Suspension upgrades, surprising results
02-19-2017, 07:18 PM
#1
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 11
Suspension upgrades, surprising results
I have a 2004 SL with 103,000 miles and until today it had an all stock, tail draggin' suspension except for GR2's that I installed about 25,000 miles ago and are still perfect. The upgrades are Tein S-Tech's, a Megan Racing FSTB, Moog strut mounts to replace the crappy KYB's I put in with the struts, front and rear Moog premium sway bar end links (the thick ones with grease fittings), Moog front sway bar bushings, Progress rear sway bar with urethane bushings, and new rubber front and rear upper and lower spring seats. I also replaced all the KYB boots for good measure. After driving it for 60 or so mixed miles all I can say is HOLY CRAP! The pillow covered waterbed feel is gone. The Tein's feel great. Firmer than stock but no harshness with GR2's. Perfect.
What surprised me is that the rear actually went up after the Tein/rubber install. Here are the before and after numbers measured at the arch through the hub centerline. 235/55-17 Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 on stock 7 spoke wheels.
Before
LF- 29" RF- 29 1/4"
LR- 27 3/8" RR- 27 1/4"
After
LF- 27 1/2" RF- 27 3/4" (just about right on to Tein spec)
LR- 27 5/8" RR- 27 1/2" (1/4" above worn OE, 3/4" above Tein spec)
The car looks great. Just about perfect wheel gaps, like it should have been from the factory, and rides way better. Reminds me of the '95 I used to have (for 16 years and 240,000 mostly trouble free miles) with H&R's, AGX's, FSTB, and an Addco RSB except that the GR2's aren't as stiff as the AGX's.
Now I'm thinkin' I should replace the front lower control arms and outer tie rod ends (to complete the front freshening). I'll probably get some camber bolts just in case before I get it aligned in a couple weeks after it settles. I doubt it will settle 3/4" in the rear though and I'm just fine with that.
Hmm, I wonder what my Smoke 6th gen would look like if I were to paint the 17x8 +35 Borbet Type E wheels I still have from the '95 black with a polished lip and put on a set of 245/50-17 tires. I know 19's or 20's would look better but this is a daily driven commute car (60 miles a day) and a tire with taller sidewalls rides better. Besides, I have another Datsun for fun.
Thoughts?
What surprised me is that the rear actually went up after the Tein/rubber install. Here are the before and after numbers measured at the arch through the hub centerline. 235/55-17 Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 on stock 7 spoke wheels.
Before
LF- 29" RF- 29 1/4"
LR- 27 3/8" RR- 27 1/4"
After
LF- 27 1/2" RF- 27 3/4" (just about right on to Tein spec)
LR- 27 5/8" RR- 27 1/2" (1/4" above worn OE, 3/4" above Tein spec)
The car looks great. Just about perfect wheel gaps, like it should have been from the factory, and rides way better. Reminds me of the '95 I used to have (for 16 years and 240,000 mostly trouble free miles) with H&R's, AGX's, FSTB, and an Addco RSB except that the GR2's aren't as stiff as the AGX's.
Now I'm thinkin' I should replace the front lower control arms and outer tie rod ends (to complete the front freshening). I'll probably get some camber bolts just in case before I get it aligned in a couple weeks after it settles. I doubt it will settle 3/4" in the rear though and I'm just fine with that.
Hmm, I wonder what my Smoke 6th gen would look like if I were to paint the 17x8 +35 Borbet Type E wheels I still have from the '95 black with a polished lip and put on a set of 245/50-17 tires. I know 19's or 20's would look better but this is a daily driven commute car (60 miles a day) and a tire with taller sidewalls rides better. Besides, I have another Datsun for fun.
Thoughts?
02-27-2017, 07:15 PM
#4
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 11
Sorry, I didn't take any picks before the install and I don't have any after yet. I wanted to give it some settling time first. It has been a little over a week and it has come down about 1/8th more all around.
I have also just replaced the control arms/ball joints and tie rod ends with Moogs and the front end is now practically silent, like new, only better. No unexpected noise or steering wheel vibrations over bad/uneven surfaces. Part of my commute is though a big road construction job and the road is really bad. It used to feel/sound like crap through there but not anymore. The FSTB really helps the steering feel a lot over roads like that. The last thing to replace is the wheel bearings but I don't have a press. I ordered a complete set (front and rear Timkens) and I'll have the alignment shop do the fronts when I take it in. I'll do the rears myself before then.
I have also just replaced the control arms/ball joints and tie rod ends with Moogs and the front end is now practically silent, like new, only better. No unexpected noise or steering wheel vibrations over bad/uneven surfaces. Part of my commute is though a big road construction job and the road is really bad. It used to feel/sound like crap through there but not anymore. The FSTB really helps the steering feel a lot over roads like that. The last thing to replace is the wheel bearings but I don't have a press. I ordered a complete set (front and rear Timkens) and I'll have the alignment shop do the fronts when I take it in. I'll do the rears myself before then.
02-28-2017, 05:44 PM
#6
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 11
If you are going to replace the shocks/struts I would suggest getting new front strut mounts and all the spring seats. My fronts were really hard and compressed almost all the way through. The rears seats are a lot thicker and compress further which I think gives the saggy look. My rears were compressed about 1/2" each top and bottom. Your rear shocks should come with new upper rubber mounts.
I got four sets of OE replacement seats from Courtesyparts.com for $104 delivered. The pair of Moog upper mounts I got from Rockauto for about $65 delivered and are way better/quieter than the KYBs I had. The front sway bar bushings are cheap, like $9 a pair, but are kind of a pain to put in. The best Moog sway bar end links are a little more, around $75 a pair for the fronts.
I am a relatively lazy person and hate to do the same work twice so for me it made sense to replace all of this stuff while I had it apart. Overall it was totally worth it and is a huge time saver. I know this stuff about doubles the cost of just the shocks and struts but you will be way more satisfied with the results in the end.
Good luck and have fun...
I got four sets of OE replacement seats from Courtesyparts.com for $104 delivered. The pair of Moog upper mounts I got from Rockauto for about $65 delivered and are way better/quieter than the KYBs I had. The front sway bar bushings are cheap, like $9 a pair, but are kind of a pain to put in. The best Moog sway bar end links are a little more, around $75 a pair for the fronts.
I am a relatively lazy person and hate to do the same work twice so for me it made sense to replace all of this stuff while I had it apart. Overall it was totally worth it and is a huge time saver. I know this stuff about doubles the cost of just the shocks and struts but you will be way more satisfied with the results in the end.
Good luck and have fun...