Have you ridden on adjustable suspension? The tighter I tighten my Tokico's up, the more firm the ride gets.... I wouldn't call it BS if you are taking advice/opinions from a single website.

 

I think you need to reread the article. Tighter or firmer doesn't necessarily mean the setup is better. IMO, Tokico's are pretty crappy shocks.

 

+1

Please please please... pound that into your heads.

 

you are right, I should re-read the website since I only read this part. But I was just saying, when I firm up the shocks, the ride gets more stiff. I don't know, am I missing something about what I said? I wasn't trying to turn this into a right/wrong thing, I was just asking the poster if he has had experience. I said NOTHING ABOUT BETTER!

"Let me make this as clear as I possibly can: THE ADJUSTERS ON YOUR SHOCKS ALMOST CERTAINLY DO NOT DO WHAT YOU THINK THEY DO. Unless you have something high-end, like a Penske, and you've taken the time to clock the adjuster window on the shock dyno, the ***** on your shocks cannot be trusted to work. Most shocks of the same model DO NOT match each other on the same adjuster setting, and each click DOES NOT make the same change in force. Most shocks make very large changes per click near the "full hard" setting and make very little to no change near the "full soft" setting."

 

The shocks are to control the spring motions, not to alter your suspension settings. Typically if you want/need higher stiffness you do this by using diff rate springs.

So while there is probably a range of stiffness that can be reasonably adjusted for a particular spring, dialing it way up/down to change the spring rate isn't wise nor a proper way to tune a suspension.

I imagine Tokicos are also used for coilovers and you can get some really stiff springs with these packages. So the tokicos will be able to handle them

 

The Bilstein shocks are not adjustable. I decided to go with the less is more approach...

I've used Tokico adjustable shocks in the past when I had my '01 Maxima. I also used KYB AGX adjustable shocks on my '98 200sx. Constantly adjusting the shocks got old after a while. I ended up keeping them at one setting and drove with them until they wore out.

On my G, adjustibility was not a priority. Since my car is my daily driver and I tend to drive it enthusiastically, I just wanted shocks that had firmer than OEM damping characteristics and could properly control a shorter spring. I've been in other cars that had Bilstein replacement shocks installed with lowering springs and the results were always positive. It also seemed that they lasted longer than some other performance shocks. I grew tired of doing research and based my decision off of past experience.

Perhaps I paid a little more for non adjustable shocks but the results have exceeded my expectations. I had 3 passengers in the car today and the ride remained smooth and controlled without having to adjust anything.

I just wish my wheels and tires would show up already...

 

Thanks to everyone for replying to Nickk6 whilst I was doing brakes on a buddies car.

Vegas, I think you made an excellent choice. What's the ride comfort like? Is it overly harsh on normal day to day driving: bumpy roads, light cracks in pavement, etc.

I came from a 240sx that was lower around 2.5" with REDICULOUSLY stiff springs, and I want completely away from that.

 

I've put about 300 miles on the setup and it seems that the ride has become more smooth.

The ride is not harsh at all. It handles poorly patched potholes quite well at 45-50. Freeway expansion joints and minor bumps make a definitive thump when you run them over and the car stays planted and does not wander or jiggle. I don't think you would have any problems with this setup compared to your 240. It emphasizes the "sport" in sport sedan.

 

Why would you use shocks to alter spring rates? I believe a shock and spring work in conjunction to provide handling (duh). If your shock is bouncy/soft vs stiff/harsh it will have an affect on the spring. Hard shock, medium spring will be much stiffer than a medium spring with a soft shock. I have no idea where you guys went with what I said

 

I don't know why as I said you DON'T use shocks to control spring rates.

You use a shock to CONTROL the particular spring you have.

 

 

Oh, and, PS, yes, my 240 runs on Tokico J-specs that the previous owner installed. True, "harder" setting is harsher, but that's not better for handling in most cases, as it will cause bumpsteer and wheel hop.

 

Thanks Capt. Obvious. Also different conditions require different settings

 

What conditions justify making a suspension harder though the use of stiff shocks vs the proper rate springs?

 

Depends on what you are doing