i have a 2007 350z that i recently purchased. i would like to lower it just a bit, maybe 3/4" - 1" front and rear. I dont plan on road racing it, its mainly just a daily driver. So i was looking into tein s-techs, but from what i read most people say its smarter just to spend the extra money and go for full coils. is it really necessary for my needs? i suppose if i did id just go with tein basics or d2 racing coils. opinions please!

 

The both have advantages, the shocks you get with cheap coilovers suck, but you can adjust you drop.

 

Review these two threads. You can then make an informed decision for what will work best for you.

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...ion-101-a.html

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...ic-thread.html

 

will the shocks i get with tein basics, megan, or d2 racing coils suck? i doubt ill really adjust my ride height at all. id probably set it to just under an inch and leave it, that's why im wondering why im being told just to spend the extra money. if i did tein s-techs would i notice the drop? is there really any reason at all not to just buy springs

 

+1 on coilovers. I got s-techs and matched them with koni yellows. The performance is good but now I want to go lower I can't. If it's just a daily then go for some budget coilovers

 

Yes, the shocks will suck with those coil-overs. If you just want a specific drop, buy springs and be done with it.

 

ya i think thats probably best. i was comparing eibach pro-kit and tein s-tech. the eibachs are more but have a little bit bigger drop, but i really want to make sure i avoide camber and tire wear issues. Looks-wise is there much of a difference. Can you tell a Z with tein s-techs is lowered if you didnt know better?

 

I have the S-Tech on mine with the rear spring mount mod. The car is lowered with not camber issue. Still have the oem shocks.

 

Thanks for pointing the new member to the numerous threadS on the same topic & the search function. I am sure I probably asked the same question 4 years ago myself.

 

Get sportlines if you wanna be on a real budget. Pretty low and only $200ish

 

^probably gonna need a camber kit with the sportlines, and depending on how hard/often you drive you'll be replacing your shocks fairly soon. I'm by no means a suspension expert though, in fact probably the farthest thing from it so definitely do your research!

I vote get the springs you want and if you don't like something about them upgrade to coilovers later.

 

If you NEVER plan on "slamming" your Z then springs all the way. Get tanabe gf210 springs, They ride just a slight bit stiffer than stock and drop is like 1.2 er sumthing. Coils are a waste of money if you never plan to slam your car. Plus you can stick with stock shocks. Springs all the way IMO. I'm on coils and it sux for daily.

 

I love my coils, the ride OK even with 700 pound springs, but they are way out of most peoples range. All my solid bushings suck for daily driving.

BTW stock shocks do not last long, average is 60k with stock springs, then they wear much faster once a lowering spring is installed. Unless you have a low mile car, get a set of shock when you install the springs. D Specs can be had for $500 and are much better quality dampers (give you a great ride) than any cheap (BC, Stance, Megan , Ksport ) Coilover.

 

Yeah but if your going to replace the shocks midas well buy a full sleeve setup. Spring dont do **** to shocks the amout of travel from stock to lowering spring is minimal. Most lowering springs will still be preloaded on the front. If you go springs you wont need shocks unless like said before, you have a high mileage car. Ksport offers a fullsleeve thats fairly priced with good quality. Really in the end it all depends on you!

 

A lowering spring absolutely compromises the life of a shock. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. Sleeves do nothing to alleviate preload, only a coilover that allows adjustment of spring length independant of the mounting bracket will allow control over preload (or using a shorter than desired spring in the first place, which then likely will be mismatched to the stroke of the shock).

To the OP, you have to establish for yourself your

1. budget
2. realistic intended uses

and then compare the prices of what you're buying. Just because a coilover is close in price to a set of springs/struts, doesn't mean a coilover is a 'better buy'. If your coilover choices are D2 or Tein Basics, you would be far better served with the D spec shock and spring setup, for less money than either of those coilover choices, and you'll have a far superior product. This setup works better because their strut and spring were designed around one another, so the stroke of each is more closely matched as compared to a random brand lowering spring on a stock strut

 

if u can afford a good set of coilovers i wouldn't think twice ( Bilstein, KW...)
if its just a matter of look just do the springs, but i strongly recommend going the other way

 

Lowering springs dont do **** to stock shocks... The lowering sprigs end up being preloaded before they ever go on the car!! Do you know what preload is? Means there is already compression on the spring before ANY weight is put on it by the car. You have to compress the lowering spring before you can even put them on! how does that affect the shock? A stock shock still has like 3000 inches of suspension travel plus most lowering spring come with a stiffer spring than stock.. You will NEVER hit bumpstop on a stock shock with a good lowering spring period. You can rock lowering spring on a stock shock on a 350 all fuggin day with out problems unless your shocks already have the miles... One thing he did say that was right, 1. be realistic with the goals you have for your car and 2. budget.

 

I'm kind of in this same boat. Looking to go a bit lower than my current Hotchkis+OEM shock setup, but want forgiving ride quality while minimizing body roll and front to back pitch. I dont know exactly where I want my ride height to be and I have a somewhat steep driveway to contend with, so I'm looking at coilovers to give me height adjustability as needed (even though I'll probably set them once and forget it). I'm realizing that it's probably going to take an expensive setup (Bilstein, KW, etc.) to get the end result I want. Gotta pay to play I suppose!

BUT, if you know what drop you want definitively, you can shop springs and upgraded shops and save yourself a buttload of money.

 

Coilovers are great of want to be able to corner balance a car for track days, slam it for that Hella Flush look or just like to ride low. But with entry level coilover you tend to get a harsher ride.

If you NEVER plan to lower the car any lower than 1" and looking for a smooth ride then you may want to look at Eibach Pro Kit. They provide an excelent ride. We also have them on sale right now for $269.37

Depending on how many miles are on your car you may want to upgrade your shocks as well.

Be sure to check out our inventory http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/s...san_350Z_03_08

 

I was in the same boat as you. I wanted springs, but knew that I would have to upgrade the shocks eventually. That's why I decided on saving a few more hundred bucks and got the BC coilovers. You can adjust the the height if you want to go lower later on, and you can adjust the how stiff or soft you want your ride.