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How mauch track time do you forsee you doing? I'm in a similar situation. I think I would do about 1-2 track days a year w/ a good deal of autocrossing in between. But I also wanted something that I could handle a 300+ mile drive in. Originally I was thinking of the Tien Flex but realized that at 12.2/12.2 F/R would be murder when going on long drives. I'm gravitating towards the Nismo coilovers (yep, I know that the ones on the Nismo Z are made by Autech and are different) (8.1/8.9 F/R) because they have spring rates that are aout 1/2 way between the OEM, (5.7/7.7) F/R and the Tiens.

On my '03 I had RSR's Ti3000 (6.2/7.5) w/ Koni yellows and they worked well, but I did want slightly more stiffer springs.

Yeah, I could still get the the Tiens and get softer springs, but the Nismos are about $400 cheaper, not including the cost of the softer springs. No dampening adjustability but I assume that the shock should stroke should be adequate except for the smoothest of roads.

 

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I would suggest getting something with damping adjustable (either a 2 way or a single adjustable coil-over depending on how much you would like to spend). You will be able to use the softer settings on the street and tune it with stiffer damping / rebound on the circuit.

Megan Racing, Buddy Club (true coil-over), and Tein Flex are among the popular choices with reasonable price tags. All, IMO, are worthy for street driving and occasional track/auto-x.

Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

-Gary H.

 

Avoid lesser known brands, run a search narrowed to my username on Megan. Suspension behavior and knowing when something isn't right isn't or wrong isn't a sensibility that every reviewer is blessed with, you get what you pay for,...period. And those are words from someone that doesn't benefit financially, just a friend that believes in the motto, friends don't let friends drive junk.

Cusco Zero2

HKS Hypermax III (would pay for pair of 2Kg softer rear springs if buying for myself)

KW Variant 2 (would do what it takes to replace rear springs with linear units if buying for myself, would not be a easy thing AND maintain height adjustablity).

Zeal XS (version with rear springs in the oem location)

Tein Monoflex (goes out on a limb and trusts that the reviews done thus far aren't ignoring possible harshness because of high spring rate setup)

 

Stance

 

+100000 Stance is the near perfect choice for you guys who are street driven and still want to do an ocasional track day.

 

The set I drove had among the worst street manners I've ever felt on a Z, at least on our local roads - and -1 for non OE rear spring location (IMHO - but it's a major faux pas in my book). Of course, this car was dropped on the ground, but was still using street friendly tires (19 inch Goodyears). It's the only set I've ever been on, as they just are not popular in our area of the country at all it seems, but I'd charge someone a big time price tag for dialing them in on a track day...they were that far out of whack (had me bobbling all over the place).

To the original poster - might help narrow the field if you post your budget as well, and your wheel/tire setup, as that very much determines how it "feels" during day to day use. Also, do you plan to do track days on these same ties, or do you have dedicated track tires? This should have a huge impact in the choice you make

NISMO does not make coilovers for the Z - they are just a matched set of springs and struts, no adjustable height, no adjustable dampening.

 

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My recommendation would be the Cusco Zero 2 or the KW Variant II - both would absolutely fit your needs and come in well under your budget

 

Whatever suspension kit you get, your car will plow like crazy with that tire setup...

 

its not going to automatically plow like crazy - I ran the exact same tires sizes on my car for the longest time (18's) and the car was extremely neutral - it's all about the overall car setup and more importantly, getting a "style" down. Certainly not what the OP needs to be overly concerned about at his stage, since I get the impression it will be among his first time vistation to a track

 

I'm in the same situation...can't make a decision on which setup I would like.

 

"Of course, this car was dropped on the ground"

The Stance coilover has full height adjustablity, so unless some sort of funky bushing binding that I've never heard about was going on, dampner stroke issues were not the cause of how the car felt.

I considered the Stance coilovers, but I felt their was too much risk. I didn't get enough confidence in the review's posted, as good and well liked as they have been penned. In the end I felt better about paying more, that my idea of right and wrong was better taken care of by a system who's gene's I was well aware of and who's developement was handled by qualified people.

 

I completely hear ya there, and I feel largely the same. I was so unimpressed by them, that I didn't even care to look into the 'whys' of this subject cars behavior, and this was just on some local backroads near our office. The car went straight, so alignment issues didn't come to mind, though the car was very willing to kick the butt out, moreso than most other Z's I am used to (he was on Cusco bars, so not adjustable out back). They very well could have been setup incorrectly (preload vs. bracket adjustments) - you're guess is as good as mine, they just all in all didn't feel "good" for lack of a technical term lol during the 10 minutes or so I was driving the car - the moving far more than the front during steering input, which gives you an unsettling feeling. The owner of the car "loved" them - my guess is he loved how low he was able to go, and so long as the car went right and left when asked to, it was his definition of "great", which is of course a big problem when researching any mod. Anyway, with a "true" coilover setup in the rear, my interest in really exploring them further just wasn't there - maybe if I get some time over the fall or winter I can get the car here, and a damper put on a local shock dyno for some testing, and see what makes em tick.

 

This thread is a life saver because I've been going through the same questions but was having a hard time finding which setup to get.

 

i have the tein mono-flex's and LOVE them. The spring rates might seem a little stiff, but the valving on these things are incredible and makes for a very suitable ride.

BTW i am not one of these guys that likes kidney bruising rides. I thought my NF210 Tanabe springs rode kind of rough. The monoflexs ride MUCH better. The handling ability they provide is awesome. Car is much easier to keep in control.

 

I have the perfect choice for your needs and budget...TANABE TEAS SYSTEM WITH THE PRO FIVE COILVERS. See.. tha was easy!!

 

Is the spring on the mono-flex a (noticably) progressive spring? I was looking at the rates on it and they seemed a little high, but it's never mentioned just how much progressive range the spring has.

 

the springs are linear, not progressive. The springs rates are high, but as i mentioned the ride is much better than you would think due to the valving. I really got these things and was expecting them to beat me up on the ride home from atlanta to baton rouge, but man was i suprised. The ride is very DD freindly