rxKaffee

Would it be a direct drop in for increased stiffness to put a set of OEM-type 2+2 springs and shocks on?

I'm looking for an ultra cheap shock fix to the saggy old busted crap on the car now. Will be re-doing the suspension totally soon. Just looking for something somewhat capable to hold me over until we findout if frank280zx's Z31 setup works out well

And would it be reasonable to take a coil or two off of the fresh oem springs to lower the car a little?

nismo619

thats a good question i was planing on puting some spare 2 seater shocks and springs on my 2+2... i do belive they interchange.. pretty much the same stiffness etc...

NismoPick

2seater & 2+2 fronts are the same. 2+2 rears are a lil stiffer. If you want a cheap setup to stop the rear squat... get some 79 - 83 Mercedes 300D front springs & chop them down to the right height. I found out they fit great & are stiff as hell:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/403158/3 (the silver one on the strut is the 300D spring)

thxone

Hey, I have a question. How long does it take on average for new shock/struts to break in on the rears to where they settle to their final hight?

SHADY280

they settle in the first drive, aboot 5 seconds after you start rolling

DatZun Driver

You can use 350Z springs for the back you got to chop them down.

NismoPick

Same diameter eh? Cool... except they'll prolly cost as much as a set of performance 280zx Eibach springs....

Bleach

I've got aboot 2 mercedes springs uncut and for sale! PM me if interested. (they are the same ones pictured)

RodMoyes

Dude, Just because you live near Canada doesn't mean you have to talk like a hosehead eh'

Rod.

rxKaffee

Are the struts from 2+2 and 2 seater identical?

DatZun Driver

[QUOTE=NismoPick]Same diameter eh? Cool... except they'll prolly cost as much as a set of performance 280zx Eibach springs....[/QUOTE

They only work on the back. I got mine for free from someone lowering their Z. They are stiff and I get no squat at all.

nismo619

lol u should see my 2+2 squat lol almost all the way down to the muffler.. lol no joke.. thats why i was gonna swap out my 2 seater set up

Bleach

dude, I'm going to Canada in four days! I gotta practise up on my Canadian speech, eh

HybridS130

Okay so just to clarify, the mercedes springs will work for all four corners, you just cut them down to the proper height and you use the oem replacement shocks for the 280zx? Sweetness, I went into Oreilly auto today and they don't even carry suspension parts for the S130, I figured I might as well replace the springs too since it's so old.

Hooray New Suspension!

Edit: I just reread the thread and I realized what was said about using the front springs for the rear, does this mean that only the rear will accept the mercedes springs?

NismoPick

Yep... Front 300D springs fit the rear 280zx's. I never researched thru the junk yard to find something more stiff to fit the front.

lww

And the Mercedes springs are stiff as hell. They have almost no give on the relatively light weight rear of a 280ZX compared to the 300D's 6 cylinder diesel motor they're designed to support.

I think the spring rate on the 300D's is in the 300lb range. I believe ours are about 180lb for the coupe and 200lb for the 2+2, so you're talking about a 50% increase in stiffness over a stock 2+2.

I think the guys that have used this can testify to their stiffness.

I would only use it as a temporary fix. Normally, you want some give in your springs for uneven pavement and road holding on city streets/highways.

If you want to drift, they're the perfect add-on!

HybridS130

Oh yeah I didn't even think about the stifness making the car unstable, thanks for bringing that up lww. I think I'd be better off going all out and getting an actual set of springs from MSA or something. Im trying to put together a decent yet inexpensive suspension with new springs, struts, bushings, and some strut bars

Bleach

ST springs are pretty stiff. I'm happy with the set I bought.

although, the front dropped more than the rear.