As has been suggested by a member on here, I thought I would start a new thread on this subject as I was looking at a set of Tein coilovers. I'm looking for something that has adjustable dampers so as not to break my back. While I understand coilovers in their very nature are stiffer, a down side to going low, I also understand that some are pretty decent now.

 

HSD and Buddy Club have been recommended, but they are a fair bit of money, especially for something that's to be driven once in a blue moon and most likely not at all for the next 6 months.

 

Any opinions are welcome, especially on ride stiffness.

http://www.bc-racing.co.uk/applications/nissan-coilovers/nissan-300zx-z32-90-96.html

I have driven the Z à Simon (member of forum) he is equipped of coilover MeisterR, very good comfort and handling quality ratio

I have driven the Z à Simon (member of forum) he is equipped of coilover MeisterR, very good comfort and handling quality ratio

 

Glad you liked it. :)

Both JoelyP and myself have Meister R Zeta S coilovers and they're very good and compliant for UK roads. Their finish can be questionable. I had the springs powdercoated black as their standard finish flakes off fairly easily. Providing you keep them clean and oiled, they'll be fine.

 

I had Tein S Tech previously which were much more crashy.

 

BC Racing and Buddy Club etc are much much harder. Good for track use, but not road use so much, you're better off with the Meisters.

I had Meister R on the green zed and as long as you kept them on a softish setting they were fine. If you stiffened them up the ride rapidly became quite hard and uncomfortable.

Any opinions are welcome, especially on ride stiffness.

 

Ride stiffness is determined by damper setting and spring rate.

What spring rates have you been looking at??. Car weight is a factor to add in to the mix.

Harshness and noise transmission in to the shell are affected by the type of mount you use.

Are you looking at pillow ball type or solid rubber type???

 

Also bear in mind that some coilover kits do not have separate ride height adjustment but rely on spring perch adjustment to alter height.

That isnt ideal as you cant get the preload set correctly, which messes up the overall spring performance.

In extreme cases it can result in springs being loose on full droop. You then need additional helper springs to maintain safe spring location.

Both JoelyP and myself have Meister R Zeta S coilovers and they're very good and compliant for UK roads. Their finish can be questionable. I had the springs powdercoated black as their standard finish flakes off fairly easily. Providing you keep them clean and oiled, they'll be fine.

 

I had Tein S Tech previously which were much more crashy.

 

BC Racing and Buddy Club etc are much much harder. Good for track use, but not road use so much, you're better off with the Meisters.

 

Who supplied them Simon as a quick search only brings up the Zeta CRD.

I had Meister R on the green zed and as long as you kept them on a softish setting they were fine. If you stiffened them up the ride rapidly became quite hard and uncomfortable.

 

Well that is the point of stiffening up the dampers.....

Who supplied them Simon as a quick search only brings up the Zeta CRD.

 

Looks like they've change the product name. Best bet is to email them : info@meisterr.co.uk they always respond.

 

I got a lighter load spring for mine. 6kg front and 4kg rear from memory. They're basically what they'd spec if you had a SWB. I forget now though.

Thank you very much for the opinions gents, very much appreciated.

 

If its of any relevance, and something which i should have perhaps mentioned in my first post, mine is a 1990 TT Manual - SWB.

Ride stiffness is determined by damper setting and spring rate.

What spring rates have you been looking at??. Car weight is a factor to add in to the mix.

Harshness and noise transmission in to the shell are affected by the type of mount you use.

Are you looking at pillow ball type or solid rubber type???

 

Also bear in mind that some coilover kits do not have separate ride height adjustment but rely on spring perch adjustment to alter height.

That isnt ideal as you cant get the preload set correctly, which messes up the overall spring performance.

In extreme cases it can result in springs being loose on full droop. You then need additional helper springs to maintain safe spring location.

 

Apparently there's still a lot i need to learn :o

 

I have seen a few different numbers for spring rates, but i wouldn't know which is good or bad for my liking. I have assumed that the lower the number the more bouncy the feel, the higher the number the more stiffer it will be???

 

Again, same with the top mount situation, I just thought the solid rubber or pillow ball were 2 different types and only one fits depending on the vehicle :confused1:

Also, are the LWB and SWB suspensions swappable, or are the rears likely to be a different fit?

Thank you very much for the opinions gents, very much appreciated.

 

If its of any relevance, and something which i should have perhaps mentioned in my first post, mine is a 1990 TT Manual - SWB.

 

Its highly relevant.

The SWB is a different car to the LWB.

At the risk of stating the obvious the wheelbase is different as is the weight.

Si's car probably weighs nearly 1600kg.

Your car is probably around 1450kg.

My NA slicktop track car only weighs 1300kg.

So putting the same suspension on all three cars will give three different results.

Dont forget also about tyre profile. Going from a stock 50 profile on a JDM 16" wheel to a 30 profile 19" will make a huge difference to the feel of the suspension.

 

As it happens I have the same Meister set up as Si and Joel. 6/4kg springs. Both their cars are beautiful relaxed but taut GT tourers .

However the same set up on my car produces a very different animal.... and not one many members would enjoy.

 

As you have already seen suspension is a complex business!:yes:

About ten years ago mine were replaced by Nissan oem units and as long as you are not using your Z for track racing they are perfect for every day driving. I do have 18" wheels now fitted which has stiffened the ride up slightly. I'm old and need some comfort in my long range GT missile. :biggrin:

I have Meister R coilovers fitted - have done for some years now - and I have to say, they were one of the best upgrades I did to my Zed.

 

I have them set more towards the softer setting; the car corners flat-ish, but remains reasonably compliant too. Nice balance between GT car and sports car; plus the 25mm or so drop improves the stance. All in all, great value - although Si is bang on regarding finish - but a quality product nonetheless. I'd certainly recommend Meister R coilovers…:thumbup:

One thing about road use cars, changing old, worn units for new of any make will have positive effect and can cloud whether the improvement is due to the quality of the new suspension be after market / custom or really because it is just new kit.

 

Taking Gaz point about new standard units, I did the same but fitted progressive lowered springs and found the set up very effective for road use, I fitted scores of standard shocks and springs over the years to customers zeds who were always amazed and pleased with the results, would not take much to get the same answer when fitting after market parts, do not be quick to dismiss the standard set up when new.

 

Jeff

One thing about road use cars, changing old, worn units for new of any make will have positive effect and can cloud whether the improvement is due to the quality of the new suspension be after market / custom or really because it is just new kit.

 

Taking Gaz point about new standard units, I did the same but fitted progressive lowered springs and found the set up very effective for road use, I fitted scores of standard shocks and springs over the years to customers zeds who were always amazed and pleased with the results, would not take much to get the same answer when fitting after market parts, do not be quick to dismiss the standard set up when new.

 

Jeff

 

Thanks for the input Jeff.

 

My current standard shocks and springs are relatively new as a previous owner got brand new oem units and fitted them about 4 years ago, but only about 5,000 miles in that time. So right now it feels quite comfortable, but for me, it just doesnt sit right. Thats why im trying to find a decent balance between looks and comfort.

 

I had a set of Tein coilovers on a Soarer back in 2003, but they were second hand and i had no idea what the mileage was on them on how the previous car had been driven on them. The dampers were not adjustable, only the height. As has been described above, the ride was pretty crashy, but I was younger and could live with it, and back then you were only ever getting the lowered look OR the comfortable ride, not both. But now I dont want that ride again and im sure technology has moved on to make something half decent that fits both criteria?

 

Other car clubs have recommended HSD, Buddy Club and Tein, but AndrewG on here recommended i ask about MeisterR as apparently they're a popular choice with Zed owners. I did think about lowering springs on their own, but you just never know where its going to sit and once there, its always there.

My Meisters have been on for coming up 3 and a half years now. They look like they went down with the Titanic and I'm sure one of the rears has popped a seal!

 

As Funky said, the finish is pretty questionable but you get what you pay for. Would I buy them again? No.........

About ten years ago mine were replaced by Nissan oem units and as long as you are not using your Z for track racing they are perfect for every day driving. I do have 18" wheels now fitted which has stiffened the ride up slightly. I'm old and need some comfort in my long range GT missile. :biggrin:

 

Are you using standard springs too Gaz? Some picture of how it sits with 18” would be nice. :wink:

 

Jeff, what springs did you use and what wheel size? Also a few pictures would be nice if you have them please?

Thanks for the input Jeff.

 

My current standard shocks and springs are relatively new as a previous owner got brand new oem units and fitted them about 4 years ago, but only about 5,000 miles in that time. So right now it feels quite comfortable, but for me, it just doesnt sit right. Thats why im trying to find a decent balance between looks and comfort.

 

 

 

Sounds like you should concider fitting lowered springs, progressive one`s give reasonable ride comfort when cruising along whilst been able to firm up in the twisty bits.

 

 

Jeff, what springs did you use and what wheel size? Also a few pictures would be nice if you have them please?

 

 

Chassis Dynamics 50 mm drop, tricky to get hold of these days though, pics below with 18" wheels

 

 

 

 

https://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/products/category_results.mhtml?category=hrsprings&car=nissan300zx&manufacturer=hr&sub_category=1&category_sub=loweringsprings

 

 

Jeff

Edited November 2, 20187 yr by JeffTT

I had the Chassis Dynamics springs with KYB shocks. The ride height was decent but the ride was fairly unforgiving compared the the Eibach springs that they replaced, they weren’t terrible and I was happy with them but I didn’t know I can have a custom ride height without sacrificing softness. Like yourself I wanted more control of the ride height but was worried about ruining the ride quality.

 

After much consultation with the guys at MeisterR, I decided to bite the bullet and give them a try. I went for the softer spring rate that was initially recommended for the 2+0 for my 2+2 (6/4 combo) and set the damping to max soft. I can honestly say, the ride is so much more forgiving than the Chassis Dynamics AVO springs. It feels very compliant and super streetable maintaining a GT car smoothness, dialling out the bumps with no harshness or crashiness.

 

One thing I will say is that this lack of resistance in the springs led to a noticeably large increase in body roll; actually an embarrassingly wobbly jelly blancmange amount of roll that felt awful on cornering! I adjusted my Stillen anti-roll bars to the “stiffest” setting and the transformation was great. A very smooth and enjoyable ride.

 

As Pete has mentioned, it is possible that your 2+0 won’t respond in the same way due to the wheelbase and weight differences etc but I would suspect the results comparison between lowered springs and the MeisterR setup to be a similar contrast.

 

With regards build quality, I had read some stories about poor coatings on these products but I think they have been improving the durability. The CRD models should be better but they do offer a product called Anti-Rust Coat (ARC) for around £15(?) which I’ve applied every now and again. Mine have been on for a few years now and still look like new. They don’t get used in salty winter weather though and I cover around 3k miles a year. I don’t think the quality of other brands in the same price bracket are any better, such as Tein, BC etc.

Edited November 2, 20187 yr by Joely P

Are you using standard springs too Gaz? Some picture of how it sits with 18” would be nice. :wink:

 

Jeff, what springs did you use and what wheel size? Also a few pictures would be nice if you have them please?

 

OEM springs and shocks with OEM wheels

 

 

With OEM springs and shocks and 18" wheels. (25mm spacers on front hubs)

 

OEM shocks and springs on 18" wheels:

 

 

KYB shocks/Eibach spings (0.8" drop) on 18" wheels:

 

 

The Eibach springs are NLA but come up s/h. The KYBs are still available:

 

https://conceptzperformance.com/kyb-agx-adjustable-suspension-shock-set-nissan-300zx-90-96-z32-7410.26.27.28_p_758.php

 

The full kit for reference.

 

https://conceptzperformance.com/eibach-pro-kit-lowering-springs-kyb-agx-adjustable-shock-kit-nissan-300zx-90-96-z32-7410.26.27.28.6320_p_944.php