A few reasons why I got the the AMS Max-HICAS Delete Kit: 1. I was routinely having to tighten the two HICAS lines to the HICAS control module due to their constant leaking. What It really needed were new oem lines = $$$ 2. One of the rear HICAS ball joint was in need of replacement and safe to say the other would follow shortly after. These would need to be replaced with new oem or better = $$$ 3. In light of the preceeding two, I wasn't about to wait for a catastrophic failure of one of those items or the appearance of another sub-component beginning to fail = $$$ and dangerous. 4. I wasn't very happy with some of the squirming effect I would get at high speed curves or the wiggle I would feel when doing quick lane changes at speed = very unsettling. This is a complete HICAS Delete package and this is what I used; Since I wanted to do a COMPLETE HICAS delete I also included other changes. I did a complete rebuild of a used NA Power Steering Pump and also got all the necessary mounting hardware for it. I also used a new oem NA Power Steering Straight Hose and J Hose as well as a new oem compete High pressure Power Steering line. Used NA Power Steering Reservoir. Rebuilt NA Power Steering Pump prepared for install with new oem J Hose and AMS OD Power Steering Pump Pulley. Old TT Power Steering Pump removed. HICAS Hydraulic Module removed, NA Power Steering Pump installed and NA Power Steering Reservoir installed. Started with removing HICAS ball joints. Rear HICAS Ball Joint removed. New AMS Max-HICAS ball joints pressed in. Removing rear HICAS hydraulic actuator. Right Max-HICAS arm installed. Left Max-HICAS arm installed. Both Max-HICAS arms installed. After the install of the Max-HICAS Delete I followed up with a complete alignment. I've done some nice agressive backroad and highway driving after the alignment and the handling does feel a bit tighter now. No more slight wiggle unexpectedly while in a high speed curve and no wiggle when doing some quick lane changes. I'll follow up with some long term feedback.
YIKES!!!! AMS just came out with a phenominal GB sale on this kit. http://www.300zxclub.com/showthread.php?t=196838 Reguler price $425.00 | GB Price $299.00
Wow! That's amazing! You post a review and AMS decides to run a GB just hours later that you just stumble across. How lucky for all of us.
Hey I remember that thread! Would have been better if they had AMS'd a design that retains outer balljoint...
you should order another kit to delete that pesky front steering rack too, prone to leaking , 20 year old parts need replacing and it allows the front wheels to move at high speed !!!
Those outer ball joints just end up failing time and time again over here with our roads and a good bit of abuse. John didn't seem to think it was an issue in Oz but I've been though two sets in mine before I ditched them and fitted bushes = problem solved & no issues with any movement or extra play from the bush (so far).
I'll keep an eye on the rear bushes for any signs of fatigue. The bushes that come with the kit look pretty solid/robust.
They should be fine especially if you don't abuse the car doing drag racing and burnout displays etc, Nissan fitted a much softer bush to the NA from the factory & no it wont experience the same load as a TT can put out but I'd rather have a small predictable/unnoticeable amount of movement rather than ball joints that flogs out and then causes issues.
Why not just get the Nismo bushes or go with a full spherical bearing set up. Quite a few people sell those kits.
I had the bushes in stock and with the plates welded to the subframe the NA Powertrix adjustable toe arms are a bolt in solution with off the self parts. I looked at going spherical but figured I would end up with the same issue of play developing over time. Here in NZ we have to have our cars inspected one every six mths to keep them legal for the road and the guys who do the inspection will fail the car as soon as they find ANY play in suspension parts. Any movement in that joint will result in a fail, a bush will have movement if loaded up but that is normal and so will pass, a ball joint or spherical ball etc will all be classed as worn as soon as they see/feel movement. Safer just to go with a high performance bush, mine have been in a few years now with no trouble at all.
Hmmm, I have over 200k km on a pair of ball joints on my toerods, and around 190k km on another pair of ball joints on my tension rods, and neither of them have any kind of play. The toe rods are actually from my S13, 2 cars ago, which I bought back in 2006. The tension rods are from my first Z and I installed them almost as soon as I got the Z back in March of 06. As long as you have a high quality ball joint, they should last a good amount. Also, people have to keep in mind that they are disposable and replaceable items. Wear and tear items do need to be replaced. The quality of the joint will just extend its life as much as possible.
OEM HICAS ball joints lasted all of about 30000KMs on my car, something to do with the hundreds of drag races and burnout displays coupled with New Zealands absolute crap roads we have. (rack ends even shorter) High Quality SKF spherical bearings in the front caster arms have done only ~35K and are already getting attention from the WOF inspectors. Front lower radius arm ball joint lasted all the way to 200000KMs but as soon as I fitted semi slicks and started to hit the track the RHS wore out almost immediately (the track I was using was anticlockwise). Spherical bearings are not designed to last long term on road cars and if you talk to most of the top teams in virtually any for of autosport they will tell you they replace the bearings regularly (every season for most teams and more for some). I personally went for bushes to be virtually maintenance free for as long as possible, we don't have concrete five lane highways over here and have ground that is constantly on the move. So even if the slack lazy buggers they employ to do the roads get it right for once it doesn't take long for things to move & bumps etc to appear. A lot of cars over here end up having to replace ball joints etc every twelve mths or so due to the nature of the roads - just ask Mitsubishi owners they are some of the worst particularly the Legnum. Horses for courses & this course down here is very different to what you have up there.
