Before buying my springs I did the research and found the 350Z S. Techs to give the lowest possible drop while giving a respectable ride. Ride quality is still miles ahead of my 300ZX (also on S. Techs) so coming from that I find it to be acceptable. Passengers in my car haven't complained about ride quality either (including my mother who has no idea it is dropped). I tend to avoid pot holes but every once in a while I'll hit a short stretch of bad pavement and it isn't pleasant but not bone shattering.

 

hey Malibloc, how long did it take for your springs to fully settle?

also, after my drop i thought "it could be lower; should have gone w/ the s techs." but the s techs will lower about .5 inches more than our current set up. i don't know if spending another 2 - 3 bills more for a half inch drop is worth it.

 

I can tell that a drop like that has seriously compromised your wheel travel and shock life. The OEM shocks have about 3" of upwards travel before contacting the bump stop. A 2" drop only gives about 1" of upwards travel and you are now operating the shock well outside it's intended operational range. 1" or less drops are fine for OEM shocks, but anymore than that then you need quality coilovers with shortened shock housing to compensate for the lost wheel travel.

 

I've yet to bottom out on the current setup. I accept decreased shock life as a result of lowered ride height, thats just how it works. It just gives me a reason to upgrade to a beefier/better shock setup once the OEM units give out.

 

the sedan S Techs drop the front 2 inches and they are meant to be driven w/ the OEM struts b/c in the instructions you are to cut the rubber bumps by 50%. i also had to do this for the H Techs. so, although your reasoning is correct, i think if you cut the bump stops you can go lower than 1 inch and not compromise the OEM struts.

 

you can use shocks designed for the G/Z if you're lower by more than 2" to compensate.

 

Im on Tein CS coilovers .In my area the roads are not to bad ,but even if they were I dont think i could ever go back 4x4, sounds like once again I am in the minority,but i kind of like it that way.

 

i'm running H&R's w/Tokico HP's and loving it

 

I'm the same way. I need to have little or no wheel gap or I'm not satisfied.

 

z springs front/coupe rear springs(non-sport)--handles great, and still has a nice compliant ride and I'm on 19s with 35 series tires--I don't scrape and I don't have the horrible factory gap. I'm aligned close to coupe specs--more neg. camber than stock, less than coupe; toe has been brought back in spec.

I love it.

 

These aftermarket spring companies don't care about shock life, they care about selling you their product. Sure, you can cut the bumpstops and install a set of 2" lower springs and it will work, but that doesn't mean it's a good setup. Shocks are designed to operate in a certain range. The shock's purpose to control the movement of the spring. That's it. The shock is designed for a certain static ride height and can control movement as various extensions and compressions of the spring. The OEM shocks are not designed to operate in a 2" lower range. Further, the shocks are not designed to handle the extremely high spring rates of progressive-rate aftermarket springs. Higher rate springs require more dampening to control the movement of the spring. This requires the shock to work harder which in turn wears out the shock much quicker.

 

Why do you think the ride is so bad over poor surfaces? You're riding on the bumpstops. You are indeed "bottoming out".

 

so Dave, are the 350z H-techs alright with the OEM shocks?
or will the life of my shocks be decreased?

 

i think essentially any spring that is shorter than the OEM ones will compromise the OEM struts, which will vary according to the drop.

 

The ride is not "jarring" over poor surfaces which would be evidence of a shock bottoming out. Rough ride does not always equal a shock riding on its bump stops. I know what a shock bottoming out feels like, what I'm experiencing is not it.