Finally Dropped it! Hoctchkis, Kinetix and SPC reviewed--Pics
#1
06-12-2005, 02:44 PM
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Finally Dropped it! Hotchkis, Kinetix and SPC reviewed--Pics
Without question this project proved to be my most challenging to date.
THANK GOD FOR THIS WEBSITE and the Awesome members on it! A SPECIAL THANK YOU to the following members for going above and beyond! They helped without being prompted and unselfishly took the time to share expertise without hesitation. AWESOME DRIVER MEMBERS:
GSedan35-Thank you for your many educational/informative/expert posts as well as your personal attention to my goals and limitations. YOUR THE BEST!
Kenchan-Thank you also for your many informative posts on the topic and your personal attention to my challenges! YOUR AWESOME!
Neffster-I always found your posts very detailed and helpfull. It's obvious you do your homework! Your SPC recommendation saved me alot of time and Money!
G352NV-Thanks for a fair price and super fast shipment on the front arms! I'll take your left over parts any day--Could your car get any cooler?
HERES THE SCOOP!
My Goal----> Drop the car cosmetically approx an inch without deteriorating ride quality(slight lean to comfort). Also, maintain stock handling characteristics while maximizing tire wear. As my daily driver this car sees 30K annually.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
DROP:These measurements are from the floor to the center of the fender, full tank of gas and same location. The before ride hieght was 27 1/4 FRONT and REAR with my aftermarket wheels. The current ride hieght is FRONT=25 3/4's both sides REAR= 26 1/2 both sides.
SPRINGS: Hotchkis 350Z springs(THUMBS UP!). http://store.yahoo.com/ntnsracing/hospcosp35.html
They are made from cold wound silicon steel, they are linear rate, and powder coated seabring silver. Front Sring rate is 340lbs/in and the Rear is 330lbs/in vs. stock 314 and 342 respectively.
They work well with the OEM shocks. Ride is slightly stiffer and noticeable on take off (less bounce) and over potholes etc at high speeds. Overall the ride is VERY similar to stock which is exactly what I was looking for. It's remains a great handling touring coupe with a comfortable ride.
FRONT: The "new version" Kinetix Upper A arms to get my front back into spec. http://kinetixracing.com/index.asp
NO noise at all-good workmanship! Great part for the price IMO. The only draw back is the adjustment. It's very time consuming for the alignment tech but precise!
REAR: SPC camber/toe kit to resolve the challenges in the rear (THUMBS UP) EXCELLENT VALUE! http://iapdirect.com/item.asp?invid=622
Great price and worked awesome! The only drawback-the drilling of the toe holes proved tougher than expected-the right tool is half the job
.
HERE ARE MY ALIGNMENT NUMBERS:
FRONT
Camber R -0.5 L -0.6
Toe R 0.03 L 0.03
Total Toe 0.06
Cross Camber 0.1
REAR
Camber R -1.6 L -1.6
Toe R 0.21 L 0.21
Total Toe 0.42
Cross Camber 0.1
*I need to return in a couple weeks to tweak it a bit and I will have them look at the rear camber and "toe in" which is not quite what I want.
**D Specs and sways are on the wish list
Here are some pics-The first one is "Before" all others are "After". Please let me know what you think.
THANK GOD FOR THIS WEBSITE and the Awesome members on it! A SPECIAL THANK YOU to the following members for going above and beyond! They helped without being prompted and unselfishly took the time to share expertise without hesitation. AWESOME DRIVER MEMBERS:
GSedan35-Thank you for your many educational/informative/expert posts as well as your personal attention to my goals and limitations. YOUR THE BEST!
Kenchan-Thank you also for your many informative posts on the topic and your personal attention to my challenges! YOUR AWESOME!
Neffster-I always found your posts very detailed and helpfull. It's obvious you do your homework! Your SPC recommendation saved me alot of time and Money!
G352NV-Thanks for a fair price and super fast shipment on the front arms! I'll take your left over parts any day--Could your car get any cooler?
HERES THE SCOOP!
My Goal----> Drop the car cosmetically approx an inch without deteriorating ride quality(slight lean to comfort). Also, maintain stock handling characteristics while maximizing tire wear. As my daily driver this car sees 30K annually.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
DROP:These measurements are from the floor to the center of the fender, full tank of gas and same location. The before ride hieght was 27 1/4 FRONT and REAR with my aftermarket wheels. The current ride hieght is FRONT=25 3/4's both sides REAR= 26 1/2 both sides.
SPRINGS: Hotchkis 350Z springs(THUMBS UP!). http://store.yahoo.com/ntnsracing/hospcosp35.html
They are made from cold wound silicon steel, they are linear rate, and powder coated seabring silver. Front Sring rate is 340lbs/in and the Rear is 330lbs/in vs. stock 314 and 342 respectively.
They work well with the OEM shocks. Ride is slightly stiffer and noticeable on take off (less bounce) and over potholes etc at high speeds. Overall the ride is VERY similar to stock which is exactly what I was looking for. It's remains a great handling touring coupe with a comfortable ride.
FRONT: The "new version" Kinetix Upper A arms to get my front back into spec. http://kinetixracing.com/index.asp
NO noise at all-good workmanship! Great part for the price IMO. The only draw back is the adjustment. It's very time consuming for the alignment tech but precise!
REAR: SPC camber/toe kit to resolve the challenges in the rear (THUMBS UP) EXCELLENT VALUE! http://iapdirect.com/item.asp?invid=622
Great price and worked awesome! The only drawback-the drilling of the toe holes proved tougher than expected-the right tool is half the job
.HERE ARE MY ALIGNMENT NUMBERS:
FRONT
Camber R -0.5 L -0.6
Toe R 0.03 L 0.03
Total Toe 0.06
Cross Camber 0.1
REAR
Camber R -1.6 L -1.6
Toe R 0.21 L 0.21
Total Toe 0.42
Cross Camber 0.1
*I need to return in a couple weeks to tweak it a bit and I will have them look at the rear camber and "toe in" which is not quite what I want.
**D Specs and sways are on the wish list
Here are some pics-The first one is "Before" all others are "After". Please let me know what you think.
Last edited by MillersG; 06-13-2005 at 09:31 AM.
Pics
#5
06-12-2005, 03:45 PM
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Looks good man, but I got a quick question. You said the springs only dropped the car an inch? If thats the case why did you need front a-arms and the rear toe bolts. In my case I dropped on Z H-techs (like an inch) and only needed SPC rear camber arms to correct my alignment. The rest went back into factory spec. Were you positive that when you dropped the car the front and the rear toe was out of alignment and was unable to get back in without those extra parts?
#7
06-12-2005, 05:16 PM
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Luck of the Draw I guess--Pay now or pay later
Originally Posted by IS300TOG35
Looks good man, but I got a quick question. You said the springs only dropped the car an inch? If thats the case why did you need front a-arms and the rear toe bolts. In my case I dropped on Z H-techs (like an inch) and only needed SPC rear camber arms to correct my alignment. The rest went back into factory spec. Were you positive that when you dropped the car the front and the rear toe was out of alignment and was unable to get back in without those extra parts?
Unfortunately--Yes-- I needed both. I was only slightly out of camber spec but as Im sure your aware the front OEM camber arms have no adjustment. Tread wear and maintaining stock handling are high priorities for me. I really only needed the left side toe bolt but did both just incase for future adjustment flexibility. Also, I hope to tighten rear "toe in" while maintaining the negative camber angle at the two week tweak session. I'm confident that this adjustment flexiblity will meet these objectives.
Last edited by MillersG; 06-12-2005 at 11:34 PM.
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