Jump to content
HybridZ

240z coil-over question


Recommended Posts

Quick question for someone who has coilovers installed or knows about it.

I know the whole concept of cutting the z strut tubes and welding thread tube on, but my question is I've heard that if you put coilovers on and you go more then 3' lower then stock ride hight your lower control arms and tirod ends? Will clash together or something? I may have the wrong parts in my head but I heard "something" hits when lowered a lot.

I'm just trying to collect parts to lower my z "no not trying to be all hellaflush" just trying to make a good handling and track ready z plus look a little less 4x4.

 

Yes I've done countless searches,and really was hoping to find some info out on this so I won't have to ask, but it came down to this. Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you've been perhaps searching too much and you are starting to mix apples and oranges. If you do a standard coilover conversion to allow the use of MR2 strut inserts into the front tubes and front inserts into the rear tubes, you will be fine with no real downside or any other mods. You will be able to lower your car as low as is reasonable for your stated intentions. The car gets impractical to drive when you get the rockers below 5" (the bottom of the car will be about 3 inches). The only thing you should have to change interference-wise is the front swaybar, which you will need to space about an inch away from the "frame." I also used bump-steer spacers between the bottom of the strut and the steering knuckle, but I don't know if those will work with 14" wheels without the lower balljoint scraping inside the 14" wheels. They are fine with 15" and larger wheels. I don't know if these bump-steer spacers are really needed or not, but you will lose more negative camber without them.

 

It is with extended front lower control arms that you can run into trouble with insufficient steering rack/inner balljoint adjustability.

 

Now, when you lower in the front, you lose negative camber, which will make your car understeer or "push." In the rear, as you lower, you will gain negative camber, but perhaps not as much or as little as you want. Plan on adding front camber plates (rear ones are nice too) SOMETIME if you are going to street the car, but do it NOW if you plan to track the car because you will want plenty of negative camber. The DP camber plate from betamotorsport.com makes this a pretty easy mod without any cutting whatsoever.

 

I haven't had any of the problems you are worrying about (balljoints) and I've been driving on my coilovers for more than 10 years. All bets are off for the hellaflush crowd; they are pushing lowering to the extreme and the farther you get away from stock, the more mods will be needed. With coilovers, changing the rideheight is a breeze, but remember, you have to change the toe-in everytime you change the rideheight, which I find challenging to do accurately (without the little plates on bearings that alignment shops have) in my little garage that I share with my wife's minivan.

Edited by RebekahsZ
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I'm looking to do is run Megan or other brands, 240sx coilovers with welded on strut tubes and camber plates, all that jazz.

Just wondering if the lower I go will the sway bar get closer to anything?

Or am I just like you said "mixing oranges and apples"

 

I really appreciate what info you have just gave me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen folks tweeking their frame rails a little (and it is really not anything really serious) with just lowering springs without even going to coilovers. It is an easy fix - just space it down with a little aluminum stock (heck, I've used a little block of wood) and use longer bolts. It is an hour job, tops. All the different coilover kits are just variations on the same theme, it really doesn't matter which kind you use. So long as you limit your lowering to about 5" of ground clearance measured at the rocker, you will be fine. If you are tracking the car, you'll want some ground clearance for curb hopping and off-track excursions (if you always stay on the track, you could have gone faster!). Plus, if you drive any on the street, you will run into driveways and parking lots with speedbumps that you can't get in and out of even lowered as I am. The school where I do my voting just put in all new speed bumps and they are high as hello - pissed me off. Good thing I was in my truck, but I made a mental note: "can't drive the z in here." There is a reason why the low-rider set cruises slowly.

 

I see you are from New Orleans. Safe and dry?

Edited by RebekahsZ
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Put a shim on the sway bar mount Or crossmember?

 

Haha I've driven slammed cars and it is a pain in the ass, exapecally over here in lousiana, but just have to take it slow, and hope you're not in a rush or the person behind you. :o

 

I plan to do the full bushing kit, maybe front and rear sway bars, and just nick nacks.

Not necessarliy for performance gains, but more as to restore the car and give it a more of a newer car feel.

AND since there is a track now over here,may possibly track it once in a while.. So kinda just building it over the means of a street car just to have that "protection" if oneday drive off the street onto the track.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha yeah, safe and dry man,

Didn't get any water damage "thankfully"

But just alittle wind damage, luckily like the only house on the block with power..

Thanks for asking!

 

Good to hear you are Ok. Although with a large portion of your state below sea level I would be considering raising the hieght of your Z :)

We had a close call with the floods here back in Jan 2011. There was a point at which I was contemplating which Z I would save if the waters rose any further as I couldn't drive them both to safety. Luckily the water around us only came close enough to scare us.

 

Back to your original question. The spacer idea is tried and true but it only fixes the bump steer issue. Another option is to move the pivot point for the lower control arm about 1 inch out and 1 inch up. This not only fixes the bump steer but gives a little camber at the same time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Crazy octopus is where I seen the issue that I know nothing about besides what he said: http://crazyoctopi.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-1-front-install.html?m=1

Shows a picture of it half way down of the sway bar close to the tirod end.

 

 

Yeah I know! Haha jack this crap up, put some

Gator mudders on it and put that lift kit on it!

Huge flag waving on the back?

Auuumaaarrrriiicaaaaaa!!!

"shrug"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Hey all, I have a very odd question that maybe someone has also thought about or even tried to do.

 

Is it possible to.. cut struts roughly 6 inches high or however high your heart desires and thread the strut housing for coil-overs?

 

So pull off spring, pull out strut and cut the strut housing 6 incus high and thread it to the thread pitch that is on whatever coilover you want to use.

 

Or are the coil-overs typically to big to go into the stock strut housing?

 

I searched a little but haven't seen nothing like this and haven't had a chance to measure it.

 

This idea would take the place of a weld on strut tubes like the ones sold by zccjdm. It would use be like sectioning the strut but re-threading it for "Megan's, stances, ect."

 

What do some of y'all that have played with coil-overs think about this? Is this just obscured?

Thanks!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

So if ive read this correctly, I want to do coilovers, I should add some shims to the sway bar? Also by lowering my car it will gain understear, correct? So I guess DP camber plates from betamotorsport.com would be very nice to have. I also plan on getting polyurathane bushings to replace all bushings. I also take it there are no bolt in coil overs for our cars at a reasonable price? haha. So im going to be doing some welding I guess? I have been looking at a few different types of coils. and was wondering if i could get your input on them. thanks. Ill provide links here.

 

http://ceikaperformance.com/Type-1M-Coilover-Kit-p35.html

 

http://www.erzperformance.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CNS360-KP&gclid=CJrc94CJ4bUCFQaznQodZzYAMw

these look like a simple bolt in.

 

http://performance.importrp.com/i-395109.aspx

and these do to.

 

I simply typed in google coilovers for 240z

 

Again thanks for any and all help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So if ive read this correctly, I want to do coilovers, I should add some shims to the sway bar?

 

You can or you can bend the front frame rail lip.

 

 

Also by lowering my car it will gain understear, correct?

 

No way of knowing.  Lowering can create many different kinds of handling imbalances.  Those can be tuned out with springs, bars, shocks, and alignment.

 

 

I also take it there are no bolt in coil overs for our cars at a reasonable price?

 

Whenever a vendor uses the term "bolt-in" you must realize you'll need a $2,500 welder, a $5,000 lathe, and a $10,000 mill to bolt it in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whenever a vendor uses the term "bolt-in" you must realize you'll need a $2,500 welder, a $5,000 lathe, and a $10,000 mill to bolt it in.

 LOLOLOL, I find that a little funny. ;)

There really is no bolt in option for the z's besides mckinneymotorsports.com, but still thats not a full bolt in conversion. You would still need to weld your spindles to the coilover they are selling i believe.

 

I'm actually in the process of install coilovers in my 240z, i am using cheap emusa coilovers "ebay special" because they are very cheap and im just trying to get the process and most of the work out of the way then oneday upgrade to better coilovers. I say better coilovers but i dont even know how these will handle yet so im specking alittle to soon,but i heard alot about them..

 

If you want a pretty simple coilover conversion you could do ground controls/section your struts, or you could just do like im doing.

buy some cheap megans or similer brand from ebay,buy zccjdm.com's kit and bring it all to a shop to be welded. Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...