Has anyone done a complete coilover suspension upgrade? How are the rear installed? Since the shocks and springs are seperate on the stock G, how are the aftermarket coilovers supposed to work if its a one piece setup? Will this change the geometry of the suspension movement? Am I wrong?

 

i'm still stock and will probably stay that way for quite a while (6mt sedan btw) but i'm pretty sure coilovers will not change the original suspension travel geometry.... the suspension arms still pivot on the same point it was originally designed for....the only thing that could change would probably be the camber....

 

I did coilovers on my brother's toyota matrix. The Tein coilovers come with a shock and springs in the kit. The shocks may also have an adjustable dampering, like my brothers.

 

Most aftermarket coilovers for the 350Z/G35 use the OEM rear location for the spring where it is separate from the damper body. The only one that I know that uses the rear spring over the rear damper is the Buddy Clubs.

Buddy Club Racing spec coilovers (rear springs on dampners ONLY)
(Monotube construction, full length height adjustment separate from preload, adjustable dampners)
Spring rates in LBS Front 560 Rear 448*
Stiffer then oem by F +78% R +113%*
With 336lbs rear springs R +64%*

*Ok, springs run in the rear oem location leverage 36% of their force to the wheels. Springs run on the oem dampner bodies leverage a much greater amount of force to the wheels 59%.

Read this great sticky with plenty of comprehensive information.

 

Then what's the difference between coilovers and a normal set of springs and shocks on a G35? (Other than the Buddy Club Racing coilovers you mentioned.)

 

Installed KW v3 coilovers. 100% improvement in handling.

 

The finest stiffest aftermarket springs cannot change handling 10% ......most 1" lowering springs increase G numbers by 2-3%.

90% of handling comes from tires, springs hold the body up primarily.......don't confuse reduced body roll with handling improvements.

 

Here's the definition of a coilover from Wikipedia that simplifies things...

So all aftermarket coilovers are height adjustable. Most of them are damping adjustable. Some have spring pre-load adjustment that is separate from the height adjustment. A normal shock and spring set don't have these features. There are other differences as well but those are the major ones.

Not exactly sure where you would categorize Tokico Dspecs and Koni Yellows with a set of springs. Out of the box there is no height adjustability but it does have damping adjustability.

 

Yes, this is what I have always thought. My trouble is because you said the following in a message above.My problem is that I can't visualize what coilovers for a G35 Coupe look like. I'm certainly not arguing with you at all. I can't figure out what's going on.

I have always understood the term coilover to mean the coil spring goes over the shock absorber. Here is a picture of what everythingg35.com calls coilovers for the G35 Coupe.



These are what I'd call coilovers, but you said the spring for G35 coilovers was positioned in the stock spring mount... like normal coil springs. What am I not understanding? Is this the wrong picture for G35 coilovers?

 

Don't get too caught up in the term "coilover". It's a bit loose and not some term set in stone. I think the key point to take away is that it is a "automobile adjustable suspension device."

Take a look at the picture of the Megan Racing Coilovers in this thread. You'll see the rear springs are seperate from the rear shocks like OEM setup. But you'll also see the rear has height adjustable spring perches. This is how a good majority of the Z/G "coilovers" are set up.

Now take a look at this thread. You'll see that the buddy club is in a sense a "true coilover" since they opted to use the rear springs over the rear shocks.

Hope that helps. Like I said don't get too caught up in the term coilover.

 

I heard amazing review on the Buddy Club Coils on my350z forum!!!

Dont know how are they on the Gs, some input would be nice tho!!

 

The light bulb is finally starting to glow...

So, it does appear that the Tein shock combo in the picture I posted above is not in fact what Tein's G35 coil over shock would represent. Tein Basics are probably very similar to the Megan Racing Coilovers in the first part of your message.

That helps a great deal. Thank you very much for taking the time to hunt up those links and post back. I appreciate it.

One of my concerns with G35 coilovers was that I was afraid that the shock mounts weren't strong enough to support the weight of the car with true coilovers. As it turns out, that doesn't matter because they don't support the full weight of the car.

I guess the advantages of G35 coilovers are that the height of the car is adjustable, and the shocks come with the springs, so they should be a matched set.