wheelman Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Well I finally came to a resolution of sorts with the Tokico springs I bought. As short recap first: I purchased a Tokico strut/spring package (HPK 251, Tokico Blue struts/lowering springs, HZ3015/HZ3016 and 5020F/5020R) from jdmwerks13 on eBay. The package was shipped very quickly, arrived in good shape and was the kit I ordered, so everything looked OK. When I installed them I found that they lowered the car more than I wanted and the front springs were progressive while the back were linear. I contacted Tokico and talked to Joey who was very helpful but stated that Tokico's policy is that all warrantee and customer satisfaction issues had to be worked though the distributor. He provided me with the phone number of the guy I bought the package from and I went from there. After several weeks of emails and phone calls I was unable to get any response from jdmwerks13 and decided to try Tokico again. I talked to Joey again and he attempted to contact jdmwerks13 with no success and told me that even if I was able to get in contact with them there would probably be a big re-stocking fee. I made one last attempt and was actually connected with a person (jdmwerks13) and explained my situation. I wanted to keep the struts but return the springs. The guy I talked to said I would have to return the entire package and there would be a 25% re-stocking fee ($87.50 + shipping). I talked to the guy for several minutes on the phone and at first he was a little surly and then calmed down so we could talk. The bottom line is that if I want to return the package I can but it will cost me about $100.00. So for now I'll keep the springs and see how they work out, although I don't like the idea of the progressive fronts and linear rears. If I decide I don't like them I'll get rid of them and either go with coil-overs or Arizona Z-Car's springs. Moral of the story: Be very careful what you buy on eBay and from who and don't expect real customer service. Also, be sure to do your home work thoroughly, I tried early on to contact Tokico but with no success but was able to determine the spring rates from other sources but did not find out until I'd bought the package about the linear/progressive nature of them. Had I been more diligent I would have found out the actual nature of these springs and passed on them. Hope this helps someone out there!!! Wheelman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I bought the exact same kit from the same guy on eBay. I posted about it a while back and tried to let everyone know about the progressive springs. He didn't want to accept my return either, so I sold the whole kit on eBay for almost the same price I paid for them. I think you would be much happier with adjustable coilovers and selling the HPK 251 package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 13, 2005 Author Share Posted June 13, 2005 I bought the exact same kit from the same guy on eBay. I posted about it a while back and tried to let everyone know about the progressive springs. He didn't want to accept my return either, so I sold the whole kit on eBay for almost the same price I paid for them. I think you would be much happier with adjustable coilovers and selling the HPK 251 package. I wish I had seen that post before purchasing the kit. Did you install the package before finding out about the true nature of the springs? So what did you finally end up using spring and strut wise? When you installed the struts did you put the oil in the strut tube? Did they clean up OK when you removed them? I thought real hard about going the coil-over route but decided to save myself a little cash to use in other areas of the build. My logic was that I don't plan on doing a lot of racing and won't be competitive anyway so why spend the extra cash. My cheap nature bites me again. I'll drive with them for a while and if I don't like them I'll put them on eBay, get what I can out of them. Maybe we should make a thread that contains this info stick so everyone can easily find it. I know I had a heck of a time finding the spring rate for the stupid things. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 No, I called Tokico when I inspected the kit and noticed that the springs looked "progressive". They confirmed and I sold them as brand new. I'm using the stock strut tubes with Tokico adjustable shocks in Automatic Transmission Fluid with Arizona Z's adjustable coilover kit. I'm not racing either, but it's nice to be able to determine your own ride height. The added bonus is being able to easily switch to different spring rates if necessary. The restocking fee doesn't sound too bad, if they're allowing you to return the kit after it was already installed. If all you want to do for now is increase your ride height, you could buy spring spacers. Not the best solution in the world, but it would raise your ride height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I bought the kit from that guy with the Illuminas in it. (white Tokicos 5-ways) My front and rear springs both look linear, and feel linear... and feel GREAT on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(goldfish) Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Is this only a problem with the Z springs. I'm looking at replacing the springs/struts on my 82zx, and would like to avoid this hassel. What are some good spring rates for hard street use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 Is this only a problem with the Z springs. I'm looking at replacing the springs/struts on my 82zx, and would like to avoid this hassel. What are some good spring rates for hard street use? Call Tokico before ordering and get the info from them. I should have called their tech guys first but instead thought I had all the info I needed. Hugh, Don't know what kit you bought because the guy I talked to several times at Tokico said they don't make linear front springs for the Z cars. Maybe you got lucky and got a kit that had 2 sets of rear springs. BTW: What were the part numbers on the ones you bought? What setting are your illumina's set to? Maybe they're hiding the fact that the front springs are progressive. When I examined mine before installation they didn't look progressive, look at them with the car on the ground, if the top few coils are compressed they're progressive. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I haven't examined them with the car on the ground. From your posts I thought you said you could see they were progressive before installing them. I've had progressive springs in the past and I know what they look/feel like. I'll see how they look sitting on the ground. Whichever they are, I'm very happy with the way it handles... so it's cool by me. I'm running my Illuminas on 3/3 for everyday driving. I still need a lot of bushings before I can really say how good this suspension is... but compared to what I took out, its amazing! My wife's Miata runs circles around it though, and I put Eibach Pro-kit on that. (progressive springs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudypoochris Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 are the tokico shocks really that bad or are we just flamming them because of some mixup? Im jsut wondering because it seems like there are alot of complaints for them, yet alot of people also seem to say they are perfect. I have the package and havent installed it yet, but is it really going to ruin the cars ride height? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean73 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I bought the same kit off Ebay from jdmwerks. The front springs look nothing like progressives, so I am a little perplexed. I've also seen what a progressive spring looks like, (ie Eibach). I hope we can find a resolution to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Call Tokico before ordering and get the info from them. I should have called their tech guys first but instead thought I had all the info I needed. Hugh' date=' Don't know what kit you bought because the guy I talked to several times at Tokico said they don't make linear front springs for the Z cars. Maybe you got lucky and got a kit that had 2 sets of rear springs. BTW: What were the part numbers on the ones you bought? What setting are your illumina's set to? Maybe they're hiding the fact that the front springs are progressive. When I examined mine before installation they didn't look progressive, look at them with the car on the ground, if the top few coils are compressed they're progressive. Wheelman[/quote']I can confirm this information as well. I called Tokico and spoke with their tech people, and they said the front springs are progressive in both their kits. Just because the springs are progressive, doesn't mean it's a bad kit. It all depends on your application. If you like the ride height and aren't racing, then it may be a good kit for you. Progressive springs are supposed to give you a softer ride under normal conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 are the tokico shocks really that bad or are we just flamming them because of some mixup? Im jsut wondering because it seems like there are alot of complaints for them, yet alot of people also seem to say they are perfect. I have the package and havent installed it yet, but is it really going to ruin the cars ride height? I have no problems with the shocks/struts, it's the springs I'm not happy with. When I purchased the kit I assumed the springs were linear so it's my fault for not checking with the manufacturer before buying. The springs lowered my car more than I wanted, others want their car lowered more so I wouldn't say it ruined the ride height, it is just lower than I wanted. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 It didn't 'ruin' my ride height at all. It took out the majority of the fender gap and balanced the front and rear out. Look in this forum down a few posts at "Pics of my 240z with Tokico Suspension Installed" You will see how mine sits... its definitely not too low. It's just right for my taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 There has been several threads regarding progressive springs and they seem to work well for some people. Here's a thread that talks about them: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=90122 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Here comes trouble Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Your problem maybe with Tokico distribitor JDM WERKS 13 substituting parts or using counterfeit parts.. You buy lowering springs on eBay for 10 bucks and $25.00 shipping......If they cannot tell you the spring rates... something is wrong.... China and India are bringing stuff in by the ship load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Your problem maybe with Tokico distribitor JDM WERKS 13[/u'] substituting parts or using counterfeit parts.. You buy lowering springs on eBay for 10 bucks and $25.00 shipping......If they cannot tell you the spring rates... something is wrong.... China and India are bringing stuff in by the ship load. In this instance, I don't think this is the case. Both wheelman and myself have confirmed with Tokico, that the front springs included in the kits are progressive. I think the only issue here is concerning whether or not you want progressive front springs, and if you like the ride height that you get with these springs. The ride height is subjective, and can be influenced by other factors such as wheel and tire size and weight of the car. Since the springs are progressive, a small amount of extra weight could make a significant difference in ride height. I might add, the guy I sold my kit to was very happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean73 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Wheelman: Did you get a 2" drop in the front AND rear? I just installed my rears last night, and got 1" drop. Will be doing the fronts soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joedatsun Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I bought the same kit at JDM Werks and got the same result. The ride height in the rear was fine, the front dropped close to 2'' and now the car rides on the bump-stops. I gave up trying to return the springs and ordered springs from Dave at az z car. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 15, 2005 Author Share Posted June 15, 2005 Wheelman: Did you get a 2" drop in the front AND rear? I just installed my rears last night' date=' and got 1" drop. Will be doing the fronts soon.[/quote'] Yes, thats about what happened. The back did not drop quite as much as the front but I don't think it's a 1 inch difference. I am running a V8 which puts more weight on the front and I also have an R200 which puts more weight on the rear, maybe I should have gone with 280 springs for a higher rate and less drop. Edit: The kit I bought was not counterfit, they are Tokico branded parts and came in a presealed box as a full kit. All the parts have Tokico brands on them along with the Tokico part numbers and they fit perfectly, if they are counterfits they are perfect duplicates and cost much more than 10 bucks. Again, Tokico tech personel told both Bartman and myself that all their kits are progressive fronts and linear rears, all of them!!! Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean73 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I think a LT1 is 100+ pounds heavier than the stock L-series, depending on what you've done to it. Maybe thats where you lost an inch on the front. According to the advertised spring rate of 140 lbs/in in the front, 140 lbs would bring the car down an inch, or even more, since the spring is progressive (assuming 140 is on the high side of the spring rate) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.