street suspension

[davinci]

after building up my swap its now time to work on the suspension. I need everyone's opinions on what a good quality street setup would be. when i say quality that means i don't want cheap knockoff stuff with bad bearings. But i also dont need 21 ways super drifto shit either. I can afford good stuff but don't need super expensive high end shit for bling/name factor

my goals are to just drive this thing around town and freeway. i actually like a stiff suspension so i dont require it to feel soft. I dont need super angle knuckles or any of that mess. no drifting will be done with this car.

i will however need adjust-ability in back *toe camber* i will be running 18x12 with some meaty tires ( not really going to run negative camber) i want my full contact patch. im more worried about less wheel hop

car is an 89 coupe. it will be running fender flares, already have j30 diff in. currently on just drop springs and struts. engine is ls1 cammed and full supporting mods, and it is a beast!!!

so lemme know what you guys think as far as brands to make this thing a street beast ;)

im asking for opinions from experience with parts

[davinci]

some pics of the beast

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/563275_144103805719171_100003586562536_166880_1243 146905_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/s720x720/574456_152974624832089_100003586562536_192461_2076 105705_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/562976_155067394622812_100003586562536_197445_1328 52474_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/525847_144104669052418_100003586562536_166883_1854 060125_n.jpg

[SR20PWRALTY]

I've have followed your build on silviaV8forum its awesome!

I personally went with stance GR series coilovers built specifically for the LS1 swap on 240sx. I have had them for about a month on street car and loved them.

I also was contemplating fortune auto coilovers, I have heard nothing but good things from both companies.

[davinci]

thanks for the input. ill check out the stance coils!! ya my build was rough and full of mistakes and setbacks. i need to go update it. i have so many pics to update about the rest of teh build process. i just got so deep into gettin it done and now tuning it lol.

i need to research those coils and see what makes them specially "ls1 swapped" built. wonder if its just teh helper springs cause other coils run helper springs too lol. but keep it coming. i also curious on a good priced quality ruca for camber adjustments in rear. does not have to be spl. so lemme know

[badbob2121]

Fortune Auto Coilovers - Fortune Auto North America (http://www.fortune-auto.net/productpage.htm)

SPL PRO SUSPENSION | 89-94 Nissan 240SX S13 (http://www.splparts.com/chassis-S13.html)

[project-D180]

pbm for coils n arms

[Csomme]

Don't forget about bushings, swaybars, and braces. They will make a huge difference in the way that car handles.

[FU12]

Heard good thing about PBM and their arms.

[jesse_s13]

Fortune FTW. Just get the roller bearings so they dont make sounds.

[prowess]

i got part shop max coils. super stiff.

i recommend stance gr+ for a street car, more compliance than part shop max.


i would also consider changing your stock subframe bushings to solid replacements if you don't want wheel hop.

[whiterps13]

SPL is the best stuff out there, period. Pricey, but its guaranteed to last and will take a beating on the street.

[Irresistible]

PBM, SPL, Stance, Fortune Auto. All you need to know.

[Kevin920415]

I had personal experience with pbm, they seem a bit too stiff for daily..
try fortune auto with spl arms.

[FU12]

Kevin, how are the streets around the OC where you live, I need coils but need some custom parts that pbm will do for the best price. People say they are too stiff and I'm wondering how the roads are where they live..

[qwerty]

i would recommend Feal Suspension. ive had it on my 240 for couple of weeks and it feels grate. Odi recomended 10kg front and 8kg in the rear for daily driving. he also told me that it will provide me with the most amount of traction without wheel hops and with out being too harsh on the streets/highways.

its not that pricy and swift coils are awesome. the linear compression/decompression rate of the springs are defiantly noticeable when you a bump or go around corners

Feal Drift Spec Suspension (http://odib.web.officelive.com/FealDriftSpecSuspension.aspx)

[davinci]

Thanks for the input guys. SUbframe bushing where already in plans.

[240drifter1]

Stance coils. PBM Arms. Solid Bushings. Bam.

[zooopreme]

i got part shop max coils. super stiff.

i recommend stance gr+ for a street car, more compliance than part shop max.


i would also consider changing your stock subframe bushings to solid replacements if you don't want wheel hop.

Again, when I see people talking about PBM coils. YOU SHOULD SPECIFY WHICH ONES YOU HAVE.

PBM pro's are nowhere NEAR their old coilovers (which were stiff). So everybody, put PBM back on your list if you can afford the Pro's

[The Dude]

KW Variant 3, awesome street suspension. If you're going to get the SPL suspension you may as well do the Koni and Ground Control setup.

[cmg]

Stance has always done good for me. I currently have a set of bc coilover and they seem fine so far but the car dont get driven much and has only made it to one track day. Theyre pretty decent in city driving when adjusted soft though. Like everyone else said, as far as arms go, get pbm or spl. Oh, and get adjustable tension rods. Stock tension rods make your steering feel sloppy compared to a better unit.

[prowess]

Again, when I see people talking about PBM coils. YOU SHOULD SPECIFY WHICH ONES YOU HAVE.

PBM pro's are nowhere NEAR their old coilovers (which were stiff). So everybody, put PBM back on your list if you can afford the Pro's

I have the original pbm coils. 10/8kg on s13.

been running them daily for about 4 years now.

the coils have been reliable, no leaking or anything like that but one of the front dampers won't adjust stiffness anymore, the key just spins and never stops. But imo, PBM coils really should be used on a car with extra reinforcement in the chassis (i.e. cage). My car creaks so much, i think it's due to chassis fatigue as a result of the stiff ass suspension.

so you say the pbm pros are alot less stiff?

[240drifter1]

Ive had 3 sets of PBM's. Rough as shit, as everyone knows lol.

My friend has PBM pro's on his Kouki and honestly there still rought as shit.
For DD use stance is where it's at.

[Kevin920415]

Kevin, how are the streets around the OC where you live, I need coils but need some custom parts that pbm will do for the best price. People say they are too stiff and I'm wondering how the roads are where they live..

Pot holes and cracks here and there in inner streets honestly we have pot holes and cracks here and there It hurts my back after long drives... How about trying fortune auto?

[ship2236]

Pbm genII coils r great. Apexi n-1's are awesome n seem to be forgotten aswell. Cusco Or spl arms r top notch. Buddy rolls fortunes on his coupe and says great things about them aswell

[FU12]

Pot holes and cracks here and there in inner streets honestly we have pot holes and cracks here and there It hurts my back after long drives... How about trying fortune auto?

I want to but I'm not trying to spend much for coils. I don't mind a stiff ride as Long Beach streets aren't terrible, and I'm never going to track this car so spending the extra seems pointless. Besides I'm already spending more on my car then its worth. Also the 4 year warranty of PBM is a nice incentive, and If I don't like them, they flip pretty easily.

[JVD]

I love how people are recommending PBM for a street car.

I'd try those FEAL coils for sure. They actually spend time valving them properly.

Not the same shit for every car and then chose spring rates.

[FU12]

Pbm genII coils r great. Apexi n-1's are awesome n seem to be forgotten aswell. Cusco Or spl arms r top notch. Buddy rolls fortunes on his coupe and says great things about them aswell
By gen 2 do you mean comp gen 2s or the pros

[Aoshi112]

KW V3s here in my s14. I can adjust them to be very streetable and forgiving on the bumpy LA roads while still being awesome at the track too.

[davinci]

thanks for input so far guys. im leanign towards feal or stance so far. and yes subframe and diff bushings are in the plans. and ruca and tension rods. i just wanted an idea on whats quaility but not super track needs.

also whats everyones thoughts on subframe bushings? aluminum or the inserts that use epoxy?? i want peoples opinions that have it on there car already and use car as daily. not a track ho

[Sumslapper]

Just don't run stiff spring rates on the street and your good. I run Cusco zero1 with 6k rear 8k front and it rides great on the street. For you guys running 10k+ are crazy.

[badbob2121]

I would recommend polyurethane bushings for a street car... Not solid bushings.

[ixfxi]

I would recommend polyurethane bushings for a street car... Not solid bushings.

poly sucks ass, totally useless

[The Dude]

poly sucks ass, totally useless

^what he said. If you're looking for something for a daily driver, just get replacement rubber ones (Nismo used to make some, not sure if they still do). Otherwise get the solid ones.

[cmg]

This is what I normally go with on my cars with a variation of brands. Im still testing to see exactly what I like so far. Hopefully the link works: Enjuku Racing Parts, LLC - Shopping Cart (http://www.enjukuracing.com/cart.php?suggest=4f9970b176c31)

If it dont the list is: Stance ss coilover, spl toe rod, spl ruca, spl tension rod, stance solid diff bushings, stance solid subframe risers (i prefer pbm over all so far), energy suspension rack bushings.

If you do those things you will be happy

[h2v7]

i get so jelly when i see a lsx in a s chassis

[fckillerbee]

I ran stance on my s14...super low. took the bumps no problem. Honestly a nice ride for coils...

Sold the 14 and bought some godspeed hyper RS for the s13. they are 12k/10k spring rates....super stiff. Their dampening didn't make a huge difference, but helped. I took those off the car cause they didn't go low enough (i was going to have them re-valved with better spring rates just to compare cheap vs mid level but like I said..ride height).

So I went with PBM pros with swift 8k/6k springs. I haven't driven the car since cause my rack went out. But i've heard awesome things about them.

Stance coils were nice!

[delado]

Fortune Auto Coilovers - Fortune Auto North America (http://www.fortune-auto.net/productpage.htm)

SPL PRO SUSPENSION | 89-94 Nissan 240SX S13 (http://www.splparts.com/chassis-S13.html)

All of this

[cmg]

I keep hearing good things about fortune auto coilovers. Never tried them. Maybe Ill make it a point to next time I buy a set.

[lflkajfj12123]

oh kewl a stock s13 with a v8

[davinci]

also can anyone tell me from expierence if a infinity j30 rear sway bar will fit on a s13 subframe?? i have searched this site and google to no end. only 1guy on two sites mentions using the j30 bar on his s13 but also mentions an s14 subframe.

i need the j30 bar for duel exhaust.

[The Dude]

youre getting coilovers, right? you can just get rid of the rear sway bar entirely.

[FU12]

youre getting coilovers, right? you can just get rid of the rear sway bar entirely.

Care to elaborate on this.

[ixfxi]

youre getting coilovers, right? you can just get rid of the rear sway bar entirely.

is this advice for REAL?

[The Dude]

is this advice for REAL?

Yes. The bigger the rear swaybar is the higher the effective spring rate will be on your outside tire during a turn because it is having to try and compress both sides of the suspension, thereby increasing the spring rate on the outside tire. This will cause the inside tire to lose traction when cornering (because it is trying to compress like the other side is). Where most people go wrong is increasing the size of the rear swaybar instead of decreasing it. Since his new coilovers will likely have a much higher spring rate than the stock ones, he shouldn't notice more body roll.
I hope that makes sense. I'm not very good at explaining things.

[ixfxi]

you're assuming the chassis is able to put that load on the corner without flex

clearly swaybars are made for that exact purpose

[ManoNegra]

Couple of friends ran their cars without a swaybar
but these cars had quality suspension, diff and corrected roll center
their cars rode great

tried it on my last car and didn't care for it

[The Dude]

I only recommended he completely remove the rear swaybar because his other alternative was to get a bigger one, which would cause more oversteer...a bad thing when you've just put an LS motor in an S13. Plenty of people into autocross and road racing do this.

[davinci]

so if i was to roll with no rear sway, would i need an even stiffer spring setup for the rear coils when i buy them? stiffer than what most order

[The Dude]

I don't know which ones you're getting, but I'd say probably not because most coilovers for our cars are way too stiff for street use as it is.

Here's a pretty good article that might explain things better than I can.

How sway bars work (http://www.houseofthud.com/cartech/swaybars.htm)

[FU12]

I recently bought and installed PBM Comp coils. IMO they aren't as stiff as people say they are. In LB we have our fair share of shitty streets and even on those they aren't uncomfortable. I've ever in a car with Tokicos and CO sleeves that was much harsher than PBM. I ride with them on a setting of 5f/4r damping. My car is 180-200 lbs heavier than an s13. My car is also front heavy because its FF just so you have some perspective. I bought them for $1134 shipped.

[SuperBlackS14]

I rock Fortune 500 coils, SPL RUCAs, Megan (like the Nismo or Hard Race) Subframe bushings and Energy Suspension Polys on the rest of it. It's been working well for me. Great recommendations from people here too. Thanks guys.

[mantas]

thanks for input so far guys. im leanign towards feal or stance so far. and yes subframe and diff bushings are in the plans. and ruca and tension rods. i just wanted an idea on whats quaility but not super track needs.

also whats everyones thoughts on subframe bushings? aluminum or the inserts that use epoxy?? i want peoples opinions that have it on there car already and use car as daily. not a track ho

My friend just switched from Tein tracks i believe to Feal and he won't stop talking about how good they are. He had megan track and street before, and hated them. Quite honestly I can't wait till i upgrade because i'm definitely going with Feal. He said even his off the line traction improved and his car drives smoother on the road and handles way better in the canyons.