Swift RWD Sedan Springs Installed! In-depth Review!
11-05-2012, 07:39 PM
#1
Swift RWD Sedan Springs Installed! In-depth Review!
I got my Swift Springs installed this weekend and considering the amount of time I spent trolling this forum doing research, I felt I absolutely had to give back to the community and let everyone know about them. Thanks to Bota36 for his work prototyping these and answering all of our questions, and to MAPerformance for their excellent customer service in getting them to me.
Installation:
I followed the instructions described in the DIY section for a backyard spring install, and the addendum post with the same title. The directions are pretty much all you need to get the job done, but there are some notes that I would like to share specific to the Swift springs.
I bought these springs because they're a very conservative drop and maintain as much of the suspension travel as possible while fixing the awful fender gap that was present on the stock sedan. This, unfortunately, made them a nightmare to install. First off, don't even bother attempting to put these on with wimpy spring compressors. If your compressors are from Northern Tool or Harbor Freight, go rent some real ones from AutoZone. (And its not even really renting...its just a deposit, they give you your money back when you return them.) The reason for this is that the Swift springs are really not all that much shorter than the OEM springs. Most lowering springs I've installed in the past (this is the 3rd time I've installed a set) were shorter than the OEM spring, so you only needed to find a small amount of the spring to grab onto with the compressors, crank it down an inch or so and you're done. To get these on, the springs need to be compressed a good 3.5-4.0". Get. Good. Spring. Compressors. Also, a strong impact driver. Its very helpful for the bolt at the bottom of the strut and after you've got the strut installed in the car, its good to torque the nut down at the top firmly as well. If its not, you'll get a slight knocking sound as you go over bumps. (Guess how I know?)
The rears really are as simple as the DIY describes. I had zero problem with them. Between myself and a buddy, the fronts took about 4 hours the rears took an hour.
Appearance:
Well this is pretty easy and straightforward if you look at the pictures below. I think its perfect. It looks just like the car should have come from the factory. I have no idea why Infinti opted for the 4x4 look on the stock sedan, but this fixed it very well. Unless you were a myG37.com forum member, I doubt you'd even notice. It just looks right.
Oh and for those interested in numbers: apex of fender to ground heights (FR, FL, RR, RL): 27 1/8", 27", 26 7/8", 27". In my opinion, ±1/8" is pretty good.
Ride Quality:
I guess I should preface by saying that before this, I had a 2004 G35S 6MT Coupe, so my impressions will mostly be with respect to that. I am happy to report that my sedan now feels much more like my coupe did. The ride is much more planted. Yes, there is a slight increase in the perceptibility of bumps, but if you've riden in a coupe before, its basically the same. I think its actually a bit smoother than the IPL coupe. My biggest fear in buying these was that the ride would be harsh and noisy, but it is nothing like that at all. In other words, there's no way someone is going to get in the car and think its anything less than a luxury vehicle. Kudos to Swift. Well done here. The only time I've felt an "above expectation" jolt was during a hard corner at speed. The communicativity of the road to the steering wheel is a good bit higher. Luckily, this doesn't transfer to the seats so it doesn't make the car feel unsettled, but just be aware of it, and grip the wheel a little tighter when you cross a pavement seam on your favorite exit ramp.
Driving Dynamics:
Wow! Again, this really improved the vehicle all around. I can echo what Bota36 said, in that turn in is much sharper and is a very welcome surprise. Low speed tight cornering is finally fun! Body roll is reduced substantially and the car doesn't feel like a Camry anymore. In fact, dare I say it?!...*gasp*...almost 3-series-ish. I test drove a 335i sedan before getting the G37 sedan and I really can see parallels between them now. For those who have installed sport springs on vehicles before, this isn't any surprise, but for the uninitiated, braking and acceleration also feel much more planted. A hard acceleration no longer makes you feel like you're in a rocking chair atop a fighter jet.
If you're not used to experiencing your traction control come on, you will be. With a firmer rear suspension, driving near the limit causes the rear to break loose with relative ease. Traction control comes on to keep things in check, which is nice, but it really underscores how inferior the OEM tires are for performance driving. (Luckily my OEM 19" coupe wheels with some sticky rubber should be here sometime next week!)
And also, I know its crazy and it could be all in my head, but I think its possible the springs have helped the shifting as well. Hear me out: My complaints about the 6MT clutch are well documented on the forum here. Previously with the far-too-soft OEM springs, all the body roll forward to aft during hard acceleration would cause a shift in the drivers body. It may have been small, but as anyone who drives a manual knows, small motions of the clutch can have big impacts on the shift. I suspect that because of the excessive body roll, it may have been causing my leg to move off of the pedal slightly quicker than I wanted to and thus made the shifts harsher. More research to be conducted, but so far, so good.
Conclusion:
Considering I did the modification primarily for looks and got this much driving pleasure out of them as well, I'm quite pleased. The install was way more of a pain that I'd experienced before with other springs, but hey, at least you only have to do it once. I'd absolutely recommend these to any G37 RWD Sedan owner and commend Swift for an excellent job.
(Alignment results to be posted later in this thread once complete. May be a week or so.)
Installation:
I followed the instructions described in the DIY section for a backyard spring install, and the addendum post with the same title. The directions are pretty much all you need to get the job done, but there are some notes that I would like to share specific to the Swift springs.
I bought these springs because they're a very conservative drop and maintain as much of the suspension travel as possible while fixing the awful fender gap that was present on the stock sedan. This, unfortunately, made them a nightmare to install. First off, don't even bother attempting to put these on with wimpy spring compressors. If your compressors are from Northern Tool or Harbor Freight, go rent some real ones from AutoZone. (And its not even really renting...its just a deposit, they give you your money back when you return them.) The reason for this is that the Swift springs are really not all that much shorter than the OEM springs. Most lowering springs I've installed in the past (this is the 3rd time I've installed a set) were shorter than the OEM spring, so you only needed to find a small amount of the spring to grab onto with the compressors, crank it down an inch or so and you're done. To get these on, the springs need to be compressed a good 3.5-4.0". Get. Good. Spring. Compressors. Also, a strong impact driver. Its very helpful for the bolt at the bottom of the strut and after you've got the strut installed in the car, its good to torque the nut down at the top firmly as well. If its not, you'll get a slight knocking sound as you go over bumps. (Guess how I know?)
The rears really are as simple as the DIY describes. I had zero problem with them. Between myself and a buddy, the fronts took about 4 hours the rears took an hour.
Appearance:
Well this is pretty easy and straightforward if you look at the pictures below. I think its perfect. It looks just like the car should have come from the factory. I have no idea why Infinti opted for the 4x4 look on the stock sedan, but this fixed it very well. Unless you were a myG37.com forum member, I doubt you'd even notice. It just looks right.
Oh and for those interested in numbers: apex of fender to ground heights (FR, FL, RR, RL): 27 1/8", 27", 26 7/8", 27". In my opinion, ±1/8" is pretty good.
Ride Quality:
I guess I should preface by saying that before this, I had a 2004 G35S 6MT Coupe, so my impressions will mostly be with respect to that. I am happy to report that my sedan now feels much more like my coupe did. The ride is much more planted. Yes, there is a slight increase in the perceptibility of bumps, but if you've riden in a coupe before, its basically the same. I think its actually a bit smoother than the IPL coupe. My biggest fear in buying these was that the ride would be harsh and noisy, but it is nothing like that at all. In other words, there's no way someone is going to get in the car and think its anything less than a luxury vehicle. Kudos to Swift. Well done here. The only time I've felt an "above expectation" jolt was during a hard corner at speed. The communicativity of the road to the steering wheel is a good bit higher. Luckily, this doesn't transfer to the seats so it doesn't make the car feel unsettled, but just be aware of it, and grip the wheel a little tighter when you cross a pavement seam on your favorite exit ramp.
Driving Dynamics:
Wow! Again, this really improved the vehicle all around. I can echo what Bota36 said, in that turn in is much sharper and is a very welcome surprise. Low speed tight cornering is finally fun! Body roll is reduced substantially and the car doesn't feel like a Camry anymore. In fact, dare I say it?!...*gasp*...almost 3-series-ish. I test drove a 335i sedan before getting the G37 sedan and I really can see parallels between them now. For those who have installed sport springs on vehicles before, this isn't any surprise, but for the uninitiated, braking and acceleration also feel much more planted. A hard acceleration no longer makes you feel like you're in a rocking chair atop a fighter jet.
If you're not used to experiencing your traction control come on, you will be. With a firmer rear suspension, driving near the limit causes the rear to break loose with relative ease. Traction control comes on to keep things in check, which is nice, but it really underscores how inferior the OEM tires are for performance driving. (Luckily my OEM 19" coupe wheels with some sticky rubber should be here sometime next week!)
And also, I know its crazy and it could be all in my head, but I think its possible the springs have helped the shifting as well. Hear me out: My complaints about the 6MT clutch are well documented on the forum here. Previously with the far-too-soft OEM springs, all the body roll forward to aft during hard acceleration would cause a shift in the drivers body. It may have been small, but as anyone who drives a manual knows, small motions of the clutch can have big impacts on the shift. I suspect that because of the excessive body roll, it may have been causing my leg to move off of the pedal slightly quicker than I wanted to and thus made the shifts harsher. More research to be conducted, but so far, so good.
Conclusion:
Considering I did the modification primarily for looks and got this much driving pleasure out of them as well, I'm quite pleased. The install was way more of a pain that I'd experienced before with other springs, but hey, at least you only have to do it once. I'd absolutely recommend these to any G37 RWD Sedan owner and commend Swift for an excellent job.
(Alignment results to be posted later in this thread once complete. May be a week or so.)
Last edited by DustinEarnhardt; 11-05-2012 at 08:12 PM. Reason: Typo fix.
The following users liked this post:
RavensMinded00 (12-03-2015)
11-06-2012, 02:07 PM
#7
The springs rates are softer and is why the ride is much smoother (not bouncy) than other lowering kits. I believe these are the best choice for the daily driver looking to get a much sportier look and feel over OEM springs.
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11-06-2012, 02:19 PM
#8
Dangit, that setup is perfect. I got the Eibach PK, which isn't bad; I just feel that the rear drop is a little too much. I like the drop in the rear for the Swifts. Living in downtown Atlanta is definitely not friendly for lowered cars.
11-06-2012, 02:50 PM
#9
Administrator
iTrader: (9)
Excellent review. More than a little heavy on the hyperbole, but still... very well written.
11-06-2012, 03:08 PM
#10
It's is the info I previously received from Leonard at Swift: 6.5kg/mm; Back: 6.3kg/mm. Parts no. 4N908. Looks like Dustin will be getting an allignment and is going post up the results. I previously posted allignment results as well and I didn't need a camber kit.
The springs rates are softer and is why the ride is much smoother (not bouncy) than other lowering kits. I believe these are the best choice for the daily driver looking to get a much sportier look and feel over OEM springs.
The springs rates are softer and is why the ride is much smoother (not bouncy) than other lowering kits. I believe these are the best choice for the daily driver looking to get a much sportier look and feel over OEM springs.
Amen to that! Where in Atlanta are you?
11-06-2012, 03:19 PM
#11
How about yourself?
11-06-2012, 03:24 PM
#12
Registered Member
Nice write up, unfortunately a drop makes the wheels looked tucked in which I hate as much as fender gap. To fix this, you will need spacers or wheels with lower offset.
