I will be purchasing new springs/shocks within the month and I really want adjustable shocks. Tokico Illuminas are perfect, but I can only find them for the front, I guess they stopped making the back for the 280zx.

Are there any other adjustable shocks out there for the 280zx? I don't have the money to lay down on coilovers right now, which is too bad.

Are there ways to modify certain parts to get say, an illumina from the z31's back to work with the 280zx?

Would it be acceptable to put illumina's on the front and tokico HP's on back? Or would the different rates of dampening and rebound screw up the handling (or still improve handling when adjusted right)?

What does the infinite wisdom of zdriver.com think?

 

There's been A LOT of threads about springs & shocks for the 280zx: The SEARCH is a good tool ( https://www.zdriver.com/forums/search.php )

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...shocks+springs

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...shocks+springs

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...shocks+springs

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...shocks+springs

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...shocks+springs

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...shocks+springs

 

Actually I read all of those. I didn't really want to highjack someone elses thread with different questions. I figured since I was asking pretty specific stuff about rear shocks only I would start a new thread.

I have been researching all of my suspension options for several months and I wanted to make sure I covered all the possible bases. In all probability I will end up with tokico blues but a girl can dream, can't she?

 

Is there any particular reason why you want adjustable shocks? For ordinary road not competition use, the best quality set of matched nonadjustable shocks you can get would be good. I'd be a bit wary of using different shocks front/rear.

 

No,

The Z31 uses a standard shock on the rear. The S130 (280ZX) uses a strut (Shock inside the spring...)

They are totally different set ups.

Rod.

 

260DET - I want the adjustable shocks for autocross. Also the county that I go to college in has much different roads than the one I spend summers in, and I would like to set my car up for each place when I'm there.

RodMoyes - Thanks for the info on the z31, that was a pipe dream of mine, if anything.

 

If you want adjustable, go with a coil over setup. You can precisely adjust them.

 

I posted in my first post that I can't afford coil overs right now.

 

I'm just sayin... coilovers = adjustability. If you're dying for adjustable suspension, save ya pennies & do it right.

 

Here's your Illumina rears...

http://www.team-performance.com/View...arttype=231342

 

Nismopick, you are a saint. I couldn't find those anywhere.

 

^ You weren't alone. I didn't know you get em for the rear anymore.

 

I'd call them to make sure they are the STRUTS tho... they advertise them as "Illumina Gas Strut Cartridge (Rears)" The rears must be replaced... no "cartridge" involved.

 

I'll bet money those aren't the adjustable Illumina's, they're they non-adjustable HP's. Which are the equivalent of the Illumina's when set to the #3 setting. The Illumina range is from 1 to 5.

Most likely, you'll get a call shortly after placing the order to tell you the rear's are on 'backorder'.

I spoke to the Tokico rep at MSA last month and he said if they get enough requests, Tokico will start making them again...

This is starting to sound redundant... I made the same proposal last year and they still haven't received enough interest to start making them again...

 

yea, i talked to him too. Darrelbuddy and i were hassle'n the guy for a while. He didnt seem to really care too much that the illuminas are not available for the s-130 anymore.

 

i called the rep the a few days after msa and he didnt even bother to look up anything equivalent. But at msa he seemed to be a little more motivated to help...guess not. But anyways, look into the 240sx rear struts and skyline r32. I have the skyline r32 rear struts and they are very similar and i heard of people in japan using them. The only problem is, is that the 240sx shocks are little bit longer than our struts, and the r32 struts are way way way shorter.

 

I have the illumina's on the front - hp's on the rear and it has worked well for me. If they make the rear's again, I'll be in line for a set....

 

Unfortunately, it's hard to get motivated to start production on a product when there's only about 50 people that actually want them...

Even KYB doesn't have the same model shock for the front and back for our cars. GR-2's for the front and Gas-a-just's for the rear...

 

We need to start slapping some people at Tokico around . . .

Wade start using that control of the internet you have and hack in to the Tokico mainframe and schedual a few thousand for production. I'll stand by and manage things.