What do you need to lower a P11

[Koojo]

I have a P11 and since I am new at this, i need some help. I currently have stock suspension on my car. When I will be replacing the the suspension, I might think about getting a lowered ride.
-Would it still be ok to lower the car if I am riding on the stock 15" rims?
To lower the car, would I need a specialized performance springs such as: Eibach springs? What about the shocks, do you need specialized ones or any shocks will do? I heard someone say that KYB AGX shocks were good. How about the springs in the front, would I need to replace those or not?
-About what price can I expect to pay to get the car lowered?
Thanks

[DVSNCYNIKL]

Lowering the car huh? I Likes. Promise to show pics afterwards.


If you're going to do it right, do it right the first time. Just replace the stock suspension.

What's involved you ask?

Springs: depending on taste, go with 1.75-2" drop. More than that is a little extreme if it's a daily driver.

Coilovers: Most people go with these nowadays for sportiness, reliability, etc.

Shocks and Struts: These are somewhat the common suspension parts used. I have an Accord, I purchased Bec Tech Struts form my ride. In addition to the drop from the springs(1.75-2"), the struts give me an additional 4" of drop. I can adjust to my taste and it's stiffer than stock suspension.

Sway bars and Tower struts: definitely necessary if you want the right handle and feel. Car will handle a lot better and you'll notice.



Now with that said, understand that with the springs, you're going to have to choose there stiffness from the jump. I think the Eibach Sportlines or like a medium stiffness and the pro-kits are really stiff(more for racing). So if you wanna sacrifice comfort for performance, make that choice before you start anything.

Price range, depending on where you live, and from whom you purchase it from: 300-600 dollars. Rough estimate, then factor in labor and miscellaneous expenses. Also consider replacing the bushings for better polyeurathane.

Some good sites to consider:

www.autodynamic.com
www.importparts.com
www.speedoptions.com
www.advanceimports.com
www.aieonline.com
www.groupbuycenter.com

Hope that helps.

[Nismoboy1]

well...you gotta consider the availability of suspension parts for our cars (p11)...it's very limited...

Important notes when lowering: do not cut springs, do not go lower than 2" otherwise performance will suffer, and always put on aftermarket shocks at the same time as your springs.

to see what they make for our cars, try going here...
http://www.g20.net/mod_suspension.html

to see every question ever about a p11's suspension answered go here...haha
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...?threadid=1296

and yes it's ok to lower with only stock rims and tires, yes you would need either a lowering spring or a coilover kit, yes you would need to get a shock with a higher dampening rate, Koni shocks for instance, kyb agx's are good shocks but not yet available for a p11, and yes you would need springs in the front, lowering springs usually come in a set of 4, 2 in the front and 2 in the back.

Prices vary, I'd say if you got lowering springs and a good set of shocks, somewhere around 6 to 7 bills would get you a nice setup.

Some companies to consider...Eibach, H&R, Ground Control, Koni, KYB(when available), and TEIN(full-setup or springs alone). Good luck :alien:

[DVSNCYNIKL]

Originally posted by Nismoboy1
do not cut springs

Ooops!! Forgot to mention that. Don't ever cut springs or bumpstops for that matter. Even though people will tell you that you can and should. Don't.

[G22DET]

cut the springs, cut the bump stops and cut the shock housing to make your car even lower.....oh....oops, sorry, i am bored at work :frog:

[Koojo]

Ya Im gonna go down to this local performance store called Poorboys Performance, if anyone ever heard of that. The guy there is pretty cool, he said that he could probably get a body kit for my car too. So Im gonna ask him if he will get me a good lowered ride for a good price, and if he knows someone that can install it cheaper, because I definatly wont be doing it myself. hope me luck......Anything else that I should keep in mind?

[Koojo]

Also, when the car is lowered, say about 2" or so, is there a risk of the tire hitting any part of the chassis? When you turn the wheel for example. Or what if you go over a bump on a road, wouldnt the tire hit the top top?

[i_rebel]

Yes . . . that is a risk, which is why most are recommending that you lower no more than say . . . 1.75".

That's the furthest you should go on our cars if you want to avoid the risk of "bottoming out".

The only way to combat this and still get a lower ride height is to buy a shortened strut assembly which I forget whether they are available for our cars . . .

Anybody, Jason?

[Adam]

gain a few pounds...

[Koojo]

A few hundred pounds....

[G-Forces]

Originally posted by DVSNCYNIKL
Ooops!! Forgot to mention that. Don't ever cut springs or bumpstops for that matter. Even though people will tell you that you can and should. Don't.

That would be me. Cutting bumpstops is fine. As long as you know what you are doing. What the bumpstop does is keeps the strut from smashing through the bottom of itself and blowing out the strut.

Nissan has nitoriously short suspenion travel even stock. Cutting bumpstops will give you that little extra travel that will keep you from bottoming out on the suspension. When you bottom out the suspension gets unpredictable and can cause you to lose control. Anyone with a lowered ride will tell you that when they hit certian bumps the car just launches. They just bottomed out...very bad. The stock bumpstops are made for stock spring rates. When you get new springs you'll be raising the spring rate buy at least 15% minimum. The springs alone will make it harder to bottom out so a shorter bumpstop is not as critical.

I've posted a couple times about my plans to cut my bumpstops. I think in sharp turns my TEINs are riding on the bumpstops and causing sever understeer.

As for shortened struts. Motivational is going to make some...don't know the ETA, but bug them if you want them. The setup WILL be expensive. The TEINs are shortened as well but only by about 1/4".

[primera man]

Originally posted by G-Forces


Anyone with a lowered ride will tell you that when they hit certian bumps the car just launches.

I think in sharp turns my TEINs are riding on the bumpstops and causing sever understeer.

Is the understeer you are talking about caused by the rear wheel wanting to lift off the ground due to the short travel ???

Is this what causes the car to launch out of a bump due to the bottoming out ??
Cheers.

[G-Forces]

Originally posted by primera man
Is the understeer you are talking about caused by the rear wheel wanting to lift off the ground due to the short travel ???

Nope it's caused by the outside front suspension being compressed to the point that it's actually riding on the bumpstop. At that point there is NO more travel and without the travel to absorb/support the additional weight of the car, the tire now has to support it. You lose traction on that corner and that is what causes the understeer. Understeer happens when your tires in front have less traction than the rear at the limit of adhesion.

Is this what causes the car to launch out of a bump due to the bottoming out ??
Cheers.

Yup.

[primera man]

Thanks for the info Jason.