# spring rates 600lb f 400lb r ????



## tomigun (Jun 15, 2009)

Hi , am new to the b13's bought a sentra a few months ago , and came into a spare set of bilstein coil overs , the front spring rate is 600lbs and the rear is 400bl , sounds a bit high to me , 
could anyone enlighten me as to if this is normal , or if I should replace the springs, 

Regards


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## astroboy (Aug 29, 2009)

If it is going to be a serious track car then it should be fun, if it is a dd with some autox you will hate it within the first week I think. Go to www.sr20forum.com and find the suspension guide by shan b. (or something like that, he has the face of a badger for a profile image). Read his stuff, it pretty much captures how to set up this chassis. Have lots of time set aside to read though, like 3 hours.


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## tomigun (Jun 15, 2009)

Appreciate the reply astro, yea thought as much , this is a daily driver 99% of the time, from what Ive read, 350/250 pounds is the max for comfort for road use, correct me if im wrong.

guess I could but the 400lbs springs up front and get some softer ones for the back.

also depends on the dampers as well I suppose, might just chuck em in , have a laugh, and a sore ass.


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## tomigun (Jun 15, 2009)

there is a small amount of corrosion on the chrome arm? strut arm? guess they havn't been used for a long time, if I polish them up with braso or auto sol , then coat with a wax, should that be enough to protect the seals, ?


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## jordanf1 (Feb 1, 2006)

300/200 is what is recommended (according to what ive read). The springs you have are pure racecar!


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## tomigun (Jun 15, 2009)

Yea she ain't hittin the race track anytime soon unfortunately, think the poor motor would die, 250k and a rattling timing chain.
although there is a new track opening here in New Zealand, lot of elevation changes, and tight twisties, 
might have to stick to motorbikes till the ol nismobile is up to scratch.

maybe get the springs tested , could be softer, guy that sold them to me , might have been exadurating...(hopefully)

appreciate the comments guys, cheers Jordan , might keep an eye out for some 300/200 springs, providing the dampers are ok


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## astroboy (Aug 29, 2009)

If your timing chain is rattling you should replace your tensioner. These engines will go for ever; and if it pops they are easy to get one from the junk yard (well at least here in the states).


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## tomigun (Jun 15, 2009)

Thanks for the info guys, but does anyone have some first hand experience with different spring rates? and if so , what would work for a daily drive?

obviously something a bit firmer than the 112/100 factory spec springs


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## astroboy (Aug 29, 2009)

I am not sure what will make for a comfortable yet responsive dd, I am going to try to make it to some autox sessions next season to figgure this one out for myself. I want to keep it around 150/180 but I am not sure if that will turn the car into a crap-tastic road handler...


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## sonicgundam (Aug 15, 2007)

tomigun said:


> Appreciate the reply astro, yea thought as much , this is a daily driver 99% of the time, from what Ive read, 350/250 pounds is the max for comfort for road use, correct me if im wrong.
> 
> guess I could but the 400lbs springs up front and get some softer ones for the back.
> 
> also depends on the dampers as well I suppose, might just chuck em in , have a laugh, and a sore ass.


400 will still be pretty stiff up front, but probably manageable.

i think you can get replacement springs from ground control for really decent prices. some 250lb springs for the rear would probably be a good offset to the 400lb up front.


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## RallyBob (Nov 29, 2005)

I've played around a lot with the B13 chassis and spring rates over the years. For a pure street vehicle with *proper* damping, then 275 fr/225 rr is a nice compromise, and retains good 'rotatability'. 

I think I was one of the first guys to try running over 300 lbs on the front springs (back when even Mike Kojima said that was too high!), but it worked well on my friends' B13 racing car. We ran 450 front and 275 rear initially, but later on bumped the rears to 300. 

Keep in mind that without a full rollcage and very good damping control, much of the motion involved with spring rates that high is with the body shell itself....

These days, many racing B13's consider 650 fr/450-500 rr a good _starting_ point. I know of some guys running close to 1000 lbs up front and 850 out back!

However I still would consider the lower rates I mentioned to be appropriate for a road car. I personally used to run the 450/300 on my street car, and without a rollcage it turned the bodyshell into a squeak-fest after about two years, and cracked the spot welds on the strut towers. I dropped that down to 275/225 and was much happier on a daily driver.

HTH, 
Bob


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

Bob how are you now, recovered from the wreck OK??
would be a shame to give up your build now.
how about searching for a car down here in the sun belt ?
I lived in Albuquerque for 10 yrs before Dallas and it amazed me all the really old vehicles on the road as there is no rust and corrosion (coming from England where we had lots of rain and salt)


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## RallyBob (Nov 29, 2005)

IanH said:


> Bob how are you now, recovered from the wreck OK??
> would be a shame to give up your build now.
> how about searching for a car down here in the sun belt ?
> I lived in Albuquerque for 10 yrs before Dallas and it amazed me all the really old vehicles on the road as there is no rust and corrosion (coming from England where we had lots of rain and salt)


I'd still like to find another 2-door Sentra, but I'm really stuck on getting either a '91 or '92 so I don't have to deal with any OBD stuff at all, it makes my emissions tests easier. I can make the car physically pass with no issues, but if it's OBD it'll fail our state test regardless with my mods.

Recovering from the crash, but still taking physical therapy. Not even close to 100% yet! It'll be a while I imagine, but at least I can walk fairly normally now and have started sleeping again. But working on cars is about the worst thing I can do, either leaning over or lifting things is not on the menu at the moment.


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## tomigun (Jun 15, 2009)

Cheers Bob, will try 275 up front 225 at back, just as soon as I clean em up , and get rid of a bit of corrosion on strut shafts..... hope there ok ,fingers crossed


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## astroboy (Aug 29, 2009)

So when are you going to install these bad boys and let us know how they work out?


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