Suspension options

Hi, my front end needs some work so I will be pulling it apart shortly for a refresh. Most clearly noticeable problems are the sway bar bushes and collapsed strut top bearings.

In relation to the strut tops, I see CZP has a shock bush kit for $430 usd, but I'm thinking by the time I get that shipped here I'm probably better off changing out the whole strut than putting new bushes on a 25 year old shock absorber.

I'm not into the whole stance scene, I'm not interested in going lower. And I love the way the car rides, so I don't want to go too stiff.

What are people recommending for struts/coilovers for a street car? Where to buy and price?

Thanks

 

MCA up in Queensland can do you a set in the X-series with springs and valving to suit your needs, expect around $2k posted.

Rob at rgsperformance.com can do you sets from Tein starting a fair bit lower in price. There's still lots of good strut offerings out there but I don't think any of them come with the tops and bushings so coilovers are still pretty good value for money.

 

Tein..

I have Tein Street Advance on my car. Adjustable coilover (height and spring rate) that is street legal. They are a little firmer than stock, but not so firm that they make driving uncomfortable. I installed these with new bushing kits that I bought from ConceptZ. The Teins I bought from Fulcrum suspensions here in Victoria. They are not a hardcore coilover that you would use for track work, but for street use, they are great.

 

How easy would it be to option a softer spring set up on the flex Z? 8/6 is probably a bit harder than I'd recommend for someone who like the stock units.

 

I think this guys wants to stay stock.
Why suggest several thousand dollars of aftermarket hard riding funky colourd adjustable things when a sinple set of KYB gas strut replacements and some stock height Kings. Eibach or whatever springs work perfectly.

im a long time motor racer. i have some 40 years experience in setting up motorcycles and cars. Ive learnt one or tewo things in my very long time as a car builder and preparer.
I have a 2 seater Zed with a full set of KYB "Excell-G" or whatever they are bought in a group by a little while back along with some Kings "Lows". Excell-G are considered a slightly heavier duty version of the stock suspension.
Whiteline stabiliser bars front and rear set in the middle position.

I can assure you that on all but Eastern Creek or Phillip Island, youll be working mighty hard to improve on my 500 dollar off the shelf non adjustable, plug and play suspension setup.
I dare anybody with high end boutique hard-assed suspension to try me on any road anywhere and do anything with the road manners and easy ride my car experiences.

E

 

As with many things Z32 OEM is similar if not higher priced than a good aftermarket set. He's looking at $600 just for mounting hardware.

Murray Coot also has a little bit of experience driving cars, you might have seen him around when you were on the circuit if you could keep up With less attitude: MCA can do whatever spring rates he wants with dampers to suit, factory specs are around 2.5kg/mm although I'd still be inclined to go a little more sporty, maybe 4/3 front/rear, probably similar to the kyb's.

 

A little less attitude? You might like to take ur own advice. Im not the slightest bit interested in how fast some bozo named Murray goes on a track. I dont recall telling anybody how fast I can go, especially on a track.
No doubt Murray can hose me off and Im sure there are a legion of guys who can hose us both off in far lesser cars. There is ALWAYS someone FASTER.

What use is a car thats lightning fast on a smooth race track, on the road then? Ill save you the bother, Its functionally useless.
Witness the JDM "vroom-ptchssst" crowd snuffling around town between one chew-and-spew and the next who insist on fitting the hardest Jap tuning house suspension available because MUST HAVE for drift RACECAR and drive on the street bouncing and bashing everywhere like an un-loaded, tri-axle, spring suspension semi-trailer! And about as safely.

Track cars dont make a very good Targa vehicles and vice-versa.

Now, the OP is quite clear, he likes his stock smooth ride and stance. Just like I do. Ive ridden in Sim300's older 2+2 tt with some funky Tien (insert whatever model name here) adjustable shocks and Ive driven (spiritedly) Munted's 2+0 tt with Racing Logic front and rear on some challenging Targa style roads, Both cars literally loosened my fillings in my head and were noisy, harsh and uncomfortable to ride in in comparison to my modest setup.

The Racing Logic shod car was nervous, twitchy, vague and just plain difficult to keep in a straight line unless the roads was dead smooth. Mid-corner traction was close to non-existant if the road was rougher than billiard table smooth bitumen.
This is despite a recent and thorough wheel alignment at each end and relatively new high end tyres correctly sized and inflated for his rim combination.

This opposed to my car with half worn 90 dollar each China tyres on the front and a many dollars worth of federal 595's on the back that are in my "informed" opinion, little better than something round and black to protect my Volk F-Zero's,....... as a performance STREET tyre anyway. never been able to get ANY temperature in them to know much better!

Now, OP has worn swaybar bushes and buggered top mount bushes.
He likes the way the car looks and rides so hes got a sub hundred dollar solution from me including my attitude for free!

Just replace the swaybar bushes with new RUBBER items and grab an pair of rooted front struts off a wreck and rob them of the mounts/bushes.

E

 

The 'with less attitude' bit was in reference to my last statement, not a dig at you.

Actually tabling some advice of your own is much more productive than your first comment, now the op has a couple of ideas on what he can do, some cheap used struts that may go another 5 or even 10 years depending on what he can find, some off the shelf strut assemblies that may be a bit stiff for his tastes, get the new bushings and struts for a similar price to the teins or look at getting something set up with his choice of springs and valving by MCA or Fulcrum at a premium.

Murray Coote is the name sake of MCA, I'm sure he appeciates as well as you do that 10kg springs are not only uncomfortable but a detriment to performance on your average australian road, not everyone who goes for coilovers asks to have the shocks filled with cement, some of us actually ask for kit tuned to the roads and tracks we use.

 

Ahh Ok, ill take back the indignant retort!!! My bad.
I am NEVER above sucking it up when wrong or mistaken. Small lesson in life there for some of the Generation Y Age of entitlement pansies.. Come to think of it, a few of the older cnuts as well actually.

I digress, moving along, Im not suggesting the due actually FIT dodgey old struts complete, just robs the struts of the top mounts.
Might go, 5k K's..... might go until hell freezes as well.

He clearly states he likes the current ride and stance. That implies that there is nothing wrong with the current shocks/springs combination then.
There is no need at all to fit anything at all with a funky colour, name, adjustment if its for a street car just to sort a worn bush.

Why would anyone bother spec up something sooper-dooper tricky and aftermarket, but with street settings?? Lot of money to ride and handle just like stock. Might as well buy stock off the Pedders or Monroe shelf at a fraction of the cost.

I spose one can have some funky sticker on the side and some wanky looking aloominnum locking rings you can scrape the mud off to impress the tyre kickers at the local chew and spew? Faiir bit of folding stuff for street cred....pfff.

My point here is why do mods for mods sake?

E

 

Something I respect and I'm always trying to do better.

Other than the shiny things and retail therapy aspect the main appeal is not having to touch them for another 15-20 years if they're only doing light duty, there may not be any signs of the shocks failing now but the way he framed the question suggests he wouldn't mind paying the extra to not have it up on stands again in the next year or two. Dealing with MCA or fulcrum you get local support, I don't have much regard for pedders products or support although being a chain the quality of support will vary with the workshop you're going to. No experience with monroe, could be a good option and the kybs and konis have plenty of good reviews on the Z. Going full new assemblies I think the custom aluminium shiny bits aren't too far off buying bushings, struts and springs if he wants to get it all freshened up now.