I know there have been many threads about this in the past but some of them are dated, And some of the discussions are frankly over my head, technically. I have a 2011 G37X with 112,000 miles. There seems to be just a handful of options for replacing my Struts and shocks. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as most of the people who hang on this form, and I have 2 questions if anyone has the patience to answer!

1. Are coilovers inherently better than separate Springs and struts for the G37X? Or does it depend on the budget and the goals?

2. My G37X is my daily driver and I don't drive on tracks ... Just around town. I want to get the flattest cornering possible, while still preserving a fairly smooth ride. I used to own a G35 sport and really loved the way it handled and drove. I recently replaced the rear sway bar On my G37X with a whiteline. Otherwise the car is stock. The struts and shocks are original so they are really ready to be replaced. Just researching a bit online I see the following brands. Would anyone strongly recommend one over the other, Given my goals? I don't mind spending a little extra money to get good ones.

Megan
BC Racing
Neomax
Feal ... $1500 for two seems very pricey?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Stu

 

Bc or neomax are both solid coilover options but you need swift spring upgrade on both. They are the cheapest coils you can get that are actually worth putting on the car. Do some research on spring rates and what fits your needs.

 

Thanks! BC coils seem ideal and many sites have them on sale right now. Is there a seller you trust I can buy from? I can't find a list of myg37 forum vendors.
Stu

 

I second 14Q60awdSPORT on the swift spring upgrade. I ran Fortune 500 + Swift 11k/8k and it was an excellent setup. Coilovers tend to be much better than separate strings and struts as long as you have the dampers valved appropriately for the springs. The problem is putting lowering springs on a generic or stock strut that wasn't valved for that spring rate usually leads to a compromise in ride/handling or both. When dampers are custom valved for the springs (which most good coilovers are) you just inherently get a better ride and handling because the damper properly controls the motion of the wheel based on the spring it was valved for. The difference is quite apparent and will be larger since your struts are worn. I ordered my coilovers from www.thmotorsports.com some time ago, but its worth giving them a call.

 

Thanks for all the great advice! I ordered the bc racing coiilovers with swift springs from JM Auto Racing, a forum sponsor, and they are due to arrive earlier than expected.. next week! Joe has been very responsive and great to work with.

I was planning to be very conservative with lowering because I don't want to worry about scraping in driveways etc. Maybe .5 inches. Or will cornering be much improved if I go lower? I don't care as much about the looks.At Joe's suggestion I did buy the rear control arms too, which I understand allow a lowered car to be aligned properly. So I could go lower.

But my big remaining question is where to set the damping. I want pretty flat cornering but don't want too bumpy of a ride on everyday pavement. Where is the best place to start with the settings? And will I, with very little knowledge, be able to adjust them myself?

thanks
Stu

 

Congrats on the coilovers! Depending on how many settings your coilovers have, the adjustments may not necessarily affect the shock linearly. I would set them in the middle and adjust lighter or stiffer. There should be guidance in the coilover manual as to how to adjust them. Usually it's just an adjustment dial at the top of the strut for these types of coilovers. I would then recommend adjustments based on quarters of the full adjustment range. So if the adjustment range is 1-32, start at 16. If that's too light or stiff, adjust 8 clicks in the direction you want to go. Then start to adjust by 4 clicks in each direction until you reach your desired spot. Adjusting by one or two clicks on these coilovers usually makes little to no difference unless there is a small number of total settings available (e.g. 10 total clicks vs 32 clicks).