I need new shocks, my car is bouncing around like an old cadillac and I was wondering if any one knew any good cheap shock sets that would lower the car a little. I live in brooklyn by the way, but I wouldn't mind the shocks being a little stiffer. Also I went to a place and they told me 350 for the front shocks, are you kidding me, and they were generics, so I was hoping for input on a regular price too. Thanks in advance.

 

Struts/shocks don't lower the car, springs do ..

is your friend.
Tokico Illuminas are popular,
Tokico BLues
KYB-GR2
KYB-AGX
KYB stock repalcements

 

so I have to get new struts and put one of these springs on them?

 

if your replaceing your struts/shocks, you can put better stiffer ones in there. for the $350 you were quotes you could purchase some KYB AGX 5-way adjustable struts wherer you adjust the stiffness on a certain scale.

 

You don't need new struts but it's recommended. The items I listed above are struts. There are many different springs you can use or search on here ...

These are sprigns you coud look into

Eibach
Progress
MAxSpeeds
H&R

 

Ques: Will a car with aftermarket shocks and stock springs handle nearly as well as a car with aftermarket springs and aftermarket shocks?

Example Case Study (everything else constant except for the following):

Car 1: OEM springs. Tokico shocks

Car 2: H&R springs. Tokico shocks

How much better will car #2 handle? Will the difference in handling be noticeable due to the lower center of gravity?

Thanks!

 

If they're stock replacements ... probably not.. And it will be not too noticeable unless you lowered it .. Lowering greatly helps, even if aftermarket struts aren't introduced.

 

If I got the KYB AGX shocks how would you know how much to stiffen it. Just by feel? Also, does this lower the car, or it just stiffens the ride?

 

Stiffens the ride, doesn't lower the car ...you're thinking of coilovers..
It has settings, from soft to stiffest hehe I said stiff

 

does anyone know any good cheap coilovers I could get with the shocks then?

 

i got the tein h-techs cause im in philly and the streets are harsh so i went with a 1.5 inch drop cost me 200 for the springs, and for shocks im going with the kyb gr2's non adjustable, cheap heh i work at walmart. but u can get the tein s-techs for 180 for like A 2.2 inch drop, thas all i would do and get that installed and throw in a stillen rear sway-bar, and some strut bars and u got suspension on lock

 

cheap and coilover is a bad combination. Ksports I believe are the cheapest coilover but the price is hardly cheap. The best way to get a good deal on then would be to buy them used off someone.

 

yeah but he dont need coilover he just need springs and shocks.

 

Sorry for the long post. I'm going to attempt to answer all your questions.

1. Shocks are more important.

Generally, springs give the biggest handling improvement if you go by the numbers. But if you upgrade your springs and shortchange your shocks, your car will handle like crap in actual real-world situations because it won't settle into and out of turns properly. If you just get new shocks, you'll get a good improvement in ride and handling.

You probably don't want KYB AGX with stock springs. They're definitely designed for stiffer springs and won't behave properly with the stockers. If you're just looking to replace your stock struts, grab yourself a set of KYB GR-2s or Tokico Blues. They will ride well and handle better than stock, and shouldn't cost you more than $300 shipped for the complete set.

2. If you're gonna lower it, do it right or don't do it at all.

Lowering your car is not something you should do unless you have at least $550 to drop on parts. The reason is that if you lower your car, you HAVE to get good shocks, otherwise the ride quality will be mediocre. Do NOT cheap out.

If you have that much money, you might be able to find the Tokico Illumina kit (springs and shocks/struts) on eBay. Or, you could pick up H&R springs and the Tokico Illumina shocks/struts by themselves; that would run you about $600 shipped and would be a little comfier. For the ultimate in ride and handling while still being city-road-friendly, get H&Rs with Koni Yellow shocks/struts (about $800 shipped).

Another alternative is the Tokico HP kit, which comes with springs and shocks like the Illumina kit, but unlike the Illuminas the HP shocks aren't adjustable, so you can't adjust your ride quality. I personally wouldn't get this kit, just because if it's too rough or bouncy, you're stuck with it. It's a decent kit for the price, though... you should be able to get it for under $450 shipped, which makes it cheaper than any other good set of springs and shocks.

Don't get S-Tech springs. They're just too low and too stiff for the city. You'll be smacking the bumpstops left right and center.

3. Handling and stiffness

Good shocks will improve ride and handling, good shocks and springs will improve handling more. If that's what you're looking for, then great. Get H&Rs or Tein H-Techs, pair them with Tokico Illumina or Koni Yellow shocks, or just get the full Tokico Illumina kit, and you're good to go. They will ride really well and handle noticeably better than stock. Anything else will be stiffer, and it doesn't sound like you're a huge stickler for handling so it probably wouldn't be worth it.

Stay away from coilovers for city driving. They're totally where it's at if you want better handling, and NOTHING will handle as well and still ride pretty smoothly. I use them for my mostly-highway lifestyle and they're freakin' awesome. IMO, though, they're stiff enough that there's a good chance you will hate your life after riding on them in the city for a while.

 

with adjustable struts, do you have to get an alignment every time you change the setting? or just when you install them?

 

Just when you install them.

 

only after you install them. you are just adjusting the internals of the gas strut piston, nothing on the outside, so nothing on the suspension gets played around with. coilovers, however, are probably what you are thinking of. you can adjust the dampening of them with no problem, but if you adjust the ride height, it is best to get an alignment after every time. (so I hear. but i don't have coilovers, so no real experience...)

you could pull up to a stoplight, adjust your Illuminas a setting or two and be ready to go when the light turns green. I should try that some time. people would be like

 

Sticky!!! or at least in the FAQ's if there isn't already something like this. very good d00d!

but don't bash the S-Techs, yo! they aren't that bad and I haven't bottomed out yet on my KYB bumpers!

 

WHere can i get front strut mounts from...and do they come with the bearing??

 

you can get from strut mounts from any of the following:
midwaypartsteam.com
courtesyparts.com
pinnacle nissan
nissanparts.cc

I believe what every bearing your talking about would have to be also purchased.

 

I have an excellent, brand-new set of struts/shocks & springs, namely Tokico 5-way Illuminas and Tein H-Tech lowering springs. Lowering springs are what get you a lower car rather than shocks. These will drop your front about 1.3 to 1.6" and the rear about 1" to 1.3". A lot of members really like this combination.

The adjustable struts/shocks can tailor your ride according to how soft/stiff you prefer...like keeping it soft in the city, and firmer out on the track or twisty back roads.

One of the things that members also recommend when getting lowering springs are long travel, rear mounts. Because the car is lowered, the tail has its range of movement limited, which can result in frequently bottoming out the car whenever you go over bumps or potholes. This is especially noticable (and annoying) whenever you have passengers in the rear seats.

I am selling a brand-new, complete set of Tokico struts/shocks, Tein H-Tech luxury springs for a very competitive price of $600 total -- meaning that shipping is FREE.

If you would like them, please send me a message.

 

Wow, you guys are really amazing. I really appreciate everything. I was thinking of spending about 400 to 450 on my set up. I would like to lower it, but I don't know the best combos. Anyone care to put in thier input on springs and struts set ups for that price range. Thanks a lot.

 

The only reasonable thing you'll find for that price is the Tokico HP kit.

If there's any way you can spend more, I would strongly suggest doing so -- or else, just get struts (and maybe used SE springs if you don't already have an SE) and call it a day. The magic minimum number is about $600, because on that budget you have good breathing room to pick what you want and not have it end up sucking. Of course, more money is gravy. Suspension is something you feel 100% of the time in your car, so you really should do your best for it.

But yeah... if $450 is the absolute cap, and you absolutely need springs as well, get the Tokico HP kit.

 

Thanks for the vote! Always happy to help.

Hehe, alright, fair enough. Guess I should have suggested KYB bumpstops instead of ranting and raving about bottoming out.

I still don't think S-Techs are right if you live in a city, though (unless you drive really carefully all the time and don't mind it). They're just too low on a suspension that wasn't designed for it.

 

I was checking out the combinations that you all were saying you know... Tokico Illumina struts with H&R srpings. Well, i just wanted to know what would be better. Cause i saw some Eibach springs too. Would i be better off with the H&R Springs with the illuminas or Eibach springs???

 

Well i just want to know which has a better smooth ride. with the H&R springs or the Eibach ones.

 

H&R will ride smoother than Eibach.

 

Hey Thanks Man! I'll look into that cause thats my next investment in lowering my car

 

SportCompactCar magazine has been running a series on suspension tuning. The August issue has a lengthy and complicated discussion on something called roll center (pg. 116). In a nutshell, by lowering the car's center of gravity (via lowering springs) you could very well lower the roll center which will cause the car to more easily transfer weight to the outside wheels, thereby defeating the whole exercise of lowering. There seems to be much more to getting the handling right than throwing on some springs and shocks.

The more I learn, the more I don't know

 

wiser words have never been spoken on here. so true, so true!

 

You can learn a lot here:

http://maxmods.dyndns.org/

 

Another ATL member on the site. Check the regional section

 

Yes indeed. It's a great series, SCC is a great magazine, and there is a TON more to handling than springs and shocks. If it were as easy as that, companies like Porsche and Ferrari wouldn't exist.

You are indeed lowering your roll center when you lower your car, but that doesn't make your car transfer weight to the outside wheels more. Turning does that. What a lower roll center means is that for a given amount of weight transfer, you will get more body roll. That's part of why cutting springs is stupid -- your car is lower, which means a lower roll center, but your springs aren't any stiffer to counteract the extra body roll, so you actually get worse handling. Since lowering springs are stiffer, you don't have that problem as much.

When you go cow-tipping, you push on the top of the cow. That makes it a lot easier to tip, right? Cows have a high center of gravity as they are, and pushing on them at a high point exaggerates the effect. Cornering in a car with a high center of gravity is the same thing, and the lateral loading during the corner may start to cause your outside wheels to lean over and not make full use of your contact patch. When you lower your car, you're lowering your center of gravity, so you get the opposite effect: the lateral loading will push sideways on your wheels at a lower point, so you don't have the leaning effect as much. When you combine that with stiffer springs to keep body motion to a minimum and counteract the effects of a lower roll center, you end up with a car that makes much better use of its tires.

Yes you can, but don't take it as the final word on anything. It's got a lot of information, most of it accurate, but it's not an authority.

 

Which are softer - Koni Yellows on the softest setting, or Illuminas on softest? How would this compare to stock SE shocks in terms of stiffness? getting ready to buy one or the other for a softer ride on my stock SE. thanks.

 

Neither is "softer" per se. Koni Yellows will ride and handle better because they have better valving. Technically, either one should be slightly firmer overall than your SE stockers, but I would expect an overall improvement in ride quality from the Konis (and probably the Illuminas as well), just because they will prevent bounce and keep things more in control.

If you really want a nicer ride, don't worry about your shocks (unless they're blown or have a lot of miles on them). If you're on a budget, get Warpspeed stage 2 subframe connectors first. Also, for the same price as Koni shocks alone, you could get a set of super-lightweight 15" wheels; for maybe slightly more than the Konis with installation included (there is welding involved), you might also be able to get lightweight tires with the wheels for the same price. If -- and ONLY if -- your current shocks are in good shape, either the SFCs or the wheels would probably help just as much as new shocks.

 

BTW, my Tokico Illuminas and Tein H-Techs are still for sale.