So I don't know much about cars, ie what the different mm spacings and camber measurements look like, etc.

That being said. My car is a daily driver. That being said what would be a good drop and stuff for 18's and for 20's. I'm not looking at spending a lot of money. maybe starting off with the stock 18's and going from there... I want a lowered look, but don't wanna be chewing through tires and worried about every little pebble in the road. I am a cautious driver though, when it comes to pot holes and parking lots. Just looking for some suggestions. I've searched all over, it's just everyone has different wants... Asking about my particular situation just makes sense. If it helps I think 6969g35's car is sick. Looks like 20's, but that's about all I could tell.....

Thanks for the help guys!

04 g35 coupe by the way.... lol

 

Go on TEINs website and check out the specs on the size of the
drops they offer. The 350z H-techs and S-techs will be a much more
aggressive drop, probably not what your looking for. G35 H-techs are
a very subtle drop, and are supposed to be pretty comfortable ride
as well...

Look around TEIN and Eibachs websites and see what drop specs fit you best!

 

When do you get into having to roll the fenders and camber kits?

 

I use my ride as a DD as well.. I personally went w' the Tenabe NF210.. It advertised a .6" drop in the rear and a 1" drop in the front (very conservative drop).. Now that I've gotten them installed, they IMMEDIATELY looked lower than that, especially in the back.. I am going to drive on them till Friday or Sat to let them settle... then get an alignment.. Prior to dropping the car, I got the rear fenders rolled.. I'd advise you to do that if you're going to drop the car AT ALL.. It's just a smart thing to do.. The front fenders already come rolled.. So you're good there.. All you need done is the rear.. Don't want the fender having an opportunity of hitting your sidewall AT ALL.. the 100-150 you spend getting your fenders rolled is a LOT cheaper than new tires...

I'll determine whether to get a camber kit after my alignment.. W/ the NF210s you're not supposed to need a camber kit because the spring weight is only +5% of the stock springs.. It's supposed to drop the car nicely but still maintain a stock feel for the ride.. They're advertised to not be all stiff and what not, nor need other suspension equipment..

I'm not knocking the other poster's info, because I don't know about those.. Only putting you on to what I did.. Hope this helps..

 

As far as camber goes, that is just due to the offest of your rims,which
will probably be pretty bad after a drop, so you may need a camber kit. As
Twalls said, with a drop you MAY need to roll the fenders, but that depends
if you have pretty wide tires in the rear, and how large your drop is. If you have
tires pretty close to stock with a subtle drop you can get away without a camber
kit or rolling the fenders if your lucky...

 

Man this is great info guys. Thanks for the help! So if you go with Springs that are close to the factory and the drop isn't too low, you can get away with using the factory shocks right? I've heard a lot of different oppinions on this. Some guys say they've ridden the factory shocks for years with a 1+ drop and others say they've blown them out. I'd be curious to know a little more about these cases...

 

Let me know how this turns out and pictures if you don't mind! I'm interested to check it out...

 

stop making driving so low such a tedious thing.. its not as bad as you make it seem

 

I didn't know that I was. I'm just trying to find out as much as I can before I go do something stupid like buying a set springs with too much drop, only to find out that I need to spend more money on a camber kit or to get my quarter panels rolled or buy new shocks etc... I don't wanna be one of these idiots on here saying "HELP! What Do I do now" and then everyone say, "you should've done your homework..."

Sick car by the way Eurodre....

 

The truth about lowering your car....regardless of how you lower it you'll need to buy the suspension pieces to bring your alignment back to OEM spechs. If you don't you'll be going thru a set of tires once a year, the suspension pieces are cheaper! The Tein 350Z H-Techs will drop your G less than an inch front and back and you'll still have a comfortable ride. Rolling the fenders are not required until you buy rims and then only if you get a major offset. When you've lowered your car it's important that you be careful with speed bumps, driveways and parking lots....it becomes a way of life! Everything you need to lower your G can be found under our MARKETPLACE (suspension) Good Luck, Gary

 

I'm lowered on tein coil overs.. and cranked em down to about a low as i can go until i roll the fenders.. then prolly go a bit lower lol. It really isnt as bad as people think. before the coils i had the s-techs (tein) and it drove better than stock. No camber kits, no aftermarket shocks keep in mind u will have uneven wear unless u get a camber kit. but then again our cars have a negative camber from the factory, hence the better handling. but stop overthinking it, it's my DD, roads in VA/DC are HORRIBLE and it's been good for the past year and a half.

Coils




On s-techs on 19's


S-techs on 18's

 

Stay on this forum long enough and you'll see that the longer a thread stays alive, the larger variance of experiences you'll see.. I'd say the best advice here is to just remain safe.. Better to buy the proper pieces rather than replacing parts that you could have avoided... I'm going to let the findings from my alignment dicate whether I get a camber kit or not.. Running through tires quickly is NOT an option for me.. I agree.. It's better to get the proper suspension pieces rather than buying new tires.. (agree w/ Gary C as usual.. you'll learn he gives great advice)

I don't think you're obsessing over drivng a lowered car.. I too did a lot of research and borrowed on other's experience before making my decision.. (I'm a measure twice and cut once person myself.. I like the way you think.. spent too much on these cars for us to be messing them up.) The NF210s were perfect for the look I was after w/out giving up the luxury feel of the drive. And also allowing me to not have to change my driving style too much.. Of course I'm going to have to slow down, but that just comes w/ the territory.. You don't wanna be flying over speedbumps and racing in a parkinglot anyway.. That's just common sense.

No problem.. I'll be creating a thread prolly this weekend after I get my alignment done (springs have to settle - good to wait about a week, otherwise you'll need multiple alignments).

Just to let you know, my specs are

TSW Cadwell
(F)20x8.5 245/35/20 nitto nt555 +20
(R)20x10 285/30/20 nitto nt555 +25

So I rolled my fenders because I did plan on having wider tires in the rear. I think our cars (w/ the proper rims) look GREAT lowered and on 20s.. I think that's the proper wheel for the wheel well. But I've also heard several cons w/ getting a 20" rim over say a 19" rim as far as performance.. I KNOW I'm going to open a can of worms, but remember, this is what I've READ..

1. 19" tires can be more expensive than a 20" tire
2. 20" rims are notoriously heavier (unless you go w/ a more expensive rim VOLK for instance) and you won't realize the full gain of your mods
3. You'll have a longer stopping distance (takes longer to stop a larger wheel.. they wanna keep spinning)
4. You can inccurr less MPG (never really understood this one)

I've decided that my next wheel will probably be a Volk GT-S and they come only as high as 19", so I'll be able to derive a more accurate assessment then as far as the feel performance wise.. But I enjoy my 20's now because that's the wheel I wanted NOW.. I like the look, and the drive actually feel BETTER as far as daily driving w/ a 20" rim TO ME.. I'd just say get what YOU like.. Everyone's going to have their own opinion.. So just make sure YOU'RE happy..


As far as what RogueWolf said.. I'd follow his lead.. Start off w/ springs first (as did I) and learn how to drive a lowered car (don't know your experience, don't meant offend you by assuming) and then upgrade to Coilovers if you want to go lower.. I plan on doing the same thing as this is my first lowered car.. And I'm getting a bodykit that will put my bumper, sides and rear lower than OEM height.. So it'll appear even lower than it does now..

 

yea with coils and 19's.. expect to take **** sideways it was REALLY low it had like 2 inches between the bumper and ground, (oem lip). 20's i got a bit more clearance and i rarely scrape but even with 19's it was just fine.

 

as a fulfillment of my promise, I created a progression thread, I know a little early.. (check out my signature) didn't wanna throw a lot of redundant pics in your thread.. You can see where I was in previous pics, and how much lower the nf210s dropped me in the recent pics.. Let me know your thoughts..

 

This info is great guys! I should have made myself a little clearer at first. Went I was talking about driving a lowered car being a bit of a pain, I didn't mean taking speed bumps slow and stuff slow would be the pain. I had a BMW 325CI w/ sport package before this. I know how to take the road. I meant dealing with tire wear and suspension problems and all that. Sorry guys!

With everything I've read and all the info you guys have given me. I'm thinking my starting point might be to refinish my stock 7 spoke 18's with a high gloss black finish (saw a wheel on Ebay and it looked bad @ss!)

So I'm gonna follow your guys advice and start with the springs. Everyone has mentioned shocks. No one has really mentioned what kind though... I see the Tokico HP series are priced pretty reasonably?

Thwalls, Your drop looks great! I'm afraid I might want to go a bit lower though... lol. Maybe it's because yours is sitting on 20's though?? How much of a difference would 18's w/ 45's(I think) look?

I'm thinking if I can get buy with spending around $250 for shocks & $250 for springs I'll be in pretty good shape... Labor won't apply because I have a buddy I think I can con into helping(doing it) me do it


I really not trying to make a big deal out of this or over think it. I just don't wanna waste the money and the time of dropping it and than not being happy with the results! like TWALLS said, "Measure twice, cut once!" lol


Thanks!