Uhm...yeah. If he was going to pay $5,000 for a set of race-spec coilovers, I'd say stay away.

Most of the coilovers you buy off of eBay are street-spec, meaning they're designed more for form than function.

OP, it's up to you. I just dropped my car on the 350z Tein/Z strut setup, and I like it. It's not too aggressive, and it still rides pretty comfortably (albeit a bit more like a Z, obviously).

Take the following into consideration when making your choices:

The pros of coilovers:

1) By the time you buy springs ($200), struts ($300) and new top mounts ($~175), you're looking at close to $700. $100 more will get you a set of decent coilovers. Unless you don't need top mounts (I didn't). But in some situations, you will. $800 will get you EVERYTHING you need to just bolt the new suspension up and go.

2) Coilovers' springs and struts are damping-matched. So the car will rebound properly and ride smoothly. A drop like Teins on Z struts won't be too bad, but if you try to go any more aggressive on a spring drop, things will start getting hairy over bumps.

3) Coilovers are height and damping adjustable. If your car doesn't sit low enough, just adjust things and drop it. If it's too low, raise it back up. If the car rides too harshly, soften the damping settings (this is on MOST coilovers, not all). If it sways too much in corners, tighten the damping settings up. Simple as that.

The pros of springs:

1) They're lower-maintenance. If you buy coilovers, be prepared to do a considerable amount of more work to keep them ship-shape. That means getting under the car and cleaning them off every so often (maybe every oil change) to keep the rocks and dirt from mucking up the collars and the threads on the struts, and to slow down or stop corrosion. Springs and struts, you just install them and go until either a strut pops, or a top mount goes bad.

2) They (usually) have a longer lifespan. OEM, or decent OE-spec struts have a reasonably longer lifespan than most street-spec coilover struts do. Expect anywhere from 25-30,000 miles out of a coilover strut. OEM struts, expect 60-65,000 miles, depending on road conditions where you live.

3) They're cheaper to repair and maintain. The average OEM strut costs anywhere between $60-75 to replace. A coilover strut usually starts at $100 (that's how much mine were when I had my kSport Control Pros), and moves up from there. You'll also be dishing out more money here and there for little parts (lost spanner wrenches, busted/stripped spring perches, etc.).

So there you have it. Long-winded response? Yep.

But this way, you have some things to take into consideration before you go out and buy yourself a new suspension setup, only to be disappointed later on.

I've done the coilovers when I had my Maxima, they were a PITA to maintain (it might have something to do with the fact that I bought them used, and they had spent most of their life on the South Carolina cost before I got them, so the aluminum was all corroded to ****). And the G is just low enough with just the Tein Z-spring setup that I'm content. But it all comes down to personal preference.

 

Count me out of getting a new suspension now haha. Seems like a huge headache with either setup...

 

Lowering springs and struts are not that big of a headache, so long as you find either A) a spring that's close to your OE struts' rebound spec, or B) a strut that will match your aftermarket spring's rebound spec. For a daily driver who wants a low-maintenance drop, springs and struts are definitely the way to go.

In the case of Z springs and struts, it's pretty much a bolt-up affair, and will give a modest drop, while retaining OE ride quality. Did I mention they're worlds easier to get in and out of the wheel well, because the strut's piston length is about 3/4" shorter?

Even dropping the G on 350z Teins and 350z struts will still offer a fairly comfortable ride.

The only thing you've got to remember, is when you start getting into more aggressive drops on these cars, you need to buy rear camber arms, front upper A-arms, and rear toe bolts. That's usually another $300-$400, depending on what parts you buy.

I managed to get a set of SPC RCA's on eBay, slightly used, for $100. They normally go for almost $200 new. Haven't bought toe bolts or upper A-arms yet, though I think I'll be going with the Kinetix A-arms.

 

Get coilovers. You can adjust the height and dampening. The only people who will tell you to get springs & struts instead of coilovers are people who have never had coilovers.

 

^+1

Hes 100% correct

 

I've had coilovers on my last 3 racecars. You can get springs / adjustable shocks as the funds become available.

 

Not all coilovers are designed strictly for the track. IMO there's nothing wrong with having extra adjustments on a street setup. A street spec coilover vs. a spring/strut combination aren't that different cost wise anyways.

 

I've had coilovers in the past.

Yes, having height adjustability is nice. But if someone's just looking for a modest drop, and some handling improvements, why go the full coilover route if you never intend to use them to their full potential?

 

Why because when you install lowering springs and blow your shocks your going to be paying the same price of a nice set of coils. Think of the long term now you get your springs installed $200 say maybe six months down the road you need front and rear shocks which is $400 for parts and lets say about 2 hours labor which is another $200 so your at $800. I can buy BC coilovers for $899 shipped so does that make any sense to you brah? Edit: i didnt even factor in the cost of acutally buying the lowering springs which is another $190 + $800= $990. So i would save money and go with MDU's............

 

Labor cost? What's a labor cost?

Let me break this down for you...brah.

Tein S. Techs: $175
Stagg SHS Struts (w/limited lifetime warranty): $200
Used SPC RCA's: $100
Kinetix upper A-arms: $275

Total: $750

BC Coilovers: $900
Kinetix A-arms: $275
SPC RCAs: $200

Total: $1375

Why pay $600 more when I'm going to lower my car and leave it where it sits? I don't plan on slamming it, since it completely ruins the ride and feel of the car.

I've got Stagg SHS struts and Tein S.Techs for a 350z. The Tein springs are a very, very small drop, and close to OE-spec rebound rates, which means that you aren't over-saturating the struts' valving system, which means you aren't going to blow the shocks. The Stagg struts' damping rates are very close to OE-spec, if not a little higher, meaning they can handle the minor drop of the S.Techs.

So, in other words, the only way I'll be blowing my struts is if I abuse them. And I don't plan on it. So, I got a decent drop, and saved $600 to blow on something else (e.g., the Frontier we just bought). And even if I do blow my struts, Stagg's warranty will let me replace them, so long as I pay for shipping.

Seems like a good enough deal for a modest drop to me.

Edit: You also forgot to factor in the labor cost of installing the $900 BC coils in your explanation. And that BC Racing's replacement struts cost about $150 a piece if they happen to blow. Logic'd.

 

Just to give you an idea of how a drop on springs will look, here is my coupe dropped on 350z S-techs.

 

In my honest opinion, the 350z S.Tech drop is right about on the money for someone who wants an even stance, and still have most of their daily drivability retained.

The stock 17's (which I'm currently rocking) look weak, though. I need to find something a little nicer.

 

Looks like the front is a bit lower? Or is that the shadows playing tricks?

 

The front will almost always be a little bit lower with any springs, unless you do the spring mount mod which i didnt want to mess with. There is about a half inch difference is all

 

Long story short- there is no "right way" there is just the way you do it. That may be because of money or performance preference or personal preference. Here's me on S-techs and tokeco shocks with 19" wheels.