Official Coilover Thread!! For everyones benefit!

***blackmaxx96*** · 11-30-2005, 09:02 AM

Ok guys, let's put together a data base for potential/new coilover owners as well as a good reference for those with coilovers.
Please only post if you actually HAVE coilovers ON YOUR CAR. Only provide information about the setup you have. I don't want this trhead to be filled with worthless information from people that don't have actual experience with the product.
Copy this form and paste it with your information filled in:

Brand of coilovers:

Miles i've been running on them:

How much you paid:

Any run-ins you had with installation:

Any problems with the coilovers on your car:

Positive change you noticed the most:

Any other notes you would like to add about the coilovers you HAVE ON YOUR CAR:

Again. DO NOT POST if you don't have coilovers on your car. ie: "this brand of coilovers suck" blah blah blah.... This is going to be an information thread only!!!! People will be able to read your comments about your setup and judge your opinion on there own.

Thanks,

Mike

*upstatemax* · 11-30-2005, 09:33 AM

Brand of coilovers: D2

Miles i've been running on them: 15,000ish

How much you paid: 750ish

Any run-ins you had with installation: none

Any problems with the coilovers on your car: NOISY!! put new bottom brackets on it helped for awhile, noise is back... The alan bolts are a poor design, handling is actually worse... The spring rates (9/7) are too stiff and cause the car to bounce around turns, very unsettling.

Positive change you noticed the most: No more "floating" feeling and damn my car looks good dropped 2.5".

I switched from D2 --> Progress/Illuminas and the ride is FAR better, with better handling. IMO, coilovers for the Maxima are useless for street use, only show.

Greeneyes · 11-30-2005, 09:43 AM

Brand of Coilovers: D2

Miles with coilovers on: around 20,000

How much: 750

Run-ins with installation: None pretty easy install

Problems with coilovers on car: Got a blown strut a few months after install but got replaced under warranty and now I just have a few noises coming from the front driver side coilover. Its the allen bolts causing the noise.

Positives from getting coilovers: Car looks great dropped, got mine dropped like 3" no bottoming out. Car corners way better, wheel hop gone, great handling and well the compliments I get : )

HotshotVQ35 · 11-30-2005, 02:12 PM

Brand of coilovers: JIC FLA-1s
Miles i've been running on them: 10,000ish

How much you paid: 300 + swapped my teins/gr-2s

Any run-ins you had with installation: none

Any problems with the coilovers on your car: blew 2 front dampers, replaced by JIC threw warranty even though i was not orignal owner. they make noise, its a racing setup, to be expected, and rides rough with 18s and 40 series tires

Positive change you noticed the most: Better cornering, car not as floaty, and yes, slamming it looks hot!

doublea · 11-30-2005, 04:55 PM

D2 coilover
8000Km
700$
Installation is pretty easy.
Problems: not really exept the noise, the spring isolator are poorly design and quickly need to be replace, but this is a racing set-up so it regularly need to be fine tuned, I'll be looking into that soon.
Positive change: with Matt LTB 2 and new ES bushing this car is on rail, running with 235-45-17 this car feels great, better in every aspect, with a 2.75" drop the car looks hot.

*BlackBIRDVQ* · 11-30-2005, 09:43 PM

JIC FLTA2s
60K+ miles
1K dollars- slightly used.

Problems- Upper pillow ball socket has worn out causing clunking noise when going over bumps at slower speed- waiting for new one, blew out both front inverted shocks- not covered by warranty as I wasn't the original owner nor did I have the original owners proof of purchase, cost 520 bux for 2 new dampeners. Blew out right rear shock few months ago, another 260 bux to repleace- BUT JIC does rebuilds to the rear ones for approx 30 dollars. I removed my coilovers for winter time as they are WAY too harsh for the 1st 10 min of driving. I'm having JIC rebuild the rear shocks for 60 bux totall while I have my winter OEM SE suspension on the car, and upgrading to stiffer rear springs too. Right front spring makes all kinds of noises, it needs rubber insulators on the spring hats to cure the problem- which I will adress while I have it all apart.

Positives- car flat out handles like its on rails- when properly aligned and corner weighted. I have upgraded all the bushings to ES polyurethane. Stock suspension handles like sh!t and floats around like a old Buick, I can't wait to reinstall my setup after winter is over with. I've had the car lowered 4.5" in the front at one time and 2" in the rear and it just looked haawt ! Do not lower the car more than 3" in the front or bump steer becomes a really bad issue.

gameover03 · 12-01-2005, 07:28 AM

k-sport

15k-25k

700 ish

Any run-ins you had with installation: none

Any problems with the coilovers on your car: no problems as of yet...

Positive change you noticed the most: this with a sway bar..my maxima handles like its on tracks...unbelievable difference..and the ride isnt as bad as people think even on 19"s

Any other notes you would like to add about the coilovers you HAVE ON YOUR CAR:

the only issue like many others who have posted, is the worn pillow ball mounts, which only click when i turn the steering wheel..which i have learned to live with...

Thanks,

ColdSHO · 12-01-2005, 08:03 AM

Brand of coilovers: JIC a1s

Miles i've been running on them: about 15k

How much you paid: about 1G brand new in the box

Any run-ins you had with installation: stripped the lower rear bolt. but i did the entire install with hand tools and a floor jack. and it was my first time attempting suspension mods on my own car.took a total of about 3 hours after a trip to merlins

Any problems with the coilovers on your car: they squish over large bumps, that and i want to go lower. and a "twang" noise every once in awhile but im not 100% its coming form the coilovers.

Positive change you noticed the most: handles like none other. no brake dive, no rear squat. less body roll super quiet ride, so quiet in fact i can hear tire noise, i couldnt b4. i swear with them set to the softest settings they are softer than the stock se springs.

Any other notes you would like to add about the coilovers you HAVE ON YOUR CAR: go measure the distance between the ground and the top of ur wheel well, if ur lower than 24 inches all the way around ur lower than me. but thats my normal driving height, lower than that and i find it hard to get into places. and once i add my front lip omg thats gonna be intresting. might have to do a lil adjustment.

also i think u can adjust them so ur basicly sitting on the frame, not really sure why ud want to but u could.

*Larrio* · 12-01-2005, 08:44 AM

Brand of coilovers: My own brand made to my specifications, currently in R&D phase. Oil filled cylinders with eibach coilover springs, dampening & height adjustable

Miles i've been running on them: 10,xxx miles

How much you paid: $850.00

Any run-ins you had with installation: collars need to be retightened after a few days of driving or you can use light thread lock the first time

Any problems with the coilovers on your car: none as of now

Positive change you noticed the most: no more bump steer, sporty feel without harsh ride. No reduction of suspension travel despite lowering the body of the car

HotshotVQ35 · 12-02-2005, 04:58 PM

is the "twang" from the fronts?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdSHO

Any problems with the coilovers on your car: they squish over large bumps, that and i want to go lower. and a "twang" noise every once in awhile but im not 100% its coming form the coilovers.

.

*BlackBIRDVQ* · 12-02-2005, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdSHO

Any other notes you would like to add about the coilovers you HAVE ON YOUR CAR: go measure the distance between the ground and the top of ur wheel well, if ur lower than 24 inches all the way around ur lower than me. but thats my normal driving height, lower than that and i find it hard to get into places. and once i add my front lip omg thats gonna be intresting. might have to do a lil adjustment.

I am at exacly 24" in the front, have Stillen Aero lip- plus HS headers which sit lower than the cross member :P It does suck getting in and out of places with steep driveways as I need to go sideways out the entrance. I am going to be at 25" in the front when I reinstall my FLTA2s this spring- less bump steer. My power steering rack has wore out internally from all the bump steer, and I am looking for a repleacement slowly. Do not drive around with less than 25" in the front or you will be doing the very same thing.

***blackmaxx96*** · 12-03-2005, 10:28 AM

Thanks for the info guys!

ColdSHO · 12-03-2005, 06:27 PM

i havent had problem with bump steer being as low as i am. im still relatively low miles, just passed 70k, maybe thats why my rack is still good even after over a year of being that low.

blackbird, exactly how low are ur headers, i will be getting the same soon, id also like to add a lower tie bar but i dont know if id have any clearance with both.

*upstatemax* · 12-03-2005, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdSHO

blackbird, exactly how low are ur headers, i will be getting the same soon, id also like to add a lower tie bar but i dont know if id have any clearance with both.

I have the HS headers too, I am at 25" all around and I dont have any clearance issues. If you are installing headers and bars I would pick it up a bit.

ColdSHO · 12-03-2005, 09:19 PM

yeah im still looking for the perfect height, i think24 front and24.25 in the rear looks amazing, makes me smile everytime i look at it. but i guess once i add the headers and ltb, ill prob set it to 24.75 and 25 ish.

since i assume were trying to cover all things coilovers, heres a quick question.

when adjusting one end of the car, ive noticed the distance between the collars that hold the spring and the collar that holds the bottom asseble arent the same on both sides hwen the car is even, its not a huge difference, but theyre both preloaded exactly the same, could this be cause by different weights of each corner. my car sits perfectly level, after much adjustmnet. anyone have this issue? hope i explained that well enough.

*upstatemax* · 12-03-2005, 10:15 PM

Yeah I would guess that it is because the weights are not perfect down the middle and that the coilovers are not all exactly alike... the difference between them is VERY little, but it is there... The tranny is on the drivers side; that adds quite a bit of weight, not to mention everything else associated with the driver.

I went well out of my way to make them as close as possible for the ride height; I am really anal about how my car looks.

2kVQboodah · 12-04-2005, 06:49 PM

Brand of coilovers: Tein SS coilovers w/ EDFC

Miles i've been running on them: about 15k

How much you paid: 1400 w/ EDFC

Any run-ins you had with installation: pain in the a.ss to take everything apart in the trunk

Any problems with the coilovers on your car: front passenger side having clunk noises. upper pillow ball sockets i assumed are junk since i had to use the OEM ones.

Positive change you noticed the most: absolutely worth the $$$!! hug a curb easily and when i adjust damping, its at the tip of your fingers!! ride quality is a difference when you adjust from soft to hard. riding w/ 18's with this suspension is a little harsh, but also comfortable depending on how you look at it. but the looks... ohh mann too sexy!

ColdSHO · 12-07-2005, 04:45 PM

got another q i guess ill post here.

its been between 10 and -2degrees around where i live lately. for the first couple of minutes while driving it feels like my suspension is stiff as a mofo(no other way to describe it, ive tried) but then after maybe 2-3mins its back to normal, is that normal of coilovers?

*upstatemax* · 12-07-2005, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdSHO

got another q i guess ill post here.

its been between 10 and -2degrees around where i live lately. for the first couple of minutes while driving it feels like my suspension is stiff as a mofo(no other way to describe it, ive tried) but then after maybe 2-3mins its back to normal, is that normal of coilovers?

My D2's are fine... I am not to worried about it though because my car will be sitting for almost the next year or two...

*BEJAY1* · 12-07-2005, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdSHO

its been between 10 and -2degrees around where i live lately. for the first couple of minutes while driving it feels like my suspension is stiff as a mofo(no other way to describe it, ive tried) but then after maybe 2-3mins its back to normal, is that normal of coilovers?

It's normal. There's oil in shocks (5wt in mine for ex) just like the engine and tranny . It get's thicker when cold until friction starts warming it up. Be careful in cold weather <40deg hitting those tracks & bumps at speed. That's a sure path to blowin em out.

ColdSHO · 12-07-2005, 07:33 PM

good to know, i figured thats what was going on,

nother question while im on a roll. hows everyone coilovers holding up over time, as in the finish, mine look like crap, cause of the salt on the roads near me. im sure a few mins and some cleaner theyll look alright with the exp being the threads theyre rusted real bad.

*BlackBIRDVQ* · 12-07-2005, 07:34 PM

ColdSHO take those JICs off for winter or you will need new struts. Last winter I installed my JICs and one shock was already blown- but the seller and I agreed on a deal and got a new shock for the front from Ziel who sells JIC stuff. Month or so later the other front went out from the cold. It was holding up great the whole time and one morning it just took a sh!t. I am rollin on the stock SE suspension for winter- its gotta be the worst handling car I've driven in a while with Blizzaks on it. I can't wait for spring

ColdSHO · 12-08-2005, 07:05 AM

i had mine on last winter and had no problems, but i drive on really smooth roads all the time.

tyhaas · 12-09-2005, 06:41 PM

I too have the Tein SS and I love them. They handle awesome. But have the same sound on the fronts. It's more of a pinging when I turn the wheel from side to side, like the springs aren't sliding on the perches like they should be. Every now and then I'll put some LUCAS OIL where the springs sits on the purches and the noise goes away. I never had this problem with any other coilover setup on any of my other cars. ANy other ideas from anyone?

***blackmaxx96*** · 12-14-2005, 09:18 AM

Do you have rubber pads/isolators/grommets/whatever you want to call them in between the perches and the springs????
That could be your problem right there....

Mike

EDIT: Sweeeet, this is a sticky now......

ChromeSE5 · 01-04-2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackBIRDVQ

ColdSHO take those JICs off for winter or you will need new struts. Last winter I installed my JICs and one shock was already blown- but the seller and I agreed on a deal and got a new shock for the front from Ziel who sells JIC stuff. Month or so later the other front went out from the cold. It was holding up great the whole time and one morning it just took a sh!t. I am rollin on the stock SE suspension for winter- its gotta be the worst handling car I've driven in a while with Blizzaks on it. I can't wait for spring

Would you recommend taking any coilovers off for the winter? I live in SoCal and I really don't think it is cold enough in my location but would rather take any precaution necessary.

BTW, I have d2's.