Headaches After New Suspension

[nsta]

Hey guys, as title suggests, i get major headaches while driving along even 20km to the city now.....which i had none of before when i was on stock shocks/springs setup????

Im really annoyed as i paid top dollar, i have soften the damper up which has proved to easen the pain, but even i 10min quick ride will give me an ache now from the bumpiness!, should i possible harden the damper maybe???

i may have to give em back and get something else?

[nuffsaid]

It would be good if you explained what sort of suspension u have and what is annoying u

[nsta]

BC Coilovers, and even the small bumps on the road tend to make my car bounce, and being in nz, the roads arent the best down here....so its kind of amplified....i have the coilovers soft all round right now, even a 5min drive makes me a lil sick!

[(B1) MR_fanny]

i had the same thing for the first 2 weeks when i wacked in my tein ha's. it was more of a sore neck slight headache. eventually my neck muscles conditioned themselves and its no probs now.

[ISC-Performance]

BC Coilovers, and even the small bumps on the road tend to make my car bounce, and being in nz, the roads arent the best down here....so its kind of amplified....i have the coilovers soft all round right now, even a 5min drive makes me a lil sick!

What spring rates are you running?? maybe ring the company up and ask to exchange them for some softer springs etc.

[Ronin 09]

yep - what rates are in it?

[nsta]

http://www.bcec.com.tw/products/nissan.html

those are the specs incspring rate for r33

[Sydneykid]

http://www.bcec.com.tw/products/nissan.html

those are the specs incspring rate for r33

Front 180.62.012, that means 180 mm free height, 62 mm ID and 12 kg/mm spring rate

Rear 200.62.008 , that means 200 mm free height, 62 mm ID and 8 kg/mm spring

The standard front and rear spring rates are around 3kg/mm, so you have increased the spring rates to 400% on the front and 267% on the rear. That’s simply ridiculous. As a comparison the Whiteline/Bilstein Group Buy spring rates are a 20-25% increase.

I strongly suggest that you return the kit, demand your money back and tell the supplier it is totally unsuitable for Australian conditions.

cheers

[nsta]

is that pretty much the same across the board (like teins, hks, spexi etc....) why are jap spec coilovers so tight

[n15m0]

bacause japan has better roads

And generally coilovers are meant for track use, ie better road conditions as well.

I've got Tein Superstreets and they are 5K fronts and 4K rears...which are firmer than stock but won't give you the headaches you're experiencing now

[Sydneykid]

is that pretty much the same across the board (like teins, hks, spexi etc....) why are jap spec coilovers so tight

Not sure, probably a combination of;

1. Their roads are a little better than ours, but not 300% better. Maybe if you drove up and down the Wangan all day, but otherwise no.

2. The shocks are fairly simplistic in their valving, so they have to use big springs rates to control the chassis. Whereas the Europeans tend to use lower spring rates with sophisticated shock valving to control the chassis. Which is technically a superior solution.

3. They try to do everything with spring rates, rather than use stabiliser bars, anti dive and anti squat geometry. As a comparison, in Australia we have a long history of stabiliser bar upgrades courtesy of KMac and Selbys.

4. Their aftermarket buyer relates hard/harsh/super low with good handling, which is, of course, totally false.

5. There seems to be a value for money equation that says you have to really feel how hard it is, so you know your getting something for your money. That’s reverse logic to, it feels so nice and controlled, the ride comfort is good, so it can’t really handle that well. Which again is totally false.

Personally I reckon it is little bit of 1, 4 and 5 and a lot of 2 and 3.

Cheers

[r33_racer]

I wouldnt go so far to say that our tracks are in better condition then our roads....Its true coilovers suit the track rather then road, but thats more for height/ corner weight adjustment not so you can run super stiff springs because thats what you get in a jap spec coilovers.

[nsta]

can they soften the springs for me?

[n15m0]

just get them to replace it with lower spring rates if thats an option at all. At those spring rates u have currently, ur car won't last long U'll start to get rattles in the cabin, bodykits start cracking, even the filament in the headlight globes will start to shatter...

[nsta]

Thanks alot people for your help. Need to understand a few things.......

Now i have coilovers, what options do i have......i hear that you can change the springs(which in effect changes spring rate????), if so what springs should i be going for, and does this have to be a factory option, or can i put say the stock springs, or whiteline springs fitted.

How can i interchange springs within coilovers, or how does the workshop do it???, and is it a straightforward process to do?

Will i still have height adjustment after changing springs, and will this affect damper settings(or is that all part of the shocks)???

sorry if i sound newbish but i am lol

cheers

[someonestolecc]

What they're saying is if you can ask the person who sold it to you to take them out and actually pull the coilovers apart and put in a different set of springs into them.

[nsta]

k ill c what they can do

[nsta]

Hey sydneykid, will the whiteline springs you haveas part of your package work in my situation?my 12kg r/8kg f, is much more extreme then even the hks/tein suspension which is generally 8r/6f.....

it all makes alot of sense now, but imdefinitely going to have to change the springs.....whats invloved in doing this, do the springs have to be sized to fit the coilover shock???

[nsta]

Hey sydneykid, will the whiteline springs you haveas part of your package work in my situation?my 12kg r/8kg f, is much more extreme then even the hks/tein suspension which is generally 8r/6f.....

it all makes alot of sense now, but imdefinitely going to have to change the springs.....whats invloved in doing this, do the springs have to be sized to fit the coilover shock???

for rwd cars, front heavy, would i need to change the front ro rear spring rates to lessen the bumpy ride?, the fronts are extreme at 12kg, and the rear are 8kg, which generally are 6kg with coilovers!

[Sydneykid]

Hey sydneykid, will the whiteline springs you haveas part of your package work in my situation?my 12kg r/8kg f, is much more extreme then even the hks/tein suspension which is generally 8r/6f.....

it all makes alot of sense now, but imdefinitely going to have to change the springs.....whats invloved in doing this, do the springs have to be sized to fit the coilover shock???

I have helped a few guys out with this problem. As you have mentioned, the cheapest solution is to swap the rear springs to the front and then buy some more appropriately rated rear springs. For that option I would need to know the coil ID and its free height. Then I can specify a replacement spring that will fit the coil over shock.

That works about 50% of the time and the guys have been happy with the result. Some guys still find the front spring rate too harsh. So we then change the front spring rate for one that is more appropriately rated. That satisfies about 25% more of the guys.

The last 25% still don’t find the ride acceptable as the shocks are too harsh, even on their “softest” setting. So they keep the springs I have supplied, sell the coil over kit to someone who doesn’t mind the harsh ride. Then I supply a set of Bilsteins with (coil over conversions) valved to suite. So there is no waste of money in the process.

PM me if you want me details.

cheers

Edited September 12, 2006 by Sydneykid