Can anyone running this setup please chime in and let me know how the ride quality was? I was thinking of tokico hp and eibach sportlines, but heard that sportlines can sometimes be harsh/too firm of a ride. Pairing these with the tokico's which are 5-15% stiffer than stock, im a bit worried it might not be as comfortable as I want as I have recently been looking for a more comfortable ride with better handling. I know I can get softer springs like swift, but I am still a little form>function and love the drop of the sportlines. Also I am buying these used, if I were buying new I would go with sportlines and tokico d specs, but I can get a good deal on this setup. I feel this would be a solid setup compared to the taiwanese coils, opinions?

 

Coilovers will always be the better choice if you are looking for form, but I have read some bad reviews about the HP blues. I would go with the D-spec ones instead. Also, you may want to look into koni-shocks, they are the best for comfort.

 

remember that with the HP and Sportline setup there is no adjustability so whatever you get, you get. Some of the taiwanese coils actually ride pretty nice, the issue is their reliability... also be honest about what kind of driving your going to be doing. Since your looking at the HP setup, i assume your not planning on any sort of HPDE or autox?

 

esser: really? ive heard nothing but good reviews on the hp blues, i actually heard that the koni yellows arent very comfortable for the street, which is my main issue.

3oh5z: taiwanese coils are okay, but i still feel like they are way to bouncy for me. I might just shell out the extra bucks for a new set of d-specs, but amazon has a wait of 1-2 months and I can't find anything cheaper.
Correct, I won't be doing any extreme driving with this setup, just dd

 

I think that it's odd that people give bad reviews about the Tokico Blues. Most of those reviews probably come from folks that have never run them. I've run them on all my cars, seriously. Granted, the first two were a 240sx and turbo GTI but I've had nothing but luck with the HP Blues. I ran the Eibach Pro Kit on the 240 and the Sportlines on the GTI. As you might imagine, for daily driving I prefer the Pro Kit. the Sportlines were still a great daily driver but could be a little abrasive on cruddy roads. The HPs did pretty darn good job of handling both spring setups. I realize they will never be an adjustable shock but they really are a good bang for the buck shock and much better than an OEM shock teamed with aftermarket springs.


you may have heard rumors about the HP's losing compression and rebound over time and it's simply not true, at least in my years of running them. IMO they are tough as nails. My girlfriend at the time (wife now) plowed my GTI into a piece of firewood doing about 65. She nailed it with the right Front rim/tire. it destroyed the rim, tire, sway bar endlink, lower control arm, and even bent the half shaft. Guess what survived? The HP Blue didn't bend, leak, etc. I removed it completely and inspected it thoroughly and put it back on. it cycled the same as it always had and after the car was repaired I never noticed a difference.

The Adjustable Koni and D-Specs are better, for obvious reasons (adjust-ability) but the HP Blue is still a good shock.

 

is there an advantage to using stock upper mounts on the rears for the aftermarket struts over any other upper mount? I have hks upper mounts from my coilovers a while ago, but im not too sure if they are good or bad, or better or worse over the stock ones. I don't have the stocks anymore btw

 

I think there are a handful of coilovers manufactured overseas that would feel alright while driving, if you set them up correctly. Heard good things about Fortune Auto coilovers!

 

what do you mean by setting up correctly?

 

Hey fellas,
I'm looking into replacing my shocks too and am trying to test the waters on whether it would be alright to run them. The alternative would be to buy OEM. Currently my suspension is 100% stock. I just bought this Z with 135k on the clock and I'm told that the current shocks are probably worn out. I've no current plans on changing springs. The goal is to get back toward stock stiffness or not too much stiffer. What would you recommend? Also I hope to take the car out for an auto X day once in a while.

 

Not sure if the OP is still considering - I am running this setup. It is very stiff but I don't mind - I'm not a huge suspension expert so I don't know how to make it too much softer - if at all possible.

You will need toe & camber kits to bring the rear back into spec...

 

This is a great daily set up that is bang for the buck .Tokico D-Spec shocks and Tein H.Tech Lowering Springs . Nice turn in response and compliance to road conditions found in every day driving . Very adjustable shocks and springs lower the car very little so there are no alignment issues.
If you are loaded and want the ultimate suspension jewelry get the Ohlins Road and Track coil overs . Expensive ( 3500.00 to 3800.00 a set )and not for the novice in regards to set up.

Gixxer