# Lowering Springs Vs Coilovers



## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

I want to lower my car a couple of inches and I want to know which of these two are better: Lowering springs or Coilovers.
Do I need to replace the shocks so that I do not bottom out?
What else is need to install in order for me to get a good suspension and also not to bottom out
thanks


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

*cough*pleasegotothesuspensionforumandreadthestickiesthere*cough*


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

go with lowering springs all the way. eibach sportlines. coil overs will ruin your day and your car. if you are going to get lowering springs, do it the right way altogether with shocks. kyb agx adjustable shocks are good. but tockio gas are good also.


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

tony200 said:


> go with lowering springs all the way. eibach sportlines. coil overs will ruin your day and your car. if you are going to get lowering springs, do it the right way altogether with shocks. kyb agx adjustable shocks are good. but tockio gas are good also.


Have you read the 'Sticky on Sentra Lowering Springs' at the top of this forum? A good coilover setup is the best suspension you can get for your car. (Not the cheap kind of coilovers often seen on eBay). With a coilover setup you have a choice of spring rates, can change the ride height, and on some you can vary the damping of the shocks. If you are seriously into track racing, you can corner weight the car which equalizes the forces on each corner.

The Sentra has very little total travel in the suspension (on the order of 4 inches). By lowering the car 2 inches, you use up half the travel, and need springs with a high rate to keep the suspension from bottoming even with aftermarket shocks like KYB AGXs. The Eibach Prokit (1.5" drop) and Sportline (2+" drop) springs do not have a high enough spring rate. I had Prokits on my car, and they bottomed (even with shortened bump stops) every day in normal driving.

If you choose to put lowering springs on your car, you will need heavier shocks. There is a Group Buy on Hyperco custom springs (1.4" drop) currently for the B13. They are designed specifically for the Sentra.

Lew


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

tony200 said:


> go with lowering springs all the way. eibach sportlines. coil overs will ruin your day and your car. if you are going to get lowering springs, do it the right way altogether with shocks. kyb agx adjustable shocks are good. but tockio gas are good also.


I'm going to ask you to refrain from posting until you know what you're talking about.


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

lshadoff said:


> ..... There is a Group Buy on Hyperco custom springs (1.4" drop) currently for the B13. They are designed specifically for the Sentra.
> 
> Lew


ok, i think i have it down finally. ive been reading around and hypercoils seems to be the best choice with a set of KYB AGX shocks. This would lower my car: front 1.0" (300lbs/in) and rear 5/8" (250lbs/in) which for me is not that bad since i do not want to slam my car. 
I also need motivational rear mounts and koni bump stops. can someone give me a direct link?
and also how much weight can my stock b14 suport? hypercoil front is 300lbs/in and rear 250lbs/in. Would this be enough?


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

james120 said:


> ...also how much weight can my stock b14 support? hypercoil front is 300lbs/in and rear 250lbs/in. Would this be enough?


Eh? Please rephrase the question because it makes no sense as you asked it.


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

james120 said:


> ok, i think i have it down finally. ive been reading around and hypercoils seems to be the best choice with a set of KYB AGX shocks. This would lower my car: front 1.0" (300lbs/in) and rear 5/8" (250lbs/in) which for me is not that bad since i do not want to slam my car.
> I also need motivational rear mounts and koni bump stops. can someone give me a direct link?
> and also how much weight can my stock b14 suport? hypercoil front is 300lbs/in and rear 250lbs/in. Would this be enough?


ok sorry. well these hypercoils i was looking at is :front 1.0" drop 300lbs/inch and rear 5/8" drop 250lbs/inch. will this be enough compared with my stock springs? How much wieght can my stock springs support?


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

james120 said:


> ok sorry. well these hypercoils i was looking at is :front 1.0" drop 300lbs/inch and rear 5/8" drop 250lbs/inch. will this be enough compared with my stock springs? How much wieght can my stock springs support?


That's not the right question to ask. You need a higher rate spring to limit the travel of the suspension and keep it from bottoming. (The stock springs are approximately 125/100 F/R.) You will need high performance shocks like the KYB AGX to control the heavier springs.

Lew


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

ah thanks for the help!!!

I want to buy these hypercoils. I tried to contact the guy who is selling hypercos for $239 but no response. I think im too late..
Is there another source on witch I can get these hypercos?


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## Sentra96816 (Aug 23, 2003)

*contact info for B14 hypercoil springs*



james120 said:


> ah thanks for the help!!!
> 
> I want to buy these hypercoils. I tried to contact the guy who is selling hypercos for $239 but no response. I think im too late..
> Is there another source on witch I can get these hypercos?



Hey howzit,
I am going with the hypercoil/kyb/ME mounts/Koni bumpstops combo and I just recently bought the hypercoil springs for the B14. His name is Chris Scarpulla and his contact info is on the SR20 forums. It is as follows: [email protected] ---- Email him as I did, and he will hook you up,.... very professional :cheers: :thumbup: and response time is quick!


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## Sentra96816 (Aug 23, 2003)

Sentra96816 said:


> Hey howzit,
> I am going with the hypercoil/kyb/ME mounts/Koni bumpstops combo and I just recently bought the hypercoil springs for the B14. His name is Chris Scarpulla and his contact info is on the SR20 forums. It is as follows: [email protected] ---- Email him as I did, and he will hook you up,.... very professional :cheers: :thumbup: and response time is quick!


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
BUMP BUMP---hey james120 you have to go and contact Chris Scarpulla NOW,...he only has 7 more B14 springs left so get on IT!! Just looking out for a fellow NF member :thumbup: :cheers:


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

Sentra96816 said:


> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> BUMP BUMP---hey james120 you have to go and contact Chris Scarpulla NOW,...he only has 7 more B14 springs left so get on IT!! Just looking out for a fellow NF member :thumbup: :cheers:


I'VE SENT HIM AN EMAIL BUT I RECIEVED A NOTICE THAT THE EMAIL THAT I SENT DIDN'T GO THROUGH. I THINK IVE TRIED TO SEND HIM AN E-MAIL LIKE 3 TIMES ALREADY. SIGH. SHOULD I JUST GET EIBACH LOWERING SPRINGS WITH THE AGX SHOCKS WITH KONI BUMP STOPS AND REAR MOUNTS?


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## Neva2wicked (Sep 13, 2003)

james120 said:


> I'VE SENT HIM AN EMAIL BUT I RECIEVED A NOTICE THAT THE EMAIL THAT I SENT DIDN'T GO THROUGH. I THINK IVE TRIED TO SEND HIM AN E-MAIL LIKE 3 TIMES ALREADY. SIGH. SHOULD I JUST GET EIBACH LOWERING SPRINGS WITH THE AGX SHOCKS WITH KONI BUMP STOPS AND REAR MOUNTS?


Listen to those who are very familiar with our suspensions. Ultimately, the final decision will be yours. What you have to ask yourself is this:

Do you want to lower your ride but still have a 'ride comfort' equal to, if not greater than factory i.e. not bouncing all over the place?

Do you think you should cut corners and by a setup that you might have to replace because it's uncomfortable after a few weeks/months?

Sometimes you might be able to find deals on certain springs/coil-overs/shocks, and sometimes you'll have to take it up the arse and pay retail. As the saying around this board goes, "you have to pay to play". That holds true with suspension as well. 

P.S. another set of springs that gets good reviews is the Tien. You might want to look into them. Search around a lil bit.


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

Neva2wicked said:


> Listen to those who are very familiar with our suspensions. Ultimately, the final decision will be yours. What you have to ask yourself is this:
> 
> Do you want to lower your ride but still have a 'ride comfort' equal to, if not greater than factory i.e. not bouncing all over the place?
> 
> ...


Ok, Tein S-Tech lowering springs. Any information? These springs will lower my car 1.5". should I? I think lowering this much is too MUCH. Sigh, I want hypercoils....


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

well i have eibach sportlines dropped 2" with tockio shocks and it rides really good. that last post that i wrote was my opinion. and chimmike and ishadoff,for the last time, i know what im talking about.


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

tony200 said:


> well i have eibach sportlines dropped 2" with tockio shocks and it rides really good. that last post that i wrote was my opinion. and chimmike and ishadoff,for the last time, i know what im talking about.


Are you implying that we do not know what we are talking about?

Lew


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

ummmm Lew, i didnt say such thing that you didnt know what your talking.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

tony200 said:


> coil overs will ruin your day and your car.


With blanket statements like that it certainly wouldn't appear that you know what you're talking about.


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

myoung, i dont want to say anything negative. i respect you and all the editors of the nissanperformance mag big time.i love reading your articles and you made my car what it is today by your information. im sure i know what im talking about. i just dont like the fact opinions and facts are being "lashed out". theres people here in the forum that dont know what they are talking about, but hey thats fine and it should be respected.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

tony200 said:


> myoung, i dont want to say anything negative. i respect you and all the editors of the nissanperformance mag big time.i love reading your articles and you made my car what it is today by your information. im sure i know what im talking about. i just dont like the fact opinions and facts are being "lashed out". theres people here in the forum that dont know what they are talking about, but hey thats fine and it should be respected.


That fine, but you can't throw statements out like that and not expect them to be challenged.. What experiance do you have with coil-over set ups? What brand? What cars..etc.. If you can't explain your comment then why make it in the first place?

This is by no means an attack at you personally... but you can't simply give advice like that without something to back it up.

A 2" drop with Sportlines and Tockio's is no where near the best setup for a B14... However it is a decent lower budget upgrade. I think you need to ride in a car with quality coilovers, like a Motivational set up.. That would change your mind instantly..

Just think before posting and you won't be challenged with statements like that... We just want the info here on NF to accurate.


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

sounds good. thanks myoung. just alot of people on the se-r forum dont favor coil-overs so much. i had aerospeed coil overs (they caused me a lot of headache). thats my bad experince with coil overs. i apologize if anything.


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

you had a bad experience with them because they're $90 pieces of crap. 

Good coilovers cost money. Ground controls and KYB AGXs are an excellent setup.

I'm running JIC coilovers now and they're by far the best suspension I've ever had.


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

ok guys, what is the spring rate for the Tien S tech lowering springs. I heard these lowering springs are pretty good too. I need to get lowering springs with reasonable chaep price with good suspension and control. The tien s tech lowering springs that i saw was about 160-180. HUmm...damn budgit limit...


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## nismo1.6 (Feb 9, 2005)

^they lower the front way to much IIRC, near 2 inches. from all the reading i have done none of the lowering springs have a high enough spring rate save the hypercoils. go to the sr20forum and watch the classifides for a set. if you get lowering springs with a low spring rate it will only be for looks as they will only hinder your handling (hitting the bump stops like its there job)


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## Sentra96816 (Aug 23, 2003)

*GO HYPERCOILS ALL THE WAY!!*

ATTENTION JAMES120: HYPERCOILS ALL THE WAY!!!! If you are not going for the full on coilovers (such as TEin) hypercoils would be the avenue to go if you are going for springs,.....it took me awhile to get a hold of Chris Scarpulla of the SR20 forums but believe me, it is def. worth it!!! I know $$$ is a deciding factor, but like people said before me, better doing it right the first time than finding out later that you have a bunk set-up.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

tony200 said:


> but tockio gas are good also.


BTW, I've done skidpad runs in B14s equipped with Tokico blues. They are the worst aftermarket dampers I have ever driven on.


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## nismo1.6 (Feb 9, 2005)

have you looked at D2???? i just found this price on line while searching, lshadolf has them and reading about them they seem quite good for the price. and you can even get that "slammed" look without bottoming the suspension out.


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

nismo1.6 said:


> have you looked at D2???? i just found this price on line while searching, lshadolf has them and reading about them they seem quite good for the price. and you can even get that "slammed" look without bottoming the suspension out.


The D2 design is interesting. The shock body is threaded, and the lower mount screws onto it. This allows height adjustment without changing the spring height, so it has full travel always. The lower spring perch is also adjustable so any height spring may be installed. There is one infinitely adjustable damping control. You can see them here. 

There is one 'problem', though. The oil in the shocks is thick, and the manufacturer says they should not be used below 49*F. It is not a problem here in south Texas, but if you experience Winter, your car will spend it in the garage because driving will blow out the internal valves. 

Lew


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## nismo1.6 (Feb 9, 2005)

lshadoff said:


> There is one 'problem', though. The oil in the shocks is thick, and the manufacturer says they should not be used below 49*F. It is not a problem here in south Texas, but if you experience Winter, your car will spend it in the garage because driving will blow out the internal valves.
> 
> Lew


well............this puts a huge damper on my fun. ill try to find some feed back from those who live up here in the north and see what problems thay have run into, thanks for that heads up. 

i knew it was to good to be true  and yes that threaded body is a much better design imo, just raising and lowering the springs is crappy. like if you buy GC and put them on AGX you can still only lower them 1.5 inches without fear of bottoming out. but it looks like i may need to look into a differant set up (i was going to run them on my soon to be owned by me classic but PA and MD can get MUCH colder than 49* )

i was just thinking about something odd, the teins seem to be fine in the cold (or so i havnt seen any complaints yet) but the threads on the tein can corrode and rust. the D2 coilovers have a tefflon coating preventing any corrosion but also making it that much easyer to move around.....yet their oil can not with stand cold temps because of iscosity issuse......if you combinde the 2 coilover set ups you have have the ultimate coilover.

another addition: lew.....do you think you could just set the damping at a lower level when it is cold? im going to try to email them and ask a few questions because this seems to be one of the best set ups and it is very cheap compaired to the progress or tein SS.


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

nismo1.6 said:


> i knew it was to good to be true  and yes that threaded body is a much better design imo, just raising and lowering the springs is crappy. like if you buy GC and put them on AGX you can still only lower them 1.5 inches without fear of bottoming out. but it looks like i may need to look into a differant set up (i was going to run them on my soon to be owned by me classic but PA and MD can get MUCH colder than 49* )


The difficulty with the D2 setup is that to change the height you must unbolt the bottom mount in order to turn it. That's OK in the front since you must realign after any height change anyway, but it is a minor PIA for the rears. 


nismo1.6 said:


> another addition: lew.....do you think you could just set the damping at a lower level when it is cold? im going to try to email them and ask a few questions because this seems to be one of the best set ups and it is very cheap compaired to the progress or tein SS.


There are small orifices in the shock, and I wouldn't want to test your theory on a $1000 setup. 

Lew


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## nismo1.6 (Feb 9, 2005)

lshadoff said:


> The difficulty with the D2 setup is that to change the height you must unbolt the bottom mount in order to turn it. That's OK in the front since you must realign after any height change anyway, but it is a minor PIA for the rears.
> 
> There are small orifices in the shock, and I wouldn't want to test your theory on a $1000 setup.
> 
> Lew


once you find a ride height you like i dont think it would be a problem (and im sure you could counter weight with the spring adjustamment since you dont move it much)

as for my therory.....your right, that is risky with a pricy setup. ill just try to get in touch with them, thanks.


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

nismo1.6 said:


> once you find a ride height you like i dont think it would be a problem (and im sure you could counter weight with the spring adjustamment since you dont move it much)
> 
> as for my therory.....your right, that is risky with a pricy setup. ill just try to get in touch with them, thanks.


The directions are specific in saying that the ride height should not be adjusted by moving the spring perch.

Lew


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

yeah thanks. kind of got off topic. I am getting these 'hypercoils' also can be refered to as hypercos (which is the companies name)

This should be the last entry....

Thank for all your help. 

Hope all goes well on my suspension.


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## Jer_ry (Apr 27, 2005)

ok so depending on the brand if i get coilovers will i also have to get shocks? I know it would be better but could i just put just the coilovers on and ride about 5-6 months on stock shocks before getting new shocks? Thanks! Just really confused.


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

Jer_ry said:


> ok so depending on the brand if i get coilovers will i also have to get shocks? I know it would be better but could i just put just the coilovers on and ride about 5-6 months on stock shocks before getting new shocks? Thanks! Just really confused.


i wouldnt recomend it.. watever floats your boat. 

anywho has anyone heard of maxspeed lowering springs?
heres the site
http://www.maxspeedperformance.com/products/?sfID1=137&productID=1737


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Jer_ry said:


> ok so depending on the brand if i get coilovers will i also have to get shocks?


Yes. You will need to buy dampers separately for sleeve-over coilover conversions (namely Ground Control Coilovers). If you aren't sure whether a kit comes with dampers included or not, just look at the price (new price, not used price). If a coil-over kit costs less than $400, you'll probably need to buy your own dampers. If the price is above $800, you usually get dampers with it. If you aren't sure exactly what comes with a specific coil-over kit, just call the company. The good ones are always more than happy to answer your questions.



Jer_ry said:


> I know it would be better but could i just put just the coilovers on and ride about 5-6 months on stock shocks before getting new shocks? Thanks! Just really confused.


Don't do that. The stock dampers are way too weak, so it'll end up being the most painful experience of your life.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

james120 said:


> i wouldnt recomend it.. watever floats your boat.
> 
> anywho has anyone heard of maxspeed lowering springs?
> heres the site
> http://www.maxspeedperformance.com/products/?sfID1=137&productID=1737


I don't see any indication of spring rates, the price is around that of those saggy ebay springs, and the "drop" is 1.5 inches. I wouldn't expect them to be good at all.


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## james120 (Mar 30, 2005)

yeah, i thought so too. But ill ask about the spring rate. Im getting these $100 value for free.


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