I did search but could not get any answers. Does anybody here use an
adjustable set-up and change it for summer to winter? I would like to drop my car a bit, but then raise it back for winter. Is there a viable system? Would you have to get an alignment each time? Springs or coil-overs?

Just curious.

Shane D

 

https://www.myg37.com/forums/brakes-...vs-spings.html

In summary: there are no springs that are height adjustable, you would need coilovers. The cheapest basic coilover is the tanabes, and they do height adjustment only.

Depending on how much you drop your car, you might need an alignment every time you change height. Also, by going coilovers, the car will be much stiffer over the stock springs.

Your options are:
1) Coilovers, which will stiffen up your car quite a bit, and be around 900-1000 bucks, and would potentially require an alignment depending on how much you drop it

2) Get springs that drop the car the way you want it, and then swap back to stock springs if needed in the wintertime. If you are a DIYer, this would be the cheaper option.

3) Get a mild drop, like the tanabe fronts and eibach rears like I do. It will even out the fender gap, but it doesnt slam the car and would be the best spring setup (non-stock) for driving in the wintertime. If you want more of a drop, eibach fronts and tanabe rears will be about 1/2 inch lower and MIGHT be fine for the wintertime.

IMO though, if you dont plan on autocrossing and dont want the springrate increase, coilovers arent worth it for just height adjustment.

 

Thanks for the reply! # 3 sounds like the option for me. I just want to cut the gap a bit. Do you drive your G in the snow?

Shane D

 

I just installed the tanabe fronts a few weeks ago, so I missed the blizzard of 09 by a month.... but if it snows, then we usually drive my wifes 4WD RAV4. Plus, where I live, it usually only snows for a day or two, and then its clear and the winters are usually very mild.

 

i'm in the same situation as you shane. I want option to raise in winter but drop it low for summer: only way is coilovers.

There is the cheap way which is to do springs, or get it done right and do coilovers(BC coils are damper adjustable i believe so you can make it ride like stock) regardless rear cambers will be required (front recommended)

i have not decided which route I will be taking yet though ..tough decision.

 

^ You guys also need to consider how much you want to drop your car. If you only want to drop it a little and just even out the fender gap, then springs will be fine and since you are only dropping the car a little bit, they will still be ok in the snow. You wont be a snowplow.

However if you want it dropped a lot, like the S-techs or HR springs, then you might have some issues driving in the snow.

So to say "get it done right and do coilovers" isnt necessarily true because if you only want a very mild drop, just getting lowering springs is perfectly fine. The other thing to consider is finding out what the MINIMUM drop for the coilovers are. I dont know if this is true for every set of coilovers for the G37, but for my last car, certain coilover brands had a drop of 1/2 to 3 inches, so even on its full height setting, they were not as high as the stock springs. There was one coilover brand which had a drop of 1-4 inches, so even at the highest setting, you were still dropped a full inch, so if you only want to drop your car an inch and raise it up in the wintertime, you wouldnt even be able to do so with those coilovers. So therefore in the wintertime, the highest setting people could put them at was the same height that a mild spring would be at.

I cant say for sure because Im not familiar with every single set of coilovers available for the G37, so hopefully someone else can chime in, but if thats true, then the only way to raise it back to stock height in the wintertime would be with the stock springs..... which goes back to my first sentence on how much do you guys want to drop your car. Im pretty sure every single set of coilovers has a different drop range, and I dont know whats the minimum and I dont even know if the cheapest brand or anything in your price range would have a suitable minimum drop for wintertime.

For example, Shane said that "I just want to cut the gap a bit." His options are:

1) tanabe fronts and eibach rears, which will provide a dead even fender gap and drop the front of the car 1 inch and the back of the car about 1/2 inch. Both the front and the rear fenders will be sitting about 27 inches off the ground. You will still get a stock ride as these springs combo is only slightly stiffer than the stock sport springs (7ish kg springs). No camber kit required and because the drop is mild, you might not even need an alignment.

2) Eibach fronts and tanabe rears, which also will provide a dead even fender gap and drop the front of the car 1.5 inches and the back of the car about 1 inch. Both the front and the rear fenders will be sitting about 26.5 inches off the ground. You will still get a stock ride as these springs combo is only slightly stiffer than the stock sport springs (7ish kg springs). No camber kit required and some people get an alignment.

3) coilovers. Depending on the brand, you can choose the height adjustment level. However, depending on the brand, you might not be able to take the height back up to stock level in the wintertime. Camber kit and alignment probably needed, depending on the drop and what coilovers you get. And, depending on the brand and the springrates and their dampening, even the softest setting will be noticeable stiffer than stock (12-8 kg springs range depending on the brand). Minimum drops could be in the range of 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch to 1 inch.

If Shane only wants to cut the gap a little bit, then is it really worth it to spend over 1000 bucks on coilovers to be able to raise his car only maybe 1/2 inch in the wintertime vs. a mild spring drop combo which might be perfectly fine to drive in the wintertime?

However, if you want to slam your car in the summer, and have it raised as close to stock height in the wintertime and you are ok with the stiffness increase, then your best option will indeed be coilovers. But you might need an alignment every summer and winter due to the extreme height change.

So there is a lot for you guys to consider and "doing it right" doesnt necessarily mean coilovers.