240zdan Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 Hmm.. Ill probably end up going with Stance. I love the idea of having an inverted shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 The most important component of a strut suspension is the shock. Period. The camber plate, spring perches, springs, etc. are secondary. Spend 50% of you suspension money on the shocks. Koni, Bilstein, Penske, Ohlins, JRZ, Moton are better then anything sold by Megan, Stance, etc. orders of magnitude better in some cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyellow zee Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 (edited) Alright... I partially retract my statement on Megan products. 260DET is correct, the rear s13 coilovers do not work well with 240z rear suspension. This is because the upper mount does not allow the spring to pivot as suspension compresses, possibly putting side load on the shock. Although I could fix this by adding an upper perch to isolate the spring from the upper mount and make it pivot as suspension compresses, i still feel the Megans have too small of a shock diameter to be used on a Macpherson strut setup. I also dont feel like the pillowball is up to the task. Although I made a few adaptors and sold them here on the site a long time ago, I was emailed by Mckinney to start mass producing them but didn't want to jump the gun as I wasn't sure if the design would work. I think Mckinney ended up making them anyways? To those of you who installed s13 coilovers into your Z, the rear upper mount needs addressing. If you installed rear camber plates along with them, you may be ok. Yikes. Time to start looking for new coilovers. Edited January 18, 2016 by rickyellow zee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyellow zee Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 So I assume running stock strut mount insulators (top hats) should aid in the pivoting as it compresses. Just like stock right? Only rigid upper perches need to be taken into consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zdan Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) Rickyellowz, you are quoting somethign I said, but I do not remember saying that. You have a link to that post? EDIT*** USing s13 rear shocks with stock top hats may be an option... ANyone have any experience and can comment on the reliability of this setup? Anyways, since I like to do things propreley and have been rebuilding my car from the ground up, fixing all of my past mistakes: I am now debating purchasing two s13 front coilovers from Megan and running them on the rear, buying a set of Stance S13 front coilovers X4, or going back to the sectioned strut and GC combo in either Bilstien or Koni and camber plates. I dont like the idea of using s13 rear shocks, regardless of whether or not I use stock tophats, because I feel the shock diameter is too small for a MAchpeherson strut. All three options will take considerable work. I am also looking into adapting higher end shocks such as Penske or Ohlins Boy am I glad I didn't start mass producing those s13 coilover adapters when I thought of them and I am sorry for the three people i sold adapters to a while back. As far as the guys who bought them from Mckinney, keep an eye on your rear shocks. I went through 3 rears in no time. Edited January 19, 2016 by 240zdan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Hmm, something to look out for, how many miles in the 7 years? Along the same lines, there were a couple members posting about DC2 coilovers welded onto our cars, I think around the same time if not a little before or after. They also reported similar results, shock shafts bending, blowing shocks etc. I saw a recent conversation between them on another forum, they both agreed it is not the way to go at all. McKinney has said time and time again, that their shocks are not from the S13, they are made for their application. Would be interesting to see if they have had any reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooger82 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I can take some measurements on the shaft of the Megan coilovers for the 280z. I have a set I never installed and its just sitting at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyellow zee Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 240ZDAN the second post is mine. Not sure why it posted as your quote. lol. Im currently doing a S13 Upgarage coilover install and will be using stock top hats but cannot comment on the longevity as its not finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zdan Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) Mckinneys new set of coilovers are probably s13 fronts all around, or similar. But the old adaptor kit they used to sell, which I originally came up with, uses s13 off the shelf coilovers. The fronts are fine and work great with a simple spring swap (form 8k to 5k) but the rears are a no go. This was a while back, and everyone who purchased that is going to have issues. I believe zcjdm offered it as well. Those rear upper strut mounts are a no go. the spring needs to be isolated from the chassis and allowed to pivot. seattlejester: One started leaking after 1 month. A replacement was put in, then it started leaking out of the top of the shaft after 1 year. The other side weeped for the last 7 years and finnaly developed a dead spot. I put two new shocks in but dont expect them to last, but more importantly, there is massive coil defelction under suspension compression. This is what concerns me most. The top of the shock NEEDS to pivot. Anyhow, I will be ordering two shock inserts in correct length and thickness from Megan, and will be placing them on the back to solve the issue for now. I will use the original 6k spring and machine some bolt in camber plates on the rear to use the Megan s13 front pillowball setup, or perhaps see if Sakura garage will sell me just their plates. They should work fine on the megan coilover pillowballs. Again, using the stock tophats with a rear s13 coilover is better, although still not ideal because of the smaller shaft diameter. A thicker shaft such as the ones found on the fronts is best, or even better an inverted shock. (my opinion, although some may feel an inverted shock isnt necessary.) Shock quality, like johnc has mentioned, is a whole separate issue. I am not going to get into that anymore. Edited January 20, 2016 by 240zdan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zdan Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 Hmm I wonder if this is why the adaptor Mckinney used to sell say sold out for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyellow zee Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) Mckinneys new set of coilovers are probably s13 fronts all around, or similar. But the old adaptor kit they used to sell, which I originally came up with, uses s13 off the shelf coilovers. The fronts are fine and work great with a simple spring swap (form 8k to 5k) but the rears are a no go. This was a while back, and everyone who purchased that is going to have issues. I believe zcjdm offered it as well. Again, using the stock tophats with a rear s13 coilover is better, although still not ideal because of the smaller shaft diameter. A thicker shaft such as the ones found on the fronts is best, or even better an inverted shock. (my opinion, although some may feel an inverted shock isnt necessary.) Shock quality, like johnc has mentioned, is a whole separate issue. I am not going to get into that anymore. My Upgarage coilovers are inverts and have the thicker diameter shaft so I had to drill the top hat to make it fit. Edited January 20, 2016 by rickyellow zee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zdan Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) Those look good. Heres some to avoid http://www.ebay.com/itm/D2-RACING-RS-36WAYS-ADJUSTABLE-COILOVERS-FOR-240Z-260Z-280Z-WELD-IN-/381365780148?fits=Model%3A240Z&hash=item58cb2bfeb4:g:t1IAAOSwu4BV0tNf&vxp=mtr Pretty much any style with the rears like that= BAD. Edited January 20, 2016 by 240zdan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nv_s30 Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 I love my stance coils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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