Maybe I'll wait for the Teins or the JICS

 

yeah, those coilovers might not be a good idea...maybe the brakes neither lol...good find san~man

here's an interesting read i came across while skimming those links...

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html

 

one of our forum members had the Ksport front BBK
i think his name is cblue G35 or something

 

Well, if you read the articles posted by san~man and the link pulled out by ugaexploder, it sounds like JICs and all the other Japanese coilover brands are not all that great either. Not as bad as the Ksports in terms of inconsistent damping, but no where near as good as Bilstein or even Konis. Here's a quote from the article:

"Where there's no Bilstein fitment and Penskes are too expensive, Konis are usually perfectly adaquate. They are, by far, the best budget shock and better than any of the crap coming out of Japan. JIC, GAB, Tokiko, Tein - synonyms for "crap".

In my personal experience, Bilsteins are the best shocks I've ever used. I didn't like the adjustable Koni yellows much on my last car. They had great ride quality, but were too soft for good handling (though that's more b/c the Eibach springs I paired them with were too soft rather than the shock). GABs were ridiculously firm to the point of bone jarring punishment. I did like the adjustable KYBs though.

 

I had Bilsteins and H&R SS's on my old mustang, and they were great products. I had one Bilstein go bad, and it was easily warrantied by the company I bought them from. The lifetime warranty on Bilsteins is no joke.

Although I would agree that Bilsteins/Konis would be preferred, I wouldn't agree that Tokiko etc are "crap." I sure they aren't valved as consistent as the Bils/Konis/Penske, but I'm sure they aren't as bad as the truly low end stuff that's out there.

I'm not in any particular rush to lower the car, so I have the ability to wait and see what comes down the pipeline (whereas others seem to be in a hurry to drop their cars). I can live with the suspension as is, and I'll re-evaluate it after the sway bars go on.

 

I don't have much experience with Ksport for the G/Z but I know a number of people who have their parts on Eclipse, 240's, etc, and are very happy with them.

 

Paul,

First I would like to thank you for your interest in Penske Racing Shocks for your G35 as well as your compliments. I would encourage you to give me a call at the shop @ 610-375-6180.
The 350Z/G35 require a vehicle specific body cap for the shock which we do not produce due to the demand, however we do have a dealer who I strongly recommend who does make a body cap for a Penske that is made for your car. He offers a Penske package that uses his body cap/clevis to work on a 350Z/G35. Please give me a call and I can get you in contact with that dealer. He is out of NY state.

Best Regards,
Matt Giles
Penske Racing Shocks
610-375-6180

sooooooo.....who's in?

 

I shiver at the very thought of how much they want for those.....

I personally couldn't justify spending the 3k+ (just guessing, but probably realistic) for the Penske's. Sure they're the ****, but for a street driven car they're overkill.

 

I saw these guys at SEMA. They had a HUGE booth this year and were looking for vendors. I actually talked to them about becoming a vendor, but don't really have the time for another business... These guys make decent products. Their coilovers are good quality and equivalent to TEIN, but they aren't as good as some of the top brands out there. There BBK kits look VERY nice, and just like everyone else, their calipers are made in Taiwan, so the quality should be fine. Not sure about the rotors, but the set I saw at SEMA were two-piece design, so that is nice. I say go for it... Most of these BBK kits are made in the same place, so you can't really go wrong for that price.

 

I would have to agree 100%. My M3 had Bilsteins and I have them on my Porsche too (and on my lifted Ford truck) and they are by far the best shocks I have ever owned. They are very consistant, damp very well, handle great, and can put up with some serious abuse (trust me, I've had my Ranger a good 8 - 10 ft off the ground at Pismo on several occasions and have never blown a shock). I also had GAB and Koni's on my Eclipse and the GAB's were WAY too stiff and the Koni's were WAY too soft... plus, I kept having to return the Koni front struts because they kept leaking almostly immediately after installing them... Koni blamed my Suspension Techniques springs, saying that the spring rates were too high for the struts... That what pushed me to the GAB's... The GAB's held up just fine, but like I said, they were WAY too stiff even in the softest setting. My Dad has KYB's on his Talon and Miata and they seem to be a very nice compromise if you can't find (or can't afford) the Bilsteins. Just my $.02.

 

^ Cool. Yeah. I remember when I took the GABs out of my car, I tried to compress and extend the shock shaft and it virtually wouldn't budge either way. I had to lean on the top of the shock piston with all of my weight to get it to start compressing. No wonder it rode like sh-t!

san~man - I do agree w/ you that not all Japanese suspension products are crap. I liked the adjustable KYBs on my G20t and I think my brother had good results w/ Tokicos. I guess it all depends on the intended use. The reality is, Ksports may be fine for a lot of people who really want just height adjustability and cheap cost and don't really drive their car hard enough to make much of a difference.

Still, with how cheap Bilstein shocks and coilovers are, that would definitely be the best option... IF they were available for our cars.

 

For that price i would just get OEM akebono bbk the rotors and calipers are bigger on the akebono's

 

They're not coilovers, but you can get the TK Bilstein dampers on japanparts for over $3K!

http://www.japanparts.com/db/partsli...maker=&volkey=

This is tempting and I may end up going this route if they ever become vailable here for a reasonable price.

 

I wish they'd make a set of PSS10's for our car. They even adjust from the bottom and not from the top

 

I love the picture of those Tommy Kaira Bilsteins - for $3K, "NOT INCLUDING SPRINGS." Makes the stuff Impul sells seem like a bargain.