LudeAEM

I've done the google search tip and havne't found exactly what i needed to hear. I am thinking of going from my H&R/Tokico HP setup i have now, to a S-TECH setup of some sort. My questions are these.

#1 - What is your setup (shock combo) and on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best) what is the ride quality? I'm assuming that you drive on all sorts of roads, either being smooth or bumpy at times.

#2 How is the drop? From what i've seen there is a slight rake due to the fronts being 2.2 and the rears 1.8. Now has TEIN redesigned them or are the still the same? i have an auto so that doens't help the rake i know. Also, do you bottom out much? I know with people in the car it happens a lot, but what about by yourself?

Pictures don't hurt either!

NCSU_MAX

iTrader: (36)

Dont waste your time w/ S-techs. I had them for about a week before I changed back to my Progress Springs. They are too soft a spring rate to drop as low as they do and still be a high performing spring. If you want to drop that low, IMHO the only way to do it is w/ coilovers. You just sacrifice way to much suspension travel w/ the S-techs. They rode much worse than my D2's do also.

glenmoormax

iTrader: (13)

i have them right now but i am getting progress springs soon becasue i am getting a stillen lip and that+ s techs + utah roads= ruined stillen lip. with out anyone in the car the ride is nice its the more people the worse the ride, i have KYB GR-2 struts, they ride decent for the money... just save up and get tein SS coil overs.

96blackmaxSE

iTrader: (30)

I have s-techs paired with kyb agxs....I must say, for what I paid....I wish I went with some k sport coilovers.....The ride is kind of bumpy even with my shocks turned up pretty stiff...I think I'm currently riding 2 in front and 4 in rear.

Also, I dont like the way the front sits lower than the rear...I thought .4 of an inch wouldnt be noticable but it looks like a dragster IMO...

So my advice....go with coilovers....

z32drifter

I have the S-techs with AGXs ride is rough... you will get very friendly with the bump stops with this setup. It looks cool but if I had it to do over I would buy coilovers instead. The extra bucks you spend on real coilovers will be well spent.

vsamoylov

i have them and i love them. no regrets and the ride c an vary depending on which setting i have the illuminas set at.

happyricefob

iTrader: (7)

i have s-tech on tokico hp (front)/kyb agx (rear)....the rear is very firm, but the front is just way too soft. eventually i will end up with D2s/ksports, or possibly just change the front shocks.

like other said, s-tech has very soft spring rate... u can always go for sprint springs for alternative. lastly, i would not recommend pairing up s-tech with tokico HP because it's just way too soft...

LudeAEM

thanks for the input guys. First off "too soft" to me might mean good. I do not want harsh ride like with some combo's. Now by too soft you mean floaty then i probably won't do it. I also don't care that much to do coilovers. I have a $3,000 car and its not really worth it. I just wanted a little lower drop than my H&R's gave me but with same confort or about the same.

NCSU_MAX

iTrader: (36)

You should really look into the Progress Springs - they are far superior IMO. They ride much better, allow for more suspension travel due to their ride height and spring rate, and will drop lower than the H&R's.

BigLou93SE

iTrader: (10)

By too soft, they mean that the ride is compromised because the spring doesn't have the spring rate settings to recover from harsh bumps, forcing your bumpstops to do the work. Or at least this is how I've percieved everyone's opinions on them. S-tech owners who have said this, please correct or confirm.

Lumberg™

iTrader: (6)

i have mine paired with gr-2's....the ride is a little harsh but nothing I really mind and I don't really notice hitting the bump stops at all

JSutter

iTrader: (46)

buy the s techs and pair them with some shortened konis.

95SEfreak

yea my setup = stock and loose and really really floaty im lookign into a new setup that will lower the car and i want a considerable stiffer ride any ideas BTW im new to the car world so list help alot thanks

LudeAEM

ahhh gotcha. Damnit Nissan for giving us 4x4 wheel gap! hahaha. I will also look into Progress.

NCSU_MAX

iTrader: (36)

correct, their soft rate will result in a bouncy ride and does not allow the strut to travel far enough since the softness of the spring is allowing the weight of the car to keep the strut from traveling an optimal distance.

aznsap

iTrader: (29)

i have s techs w/ illuminas and i don't think they're too bad. i spent <$600 for the setup which included the kyb dust boots and i think coilovers would have been at least a few hundred more.

ti2tmax

iTrader: (18)

I have S-techs paired with Illuminas, right now at setting 3 all around they bottom out quite easily if I don't realize how deep the frost heaves are. When they are on 5 all around they are a good combo. But I wouldn't call them great. The springs are now "worn in" and they are quite a bit softer than I expected them to be at that drop. The roads I drive are very bumpy though.

kingrukus

iTrader: (41)

i have s-techs with agx...the ride is stiff and it bounces a good amount. definitely not as smooth as my eibach setup or my progress setup with the same strut. the drop is great though.

happyricefob

iTrader: (7)

same here.

i had maxspeed springs before, they were smooth...but the drop just wasn't enough.

Delvin

I have mine paired with AGXs and i love them. Everyones opinion on ride quality is different so you really need to just ride in someones car that has the setup you want. I like a firmer/sportier ride and leave the AGXs set to 3-front/6-rear. When you set it at 4/8 the car feels flat as a pancake and with my BGF G-Forces it rides like a go-cart, which i sometimes like too. I find if you have the rears set to soft it will give you a bouncey ride so i tend to leave the back on 6 regaurdless of what the front is.

Bonka

iTrader: (13)

Illuminas 2/3. 3/4 rode hard. Wish the springs themselves were stiffer. I have a 35 series sidewall I find them to ride pretty good for a soft spring. I hit the bumpstops maybe 2-3 times. Just cut the bumpstops all the way down. The rake is OK it looks way better at a distance. Up close it's about 27" from fender to ground. I think it's the best drop. You can go lower with coilovers but for me it's not worth the additional sacrifice in clearance.

EDIT:
8/10

gtr_rider

iTrader: (50)

S-tech/Illumina's here..

As others have said they are really too soft for the drop that they give. I find myself hitting the bumpstops frequently, but thats because I am a aggressive driver. With settings at 3/3 the car rides smooth but not as smooth as my previous Tokico spring/Illumina's. I wanted the lower stance but lost a bit of performance. Looks damn good though..

tavarish

iTrader: (27)

i have the s-techs paired with kyb agx's, and it's a little rough, but nothing super harsh, and i have some bad roads over here. You just have to look out for the big potholes a little better. I think it's definitely worth the 400 i payed for the suspension.

maxS

I've read this reply like 10 time, then read it word by word like another 10 times, but still

NCSU_MAX

iTrader: (36)

yes, bit of a run-on sentence but it gets the point across. ( i was in a hurry)

vsamoylov

he meant that it doesnt make any sense and i dont understand either what you were trying to say.

NCSU_MAX

iTrader: (36)

simple, bc the spring is so soft it allows the weight of the car to compress the strut beyond an optimal traveling distance. The strut needs to be able to compress and expand well for to perform well. As a result you hit the bumpstops during aggressive cornering rather than getting full suspension travel.

happyricefob

iTrader: (7)

luke when did u switch to s-tech? i didn't even know that...

BigLou93SE

iTrader: (10)

I had no idea either, I always thought he was still rocking the Tockico setup. Great write up by the way...going to use that when installing this spring.

gtr_rider

iTrader: (50)

I was running the Tokico kit for about a year, and swapped out to S-tech's on Dec 24, wish I still had my tokico ride with s-tech drop though

happyricefob

iTrader: (7)

yea i know...sam here.

i wish i had the maxspeed ride quality on s-tech.

descent

iTrader: (1)

Well i ordered the 2.2'' front and 1.8'' rear stech's last week. They should be here by friday. I'll let you know as soon as their put on

Turbo1er

iTrader: (1)

I have S and Illumina's and agree with all on the softness. Also, it may just be me but I would like to go lower, it just does not feel like much, if anything, maybe I just need to get a Stillen kit I have mud flaps and they are fine most of the time, have scraped them a couple of times but this was in an area I figured it would hit, otherwise its fine.

mastajonjon

iTrader: (2)

I got S-techs w/AGXs...stock tires=decent ride, handling, and nice drop. 18" rims=rough ride, better handling, looks great! Also, I learned u can't get the best of both worlds(at least w/o drillin a hole in ur wallet)...either more comfort or more handling. If I had to do it all over again...I would get K-sport coilovers.

dbysmax

My friend has AGX with Tien S-techs and the ride is pretty stiffs. Looks good though.