Im so Confused - Suspension

[OOHSAM]

Hey guys,

I've read nearly every article on suspension, read every post on nearly every forum about suspension. The time has come to lower my car. By the way I drive an s14a (used to have a 32 and a 33 so relax guys!!).

Have seen some s14's with King springs (what I wanted to get) with lows and super lows. Some ppl say the are great, some say they are too bumpy etc. I know its all personal opinon, but im concerned. I want the car to look Schmick (guards and top of tyre at same level) and still want some decent ride...doesnt have to be ultra smooth (I drove an XF with chopped springs for 1 year...belive me, thats bumpy).

What I want to do is get the king springs (not sure if someone can reccommend lows or super lows - the car is very high at the moment stock suspension) and get some shocks to match...maybe the Bilstiens, as I have only heard exellent ratings with them.

So if someone could help with this ->

1. Lows or super low king springs?

2. Does the spring determine the height of the car or does the shock or both?

(I thought the spring does and the shock will adjust to that height)

3. Is my idea/combo good..will the car look 'schmick'..lol..

4. I think I may get excessive camber from lowering the s14...will just a simple camber kit from Whitline fix this ($300..does that sound right)

5. Why the hell is suspensin so friggen confusing.....

Thanks guys.

ps - I've been lucky with all my other cars, they came lowered with kick ass suspenion so I never had to worry about it...this is one of the only things I will never understand...too many things to chose from, too many things that can be done with suspension....

[Sciby]

1. Contact King Springs and ask them how much height change there will be with the different springs. I'm not sure what it'll be for your S14A, but for an R33, the Lows give a 30mm drop, afaik.

2. Spring determines height of car. The shock is there to make sure the spring behaves itself over bumps, etc. Remember, the lower/shorter the spring, the higher rate it will be to avoid driving the wheels up through the guards on bumps, so less travel and harder ride. Good dampening will help with that, but can only do so much with the small amount of travel it'll have.

3. Depends on your definition on 'schmick'. Ultralow (scrubbing tops of tires) can sometimes look rather shite. Depends on the car though.

4. Yup, adjustable camber kit is what you want.

5. Because if it was easy, everyone would do it.

The problem with suspension is that there's so many variables and so many governing factors and so many parts that make a profound effect on the handling and ride of the car in question.

[Sydneykid]

Alternative to Kings, try;

www.whiteline.com.au

They have some articles on S14's that will answer a lot of your questions.

[tipper]

I have kings and koni's in my S15. It is not a bad setup if done right. If i was to do it again I would by a setoif coilovers (although they will cost about 2 1/2 time more)

Make sure you get camber kits front and rear, you may also want a castor kit available from whiteline. I purchased all of my gear from mercury motorsport. I bought it online and got a local suspension shop to install it.

[INASNT]

Sam you cheap bastard just get out the angle grinder and lower your car leb style!!!! :wassup:

[Silver Fox]

Hey guys,  

I've read nearly every article on suspension, read every post on nearly every forum about suspension. The time has come to lower my car. By the way I drive an s14a (used to have a 32 and a 33 so relax guys!!).  

Have seen some s14's with King springs (what I wanted to get) with lows and super lows. Some ppl say the are great, some say they are too bumpy etc. I know its all personal opinon, but im concerned. I want the car to look Schmick (guards and top of tyre at same level) and still want some decent ride...doesnt have to be ultra smooth (I drove an XF with chopped springs for 1 year...belive me, thats bumpy).  

What I want to do is get the king springs (not sure if someone can reccommend lows or super lows - the car is very high at the moment stock suspension) and get some shocks to match...maybe the Bilstiens, as I have only heard exellent ratings with them.  

So if someone could help with this ->

1. Lows or super low king springs?  

2. Does the spring determine the height of the car or does the shock or both?  

(I thought the spring does and the shock will adjust to that height)

3. Is my idea/combo good..will the car look 'schmick'..lol..

4. I think I may get excessive camber from lowering the s14...will just a simple camber kit from Whitline fix this ($300..does that sound right)  

5. Why the hell is suspensin so friggen confusing.....  

Thanks guys.  

ps - I've been lucky with all my other cars, they came lowered with kick ass suspenion so I never had to worry about it...this is one of the only things I will never understand...too many things to chose from, too many things that can be done with suspension....

Go to a professional suspension shop, tell them what you want and let them suggest what you need for your car. That way, if it is wrong, they have to fix it.

[predator]

this is very true.. they'll also be able to ask more specific questions such as just what you're going to use it for, what tyres you have and maybe spot existing wear problems, maybe even how you drive. .. show you a few different springs and explain the differences, etc, etc.

It can really depend a lot on the type of car, and then even amongst each individual car they might spot things that might make a noticeable difference (basic bushes being replaced, etc).