Hello,

I just bought a 03 g35 sedan. THe car was already dropped by the previous owner. I love the way the car looks I just don't like the way it feels everytime I go throught any pot holes it feels like the front end is gonna fall apart. The car has the blue Tokico hp series shocks with TEIN S.TECH SPRINGS. I wanna know if I need to change the shocks to improve the ride quality or the springs. I really don't know alot about shocks and springs I could really use your advise.

 

I've heard from a few friends that S-techs give you fairly bad ride quality, one reason I'm leaning toward getting the H-techs when I lower my car, that may be your problem but idk

 

Well, the tokico hp series, aren't the best of shocks/struts. If you want to stick to tokico.. go with the d spec. Many sedan owners use them and love the ride quality. Also, you shuold try to find out how many miles the shocks have. They could be at the end of their prime. If you want to go with a similiar set up with the same amount of drop... go with the tokico d specs and eibach sport line springs. Softer/more comfortable ride and pretty much the same drop. Oh and Fellas... chime in if I am incorrect or want to add anything to that. I am jsut speaking from what I have learned over the years and research on suspension/springs

 

The struts and springs look pretty new to me. Do you think I can use the eibach sport line springs with the tokico struts I have?

 

i have the Tokico HPs paired w/H&Rs and i love the ride... what size rims do ya have???

 

you sure can man. Just got to do the swap

 

one more question what improves the quality of the ride. Springs or shocks/struts?

 

well... can't really say one or the other. both work together to give it a nice ride. Springs will help smooth out the rides, granted the springs you pick. But suspension will help your car rebound a LOT quicker and even out everything. Depends on which route and how much money you want to spend. If you got some dough to spend... go with tein comfort sport coilovers. They are coilovers (which allow adjustment) and are made for a much nicer ride, hence the name "comfort sport." However, you got to keep in mind that usually any aftermarket suspension/springs/coils you go with won't be as smooth as OEM/stock. You can come close, but it all really depends on how you like the car to feel. Me, I like the car to feel real stiff and tight through turns so the bumps don't bother me too much.

 

obviously i'm bias having Hp's, but from the general consensus the stock sport shocks are Tokicos and are pretty good for stock. The HP's are a considerably better build, notice they have the wider width like the dspec compared to the oem. They have the exact same housing as the dspec and from what I heard and pretty much the same without the adjusting. They are just setup in the middle, which are like 20% more dampening than the stock sport shocks

 

OP, what size wheels and tires are you running? This means everything. If they are after market upsized, it might not be your suspension at all...

I have Eibach pro with OEM non-sport shocks - on OEM 17s with 235/50/17 the ride comfort was great (no different than OEM)... when I upsized to 19" running 245/40/19 the ride is much more harsh.

I just got Tokico D-specs and hope I can adjust to cush the ride a bit.

If you are running OEM tires it very well may be the struts... your budget will dictate the best decision... If you want to stay reasonably low, try the d-specs (I haven’t installed mine yet, but lots of people love 'em)... if you want more flexibility (but a higher budget) get coilovers as previously suggested.

 

hp series is just a stock replacement. i think they are too soft for shorter suspension travel.

you're better off running D-Specs and tightening them down.
also a note.... tein's rear spring rates (especially for the coupe) are crap.

 

HP series are not a stock replacement, they're an upgrade. they're much stiffer than the OEM Sport dampers and even on the Z. if you really wanna stiffen up ur ride then just get the HP application for the 350Z. 90% of people will never adjust D-specs(or any other adjustables), so why pay more??? like i said i'm runnin' H&Rs w/Tokico HP and the ride is really well balanced, even w/19's.

 

HP are stiffer than OEM by "much stiffer" ? really?

doubt it. i adjusted my D-Specs quite a few times.
D-specs are frikken cheap too for wat it is. $520 shipped
or something i paid.

 

i got my HPs for $270, doubt the ride if ya want. you bought the D-Specs, that's cool i hear good things. me personally don't need the adjustability and if the OP doesn't either than i recommend the HPs for the G or Z depending on what he's lookin' for. BTW my Wife's G has the Sport suspension, so i've got plenty of chances to compare the two.

 

yes the HP's are stiffer...look at the housing of the shock compared to oem. They are considerably wider meaning more fluid...meaning higher dampening.