Hey guys. I just ordered the Eibach Pro-Kit lowering spring set. The Eibach FAQ said that they could be used in conjunction with stock shock assemblies. I'm on a budget and can't really afford aftermarket shocks yet anyway. Should i wait until i get shocks to install the springs? The NPM said they ran into trouble with suspension travel in their 200sx. Would i be riding my bumpstops? thanks
Convential wisdom goes that you should wait till you can afford upgraded shocks before you install springs. You will be able to go w/ performance springs and stock shocks for awhile but I would not recommend it for an extended period of time.
Info. directly from Kojima's garage:
Quote:
If you are using high performance springs, try to wait until you can afford the shocks also. Performance springs store more potential energy when they are compressed. They need a shock with more rebound damping to keep the car from bouncing all over the place after you hit a bump. Really good shocks like Koni or KYB AGX’s’s are adjustable so you can tune your shocks to the springs. Performance springs with stock shocks usually feel floaty on high speed undulations. I find that that feels a little spooky. Performance spring’s quicker rebound characteristics also seems to wear out stock shocks quickly making them get super floaty. I prefer KYB AGX’s because of their easy adjustably (Koni’s require removal from the car to adjust them) and durability. Tokico’s are inexpensive but don’t last as long. They also seem to have too much compression damping and not enough rebound in my opinion so they are harsh but floaty.
will i actually lose suspension travel? i don't know if i'm reading right but if the springs drop the car 1.4" and the total suspension travel is 1.5" then i would only have 0.1" of travel left... or do the shocks come slightly shorter? also, how do camber plates affect travel? on my old mitsu boards they didn't recommend using camber plates unless you passed the 1.5" drop.
ok, I have prokits and here's what I did. I put the prokits on around june or july onto my existing stock setup. You can use stock dampers for a short period however keep in mind, it will be a pretty rough ride, the stock shocks will eventually give out since they are out of normal range, and bottoming out is a certainty.
Just last week, I saved up enough to purchase and install AGX shocks. The AGX shocks will be fine with the drop, the ride will be smoother and more accurate, not to mention less bottoming out.
Now to improve travel and prevent bottoming, there are 3 things you can do:
1: When you're finally ready to order shocks for your car get b13 front AGX struts (for a 91-94 sentra). They will fit on the car no prob and they have 1/2" more travel than the b14 version. (You will still use the normal B14 rears)
2: Get motivational rear mounts for the rear assembly. The stock shock mounts will work just fine, however motivational mounts will add about 1" of travel to the rear suspension.
3: Get bumpstops. Prokits are known for bottoming out. Bumpstops will save your shocks.
If you are using Prokits the B13 will NOT give you more travel. It only works if you are using coilovers. BTW, yes you will be pretty much riding on your bumpstops all the time. Drop springs on a B14 are for looks only. You will never get a real performance enhancement out of them. Hyperco Is working on a set of good drop springs for the B14, but I dont think they are out yet.
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Patrick Scott
Yeah, thats a roll cage in there.
I shall call him...Mini-Me
Well, I wouldn't say the prokits don't add any performance gains, they are still stiffer than stock and they do pretty nicely compared to most other drop springs. I'll admit, they are nowhere near the performance of a $1000 coilover setup but for wha they are, I'm pretty damn happy.
Later on down the road, I plan to upgrade to something like the Tien SS coilover system, I helped Grant (Nak1) insall a set on his 98 SE and I was pretty damn impressed with the look and feel (as a pasanger) of these.
Originally posted by mirage Hey guys. I just ordered the Eibach Pro-Kit lowering spring set. The Eibach FAQ said that they could be used in conjunction with stock shock assemblies. I'm on a budget and can't really afford aftermarket shocks yet anyway. Should i wait until i get shocks to install the springs? The NPM said they ran into trouble with suspension travel in their 200sx. Would i be riding my bumpstops? thanks
You'll be fine using the ProKits with the stock shocks. Honestly, the ProKits are not as stiff as they claim (not quite as much over stock) so your stock shocks will work fine with them. I know people who've done autox and raced with ProKits and stock shocks due to rules and have done fine for long periods with that setup.
You'll have trouble with suspension travel no matter what shocks you have in a B14. Only way to solve that is coilovers to gain extra travel. The ProKits don't quite have enough stiffness to keep you off the bumpstops though. My AGX's are blown (with ProKits) and my *FRONT* now nearly always bottoms out when I hit mild bumps.
Next track event should be fun
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kieran
93 NX2000
95 200SX SE-R w/ bolt-ons
02 Maxima SE
Originally posted by 1997 GA16DE Well, I wouldn't say the prokits don't add any performance gains, they are still stiffer than stock and they do pretty nicely compared to most other drop springs. I'll admit, they are nowhere near the performance of a $1000 coilover setup but for wha they are, I'm pretty damn happy.
Later on down the road, I plan to upgrade to something like the Tien SS coilover system, I helped Grant (Nak1) insall a set on his 98 SE and I was pretty damn impressed with the look and feel (as a pasanger) of these.
Agreed that they are an improvement over stock. At the least, they give you a higher level of comfort. I'd be interested to take a stock-suspensioned car around the same track I've had my AGX/PK car around to see the difference. Then there's my next step... Shigspeed. I CANNOT wait to see this difference!
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kieran
93 NX2000
95 200SX SE-R w/ bolt-ons
02 Maxima SE
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