Hey guys I'm a total newbie when it comes to Suspension. I drive a 2005 5AT Coupe and it's running on stock suspension at the moment. I'd like to lower my car about 1". I've heard terms thrown around such as spacers, camber kits, springs. From all my research I think I've figured out wheel spacers push the wheels out to maximum fender length to increase center of gravity, camber kits keep you're tires from wearing when you lower your car, and springs lower your car.

I'm looking to change my suspension around and get the best bang for buck mod change I can to increase handling and at the same time make my ride a little more stylish. I'll probably get getting some new wheels to match in a little while. So what should I start with? Just need someone to point me in the right direction. Thanks!

 

Also I'm currently riding on the Sport Suspension package from Stock

 

Bar none, the best "handling" bang for the buck is sway bars. If you do nothing else to your car, do that. There are many out there, I used Hotchkis and I am well satisfied. Next, springs, I used a set of 350Z springs which gave me a 1" drop. I think any more than that (unless you show your car) is over kill. It makes you car look more aggressive and helps with handling by lowering the center of gravity. You will need an alignment after you let the springs "settle" for a week or so. You don't need the "Camber kits" to correct alignment if you lower 1" or less.
Then I changed my shocks (lowering will wreck even the OEM sport shocks eventually). I went with TOKICO D-spec adjustable shocks and they work wonders and have a lifetime warranty.

OR, you can go straight to the good stuff with a set of coil over shock or "coil overs" which give you adjustable ride height and adjustable shock valving. Some even can be adjusted from the cockpit (Tein Flex).

I do not recommend spacers if you do ANY kind of hard driving. There is a reason most tire shops won't mount a tire on a car with spacers. (No flaming please) Just get a nice set of wheels that will give you wider rims and the right offset to push the tires out to the fender edges. This will give you a bit more stance and ad to cornering ability.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks a lot for the great info. Sounds like I'll definitely be going with Sway bars first then springs/shocks. What do you know about the Stillen sway bars? Also when you're talking about the 350z springs are you just talking about the springs in the 350z?

I'll probably be going with the springs/shocks rather than the coilovers due to my budget. I saw a post that referred these but it says the front drop is 1.2 in. so would I need a camber kit and can I just get it for the front suspension?

Thanks for the good advice on the spacers. I definitely don't want to be taking any unnecessary risks. I'm currently riding on stock sport rims. What exactly is an offset and could I do that with my current rims? Will that accomplish the same goal as the spacers because I want my wheels less tucked it looks bad and the handling could be better.

Also, where do you recommend buying this stuff? I live in Atlanta, GA.

Thanks again.

 

You didn't say what you were driving, coupe or sedan and what year. I have a sedan and I'm running 19" wheels with a +30 offset, that puts them right at the fender wells without the tires rubbing or havng to roll the fenders. Yes I'm running 350Z OEM springs, I think they are perfect. Stillen bars are as good as any. They are five way adjustable just like the Hotchkis.

Read this first before you buy anything: https://g35driver.com/forums/brakes-...r-summary.html

Look around here on the forum, there are a lot of sponsors that sell this stuff with a good discount to forum members. Look in the classifieds.

Here is a pic of my baby:






BTW: the link you posted doesn't work.

 

I drive a 2005 Coupe. My car has the 2005 sport package so I'm on 19" wheels as well. I understand the concept of an offset and what it does but does each wheel have a specific offset that can't be changed once manufactured? And whatever rim I buy will have a specific offset, aka my current wheels need to be replaced to change my offset? I'm thinking spacers attempt to change the offset without buying new rims but can be dangerous.

Sorry about my link not working, I was trying to link to some Tein Stech springs. I'm trying to choose between the Tein S-tech or H-tech and 350z springs. There's a good deal going on in the classifieds for Tein S and H Tech springs. The things is that the S-tech springs for the coupe lower 1.2 in. in the front and 0.9 in. in the rear. Would I need to get a camber kit if I got these springs? The H-tech Tein springs lower 0.6 in. in the front and 0.3 in. in the rear and that just sounds like not enough. Is the "drop" that everyone refers to the total of the front and rear drop? I want a good drop, but I'd rather avoid the camber kit.

I like the pictures of your car. The offset definitely looks sexier than stock tucked.

Thanks a lot for the great answers this is helping a lot.

 

get some tein stech springs and run 20/25mm spacers f/r and ur 19s will sit flush and give you a sexy stance. the camber kits are recommended and will help with rear tire wear but aren't mandatory. im running tanabes which drop the car more and i havent gotten the rear camber kit yet......i will when i finish these rear tires off.

 

Many, many here run the S-techs and love them, I can't speak to them as I have never used them. The drop sounds just right to me.

the_coupe is correct also, many members here do use spacers with no trouble and the size he recommends will work perfectly. I have seen pics of this done and it looks great.

Personally, I wouldn't run spacers. I participate in several rallies a year and drive VERY aggressively. I just don't trust them. If I was a boulevard cruiser, it would be no problem.

 

yeah ive always been partial to the spacers deal but a friend of mine is running spacers on his turbo s14 and he has done track races, drifts and DD with no issues........but again, to each his own.

 

Sweet thanks a lot for the info guys. I'm planning on going with the spacers 20mm front and 25mm rear. I found a good sale on Ichiba spacers here. Will these be good quality?

On the subject of shocks/springs I'm planning on getting the Tein S-Tech springs lowering 1.2 in. on the front and 0.9 in. in the rear. I realize that if I lower my car I'll need some new shocks eventually. Texas I really like those D-series Tokico adjustable ones but they're a little more than I wanted to spend. I found these Tokico HP-series (I'm assuming their non-adjustable) for a better price. Would these still be quality or is there another non-adjustable shock you'd recommend? I'd rather not get a camber kit, but the tires I use wear fast already and are expensive so would you guys recommend I get a new camber kit for just the rear/front or what?

 

Also when it comes to Springs/Shocks/Sway bars do I need to be worried about the car weight ratio when setting front/rear adjustments? I don't want to be under/oversteering.

 

They are the same as the D-spec without the adjustablity. In fact, TOKICO makes the OEM Sport Shocks. Just be sure you get an alignment as soon as you can. You will be way out of toe when you put the springs in and toe will wear a tire faster than anything.

 

yeah you might as well get the rear camber kits to help with the rear tires cuz they are as low as $60 on ebay. they will not hinder your handling unless your shocks went bad. i myself will be looking into the tokico blues when i need them. aftermarket swaybars will be a good investment if you want to FEEL a difference in your handling.and yes, an alignment will definitely be needed once you lower it. if you dont bring it to the dealer make sure your front total toe is set to around .016.

 

Ok I'm in the process of putting this all together. I'm currently ordering a GroundingGear grounding kit, I definitely want some Stillen sway bars, and I want some spacers. I'm considering waiting on dropping my car because total the springs/shocks are going to cost me half of the total cost ($450).

But if I cut the new shocks out it'd save a lot of money for the time being. Would it be wise to just get the S-tech springs and ride on the OEM shocks for a while. How well would they work with my springs and how long would they last? The most expensive thing for me to do is going to be lowering my car because I'll need the springs, shocks, and most likely a camber kit for the rear tires. What you guys think is that a possibility?

 

You might as well run the shocks you have, they are pretty good and I got a years use out of my Sport shocks after I lowered the car.