Where should I buy good quality adjustable coilovers within Australia? Any recomendations on what I should get?
If this is for a road registered zed, you should be made aware that aftermarket height adjustable coilovers are illegal in most (if not all) Australian states ........ AND, they'll make your zed ride like a skateboard For the best street legal suspension on your zed (adjustable damping), cast your eyes over some Bilstein / Koni / AGX struts and have a zed that handles well without rattling your dentures
Tein Street Advance with in-cabin adjustable damping between front and rear. Put the controller in the OEM clock hole ( needs enlarging ) Oh, btw you'll need to strip the interior of the car to run the wiring to the actuators on the rear struts. That was a fun time for me
For a comfortable ride on public roads, you can't go past good condition stock springs shocks and sway bars. I've had ,white line swaybars + koni adjustable shocks which are as hard as hell even on there low setting, sold them , then later, kyb agx with eibach springs whitline sway bars, the ride was better and even better after I removed the white line s/b's for the stock items. nissan put the right suspension on these cars for general use, and like a lot of other things owners do thinking there going to somehow improve the car, we bin the stock bits, bolt on expensive crap, only to find out there is no improvement in handling or ride comfort, and in fact the reverse is now true.
I use hsd coilovers in my 300s.i just went to a softer spring rate in the rear. Im happy with them and have never had a issue.
I have them and car passed through RWC in Vic no probs last week. Had Bilsteins in the past and can say the BC's are definitely firmer and a more track oriented ride but you wouldn't be unhappy with them if that's the way you go.
Genuine question - why would you go for something BC VH series when you can buy something like Tein street advance (with the benefits of being Japanese made, better spring rates for the car, and ADR compliant) for the same money or less?
I agree in principle as I tend to gravitate to JDM parts. On my previous car I opted for Bilstein dampers valved for street use and fitted APEX'i lowering springs I picked up NOS on yahoo auctions. On my new Zed I didn't fit the BC, I bought the car with them, the previous owner fitted them a few months previous. But I can't complain about them, they genuinely seem like a quality unit having already adjusted the ride height and having a good look at them from redoing bushes on the rear suspension knuckle.
I have KW and Megan racing coil overs and a set of kyb agx. The kyb are the easiest to live with, but the others have way cooler adjuster knobs for showing your mates. This is important because ive spent ten times more time talking to my mates and on this forum than i have driving my z's.
I agree Rob. And with the Street Advance you have the option to fit the in-cabin damping adjuster. So you can experiment with the balance between front and rear damping rates to suit your roads and your Zed. More initial outlay with the controller but it beats pulling struts out and changing coils and dampers that just didn't work out for you.
Hi Rob, this may sound silly, but that green colour is not friendly on the eyes. Not to mention reusing old rubbers. I haven't heard too many bad things about BC Racing coilovers.
One thing i find strange about automotive coil over terminology is what they call "ways". 16 way for example. Having 16 clicks in a range is not a 16 way. Rebound adjustment= 1 way +compression= 2 way +hi speed compression=3 way +high speed rebound=4 ways. Then there is preload, oil viscosity, shim stacks, bypass valving, adjustable compensation chamber pressures, variable compensation chamber volumes, air springs, negative spring pressure and that was 20 years ago. Needle valve adjusters will work on a smooth road by limiting the maximum speed oil can flow through the piston or port but not when you hit a sharp edge. They will simply hydraulically lock as the oil cannot flow fast enough through the restriction and as mentioned rattle your dentures. If you think you are buying a premium suspension product for $1000 or even $3000 you defiantly are not. Will it work better than the stock set up? in some conditions yes and in others no. If you can disassemble and reconfigure the internals then you are starting to get into a performance shock absorber. Id imagine really good suspension would be in the $2500+ per corner range. I only mention this so perhaps somebody thinking of stretching their budget to buy some part they think or is advertised as high tech realises it really is as much about the colour and adjuster knob appearance as anything else. The most useful feature is probably the adjustable ride height. The needle valve is what will cause you grief. Stay well away from the end of the adjustment scale its just a tap and if you don't give the oil a flow path it has no choice but to pop your seals. Hence the reports of 1 years life from a lot of coil overs.
