Advanced Suspension, Chassis, and BrakingTalk about suspension geometry, advanced handling/chassis setup, custom brakes, etc. NOT your basic brake pads and "best drop" Information.
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Today I went out to raise my car up. I'm very much getting over the whole "dropped/perfect wheel gap" thing and want to be able to drive the car comfortably as far as bumps go. Anyhow, I was reminded by how frustrating these coilovers can be to work with. A threaded shock body with threaded "locking" collars may seem good in theory but I just dont believe it was meant for a daily driver. First of all, the collars are either loose or STUCK. There is never a happy medium it seems. Second of all, whats up with the rusting threads? I cant ever just go adjust the rears because the bottom piece is always rusted to the dampener. So I have to soak it in thread lock and using a hammer, a rod, a vice and sometimes vice grips I have to practically destroy the collars and threads on the dampener to break the two pieces free.
This my rant after successfully breaking them free, imagine what it would have been if I didnt.
The two main things preventing me from moving on to another set-up is 1) the resale value sucks...I think I'd rather spend a few hundred and rebuild them than sell them for what...350? 2) they are so much lighter than regular shock/spring assemblies...and weight reduction is a big deal to me.
Today I went out to raise my car up. I'm very much getting over the whole "dropped/perfect wheel gap" thing and want to be able to drive the car comfortably as far as bumps go. Anyhow, I was reminded by how frustrating these coilovers can be to work with. A threaded shock body with threaded "locking" collars may seem good in theory but I just dont believe it was meant for a daily driver. First of all, the collars are either loose or STUCK. There is never a happy medium it seems. Second of all, whats up with the rusting threads? I cant ever just go adjust the rears because the bottom piece is always rusted to the dampener. So I have to soak it in thread lock and using a hammer, a rod, a vice and sometimes vice grips I have to practically destroy the collars and threads on the dampener to break the two pieces free.
This my rant after successfully breaking them free, imagine what it would have been if I didnt.
The two main things preventing me from moving on to another set-up is 1) the resale value sucks...I think I'd rather spend a few hundred and rebuild them than sell them for what...350? 2) they are so much lighter than regular shock/spring assemblies...and weight reduction is a big deal to me.
sounds like you just need to move farther west...were things dont rust or corode...
i never had a problem with mine i lived in vegas...
I live in texas man.....lol. Nothing on my car has ever rusted except these ksports...and I'm not even sure how since hte only part rusty is where the threads touch the bottom housing. Btw you cant use a hammer and screwdriver for the bottom housing, its cylindrical, there is nothing to grab onto. I have to finagle it into a vice where the upper collars are hoping it will prevent the dampener from rotating while I beat on a long punch that I slide through the bottom bolt hole. Oh and you can only beat it where the bottom housing turns clock wise because as some of you may know the bottom piece and the housing itself are actually two pieces.
Got my K sports second hand. (well, 3rd hand really) And I got a few questions.
The second owner had them installed, went for a test drive, and took them back off right after. He described the rear as being real bouncy (like a pogo stick i guess) and said that I need to order new shocks from ksport. The front rode perfect.
My question is, could the bouncy ride have been caused by too much preload in the rear? Or does this really sound like bad struts. I havent tried adjusting them yet, so I dont even know how much preload, if any at all is on the springs yet. I just want to know if this could be a possibility. I just dont want to buy new shocks if I dont have to.
Does anyone recomend a specifict product to use as far as cleaning them?
Also, who is still running this setup, and what are your impressions as of now? Better, worse, the same?
__________________
01 I30, [5 speed swap][4th gen pedals and master cylinder][OEM clutch][OEM flywheel][ksport coilovers front, D2 coilovers rear][10k hid headlights and fogs][custom WAI][cattman exhaust][tenzo type-M, 19x8.5 +17F, 19x10 +22R][300zx calipers][Cobra 13" drilled and slotted rotors]
5 speed swap myths BUSTED:
1. Both driver and passenger side AUTO axles work fine.
2. AUTO flywheel bolts work fine.
Yes, an excessive amount of pre-load will create more bounce than none. However, there will be a clear difference between a setup with pre-load and a setup with blown struts.
To clean them:
Remove the bottom black collar, hub mount, collars etc off of the threaded housing.
Pull the spring and upper hat. Use a vice to clamp on the top of the strut rod and take the upper nut off.
Pull off the 2 metal 'bearings' and then the upper orange mount and pillow ball joint.
Proceed to clean with WD-40, air, and lots of paper towels.
Florida Gators: (10-0) | CSU (62-3) W | Troy (56-6) W | Tenn (23-13) W | Kentucky (41-7) W | LSU (13-3) W | Arkansas (23-20) W | Miss St (29-19) W | Georgia (41-17) W | Vandy (27-3) W | SC (24-14) W | FIU | FSU
I am currently tuning my K-Sports to get my ride height perfect on all 4 wheels. I counted the number of threads from the lower collar to the upper collar. But after doing this, my ride height still yet is not perfect. My question is can the weight distribution be affecting my ride height, do I need to take weight distribution into consideration? Is the maxima heavier on one side than it is on the other? I've read a good majority of this thread and learned that tuning is a very patient process. So will I have to adjust my car so it is a little lower on one side than it is on the other? Because of now it sits as if the driver side is a little lower than the passenger side. I just want to have it so it sits even in the front and back and even on both sides..
Any help appreciated.
Tim
Last edited by timmay5835; 12-18-2008 at 10:57 PM.
The corners will vary in height from the various differences in the spring and strut, and/or weight differences. Nevertheless, you should adjust not by counting threads, but by distances between the collar and the lower mount.
Florida Gators: (10-0) | CSU (62-3) W | Troy (56-6) W | Tenn (23-13) W | Kentucky (41-7) W | LSU (13-3) W | Arkansas (23-20) W | Miss St (29-19) W | Georgia (41-17) W | Vandy (27-3) W | SC (24-14) W | FIU | FSU
I noticed while adjusting my coilovers that the change in height varies diagonally (and not side to side) to the corner you adjust. For example, if you adjusted the passenger front lower, it'll increase the height on the driver's rear, and etc. It's a pain in the ***.
I am currently tuning my K-Sports to get my ride height perfect on all 4 wheels. I counted the number of threads from the lower collar to the upper collar. But after doing this, my ride height still yet is not perfect. My question is can the weight distribution be affecting my ride height, do I need to take weight distribution into consideration? Is the maxima heavier on one side than it is on the other? I've read a good majority of this thread and learned that tuning is a very patient process. So will I have to adjust my car so it is a little lower on one side than it is on the other? Because of now it sits as if the driver side is a little lower than the passenger side. I just want to have it so it sits even in the front and back and even on both sides..
Any help appreciated.
Tim
corner weight
__________________ 03 Z33 Brickyard touring coupe 6spd 97 Maxima - Sold
Quote:
Originally Posted by 35oZephyR View Post
My350z = General Car Enthusiast Forum (sprinkled in with a little Z douchebaggery)
Florida Gators: (10-0) | CSU (62-3) W | Troy (56-6) W | Tenn (23-13) W | Kentucky (41-7) W | LSU (13-3) W | Arkansas (23-20) W | Miss St (29-19) W | Georgia (41-17) W | Vandy (27-3) W | SC (24-14) W | FIU | FSU
In general with c/os... Does it still feel like your are on an aftermarket suspension?
not at all. ksport coilovers are by far the most comfortable suspension setup i ever had. in fact, ksport is part of nissan so there not really considered aftermarket. THERE EVEN SOFTER than oem ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________ 03 Z33 Brickyard touring coupe 6spd 97 Maxima - Sold
Quote:
Originally Posted by 35oZephyR View Post
My350z = General Car Enthusiast Forum (sprinkled in with a little Z douchebaggery)
not at all. ksport coilovers are by far the most comfortable suspension setup i ever had. in fact, ksport is part of nissan so there not really considered aftermarket. THERE EVEN SOFTER than oem ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the response, I allways was interested in coilovers but wasnt sure if the huge cost $$$ would really add up to how they truely feel.
Florida Gators: (10-0) | CSU (62-3) W | Troy (56-6) W | Tenn (23-13) W | Kentucky (41-7) W | LSU (13-3) W | Arkansas (23-20) W | Miss St (29-19) W | Georgia (41-17) W | Vandy (27-3) W | SC (24-14) W | FIU | FSU
So I finally figured out why my rear coilovers were making so much noise over the slightest bump in the road.
KSport Coilovers + Stillen RSB = less than 1 inch suspension travel in the rear.
(Pictures are from the rear of the car. The tire you see is the rear left.)
Yup, both rear brackets for the RSB is hitting the frame because of the shorter coilover length and lower drop. This is the left side of the car, the right side has the same problem.
Solution, move the rear brackets back to the next hole so they will clear the frame. Good thing they're adjustable.
not at all. ksport coilovers are by far the most comfortable suspension setup i ever had. in fact, ksport is part of nissan so there not really considered aftermarket. THERE EVEN SOFTER than oem ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Florida Gators: (10-0) | CSU (62-3) W | Troy (56-6) W | Tenn (23-13) W | Kentucky (41-7) W | LSU (13-3) W | Arkansas (23-20) W | Miss St (29-19) W | Georgia (41-17) W | Vandy (27-3) W | SC (24-14) W | FIU | FSU
I'm right there with you. After the 4th blown strut I just couldn't justify keeping them anymore. What are you going to now? koni's? That's my plan.
Good plan
And yes, pretty sure MOHFpro is on the same page.
I would think Ksport would have fixed a lot of their issues by now, but apparently people are STILL blowing dampers? Has anyone had a damper rebuilt and then blown it a second time, or do the rebuilds seem to be just as susceptible to failure?
Good plan
And yes, pretty sure MOHFpro is on the same page.
I would think Ksport would have fixed a lot of their issues by now, but apparently people are STILL blowing dampers? Has anyone had a damper rebuilt and then blown it a second time, or do the rebuilds seem to be just as susceptible to failure?
Thanks
I dont think you get your rebuilt unit back necessarily. I blew out one of my front struts twice though so I was on a newer damper at that point. I forget when they ended up making changes but after this last one blew I decided I wasn't going to stick around to wait for them to make something more reliable.
I want to move on to new ****, you know? I dont feel like ****ing around with my suspension repeatedly.
Hey guys, I just got a set of K-Sports from a member on here. I need to replace the front and rear passenger struts, no big deal. But what I don't understand is preload. Could someone explain it to me a little better? I figured in this threads almost 4 year history, the best preload settings have been figured out. Also, what are the things that clunk and what is the best way to fix them.
If it matters, the coils I got have 8kg/5kg springs on them, front and rear, respectively. Just trying to make sure I do these right. Thanks
so what is everyone looking to upgrade to? i want to get coilovers soon but nothing looks good for the 4th gen besides JIC's. i was gonna get the Nex but idk if there is any camber adjustment. the Megans look decent but 5th gen only...
Florida Gators: (10-0) | CSU (62-3) W | Troy (56-6) W | Tenn (23-13) W | Kentucky (41-7) W | LSU (13-3) W | Arkansas (23-20) W | Miss St (29-19) W | Georgia (41-17) W | Vandy (27-3) W | SC (24-14) W | FIU | FSU
Ive searched for the past few days. Does anyone have the GT Pro's? I can pick up a brand new set for $600 and wondered if they share the same issues as the lower model.
wha? I just posted that Im selling my set (and jwt ecu) and I got to this thread after. Ive really liked these but must admit to not having tried other c/o on the car.
I was thinking I wouldnt even want to part with them for less than $600 plus shipping! (kek)
some points that may be of interest
-Daily driver but dont mind some bumps
-HPDE track days ftw
-Cali
Edit: old website info; even sig pix are prior to k-sport
I allways was interested in coilovers but wasnt sure if the huge cost $$$ would really add up to how they truely feel.
I just posted that Im selling my set (and jwt ecu) and I got to this thread after. Ive really liked these but must admit to not having tried other c/o on the car.
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