240Z Turbo Posted April 7, 2001 Share Posted April 7, 2001 Ok, so suspension setups are not my area of expertise! I have the usual Tokicko blue springs and struts that lowers the car 1.5". Well, my struts seem to last less than 1 year and go to hell. I want to start by modifying the rears. I have read that I am to use the front struts from the 240z in the rear of my 240z. Will this require that I shorten the strut turbo by 2" in the rear? Also, is the philosophy that you are not compressing the strut while the car is just sitting there and this gives you more strut travel? I just need some clarification. I read the VW post below and think I have a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimZ Posted April 7, 2001 Share Posted April 7, 2001 quote: Originally posted by 240Z Turbo: Will this require that I shorten the strut turbo by 2" in the rear? Ummm.... you mean 'strut tube'? ...somebody has turbos on the brain. The idea behind shortening the strut tube is to keep your normal ride height in the middle of the strut's travel. The Z's suspension only has about +/-3.5" of travel to begin with, and this is not counting the travel taken up by the bump stops (you DID put those in - right?). So, when you lower the suspension by 1.5", you reduce the compression travel to about 2" (probably less, due to the afore-mentioned bump stops - which really are necessary). Several years ago, when I did this mod, I actually went to stiffer springs, and the ride improved noticeably, due to the fact that I was no longer hitting the bump stops (which are necessary - hint, hint ) all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z Turbo Posted April 8, 2001 Author Share Posted April 8, 2001 LOL, you mean you have never turbocharged your strut cartridges? Man, that gives you an extra -50 IQ points! I have since pulled my head out of my ass and my thinking was on track as to what sectioning the strut TUBE will do for you and your suspension travel. For my next endeavor I am planning to turbocharge my B&M shift lever and then turbocharge my seatbelt release mechanism. I will post results soon. Bump stops??? What are those???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted April 8, 2001 Share Posted April 8, 2001 With the power some people here are puting out, I can see the need for a turbocharged shifter. ------------------ Richard Lewis - 1972 240z, Powered by a Nissan 2.8L Turbo Inline 6. Drax240's Turbo Site Beginners Turbo FAQ & Answers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 8, 2001 Share Posted April 8, 2001 I can see that, I supercharged my emergency brake handle. Next project is fuel injection for my glove box.... Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted April 8, 2001 Share Posted April 8, 2001 I agree with what TimZ wrote completely, but would like to add that you only want to section the strut IF you need to lower the car with shorter springs (or coilovers, if you use a shorter installed spring height). The issue is that you can lower the car with camber plates. If you use some of the camber plate/coilover top perch setups, you can lower the car over an inch. Ground Control, and others here (scca-Mike) can give exact numbers. So before you start swapping strut cartridges around and sectioning tubes, be sure you're not going to be using the camber plate/coilover perch parts that do the lowering for you. That said, when sectioing strut tubes, you don't need to take out the full length difference between the old cartridge (e.g., the front 240Z cartridge in the front tube) and the new one (e.g., the VW Rabbit cartridge). You can take out less if that's all you want to lower the car, and use a spacer under the cartridge. I did this and only took out 1.5" because that was all I planned on lowering the car and still use the stock isolator and top spring perch. Shortening the tubes more than you lower the car takes away from droop travel, which is bad as well. Going hot through a corner or peaking a hill at speed can lift the tire off the ground, since the suspension can go to full droop sooner and leave nothing to touch the ground. Hope this helps, ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromio Posted April 8, 2001 Share Posted April 8, 2001 My rear tubes are sectioned by 1.5 inches. Using front 240 Tokico Performas in the shortened rear tubes, I needed only 1 of the "shim" pieces that ships with the cartridges to make up the difference. In the front, I also sectioned by 1.5 inches and needed a 1/4" piece of pipe to make up the difference in the front 85 Rabbit GTI cartridge length. As to the camber plates, the reason they lower the car in and of themselves is that you no longer have the rubber isolator. This may (or may not, I have no experience with this) make the car's ride more harsh. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted April 9, 2001 Share Posted April 9, 2001 quote: Originally posted by jeromio: ... As to the camber plates, the reason they lower the car in and of themselves is that you no longer have the rubber isolator. This may (or may not, I have no experience with this) make the car's ride more harsh. Which is exactly why I kept them and sectioned the struts. ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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