hi guys. I been reading posts about replaceing the Z with Koni shock or tein spring to make the car ride softer and handle better.I read one post and i was convince on buying the Koni shock becuase it make the car ride softer and handle better. BUT THEN i read another post and it said the tein spring makes the car ride softer and handle better than the koni shock.. so i'm pretty lost which one to go with . My main concern is to make the car drive smoother on the road and handle better.
Thanks for everyone input

 

Moved. How much are you willing to spend? Aren't Koni's like $600? Save $200 more and get Tein basic coilovers.

 

You might also consider just getting some progressive rate springs. The Z's stock springs are fairly stiff linear rate pieces, so a softer progressive spring should soften things up noticeably. It really depends on what you are really after. The Koni shocks are a fantastic mod for overall handling and stability of the car (I love mine), but I don't feel they soften up the ride *or* stiffen it up. They simply work better than the stock units by being more appropriately damped than the stock shocks. This gets rid of the weird float you can get in certain corners, and they can reduce the bounciness problem on certain types of freeway. But I don't think they really "soften" up the ride any. They just work better.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money and actually just want a more comfortable ride, I'd say some simple progressive rate springs are your best bet. Just be sure they aren't much stiffer than stock, or you'll be undoing the softening benefits of the progressive part of the spring. The stock springs are supposed to be about 350 lbs/in stiff, give or take a bit. So if you get some progressive rate springs with that level of stiffness, they'll probably ride smoother on the freeway. Someone else can maybe chime in here on some good spring choices for you.

You have to ask yourself if you really want a "softer" ride, though. I mean, the Z is always going to be a pretty stiff car, even if you soften it up a little with progressive springs. Perhaps you just want a more stable ride that's not so harsh? Or do you really want the comfort of a Cadillac? (I don't think you'll ever be able to achieve a Cadillac ride in a Z, nor do I think you'd want to.)

 

If all you want is smoother better ride, get the hotchkis springs

 

I decided to go with both (see my sig). A lot of folks recommend the RSR or Hotchkis springs. I went with the Tein H-Tech because I didn't want much of a drop. I learned that if you drop more than ~.7" you will start to run into alignment problems since the Z front end can't be adjusted much without spending additional $ for more mods and labor. Depending on the type, the RSR and Hotchkis come closer to the maximum and they are stiffer springs as well. Coilovers are better but more $. Tein Basic's are good and not much more than the Koni Sports, but you can't adjust ride stiffness, only ride height. Move beyond the Basic's and you're into significantly more dough.

 

The RSR springs actually aren't much stiffer on the freeway, because they are just a tiny bit progressive. This takes the "bite" out of them on the freeway and around town. To be honest, they don't feel much stiffer (if any) than my stock springs. With the Koni shocks, they feel more planted and secure on small bumps than the stock stuff did. The fronts are *barely* stiffer than stock, while the rears are moderately so just to decrease understeer. I think the ride quality on the street, overall, is about the same when you get down to it.

 

I disagree--I feel no difference between my Hotchkis springs and stock. Bounce is "maybe" 10-20% reduced. Hitting expansion joints causes a significantly worse jolt to the car with the Hotchkis than it did with stock too (I'm talking like those .5 to 1" mini curbs where the expansion joints in some roads come together). I'm switching to Tein CS with EDFC soon...

 

obviously a set of full adjustable coilovers is a better option, but I don't think the hotchkis is a rough ride. Comparing my ride to stock and to other lowered cars, I think the ride is very comfortable and not any more jarring than stock. Obviously this is very subjective as everyone's idea of comfort is different. The other thing to keep in mind is that this is only a set of springs and aren't going to cure every issue you may have with the suspension.

I, along with many other, am happy with the ride and stance the hotchkis springs provide. I can assure you that if you find the hotchkis springs jarring, the other manufacturer's springs would be worse.