1980 280zx Drift suspension set up?

[Guest derkzander]

What type of mods should i do for a drift set up? Does anyone know what company has a coil over conversion as well? thanx

[auxilary]

you can't drift a 280zx. they're front wheel drive.

[Oleh]

^ werd, my POS 280ZX smokes the front tires, so idk.

[PUSHER]

Good God. Do you own a 280zx?

 

Try asking here

http://www.drifting.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=65

and here

http://forums.nicoclub.com/zeroforum?id=147

or try to rephrase your original question so you dont sound like an initial d fanboy.

[Gollum]

WOW....

 

Did you know that the S130 ZX cars have coil overs on all 4 corners? Have you ever looked at the suspention of a ZX?

 

Oh, and PS... there is no such thing as a "drift setup"

[2003z]

on the serious side, a good drift setup is the same as a good road race setup.

[Oleh]

set your camber very negative and get a lsd.

[PUSHER]

I also noticed your post on swapping in a sr20det into a 280zx, youd probally just be better off going with a 240sx. But a stiff chasis and suspension plus both rear wheels spinning usually does the trick. A good amount of neg camber on the front with as much caster as you can get without rubbing helps.

[260DET]

Start with a stiff body/chassis, add the stiffest suspension setup you can put up with, clutch type R200 LSD*....................

 

*1.5 way or 2 way, check that aspect out.

[Gollum]

Ok, since other people have started getting serious I guess I post some serious comments as well.

 

Drifting is 100% about balance. A car's weight balance will directly effect how you drift. Ever seen a MR car drift? They have a hard time drifting at slow speeds. Front biased cars can tend to swing out to easily.

 

You can drift in any car (yes, even FF cars) it's just finding a car that fits your style.

 

If you're serious about getting into drifting, I command you to go buy a 240SX for dirt cheep. Don't worry if the interior is shot, just make sure the engine and suspension are in good working order. Put some good tires on it and take it to the track. Get sideways. Learn to drive. Leave the drifting at the track. Learn to drive. THEN you can start a Z project. A 240SX has nearly perfect balance making it easy to drift with. It's a great learning car. Another great car to learn in is a 86, but they're getting harder to find and more expensive. It sound VERY stereotypical, i know. But I'm serious. Solid rear axle, low HP and not too much weight. It's hard to make the car speratic. It's very responsive and gives you lots of feelback. The steering has some nice weight to it, so you really feel traction loss well. You also feel understeer with ease. The 240SX has many of the good qualities that the 86 has, but it's quite cheep and has a slew of aftermarket support.

 

I'd say try to find a 240SX without a LSD first. Although LSD is almost required, you'll be better if you learn to drift without LSD.

 

So, what do you drive now?

[Drftn280zxt]

What type of mods should i do for a drift set up? Does anyone know what company has a coil over conversion as well? thanx

Well like these guys said a good drift setup is a good road course setup. To answer your questions, as they have already been answered. Tighten up the chassis.

 

parts reccomendations

-largers sway bars

-strut tower bars

-if you really want to get serious- go for a roll cage- this will be extremely beneficial in stiffening up the chassis

-coilovers- there are not many options here. Either custom make them or contact RossC at ModernMotorsports

-also I would replace all of the rubber bushing with urethane

-LSD, it is almost 100% necessary. You can drift w/o it but it is very difficult

-My reccommendation would be to get an R200 if you don't already have one and have Leith install a 2way lsd. I know that this next summer I should be getting one from him. For what he is asking it is a real bargain. And you can't argue quality, the diffs he sells are exactly the same as the Nismo version

-another thing, that I just discovered that would not be a bad investment are bigger brakes through Arizona Z car

-and in considering ^^those^^ looking for some good wheels wouldn't be a bad idea. When I say good I don't mean Motegi Racing, or Konig, I mean Volk or Gramlights, something forged aluminum will do the trick. You want to minimize that rotation mass as much as possible -try avoiding spacers for structural integrity- this could become very important in drifting where the wheels and studs do see a lot of stress.

 

This will not be an easy undertaking. Some research is required (that I have not yet completed). Like figuring out what spring rates I should shoot for. I am starting to think that running spring rates similar to what is available aftermarket for the 350Z might work well for the S130.

 

I like you am doing something very similar, building a drifting 280zx. Only I do not have money to spend being a college student, most of my wages go toward my education.

 

Plus somethings to consider. Do you have an automatic trans or manual. If auto get another car immediately or do a manual trans swap. Also a lightweight flywheel would be very very good. Getting those tires smokin is the point, and a flywheel will really help to keep the car in the torque band. I'm assuming your car is not turbocharged - I do not believe turbo was an option in 1980. This will further make things difficult. Because as is w/o turbo, and with knowing the 280zx is a heavyweight, you do not have a whole lot of power at hand. So performance additives will need some consideration if you intend on drifting competitively (sp?). N/A is a big limiting factor, but can be worked with (I have very little imput here since I am planning out a twin turbo build). But in the long run a turbo build might cost less, and give more pleasing results.

 

Consider yourself warned, a good solid drift spec/ or road course ready S130 is going to put a considerable dent in your pocket. Especially the engine build.

 

Not to discourage you, but if you want a drift machine and quickly with guaranteed results go for a 240sx or AE86.

 

Otherwise, welcome to my world of researching a lot to find parts to make something out of the ordinary. Its nice to know I'm not the only one with intentions of do new things, and trying to bring the 280zx into more acceptance.

 

Hope that helps. If you need anymore help finding parts or whatever jsut ask me since our projects sound very similar. Mine is just going a "little" further, at least on paper that is.

 

Goodluck- keep me informed on your progress

[Gollum]

If you need a little pick me up after that slightly discouraging last post (although it was all true) here's some food for thought.

 

If I had more power and money for tires, I'd go attend a drift day event RIGHT NOW! I've done my fair share of sliding, and pretty much all mods in drift cars are to make the car more controlable and stable. THERE'S NOTHING KEEPING THE CAR FROM GOING SIDEWAYS, but power will keep you there, and suspension and chassis work will make it easier to stay there.

 

Good luck.

[Drftn280zxt]

yup. what ^^^ he said (sorry about that long post, but hey it is very informative and answers a lot of questions)