HotshotVQ35

iTrader: (5)

i think im done with this crap suspension. this is the SECOND time this has happened to the fronts, the first time i was able to get jic to cover them under warantee. i emailed jic, each damper is $308 and they only have them in stock in japan, so shipping is $100. so, im looking at over $700..i paid *new* for these things $1100!!!!

what sucks worse is that i was laid off about a month ago, so $$ isnt rolling in. I dont think i want to replace the fronts, so my options are finding used stock 5th gen suspenion to hold me over, and when i get the funds get the Teins. I hear nothing but good things about them. My car is undrivable on the highway, anything over 50 mph and i hit a bump the car is all over the place. so for you tein coilover guys, what did you pay and where? also, anyone have a stock fronts they want to sell?

any other advise/opinons welcome

thanks!

Progress

iTrader: (26)

That blows especially from a product that expensive and one that receives such good reviews.

You're going to keep the coilovers on the rear and stock setup up front? That smacks of oversteer if I've ever heard it. Be careful.

BEJAY1

iTrader: (19)

Why wouldn't a rebuild through a local shop work? Why replace? If you're careful you can mix coilovers and OEM for slow driving - I always had a problem with headlights at night.

HotshotVQ35

iTrader: (5)

jic they are not rebuildable, they must be replaced. im prob going to go with the megans for 850 shipped. i dont have the factory strut mounts to get the teins, and dont want the added expense of buying new oem parts

IHAVEA2KMAXIMA

iTrader: (7)

To be honest, I think you should give Tein a try. Their dampers are really nice. I'm just afraid that it's going to be a day and night difference switching to Megan and you might hate it.

pbn85

iTrader: (8)

yea thats a big downfall with the tein SS. You need to reuse a lot of the OEM parts in conjunction with the tein SS. I have the SS and honestly its the best mod I ever did to the car. Its a strong coilover system. I hit some very bad potholes/bumps, the ones that make you cringe and curse NYC roads, and the teins held up just fine. Comfy as hell too.

I got mine for $1030 shipped new. I lucked out but it was only b/c a previous order was messed up so the company said they would hook me up on my next purchase. These days they go for ~$1200 new.

Get the teins man, forget the Megans.

HotshotVQ35

iTrader: (5)

ihave a friend who works for nissan, im going to have him price out all the oem parts needed. do you have pics of them uninstalled? im just pissed cause jic and tein are supposed to be the best out there, and my jics ride like crap, and this is before they were blown..

if its going to cost me 400+ for them oem parts, i can get the new jics, as i would be in that 1600 range. i researched the megans, the evo and 240 guys love them..so 850 vs 1600 is a pretty big difference..no one has the megans on this site?? i searched and found nothing..

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

Sorry to hear the troubles. I'm a big +1 for Tein SS. I drive on crappy DC roads every day and these are a huge improvement over my Progress Illumina set-up when it comes to absorbing the bumps, obviously due to suspension travel and possibly better dampering.

Teins aren't the most performance oriented since they reuse the stock mounts and don't have pillowballs, but I think they suffice for 99% of the people here. IMO it is a great compromise between any strut/spring combo and "true" coilovers with pillowballs.

Anyway, if you're looking at another cheaper make, check out BC Racing coilovers as well (note - these are NOT Larrio's Boss Chen). The reviews on NASIOC and my350z have been pretty solid. A vendor on my350z quoted me as low as $925 shipped late last year.

joebangaa

iTrader: (3)

since when?

IHAVEA2KMAXIMA

iTrader: (7)

since we only have basically 4 COs to choose from.

HotshotVQ35

iTrader: (5)

got something else to recommend?

IHAVEA2KMAXIMA

iTrader: (7)

someone is selling the strut mounts in the classifieds! go yoink it fast it's only $55

Cattman

iTrader: (77)

Unfortunately, there's nothing special about the "lesser" A1 JIC set (which is one reason they're not regularly stocked in the US). I wouldn't really recommend replacing the front struts due to the cost. Nor would I recommend putting a stock suspension back on the front, with the JIC in the rear - do it all stock if you go that route.

OTOH, the better JIC COs - formerly called the FLTA2, and now called the FLT-TAR, are superior to any of the coilovers mentioned in this thread, using rebuildable monotube dampers. The only problem is that you get what you pay for, and in this case it means paying quite a bit.

Brian

digitalbow

Mine do - I thought it was the same as the 5.5-gen SS setup.

IHAVEA2KMAXIMA

iTrader: (7)

I thought the pillowball was an option that you could purchase to add on.

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

I meant "base level" Tein SS without any other options or customization like different spring rates. I don't doubt that it is an option, but even so, that's an option that few 5th Gen owners have chosen. I personally prefer not having the pillowballs for my purposes.

CMax03

iTrader: (3)

Upgrade to a better JIC model! Or Tein SS they can take the beating that your economy/entry level JIC's can't and your crazy to keep them if they've blown twice already! I hate pillow bearing on the street cause they don't even outlast an OEM strut mount in everyday real world street usage! And they're noise once there's play in the bearing!

HotshotVQ35

iTrader: (5)

oh, that not gonna happen! in done with jic! i got a full stock suspension coming to be and then im going to get the teins

pbn85

iTrader: (8)

did I mention how much I love my tein SS?

Cattman

iTrader: (77)

Amen to that, I hate pillowball/monoball mounts on the street - a sure recipe for rattles.