I had the same symptoms with my freak rear mount problem. Have you checked it out visually?

 

Alright, perhaps I used poor terminology. I didn't really crank it down per se... I tightened it up as there was very little preload on the spring. There really isn't much preload on the springs as they were harsh to start off with and I had no interest in making them "harsher".

I would possibly be interested in getting softer springs, but have no idea who I would get them through, what they might cost and what type I would get (and how they would relate to my current springs).

 

We offer custom springs here at jinsu, you can go with +-2kg without revalving your shocks. The springs are $100 a pair shipped.

 

They will be similar in height and identical in inner and outer diameter to your current springs, so they'll fit exactly the same way. All you'd have to do is unbolt and remove your bottom mounts, remove your spring perches, drop the old springs out, put the new ones in their place, and put the perches and mounts back in place.

 

Yea, I did check it out visually. It seems alright, but should I be looking for anything in particular? What did you do with yours?

 

On mine, you couldn't even see the top of the shock because it had fallen under the mount. If they look fine from the trunk, you're definitely not having the same problem.

Next thing to do is to look on and around the shock bodies to see if they're leaking shock oil.

 

def look for oil, thats how i figured out mine.

i just threw the ksports back on from stock.. and oh man... i'm in love again..
but from now on winter, the stocks go back on just to be safe, i didnt really think about the cold affecting the life of the coilovers... and since two of my struts were replaced i should be good, the other 2 were tested and came out fine.

also the thing with ksport is the cost of fixing them. its only about 100 bucks each coilover.. go and see how much tein and JICs cost to fix

 

If I take pictures of mine would that help you see what kind of shape mine are in?

 

Having very little knowledge on the spring rates of my current "stock" Ksport springs that doesn't help me out very much. I absorb most of my knowledge of aftermarket parts from reading others' experiences and in the past I've read about things like 7/5 or 9/6 springs but never really knew what it meant. Perhaps you or somebody else could elaborate?

And if I wanted to change these out I would be out $200 for the set of four plus the cost of a realignment correct?

 

Stock K-Sport are 9 kg/mm front and 7 kg/mm rear, I believe, so that's what you have. If you go to 7f/6r or 7f/5r that would make a significant difference. 7 kg/mm is quite a bit softer than 9.

 

The trade of when you go to a lower spring rate is that you get more ride comfort but lose some of the performance. It's a good idea for people live northern states with salted roads.

 

Someone correct me if I'm phrasing this wrong but its a start. The 9/6 kg/mm prerents the stiffness of the spring over a given distance. the lower the number 7/6kg/mm is a softer spring, it would give softer ride but sacrific some of the better handling abilities of a stiffer spring.

 

Well I'm already thinking of going to a softer setup with ordinary shocks/springs so losing some performance was already a known.

My concern with softer springs is that it doesn't change the fact that I'll be going over crappy roads and the shock cylinders will still be overworked and may fail again. I'm really not interested in swapping these out with a set of ordinary springs/struts twice a year and subsequently having to get an alignment each time.

 

As has been said, those spring rates (9/6, 7/5, etc.) are front/rear, measured in kg/mm (the number of kilograms it takes to compress them one millimeter).

If you were to step down to a softer set of springs, you would want 7/5 IMO, since 7/6 would obviously change nothing in the rear.

It may not seem like the spring rates would actually affect the life of the shock absorbers, but actually having softer spring rates means there is less violent motion in the suspension, which in turn means less pressure on the shocks.

Assuming you're careful with taking everything out and putting it back in, and set everything to the same height when you're done, you shouldn't need an alignment.

 

im actually on D2s with a 9/7 spring rate ...i want to go 7/5 but just want to buy the springs..will this throw off my dampening cycle a lot?
if so i might just buy a new set with 7/5 and sell the 9/7
-john

 

Right, but how would you set your winter set of shocks/springs which would invariably be either your stock set or aftermarket and have a natural height difference from your coilovers which will have a completely custom height setting?

 

Oh, I was talking about setting everything to the same height with new springs on Ksport coilovers. Wasn't thinking.

The tricky thing about going between springs/struts and Ksports is that on the Ksports, the upper bolt hole on the front lower mount is elongated. They made it that way to permit a wider range of camber adjustment, but it permits some variation in camber with each install. Obviously it's easy to get things right again with the camber plates, but it's hard to guarantee that your alignment with Ksports would be the same with stockers.

If you were planning on purchasing aftermarket springs and struts, one thing you can do is to grab yourself a set of springs that give you the drop you want, like Tein S-Techs or Progress springs (not sure which would be more your taste). That should make things much easier on you.

If you do end up needing an alignment after you change out your suspension, just pick up a 3- or 5-year alignment from NTB/TireKingdom, or a lifetime alignment from Firestone: pay once, get the rest for free.

But I still think the best thing to do would be to get softer springs on the Ksports. They will ride and handle better than almost any spring/strut combo that gives you the same drop, and you don't have to worry about swapping out your suspension.

 

What's the Nissan part number for the rubber gasket pieces that go between the KSport top and the car body? I need some for the front and the back.

I tried that, but they said I wouldn't be able to fit on the lifts. I was looking forward to that lifetime...

 

This should help:

http://www.kcmaximas.org/tech/suspension/index.html

 

REAR:

Part Number: 55338-0M000
Description: SEAL - SHOCK ABSO
List Price: $9.10
Needed: 2



FRONT:

Part Number: 54329-39U00
Description: SPACER
List Price: $9.63
Needed: 2



Those will fit the KSports, correct? Is that what you guys got?

 

I've taken mine to Firestone a couple of times with my Ksports set to a 2" drop without any problems.

 

These are simply little insulators that go between the strut towers and the suspension itself. There's no way they couldn't fit with K-Sports or any other suspension designed for the car. The only issue might be camber plates, but I doubt it.

 

They're not even rubber. They're practically paper.

 

Yeah, they are literally just cardboard. Mine were all shriveled so I bought some "gasket material" at an auto parts store. Much thicker than stock, but it's just cardboard. I just traced the old ones as best as I could and it worked fine.

 

Firestone didn't want to touch my 3.5" drop.

 

I've had hit-or-miss experiences with Firestone as well. One day I came in and they took care of me just fine with my 3.5" drop, and when I came back a few months later having raised the car by almost 1" they wouldn't touch it. It really depends on what mechanics are working that day.

I had much better luck with the NTB in King of Prussia here. Dunno if anyone else has worked with them, but they seemed to be much more on-the-ball.

 

Firestone did my 3" drop on my D2's but I had to prove the dumbazz mechanic wrong first... As said above, it depends on who is there.

 

No one answered my post but I just spoke to a rep from D2 and he said I should have no problem with the dampening and i can just swap the 7kg to the front and he will send me 5kg for the back

 

Are they charging you for the springs? If they are, how much? I have been kicking around getting softer springs for my D2's.

 

No theyre not charging me but thats because they sent me the wrong spring rate to begin with...I ordered 8/6 and they sent me 9/7...Now I want to go 7/5 because the roads out here are horrible!!

 

Shoot me a PM when you get them installed, let me know how they feel.

 

I have Ksport, not D2, coilovers, but have long been waiting for someone to compare different spring rates on coilovers. Please post for all of us a comparison between the two different sets of spring rates.

 

No problem..It'll probably take about a month though..to get through customs and til I install them...but if your in forest hills..I can swing by and you can check em out first hand!

 

Sounds good, if you want any help with the spring swap let me know.

 

ive taken my car to firestone a lot, never had a problem, ive actually gone in so many times.. they said i needed to relax on using my lifetime.. haha

also are those gaskets needed?

 

sorry to show the pictures again, but does installing these help at all????

i ahve another question......my car is clicking like mad....it is only when i gas and turn left......is there anyting that can fix this.....i tightened all the collars hammer tight. anyone eles have these problems?

 

Yup, I think our problems are axles...

 

Definitely sounds like a CV joint.

As has been said, if you're lowered, your axles need to be PERFECT. Mine are NAPA remanufactured axles, and believe me, when it's cold out, the noise makes me wish I had gone for Raxles....

 

on a scale of 1-10 what is the difficulty of replacing an axle?
i dont know the condition of mine.

 

I have no idea. All I know is that the passenger's side is a PITA.

Both axles once took my friend (who's a really good mechanic with great tools and a 4-post lift) about 1.5 hrs to do.