denic79

iTrader: (1)

I'm trying to figure out which coilovers to go with. I was thinking of just going with the tein basic dampner or just go all out and go with the jic's I don't want it to ride really hard though. I only use the car on weekends so no need to go to crazy? It already looks low but the nissan ride isn't all that great.

Gsedan35

iTrader: (10)

Looks to me based on how you worded your post that you'd be best served by simply waiting for Koni to come out with thier sport sturts. That will take about the source of your complaints on the stock susension.

Their is a new coilover out from tein that might also better serve you "if" coilovers are "truely" what you want. The CS system. It use's spring rates that are allot softer than the jics or the flex system. In fact the CS Teins spring rates are around 10% stiffer than stock in the front and about the same as stock in the rear. Biggest benefit over just installing Koni's (which would be ALLOT cheaper btw) is the the Teins CS dampener's 16 levels of adjustability, offer both rebound AND compression vs the Koni's rebound only control. Compaired to the basic Tein system the CS uses spring rates that are much closer to stock and again has dampeners that can be adjusted. On the basic system, you have to trust that tein dialed in a ride quality that you like. To think of that in another way, if you car came from nissan with adjustable struts, you'd be able to dial out the ride quality issue you don't like right now.

Stock spring rates

347lbs front 419 rear
Tein basic
504lbs front 504 rear
Tein CS
396lbs front 396 rear
Jic FLT-A2 (NOT the RS version)
590lbs front 708lbs

Food for thought, hope that is of help to you.

narkotic

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the spring rates comparison. But I don't think that really means much, mainly your ride quality is depending on the dampeners. The only way we're goign to know for sure is when someone here bites the bullet and gets tein basic system to tell us if its worth the money and how it rides, since its not adjustable.

Vivid Racing

iTrader: (67)

The Tein's are a good coilover, and when they wear out you can send them back in to Tein and they will rebuild them for about $400. The JICs are pimp, though. I've ridden on both setups and I like the JICs better. Seems to soak up more of the small bumps and better at high speed, but alot of that has to do with how they are set up.

Gsedan35

iTrader: (10)

No, the spring rates does matter, run considerably higher spring rates, and you have to up the valving rates on the dampers to control them properly, so it's a ying and yang thing. So posting how much stiffer the basic's are over stock shead's some light on where Tein will likely valve. And places the CS system in proper prospective given the nature of this thread creator's stated desires.

With out the basic's ability to be adjusted, you have to trust that they don't valve them in a manner like Nissan valved the stock Z struts. Ok,.....I'm sure they wouldn't do that, but what if you, never the less, you don't like what their R&D guys like, your outta luck.

And certainly what you just said rings true this way. The G35 coupe and the 350Z run the same spring rates. Yet the Z struts have allot more compression dampening and we know the reputation of the Z stock struts by and large.

Topics II

iTrader: (8)

I have custom JIC's on my car right now. They run a 22kg front (1200lbs) and a 20kg rear (1100lbs), i built it this way for drift and it works amazing. I had a set of flt-a2's on my rx7 before this and loved it. So i had this setup built for my z. The valving was also upgraded so the ride quality is genius.

I drive it on the street everyday. No complaints.

denic79

iTrader: (1)

I think i'm just gonna go with the jic's and just pay up. Is there two different types of jic's or just one. Will i need to do the rear toe and camber rods my tires are junk already there wearing totaly uneven so i want to concentrate on the suspension and new tires. I'm doing the install at my buddys shop so its easier, do they come all set up already because I don't know where to start to set them up. I'm gonna go with bridgestone potenza's this time because I'm not impressed with the toyo's. There so noisey once they get half worn out. I have 275-35-19 on the back now but I think I'm gonna go with 285-30-19 this time what do you guys think? Where is the best place to get the jic's from.

Topics II

iTrader: (8)

Yes, getting the rear camber rod and toe rod, they help with setting proper alignment and adjustment for better handling. If you lower the car more than like an inch, you are already out of the stock camber adjustment range. And dont get potenzas, run falkens or better yet yokos. I run es100s 245/40/18 front and rear and love it, i am trying out hankook sport k104 in 245/40 and 245/45 soon.

John

iTrader: (17)

Good lord, you're running 1200#F / 1100#R on the street? How exactly are the dampers different? I'm curious to hear about this since Zeal (who imports JIC) didn't even seem to know the difference between the dampers of the FLT-A2 progressive v. linear setup.

I have the linear setup, and on DC roads, it can be a bit punishing, but my car is pretty much a weekend toy so it doesn't both me too much.

To the author of this thread, I think you're going to be better off with the FLEX system, as I found the ride to be extremely comfortable on the street. Anything softer is a waste of money in my opinion.

MY350Z.COM

iTrader: (2)

Why not Potenzas? Why Falkens or Yokos?

Just curious.

Victor

little_rod

Hmmm, didn't realize that the Tein basics' spring rates were so much stiffer than stock. That should give a lot of roll stiffness........hmmm, interesting. Wish someone just made some stiffer springs that go with the stock shocks, but oh well.

John

iTrader: (17)

Where were these stock spring rates found? I find it hard to believe the front spring rates are lower than the rears.

Also, the JIC FLT-A2 spring rates are 10kg/mm (560#F) and 12kg/mm (670#R), while the progressive setup uses the 10kg/mm spring in the rear.

denic79

iTrader: (1)

im confused should I go with jic's or tein flex?

350z4steve

iTrader: (1)

Hey John,

So I take it you like the JIC's and finally got them on~ what about the TEINs though..when exactly did you try those out?

Gsedan35

iTrader: (10)

The stock spring rates were calculated using a dial caliper measuring the diameter of the wire in the springs. The inside width of the spring and the number of active coils and send all the data to a engineer friend of mine. 2 things of note on that, my math is within 2lbs of the spring rates that RSR uses on their down springs. And I called RSR and asked them to verify if their posted rates were correct, the tech said that it was most likely correct that they indeed did use the same spring rates for their own lowering springs since their only .6" lower. Also it was said, by a Nissan employee close to the suspension design team that the spring rates for the 350Z , the G35 coupe and the G35 sedan with sport suspension are all the same and that they all use higher rear spring rates. That can be classed as a rumor or course, however. That, in spite of the fact that the Z and coupe springs are shorter than the sedans. Mathmatically, he's pretty much correct, since the taller sedan spring use's a different wire diameter to achieve the just about the same spring rate.

350Z/G35 coupe: 347/419
G35: 357/407 (Sedan w/sport suspension)

I was told that the conversion factor for 1KG=59lbs, that is what my Jic rate quote's are based on. Seeing that even Tein use's 56lbs as the converting factor, I will do likewise from now on.

Gsedan35

iTrader: (10)

Linear springs have a number of advantages over progressive spirngs disagvantages that apply the more likely you are to push a car to the limits. That is why most all serious racers do not run progressive springs, they know better.

Jic makes a progressive setup,.......why? I wonder if their playing the helper spring role a bit to far? Such a product doesn't suit their place in the market place.

samw1978

Anyone heard of Aragosta? AWESOME coilover, I have them on my 99' Prelude SH... really really good quality, but very stiff, also very pricy...
Thinking about getting another set of Aragosta for my Z...

John

iTrader: (17)

Yeah, I finally installed mine about a month ago, and definitely dig the go-kart like ride. I never installed the Teins on my car, but had the opportunity to ride in another car with them.

John

iTrader: (17)

From what I've been told, the progressive setup was offered initially to be marketed for the G35C since it's more of a luxury car. Whether there is truth to this statement, I'll let you decide.

I realize there are advantages to a linear spring rate, that's why I ordered the JICs. However, I had to order them twice because I was sent the progressive setup (which at the time I ordered, no one knew even existed).

Topics II

iTrader: (8)

I just have had better luck (in a drifting scenerio) with falkens and yokos, we used to run azenis sports in the front of our rx7s with randoms in the back.

Then we started running the same tires front and rear and it makes the car alot more neutral, like falken 115's front and rear, or yoko es100's. They seem to have more of a defined point when you are going to loose traction, whereas the potenzas seem to "push" and the rear never seems to want to stop burning tire.