'best' 240Z after-market coil-over kit ?

status

Well-Known Forum User
Oops,don't notice things close up sometimes since losing sight in eye, ( detached retina )hence the odd spelling mistake
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
Ive had 4 in the car and hit the chassis on a speed bump! slowly fortunately, but the suspension hasnt bottomed yet ;)

Because your springs are stiffer ?

The idea is not to go for a stiffer ride when driving a lowered car.
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
Thanks AM.....useful data but still not near an off-the-shelf kit - buy this here, buy that there and then add it up - the BC etc is a 'bargain'.....but stiff !
 

atomman

Club Member
What sort of kit do we think we need then ? by that I mean all made here in Europe ?

2 kit options ?

1st for mild weekend street\track day I.e lower stiffer springs with adjustable dampers

2nd more of a higher spec coilover conversion with shorter struts , weld on like the BC kit maybe and with adjustable top camber ?

I can make most of the bits apart from springs and I also have a contact for dampers,

But it all comes down to cost , I would have to do the maths but could I do a kit that is cheaper then the BC....
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
What sort of kit do we think we need then ? by that I mean all made here in Europe ?

2 kit options ?

1st for mild weekend street\track day I.e lower stiffer springs with adjustable dampers

2nd more of a higher spec coilover conversion with shorter struts , weld on like the BC kit maybe and with adjustable top camber ?

I can make most of the bits apart from springs and I also have a contact for dampers,

But it all comes down to cost , I would have to do the maths but could I do a kit that is cheaper then the BC....

2nd - I don't think so - plenty of that type of choice already out there and a minority (compared) market.

1st would be my choice to sell :

a BC-lookalike kit, lower, progressive springs (as per Eibachs), dampers only 'adjustable' via the coilovers.

Keep the costs down and maybe even sell it without the dampers and let people buy their own (with reccomendations of course).
 

johnymd

Club Member
My experience with lowering springs is you always get a front high condition. I've yet to see any that lower the front enough when compared to the back. As Sean has said, you also compromise the available suspension travel unless you section the strut. You have no adjustability to set the stance exactly how you like. I've gone this route before and wouldn't do it again.

Sectioned struts and adjustable spring height/dampers are not cost effective when compared to BC's so for a basic cost effective kit that suits most people, BC is the way to go IMO.

I'll try and find the name of the other company I spoke to at Autosport who supply rebranded BC's at around £700. If you look on ebay US you will find a number of 240z kit in this price range.
 

jonbills

Membership Secretary
Site Administrator
My experience with lowering springs is you always get a front high condition. I've yet to see any that lower the front enough when compared to the back. As Sean has said, you also compromise the available suspension travel unless you section the strut. You have no adjustability to set the stance exactly how you like. I've gone this route before and wouldn't do it again.

These are lowering springs - still too high at the front?

car-265mmFS.JPG
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
No Jon but the low-profile tyres are awful.:D

John - I'd also like to know please the contact for the softer springs for the BC kit you mentioned.

One of the reasons I'm asking is that some have fitted that BC kit and it's 50/50 feedback on the overall satisfaction for road driving. One guy has changed to BCs' softess spring rates and still claims on the local roads its a real handful......so I'm trying to find reasonable altenatives or good solutions not just for him but anticpating others asking the same questions.

No-one's mentioned yet but being able to adjust the height/spring stiffness will also affect the corner balancing and therefore directly the cars handling.

You can only do this with coilovers.
 

status

Well-Known Forum User
I think the set up I have is a good compromise,wot ever you go for you will know it when you hit a pot hole but apart from that can't fault it
 

atomman

Club Member
Sean do you know what size the BC springs are 2.5" or 2.25" ID ?

You would of thought they'd of used a standard available size when designing them, which means there is a massive selection of length and rate available.

If you fit lowering springs you could fit a shorter damper in the Strut so it has a full range of travel again, there are shorter dampers about that work,


I have added up and costed everything now for my new Z and it would be cheaper for me to buy the BC kit or the re-branded set John mentioned above, and thats with me being able to make most of the parts my self
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
Pot-holes ? Jeez, don't want to lose an eye going over one of those....in any case, we don't have those here......although if we did they're called 'chicken-nests' ! nid de poules......google it !
 

status

Well-Known Forum User
When your over next pop in and I'll demonstrate,also, you haven't taken your age into consideration,I once sed that people who go from a 240/260 to a 280zx can't take the bumps anymore due to their age,its about time you admit you feel the bumps more now you are a lot older than when we had our Zeds in the nineties,that's why porky burns sold his 260
 

toopy

Club Member
Because your springs are stiffer ?

The idea is not to go for a stiffer ride when driving a lowered car.

If your just interested in the look and not the handling, then yes!

I thought in most cases the over riding point was to make the car handle better, hence lower and stiffer springs, If you want a soft ride... buy a Rover :p

If there is, as you seem to suggest, a market for lowered but softly sprung kits, then i would of thought progressive springs were 'de rigueur' end of, coilover or not?
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
If your just interested in the look and not the handling, then yes!

If there is, as you seem to suggest, a market for lowered but softly sprung kits, then i would of thought progressive springs were 'de rigueur' end of, coilover or not?

It is a fact that not everyone who buys a sports-car wants to or can drive to the limit* of the car's ability - they're happy with the look they seek.

*some of us push those limits further but the fun is always to be had near the limit.

Burnsy kept losing his teeth over those Southall potholes.

I've had Eibach progressive springs for over 10 years, before that had Leda and been on coilovers since 1990 - world of difference.
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Interesting read so far hearing different peoples thought’s and opinions from setups that they have experienced and operate.

I imagine this summer that I will finally be in a position that all essential (boring maintenance) jobs will be complete and I can look to some performance oriented upgrades such as suspension which in stock form is completely inadequate for my purposes. I’ve been considering and weighing up all of the options as best as reading the internet will allow and am torn in terms of approach.

I’ve got to the point that I’m considering either a straight bolt in solution of Eibach progressive lowering springs with Tockio Illumia inserts vs some kind of coilovers which I have been reluctant to consider on the basis that it requires the struts to be sectioned and welded. The performance and aesthetic benefits of coilovers seem undeniable in terms of adjustability however at the cost of chopping up the original struts and dare I say it potentially ride comfort. That last point gives me the most concern though, as much as I enjoy winding the car up on spirited drives or possibly the track, the majority of the time will be spent cruising where comfort is king!

No matter how many threads I’ve read or people I’ve spoken to I’m still no better off in terms of a solution. I need to get out and sample some members different setups and so what I think, given how subjective this topic is and how much everyone’s setup will differ it’s very difficult to get any straight answer no matter how good peoples intentions are. I will continue to follow this with a keen interest.

Sean are you looking at this from a potential business perspective to try and offer the Z community in Europe an off the shelf solution or is this for your personal car?
 

toopy

Club Member
I have to say, that the improvement over standard is very noticeable

I dare say my springs were still the originals and the shocks were of unknown brand/quality

The car now rides 'softer' over mildly rough roads than it did before, even with the harder springs,
though i suspect that is more to do with the shocks than anything else. It used to bang and crash over everything and the ride height looked pants!

The point is its difficult to describe a particular setup, because the chances are you arrived at that setup from a different reference point to the next person.
Riding in different cars is really the only way to get a 'feel' for the differences.

Ive never been in a car with coilovers for example, but i know my basic setup is way better than what it replaced and works for me..... for now;)
 

chrisvega

Well-Known Forum User
Pot-holes ? Jeez, don't want to lose an eye going over one of those....in any case, we don't have those here......although if we did they're called 'chicken-nests' ! nid de poules......google it !

Ha Ha, pull the other one........ having a laugh mon fils.....

Your Northern Bretagne roads are the reason I had to visit the osteopath and bought a 280ZX Turbo thinking I was getting too old for the 240Z ( running on Tokica Illuminas and Eibachs for the record )

Never mind, it is there waiting as future pipe and slipperdom beckons a la Riddler :lol:
No Rover for this vieil homme ;)

Back on thread another vote for Tokico and Eibachs !
 

toopy

Club Member
I suppose in all this another point to consider is the quality/hardness of your bushes, as they can make a marked difference to ride harshness alone
 
Top