Shock & Strut Upgrade... Do it!!!
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 12,810
Likes: 911
From: Oside, SoCal
Shock & Strut Upgrade... Do it!!!
Well, today i got my Tokico HP shocks & struts installed... Totally worth it.
i already had H&R springs, Stillen sways and a full SPC camber/toe kit. big improvements over the stock non-sport setup BUT there was just something missing. speed bumps sucked, way too bouncy for a DD. the sways really helped keepin' it flat in a corner(set to med/med) BUT some roll and i didn't wanna set 'em to hard/hard since it's my daily driver.
so i looked into shocks & struts. at first adjustable seemed like the way to go BUT then i realized that realistically i would prob set 'em once and never touch them again(same reason i stayed away from coilovers). so i decided to keep my setup simple. i chose the Tokico HPs because they make the OEM setup, so quality wasn't an issue. also liked the price, i picked up a full set brand new ones from Stillen for $373(after a $20 discount) w/free shipping.
got 'em installed today and WOW really just tied everything together nicely. stays even flatter in the twisties and goes over bumps better than my Wife's stock Sport-suspension(she also drives a 1st Gen G sedan). it just flat out feels more planted overall.
all in all i'm 100% satisfied w/my purchase. The HP series compliment's the H&R springs perfectly. i'd recommend them to anyone lookin' to complete their suspension setup w/o spending big $$$ on coilovers.
i already had H&R springs, Stillen sways and a full SPC camber/toe kit. big improvements over the stock non-sport setup BUT there was just something missing. speed bumps sucked, way too bouncy for a DD. the sways really helped keepin' it flat in a corner(set to med/med) BUT some roll and i didn't wanna set 'em to hard/hard since it's my daily driver.
so i looked into shocks & struts. at first adjustable seemed like the way to go BUT then i realized that realistically i would prob set 'em once and never touch them again(same reason i stayed away from coilovers). so i decided to keep my setup simple. i chose the Tokico HPs because they make the OEM setup, so quality wasn't an issue. also liked the price, i picked up a full set brand new ones from Stillen for $373(after a $20 discount) w/free shipping.
got 'em installed today and WOW really just tied everything together nicely. stays even flatter in the twisties and goes over bumps better than my Wife's stock Sport-suspension(she also drives a 1st Gen G sedan). it just flat out feels more planted overall.
all in all i'm 100% satisfied w/my purchase. The HP series compliment's the H&R springs perfectly. i'd recommend them to anyone lookin' to complete their suspension setup w/o spending big $$$ on coilovers.
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 402
Likes: 9
From: south jersey
niice...i might do a similar spring/shock combo in the future. i visited southern california about 3 weeks ago and i've been missing it ever since. whenever i go i always make it a point to drive the ortega highway rt 74. maybe you should test drive your setup there during the dawn hour!
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 12,810
Likes: 911
From: Oside, SoCal
yeah, love it here... i've run ortega before, a lot of construction though last time i went. julian is really nice and i've been wanting to hit palomar mt. good luck w/ur G lemme know when ya get the new setup and how ya like it.
Originally Posted by SDGenius
Well, today i got my Tokico HP shocks & struts installed... Totally worth it.
i already had H&R springs, Stillen sways and a full SPC camber/toe kit. big improvements over the stock non-sport setup BUT there was just something missing. speed bumps sucked, way too bouncy for a DD. the sways really helped keepin' it flat in a corner(set to med/med) BUT some roll and i didn't wanna set 'em to hard/hard since it's my daily driver..
i already had H&R springs, Stillen sways and a full SPC camber/toe kit. big improvements over the stock non-sport setup BUT there was just something missing. speed bumps sucked, way too bouncy for a DD. the sways really helped keepin' it flat in a corner(set to med/med) BUT some roll and i didn't wanna set 'em to hard/hard since it's my daily driver..
An ideal set-up for handling (more traction) is less bound, more rebound. Since most of these struts and coilovers control both bound and rebound together, if you set your struts too stiff, you'll have too much bound and that may be worse than not having enough rebound. But that would also depend on the make and model of the suspension.
Last edited by dofu; Aug 1, 2008 at 08:28 PM.
I just installed a set of front/rear shocks/springs from the 08 nismo z last weekend. Pain in the ***(second time I've swapped out the full suspension in 3 years). Along with my front strut bar and my stillen sways, the shocks/springs have really made my suspension work as intended. Its a bit stiff; one passenger complained of a soar neck after less than 10 minutes of riding; but I wish this suspension was offered as an option stock.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 12,810
Likes: 911
From: Oside, SoCal
Originally Posted by trey.hutcheson
I just installed a set of front/rear shocks/springs from the 08 nismo z last weekend. Pain in the ***(second time I've swapped out the full suspension in 3 years). Along with my front strut bar and my stillen sways, the shocks/springs have really made my suspension work as intended. Its a bit stiff; one passenger complained of a soar neck after less than 10 minutes of riding; but I wish this suspension was offered as an option stock.
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$450 plus shipping, and they had 9k on them. The shocks are not adjustable, but the full set was cheaper than a set of tokico's by themselves. Plus the fronts had the topmounts with the springs already on - so no spring compressor!
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 12,810
Likes: 911
From: Oside, SoCal
i got my Tokico HP(non-adj) for $373 w/free shipping BUT i my H&R springs ran me like $280. so good deal on ur part. i originally wanted the HP's for the Z but the techs recommened i stick w/the G part number. if ya have too replace ur suspension again, you should just hold on to the Z springs and get the Z Tokico HPs.
I've got the ritchie bar. Bought it about a year and half ago. I took it off earlier this year because I was swapping out my airbox, and I forgot to put it back on. So I drove around with it off for about 6 months.
The difference isn't as dramatic as the shocks/springs; you can feel the suspension working all the time, even while braking or going in a straight line. But the strut bar really does make a difference with stability of the front-end.
The steering, even while going in a straight line, is much more elastic. It requires a little more effort, but I'm fine with that. Along with the increased effort, it wants to return to the normal position much more readily.
Also, when I dive into a corner, I can feel a major difference. I could actually feel the front end torque around the turn almost like a fulcrum. But with the strut bar, its much more controlled. Plus without the strut bar, I could always feel the outer front tire scrubbing badly; with the strut bar, both front tires retain more of the contact patch, if that makes any sense.
If you get ritchie's bar, don't be discouraged. When it first came out, a lot of people complained about its rigidity. You can literally place it over your leg and cause it to flex while pulling down on each end. But when its mounted in the car, it does its job.
FYI - spend more time time outside of the sedan section
. I've got threads all over the place about almost all of my mods.
The difference isn't as dramatic as the shocks/springs; you can feel the suspension working all the time, even while braking or going in a straight line. But the strut bar really does make a difference with stability of the front-end.
The steering, even while going in a straight line, is much more elastic. It requires a little more effort, but I'm fine with that. Along with the increased effort, it wants to return to the normal position much more readily.
Also, when I dive into a corner, I can feel a major difference. I could actually feel the front end torque around the turn almost like a fulcrum. But with the strut bar, its much more controlled. Plus without the strut bar, I could always feel the outer front tire scrubbing badly; with the strut bar, both front tires retain more of the contact patch, if that makes any sense.
If you get ritchie's bar, don't be discouraged. When it first came out, a lot of people complained about its rigidity. You can literally place it over your leg and cause it to flex while pulling down on each end. But when its mounted in the car, it does its job.
FYI - spend more time time outside of the sedan section
. I've got threads all over the place about almost all of my mods.
Here's a link to richie's newest thread: https://g35driver.com/forums/suspens...ed-events.html
Here's a link to the original thread(though it was closed long ago):
https://g35driver.com/forums/suspens...strut-bar.html
And here's my original thread/review of the strut bar:
https://g35driver.com/forums/reviews...strut-bar.html
Here's a link to the original thread(though it was closed long ago):
https://g35driver.com/forums/suspens...strut-bar.html
And here's my original thread/review of the strut bar:
https://g35driver.com/forums/reviews...strut-bar.html
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 12,810
Likes: 911
From: Oside, SoCal
Originally Posted by trey.hutcheson
I've got the ritchie bar. Bought it about a year and half ago. I took it off earlier this year because I was swapping out my airbox, and I forgot to put it back on. So I drove around with it off for about 6 months.
The difference isn't as dramatic as the shocks/springs; you can feel the suspension working all the time, even while braking or going in a straight line. But the strut bar really does make a difference with stability of the front-end.
The steering, even while going in a straight line, is much more elastic. It requires a little more effort, but I'm fine with that. Along with the increased effort, it wants to return to the normal position much more readily.
Also, when I dive into a corner, I can feel a major difference. I could actually feel the front end torque around the turn almost like a fulcrum. But with the strut bar, its much more controlled. Plus without the strut bar, I could always feel the outer front tire scrubbing badly; with the strut bar, both front tires retain more of the contact patch, if that makes any sense.
If you get ritchie's bar, don't be discouraged. When it first came out, a lot of people complained about its rigidity. You can literally place it over your leg and cause it to flex while pulling down on each end. But when its mounted in the car, it does its job.
FYI - spend more time time outside of the sedan section. I've got threads all over the place about almost all of my mods.
The difference isn't as dramatic as the shocks/springs; you can feel the suspension working all the time, even while braking or going in a straight line. But the strut bar really does make a difference with stability of the front-end.
The steering, even while going in a straight line, is much more elastic. It requires a little more effort, but I'm fine with that. Along with the increased effort, it wants to return to the normal position much more readily.
Also, when I dive into a corner, I can feel a major difference. I could actually feel the front end torque around the turn almost like a fulcrum. But with the strut bar, its much more controlled. Plus without the strut bar, I could always feel the outer front tire scrubbing badly; with the strut bar, both front tires retain more of the contact patch, if that makes any sense.
If you get ritchie's bar, don't be discouraged. When it first came out, a lot of people complained about its rigidity. You can literally place it over your leg and cause it to flex while pulling down on each end. But when its mounted in the car, it does its job.
FYI - spend more time time outside of the sedan section
. I've got threads all over the place about almost all of my mods.
Want to compare mods ?
On the car now:
k&n air filter in the stock airbox
oem ztube
mrev+/5/16" spacer
ichiba headers
kinetix resonated test pipes
stillen gen1 sedan exhaust
utec tuned by Sharif@forgedperformance
custom made oil catch can
ngk iridium plugs
clutchmasters stage1 clutch
jwt flywheel
That's all the gofast stuff. Suspension includes the suspension we're presently discussing, front/rear stillen sways, and richie's strut bar.
I'm currently running general exclaim UHP's, 245/45/18, on a set of Kazera 18" wheels.
In my garage, I've got two oem y pipes, a 350z midpipe with welded extension, an 05 sedan midpipe and muffler, extra engine cover, front/rear shocks and springs from an 04 coupe, another k&n filter, front/rear shocks/springs from my 05 sedan, my stock exhaust manifolds, stock cats, stock intake tube, a stillen airbox, my original clutch and flywheel, a set of 4 coupe 18" wheels, a pair of enkei 16" wheels with drag radials mounted, and my wife's stock wheels from her 07 sedan sport. That doesn't include the kinetix highflow cats or crawfords cats that I no longer have. Seriously, I've been through 9 different exhaust configurations.
Sorry - my point wasn't that I've done more things or that I have more mods. My original point was that I've written a post about practically every thing I've had on my car, and practically every trip to the drag strip. I don't have much "new" to say
On the car now:
k&n air filter in the stock airbox
oem ztube
mrev+/5/16" spacer
ichiba headers
kinetix resonated test pipes
stillen gen1 sedan exhaust
utec tuned by Sharif@forgedperformance
custom made oil catch can
ngk iridium plugs
clutchmasters stage1 clutch
jwt flywheel
That's all the gofast stuff. Suspension includes the suspension we're presently discussing, front/rear stillen sways, and richie's strut bar.
I'm currently running general exclaim UHP's, 245/45/18, on a set of Kazera 18" wheels.
In my garage, I've got two oem y pipes, a 350z midpipe with welded extension, an 05 sedan midpipe and muffler, extra engine cover, front/rear shocks and springs from an 04 coupe, another k&n filter, front/rear shocks/springs from my 05 sedan, my stock exhaust manifolds, stock cats, stock intake tube, a stillen airbox, my original clutch and flywheel, a set of 4 coupe 18" wheels, a pair of enkei 16" wheels with drag radials mounted, and my wife's stock wheels from her 07 sedan sport. That doesn't include the kinetix highflow cats or crawfords cats that I no longer have. Seriously, I've been through 9 different exhaust configurations.
Sorry - my point wasn't that I've done more things or that I have more mods. My original point was that I've written a post about practically every thing I've had on my car, and practically every trip to the drag strip. I don't have much "new" to say
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,185
Likes: 0
From: Alabaster, Alabama
Originally Posted by SDGenius
i'm not a newb BTW.
He wasn't being a jerk (I promise! I can sniff that out pretty quickly lol), he was pointing you that way in case you were not aware. There are people on here who are here for longer than you before they realize there are more sections that just sedan or coupe.