang, but I was happy with it.

Now I have to be even more conservative with this car. But as least these Z's don't look like 4x4's from the factory. Just stock height they appear lowered while they're driving. They look good

I think it's between RSR & Hotchkis for me.

 

Try not to think of it that way. Like you said, the 350Z is a pretty low car from the factory. It's probably not a good idea to rate the aggressiveness of a lowering job by the number of inches you dropped it from factory height. (Unless you're just after bragging rights.) I guess it might be better to consider the resulting ground clearance as a factor. In my mind, a modified car with 4" of ground clearance isn't as aggressive as a stock car with 4" of ground clearance.

Personally, I don't really want to lower the car, but there aren't any upgraded springs available that don't lower it. I'm happy that the RSR springs are both extremely good (according to what I've read) and have the least drop.

 

You'll need to have the alignment checked. After I installed my RSRs/Konis, rear camber was out and toe on each corner.

 

Good thread...

I have talked to a few on this forum about different springs and their make-up. I was about to order the Hotchkis springs today when I read some more info on the RS*R springs. For me and many others with a 245/275 setup or larger rear tires, RS*R springs would be the best choice to decrease understeer.

I know Hotchkis did a lot of testing to improve ride quality in conjunction with their sway bars on a stock wheeled Z, and I like the different spring heights and how they balance out the car visually. But if you just want to BUY springs that slighltly lower and improve understeer, the RS*R just make more sense. Correct me if I'm wrong...

Any thoughts from the pros out there? I have a 2004.1 model and not 100% if I have the more aggressive rear struts, better matched to the RS*R? Or was that debate earlier in this thread on the 2004 struts being more aggressive than the 2003 just a bunch of ........?

My old thread with some good info...
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....t=zquicksilver

 

Great thread. I wasn't sure if the RS*R were what I was looking for, but now I'm pretty sure the RS*R Ti2000 springs are exactly what I want.

 

*found it*