Forums/Z31P/z31-repairs-forums suspension-chassis-and-brakes-aa/What are my options
Imported from Z31Performance.com Forums{{#if:V8srfun| — original post by V8srfun}}{{#if:2015-03-03 23:29:53|, posted 2015-03-03 23:29:53}}{{#if:29| · 29 post{{#ifeq:29|1||s}}}}{{#if:/Z31performance_archive/forum/z31-repairs-forums/suspension-chassis-and-brakes-aa/24792-what-are-my-options.html|
Local archive: view archived thread on dev.z31library.com}}
V8srfun: (2015-03-03 23:29:53)
So I am the proud new owner of a beautiful 50th ae and I want to (for now) make the car as close to factory as possible meaning no mods just repair and fixing things. With that said one of the biggest things I want to work as it should from the factory is the adjustable suspension. At this point the shocks/struts are pretty weak and on the verge of being blown.
What are my options for replacements while still retaining the factory adjustment from in the cabin of the car
I would be ok with a non oe spec strut if I can replace it with a aftermarket one that is adjustable and will work with the factory adjusters
Please tell me someone has found a way to keep the adjustable suspension without spending $800 each from Nissan
530zx: (2015-03-04 00:43:51)
Your only other option is buying used shocks that still work but good luck with that and their isn't anything aftermarket .
Z_Karma: (2015-03-04 00:51:59)
Um, i hate to be the bearer of bad news but your best bet is to find someone selling a low mileage set of adjustables and hope they're in
good condition.
From what i can tell from examining my old AE suspension (before i canned it), and reading on the forums:
In the front, he AE outer strut tubes were part of the reservoir and used a sealed gland nut (as opposed to the sealed cartridges that are available from aftermarket manufacturers.) If that leaked out the fluid, you may only need that one seal and top it off with fluid
(probably submerged to evacuate air bubbles),which leads to the fluid.
Nissan used some environmentally unfriendly fluid in these adjustable struts and it is NLA and nobody has (as far as i've seen)
successfully tried matching the fluid with another fluid of the same viscosity.
In the rear, it's a sealed unit.
From what i remember reading, there is an motor driven adjustable valving system inside, with a electric motor internal to the strut.
(I've got a broken set but haven't done a post-mortem on them yet.)
Infiniti M30's also had an adjustable suspension with a motor driven actuator that was external of the strut, located on top of the strut tower.
There are manually adjustable Tokico Illuminas that you can use without modifying anything, but i guess they're hard to find.
Personally, with my 84TGLL and my AE, I've gone/going with Illuminas and ST springs. This coming from a guy who likes every little damn detail to be original.
Parker: (2015-03-04 01:04:45)
Yeah. I was planning to keep my adjustable suspension until I learned it would be next to impossible to get it rebuilt or replaced.
V8srfun: (2015-03-04 02:38:01)
It just kills me that I can have everything else on the car work as designed by the factory but to replace the shocks it will cost me about what I paid for the car.
If I can not get the suspension to work like factory I think I will put coil overs on the car but that is a last ditch effort
reddzx: (2015-03-04 02:39:45)
DO NOT buy used OEM adjustable suspension and expect them to last very long because they could fail at any time as there are 30 years old. Used sets of working struts/shocks sell for as much as $500 with no guarantee they will last more than 30 days.
85z31t88: (2015-03-04 02:52:02)
I agree with reddzx, I sold the working set out of my old car only because the car only had 93,000 miles on it and I still told the buyer no warranty or refund. I really didnt want to do it but he was very persistent on buying them. With that said, I am removing my working set out of my 86t, but will not sell them because they have 190,000 on them.
Tempast: (2015-03-04 03:01:44)
I MAY have a set for sale in the next few months. I bought a set of Stance coils and will be doing the swap sometime in the next few months. For the moment my shocks are in surprisingly good shape (100k miles, 161k KM) After my trans swap however my adjustment knob has stopped working. Probably a connector issue… But they're stuck in firm for now, and it is pretty stiff.
V8srfun: (2015-03-04 03:40:35)
I agree with not buying used suspension components unless they were dirt cheap /almost free
adamvann3: (2015-03-04 04:54:25)
I sold the set of working adjustable suspension off of my 85t for $50 last summer. I just wanted it out of my garage.
There is is always the inherent risk of buying used parts in similar condition and only lasting a short time. As Z_Karma stated there is not viable option for new factory adjustment suspension unless your paying big $$$ from Nissan.
Side note, loosing the adjustable portion but Tokico HP shocks matched with Eibach springs makes for a very nice z31. Comfortable yet very responsive. I would recommend that setup to anyone looking for OEM+ replacement/upgrade.
Axel kain: (2015-03-04 14:34:28)
Turbo cars, no HP's are available. Illumina's fit, but would take about a month to get. Last I heard, Nissan did not offer replacements, as the fluid used in the dampers for the cool selectable feature was outlawed by the EPA…
reddzx: (2015-03-04 15:20:08)
KYB sells a replacement turbo car front non adjustable strut
Axel kain: (2015-03-04 16:58:40)
Bilstein, and Tokico Illumina's drop right into Turbo housings.
Pace: (2015-03-04 17:30:51)
Bilstein, Koni, and Tokico Illumina's drop right into Turbo housings.
Missed one. [archived image: smile.png]
I'm quite content with the Koni/ST setup at this point.
V8srfun: (2015-03-04 18:46:52)
I will most likely do coilovers because I don't want to go thru the hassle of finding the oem stuff and definitely do not want to pay the price for them
Axel kain: (2015-03-04 19:38:58)
ST's or Eibach's, with Bilstein, or Koni's are the best solutions for OEM style application. Otherwise yes, go all out, and do coils!
V8srfun: (2015-03-05 01:35:32)
Because this is a big decision for me as I don't know what way I am going with the car yet I think the shocks will be one of the last concerns with the car I address. There are numerous small things that need attention that I think I will move to for now this way I can think on it and make a decision I am happy with.
I think I am going to start a new thread based on my plans / goal for the car and go from there
z31armo: (2015-03-25 21:03:43)
Missed one. [archived image: smile.png]
I'm quite content with the Koni/ST setup at this point.
What konis and st's are you running? Just got a 89 zx and im thinking of that setup.
reddzx: (2015-03-25 21:29:04)
Suspension Techniques no longer sell the coveted ST lowering springs for the Z31, you will have to find them used. Expect to pay $200-300 a set.
Koni sport struts and shocks are adjustable and are still available but expensive.
G-E: (2015-03-25 22:48:10)
Honestly koni yellows are the best you can get for the car, and will work with spring rates higher than any available (so if you chose to go custom springs or find another application…)
Illuminas had serious quality control issues in the last several years, leading to the loss of their distributors, which they've only managed to sort out recently… only "good" up to about 250# springs, after that they tend to suffer and blow
Bilsteins are also quality struts but have no adjustability
FlyingT: (2015-03-26 00:01:18)
I would not spend any money on a used set of OEM shocks/struts. IMO, they do not last very long when new and were way too expensive for the low quality/reliability of them. Over the almost 300K miles I had put on the OEM setup on my 85T, I had to replace them all 4 times. It makes me puke to think how much I spent on the OEM setup over those 20 years, like maybe over $12K?
I was like the original poster back in 2005, wanting to keep it 100% stock, until they became NLA. So I selected a replacement set of KYB's.
IMO, the cost, reliability, and because they are NLA, I would just bite the bullet and go to the replacement option. Even if they were still available, the costs is staggering for a 31 year old car.
V8srfun: (2015-03-26 00:34:05)
the car will be getting stance coilovers unless someone can convince me that the powertrix are worth the extra couple hundred dollars
I wonder if I can get something setup so that I can adjust the dampening from the factory switch. I know that tien makes a setup to adjust coilovers from inside the car but I want to use the oem switch
Butter: (2015-03-26 00:38:52)
Don't listen to these nerds. If you can get a bunch of used rear dampers for less than $100, and get 3 working ones, why wouldn't you do it? The fronts are easily repairable, and I'm sure regular shock oil works just fine. If you take a rear shock, and compress it, it should return on it's own if it still has a charge. Not rocket science and takes like 20min to swap out a blown one.
If you get coilovers, you will need to upgrade tires and wheels.
You could also get bags. Use the original switch for "subterranean", "normal", and "flyin' over speedbumps".
The factory system has stepper motors and sensors to verify they are where they need to be. Pretty impossible to retrofit anything. Tein thingy is crazy expensive and kinda dumb.
V8srfun: (2015-03-26 02:12:10)
I am no stranger to coilovers and actually really like them. The reason I was against it at first is that I want to keep the car totally factory but now I am ok with the car not having oem dampers. I can not justify the cost of a quality spring strut combo when coilovers are not much more and I like them better
I did not know that you could repair the fronts can you share the information on how to rebuild them because if I can get the fronts repaired I may buy some used rears
Pace: (2015-03-26 02:42:11)
What konis and st's are you running? Just got a 89 zx and im thinking of that setup.
Pretty standard setup, really - Koni Yellows paired with front ST springs and Mach 1 rear springs. It's not my first nor last setup on this car, but it's a decent ride for the [minimal] money spent: less than $500 overall.
Bushings and tires will also make a drastic difference in how it rides and handles. So keep that in mind.
reddzx: (2015-03-26 02:47:33)
Pretty standard setup, really - Koni Yellows paired with front ST springs and Mach 1 rear springs. It's not my first nor last setup on this car, but it's a decent ride for the [minimal] money spent: less than $500 overall.
Bushings and tires will also make a drastic difference in how it rides and handles. So keep that in mind.
I have a set of front only ST's and would like to pair them with something for the back. Are these Mach 1 rear springs low enough to match the ST fronts? if so, what year Mach 1 and what brand if not Ford OEM
Pace: (2015-03-26 03:07:00)
I have a set of front only ST's and would like to pair them with something for the back. Are these Mach 1 rear springs low enough to match the ST fronts? if so, what year Mach 1 and what brand if not Ford OEM
From what I've noticed, the front sits just a bit lower than the rear on turbo cars. I only had pictures of frostvectron's NA to compare to when I got mine - it sat fairly level. More weight on the nose of a turbo car, though. Its not enough to bother with how little the car gets driven. A cut coil or finding some aftermarket mustang springs with a subtle drop would probably cover the 1/4" difference.
The springs are OEM Ford 2003-2004 Mach 1 rear springs. They have a 250# rate versus the ST 226# rate. There are a few threads on here that talk about using Mustang springs for reference.
Marissasimos: (2015-03-26 14:44:30)
What if someone did an air ride suspension- could that be the closest solution to the oem adjustable shocks?
G-E: (2015-03-27 00:05:59)
Air suspension isn't as stiff, but also soaks up small imperfections better than any rigid bodied fluid strut
In short they are very different in feel