Coilover question

[Daz]

I'm looking to do coilovers on my 260z, so I'm trying to find the cheapest way. Do you guys think these will work ?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissan-240SX-89-94-COILOVER-SPRING-KIT-SILVER-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a658db21aQQitemZ250811888154QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[cockerstar]

If the inside diameter is 2" then the threaded collars may work for a 240z strut tube. You're going to want new springs though, as those ones will be seriously too stiff for street shocks.

[BluDestiny]

Are you really considering putting on $16 springs onto what holds up your car?

[rejracer]

Beta Motorsports has one of the best deals considering the quality. Plus John is very knowledgeable, and gives great support.

http://www.betamotorsports.com/

[Daz]

Beta Motorsports has one of the best deals considering the quality. Plus John is very knowledgeable, and gives great support.

http://www.betamotorsports.com/

 

Do they sell the spring to go with their sleeve and collar ? What size(Length & ID)spring and spring rate should I use?

Edited May 19, 2011 by Daz

[h4nsm0l3m4n]

Do they sell the spring to go with their sleeve and collar ? What size(Length & ID)spring and spring rate should I use?

 

Yes, you can buy springs separately from him. Coilover springs are typically 2.5" ID, length and rate are your choice. Do some research to figure out what springs you want to run.

Edited May 19, 2011 by h4nsm0l3m4n

[Daz]

Yes, you can buy springs separately from him. Coilover springs are typically 2.5" ID, length and rate are your choice. Do some research to figure out what springs you want to run.

 

Thanks man ! I've been talking to BetaMotorsports this morning. They're out of the shortened struts(HZ3099)for my setup.

 

What is a typical spring length ? I have no idea ! 8" seems right but not really sure, I just want to be able to raise and lower and have a good ride too !

[rejracer]

I picked up 3 sets of 12" blue hypercoils used for 60$, so I'm set at 12" lengths. I think you can use anywhere from around 16" to 8". The stockers are somewhere in the 14 to 15" range.

 

The setup John is selling requires you to weld a section of pipe to your strut tube, depending on where you place this section of pipe, determines the length of spring you need to use. The 8" spring is a good choice. If you are going to be lowering, I strongly suggest you section the strut tubes.

 

With John's setup, you only need to buy the threaded collar, lower spring perches, and springs. You modify the upper spring perch by welding a 2.5" (or is it 2": section of pipe to the upper perch to keep the spring aligned.

 

I will end up running 175 front and 200 rear springs. Much more than that and the springs will not have preload. I don't like having to fiddle with springs to get them to set in their perches every time I pull the car off of jackstands. Regardless, my original goal was to increase spring rate by 50%, which would put the fronts around 125.

 

The shocks I am running are 5 way adjustables, which are limited to about 275lbs max. I could not imagine driving a 240z with that stiff of spring on the street. Maybe in Texas (much nicer roads) but the cobblestone paths we call roads in california would beat you up.

[Daz]

What do you guys think of this :

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HAL-10-175/ I couldn't find a 8" QA1 with a 2.5" ID

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/AAF-ALL64147/

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380180978170&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

 

Roughly $165 before taxes and shipping. I was going to use QA1 on my 67' Camaro.

Edited May 20, 2011 by Daz

[JMortensen]

The setup John is selling requires you to weld a section of pipe to your strut tube, depending on where you place this section of pipe, determines the length of spring you need to use. The 8" spring is a good choice. If you are going to be lowering, I strongly suggest you section the strut tubes.

 

With John's setup, you only need to buy the threaded collar, lower spring perches, and springs. You modify the upper spring perch by welding a 2.5" (or is it 2": section of pipe to the upper perch to keep the spring aligned.

 

I will end up running 175 front and 200 rear springs. Much more than that and the springs will not have preload. I don't like having to fiddle with springs to get them to set in their perches every time I pull the car off of jackstands. Regardless, my original goal was to increase spring rate by 50%, which would put the fronts around 125.

 

The shocks I am running are 5 way adjustables, which are limited to about 275lbs max. I could not imagine driving a 240z with that stiff of spring on the street. Maybe in Texas (much nicer roads) but the cobblestone paths we call roads in california would beat you up.

8" springs are too short for lower spring rates. I'd stick to 10's unless the spring rate is over about 350. That's a SWAG. To really figure it out correctly, someone could look at Eibach's website and see how much travel they could get before coil binding, and make sure that at the height they wanted the 8" wouldn't coil bind.

 

I have no idea what you're talking about when you say preload. Preload means that the spring perch is turned up so that it the spring is partially compressed even when the car is up on jackstands. It is possible to do this with coilovers, but your car will be higher than stock set up like this. I think you might mean sag, which is the measurement of how far the suspension compresses with the weight of the car on it. This is a simple math problem. Say one corner of the car weighs 600 lbs. You install a 300 in/lb spring. The amount of sag will be 600 / 300 = 2 inches. With 175 in/lb springs the sag will on a Z will be close to 3".

 

Stock front spring rate is something like 83 lbs if I recall, rear is 105. That's memory, so check if you really need the hard numbers.

 

I drove around with my 75 year old dad on 200/250 springs with Illuminas set on 1. His comment about the car was how comfortable the Recaro seat was.

[Daz]

What about the top hat on those sleeve ? They are for Koni shocks but I'll be using Tokico's !

[johnc]

What about the top hat on those sleeve ? They are for Koni shocks but I'll be using Tokico's !

 

I sell a conical top hat (upper spring perch) that will fit the Konis or the Tokicos (if you drill the center hole a bit larger). These upper spring perches seat perfectly against the OEM upper insulator. You just discard the OEM upper spring perch.

[Daz]

I sell a conical top hat (upper spring perch) that will fit the Konis or the Tokicos (if you drill the center hole a bit larger). These upper spring perches seat perfectly against the OEM upper insulator. You just discard the OEM upper spring perch.

 

How much ?

[rejracer]

John M,

Yes preload as you described is what I was referring to. I don't like fiddling with lowering the car slowly to seat the springs. Preload ensures they stay on both perches. I have my car set up in front with preload in the front, and I am using 12" hypercoils, Beta motorsports upper and lower spring perches. Preload is determined by spring rate and ride height, assuming you are not sectioning the tubes. I am currently at stock ride height, which is 6.5" for a 72.

 

When I said I wanted to get a 50% increase on spring rate, I looked up the spring rates for an S30, and found the rates listed for a 280z, which are higher. I did not think to check to see the specific year. When the deal came up for the 3 pair of hypercoils, they were 175, 200, and 225 rates, which was exactly what I had calculated I needed. My reason for not wanting higher rates is that the higher rates on rougher roads are uncomfortable, plus more unpredictable in cornering on rough roads.

 

After buying the springs, I learned the right spring rate and discovered the slight issues of preload in the rear using the 225lb springs. I will swap rears out for the 200's and see if I will have preload using them. I tried calculating the rate, and was a bit off on my calcs.

 

 

Daz,

I hope you find this helpful, I think it's relevant info to consider, but I still don't know what your intended use is. If it's a track car, my concerns about preload are not that important, but a minor annoyance on a street car.

[Daz]

John M,

Yes preload as you described is what I was referring to. I don't like fiddling with lowering the car slowly to seat the springs. Preload ensures they stay on both perches. I have my car set up in front with preload in the front, and I am using 12" hypercoils, Beta motorsports upper and lower spring perches. Preload is determined by spring rate and ride height, assuming you are not sectioning the tubes. I am currently at stock ride height, which is 6.5" for a 72.

 

When I said I wanted to get a 50% increase on spring rate, I looked up the spring rates for an S30, and found the rates listed for a 280z, which are higher. I did not think to check to see the specific year. When the deal came up for the 3 pair of hypercoils, they were 175, 200, and 225 rates, which was exactly what I had calculated I needed. My reason for not wanting higher rates is that the higher rates on rougher roads are uncomfortable, plus more unpredictable in cornering on rough roads.

 

After buying the springs, I learned the right spring rate and discovered the slight issues of preload in the rear using the 225lb springs. I will swap rears out for the 200's and see if I will have preload using them. I tried calculating the rate, and was a bit off on my calcs.

 

 

Daz,

I hope you find this helpful, I think it's relevant info to consider, but I still don't know what your intended use is. If it's a track car, my concerns about preload are not that important, but a minor annoyance on a street car.

 

Thanks for the help everyone ! Parts have been ordered except for the Tokico HP HZ3099's from Beta Motorsports(Backordered).