I lowered my 2005 G35s on Tein S.Tech's a couple weeks ago (I kept my OEM shocks/struts for now). I'm not sure what it is, but I remember the car being more tossable/nimble before I lowered it. It has much more body roll than before, especially in the rear.

The dampening seems to be fine for now (shocks only have 3000 miles on them- only 500 with the drop).

My question is this: what would better fix this problem- a set of sway bars, or a set of D-Spec shocks? I do plan on doing both in the future, but was wondering which would alleviate this newfound body roll.

Lastly, could this roll I feel in the rear be a result of the softer spring rates of my S.Tech's? If so, what REAR spring would be good to replace this with (and retain a similar drop)?

Thanks!

 

My guess would be spring rates in the Tein's being less than OEM. Go with 350z springs int he rear for similar drop but higher spring rate. Should be able to get a set on MY350z.com for a song and dance.

 

You should've read the many comments I posted up before you got your S-Techs
installed.... bad choice.

 

I would pm Gsedan35 and/or KenChan for suspension advice.

 

I would run oem 350Z springs in the rear. But before that, could you go out to the car and where you stashed your oem rear springs. Can you read one of the sticker's on the rear shocks, looking for the model number. And on your oem rear springs, what are the color's of the dot's that are on the springs? If what you have doesn't match up with what's sitting in my garage, I'll definately have a follow up question. IMO, I would sort out the springs to first make the car to your liking and NOT be something you consider a step backwards before I'd do anything else. Several thing's come to mind, progressive springs are NOT any of them.

 

The main function of springs is to absorb bumps, not to get rid of body roll. In order to minimize body roll, I would recommend you to invest in a set of Eibach sway bars. If thats still not enough for you....you might want to look into a set of monotube coilover.

Thanks,
Tom

 

Hold up Tom, they may be deeper setup issues that need to be resolved and he has other spring option's that will not offer the ride and drive changes that he got. Sway's should only be used to fine tune a already dialed in setup, by doing this thread he's letting us know his "dial in" attempt went the wrong direction. It can be fixed, but I have a feeling something else may be at play, I want to rule that something out.

Whis is what he went to

Tein S-tech G35 coupe & sedan (fronts are progressive, rears are linear)
Spring rates in lbs 358/274
Stiffer or softer then oem by F+14% R-18%


this is what I want to rule out
Stiffer or softer then oem by F+14% R-35%

 

Thanks, GSedan35, I will check on this as soon as I get home this evening.

It is my understanding that the dampeners are not necessarily at fault here. I think my first step will be to replace the rear springs with either 350z H.Tech's or a G35s Eibach's. From what I have read, their spring rates are stiffer than stock, and should have more of a planted feel, right?

I did alot of trial & error with the suspension in my Maxima, so I am used to this frustration. My problem is that the drop I seek is not only for looks, but performance as well- coilovers would probably be my best bet, but I am also budget-conscious. I do intend on adding D-Spec's and Hotchkis sways next month, but want to sort out the issues with my springs before moving forward.

 

From my experience, you should get the rear springs changed to a higher spring
rate and go with D-Specs to tighten both bound and re-bound of the entire sus.
The stock dampers are just too soft and causing undulations. The front caster
of 8+ makes your car twitch to the other direction when you hit large bumps
too...it's a bad setup. Adding swaybars alone will not get your car back to
its original nimbleness as the initial bump is still too under damped.

S-Techs for coupes should be taken off the shelves in my HONEST opinion
until TEIN redo their rear spring rate. 274 is just too soft for this heavy car.

The progressive rate does diminish the nimbleness of the entire dynamics of
the car, but with D-Specs you can get all + more of it back. It's not the
same feel as with performance linear springs, but it's nimble enough for
street...plus you get added comfort.

You have to do the D-Specs to get the factory-like feel back on your
lowering springs. I don't recommend Koni as from what I've read, they are
fixed bound and only rebound adjustable...and it's setup for factory spring
rates which Gsedan35 measured at 314/342 F/R.

 

Kenchan,

I am having a hard time interpreting this, but I think that what I am going to do is emulate your setup (except for a sedan). I plan to swap out my S.Tech rears for Eibach rears. Would this alone give me a stock-like feel? Once again, I do plan on adding D-Spec's and sway-bars in the next month or two.

Is there a reason for me not to keep my S.Tech fronts? It seems that you are saying that they are responsible for the twitch when hitting bumps.

Lastly, if none of these combos will give me what I am looking for, should I just call it a day and get a set of TEIN Basics?

 

How about if you were going to go with the Eibach Prokit all the way around on a coupe? That is what I was thinking about running on mine after reading through the searches I have been doing.

Without going coilovers what is the ideal setup without having to buy 2 sets of springs. Looking to lower the car an inch in the front and an inch in the rear. Also don't mind a stiffer ride than stock but don't want a really poor ride either.

Thx for any help.

 

^^^^ ^^^^
What he said! Me too!

 

Gettng just Prokits will not do it for you since you're looking for
a more nimble ride similar to stock. Our stock dampers are
too soft. I was not happy with just the Stech front and Prokit rear.

The s-tech fronts are fine, spring rate and height wise, but the
front struts are underdamped causing the front end to stroke
too far over big dips and humps which amplify the positive caster
we have (and the caster we can't adjust). The D-specs will slow
down the stroke tremendously and minimize pull to improve
your vehicle stance while going over bumps and dips on one side
of the car.

Imho, you should give the D-Specs a try with your S-techs before
getting the Prokits. That might put you where you want to be...but
performance wise, the rear rate of 274 is too soft so down the road
you might want to consider the Prokits just for the rear and finish off
with the swaybars. it'll be a sweet setup for street.

Try setting 4 from full hard up front and 4.5 from full hard on the
rear. This is my current setup and damn the car rides nice and
flat! My buddies can't believe it's riding on 35 profile 19's
S03's pumped 36.5psi because it is super comfy.

Basics are great if you don't mind the higher spring rates. I just
didn't want high spring rates on my G so didn't go with coilovers.
out of the several cars Ive modded using TEIN coilovers, my G's
setup is by far the best setup for street interms of dressup,
comfort, and handling.

 

You know what, i tried that setup when I bought the prokits, but the
front springs are too low and too soft. It's like they got the spring rate
right, but the stroke too short...so it's not great either.

From the posts Ive been reading, I would try this setup if you don't
want to buy 2 sets of springs:

Hotchikis springs + D Specs, finish off with Stillen swaybars.

 

Thanks for your help for the millionth time Kenchan- you seem to always have the right answers!

I will move forward with copying your combo. My buddy has a set of Eibach's laying around so I can sweep up the rears for cheap.

D-specs and Hotchkis sways coming up next- I'm sure I'll have more questions for you then.