Guest znow white Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 3 weeks ago i bought the tokico springs and struts HP :S man why didnt i see this post earlier! how common is this problem? i just finished as of yesterday all the bushing in the front and the suspension in the front right now just dismanntled the rear and its in the air is there anything i can do while im at it now do avoid this problem in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 It seems to be an unusual problem. I've installed these exact springs and shocks on a 240Z and haven't seen this issue. I've also talked with the engineers at Tokico and have referred them to this thread and they don't understand how the front has so little travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam393 Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 My dad was telling them about this problem and they just blew us off, they didnt want to come to terms with the fact that we DO have a problem. Hopefully your conversation went better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 The conversation went well and they've looked at this exact thread. Unfortunately they can't figure it out. I don't understand it either and would love to actually look at your car and the installation. Again, when you installed the shocks, did you put any spacers in the strut tubes, either above or below the shocks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam393 Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 The conversation went well and they've looked at this exact thread. Unfortunately they can't figure it out. I don't understand it either and would love to actually look at your car and the installation. Again, when you installed the shocks, did you put any spacers in the strut tubes, either above or below the shocks? Im pretty sure that we didnt put any spacer in it, but two of the shocks had metal tubes welded on under the shocks. I hate to sound ignorant, but since we installed them last year, i forget which end we put them on. Id have to call my father in the morning to ask him if he remembers. But the shocks all looked like they basically went up to that flat bolt you had to screw over on the top of the strut (The one to help prevent all the oil from spilling out) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest znow white Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 the ones with the cylindrical metal welded on end go in the rear hope you didnt put those in the front :S i just finished putting on the tokicos front and rear wont have it on the road for probally 2-3 weeks engine has to be finished up and the rear spindles done most of the bushings already though i will post with in a month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 The spacer is just pressed on, not welded.That strut won't physically fit into the front housing with the spacer on. It's 2 inches too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam393 Posted October 6, 2007 Author Share Posted October 6, 2007 I talked to my dad n he said we put it in the back anyways. He said we definitely didnt put any spacers in anywhere. We still havent figured it out, so were just going to put on different springs, the guys at Tokico were complete assholes and were unwilling to help us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrEaM Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 i am kinda concerned about what is going on here b/c i have this same setup, i found a great deal on ebay for shocks and springs so i picked up a set.. they were new in the box and had the warrenty info with them also.. anyways i haven't had a problem with these shock/springs at all.. yes the illuminas can be pretty harsh on the highest setting and driving on rough roads but otherwise i haven't had any problems i'm just hopeing this isn't something that gets worse with time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam393 Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 My dad just called to tell me he picked it up from the suspension place, and says the difference is night and day with the new ST Springs. He said it also doesnt sit as low as the Tokicos did . He didnt like driving the Z at all before, and now he's probably going to use it alot now that it drives better, and im away at college. The guy also said we had some things loose and tightened them back up, but they weren't the reason the springs were doing badly. My break begins next tues , so ill give my impressions once i have a chance to drive it next week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver280zx Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I did a full ST spring, swaybar, and bushing kit combined with tokico illuminas front, and kyb gas adjust shocks in the rear. This setup is awsome. it definitely is stiffer than the s130's previous suspension. I run the front illuminas on the 4 setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLamberson Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 a friend with a 76 (which needs YOUR help http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=129338) has this setup and loves it, he has no problems with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam393 Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Sorry I havent posted my feedback since i got back home. So for anyone who still may be interested, the ST springs are amazing. The ride is no longer as stiff (not that it bothered me to begin with, my dad hated the way it felt, so he never drove it), handles just as well and i have more confidence in the corners. Amazingly, it doesnt sit on the bumpstops anymore, there is plenty of travel, and amazingly it sits even lower than it did with the Tokicos!!! (My dad ended up measuring the height and it is lower, he just thought when it was initially installed it seemed like it sat higher) The thing im happiest about is that it doesnt weave anymore on the highway, the steering feels tight, instead of the vauge, swerving feel i got on the highway. Im very happy with the setup and highly recommend the ST springs for your setup. The Tokicos are nice for a budget, splurge and go for the Illuminas to set up the dampening force to your liking. If money is of no concern, go for Koni's, people on the IS300 forums seem to prefer those to Tokicos, although i dont know if their opinions can transfer to a different car... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver280zx Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Im not sure what the setup on the s30 is like, i enjoy mine on the s130, but i still think its a little soft on the s130 for my liking. If i had another go, id prolly try and make some fully adjustable coilovers, or go with stiffer motorsport springs. Dont get me wrong though, the ST's are amazing, but i love really agressive modifications. Isnt there a company that just started making coilovers for s130s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Sorry I havent posted my feedback since i got back home. So for anyone who still may be interested, the ST springs are amazing. The ride is no longer as stiff (not that it bothered me to begin with, my dad hated the way it felt, so he never drove it), handles just as well and i have more confidence in the corners. Amazingly, it doesnt sit on the bumpstops anymore, there is plenty of travel, and amazingly it sits even lower than it did with the Tokicos!!! (My dad ended up measuring the height and it is lower, he just thought when it was initially installed it seemed like it sat higher) The thing im happiest about is that it doesnt weave anymore on the highway, the steering feels tight, instead of the vauge, swerving feel i got on the highway. Im very happy with the setup and highly recommend the ST springs for your setup. The Tokicos are nice for a budget, splurge and go for the Illuminas to set up the dampening force to your liking. If money is of no concern, go for Koni's, people on the IS300 forums seem to prefer those to Tokicos, although i dont know if their opinions can transfer to a different car... This sounds too good to be true. Softer, lower, yet doesn't bottom out as much. I get that you're happy with your setup which is good, but this doesn't make sense unless you also sectioned the struts when you installed the new suspension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam393 Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 This sounds too good to be true. Softer, lower, yet doesn't bottom out as much. I get that you're happy with your setup which is good, but this doesn't make sense unless you also sectioned the struts when you installed the new suspension. Its still pretty stiff, it just doesnt have a bone jarring ride like the Tokicos had. It is ever-so-slightly lower, my dad measured before and after, and the ST's were lower, but it wasnt by a big number. If i recall correctly it was something like an 1/8", it wasnt as if it was dropped another half inch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver280zx Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 This sounds too good to be true. Softer, lower, yet doesn't bottom out as much. I get that you're happy with your setup which is good, but this doesn't make sense unless you also sectioned the struts when you installed the new suspension. It sounds to me more like the coils were binding more than the struts bottoming out, that could cause the car to sit lower, my s130 has the front wheels like tucked in the wheel wells now with the st's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 That makes a lot of sense, silver280zx. Doesn't look like there is much travel in those Tokico springs, and if they did bind it would be much harsher than hitting rubber or poly bumpstops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam393 Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 It sounds to me more like the coils were binding more than the struts bottoming out, that could cause the car to sit lower, my s130 has the front wheels like tucked in the wheel wells now with the st's. They were coil bound, thats why we replaced them. We have heard suggestions on getting the struts sectioned, but since its more of a road car, seeing very infrequent AutoX's, we thought it wasnt worth it to spend the money on sectioning the struts since it does just fine now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 They were coil bound the whole way down? They don't look like it in the photos on the previous page. Plus that would mean that you didn't have any suspension at all. If the first 4 coils were bound or close to it, then that is a normal progressive spring, as previously explained by John Coffey. The front Tokico springs are supposed to be that way. What they shouldn't do is bind ALL of the coils before the stut top hits the bump stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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