TheWan

iTrader: (1)

First of all, I drive 2005 350Z Roadster.

Being in Texas where bigger truck is better, roads are terrible here (College Station, TX)... Which led to Inevitable damage to my suspension parts after hitting a pot hole.

Apparently my Sway bar bushing bracket(?) is broken, and dealership wants 70 bucks just for parts... does anyone know if I can get them cheaper anywhere?

Also while I'm doing that, I'll be changing the shocks and maybe spring. Since I can't have coilover (due to terrible road I think it'd be waste of money just re-building them all the time, and I don't track my roadster ) I was looking into buying Tokico HP with Tein springs (since I want to keep stock camber etc.).
But upon reSEARCHING the Tein S and H, they had different drop value for the roadster... The Tein H apparently drop the Roadster a lot more than the coupe model... So I'm going to guess the S spring will drop it below the .8 thrash hold? Is there any spring that will drop the ROADSTER less than .8 but has higher spring rate than Tein H (I heard Tein S spring rate was optimal for the Tokico HP)?

Thanks for reading.

TheWan

iTrader: (1)

Dear mods: And I put this in general because it is question about where to get parts / suspension advice.

jerseystyle

iTrader: (22)

Still belongs in the suspension subforum

davidv

iTrader: (2)

OEM Ride height for the roadster and coupe are a bit different depending on tires. For OEM 17 inch tires the difference is about 2 mm. For OEM 18 inch tires the difference is 1 mm. I do not consider these numbers significant.

OEM suspension components, such as dampers, are different for the roadster and coupe? Really?

TheWan

iTrader: (1)

Well, i have the 18's

But when I looked up the drop for Tein H spring for both Coupe and Convertible on Tein Website

Conv drop
Front: .5
Rear: .3

Coupe drop
Front: .3
Rear: .16

Convertible: http://www.tein.com/tech_info/p26-con.html

Coupe: http://www.tein.com/tech_info/p26.html

http://www.tein.com/products/high_tech_price_list.html

But they do not have the drop rate for the Tein S on Convertible... So I guess I'm not allowed to put it on? I want the stiffer spring rate on the rear... but they don't recommend it?

hellsoldiers08

iTrader: (3)

get the nismo coil overs it does a .5 if i remember correctly and give you what you want but you get some performance outta it plus it a factory part and a selling point.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

The roadster has some extra weight in the *** end, thats why it has a difference. Just pick the springs you want, it will hardly be a noticable difference.

TheWan

iTrader: (1)

Well... My budget is no where near a grand... So no Nismo...

I mean, why I'm worried is because if the front get extra .2 inch from weight of Roadster, that would make the Tein S (which is what I want) drop to alomost an inch = needing camber arm n whatnot... Right? or Do I have it completely wrong, and am a noob...

I do not track my car, it's my daily driven baby that love driving every day... and trying not to spend outrageous amount of money on suspension mods...

So... Tein S would be fine without any extra purchases?

Anyone has experiance with Tein H with Tokico that wasn't negative (most reviews I found from searching didn't like the H and opted for S or stiffer springs)?

I really appreciate all of you guys for the help btw. This is why I love this forum.

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

You'll be fine with suspension for the coupe - the weight difference/distribution is negligible from a suspension standpoint IMO.

My suggestions:

Option 1 - Good
------------------
I'd recommend camber arms with any drop, because you don't know if your alignment adjustments are already near their limit with your stock setup. Each car's adjustments for a proper alignment can vary greatly. It's much less expensive to go ahead and get some adjustable Kinetix camber arms and SPC toe bolts in the rear and Kinetics front arms than to burn through a set of tires too fast in the rear. The arms will pay for themselves in a single set of tires and will last for the practical life of your vehicle.

Option 2 - Better
--------------------
If you know you are going to always stick with OEM style springs, you may want to do the above, but also pick up lockout washers and the SPL adjustable spring buckets for your toe in/out. That would allow you to "lock in" your alignment. The eccentric bolts just don't hold a good alignment in my experience. The SPL buckets aren't cheap, so many people skip this option and opt for option 3 if they are thinking about going to true coil overs in the future.

Option 3 - Best
-----------------
Even better, if you can find a set of used coil overs, you could then do the following for under $1k if you take time shopping for good deals. This won't be a track quality coil over, but will give you a solid suspension performance similar to stock and will allow you to set your ride height and damper where you want it. Also this will hold a solid alignment like a rock. This was my initial suspension setup on my roadster to save my tires:

Used True coilovers (Stance, BC, etc)
Front A Arms (Kinetix, etc)
Rear Camber Arms (Kinetix, SPC, etc)
Rear Toe Arms - bucket replacement (Battle Version, etc)
SPL Lockout Bolts for Rear Camber & Rear Toe (SPC, etc)

vtchang

iTrader: (9)

Given your goals, the bad road conditions, and budget.

06 springs + mod + shocks. I'd sell you mine if I wasn't going to part out.

Nothing on the web about drop is correct for the roadster. While the geometry of the roadster and coupe are identical, nobody takes the time to do the measurements. Don't waste your money like I did and go through 3 sets of springs.

vtchang

iTrader: (9)

Be careful about buying used coilovers. Doesn't matter what brand it is, doesn't matter where it comes from. It will fail. There is no question about it. I've gone through 2 rebuilds. Some warranties will not transfer and you'll be SOL. Rebuilds are around $75 to $125 each.

03threefiftyz

iTrader: (25)

Rebuilds can be a whole lot more than that on some shocks...

vtchang

iTrader: (9)

when I thought $125 per side was bad enough... I don't even want to know what you went through.

moral of the story:
1k for used (BC/Stance/type in anything) + $500 rebuild + wait time (2 weeks at best to multiple months) >> anything those coilovers will do for you.

wwilde001

iTrader: (11)

I've got a 2005 Roadster with Hotchkis springs and for the money love them. Lowers the front around .5 and the rear around .75 and won't beat you to death if you using it as a daily driver. Stock shocks are fine, but you'll need an alignment when your done. Keeps the car within the factory alignment specs (on the edge) without any additional hardware. Add a set of swaybars and get set to have some fun. Here's a pic.

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

Whether it's shocks or coil overs, they are going to wear out over time and require replacement or repair. They are going to wear out the same in another responsible driver's car as they will in yours, so a coil over that has X number of miles on it has an expected remaining lifetime unless it was abused. If you're worried about abuse, be sure you check things out and buy from a reputable seller. I just don't understand you equating buying used = buying blown.

Moral of the story:
Be careful and know what you're buying and who you're buying from. There are plenty of good deals to be had on here and there is no reason to have to spend repair money on the heels of buying something used - if you do your homework. If you buy them from the first guy listing them that has no iTrader history, wants you to send him a Western Union, has 4 posts on the forum, and two of those posts are about "performing mad tyte drifts around the light poles at Walmart and impressing teh laydays" - yeah, you might get some abused equipment.

hellsoldiers08

iTrader: (3)

Hey, I'm not sure if you noticed but i drive in the s.a suck roads to! lol i am currently about .7 all around and don't really scrape anything. honestly i recommend do it right the first time, if spring choice drop is to much your screwed but spending the extra money on coil over will be a investment worth while and best bang for buck upgrade for a Z besides cat delete.

TheWan

iTrader: (1)

Well the thing is that my shocks are blown already... therefore i have to change them either OEM (which will cost a lot more than tokico), or tokico/koni ect. But since I'm going to be changing the shocks, i thought i might as well do the springs while I'm at it...

I understand why you guys push coilover over shocks/spring. But driving on roads I drive on, the BRAND NEW coilovers won't last more than a year. (seriously. You guys have no idea how terrible roads are on College Station is...) Maybe you can google map the road called Wellborne and it'll give you some idea of how terrible it is... (my shocks are blown.. only after 50,000 miles...)

Since it is something i must fix NOW, saving up for later isn't really an option for me. whatever budget i set for is all i got, and that ain't much.

Therefore, I don't think i'll be purchasing coilovers unless I leave this city.

Thank you for all the inputs though. I am going to look into the Hotchikis also.

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

If the roads are that bad, you're going to likely end up with torn bushings, etc. as well if you go with a lowered setup. You can accomplish a similar look and reduce the gap by spacing your wheels out closer to the fender and having your fenders rolled. Then you can run OEM/stock shocks and springs which will likely be your least cost option. This would provide you the least cost and protect your other components - plus make the ride a little more comfortable on those horrible roads.

Sounds like you have a challenge ahead of you. Because running lowered cars on crappy roads costs money - one way or the other.

hellsoldiers08

iTrader: (3)

time to start saving up for a DD

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Thats not bad, just 10k short of the actual usable life of a shock.