Nissan Z Lowered Suspension Questions

[FSUZ33]

My opinion, good choice.
I don't know the spring rate of the RSR's, but I assume this setup is going to give you everything you're looking for. My move after your current decisions would be a performance shock replacement before going coilover. If it was a track or autoX car and you were trying to dial in dynamics that can only be utilized/felt there, then MAYBE coilovers.

 

[kevinbonds]

My opinion, good choice.
I don't know the spring rate of the RSR's, but I assume this setup is going to give you everything you're looking for. My move after your current decisions would be a performance shock replacement before going coilover. If it was a track or autoX car and you were trying to dial in dynamics that can only be utilized/felt there, then MAYBE coilovers.

The RSR are designed to work with the stock shock valving, fronts are 10 rears are 8.

 

[jc604]

yup im on swift springs + sway bars rear n front, totally changed the dynamics of the car

 

[Maze]

I got the following quote from a Bay Area shop. Man labor is expensive here, the labor almost costs as much as the parts. Is this reasonable in terms of hours of labor?:

Our labor rate is $160.00 per hour here at Speed Element.
Here's the breakdown for pricing:
Front & Rear Sway Bars - 1.5 to 2 Hours $240 - $320 (Exhaust Needs to Be Removed for Access)
Lowering Springs - 4 Hours $640
Alignment - $150

$1170 would be the estimate for this service.

 

[kevinbonds]

I got the following quote from a Bay Area shop. Man labor is expensive here, the labor almost costs as much as the parts. Is this reasonable in terms of hours of labor?:

Our labor rate is $160.00 per hour here at Speed Element.
Here's the breakdown for pricing:
Front & Rear Sway Bars - 1.5 to 2 Hours $240 - $320 (Exhaust Needs to Be Removed for Access)
Lowering Springs - 4 Hours $640
Alignment - $150

$1170 would be the estimate for this service.

Yea, sounds about right for Bay Area.

 

[ljpetraska]

I haven’t done lowering springs on the Z so I can’t tell you if they’re better or worse than the ones I’ve done but that would be a good candidate to do yourself if you have the tools. 4 hours seems accurate but if you are comfortable with it, that’d save you $640.

 

[DrChancho]

I got the following quote from a Bay Area shop. Man labor is expensive here, the labor almost costs as much as the parts. Is this reasonable in terms of hours of labor?:

Our labor rate is $160.00 per hour here at Speed Element.
Here's the breakdown for pricing:
Front & Rear Sway Bars - 1.5 to 2 Hours $240 - $320 (Exhaust Needs to Be Removed for Access)
Lowering Springs - 4 Hours $640
Alignment - $150

$1170 would be the estimate for this service.

I am in the Bay Area as well and plan to go this route. I would love to stay in touch and hear about your journey.
FWIW, I was able to get my Air Intakes put on by the dealer for $60 in labor. They said it took almost 2 hours but they charged based on the allotted labor duration in the BOM.
I am going to get them to quote out the springs and sways....

 

[trackratZ]

My recommendation would be to do things in steps. I would go with the Stillen Sways, the Z1's are really stiff, and not really necessary. Also, maybe try some RSR springs they have a great spring rate and moderate drop. This alone will eliminate the body roll issues and still give a high-quality stock like ride. If you go this route, you should not really need any adjustable suspension components. This will be much less expensive and give you the results you want. If later you decide you need coilovers for hard core track work, just sell the springs and not much of a loss.

What about Stillen sways vs Nismo sways? RSR springs I heard are ideal for non-coilover setups with stock shocks.

 

[kevinbonds]

What about Stillen sways vs Nismo sways? RSR springs I heard are ideal for non-coilover setups with stock shocks.

I would not buy anything Nismo, simply because they are just rebranded parts from other vendor. Stillen has a long history of making quality sways I have them all the way back to my Z32. They are all made in California and Stillen sways can use the stock end links.