jsampsell

iTrader: (3)

I've read through a good amount of sedan and x sedan springs posts and am finding a good variance in opinion on whether the ride is decent after installing lowering springs. The consensus seems to be that the Swift springs are the closest to stock springs as far as ride goes but even then I read people that say that the ride quality wasn't as nice as they expected.

At this point, before I make my decision to go with Swift springs or not, I was just wondering if there were any members that have installed springs and decided to go back to stock springs. Or, are there any members who regret going to springs from stock? In both cases, do you mind explaining why?

I realize that I'm opening up myself for bashing here since it is obvious that lowering cars affects ride quality. It's ok if you choose to bash. I'm good with that too. I'm just trying to get opinions from those who maybe haven't expressed their dislikes because it is such a popular thing to do on this forum. I'm not looking for straight out haters. I'm looking for people who have installed them and then decided to go back. And then why?

Bueller?

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I never wanted to lower my car, but did so because of aftermarket wheel fitment. Ride quality seems to be completely unaffected, although now there are all kinds of creaks and groans that weren't there before. But that's OK, because racecar. And I'll likely swap springs & struts for CO's in a couple of years.

To your question, I suspect most people go back to OEM springs only if it's too low to be drive-able where they live.

AMai1215

iTrader: (3)

I had my G lowered on Eibach Pro Kit springs for about 6 months and swapped it back to stock. I believe the Swift springs drop the car lower than Eibach. Even though the ride quaity was better and more firm, it was becoming a hassle for me to slow down at every bump or dip. My front chin spoiler would sometimes scrape. I would even have to be careful wih how many passengers were in my car.

I can care less about having a huge wheel gap. It sure beats having to stress over the small things.

canucklehead

iTrader: (9)

i bought the car lowered on eibach prokit (OEM springs included). loved the stance from every angle, and the ride was excellent. i had 15/20mm spacers so the wheels sat flush, and alignment was within specs without a camber kit.

after 2 years i had to switch back to OEM springs due to practical reasons. i was scraping on traffic calming bumps and high-centering on driveway crests, especially with passengers and a full tank of fuel. i was tired of having to worry about scraping, the associated tear-jerking sounds, as well as saying "not to worry" to passengers, etc.

i have since installed eibach sways and have found this to be a much more productive handling upgrade. i miss the killer looks of the modest drop on the prokit, but for handling the sways play a bigger role.

it's a shame the 370Z or G37 coupe springs are not known as a direct swap for the G37 sedan. when i had my G35 sedan, swapping out for 350Z springs was extremely common and a very economical modification to a quality OEM product, compatible with the stock G35 struts. the drop was perfect for me at ~1" tops. never had any issue with scraping, the ride was great and it looked awesome especially when paired with the forged G35 coupe rays. i'm still mad at myself for selling those rims...

jsampsell

iTrader: (3)

I have 20" M56S wheels on the car and it certainly would look better lowered. These wheels looked much better on my Maxima after lowering on Eibach Pro Kit springs. The ride was definitely stiffer and all of the bumps on the road were more pronounced. However, I didn't mind it so much as I preferred the look. Unfortunately, my wife started to get very car sick after lowering. Something about how the car handled really messed her up. I ended up going back to stock springs on that car and she didn't have that problem any more. It was quite strange. I'm wondering if I'll have the same problem on the G.

Rochester, you said that ride was about the same but you have an S model that has stiffer factory suspension to begin with, right? I have a non-sport X so my suspension should be softer than your S by default.

Thanks for all of the input. Practicality is definitely at play in my decision as car sickness is not something that I can just deal with.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

That's a very good point, and one that doesn't get enough attention for people making the decision to drop their car.

The RWD-S has stiffer struts, yes. And the RWD (Sport and Journey) has stiffer swaybars than the AWD car. AFAIK, the OEM springs are identical across all models... although I'm not 100% on that.

Would that be 20mm front, 15mm rear, with staggered 18" sport rims?

canucklehead

iTrader: (9)

i was on the staggered sport rims, and now that i think about it IIRC i had 15mm spacers all around. i know some guys stagger the spacers for optimum flush fitment, but the 15's worked well enough for me. i suppose a bit more projection of the front wheels would be OK, but thicker spacers puts additional strain on the hub/bearing assembly.

attached are shots of the fitment with 15mm spacers. old photos, lots of changes since then...

guy from norcal

iTrader: (2)

I have the swift springs and the ride is really close to stock except if you hit a hard bump at 45 + mph. but also depends on how low profile your tires are too!

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for the info, and particularly for the pics.

Now that I'm lowered on Swifts, I'm worried my 18" Sport rims will look silly when I put them back on in a few months (winter). I've been going back and forth on spacer sizes, and this helps a lot.

Good man.

jsampsell

iTrader: (3)

Good to know. I'm running 245/40s at the moment. I'll probably do 255/35s when these are toast, though.

socketz67

Has anyone considered spacers without a drop as the projection outward tends to create a visual perception that there is less wheel gap. A friend at work is running H&R 15s in the front and 20s in the back of his 2013 sport coupe and I tend to agree that the spacing appears to be minimized compared to cars with no spacers. He said the only drawback is that it slings a little more water and road debris on the car, but that's it. He also cited several british car testing outfits that throw H&R spacers on stock cars prior to testing. I wish I could find more pics of non-AWD cars with spacers and no drop, but this does not seem that common here in the community.

bat6wc

iTrader: (31)

I had the swifts then went back to the OEM Sport springs on the AWD. Lowered about .5 or so and much easier ride to handle. Swifts over time became very harsh (although my Hotchkis sways didnt help). St. Louis has terrible roads and I just couldnt stand the ride anymore. Back to stock and Im fine with the wheel gap.

jsampsell

iTrader: (3)

Are you saying that the OEM Sport springs are about .5 lower than non-Sport springs? If that's the case then I may look for some OEM Sport springs instead. Hmmm...

bat6wc

iTrader: (31)

Yes, just comparing the two springs side by side, you can see the slight height difference in the coil. I didnt take a pic but compared them myself awhile ago.

Wont be a drastic drop and it might take a little to settle. There is also the option of slightly cutting down the bump stop in the rear, using the g37s springs in rear, and 370z/350z springs up front.

eurtsx

iTrader: (2)

I've been running on BC coilovers for a few months now on my G37xS. I had the car in for service yesterday and got a loaner G37x. Nearly cried at how comfortable it was on the road.

Both are comfortable, just the loaner was like riding on a cloud...