Is there such a thing? I thought I was set & happy and all, and so many times in the past, I didn't find it practical to "drop" or lower the G.....but yet, lately, I've been contemplating on looking into dropping my car.

I bought 19"x8.5" rims, with tires that are a size up for the norm that people use (I have 245/40/19), but people who have staggered run 245/35/19's up front to keep the aspect ratio/sidewall size consistent w/ the rears (275/30/19's). I did this to fill up the fender a bit more, give me some more protection for the rim and to avoid having to drop my car. I do know that I can drop my car w/ these rims & tires & won't rub.......but the question is...should I do it? IMHO, I don't think my car looks bad w/ this setup (for my taste, there isn't bad wheel gap), but I know it'll look that much nicer if it's lowered.

You know what just makes me want to do it even more? I was on the highway the other day, and there was a Nissan Altima approaching in my rear view, riding a bit low....and it looked sweet....and he drives by and it's the SE - R with dual exhaust..... Nice looking car & the drop looks sweet. Now if this was your every day Altima, it wouldn't even have caught my eye...but I think because it was dropped, that's what made me hone in on it.

What should I do? Part of me is saying "don't waste your $ on a mod like this", but part of me is thinking how good the car will look & handle after it's lowered....

The next question then becomes, based on my rim & tire specs, what is a spring & shock combo that would work best for me? Right now, I can only get 2 fingers up front from the tire to the fender (about 1.5"), so I think a 1.5" drop would be too much, right? Maybe I should only go 1"? Is it worth getting coilovers?

Also, as part of the install, I know that I will need to get an alignment, but will I need to buy a camber kit of some sort? I want to make sure I get even tire wear (i've heard stories & seen picts on here of very uneven wear).

Thanks

 

Alot of people drop their cars. The most common way is with 350z shocks and springs. Search around, there are MANY threads on it. You will get a 1" drop with a nicer/stiffer ride.

 

I think it would look 100x better if you dropped it a bit. If you read around anything within a 1" drop should align close to perfect without any camber kits.

 

i think with the 40 series tires you have, the z drop would be enough for you and look much better!! good luck!

 

Yes, you should definitely do it. I have been so much happier with the looks of my car after I dropped it. If you are looking for a mild drop (similar to what I wanted), look into a full revised z suspension or a z/coupe spring combo depending on your tastes. Going this route is fairly inexpensive.

After the drop, I was able to get my alignment within coupe specs and have not experienced any uneven tire wear.

 

I just lowered my sedan with the 350z unrevised springs and I like it. Ride is a bit stiffer and the look of the car is much better. I am still on the stock 17's so I imagine the handling is much better with upgraded wheels and more performance oriented tires.

 

I say drop your car...it will make it soo much sexier and handle better. I dropped my car so low that I can only go straight. If I turn, I get soo much rubbing

 

Thanks for the quick feedback guys...this truly is my first time looking into what's what. Already, I have an idea for what I want.

Jamey - I think I really like your setup (most conservative & possibly inexpensive). Though, you did confuse me a bit.

You are running unrevised Z springs in the front with coupe springs in the rear (on sport suspension). I truly do like that look (better than Z springs all around...I want the height to match like yours). Are you telling me to go with a full revised Z suspension, knowing that I don't have sport shocks? I think since I have almost 60K on these non-sport shocks, I should just go ahead & get new shocks too. Also, where did you end up buying our coupe springs from....this forum?

Sorry for all the ?'s, but I want to make sure I understand this correctly.

Thanks

 

drop it on 350z h-techs--subtle drop (about 1") and no need for cambers which will end up costing almost 1k.
just need alignments.

 

Yes, that is right, I am running unrevisded Z springs on the front (just a note all z and coupe front springs have the same spring rate so revised/unrevised won't matter) and "unrevised" coupe springs in the rear (i.e. coupe springs from a coupe that did not have OEM 19" wheels, rear spring rate = 342).

If you have non-sport shocks I would go ahead and get a full suspension including struts/shocks. If I had to do it all over again I would buy a full coupe sport supsension and used the z springs on the front. I may still do this, or upgrade to D-specs.

Yes, I got the coupe springs from a member of this forum. If I recall correctly, I paid $70 for the z springs, $80 for the coupe springs and the sold the 4 I didn't need for $30.

I think I hit everything you asked, if not just let me know.

 

I agree with these guys. If you just want a little better looks/performance you should go with Z-springs. You can use them with your stock struts but it's a better idea to get new ones at the same time. Tokico d-specs are a great buy for the $.

You will still be close to or maybe even within the oem specs for camber. It will be a bit on the negative side but may not be worth $600-700 camber kits (plus install). You can always just swap your tires from side to side every 5k or so. That will only run you ~$80.

 

Slam that $hit!... It all depends on what look you are trying to obtain.

 

Interesting....thanks for the info. I now have some new ?'s for you.

If I were to run coupe springs on all 4-corners...what's the difference between the front coupe springs & the front Z-springs??? I'm guessing the Z's are a bit lower of a drop?

As for the D-specs...what's the difference between these shocks & the coupe suspension?

Also, anyone know what this would cost me for a shop to do the install (all shocks & springs)?

So many ?'s & terms I've not heard before, so I'm trying to understand & digest it all.

Thanks!

 

OK - JUST INSTALLED (less than 10-minutes ago) full 2006 350Z suspension - front coil overs and rear shocks and springs. It may be a 1" drop, but it looks more than that. I have not had a chance to drive the car yet, but I will post reviews once I get home tonight. I still need to have alignment and camber adjusted.

 

I got my unrevised z springs w/shocks for 100 bucks off a dude from my 350z.com. Don't think you can beat that deal (if your ok buying used stuff).