Oki - I definately want to put some love into my Z. I've decided the first thing I will work on, is handling. I just love taking those on and off ramps and turns quickly. However, if Im ever going to leave my job here in Afghanistan, I need to prioritize and at least to attempt to maximize my desires/wants while minimizing my spending. (I know, everyone wants that Im sure, but the more I spend on my car, the longer I have to be away from my family.) So Im starting to put limits on what I will spend in each area. Im thinking $1300 range is decent price point to get the most bang for buck without cutting into my other spending budgets (others include rims and tires, aero kit, and N/A parts).

I will state that I might track the car every once in a while for fun, but nothing serious. Just to improve my skill basically, nothing more. This forum has been excellent in helping educate my dumb *** on springs, sways and coilovers. For that, I thank you all.

So on that note, here is my question.
Going by my price point set above, and allowing for a $100ish variable on price parts, which would likely have the most bang for the buck?

Tanabe GF 210 springs, Hotchkis sways, and maybe some Koni sport struts? (cheapest route)
or
Tein Basics with Hotchkis sways?
or
Stance GR+ coilovers?

I have not chosen tires, and I'll admit, Im not 100% sure on what brand of rims I'll go with. However, I will be riding on 18's to keep rotational mass/weight down and the car quicker.

Anyone care to help me out here?

 

Personally, I'd go the Koni's + springs + sways out of the setups mentioned there

 

Cool, youre one of the sponsors here who I was hoping would answer. Care to elaborate a bit? If youre wondering my Z is part tour-er for the wife and I, and part weekend fun car for whatever. Basically, Im not as concerned about comfort on streets so much as I am performance. Having a nice ride on the highways would be nice, but ultimately, the car is mine to drive as hard as I choose. So if you could gimme a small synopsis on why you came to that conclusion, I would appreciate it.


EDIT: Or better, if you could recommend something?

 

IMHO handling and comfort on a street driven car should not be mutually exclusive. There is absolutely no reason to trade one for the other.

The Basics work well, though they are a bit on the stiff side. Works well for a car where your primary goal is being able to adjust height on a budget.

The Koni's work really really really well on the Z's. The Tanabe's will be a nice balance with them, and you'll have the benefit of being able to dial in the dampening a bit better, vs the one size fits all of the Basic's.

From a geometry standpoint alone (the rear) the Stance would not factor into my decision at all.

 

Cool, I guess its a given that with that set up I'll be able to attack corners and curves a bit harder?
If I told you I found a website that would sell hks hiper II's for an extremely low price, would that change your opinion, instead of the Stances? Seriously.
Im guessing coilovers, sans sway bars, would be better than the first set up, but by how much of a margin (guesstimation)?

Thanks for the answers.

Anyone else is welcome to jump in here at any time.

 

selling the Hipermax II cheap is not the problem - finding someone who has them is. We list them on our site to, but fact is, they are no longer stocked in the US, and have not been for a long time. Nevertheless, I'd still opt for the Koni + Tanabe given your uses for the car. I'd MUCH rather have a proper set of springs + shocks+sways vs just having coilovers

 

Tanabe GF 210 springs, Hotchkis sways, and maybe some Koni sport struts? (cheapest route)



I'd go with this combo also. I have been pouring into the suspension threads and this seems to be the best setup for what you are looking for. So far I have not come across any definitive arguments that justifies having coilovers as a significant advantage.

 

Wow. Oki, I honestly thought several people would chime in and tell me to get coilovers. I do want the drop ability, but springs can do that sufficiently. Its all about performance for me in that arena, and like I said, all about getting the most for the least.

Im surprised other vendors havent chimed in either.

 

Oh, and thanks again for the knowledge and input. Just gotta figure out which koni struts lol.
I guess now I can move on to deciding which rim's and tires. I wonder if this thread will help anyone else out. =)

 

Your Hotchkis bar choice can't really be argued against, stiffer then oem and adjustable front AND rear.

Koni's are great shocks, but given your spring selection they are out of their element since they have less compression dampning and when matched with progressive springs on a 1.2" drop plus spring rates that aren't much stiffer then oem will not make for a blissfull relationship. If you must have GF210's a much better choice would be Tokico D-specs which can be adjusted stiffer since they have double adjustablity vs Koni's rebound only control. But that brings me to point out you can get a simular drop and better performance with Tokico's D-spec shock and spring kit, higher spring rates and they're linear too.

It's all too easy for me and what I've run in the past to tell you to get the Stance coilovers with some inexpensive Progress sway's and call it a day. But, would something like that be right for you? They do have have a whole lot more spring stiffness then GF210's or the D-spec springs I mentioned. But they do give you adjustable right height with full lenghth adjustablity and adjustable dampning. But you have to decide for yourself what caliber of setup will make you happy.

 

To be honest, the GF210s seem to be the popular vote around here. The price is good also. Before I got really enthusiastic about cars, I had really only ever known about eibachs, and thought they were the be all end all. Now of course I realize how wrong I was, but getting a general concensus seems difficult, because some swear by some and while others say differently.

The problem with trying to put together a parts list and buying them while Im over here in a'stan, is the fact that I can't go to a meet or call up a friend and test them out personally. So basically, I have to go with what I've read here, and what others directly input to my question.

Like I said, GF210s seem to be held in high esteem here, and the price is right, so I figured they were way to go. Im all for anyone listing other options though, or other springs and shocks that complement each other well. This seems like a cheaper option than going just coilovers, which could probably hit the limit of my budget amount. Any input that helps me get to where I want to be is good, so please keep them coming. And thanks again for the knowledge.

 

If I may take a moment, I will give some insight on what made me chose to go with handling before the others.

I want to learn how to drift; I want to learn how to get the most out of my car. In my 03 cavalier, I could e-brake *** drag like a demon. I learned how to drive my stock fwd car to its limit, but you can only do so much.

My first drive in my Z was only two months ago, and it was only limited to a few short days before it started snowing in Iowa. I hit some backroads that were twistie. "Ohhh so fun". Hit a long road that was basically a two mile straight away. "Damn this car is fun". I made a Kessel run (star wars reference there-sorry) 23 miles from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City, made it in 16 mins. All those things gave me a thrill beyond any driven experience. But on my way back from my 'kessel run' I hit a section of the freeway, its a loooooong wide curve. Streets were empty so I decided to get a real feel for how it handled. I did it umm.... fast.

It was scary and thrilling at the same time. The Z stuck to the road when it felt like it shouldnt have, like it shouldnt have been able to. I swear if I hadnt had my selt belt on, id have been stuck to the drivers side window. I'd never felt lateral g's like that while driving, not even in my old supra. When I came out of that corner, my heart beat like crazy. I honestly felt like I pushed myself more than the Z. I then knew that I had to upgrade my suspension so as to take that curve with more confidence.

I want to make the Z quicker, no doubt, (and prettier per se) but thats on the low end of my priorities. Feeling the g's just does something for me.

 

I am in a similar position, with a few differences:
1. I hva Cusco sways and camber arms
2. I just purchased Konis
3. I am an avid autocrosser and do some drifting and HPDEs.

My main concern is with suspension travel and being too low for street driving. I am thinking of the Tanabes mentioned, and also the Espelirs, which don't drop the car so much. The Espelirs have a very high rear spring rate compared to the fronts. I have no idea if this is good or bad. Also, the Nismo T2's have been recommended, but the Koni's may not be able to handle them. Having springs not properly matched to the shocks would be moving backwards, so I am concerned. Anyone have experience with the Espelirs, and also, anyone have trouble driving on streets with a 1" drop?

 

Nevermind. I tried the SEARCH and found several similar threads.