springs and struts or the whole kabootle?

[Dutchmalmiss]

my friend was telling me about getting some springs and struts for about 6 or 700 which is almost like getting a coilover set. i was planning to do the whole tien set for 1400. is that good or bad? what should i do?

[AKADriver]

Do you track your car, and thus want/need the ability to corner balance and preload?

Most people don't need coilovers. I take my car to the track as often as possible and I'm not even sure I do.

If you just want a lower, firmer, more solid street ride, traditional springs and struts are excellent. Lower maintenance and cheaper than coilovers by a long shot ($700 is a lot, but $1400 is twice that...)

[TheSparo]

if you wanna go half way, you could always get a Ground Control "coilover" w/ KYB AGX's

[Dutchmalmiss]

really? i just want a lower ride height so i can handle better...but the main thing i want is comfort....so what would be the most comfortable ride?

[AKADriver]

Eibach Pro-Kit.

Soft, progessive rate springs.

[TomsMR2]

if you ever drive your car on the street, you absolutely dont need full coilovers.

ride height has alot less todo with handling than you think. the stiffer spring rates mated to stiffer shocks contribute much more, if not all, to better handling. suspension needs a certain amount of compression/rebound travel, riding around on bump stops is actually bad for handling. lower doest mean better

[drift freaq]

one of the big advantages to going with coilovers on our cars is the fact that the springs and struts are matched. Seeing as there is only one real matched spring shock combo's being sold for our cars(Tokico springs and struts) is the reason you see a lot of people opting for coilovers.
Quite often people discover they cannot get the spring/strut combo that works for our cars .
Hence deciding on coilovers. In fact most the coilover users I know had spring strut combo's first and were not happy with the results , including myself.
YMMV
It also can depend on the type of roads you have in your area.

Yes , you do not need coilovers for strictly street use. Though like stated above , there are reasons people have gone that way.
If you use your car on a track then having coilovers is nice because you can adjust the suspension according to the track.
Plus if you have coilovers you will not be riding on bump stops, like stated above because they are designed to drop the car as low as you need it without doing that.
I would say you need to just do some research on suspension design and our cars. find out why certain things happen and make a intelligent choice according to your needs not peoples opinions.

[AKADriver]

Adjustable dampers such as KYB AGX and Koni yellows are well matched to most any aftermarket spring. Check the spring rate archive in the FAQ section; almost all aftermarket springs for the 240SX are in the 150-250 lb/in range, with most settling around 175-200 lb/in. Choice of spring is then determined by your desired stance, and the choice of progressive vs. linear rates.