I am planning on purchasing true type coilovers for my '13x sedan here soon. I am going for a mild drop while also maintaining close to OEM ride quality (live in MN and I dont need to be a snowplow). Looking into coilovers led me into a long, deep suspension tunnel that I don't fully understand. I know that I will need/want something to replace the spring buckets in the rear after installing coilovers. My question is, do I absolutely need anything else to complete the coilover job successfully?
I currently am all stock suspension besides rear sway bar from sport coupe.

 

I have KW V3 coilovers and while not the cheapest, they ride very well if a bit firmer than stock and have a nice range of adjustability. They use / reuse the stock strut/shock mounts which helps give the smooth ride in addition to the shock valving; if you have a lot of miles on your stock suspension, may want to consider getting new stock mounts since the suspension will already be apart. From what I remember, for the rears, there is a different spring seat for the sedan vs. the coupe but confirm with the KW seller you buy them from. The KW kit comes with everything else and it's basically a direct bolt in, highly recommended.

 

I have heard good things about KW coilovers as well. It's been my experience over the last 20+ years of tuning cars that European coilovers usually ride much better than Japanese coilovers. Bilstein would be another company to check out. Neither of these options will be cheap. I run Tein Street Basis coilovers and they are probably the least expensive, but also the best riding Japanese coilovers I have ever had, and I have tried many different brands. That is not to say they ride like stock. They still can get bouncy on rough roads.

All coilovers will give you a pretty noticeable drop, especially since they are all developed for the lighter 370Z or G37 coupe. You will want front upper control arms or you will cup the insides of your front tires pretty badly. I have the Z1 race front upper control arms, but they are a pain to adjust the 1st time because you have to take them apart every time you adjust them. You will also want rear camber arms to avoid tire cupping. I have Vodoo 13 rear camber arms. These are much easier to adjust than the Z1 front upper control arms. These two things are probably all you really need with coilovers. Best of luck in your search!

 

I have the KW v3 and it IS NOT made for the sedan but it's useable. You can purchaser 15,30, or 50 mm spring spacer but at its highest setting, my rear tires are tucked (in the summer I run 275 40 19). I have SPL front and rear arms as well as toe bolts and Whiteline endlinks.

 

Can you even get the KW v3 Coilovers for AWD? From memory, this is what available for the AWD models...https://www.myg37.com/forums/brakes-...ers-redux.html

 

The only problem is the Sedans is actually lighter than the Coupe. Granted not by much, but it is lighter. Now the Z is anywhere from 200-400 lbs lighter!

KW will not warranty there coilers for a sedan, since neither V1 or V3s are for sedans. Fortune Auto would be the way to go from what I have seen. They purpose build coilers for all versions of sedans either rwd or all wheel drive. Plus you can have the made with custom spring rates from them or Swift.

 

Correct, the Z is lighter like I mentioned.

 

Yeah don't do KW's...the rear end even at teh highest setting is "dropped" due to excess weight compared to 370z.

 

I'll add more background as I had a chance to look back at my KW V3 install on my Sedan: The Sedan does ride very low unless you also install the KW "extenders" on the rear spring seats but this may not be an option for you as it will void the KW warranty (I installed extenders and lived with this voided warranty risk as mine were purchased new). However, if you are buying a used set, I looked online at the KW warranty and it isn't transferable, so it's a moot point. I am partial to KWs as I've owned a number of different suspension set ups on various other cars including KYB springs / Eibach shocks (MKIV Supra Turbo), AST coilovers (Subaru STI), Bilstein PSS10 coilovers (BMW 335i), Bilstein sport shocks (Corvette Z06), and the KWs on the Sedan have been my overall favorite for my purposes (majority street).

More info: blnewt wrote in a previous post "They will work on the Sedan but the rears drop pretty low at their highest setting. KW sells extenders that will get the height up but unfortunately this will void warranty coverage If you're planning on a drop in the 26" (from ground to fender arc) or lower range this will work without needing the extenders."

 

So after installing true coilovers, what of the above pictured list would be required/helpful additions to the true coilovers once I get them installed? I know rear camber arms will help, but are front upper control arms required for a mild drop?

 

ngolbuff, I should have qualified my last post about KW V3s as I didn't take into account you have the G37x/AWD model, sorry but KW doesn't make a V3 for the x as carboy37 stated.

 

Any other recommended FUCA instead of Z1 if those are that hard to adjust?
- I was also looking at Voodoo rear camber arms. Nice to hear you like them.

 

Depending on how much you plan on lowering you may want to drive it a bit (no more than a couple days) then get it aligned and if its way out of spec then start replacing parts. You might get lucky and find that the front is fine and can get away with just rear camber arms or toe bolts unless you replace the spring bucket with a toe arm. I can't speak to the Z1 FUCA but I have SPC front and rear arms as well as the toe bolt kit and have had no issues. If you want higher quality and don't mind spending more $$ then go with SPL.

 

What did you think of the Bilstein PSS10's on your 335? I am considering those or maybe Koni inserts with H&R springs once my Tein coilovers finally give up the goat- which from the look of it, may not be for a long time.

You can live with the Z1 fucas. It is just a pain to adjust the toe the 1st time because you have to disconnect them entirely from the car to do it. So any savings on the parts will probably be used up on additional labor time at your alignment shop. I would definitely avoid the Z1 fucas if you plan to change your toe settings often. Adjusting the camber on them is not too bad- you just disconnect the bolt closest to you. If you want to do another brand, I think most of them allow you to adjust the toe while still on the car. Just ask about that before you order another brand because that is the biggest time-suck of an alignment with these things.

 

4DRZ: the Bilstein PSS10s worked similarly to the KWs, designed for performance street with occasional track use (progressive springs and softer valving than track coilovers), but I would give the nod to the KWs for a bit better valving and ride. The PSS10s are now a pretty old design too but I saw that bilstein came out with the B14 coilovers that may have improved valving and performance.